Life Sciences Commons^™

Soil Additives And Alternative Crops For Drought Defense In The Intermountain West, Tina M. Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Western U.S. looks for water optimization and conservation as agriculture is the largest water diverter, and resources are pressured by urban growth, winter snowpack instability, and drought persistence. Agricultural producers have several potential options to optimize water use with different investments associated with them. Options with varying levels of risks and known management practices include alternative crops, soil wetting agents, and crop biologicals.

An alternative crop that grew incredibly fast in popularity was industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) despite limited agronomic knowledge for best management practices. Field trials occurred (2020-2022) near Logan, UT to test a total of …

Zea Mays Grazing In Cattle Production Systems, V Mundy, B E. Anderson, T L. Gompert, T L. Mader, C A. Shapiro

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Nebraska producers have used silage maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids as a grazed forage in dairy and beef production systems. In an onfarm case study, farmers and researchers collaborated to gather information on production practices, grazing management, and plant characteristics of grazing maize within three forage-based dairy and beef systems. Production practices were generally similar to conventional grain corn production, except that in one system maize was seeded directly into a suppressed grass sod. Milk production from grazing maize was 23 kg/day/animal, compared to 24 kg/day/ animal before using maize and 22 kg/day/animal after using maize. Average gain of …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2023, Jason Kelley, Travis Faske

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

e 2023 edition of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series includes research results on topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production, including weed, disease, and insect management; economics; irrigation; agronomics; soil fertility; mycotoxins; cover crop management; and research verification program results. Our objective is to capture and broadly distribute the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series serves as a citable archive of research results.

Genetic Variability Of Ruminal Starch Degradation Of Corn Harvested At Two Silage Maturities, C Philippeau, M Champion, B Michalet-Doreau

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This trial was carried out to determine the influence of genotype and maturity stage on ruminal starch degradation of corn harvested at silage maturity. Two types of corn (Zea mays L.), differing in their endosperm texture, flint or dent, were harvested at 30 and 35 % whole plant DM. The degradation rate in the rumen of grains (oven dried at 40°C and ground through a 3-mm screen) was determined by the in situ technique. Mean ruminal starch degradability was 69 %. With maturity, the content of grain in the whole plant increased and ruminal starch degradability decreased (15 points). Starch …

Corn Silage In Sustainable And Conventional Systems For Finishing Beef Cattle, J P. Fontenot, V G. Allen, L L. Scott, D H. Vaughan, C A. Laub, D B. Taylor

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The objective of the research was to compare finishing beef steers on high corn (Zea mays L.) silage diets in which the corn was produced under conventional and sustainable systems. The conventional corn forage was produced on a given area for 5 yr, using conventional practices, alternating with 5 yr of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) The sustainable system corn forage was produced in a 4-yr rotation with small grain cover crops and legumes, in which corn was grown in a given area once every 4 yr. Input of pesticides was less for the sustainable system. Steers were fed …

Yield Decrease Of Corn Sown Into Italian Ryegrass By Minimum Tillage, R Kobayaski, K Tateno, S Sato

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The objective of this study was to determine the factor causing yield decrease of corn (Zea mays L.) sown into Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) by minimum tillage. 5 plots with 2 replications were made, consisting of the number of harvest times of Italian ryegrass, tillage system, and herbicide application. They were 1CT (Italian ryegrass was harvested once/conventional tillage), 1MT (once/minimum tillage), 1MTH (once/MT/herbicide), 2CT (twice/ CT), and 2MT (twice/MT). 1MT produced lowest corn yield and highest Italian ryegrass litter. This observation suggested that corn yield decrease was attributed to competition with Italian ryegrass regrowth. NAR in 1MT …

Tropical Corn For Silage In Multiple Cropping Systems, J C. Burns, D S. Fisher

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

This study compared the yield potential and inherent nutritive value and quality of tropical corn (Zea mays L.) with temperate corn and two forage sorghums [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for use in multiple cropping systems. Tropical corn showed high dry matter yield potential (19.3 Mg ha-1) compared with a selected temperate corn (14.7 Mg ha-1) or with an intermediate (8.5 Mg ha-1) or taller growing forage-type sorghum (10.3 Mg ha-1). Neutral detergent fiber concentration (g kg-1) was lower for temperate corn (330) than for tropical (548) corn which had a concentration similar to the intermediate (497) and forage-type …

Field Research Report: Results From The Enreec Vri Field For The 2021, 2022, And 2023 Crop Seasons, Derek M. Heeren, Ali T. Mohammed, Eric Wilkening, Christopher M. U. Neale, Alan L. Boldt, Ankit Chandra, Precious Nneka Amori, Ivo Z. Goncalves, Yeyin Shi, Guillermo R. Balboa

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

Long-term irrigation management research has been conducted from 2014 to 2023 for corn and soybean at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC) Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) Field located in subhumid east-central Nebraska (in the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District). The objective of this report was to present the overall results from the VRI Field for 2021 to 2023. Across the three growing seasons, there were the following irrigation treatments: Best Management Practice (BMP), 50% BMP, 125% BMP, rainfed, Spatial ET Modeling Interface (SETMI), SDD1, SDD2, machine-learning-based Cyber-Physical System (CPS), a student team recommended rate, and industry …

Integrating Livestock And Cropping Systems: Interseeding Cereal Rye Into Corn For Late Season Grazing, K. J. Soder

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Corn (Zea mays) grown for grain is harvested too late in the year in many temperate regions to establish a cover crop to provide winter ground cover and an opportunity for late season grazing. The objective of this project is to evaluate the effect of interseeding cereal rye (Secale cereale) into corn for use as grazed forage after corn grain harvest on corn grain yield and additional grazing day/ha. In a 4-year study, corn was planted (64,246 plants/ha) in spring on two, 4.8-ha fields in central Pennsylvania. Cereal rye was interseeded (135 kg/ha) into the corn …

Perennializing Marginal Croplands: Going Back To The Future To Mitigate Climate Change With Resilient Biobased Feedstocks, Salvador Ramirez Ii, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin, Robert B. Mitchell, Catherine E. Stewart, Jay Parsons, Daren D. Redfearn, John J. Quinn, Gary E. Varvel, Kenneth P. Vogel, Ronald F. Follett

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Managing annual row crops on marginally productive croplands can be environmentally unsustainable and result in variable economic returns. Incorporating perennial bioenergy feedstocks into marginally productive cropland can engender ecosystem services and enhance climate resiliency while also diversifying farm incomes. We use one of the oldest bioenergy-specific field experiments in North America to evaluate economically and environmentally sustainable management practices for growing perennial grasses on marginal cropland. This long-term field trial called 9804 was established in 1998 in eastern Nebraska and compared the productivity and sustainability of corn (Zea mays L.)—both corn grain and corn stover—and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum …