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Analyzing Land-Cover Change Within North West Rural Landscapes, Chantal Cassar

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Landscape change is an issue of concern within the Maltese Islands; records of landscape change go back at least 450 years, and the rate of change has been particularly accelerated in recent decades. Notwithstanding the importance of this phenomenon, there have been few attempts to trace out patterns of landscape change over time. This study seeks to develop an understanding of landscape change within rural landscapes, over a period of 400 years. A qualitative analytical approach was used with a focus on five case study rural settlements in the North West of Malta. Land surveys and historic documentary sources together …

Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia Trifida L.) Biology, Competition, And Control In Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.), Kelly Anna Barnett

Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to evaluate control options and investigate the biology and competitiveness of glyphosate-resistant (GR) giant ragweed in cotton. Our results determined that glufosinate followed by glufosinate, glufosinate plus pyrithiobac, and glufosinate plus fluometuron at 0.56 or 1.12 kg ai ha^-1 resulted in the highest level of visual control and the highest yield. However, glufosinate followed by glufosinate was the only treatment that resulted in the highest yield and > 90% control of GR giant ragweed.

The development of glufosinate-tolerant, 2,4-D tolerant, and dicamba-tolerant crops may provide growers with new opportunities for difficult-to-control weeds such as …

Efficacy Of Biopesticides For Organic Management Of Cucumber Beetles, Mary A. Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

Organic growers are limited in crop protection techniques for cucumber beetle management. Spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) and striped (Acalymma vitatta) cucumber beetles and are significant pests of cucurbits in the U.S. Feeding results in aesthetic damage and reduction in marketable yields as well as transmission of bacterial wilt that can result in plant mortality. Biopesticides are products formulated from naturally occurring organisms such as fungi and bacteria that are pathogenic or toxic to insect pests. Advantages to these products are that they have low environmental risk, low risk to non-target organisms including mammals and beneficial insects, …

Graduate Internship Report- Selma High School, Jalisca Jean Thomason

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship report addresses the quality criteria of an agricultural education program and includes the supporting documents to meet the requirements of the California Department of Education specific to Selma High School. This document and the supporting evidence is intended to meet the requirements to obtain maximum funding for the Ag Incentive Grant.

The Impact Of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Bse) On World Protein Supply, Jarrod Kersey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As world population, per capita income and urbanization increase, consumption of meat, poultry, milk and eggs will continue to rise to meet the needs of approximately nine billion people in 2050. Global beef, pig and chicken production and per capita consumption increased between 2000 and 2010, with growth in broiler production and consumption outpacing both beef and swine. The increased production and consumption requires readily available feed ingredients in regions where animal production is rapidly developing. Animal-based protein feed ingredients are often difficult to move from country to country due to real or perceived risk of animal disease. Zoosanitary standards …

Effects Of Silvicultural Management On Coast Redwood Forest Composition, Density And Structure In Santa Cruz And San Mateo Counties, Michael J. Papa

Master's Theses

The multiple-objective exploratory study investigates effects of various silvicultural management regimes commonly applied to coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.) forests in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties, California, USA. A temporary forest inventory was installed in 24 harvest origin stands and 4 natural origin stands throughout the study area (sample area = 1189 acres). Data from the systematic sample of 233 one-quarter acre nested cluster plots (sample intensity = 4.9%) rendered overall forest descriptions in terms of species composition, density, and structure. The common forestry measures of trees per acre (TPA), basal area per acre (BA), and …

Mortality Assessment Of Redwood And Mixed Conifer Forest Types In Santa Cruz County Following Wildfire, Steve R. Auten

Master's Theses

On August 12, 2009, the Lockheed Fire ignited the west slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains burning approximately 7,819 acres. Foresters and other land managers were left with challenging decisions on how to evaluate tree mortality. Big Creek Lumber Company, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), and other resource professionals familiar with this region teamed up to develop a method for evaluating damage and thereby mortality for redwood, California nutmeg, live oak, tanoak, California bay, Pacific madrone, big leaf maple, Douglas-fir, Monterey pine, and knobcone pine. Quantitative damage criteria were used to design …

Effects Of Incremental Dietary Levels Of Ground Flaxseed On Milk Production, Ruminal Metabolism, And Enteric Methane Emissions In Organic Dairy Cows, Katie Velez

Honors Theses and Capstones

Ground Flaxseed (Linum uitatissimum) is a lipid supplement that is commonly fed to dairy cows. It is believed that supplemental lipid can change the Fatty Acid (FA) composition in the milk, and decrease methane production. Twenty lactating organic Jersey cows, housed at the UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm (ODRF), were randomly assigned to five replicated 4 × 4 Latin squares to investigate the effects of increasing dietary levels of ground flaxseed (0, 5, 10, or 15% of the diet dry matter) on animal fperformance (e.g., dry matter intake, milk production, milk composition), ruminal metabolism, and enteric methane emissions. Each …

Cadmium Accumulation And Distribution In Lettuce And Barley, Fardausi Akhter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential trace element and its environmental concentrations are increasing due to human activities. Edible plants can accumulate high concentrations of Cd, which could be toxic to humans. Understanding how and where Cd is stored in plants is important for ensuring lower concentration of Cd in the food. In this thesis, the accumulation and distribution of Cd in three agricultural plants, namely lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and radish (Raphanus sativus L.), were investigated with a focus on the potential mechanisms involved in the localization of Cd in the root. The …

Protein Body Formation In Stable Transgenic Plants Of Nicotiana Tabacum Expressing Elastin-Like Polypeptide And Hydrophobin Fusion Proteins, Sonia P. Gutierrez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Plants are recognized as an efficient and inexpensive system to produce valuable recombinant proteins. However, the use of plants still faces two main limitations: the low accumulation levels of some recombinant proteins and the lack of efficient protein purification methods. Two fusion partners, elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) and hydrophobin I (HFBI) were found to increase the accumulation of recombinant proteins and induce the formation of protein bodies (PBs) when targeted to the ER in transient expression assays. In this study I examined the effect of these tags in stable transgenic plants of two Nicotiana tabacum cultivars when fused to green fluorescent …

Impacts Of Agricultural Disturbance On Communities Of Selected Soil Fungi (Agaricomycetes), Jessie R. Wong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The objective of this study was to use phylogeny-based and community-based analyses to compare the community composition of Agaricomycetes among four different agricultural treatments at the Kellogg Biological Station Long Term Ecological Research (KBS LTER) site. A phylogenetic tree that included 591 ribosomal DNA sequences previously obtained from KBS LTER documented the composition of Agaricomycete communities in each treatment. Sequences from KBS LTER were placed into 472 OTUs (putatively species-level operational taxonomic units defined by 99% or greater sequence similarity) and these were dominated by the Agaricales (with 330 OTUs), Cantharellales (39 OTUs), Hymenochaetales (29 OTUs), and Polyporales (23 OTUs). …

Hairy Roots As A Model To Investigate The Role Of Suberin In The Phytophthora Sojae-Soybean Pathosystem, Pooja Sharma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Part of the resistance mechanism of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) to Phytopthora sojae Kauf. & Gerd. involves pre-formed root suberin. In order to investigate the role of suberin in this host-pathogen interaction, I characterized hairy roots, formed as a result of Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Riker et al.) Conn infection, as a model to be used as a reliable soybean transformation system. I established hairy root cultures and demonstrated that they were a result of A. rhizogenes infection. The anatomy and suberin deposition in soybean hairy roots was examined, and found to be very similar to that of wild-type roots. …

High School Horticulture Curriculum, Margaret Maratsos

Horticulture and Crop Science

Horticulture is just one of the many topics covered in a high school agriculture curriculum, and yet, there are very few lesson plans or resources available to teachers for these classes specifically. The objectives of this project were to compile a set of lesson plans, lab plans, and tests that would emphasize interactive and investigative learning. The lesson plans were written in such a way that they reflected a certain set of standards, set down by the state of California, and were meant to serve as a bare outline of topics that would be discussed within a week’s worth of …

Investing In An Agricultural Legacy, Leo Paul Goeringer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

America's agricultural producers continue to age. According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, the average age of farm operators increased from 55.3 in 2002 to 57.1 in 2007. During the same period, the Census shows a thirty percent decrease in the number of farmers under age 25. Young and beginning producers (YBPs) entering agriculture face high startup costs and a shortage of land to own or rent.

With these concerns in mind, this manuscript details the impact of an innovative proposed loan program for YBPs in Arkansas, which would offer concessionary interest rates and loan fees by participating banks for …

Changes In Carbohydrates Of Navy Beans During Hydration And Subsequent Thermal Processing, Robert Blake Lowe

Masters Theses

Navy beans were subjected to six different hydration protocols that varied in time, temperature, and methodology after which they were thermally processed in both a brine solution and a typical baked bean sauce. Beans, isolated starch, and hydration fluid were analyzed immediately after the completion of hydration protocols. Significant differences were noted between those protocols utilizing low heat (1 and 2) and those utilizing high heat methods (3-6). Bean from low heat protocols were firmer overall. Starch granules from low heat beans were smaller in overall size, experienced less surface damage retained birefringence, and could absorb more water (higher swell …

Characteristics Of Quality Agricultural Magazine Capstone Courses Based On The Five R'S Model, Traci Nicole Rushing

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to assess students' and instructors' perceptions regarding the value of an agricultural communications magazine capstone course at three universities that were identified as exemplary in an effort to describe the characteristics leading to the course's success. Using a qualitative survey methodology, the investigator administered an open-response survey, conducted personal interviews with purposively-selected students in each course and the instructors, and made field observations. Both the interviews and the surveys consisted of six, in-depth questions crafted after Andreasen's (2004) of a successful magazine capstone course. Based on students' and instructors' perceptions through the lens of Andreasen's (2004) model, …

The Impact Of Selected Forage Legumes On Cattle Performance, Forage Production, And Soil Quality, And Evaluation Of Legume Persistence Under Grazing, Bradley Edward Briggs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interest in substituting legumes for N fertilizer in beef cattle grazing systems has recently increased with rising fertilizer prices. Legumes are well known for their ability to fix atmospheric N and decrease dependence on input of N fertilizer. However, there are still difficulties associated with legume utilization including establishment and persistence. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate legume performance under herbivory. The objective of Experiment 1 was to compare forage production and beef cattle gains from annual ryegrass [Lolium multiflorum (L.)] and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pastures fertilized with N or overseeded with legumes. Gelbvieh × Angus …

Guardians Of The Countryside Public Choice Theory And The Farm Lobby In The Eu's Common Agricultural Policy, Amy J. Costa

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Through various waves of reform, the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy remains inefficient without meeting all of its stated goals. The MacSherry reforms of 1992 resulted in the opposite of what leaders intended: higher spending and a growing bureaucracy. Later in the 1990s, Agenda 2000 slashed its originally planned cutbacks after farmers protested. Though support exists for reducing spending on agriculture, market intervention remains.

This thesis explores the problem through the use of public choice theory. -Consumers make too large a group to organize effectively or inform themselves about the issue, while farmers consist of a smaller group with well-defined …

Consumer Sensory Preferences And Willingness-To-Pay For Nutraceutical-Rich Fruit, Lydia Lawless

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Health-oriented juices are prime candidates for the nutraceutical market due to their inherent healthfulness and convenience. Fruits such as açaí berries, blueberries, blackberries, black cherries, Concord grapes, cranberries, and pomegranates are rich in potentially health-supporting polyphenolics, which makes the juices of these fruits attractive for nutraceutical optimization. The compositional, sensory, and stability properties of blueberry, blackberry, and Concord grape juice blends were explored in an extended shelf-life study. Initially, 100% blueberry juice had the highest total monomeric anthocyanins (67.40 mg/100mL), 100% blackberry juice had the highest total phenolics (249.24 mg/100mL), and 100% Concord juice had the highest polymeric color (23.21%). …

Impact Of Hybrid Rice On Food Security: A Spatial Equilibrium Analysis Of Global Adoption And Diffusion Of Hybrid Rice Varieties, Till Ludwig

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is the staple crop for most consumers in Asia. More than half of the global population depends on rice. However, scarce resources for agricultural production and unfavorable conditions will make it hard to meet future demand in rice and threaten future food security. Hybrid rice technology is a method to increase the productivity of resources needed for rice production. Current developments show not only yield improvements in comparison to existing conventional and hybrid varieties, but also fuel hopes for new abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. The objective of this study is to determine what impact hybrid rice varieties can …

Avian Habitat Response To Grazing, Haying, And Biofuels Production In Native Warm-Season Forages In The Mid-South, Jessie Lee Birckhead

Masters Theses

Declines in grassland birds have been attributed to loss of habitat, habitat degradation, and changes in land management. In the Mid-South, pasture and hayfield management has focused on maintaining dense stands of non-native forages that do not provide suitable vegetative structure for grassland birds or northern bobwhite. Native warm-season grasses have been promoted for livestock forage and biofuels feedstock. However, little information exists on how these practices affect habitat for grassland songbirds or northern bobwhite in the Mid-South. We conducted a study of two cattle grazing treatments, two hay harvest treatments and a biofuels harvest treatment on vegetative structure for …

Effects Of Compost, Legume Cover Cropping And Vermicompost Extract Foliar Applications On Nutrition And Yield Of Washington Navel Oranges, William Payton Carling

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Effects of Compost, Legume Cover Cropping and Vermicompost Extract Foliar Applications on Nutrition and Yield of Washington Navel Oranges

William Payton Carling

An experiment was conducted to test the effects of four treatments on Washington navel orange (Citrus sinensis) trees in regards to nutrient content of the leaves and fruit, soil nutrient content and properties, and fruit yield. The four treatments included: compost (C) and vermicompost extract foliar (VEF) applications, legume cover cropping (LCC) and VEF applications, VEF applications, and a control. The treatments were implemented from February 2010 to April 2011 and sampling occurred in May …

Locating The Variability Of Soil Water Holding Capacity And Understanding Its Effects On Deficit Irrigation And Cotton Lint Yield, Heath Adam Duncan

Masters Theses

Precision irrigation equipment such as variable-rate center pivots is readily available to Tennessee growers and producers; however, little research exists describing its application to cotton grown in Tennessee. In order to optimize the use of variable-rate irrigation equipment and water resources, two experiments were performed to determine (1) whether or not ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements can be used to delineate variable-rate irrigation zones and (2) examine the response of cotton lint yield to varying rates and duration of irrigation.

GPR and EC measurements were recorded, validated using soil cores, and used to identify the subsurface variability …

Factors Influencing Precision Farming Technology Adoption Over Time In Southern U.S. Cotton Production, Pattarawan Watcharaanantapong

Masters Theses

This study analyzed factors of farm and farmer characteristics that influenced the timing of PF technology adoption using Trivariate Tobit models for three PF technologies. Data from the Cotton Incorporated Southern Precision Farming (PF) Survey conducted in February and March of 2009 for the 2008 crop year were analyzed for PF adoption by Southern U.S. Cotton Producers. The number of years a cotton farmer had used yield monitoring (YMR), remote sensing (RMS) and grid soil sampling (GSS) were the dependent variables and farm and farmer characteristics were the independent variables.

Results of Trivariate Tobit model for YMR suggested that younger …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Effects Of Leadership And Trauma On Grassroots Community Development In Post-Conflict/Genocide Societies: A Rwandan Case Study, Bryna C. Ramsey

Capstone Collection

This research paper is an analysis of a grassroots, agricultural project carried out from 2010 to 2011 in Gitarama Cell, a rural community in Rwanda, East Africa, during my United States Peace Corps Volunteer service (2009-2011). The project began as the Twizere Agriculture Club at Gitarama Primary School. The goal of the club was to increase food security among community members through rabbit and chicken husbandry, and the study of such agriculture techniques as composting, double digging, and the establishment of microgardens.

Despite the acknowledged need for this club, the Twizere Agriculture Club project met multiple constraints that affected its …

Feasibility And Economic Viability Of Establishing A Wine Grape Vineyard In Moraga, Ca, Vincent Joseph Bruzzone

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Agriculture, Charlene Mills

Social Sciences

This paper is about sustainable agriculture and how we can strive to achieve it. It discusses what is wrong with our food system today and how we can go about changing that. It incorporates Geography and Anthropology while discussing different issues around the world.

Agricultural Policy In America: The Rise Of Industrial Farms And The Emergence Of Alternative Farming, Elizabeth Dagostino

Honors Theses

America’s treatment of agricultural policy is unlike that of any other country in the world. After the Great Depression, the government, urged on by a strong lobbying force, began to implement strong policies aiding and regulating the farming sector. Massive intervention that started as a means of food security has developed into a system today that still leans on subsidies, grants and other means of support. Industrial agriculture, meaning farming done on a large scale with chemical inputs, has largely replaced the traditional methods practiced at the time of the post-depression subsidies. However, in recent years counter-industrial farming has emerged …

The Suitability Of Ground Date (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Pits And Ghaf (Prosopis Cineraria L.) Pods As Horticultural Growth Media Or Soil Amendments, Saeed Khalifa Alshaali

Theses

The UAE and its neighboring countries are encountering scarcity of water resources and soil degradation due to salinization. The current over-exploitation of aquifers by the agricultural sector is a major concern for the government. Open field production of forage as a feed for camels, cows and small ruminants requires particularly high amounts of irrigation water. Greenhouse production of fodder might save water, but would require a suitable growth substrate that is readily available in the UAE, and ideally constitutes a palatable fodder itself. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of ground D.pits and G.pods as growth …