Life Sciences Commons^™

Stratification Of Potassium And Phosphorus In Tillage Vs. No-Till Systems And Uptake In Corn (Zea Mays) In Western Kentucky, Ava Isaacs, Kyle Krieger, Christopher Powell

Scholars Week

There are 12 nutrients essential for plant growth, two of these are phosphorus and potassium. The demand and need for these nutrients are very high in agricultural systems including corn. Phosphorus stimulates root and shoot growth and is essential for seedling growth and stability. Potassium increases tolerance to water stress, as well as resistance to disease, these are both critical in terms of soil fertility and in determining what fertilizers to apply as well as the amount of fertilizer needed. Both nutrients are not readily available for plant uptake in the soil and are largely lost during harvest, which could …

Effectiveness Of Mycorrhizae And Vermicompost Seed Inoculation For Germination, Vegetative Growth, Cannabinoid Content, And Cured Flower Weight Of Cbd-Rich Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.), Hannah Boyer, Nicole Wagner, Merritt Drewery

Journal of Agricultural Hemp Research

Effective germination and vigorous growth of hemp cultivars is paramount to cultivators’ ability to produce high-quality hemp products. Beneficial bacteria and fungi are known symbionts to plants and are used in regenerative agriculture to increase plant health and crop yield. This pilot study investigated the effect of microbial seed inoculation on germination rate, plant height, cured flower weight, and cannabinoid content of cannabidiol (CBD)-rich hemp (Cannabis sativa L). The experiment included a control and the following treatments: 1) seed inoculation of Great White ^â Premium Mycorrhizae (GW), 2) seed inoculation of vermicompost (V), and 3) seed inoculation of Great …

Leaf Area Index And Light Interception In African Violets (Streptocarpus Sect. Saintpaulia), Chintakunta Keerthi Reddy, Venkat Sai Chatla

Scholars Week

LEAF AREA INDEX AND LIGHT INTERCEPTION IN AFRICAN VIOLETS

(Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia)

ABSTRACT Chintakunta Keerthi Reddy, Venkat Sai Chatla Hutson School of Agriculture Mentor: Dr. Megan Taylor

African violets are a genus of six flowering plants from tropical eastern Africa, commonly known as Saintpaulias. They can thrive indoors in low light conditions and bloom all year round. They require less light than other blooming plants and can bloom during regular daylight hours in the US and Canada if given proper exposure. Several light intensities were used for the African violet (Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia) experiment, which showed a significant variation in …

Linking Soil Properties To Originally Wooded And Afforested Areas, Ashton A. Crowe, Matthew Laun

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Linking Soil Properties to Originally Wooded and Afforested Areas

Matthew Laun, Ashton Crowe

Mentor: I. P. Handayani

Hutson School of Agriculture Murray State University, KY, USA

Abstract

Afforestation, adding an artificial forest to a piece of land that has been barren of trees for a significant amount of time, has some seriously huge impacts on the environment. These effects can be seen as an increase in the soil organic matter, a decrease in compaction, and enhancement of porosity. Therefore, the soil can support more diverse microbes and fungal communities leading to better micro and macro nutrient transfers between plants. This …

Biological Remediation Of Fragipan, Corey Hale

Honors College Theses

The fragipan layer in the soil is a naturally occurring subsurface layer that restricts water percolation as well as inhibits root growth. A fragipan layer can be found almost ubiquitously across Southwestern Kentucky. This limits how agriculturalists manage soils in this area. It has been recently discovered by the University of Kentucky that Annual Ryegrass roots produce 3,4 dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid (DHPPA) that reacts with this hardpan to weaken the layer. Certain bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria can also synthesize DHPPA through a breakdown process of chlorogenic acid. This reaction typically happens in the human digestive tract. …

Relationships Between Different Management Practices And Selected Soil Health Indicators, Erika Lambert, Jack Howard, Sammuel Tapp

Scholars Week

Relationships Between Different Management Practices and Selected Soil Health Indicators

Jack Howard, Erika Lambert, Samuel Tapp, Corey Hale, Mallorie Snider, Dr. Brian Parr, and Dr. Iin Handayani

Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University

Abstract

Soil health is essential for growing crops productively. Healthy soils help to reduce erosion, improve nutrient cycling, and lower input cost. Understanding how crop rotations and tillage systems affect soil is key to preserving soil while also improving agricultural income and efficiency. This study was conducted in Calloway County, Kentucky to observe the effects of different management practices over nine sites of management on the …

Effect Of Organic Soil Amendment On Hemp, Mounica Talasila

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The research study is about the impact of different levels of organic soil amendment on the levels of psychoactive compounds produced in industrial hemp. Inorganic or chemical pesticides or fertilizers are not as extensively used in hemp as in other crops. Apart from this, using an organic soil amendment would be an environmentally sustainable way. A randomized block design (RBD) model was used to study the impacts of the soil amendment. The soil amendment used is called “Rehab” a product of Organilock created from the remnants of animals like fish and chicken. This research design has 3 different soil amendment …

Chemical Free Edible Flowers, Elise Abbott

Scholars Week

Nature is equipped with all the right systems and services in order to be self sustaining. But in the global flower industry, growers are battling insect infestations like never before because of stricter import laws by the United States Department of Agriculture. In order to ensure the processing of their flowers, growers douse them in pesticides making them inedible and harmful to those who work with them. As edible flowers are making their way into the market on cakes and desserts, fresh salads, specialty spreads and much more it's imperative that they are grown in a sustainable and safe manner. …

Soil Responses To Various Farming Systems In Western Kentucky, Samantha Peterson

Scholars Week

The interactions among the farming systems and the soil, water, biota, and atmosphere control the effects of cultivation on soil properties. Land conversion from forest or pasture ecosystems into crop fields altered soil properties due to the loss of soil organic matter (SOM) and the increase of soil compaction. However in Kentucky, the magnitude of the changes varied among the soil properties. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the changes of selected soil properties include SOM, soil pH, and compaction under different crop fields such as corn-soybean-tobacco rotation (Field #1), continuous corn field (Field #2), hemp field …

Evaluating Soil Surface Properties In Two Contrasting Tillage Systems, Riley Mabe, Kaeden Mollett, Marcus Robertson

Scholars Week

Soil properties are affected by tillage practices. Tillage practices that provides an adequate growing environment for crops and maintains good soil structure is crucial. The objective of this study was to compare selected soil properties collected from no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Three undisturbed and three disturbed soil samples were taken from the topsoil at the depth of 0 to 7.5 cm. The samples were analyzed for bulk density (BD), water holding capacity (WHC), field capacity (FC), soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and compaction. Bulk density, WHC, and FC of the soil …

Soil Responses To One-Season Winter Cover Crops, Mckenna Morgan, Iin Handayani

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Soil Responses to One-Season Winter Cover Crops

McKenna Morgan and I. P. Handayani

Hutson School of Agriculture Murray State University, KY, USA

Abstract

In regions like western Kentucky where wooded lots are common there is a growing interest in how to utilize them so that land profits can be maximized. The frequently poor soils in wooded areas due to erosion and lack of ground cover vegetation often cause complications in the creation of pasture areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of growing winter cover crops on soils to prepare for pasture systems in the …

Evaluating The Impact Of Two Contrasting Tillage Practices On Soil Properties In Central Kentucky, Emily Cook

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Farming practices such as no tillage and plowing can institute change on soil physical and chemical characteristics. In this research, the effects of long-term conventional and no-tillage systems on the selected soil properties were determined in a continuous corn system on a farm with Maury silt loam soil. These samples were taken from University of Kentucky's Research Farm (Spindletop Farm). The field used was tilled in 1969 from bluegrass sod and the first time research was conduced was in 1970. Each plot is 20 ft. by 40 ft. and for many years each plot was split with winter cover crop …

Comparison Of The Production Of Bibb Lettuce Reared In Indoor Aquaponics System Using Large Mouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Vs. Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus), George J. Pate

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines hydroponic plant growth with fish rearing in a recirculating aquaculture system. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are predominantly raised in aquaponics due to their fast growth rates and ability to tolerate a variety of water conditions. As aquaponics becomes more popular in temperate climate zones, farmers are looking for alternative fish species that are more compatible with cooler temperatures and have a higher market value than tilapia. Authors will determine if plant growth factors as well as, the availability of nutrients in aquaponic systems are affected by the difference in nutrient requirements …

Evaluating Pedestrial Compaction Variation & Soil Organic C Content, Gunner B. Decker

Scholars Week

Over time, playing fields are monitored by overall appearance. However, pedestrian compaction is not evenly distributed throughout the entire surface.