Digital Commons Network^™

Illinois Secondary Agriculture Teachers' Perception Of Critical Development Of Undergraduate Experiences, Alicia Jo Gullidge

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to provide the leadership of Illinois Agricultural Education with an understanding of what practicing teachers feel were the most important experiences in their pre-service teacher education program that ensured they were prepared for the classroom. This information can be used to streamline the teacher education programs and eliminate experiences that are perceived to be less relevant to preparing teachers. It is believed that this will assist with ongoing efforts dealing with recruitment and retention.

The area's that will be addressed in this survey will be demographics and pre-service events that future agriculture teachers are …

Improving The Efficiency Of Fall Applied N With Cover Crops, Corey Lacey

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate loss studies in Midwestern tile-drained fields have found that fall applied nitrogen (N) resulted in elevated nitrate concentrations in tile water during both the corn and soybean year of a 2 year rotation. The effectiveness of cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching when N is spring applied has been well demonstrated, however there is a dearth of knowledge on the ability of cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching in a system where N is fall applied. Thus, the objectives of this research were to (i) investigate the efficacy of winter cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching from fall applied …

The Effects Of Planting Techniques On Maize Grain Yield And Silage Production, Tyler D. Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comprehensive analysis of the effects of seed orientation, row direction and planting population on grain yield, kernel composition, and silage yield and composition. Producers are striving to increase profit by efficiently using their available land area to maximize crop production. However, little research is available testing the effect of seed orientation on grain or silage production. Quantifying the impacts of seed orientation and row direction on grain and silage is essential for maximum crop production. Dissemination of the results should benefit grain and silage producer.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of manipulating seed …