Life Sciences Commons^™

Phenotypic And Genetic Characterization Of Wildland Collections Of Western And Searls Prairie Clovers For Rangeland Revegetation In The Western Usa, Kishor Bhattarai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Western prairie clover [Dalea ornata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton & J. Wright] is a perennial legume that occurs in the northern Great Basin, Snake River Basin, and southern Columbia Plateau, whereas Searls prairie clover [Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby], also a perennial legume, occurs in the southern Great Basin and surrounding areas. Understanding the genetic and ecotypic variation of these prairie clovers is a prerequisite for developing populations suitable for rangeland revegetation in the western USA. DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS/5.8S) and trnK/matK were used to study the phylogeny of these species. The species were distinguished …

Optimizing The Physical And Nutritional Environment Of Unleached Root-Zones, Curtis B. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Unleached root-zones represent an environmental ideal by eliminating wasteful leaching of nutrients and water. NASA grows plants in space in unleached root-zones, incorporating polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) into a ceramic media (Turface or Profile). However, lack of growth productivity in space has led to the need for research to improve the nutritional and physical environment of the root-zone, which is the objective of this research. PCF types are diverse in release characteristics and the effects of temperature and substrate water content have not been well characterized. In spite of widespread use, studies on chemical properties and applied studies to verify soil …

Ecotypic Variation In Elymus Elymoides Subspecies Brevifolius Race C In The Northern Intermountain West, Matthew C. Parsons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Little information is available on the extent of local adaptation for many native grass species. This is the case for squirreltail (Elymus section Sitanion), despite this group's prevalence and importance in rangeland restoration efforts. I evaluated 32 populations of E. elymoides ssp. brevifolius race C, a phylogenetic subdivision of bottlebrush squirreltail (E. elymoides) centered in the northern Intermountain West, for phenotypic variables and neutral genetic markers to measure their association with geographical origin. Phenotypic traits were measured in common field and greenhouse environments, and genetic diversity was assessed using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism. Three factors were extracted from the phenotypic …

Aminoglycosides And Syringomycin E As Fungicides Against Fusarium Graminearum In Head Blight Disease, Yukie Kawasaki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fusarium graminearum is one of the most problematic phytopathogens in US agriculture. This fungus causes head blight, foot rot, and damping off on wheat and barley. The infection lowers the grain yield and causes contamination of the grain product with mycotoxins. Effective control measures are lacking, and new fungicides that kill F. graminearum but remain safe and economical to use are needed. Newly synthesized aminoglycosides (JL22, JL38, JL39, JL40, NEOF004, NEOF005), classic aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin A, kanamycin B, neomycin, and ribostamycin), and a lipopeptide, syringomycin E (SRE), were studied to determine their antifungal potential to control F. graminearum. …

Cattle As Grazing Management And Seed Dispersal Tools For Increasing Native Species Diversity On Great Basin Rangelands, Marina K. Whitacre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of experiments evaluated: 1) the influence of seed intake and gut retention time on seed passage, recovery, and germinability; 2) fecal seeding and broadcast /trampling as techniques to incorporate seeds into a well-established Agropyron desertorum (Fisch.) Schult. stand in Skull Valley , Utah; 3) intensive grazing as a means to reduce Agropyron biomass and increase establishment and survival of seeded species; and 4) the recovery and germinability of seed extracted from dung collected from the field. Two shrubs (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young and Atriplex confertifolia Torr. & Frem.), a grass (Elymus elymoides (Raf.) …

The Basis Of Browsing Tolerance In Shrubs Of The Intermountain West: Growth Rates And Meristematic Potential, Jackson L. Wandera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Relative growth rates (RGRs) and meristematic potential of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata, in some experiments ssp. tridentata Nutt. and in other experiments ssp. vaseyana [Rydb] Beetls), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata [Pursh] DC), serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.), birchleaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus Raf.), curlleaf mountain mahogany (C. ledifolius Nutt.) and big tooth maple (Acer grandidentatum Nutt.) were quantified under both glasshouse and field conditions. The relationships between the RGRs, meristematic potential and regrowth capacity of the shrub species were then determined. Sagebrush exhibited a significantly higher RGR than the other species at both high and low …

Formation And Control Of Chlorophyll, Solanine Alkaloids, And Sprouts Of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Tubers And Carbonyl Compound Of Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.) Fruits, S. J. Jadhav

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Part I. Formation and control of chlorophyll, solanine alkaloids, and sprouts of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers

Incorporation of radioactive carbon from acetic acid-2-¹⁴C (sodium salt), β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaric acid (HMG)-3-¹⁴C, L-leucine-U-¹⁴C, L-alanine-U-¹⁴C, and D-glucose-U-¹⁴C into the predominant glycosidic steroidal alkaloids, ⍺-solanine and ⍺-chaconine of potato sprouts was 4.88, 9.0, 15, 24, and 20 times less than that of mevalonic acid (MVA)=2-¹⁴C (DBED salt), respectively. The efficiency ratio revealed that β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaric acid (HMG)-3-¹⁴C was incorporated via acetate or acetoacetate. The distribution of radioactivity originated from D-glucose-U-^{14 …}

Seed Response Under Snow On A Subalpine Range In Central Utah, Alvin T. Bleak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The response of grass, forb, and shrub seeds to the subalpine environment during the fall and under winter snow and under laboratory conditions at 20/28 C was observed for 3 consecutive years at an elevation of about 3000m on the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah.

Seeds in nylon sleeves were planted under 2 cm of soil before snowfall. Under snow plantings were made directly on the soil surface and under 2 cm of soil. The seeds planted before snowfall were removed each year on four occasions: when under snow plantings were made, after snow depth exceeded 130 cm (deep snow), …

Morphology, Fertility, And Cytology Of Diploid And Colchicine-Induced Tetraploid Fairway Crested Wheatgrass, William Tai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fairway crested wheatgrass, which is identified taxonomically as Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. (45), A. cristatiforme (38), or A. pectiniforme Roem. and Schult (22), is an economically important range grass belonging to the "crested wheatgrass complex" (24, 38). The crested wheatgrass complex includes diploid, 2n = 14, tetraploid, 2n = 28, and hexaploid, 2n = 42, forms (1, 11, 22). The variety Fairway and Fairway-like derivatives are the only known diploid members of the species complex (24, 38). Meiotic chromosome behavior of Fairway diploids appears to be typical of other diploid species; however, the number of plants examined …