Life Sciences Commons^™

Corn (Zea Mays L.) Production In Living Mulch Systems, Grazing Potential, And Economic Viability, Marcia Peireira Quinby

Doctoral Dissertations

Living mulch (LM) is a practice in which forages are grown simultaneously with the main crop, serving as a living cover throughout the growing season. The LM systems were developed to alleviate concerns of soil depletion and finding ways to reduce tillage negative effects on soil productivity. In addition, when legumes are use can decrease the reliance on N fertilizer. The use of corn in LM have been previously studied due to the crop being a large commodity in the U.S.; In addition, the ability to graze the LM after corn production can increase the land use efficiency. To determine …

Optimal Stocker Production Strategies For Spring And Fall Calving Cow Herds, Cora Beth Key

Masters Theses

This thesis consists of two chapters discussing the economics of raising stocker beef cattle in the southeast United States. The objective of the first chapter is to estimate supplemental feed cost for spring-calving cows, spring-born stockers, cows calving in the fall, and fall-born stockers, while considering the seasonality of forage production and nutritional needs. The chapter explores ways producers can lower their feed costs and demonstrates the importance of managing hay expenses for cattle producers to control cost. The objective of chapter two is to determine the profit-maximizing stocker period in an integrated cow-calf and stocker operation with both fall- …

Efficacy Of Sequential Estrus Synchronization And Timed Artificial Insemination In Beef Cattle Beginning 19 Days After An Initial Timed Artificial Insemination, Courtnie Carter Bridges

Masters Theses

A breeding program utilizing single fixed-timed artificial insemination (AI) was compared to a resynchronization program for a second fixed-timed AI. Angus and Angus cross primiparous and multiparous cows were randomly assigned to one of two treatment regimens; either single TAI (CON; n=468) or two sequential TAI (RS; n=473). The main objectives were assessing pregnancy rates and analyzing fetal age to estimate calving distribution rates between the two treatment groups. The 7-day CO-synch + CIDR protocol was utilized in both treatment groups to synchronize estrus for TAI-1 at 60h - 66h post- Prostaglandin injection (PGf2α). Animals in the RS treatment groups …

Poa Annua: An Annual Species?, Devon E. Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations

Poa annua L. is ranked the most troublesome turfgrass weed but can also be a highly desirable turfgrass species. As the Latin name annua implies, the species is thought to persist via an annual life cycle; yet there are many reports in literature of P. annua persisting perennially. Considering that P. annua senescence patterns do not align with other true annual species such as Triticum spp. and Zea mays L., we hypothesized that P. annua presents itself similarly to other perennial, cool-season, turfgrass species that are subject to a confluence of environmental factors in summer that can cause mortality. …

Assessing Global Meat Trade & Local Infrastructure Upgrades, Mary Lynn Marks

Masters Theses

This thesis is a combination of two distinct chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on human pandemics impacts on global meat trade. An increase in future mass global pandemics is expected as zoonotic diseases, globalization, and trade escalate. These pandemics affect nearly every industrial sector, with animal protein no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the largest, most expansive, and unprecedented pandemic in a century. Labor shortages and supply chain defragmentation are only a portion the production process affected. Studies have analyzed species specific disease events’ effects on animal trade, such as those caused by the African Swine Fever amongst Chinese …

Assessing The Impact Of Parental Involvement On The Scaling Of Agricultural Technologies From School Garden To Home Farm Through Experiential Learning, Gracie Pekarcik

Masters Theses

Cambodia is a predominantly rural nation with a heavy dependence on agriculture, particularly smallholder rice farming systems. While several sustainable agricultural technologies have been successfully piloted on research stations or with small numbers of early adopters, questions remain on how to extend these technologies to large numbers of resource-poor smallholders. The Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies Project (S3-Cambodia) seeks to examine pathways for scaling sustainable intensification (SI) technologies to smallholder farmers. One of the identified pathways to scaling SI is through the education system. Cambodian youth serve as an entry point to extend target technologies to farm families through experiential learning …

A Disaggregated Analysis Of Beef Import Demand In Japan, Christina D. Greer

Masters Theses

Japan is an important partner for the U.S. beef industry and a major beef importing country. In 2020, Japan was the world’s third-largest importer of beef products (USDA, 2021). Although the Japanese beef market has been studied, research on the importance of product characteristics in determining import demand has been limited. The goal of this research is to provide a detailed analysis of how U.S. beef products compete in the Japanese market relative to other exporting countries based on prices, product form (chilled versus frozen), and product characteristics (boneless versus bone-in).

This study will focus on three key factors affecting …

Impact Of Far-Red Light Supplementation On Yield And Growth Of Cannabis Sativa, Thomas Benjamin Carter

Masters Theses

Far-red light(700-780nm) induces shade avoidance response in many different species of plants. The shade avoidance response triggers a number of changes in the plant such as cell expansion and stem elongation. This cell expansion has shown to increase yields in leafy greens and increase flower set in tomatoes. Despite there being a void in the literature for Cannabis sativa, far-red lights are often advertised to provide several benefits. This study will evaluate the effects of far-red light supplementation on the yield and height of Cannabis sativa. Five cannabis clones were grown under white (410-730nm) light emitting diodes (LED’s) at …