Life Sciences Commons^™

Performance Of 16 Fresh Market And Eight Saladette Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2021, Ron G. Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Statistical differences were found in all traits measured in the fresh market and saladette trials. The best overall performing (high yield, fruit weight, low cull number) entry for the fresh market trial was Red Snapper followed by STM2255 and Rambler. The best overall entries for the saladette trial were the numbered entries of STM71065, VT181108230, and VT19077200. Release of numbered selections for commercial grower production is the discretion of the parent seed company.

Control Of Acetolactate Synthase Inhibitor/Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri) In Isoxaflutole/Glufosinate/Glyphosate-Resistant Soybean, Jasmine Mausbach, Suat Irmak, Debalin Sarangi, John L. Lindquist, Amit J. Jhala

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Palmer amaranth is the most problematic and troublesome weed in agronomic cropping systems in the United States. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor and glyphosate-resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth has been confirmed in Nebraska and it is widespread in several counties. Soybean resistant to isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate has been developed that provides additional herbicide site of action for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. The objectives of this study were to evaluate herbicide programs for control of ALS inhibitor/GR Palmer amaranth and their effect on Palmer amaranth density and biomass, as well as soybean injury and yield in isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant soybean. Field experiments were conducted in a grower's …

Farmer Perceptions Of Adopting Novel Legumes In Traditional Maize-Based Farming Systems In The Yucatan Peninsula, Jacques Fils Pierre, Luis Latournerie-Moreno, René Garruña-Hernández, Krista L. Jacobsen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, Lucila De Lourdes Salazar-Barrientos, Esaú Ruiz-Sánchez

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Intercropping constitutes the traditional farming system practice used in various forms for maize production in the Yucatan peninsula. Although practiced for centuries, problems persist with competition for water, nutrients and light between crop species in traditional farming systems. Furthermore, little is known about farmers’ perceptions regarding changes to traditional maize-legume intercropping systems and their interest in novel crop adoption to increase yields in the system while maintaining the practice. The objective of this study was to investigate the maize-based traditional cropping system by assessing the underlying motives and concepts of farmers to practice intercropping in the Yucatan Peninsula and to …

The Regulation Of Plant Vegetative Phase Transition And Rejuvenation: Mirnas, A Key Regulator, Tajbir Raihan, Robert L. Geneve, Sharyn E. Perry, Carlos M. Rodriguez Lopez

Horticulture Faculty Publications

In contrast to animals, adult organs in plants are not formed during embryogenesis but generated from meristematic cells as plants advance through development. Plant development involves a succession of different phenotypic stages and the transition between these stages is termed phase transition. Phase transitions need to be tightly regulated and coordinated to ensure they occur under optimal seasonal, environmental conditions. Polycarpic perennials transition through vegetative stages and the mature, reproductive stage many times during their lifecycles and, in both perennial and annual species, environmental factors and culturing methods can reverse the otherwise unidirectional vector of plant development. Epigenetic factors regulating …

Identification And Validation Of High Ld Hotspot Genomic Regions Harboring Stem Rust Resistant Genes On 1b, 2a (Sr38), And 7b Chromosomes In Wheat, Shamseldeen Eltaher, Amira M.I. Mourad, P Stephen Baenziger, Stephen Wegulo, Vikas Belamkar, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Eriks. is an important disease of common wheat globally. The production and cultivation of genetically resistant cultivars are one of the most successful and environmentally friendly ways to protect wheat against fungal pathogens. Seedling screening and genome-wide association study (GWAS) were used to determine the genetic diversity of wheat genotypes obtained on stem rust resistance loci. At the seedling stage, the reaction of the common stem rust race QFCSC in Nebraska was measured in a set of 212 genotypes from F3:6 lines. The results indicated that 184 genotypes (86.8%) had different …

Spatial Frameworks For Robust Estimation Of Yield Gaps, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, José F. Andrade, Kenneth G. Cassman, Martin K. Ittersum, Marloes P. Van Loon, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Food security interventions and policies need reliable estimates of crop production and the scope to enhance production on existing cropland. Here we assess the performance of two widely used ‘top-down’ gridded frameworks (Global Agro-ecological Zones and Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project) versus an alternative ‘bottom-up’ approach (Global Yield Gap Atlas). The Global Yield Gap Atlas estimates extra production potential locally for a number of sites representing major breadbaskets and then upscales the results to larger spatial scales. We find that estimates from top-down frameworks are alarmingly unlikely, with estimated potential production being lower than current farm production at some …

Development Of A Genomic Prediction Pipeline For Maintaining Comparable Sample Sizes In Training And Testing Sets Across Prediction Schemes Accounting For The Genotype-By-Environment Interaction, Reyna Persa, Martin Grondona, Diego Jarquin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The global growing population is experiencing challenges to satisfy the food chain supply in a world that faces rapid changes in environmental conditions complicating the development of stable cultivars. Emergent methodologies aided by molecular marker information such as marker assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) have been widely adopted to assist the development of improved genotypes. In general, the implementation of GS is not straightforward, and it usually requires cross-validation studies to find the optimum set of factors (training set sizes, number of markers, quality control, etc.) to use in real breeding applications. In most cases, these different scenarios …

Against The Odds: Hybrid Zones Between Mangrove Killifish Species With Different Mating Systems, Waldir M. Berbel-Filho, Andrey Tatarenkov, George Pacheco, Helder M. V. Espírito-Santo, Mateus G. Lira, Carlos Garcia De Leaniz, John C. Avise, Sergio M. Q. Lima, Carlos M. Rodriguez Lopez, Sofia Consuegra

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Different mating systems are expected to affect the extent and direction of hybridization. Due to the different levels of sexual conflict, the weak inbreeder/strong outbreeder (WISO) hypothesis predicts that gametes from self-incompatible (SI) species should outcompete gametes from self-compatible (SC) ones. However, other factors such as timing of selfing and unilateral incompatibilities may also play a role on the direction of hybridization. In addition, differential mating opportunities provided by different mating systems are also expected to affect the direction of introgression in hybrid zones involving outcrossers and selfers. Here, we explored these hypotheses with a unique case of recent hybridization …

A Machine Learning Interpretation Of The Contribution Of Foliar Fungicides To Soybean Yield In The North‐Central United States, Denis A. Shah, Thomas R. Butts, Spyridon Mourtzinis, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Patricio Grassini, Shawn P. Conley, Paul D. Esker

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Foliar fungicide usage in soybeans in the north-central United States increased steadily over the past two decades. An agronomically-interpretable machine learning framework was used to understand the importance of foliar fungicides relative to other factors associated with realized soybean yields, as reported by growers surveyed from 2014 to 2016. A database of 2738 spatially referenced fields (of which 30% had been sprayed with foliar fungicides) was fit to a random forest model explaining soybean yield. Latitude (a proxy for unmeasured agronomic factors) and sowing date were the two most important factors associated with yield. Foliar fungicides ranked 7th out of …

Contributions Of Individual Cover Crop Species To Rainfed Maize Production In Semi-Arid Cropping Systems, Alexandre T. Rosa, Cody Creech, Roger W. Elmore, Daran Rudnick, John L. Lindquist, Liberty Butts, Italo K. Pinho De Faria, Rodrigo Werle

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crop (CC) species selection can contribute to reducing soil penetration resistance (brassica species), improved soil nitrogen (N) cycling (legume species), and suppression of weeds (grass species). However, one of the main concerns about including CCs in water-limited environments is soil water use and the consequences to subsequent crops. To determine the effects of individual CC species under water-limited environments, we evaluated fall and spring CC biomass produced, and soil water and N content, penetration resistance, weed density and biomass during the maize growing season, and maize grain yield. The experiment was conducted under a winter wheat-maize-fallow rotation at two …

Implications Of Cover Crop Planting And Termination Timing On Rainfed Maize Production In Semi-Arid Cropping Systems, Alexandre T. Rosa, Cody Creech, Roger W. Elmore, Daran Rudnick, John L. Lindquist, Miguel Fudolig, Liberty E. Butts, Rodrigo Werle

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Despite the potential to increase soil organic matter, cycle soil nutrients, and suppress weeds, there is a concern that cover crops (CCs) soil water use negatively impacts subsequent crops in water-limited environments. Cover crop management practices such as planting and termination timing may mitigate the detrimental impacts of CCs in semi-arid cropping systems. To determine the effects of CCs under water-limited environments, we evaluated the total CC biomass produced in the fall and spring, soil water content during the subsequent maize growing season, weed density and biomass, crop residue, and soil nutrients at the maize V6 development stage, and maize …

Hemp Growth Factors And Extraction Methods Effect On Antimicrobial Activity Of Hemp Seed Oil: A Systematic Review, Klaudia Ostapczuk, Samuel Obeng Apori, Giovani Estrada, Furong Tian

Articles

The bioactive Hemp Seed Oil (HSO) is becoming very popular in the medical and research fields due to its antimicrobial properties against several diseases caused by bacteria and fungi. However, the effect of hemp-growing factors and extraction methods on the bioactivity of HSO does not receive adequate research attention. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the effect of growth factors and extraction methods on the antimicrobial activity of HSO. Articles were retrieved from Google Scholar and the Scopus database and screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study revealed that HSO prefers warm climates and favorable humidity ranging from 20 …

Advancing Agricultural Research Using Machine Learning Algorithms, Spyridon Mourtzinis, Paul D. Esker, James E. Specht, Shawn P. Conley

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Rising global population and climate change realities dictate that agricultural productivity must be accelerated. Results from current traditional research approaches are difficult to extrapolate to all possible fields because they are dependent on specific soil types, weather conditions, and background management combinations that are not applicable nor translatable to all farms. A method that accurately evaluates the effectiveness of infinite cropping system interactions (involving multiple management practices) to increase maize and soybean yield across the US does not exist. Here, we utilize extensive databases and artificial intelligence algorithms and show that complex interactions, which cannot be evaluated in replicated trials, …

Final Selection Of Quality Protein Popcorn Hybrids, Leandra Parsons, Ying Ren, Abou Yobi, Ruthie Angelovici, Oscar Rodriguez, David R. Holding

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Quality Protein Popcorn (QPP) BC₂F₅ inbred lines were produced through an interpopulation breeding system between Quality Protein Maize dent (QPM) and elite popcorn germplasm. In 2019, five QPP F₁ hybrids were selected for further evaluation due to superior agronomics, endosperm protein quality, and popping quality traits. Though these BC₂F₅ QPP hybrids were phenotypically similar to their popcorn parents, the QPP cultivars conveyed slightly inferior popping characteristics when compared to the original popcorn germplasm. The objective of this study was twofold. First, BC₂F₅ inbred lines were crossed to their popcorn parents …

Sycamore Scale (Stomacoccus Platani), Marion Murray, Ryan Davis

All Current Publications

Sycamore scale feeds on foliage of London planetree and California sycamore in urbanized areas throughout Utah. The insect is difficult to see with the naked eye, so we rely on the primary symptom of yellow-to-brown leaf spots. If needed, the timing of treatment is at bud break and involves oil application and/or a soil-applied systemic insecticide.

Nebline, Sep./Oct. 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H Youth Help Celebrate 150 Years of Lancaster County Fair

Farm to School Connections in Lancaster County

Recipe of the Month

Uses of Compost

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

GroBigRed Virtual Learning Series

Medically Important Spiders in Nebraska: The Black Widow and Brown Recluse

Herd Health Vaccinations

4-H Announcements for enrolled 4-H'ers or 4-H volunteers

4-H State Public Speaking Top Results

Eight Lancaster 4-H Clubs Receive Governor’s Ag Excellence Awards

Sam’s Club Donates $1,000 to 4-H Council

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Tim & Jenny Higgins

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: JJ & Amy Frink

Youth Science Day …

Effects Of Micro-Rates Of 2,4-D And Dicamba On Lettuce And Pumpkin In Nebraska, Xinzheng Chen

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

Off-target herbicide injury from dicamba and 2,4-D is an increasingly common problem for specialty crop growers in the Midwestern United States. Both lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) are common specialty crops grown in Nebraska, and their proximity to corn and soybean production makes these crops susceptible to herbicide drift injury and yield loss. The objectives of this thesis research was to quantify crop injury and yield loss in greenhouse- and field-grown lettuce and field-grown pumpkins at different growth stages after exposure to sub-lethal doses of dicamba or 2,4-D. Dose response curves were generated to determine effective dose …

Arkansas Wheat Performance Tests 2020-2021, J. F. Carlin, R. D. Bond, D. E. Moon, R. B. Morgan

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat variety performance tests are conducted each year in Ark- ansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide informa- tion to companies developing varieties and marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for small-grain producers. The tests are conducted at the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, the Vegetable Substation near Kibler, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station near Marianna, the Jackson County Extension Center near Newport, the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt, …

Predicting Non-Native Insect Impact: Focusing On The Trees To See The Forest, Ashley N. Schulz, Angela M. Mech, Matthew P. Ayres, Jamal J.K. Gandhi, Nathan P. Havill, Daniel A. Herms, Angela M. Hoover, Ruth A. Hufbauer, Andrew M. Liebhold, Travis D. Marsico, Kenneth F. Raffa, Patrick C. Tobin, Daniel R. Uden, Kathryn A. Thomas

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Non-native organisms have invaded novel ecosystems for centuries, yet we have only a limited understanding of why their impacts vary widely from minor to severe. Predicting the impact of non-established or newly detected species could help focus biosecurity measures on species with the highest potential to cause widespread damage. However, predictive models require an understanding of potential drivers of impact and the appropriate level at which these drivers should be evaluated. Here, we used non-native, specialist herbivorous insects of forest ecosystems to test which factors drive impact and if there were differences based on whether they used woody angiosperms or …

Impact Of Nitrogen Rate In Conventional And Organic Production Systems On Yield And Bread Baking Quality Of Soft Red Winter Wheat, Ammar Al-Zubade, Timothy D. Phillips, Mark A. Williams, Krista L. Jacobsen, David Van Sanford

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Soft red winter wheat (SRW) is characterized by high yield and relatively low protein content. In Kentucky, there is growing demand from local artisan bread bakers for regionally produced flour, requiring production of grain with increased protein content and/or strength. The objective of this two-year field experiment was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen (N) management on five cultivars of winter wheat on yield and bread baking quality traits of modern and landrace SRW cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.). All five cultivars were evaluated using two N application rates in conventional and organic production systems. All traits measured were significantly …

Powdery Mildews On Vegetables, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

Powdery mildew is one of the most easily recognized fungal plant diseases. It is categorized by spots or patches of white-to-gray powder-like growth on foliage, stems, or fruit. Roughly 700 species exist that infect grasses, ornamentals, weeds, fruit trees, landscape trees, shrubs, and vegetables. The closely related species of fungi that cause powdery mildew are host-specific, meaning they cannot survive without the proper host. Powdery mildew fungi spread in conditions of low rainfall and hot temperatures, making Utah’s climate the perfect environment. This fact sheet provides information on powdery mildew and its management.

Impact Of Cover Crop Monocultures And Mixtures On Organic Carbon Contents Of Soil Aggregates, Daphne Topps, Imam Ul Khabir, Hagir Abdelmagid, Todd Jackson, Javed Iqbal, Boakai K. Robertson, Zahida Hassan Pervaiz, Muhammad Saleem

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops are considered an integral component of agroecosystems because of their positive impacts on biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health. At present, we know little about the impact of cover crop types and diversity on the organic carbon (OC) contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. In this study, we investigated the effect of cover plant diversity on OC contents of different soil aggregates, such as macro- (<2000–500 µm), meso- (<500–250 µm), and micro-aggregates (<250 µm). Our experiment included a total of 12 experimental treatments in triplicate; six different monoculture treatments such as chickling vetch (Vicia villosa), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), field peas (Pisum sativum), oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus), and mighty mustard (Brassica juncea), and their three- and six-species mixture treatments, including one unplanted control treatment. We performed this experiment usingdeep pots that contained soil collected from a corn-soybean rotation field. At vegetative maturity of cover plants (about 70 days), we took soil samples, and the soil aggregate-size classes were separated by the dry sieving. We hypothesized that cover crop type and diversity will improve OC contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. We found that cover plant species richness weakly positively increased OC contents of soil macro-aggregates (p = 0.056), whereas other aggregate-size classes did not respond to cover crop diversity gradient. Similarly, the OC contents of macroaggregates varied significantly (p = 0.013) under cover crop treatments, though neither monoculture nor mixture treatments showed significantly higher OC contents than the control treatment in this short-term experiment. Interestingly, the inclusion of hairy vetch and oilseed radish increased and decreased the OC contents of macro- and micro-aggregates, respectively. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between shoot biomass and OC contents of macroaggregates. Overall, our results suggest that species-rich rather than -poor communities may improve OC contents of soil macroaggregates, which constitute a major portion of soil systems, and are also considered as important indicators of soil functions.

Enhancing Our Understanding Of Plant Cell-To-Cell Interactions Using Single-Cell Omics, Sandra Thibivilliers, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plants are composed of cells that physically interact and constantly adapt to their environment. To reveal the contribution of each plant cells to the biology of the entire organism, their molecular, morphological, and physiological attributes must be quantified and analyzed in the context of the morphology of the plant organs. The emergence of single-cell/nucleus omics technologies now allows plant biologists to access different modalities of individual cells including their epigenome and transcriptome to reveal the unique molecular properties of each cell composing the plant and their dynamic regulation during cell differentiation and in response to their environment. In this manuscript, …

Tandem Duplicate Expression Patterns Are Conserved Between Maize Haplotypes Of The Α-Zein Gene Family, Preston Hurst, James C. Schnable, David R. Holding

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Tandem duplication gives rise to copy number variation and subsequent functional novelty among genes as well as diversity between individuals in a species. Functional novelty can result from either divergence in coding sequence or divergence in patterns of gene transcriptional regulation. Here, we investigate conservation and divergence of both gene sequence and gene regulation between the copies of the α-zein gene family in maize inbreds B73 and W22. We used RNA-seq data generated from developing, self-pollinated kernels at three developmental stages timed to coincide with early and peak zein expression. The reference genome annotations for B73 and W22 were modified …

Pollination Habitat And Flower Plating For City Beautification, Jim Speer

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan identified needs to improve sustainable infrastructure and green space in Sullivan, IN through their Quality of Life plan. Students in ENVI460 were tasked with providing recommendations for their daily operations and site plans that could improve habitats and attractiveness for the community and tourists. Students provided recommendations for native habitat planting and community involvement/education. They also provided site recommendations for community garden and green space updates.

Nebline, August 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

The Myths & Facts of Head Lice

Coping with Picky Eating

Recipes of the Month

6 Common Composting Questions

Garden Guide: Things to do this Month

Tips for a Fun and Educational Day at the Fair

Kissing Bugs in Nebraska

Lancaster County Super Fair, July 29-Aug. 7, 2021

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award

4-H Teen Council Invites New Members

4-H Gold Tournament Fundraiser, Oct. 3

4-H’ers Test Family and Consumer Science Skills at Life Challenge

4-H Clover College: 48 Workshops of Hands-on Learning!

4-H’ers Test Their Knowledge of Animals and Decision-Making Skills at PASE

4-H District Horse Results

4-H Announcements …

Quantifying The Combined Effect Of Abiotic Factors On The Decomposition Of Organic Matter In Semiarid Grassland Soils, Elnazsadat Hosseiniaghdam

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

Grassland ecosystems play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and their cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be affected by animal grazing where litter (i.e., dead plant material) is trampled into the soil. However, the subsequent effects of trampling on litter decomposition are not well understood. Meanwhile, abiotic factors, especially temperature and soil moisture, are known to strongly affect litter decomposition. Due to the very small number of published studies that have considered litter placement, either litter on top of soil or litter mixed with soil as a factor in litter decomposition under different temperature and soil moisture …

Evaluating Evapotranspiration And Management Of Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri S. Watson), Jasmine Mausbach

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

Palmer amaranth (PA) is the most problematic weed in agronomic cropping systems in the United States. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor-/glyphosate-resistant (GR) PA has been confirmed in Nebraska and is widespread in several counties. Soybean resistant to isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate has been developed to provide additional herbicide sites of action for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. The objectives of this study were to evaluate herbicide programs for control of ALS inhibitor/GR PA and their effect on PA density and biomass, as well as soybean injury and yield in isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant soybean. A PRE herbicide fb glufosinate controlled PA 80%–99% 21 d after late-POST in 2018 …

B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2020, J. Hardke, X. Sha, N. Bateman

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading rice producer in the United States. The state represents 47.5% of total U.S. rice production and 48.1% of the total acres planted to rice in 2020. Rice cultural practices vary across the state and across the U.S. However, these practices are also dynamic and continue to evolve in response to changing political, environmental, and economic times. This survey was initiated in 2002 to monitor and record changes in the way Arkansas rice producers approach their livelihood. The survey was conducted by polling county extension agents in each of the counties in Arkansas that produce rice. Questions …

International Rice Outlook: International Rice Baseline Projections 2020-2030, A. Durand-Morat, S. Bairagi

Research Reports and Research Bulletins

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent lockdowns impacted all economies worldwide and created an economic recession far graver than the Great Recession, contracting the global growth of gross domestic product (GDP) nearly by 4.0% in 2020, compared to -2.0% in 2009 (IHS Markit database). COVID-19 disrupted global and local food supply chains, and resulted in a significant increase in food prices (FAO, 2021). Both global and domestic rice prices increased, driven primarily by temporary export restrictions imposed by several leading rice exporters, such as Vietnam and Myanmar. The market uncertainty also created in panic-buying and hoarding; consequently, the rice demand …