Life Sciences Commons^™

Changes In Corn Residue Quality Throughout The Grazing Period And Effect Of Supplementation Of Calves Grazing Corn Residue, Amanda J. Burken

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Corn residue is an abundant feed source in Nebraska that can be utilized as an alternative winter feed. Calves were backgrounded on corn residue in order to determine gain and estimate forage intake when supplemented with distillers grains (DGS). Calves grazing the non-irrigated field gained more (1.03 kg/calf daily) when compared to those grazing the irrigated field (0.90 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). In year 1, a quadratic effect for intake of DGS was present (P < 0.01) while year 2 observed a linear effect for increasing level of DGS (P < 0.01). The nutritional quality of corn residue was evaluated over time in order to determine changes in blade/sheath, cob, husk/shank and stem. Minimal changes in DM of the forage components occurred was grain reached 15.5% moisture. Digestibility of the blade/sheath declined linearly over time (P < 0.01) while the husk remained constant (P = 0.40). Cob digestibility decreased quadratically (P < 0.01) throughout the sampling period with few changes once grain reached 15.5% moisture. Differences observed in the digestibility of the blade/sheath were attributed to the effects of weathering. A third set of trials was conducted to evaluate the effects of by-product supplementation of calves grazing irrigated corn residue and supplemented with DGS or continuous access to lick tubs. The DGS treatment gained more (0.62 kg/calf daily) than the lick tub treatment (0.38 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). Calves offered DGS consumed more supplement as a percentage of BW (0.52%) when compared with calves offered lick tubs (0.36%; P < 0.01) on a DM basis. Calves supplemented with DGS had a higher supplement efficiency (46.3% to 42.9%, DM basis) although no differences were present between treatments (P = 0.49). When analyzed on an OM basis, however, calves offered lick tubs had a numerically higher supplement efficiency (50.4%) in comparison to calves …

Conservation Agriculture And Household Wellbeing: A Non-Causal Comparison Among Smallholder Farmers In Mozambique, W. E. Mcnair, Dayton Mcgregor Lambert, Neal S. Eash

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Publications and Other Works

This research examines the relationship between household wellbeing and the use of conservation agriculture (CA) by smallholder farmers in Mozambique. Wellbeing indicators are regressed on household demographic attributes, farm management practices, and a variable indicating farmer adoption of CA. Findings suggest that households using CA have higher wellbeing index scores related to farm tool and implement ownership and housing material quality, but lower index scores related to livestock ownership. The findings present an encouraging, baseline picture of the association between the use of CA technologies by farmers in Mozambique and household wellbeing.

Metabolic Engineering Of Oilseed Crops To Produce High Levels Of Novel Acetyl Glyceride Oils With Reduced Viscosity, Freezing Point And Calorific Value, Jinjie Liu, Adam Rice, Kathleen Mcglew, Vincent Shaw, Hyunwoo Park, Thomas E. Clemente, Mike Pollard, John Ohlrogge, Timothy P. Durrett

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Seed oils have proved recalcitrant to modification for the production of industrially useful lipids. Here, we demonstrate the successful metabolic engineering and subsequent field production of an oilseed crop with the highest accumulation of unusual oil achieved so far in transgenic plants. Previously, expression of the Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) gene in wild-type Arabidopsis seeds resulted in the accumulation of 45 mol% of unusual 3-acetyl-1,2- diacyl-sn-glycerols (acetyl-TAGs) in the seed oil (Durrett et al., 2010 PNAS 107:9464). Expression of EaDAcT in dgat1 mutants compromised in their ability to synthesize regular triacylglycerols increased acetyl-TAGs to 65 mol%. Camelina and soybean …

Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2014, R. D. Bond, D. G. Dombek, J. A. Still

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Soybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and/or marketing seed within the State, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers.

2015 Spring Seed Guide, Teshome Regassa, Charles A. Shapiro

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

NEBRASKA CORN HYBRID TESTS CROP PRODUCTION SUMMARY: According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 8.75 million acres of corn harvested in Nebraska in 2014 producing approximately 1.58 billion bushels of grain. The total average corn yield for Nebraska in 2014 was a record 181 bushels per acre (bu/a). Total corn yields from the previous 10 years are reported below.

NEBRASKA SOYBEAN VARIETY TESTS - 2014 - CROP PRODUCTION SUMMARY: According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 5.4 million acres of soybeans planted in Nebraska in 2014. 5.35 million acres were harvested producing around 288 million bushels. …

Functional Genomics And Microbiome Profiling Of The Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora Glabripennis) Reveal Insights Into The Digestive Physiology And Nutritional Ecology Of Wood Feeding Beetles, Erin D. Scully, Scott M. Geib, John E. Carlson, Ming Tien, Duane Mckenna, Kelli Hoover

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Wood-feeding beetles harbor an ecologically rich and taxonomically diverse assemblage of gut microbes that appear to promote survival in woody tissue, which is devoid of nitrogen and essential nutrients. Nevertheless, the contributions of these apparent symbionts to digestive physiology and nutritional ecology remain uncharacterized in most beetle lineages.

Results: Through parallel transcriptome profiling of beetle- and microbial- derived mRNAs, we demonstrate that the midgut microbiome of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), a member of the beetle family Cerambycidae, is enriched in biosynthetic pathways for the synthesis of essential amino acids, vitamins, and sterols. Consequently, the midgut …

Short-Term Effects Of Poultry Litter Or Woodchip Biochar Amendment In A Temperate Zone Agronomic System, Katy Elizabeth Brantley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biochar, a charcoal product produced by the anaerobic thermal decomposition of biomass, can provide agronomic benefits when soil applied. However, research is lacking in temperate region soils investigating specific biochar products and their effects on agronomically important crops. A greenhouse study utilizing poultry litter biochar and a field study utilizing pine woodchip biochar were conducted to observe the effects of biochar application to Northwest Arkansas soils on corn growth and nutrient availability. A third experiment investigated poultry litter and pine woodchip biochar influences on soil water retention. In all three experiments, biochar was applied at three rates (0, 5, and …

The Effect Of Agricultural Practices On Sugar Beet Root Aphid (Pemphigus Betae Doane) And Beneficial Epigeal Arthropods, Rudolph J. Pretorius

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigated the effect of several agricultural practices on the sugar beet root aphid (Pemphigus betae Doane) and beneficial epigeal natural enemies in western Nebraska sugar beet agroecosystems. Eight glyphosate-tolerant sugar beet varieties were evaluated under field conditions for their resistance to root aphids. High levels of aphid resistance were detected for some varieties. In conjunction to this, pitfall sampling was conducted to determine the beneficial epigeal natural enemy complex in the area, which could contribute to the management of both root aphids and glyphosate-resistant weeds. Ground beetles comprised an important and abundant component of this fauna, with …

Comprehensive Characterization And Rna-Seq Profiling Of The Hd-Zip Transcription Factor Family In Soybean (Glycine Max) During Dehydration And Salt Stress, Vikas Belamkar, Nathan T. Weeks, Arvind K. Bharti, Andrew Farmer, Michelle A. Graham, Steven B. Cannon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background:

The homeodomain leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factor family is one of the largest plant specific superfamilies, and includes genes with roles in modulation of plant growth and response to environmental stresses. Many HD-Zip genes are characterized in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and members of the family are being investigated for abiotic stress responses in rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), poplar (Populus trichocarpa) and cucumber (Cucmis sativus). Findings in these species suggest HD-Zip genes as high priority candidates for crop improvement.

Results:

In this study we have identified members of …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Performance Tests 2014, R. D/ Bond, D. G. Dombek, J. A. Still

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers.

Systematics And Evolution Of Leandra S.Str. (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), Marcelo Reginato

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Phylogenetic studies in the Melastomataceae have demonstrated the need of taxonomic rearrangements in the current classification. Melastomes are among the most diverse groups of plants and several cases of known artificial taxa are observed and awaiting further resolution. One example is the Leandra s.str. clade, which includes the majority of the taxa traditionally treated in the genus Leandra. Some attempts have been made to infer the relationships of Leandra s.str., but the sampling in these earlier studies was sparse and the resolution low inside the clade. The main objective here is to propose a comprehensive phylogenetic framework for this group …

Damping-Off, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Ethnomedical, Ecological And Phytochemical Studies Of The Palauan Flora, Christopher Kitalong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There has been a serious deterioration of Palauan culture, language and traditional practices over the last century. To promote health and avoid this deterioration of tradition, ecological, ethnobotanical and phytochemical studies have been carried out on the plant Phaleria nisidai Kaneh. (Thymelaeaceae), "Delal a Kar", Palauan for "Mother of Medicine". This study is the first study that sets the foundations for the development of natural Palauan therapeutics, through validation of ethnomedically significant plants. Validations of these plants is done through documenting Palauan plant ethnomedical data; mapping the distribution of Palauan plants on limestone Rock Islands; and analyzing ethnopharmacological and phytochemical …

Msh1-Induced Non-Genetic Variation Provides A Source Of Phenotypic Diversity In Sorghum Bicolor, Roberto De La Rosa Santamaria, Mon-Ray Shao, Guomei Wang, David O. Nino-Liu, Hardik Kundariya, Yashitola Wamboldt, Ismail M. Dweikat, Sally Ann Mackenzie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

MutS Homolog 1 (MSH1) encodes a plant-specific protein that functions in mitochondria and chloroplasts. We showed previously that disruption or suppression of the MSH1 gene results in a process of developmental reprogramming that is heritable and non-genetic in subsequent generations. In Arabidopsis, this developmental reprogramming process is accompanied by striking changes in gene expression of organellar and stress response genes. This developmentally reprogrammed state, when used in crossing, results in a range of variation for plant growth potential. Here we investigate the implications of MSH1 modulation in a crop species. We found that MSH1-mediated phenotypic variation in Sorghum bicolor …

Cold Frames, High Tunnels, And Greenhouses: Choose A Growing Structure Best For You, Stacy A. Adams, Kim A. Todd

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cold frames, high tunnels, and greenhouses are plant growth structures that can be used to extend the growing season or allow for use year around for growing high value specialty crops. This publication discusses the various attributes and applications of each so that plant producers in teaching, research, extension, commercially or as a hobby can determine the best structure to meet individual needs.

Cold frames, high tunnels, and greenhouses are structures that provide hobbyists and growers with options for plant protection and season extension. They vary in cost, size, structural complexity, and ability for year-round usage. The small cold frame …

Using Stable Isotopes To Quantify Nitrogen Fates In Container Plants, Sam Raimann, Greg Michalski, Michael V. Mickelbart

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, in the agriculture field, it is not yet known the accurate amount of Nitrogen in fertilizer that plants take up. This statistic, known as the Nitrogen Use Efficiency is currently known to be within the 30-50% range (Lea-Cox and Ross, 2001). This is very important figure to know and it is a figure that can be improved, and therefore much time, energy, and resources can be saved. This research project will use concepts involving stable isotopes to examine red maple plant material and the soilless media that the plants were grown in. Three different isotope-labelled fertilizer treatments will be …

Development Of A Methodology That Couples Satellite Remote Sensing Measurements To Spatial-Temporal Distribution Of Soil Moisture In The Vadose Zone Of The Everglades National Park, Luis G. Perez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spatial-temporal distribution of soil moisture in the vadose zone is an important aspect of the hydrological cycle that plays a fundamental role in water resources management, including modeling of water flow and mass transport. The vadose zone is a critical transfer and storage compartment, which controls the partitioning of energy and mass linked to surface runoff, evapotranspiration and infiltration. This dissertation focuses on integrating hydraulic characterization methods with remote sensing technologies to estimate the soil moisture distribution by modeling the spatial coverage of soil moisture in the horizontal and vertical dimensions with high temporal resolution.

The methodology consists of using …

Production Of Minitubers From Potato Seedlings And Advanced Selections, Benildo G. De Los Reyes

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This cooperation between the University of Maine and USDA-ARS was aimed at providing the infrastructure and manpower support for the propagation and advancement of tetraploid potato breeding materials for the USDFA-ARS-Beltsville Potato Breeding Program (K. Haynes, PI).

Arkansas Wheat Cultivar Performance Tests 2013-2014, R. E. Mason, R. G. Miller, J. P. Kelley, E. A. Milus

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat cultivar performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide information to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating cultivar recommendations for small-grain producers.

B. R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2013, R. J. Norman, K.A. K. Moldenhauer

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Xrf Analyses Of Prehanford Orchards, Komal Rana

STAR Program Research Presentations

Subsequent to 1943, the use of Lead Arsenic was banned from the Orchards standing on the Hanford site. This use of Lead Arsenate pesticide was popular among the orchard owners and was dispersed over the site in a myriad of ways. The presence of the traces of lead and arsenic are found today, more than half a century later. Using a portable X-ray florescence analyzer (XRF), the values of lead and arsenic are evaluated while determining the efficiency of the equipment itself. Samples from different decision sites were collected, with lead arsenic values in the low, high and medium range …

Fall Seed Guide 2014, Teshome Regassa, P. Stephen Baenziger, Greg Kruger, Dipak Santra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Crops include in this guide are winter wheat, winter barley, and triticale. You may receive this guide in the mail or through the University of Nebraska Extension network. The data and other information this guide is based on can be found at our web site: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ varietytest/ and http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ncia. Additional information is available at the wheat variety virtual tour web site http://cropwatch.unl.edu/wheat/virtual or the winter wheat variety selection tool page http://citnews.unl.edu/winter_wheat_tool/index.shtml.

Our rainfed plots in Keith County were lost to hail damage. Last season we had moist soil conditions at planting for the majority of the locations. There was good …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2013, Derrick M. Oosterhuis

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Aminocyclopyrachlor Efficacy For Non-Cropland Weed Control, José Javier Vargas Almodóvar

Masters Theses

The production of chemicals for crop protection purposes evolved after World War II with the commercialization of the auxin herbicides 2,4-D and MCPA. Their utility and effectiveness created an interest for North American and European companies to develop and research thousands of agrochemicals available today.

Recently discovered and introduced to the market by DuPont Crop Protection, aminocyclopyrachlor is the first broad spectrum synthetic auxin herbicide in this chemical class, and is structurally similar to the auxin herbicides: aminopyralid, clopyralid and picloram. Aminocyclopyrachlor has activity on broadleaf weed species with limited activity on monocot species. Aminocyclopyrachlor is absorbed via plant roots …

An Evaluation Of Watermelon (Citrullus Spp.) Germplasm For Additional Sources Of Resistance To The Twospotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae Koch)., Hector Cantu Jr.

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourteen U.S plant introduction (PI) accessions of C. lanatus var. lanatus (4), C. lanatus var. citroides (5) C. colocynthis (5) and a known susceptible commercial cultivar ‘Sugar Baby’ were evaluated for resistance to the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in a limited free-choice and free-choice bioassay under laboratory conditions. The limited free choice bioassay, involved nine Petri dish cages that held five randomly assigned leaves individually inoculated with two adult females and one adult male. Eggs, larva, and adults were counted over a nine day period. The free choice bioassay involved the even distribution of three mite infested …

Selection On Crop-Derived Traits And Qtl In Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Crop-Wild Hybrids Under Water Stress, Birkin R. Owart, Jonathan Corbi, John M. Burke, Jennifer M. Dechaine

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Locally relevant conditions, such as water stress in irrigated agricultural regions, should be considered when assessing the risk of crop allele introgression into wild populations following hybridization. Although research in cultivars has suggested that domestication traits may reduce fecundity under water stress as compared to wild-like phenotypes, this has not been investigated in crop-wild hybrids. In this study, we examine phenotypic selection acting on, as well as the genetic architecture of vegetative, reproductive, and physiological characteristics in an experimental population of sunflower crop-wild hybrids grown under wild-like low water conditions. Crop-derived petiole length and head diameter were favored in low …

Coordinated And Distinct Functions Of Velvet Proteins In Fusarium Verticillioides, Nan Lan, Hanxing Zhang, Chengcheng Hu, Wenzhao Wang, Ana M. Calvo, Steven D. Harris, She Chen, Shaojie Li

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Velvet-domain-containing proteins are broadly distributed within the fungal kingdom. In the corn pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, previous studies showed that the velvet protein F. verticillioides VE1 (FvVE1) is critical for morphological development, colony hydrophobicity, toxin production, and pathogenicity. In this study, tandem affinity purification of FvVE1 revealed that FvVE1 can form a complex with the velvet proteins F. verticillioides VelB (FvVelB) and FvVelC. Phenotypic characterization of gene knockout mutants showed that, as in the case of FvVE1, FvVelB regulated conidial size, hyphal hydrophobicity, fumonisin production, and oxidant resistance, while FvVelC was dispensable for these biological processes. Comparative transcriptional analysis of …

A Systematic Revision Of North American Tolypella A. Braun (Charophyceae, Charophyta), William Perez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Charophyta comprises the algal classes Mesostigmatophyceae, Chlorokybophyceae, Klebsormidiophyceae, Coleochaetophyceae and Zygnematophyceae and the land plants. However, the precise phylogenetic position of these algal classes with respect to land plants is unresolved as are the phylogenetic relationships among genera in Charophyceae (Characeae). Characeae contains two tribes with six genera: tribe Chareae (Chara, Lamprothamnium, Lychnothamnus and Nitellopsis) and tribe Nitelleae (Nitella and Tolypella). Tolypella was considered the third most species-rich genus but, in the most comprehensive taxonomic treatment of Characeae, 16 Tolypella species were consolidated into two species, T. nidifica and T. intricata in sections Rothia …

Soil Sampling In The City: Growing Green Infrastructure On Chicago's South Side

DePaul Magazine

Thanks to funding from a competitive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) $15,000 grant, DePaul students, professors and members of the Green Teen community group gathered to work on their yearlong soil testing project in a vacant lot on Chicago's South Side. The genesis of the project dated to a year earlier, when environmental science and studies faculty members Christie Klimas, assistant professor, and James Montgomery, associate professor, submitted their grant application outlining their vision to test the soil characteristics of several vacant lots, with the goal of determining what types of green infrastructure could thrive …

Factors Responsible For Differences In Yield Among Lowbush Blueberry Clones, Francis A. Drummond

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Identify factors that explain differences in yield among lowbush blueberry clones. Compare high yielding clones to low yielding clones for several factors. Factors include average genetic similarity with neighbors and effects of relationship of parents in controlled crosses on fruit set, synchrony of flowering time with neighbors, freezing tolerance of closed flower buds and open flowers, floral morphological and physiological differences (nectar amounts) that might be more attractive to bees, signs of disease, etc.

Studies will focus on comparing high yielding clones to low yielding clones for several factors. Because V. angustifolium is predominantly outcrossing and self-fertility is poor due …