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Factors Of Profitable Field Crop Selection, Jacob Thomas Briscoe

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Methods of crop selection are varied, depending on a variety of factors, including resources, climate, soil type, and potential marketability of the crop. This study utilizes a theoretical farm of one thousand farmable acres to estimate the costs and returns as well as the resources associated with cultivating, planting, irrigating, harvesting and selling the crop products. The theoretical farm is situated in southwest Idaho in any of the counties of Ada, Canyon, Elmore, Owyhee and Payette. The crops grown are typical of the area; the crops examined are field corn (Zea mays), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and …

A Comparison Of The Amely Gene Sequence In Argali (Ovis Ammon) And Domestic (Ovis Aries) Sheep, Kimberly Elwood

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Amelogenin (AMEL) is a gene responsible for tooth bud development. It is located on the X-chromosome, thus called AMELX, in mammals. AMEL has been shown to be present in fish, amphibians, and reptiles, though the exact location on the chromosome has not been determined. Amelogenin-like gene (AMELY), an AMEL homolog encoded on the Y-chromosome in some mammals, including sheep, cattle, deer, bears, humans, and some primates, is shorter than the sequence on the X-chromosome. It is unknown whether AMELY is transcriptionally active, but it has been found to be useful for human sexing purposes in forensics, archaeology and prenatal diagnosis, …

Field Testing Of Abrasion Resistant Carbides, Kevin C. Orme

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Chromium, tungsten, titanium, and vanadium carbides were investigated to determine relative cost of operation for each in an agricultural environment. For use on a ripper plow, these carbides were field tested in two different soil types; one soil having a matrix of gravel and cobblestones, and the other consisting of hard dirt and large underground rocks. Each alloy was applied to a high carbon plow point using an arc welding process. Along with the welded points, cast chromium carbide was tested. The results are given in price per acre and not solely longevity of the point. It was concluded that …

Bioavailability/Toxicity Of Iron From Aerobically Processed Organic Fertilizer, Stacey Marie Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

For an undergraduate Honor's project, I worked under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Hall to determine the bioavailability and toxicity of iron from Milorganite® fertilizer, an aerobically processed organic fertilizer. The Milorganite® Company is a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Municipal Sewage District and produces a fertilizer of high iron content (approximately 5-7%). The high iron content has resulted in concern about the toxic potential, which until now was unknown. This thesis paper will explain iron chemistry, bioavailability, requirements, absorption, toxicity, and treatments, followed by a description of fertilizer types and contents. This will be followed by a description and reasoning …

Seed Rain Patterns During Early Recovery On A Strip-Mined Site In Southwestern Wyoming, Hal W. Gordon

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Revegetating surface-mined soils of the western United States is a major problem facing natural resource managers today. The Surface Mine Reclamation and Conservation Act (SMRCA, Public Law 95-87) requires that the opera tor: "… establish on the regraded areas, and all other lands affected, a diverse, effective and permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety native to the area of land to be affected and capable of self-regeneration and plant succession at least equal in extent of cover to the natural vegetation of the area ... "

Historically, most of the coal produced in the U.S. came from the …