Education Commons^™

Ec02-172 Plumeless Thistle, Kara L. Hilgenfeld, Alex Martin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides L.) is one of seven noxious weeds in Nebraska. An introduced invasive broadleaf weed native to Europe and Asia, plumeless thistle currently infests about 65,000 acres in Nebraska. Infestations of plumeless thistle may reduce productivity of pastures and rangeland, where infestations tend to be the largest. Plumeless thistle competes with and suppresses growth of desirable species. Heavy infestations prevent livestock from grazing the area and lighter infestations prevent livestock from eating plants growing near the thistle. Estimates place the annual loss in Nebraska agricultural production due to plumeless thistle at $162,000. Although plumeless thistle is …

Ec02-177 Purple Loosestrife, Stevan Z. Knezevic

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an introduced invasive weed that isover running thousands of acres of wetlands and waterways in the Midwest. Once purple loosestrife invades a wetland, natural habitat is lost and the productivity of native plant and animal communities is severely reduced. These losses in turn interfere with various levels of the ecosystem and area recreational activities such as fishing, boating and hunting, diminishing revenue from tourism and impairing the social and economic well being of local communities. A single control measure cannot provide long-term, sustainable control of this weed. An integrated approach, using a variety …

Ec02-176 Musk Thistle, Fred Roeth, Steven R. Melvin, Irvin L. Schleufer

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans L.) is an introduced invasive broadleaf weed native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. In these areas it is a minor weed because natural enemies keep its population low. When the plant was introduced into North America, its natural enemies were left behind. Without these natural checks, the thistle is able to thrive and compete with native vegetation.

Musk thistles aggressively invade all lands in Nebraska. Typical cropland weed control methods are very effective against them; however, land with permanent cover (pasture, range, roadway ditches and wasteland) that is not tilled or treated with a …

Ec02-174 Noxious Weeds Of Nebraska: Leafy Spurge, Robert A. Masters, Brady Kappler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Leafy spurge is an invasive weed that infests over three million acres in the northern Great Plains and the prairie provinces of Canada. It is commonly found in rangelands, pastures, roadsides, rights-of-way, and woodlands. Leafy spurge can reduce rangeland and pasture carrying capacity by as much as 75 percent because it competes with forages and cattle avoid grazing areas infested with this weed.

This Extension Circular discusses the biology, identification, distribution and control of leafy spurge.

Ec00-1564 A Guide To Identifying Nebraska Bumble Bee Species, Marion D. Ellis, Doug Golick

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

For more people, pollen means allergies and bees mean stings. However, you should thank a bee, butterfly, bat, bird, or other pollinator for one out of every three bites of food you eat. There are 95 crops grown in the United States that require insect pollinators. In addition, many bee-pollinated plants provide food for wildlife, increase soil fertility, and beautify our landscapes.

This extension circular discusses the importance of bees, capturing bees, making a reference collection, identification guide, and glossary.

1: "To Know Ourselves", The U.S. Department Of Energy, The Human Genome Project

Genomics: Past & Future

AT THE END OF THE ROAD in Little Cottonwood Canyon, near Salt Lake City, Alta is a place of near-mythic renown among skiers. In time it may well assume similar status among molecular geneticists. In December 1984, a conference there, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, pondered a single question: Does modern DNA research offer a way of detecting tiny genetic mutations—and, in particular, of observing any increase in the mutation rate among the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and their descendants? In short the answer was, Not yet. But in an atmosphere of rare intellectual fertility, …

G94-1208 Managing The Alfalfa Weevil, Stephen D. Danielson, Thomas E. Hunt, Keith J. Jarvi

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The identification and life cycle of the alfalfa weevil are discussed along with scouting techniques, economic thresholds, and other integrated pest management tactics.

The alfalfa weevil is the primary insect pest of alfalfa in Nebraska. Management is essential to reduce crop losses, particularly during years when weevil infestation is high. Because there also are years when weevil damage is economically unimportant, it is necessary for growers to become familiar with sampling procedures, management guidelines, and control recommendations so control techniques are not used unnecessarily.

G94-1220 Controlling Ticks, John B. Campbell, Gustave D. Thomas

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Identification and control of ticks common to Nebraska.

Ticks are members of the same phylum (Arthropoda) of the animal kingdom as insects, but are in a different class (Arachnida). The main difference is the body of a tick is composed of only two sections while insect bodies have three sections.

There are over 800 species of ticks, 100 of which are important to man and animals because of economic losses or disease transmission. Fortunately in the United States, only about 12 species are economically important because they transmit disease organisms (viral, bacterial, protozoan, and rickettsial) or cause economic losses to …

G93-1167 Spider Mite Management In Corn And Soybeans, Robert J. Wright, Ronald C. Seymour, Leon G. Higley, John B. Campbell

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes the two common spider mites found in Nebraska corn and soybeans, their natural enemies and management.

Two species of spider mites, the Banks grass mite and twospotted spider mite, commonly feed on Nebraska corn. Banks grass mites (BGM) feed almost exclusively on grasses, including corn and sorghum. Twospotted spider mites (TSM) not only feed on many species of grasses, but also on soybeans, fruit trees and a variety of vegetables and ornamental plants. Although these two species are somewhat similar in appearance, they differ in several biological characteristics and in their susceptibility to pesticides.

Banks grass mites …

2: "The Mapping Of Chromosome 16", Norman A. Doggett, Raymond L. Stallings, Carl E. Hildebrand, Robert K. Moyzis

Genomics: Past & Future

Human chromosome 16 is the main focus of the mapping efforts at Los Alamos. The large photomicrograph on these opening pages illustrates the starting point for those mapping efforts, the evaluation of our chromosome-16-specific library of cloned fragments. Among the 23 pairs of human chromosomes, one pair, chromosome 16, is identified by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Thousands of yellow fluorescent probes derived from the clone library have hybridized to both copies of chromosome 16. The high density and uniform coverage of the fluorescent signals were a strong indication that we could use the library to construct a map of overlapping cloned …

G91-1062 Termites (Revised March 2002), Shripat T. Kamble

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides information on biology and control of subterranean termites.

Termites feed on wood and serve an important function in nature by converting dead trees into organic matter. Unfortunately, the wood in buildings is equally appetizing to termites and they cause serious damage to residential and commercial buildings. Two species of subterranean termites are found in Nebraska and both species have similar habitats.

G87-838 Management Of Greenbugs In Sorghum (Revised May 1994), Robert J. Wright, Stephen D. Danielson, Zb Mayo

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes the identification, biology and management options for greenbugs in Nebraska sorghum.

The greenbug is the most important insect pest of grain and forage sorghums in Nebraska. Although numbers fluctuate from year to year, greenbugs are a limiting factor to sorghum yield in most years. Their management is complicated by the fact that greenbugs have been able to evolve populations capable of overcoming plant resistance and organophosphate insecticides, so best management practices continue to change over time.

Another common aphid found in sorghum is the corn leaf aphid. Corn leaf aphids are often mistaken for greenbugs; however, they …

G84-717 Fleas And Their Management (Revised January 1993), Shripat T. Kamble, David L. Keith

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides information on flea biology and how to solve flea problems.

Fleas are among the most annoying pests known to humans. In ancient times, fleas were even indicted, found guilty and sentenced to condemnation. Today, the verdict remains the same.

In Nebraska, fleas are common household pests attacking dogs, cats and sometimes people. In addition to these, several other flea species occur in Nebraska, feeding principally on rodents and occasionally on poultry and livestock. The information provided in this publication will focus primarily on cat and dog fleas, as they are the most commonly encountered species.

G73-30 The Alfalfa Weevil (Revised May 1989), Stephen D. Danielson, David L. Keith, George Manglitz

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The alfalfa weevil is the primary insect pest of alfalfa in Nebraska. Management is essential during years when weevil infestations are high.

Damage from the alfalfa weevil can be severe. The life cycle of this pest and methods of managing it are discussed in this publication.