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Role Of Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Proteins (Pips) Subfamily And Sulfur Nanoparticle Interactions In Metalloids Transport And Tolerance/Sensitivity In Rice, Ahmed Gm Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) are major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) with the ability to permeate water and small uncharged solutes as well as metalloids including arsenic (As), through the cell membranes. Arsenic is a highly toxic element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust or from anthropogenic activities with a severe poisonous effect on most living organisms. Rice, as the daily staple food for more than half of the world population, accumulates higher As contents than any other economic crop due to its growing conditions in flooded paddy fields. Members from the NOD26-like intrinsic proteins (NIP) subfamily of MIP were …

Precise Nitrogen Recommendations Improve Economic And Environmental Outcomes In Arkansas Rice Production, Cristin Roberts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil testing has become an increasingly important tool in making agronomically efficient production management decisions. N-STaR is a N test used in rice production and is unique in its ability to selectively quantify soil organic-N compounds which are readily mineralizable for plant N uptake and contribute to growth and yield. This study uses historical (2002–2018) adoption rates of N-STaR, which is funded through Rice Checkoff funds, to calculate the total cost savings from N-STaR adoption. These cost savings alone would be the “typical” benefits used in a benefit-cost ratio of a public ally funded research program like N-STaR. However, we …

Impact Of Planting Arrangement And Drill Row Spacing For Direct-Seeded, Delayed Flood Rice, Mary Jane Lytle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Direct-seeding is the most frequently utilized planting practice in Arkansas and Mid-South rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Enhanced plant density and more rapid rice canopy formation may result from the implementation of innovative plant arrangements and spacings. Studies were initiated in 2019 and continued into 2020 to examine different cultural management practice experiments, including evaluating the impacts of planting arrangement, row spacing, and seeding rates on rice stand density, canopy coverage, grain yield, and milling yield. These small-plot trials were conducted at two locations, a silt loam site and a clay site, representative of soils produced to rice in eastern …

Data Analytics For Sustainable Food And Agriculture Systems, Megan Lord Reavis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is altering the climate, posing a serious threat to global agriculture and food security. Agriculture and food production contribute a quarter of all GHG emissions produced, so there is a critical need to limit emissions in this area while increasing food production to feed the anticipated 10 billion people by 2050. To address the needs of the future, data-driven solutions are needed to guide decision-making and provide support for actionable climate mitigation and survival strategies. Research efforts must be focused on analyzing problems on multiple scales, identifying new ways to …

Understanding The Influence Of Zinc On Grain Cadmium Accumulation And Bioaccessibility In Rice, Michael A. Tavarez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The effect of cadmium and zinc on mineral concentrations in three cultivars of rice

Interactions between the essential mineral zinc (Zn) and the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) play an important role in regulating transport of both minerals to rice grains. Understanding these interactions is crucial for limiting cadmium and increasing zinc transfer to the food chain. Previous studies on the matter have had conflicting results suggesting synergistic and antagonistic relationships between the minerals. The goal of this work was to identify the effect of external cadmium and zinc on the uptake and translocation of both minerals from roots to …

The Genetic Basis Of Adaptation To Environmental Stress In Two Grass Genomic Model Systems, David Mitchell Goad

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants are exposed to a wide variety of environmental stress in the wild and have developed an equally diverse set of adaptations to tolerate them. The evolutionary processes that have led to this functional diversification, and the specific genes and physiological mechanisms involved, are of immense interest to both evolutionary biologists and crop breeders. In this dissertation I investigate adaptation to different types of environmental stress in two economically important grass species, seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Seashore paspalum is a halophytic turfgrass that occupies habitats which can dramatically differ in salt concentration. Populations may …

Estimating Irrigation In Rice Fields With A Water Balance Approach, Kristen Trinh

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Global food production must increase to meet the demand associated with increased population growth, so irrigation water use will continue to rise. Therefore, it is important to monitor water usage particularly when an irrigation flowmeter is unavailable. A field water balance was created for a selection of rice fields in East-central Arkansas under observation in 2018 and 2019. From those, irrigation inputs are deduced from the water balance alone. First, each field had sensors that collected water table level (WTL) data. Next, other water inputs and outputs such as precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) were collected from two modeled sources. The …

The Economics Of On-Farm Rice Drying In Arkansas, Clayton Parker

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Globally, rice producers are faced with the temporal problem of deciding the optimal time to being rice harvest. When harvested, paddy rice is typically at a moisture content (HMC) between 15 and 22%. Upon delivery, the rice is subsequently dried by the mill to a moisture content (MC) of 12.5%. Riceland Foods Inc., the largest miller of rice in the world, uses a stair-step pricing model to charge farmers to dry in price/unit as the MC of grain decreases from a range of +22% to 13.5%. This study estimates an alternative linear relationship in the stair-step model to determine MC …

Rice Response To Nitrogen Fertilization And Comparison Of Unmanned Aerial Systems And Active Crop Canopy Sensors Vegetative Index To Estimate Rice Yield Potential, Anna Coker

LSU Master's Theses

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a key component in producing profitable, maximized rice grain yields because yield is directly affected by N fertilizer applications. Economical optimum N rate (EONR) is used to estimate where the N fertilization rate impacts rice grain yield but is still economically efficient. Three common response models, linear-plateau, quadratic-plateau, and quadratic models were used to determine the response of rice to N fertilizer to determine the optimum N fertilization rate. The objective of the first part of this study was to evaluate the models by assessing the coefficients of determination (R²), maximum rice grain yields …

Estimating Demand Elasticities For Rice In Benin, Ogoudele Simon Codjo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice consumption in Benin is increasing along with shifting consumer demand toward higher quality rice. In this context of changing demands, experimental estimation methods provide an effective way to estimate the current state of consumer preferences. We conducted a hypothetical choice experiment in 15 open markets in Benin to analyze the demand for rice and its substitutes. The results reveal that consumers value quality rice, even those in the low-income class. While high income consumers are more likely to choose high quality imported rice, low- and middle-income consumers are more likely to select high quality domestic rice among the set …

Implications Of Rice Cultivar Selection To Optimize Returns From Crop Insurance, David Ethan Branscum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice production differs from most other field crops by distinct differences in yields across cultivars and rice producers being paid for yield after post-harvest milling. Using eleven years (2003-2013) of Arkansas harvest data from performance trials in six different locations, hybrids have 19% higher paddy yields and head rice yield rate 1.7% lower than conventional cultivars. Given the 2014 Farm Bill’s emphasis on crop insurance as a risk management tool for producers, these variations in yield among cultivars have significant implications for rice producers. Comparing national level, crop insurance data on corn, soybeans and rice indicates rice producers strongly prefer …

Strategies To Overcome Antagonism Of Quizalofop-P-Ethyl When Applied In Mixture With Other Herbicides, Lucas C. Webster

LSU Master's Theses

A field study was conducted in 2017 and 2018 at the LSU Agricultural Center H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station (RRS) near Crowley, LA. to evaluate the influence of different adjuvants in overcoming the antagonism of quizalofop when mixed with bispyribac in Louisiana rice production. The antagonism of quizalofop mixed with bispyribac plus HCOC at 14 DAIT was overcome with a neutral interaction observed at 28 DAIT for barnyardgrass control with an observed control of 91%, compared with an expected control of 97%. The addition of COC, SNS or HCOC into a mixture of quizalofop plus bispyribac provided synergistic or …

Assessing Rice Consumers’ Preferences And Willingness To Pay In Haiti, Cleeford Pavilus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last 30 years, rice has become the number one food staple in Haiti, and rice imports have outpaced domestic production to supply the country’s increasing rice demand. Policy makers support the claim that increasing local rice supply will not only reduce the dependency on imported rice but also upheave the national economy. However, there is a lack of information on Haitian consumers’ preferences for rice to aid the development of the local rice supply chain. This research aims to bridge that gap by assessing Haitian consumer preferences and willingness to pay for selected rice quality characteristics. The results …

Sustainable Intensification Of Agriculture: Opportunities And Challenges For Food Security And Agrarian Adaptation To Environmental Change In Bangladesh, Aaron Michael Shew

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates three unique aspects of sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) in the context of Bangladeshi rice production. The first article presents a qualitative analysis of SAI and farmer surveys in the embanked polder region of coastal Bangladesh. The second article investigates the global food security and environmental impacts of already adopted High Yielding Variety (HYV) rice and double-cropped rice systems in Bangladesh using a spatial partial equilibrium trade model and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The final article demonstrates a remote sensing methodology for monitoring dry season rice production at 30 m resolution in Bangladesh using a harmonic time …

Effect Of Increasing Levels Of Monosilicic Acid On Arsenic And Phosphorus Sorption In Soil, Flávia Bastos Agostinho

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Arsenic (As) accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa) grains has increased human’s daily intake. Studies have shown that arsenite is taken up through known silicon (Si) transporters in rice. Moreover, the availability of As in soil is affected by chemically similar ligands that have high affinity to oxides surfaces, such as Si and phosphorus (P). Studies were conducted to: (I) investigate the role of elevated levels of Si on the concentration of different As fractions in soil and on As uptake by rice; (II) evaluate the effect of increasing monosilicic acidconcentrations on As sorption and kinetics in soil; and …

Modelling The Impact Of National Development Strategies For The East African Rice Sector, Florence Muthee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 2008 food crisis prompted many food importing nations to reconsider the need to be self-sufficient especially in their staple food needs. This awakening led to the launch of the Coalition for Africa Rice Development (CARD) initiative with a goal to double rice production in Africa. Under the CARD umbrella member countries drafted individual National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS). This study is a quantitative assessment of four East African countries’ NRDS: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda within dynamic global rice economy models. The NRDS targets and strategies are not realistic and included under estimation of rice consumption for Kenya, an …

Evaluation Of Insecticide Seed Treatments To Protect Rice (Oryza Sativa) Against Various Herbicides, Steven Michael Martin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increase in herbicide-resistant weeds in Arkansas crop fields has led to the need for new herbicide modes of action for use in all crops. This need has led to the introduction of technologies that can be devastating to conventional rice crops. Field observation, noted that insecticide seed treatments used in rice could potentially reduce the effects of off-target movement of herbicides onto rice crops and possibly reduce the negative effects of some herbicides applied directly to rice. Research was conducted to determine if insecticide seed treatments could reduce the harmful effects of drift from imazethapyr and glyphosate onto conventional …

A Regional Approach To Analysis Of Food Security Framework And Policies Of The Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas), Hannah Elizabeth Shear

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food security is always a concern for consumers, but especially for those in West Africa, where the population of food insecure people has continued to grow over the past decade despite attempts by initiatives such as the World Food Program and the establishment of Millennium Development Goals. The people of West Africa are subject to repetitive natural disasters and are often in political upheaval. Many economic policies have been established to mitigate the impact that production disasters have on the consumers; one of these policies is the utilization of regional food reserves.

In 2010, the Economic Community of West African …

European Consumers' Attitudes Towards Cisgenic Rice, Anne-Cécile Delwaide

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The enhancement of existing plant breeding techniques, such as cisgenesis, allows plant breeders to enhance an existing cultivar quicker and with little to no genetic drag. Cisgenesis is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with natural gene(s) from a sexually compatible plant. Unlike transgenesis, which is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with gene(s) from any non‐plant organism, or from a donor plant that is sexually incompatible with the recipient plant, the results of cisgenesis could occur naturally over time. Currently, both cisgenic and transgenic products are classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and are labeled as such …

Price Discovery And Futures Spreads For U.S. And Chinese Rice Futures Market, Wei Yang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice, the primary staple food for more than half the world's population, is the second world's most consumed food grain. In recent years, world rice price has increased and become more volatile especially in the period 2007-2010. Rice price volatility has a huge impact on Asian countries, especially countries in Southeast Asia where rice is a staple food for millions of households. Private market tools to manage price risk and discover price such as futures markets have been analyzed and assessed as possible solutions to coping with rice price volatility issue. Two primary functions of agricultural commodities futures markets are …

Effects Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles In Cereals: Insights Into The Toxicity Mechanisms And Macromolecular Modifications, Cyren Mendoza Rico

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite the inundation of studies on the interaction of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with plants, investigations involving complete life cycle (i.e from seedling establishment to full maturity) are still lacking. Assessments on the nutritional value of plants cultivated to full maturity in ENMs-treated soil are also missing. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) have significant interactions with plants; however, there are no life cycle studies yet on their implications in cereals like rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). These cereals are globally important crops that support the economic activity, and nutritional and health needs of billions …

Multifunctionality In U.S. Rice Production: A Logit Analysis In Farmers Participation, Juan Tur Cardona

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctional agriculture is particularly fundamental to some working lands conservation policies and programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), Conservation Security Program (CSP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). Farmers can also be engaged in providing recreational and agri-tourism services such as hunting, fishing, bird-watching, farm tours, petting zoos and hospitality services. Using the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) we analyze factors associated with participation in conservation, recreation and agri-tourism activities as a function of farm structure, farm financial measures, production practices, and socio-demographic characteristics of the farm operator. To estimate the functional relationships we estimate a binary …

Economic Evaluation Of Potential Changes In Farm Program Price Support For Typical Louisiana Rice And Cotton Farming Operations, Manuel E. Aldana

LSU Master's Theses

Increased government deficit has led the congress to reduce federal spending. Proposed budget cuts are intended to decrease government spending in several areas, including agriculture. Reductions in farm program spending could cause significant adverse effects on the financial situation of many farms, particularly to rice and cotton enterprises, due to their high reliance on farm program payments as a source of income. Representative rice and cotton operations of one, two, three, and four entities as single crop enterprises were considered and developed for use in this study. Farm enterprise sizes were determined by estimating the acreage level at which a …

An Evaluation Of Cost Of Production Insurance As An Income Support Tool For Rice And Cotton Producers In Louisiana, Erica Harding

LSU Master's Theses

Crop insurance has received a great deal of attention over the past several years. The main interest and focus of analysis on crop insurance has been to evaluate its use and performance as a risk management tool for agricultural producers. Several different types of crop insurance policies are currently available, ranging from minimal yield coverage to revenue coverage. Cost of production crop insurance has been proposed recently as a low cost, safety net type of insurance policy for agricultural producers. This study evaluated the performance of cost of production crop insurance for cotton and rice producers in Louisiana. Crop income …

Economic Evaluation Of Alternative Rough Rice Marketing And Storage Strategies, April Street

LSU Master's Theses

The alternative rough rice marketing and storage strategies were evaluated using three methods of analysis. The methods used in this study were MOTAD, simulation, and stochastic dominance. Historical rough rice prices from 1980/81 - 2000/01 was used and tested for trends and seasonality in order for the methods to be formed properly. SAS was used to verify that the data used in this study did not follow any time trend or reflect seasonality. MOTAD, simulation, and stochastic dominance were used to determine the most efficient marketing and storage strategy that will enable rice farmers to make the best decisions and …

A Game Theoretic Analysis Of U.S. Rice Exports Under Alternative Japanese And South Korean Policy Scenarios, Dae-Seob Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As a result of the Uruguay Round (UR), the impact on the international rice market is profound. In addition, another round of the WTO trade negotiations has started and the impacts of potential policy changes on rice trade are unknown. The major U.S. benefit of the UR has been the access to the Japanese market. However, the U.S. share of this import market has been unstable and the share of Korean rice market is zero percent. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the potential implication of U.S. rice exports to Japan and Korea. The Japanese and Korean rice economies as …