Life Sciences Commons^™

Spreading The Char: The Importance Of Local Compatibility In The Diffusion Of Biochar Systems To The Smallholder Agriculture Community Context, Laura C. V. Munoz

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis enters the context of smallholder agriculture communities in the developing world. It explores the potentials of biochar and what biochar systems could bring to the smallholder communities while simultaneously bringing environmental benefits. It then acknowledges the challenges of diffusion –the spreading of an unfamiliar innovation. It seeks to answer the question of what will make diffusion of biochar systems more successful in the smallholder context, fixating on the characteristic of compatibility as well as the role local community members can play in making a new biochar system more visible to the rest of the communities.

Phosphorous And Potassium Fertility Management For Maximizing Tart Cherry Fruit Quality And Productivity On Alkaline Soils, Sean D. Rowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suitable orchard land in regions of the Intermountain West is becoming more limited due to urban sprawl. With the loss of suitable farmland, increasing production costs, and the lack of sound fertility information for these regions, fruit growers face challenges to produce high quality fruit for market demand. Current standard management practices are not sufficient to optimize yield and fruit quality in the marginal farm land that is currently be used for fruit production. Fertility management of orchard trees is vital to tree health, yield, and fruit quality.

Three different approaches were used to investigate the effects of Phosphorus (P) …

Experimental Studies Of The Multitrophic Effects Of Anti-Herbivore Defense In Three Pine Barrens Shrub Species, Elizabeth R. Coffey

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Plants produce numerous chemical defense compounds in response to herbivory. Induced chemical defenses potentially influence soil dynamics by changing the nutrient ratio of the leaves, which are seasonally shed and contribute to the soil, or by affecting the detritus community through leaching of chemicals in the root zone. Manual clipping was utilized in this study to induce chemical compounds with the goal of examining the secondary effects of induced plant defenses. I removed 25% of the mass of fifteen plants of three different plant species in the Albany Pine Bush annually for two consecutive years. I then compared the soil …

Fragaria Species Grown In A Greenhouse Cropping System Chemigated By Phosfite® And Bacillus® In Subsidence Of Phytophthora Fragariae And Verticillium Dahliae, Russell L. Morgan

Earth and Soil Sciences

Strawberry yields depend directly on infestation of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae in correspondance to the use of Phosfite and Bacillus. The objective is to find understanding of newly administered techniques in prevention of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae and prohibiting the use of Methyl Bromide. Application of Phosfite and Bacillus on patented Fragariae species to identify utilization of P and ZN forms and their aid in prevention of Phytophthora and Verticillium species. In the Plots on the western bench the developmental symptoms of PRR disease were absent within all infested soil containers containing the FHS-1 crop. In the plots …

Influence Of Soil Compaction On Nitrogen Volatilization In A Management Intensive Grazing System: Estimation Of Gaseous N Losses Using Mass Balance In Intact Soil Cores, Luke Alan Petersen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Increasing concern about the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases and PM 2.5 particulates has prompted many researchers to examine the processes of gaseous loss of nitrogen (N) from agricultural land. As agricultural production becomes more competitive and producers strive to become more efficient by reducing input costs, they will increasingly employ practices such as the rotational stocking, also called Management Intensive Grazing (MIG). MIG utilizes high animal stocking rates for short periods of time to efficiently harvest pasture crops. Unfortunately, MIG also produces relatively high concentrations of livestock excreta. This has caused intensive grazing practices to become a focal point …

Does Seed Size Affect The Rate Of Germination And Early Seedling Growth In Hairy Vetch?, Joy Ekpo

McCabe Thesis Collection

Size is an important characteristic of seed quality because larger seeds with larger volume contain more resources and are likely to exhibit greater vigor than smaller seeds (Ellis, 1992). In a range of plant species, seed size has been shown to affect germination rate, emergence rate, success of establishment, and growth (Black 1957; Bentley et al. 1980; Sanderson et al. 2002). Hairy vetch is an annual legume that is used for improvement of soil for pasture and to provide ground cover protecting against erosion (Duke 1981; Undersander 2002; Sattell et al 1988). Problems facing the establishment of hairy vetch are …

Moisture Potential Affects Rate Of Leaf Appearance In Cool Season Grasses, Nina Cherone Terrell

McCabe Thesis Collection

The rate of leaf appearance and onset of growth in cool season grasses may be influenced by soil moisture potential and exposure to below freezing temperatures. Levels of moisture potential and days exposed to freezing temperatures, which will restrict leaf appearance, are not well defined. The first part of this study was to determine the effects of different moisture potentials on the leaf appearance rates in two cool season grasses. Italian ryegrass (IRG) and tall wheat grass (TWG) were grown hydroponically at 4 moisture potentials in seed pouches in an incubator under a photoperiod of 13 hours light and 11 …

Isolation From Soil Microorganisms That Are Inhibitory To Wheat Seeding Pathogens, Kynita Wilson-Humphrey

McCabe Thesis Collection

Many diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi are responsible for the ruin of a great number of crops annually. At present, many of these crops are being treated for diseases by synthetic or man-made chemicals. Some of the chemicals have been proved to have adverse effects on the environment, including humans and animals. Very few non-chemical means are available to farmers at this time to control these pathogens. This is due to the fact that many of the means of control have little effect against the pathogens or diseases. This research attempts to isolate microorganisms from the soil which …

The Effects Of Osmotic Potential On Ammonification, Immobilization, Nitrous Oxide Production, And Nitrification Rates In Penoyer Soil, Andrew P. Low

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An isotopic dilution method was used to test the effects of osmotic potential, (𝛹_s), upon nitrification, ammonification, N-immobilization, and nitrous oxide production rates in soil at solute concentrations encountered in Penoyer soil. A nitrification potential assay was also performed to approximate maximum nitrification rates.

Nitrification potential rates in soil slurries exponentially declined in response to decreased osmotic potential. However, nitrification was independent of salt concentration at the ambient NH₄⁺ concentrations of the soil. The differential response was attributed to the variable NH_4⁺ substrate quantities. The effects of osmotic potential were secondary to NH_{4 …}

Discussion And Measurement Of Soil Erosion In Iceland, Kimberly Jane Richardson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Soil erosion has occurred since the beginning of time. It is a natural process, but one that has been increasing at an alarming rate. Once soil is eroded--whether it is blown out to sea or washed down a river to sedimentize a lake--it is lost. It is almost impossible to reestablish similar soil components and characteristics in a given system. Since soil and vegetation reestablishment is expensive, the prevention of soil erosion by controlling its causes has become the most cost-effective reclamation effort.

After spending six months in Iceland, I wrote this paper on the unique erosion problems facing that …

Some Chemical Properties Of The Profiles Of Two Soil Series As Shown By Horizons And By Increments, Verle Q. Hale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Soil classification in this country is based on the system proposed by Marbut in 1920 (2). This system uses eight criteria, one of which is the chemical composition of the soil horizons. Workers in the field of soil survey are depending more and more upon laboratory data to characterize and differentiate soils not only at the series level but also at higher levels of classification where it may be necessary to establish the presence or absence of critical horizons or characteristics. This was predicted by Robinson (16) when he said that laboratory analysis is needed to give "precise physical meaning …

Root Yields, Sucrose, And Glutamic Acid Content Of Sugar Beets As Influenced By Soil Moisture, Nitrogen Fertilization, Variety, And Harvest Date, Donald G. Woolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The United States produces about 1.8 million tons of sugar annually. Approximately 75 per cent of this production is derived from sugar beets. The importance of the sugar beet crop in national and world economy is justification for research effort as a means to more economical production.

It is desirable that sugar beet processing be carried out in the most efficient manner. More effective utilization of the sugar beet and its by-products will add stability to the sugar beet industry.

For the past 170 years, since Achard found that sugar could be used for human consumption and that pulp might …

On The Kinetics Of Moisture Flow In Unsaturated Soils, James Wellington Biggar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The flow of fluids in porous media continues to be a widely studied phenomenon. Soil moisture relationships and particularly the flow of water in soil is perhaps the most widely investigated of the four edaphatic factors related to plant growth, namely moisture, aeration, temperature and compaction.

The Total Surface Of Some Soils As Related To Permeability And Water Retention Characteristics, Warren W. Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is generally recognized that many of the chemical and physical properties of soils are dependent upon the surface activity of the finer soil fractions. The importance of the magnitude of the surface areas to such properties as base exchange, water-holding capacity, absorption of gases, and the plasticity of soils has been demonstrated. Attempts have been made to determine or estimate the surface of soils and soil fractions by various methods and to relate the values obtained to the physical and chemical characteristics exhibited by these materials. Most determinations have been based on calculations of surface area from mechanical analysis …

The Influence Of Temperature Gradients On Soil Moisture Flow, Luigi Cavassa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The isothermal movement of liquid water in saturated soil has been intensively studied, and a sound theoretical basis has been developed. Considerably less is known about the flow of water in unsaturated soils, but a general theory based on Darcy's law of flow is beginning to develop. A good theoretical basis exists for the vapor diffusion under isothermal conditions. Inconsistent data and theories are found in the literature concerning the movement of water in both the vapor and liquid phases, under the influence of thermal fields.

Fertilizer Studies As Conducted On Muck Soil In Sanpete County, Utah, Lemoyne Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The reclamation of muck soil is a new development in the state of Utah. Knowledge concerning the various properties and requirements of the newly-drained area in Sanpete County, Utah, is extremely limited. A need for fundamental information concerning this type of soil was the basis for the establishment of an experimental farm in this region. The fact that most organic soils respond to mineral fertilizers soon after they have been reclaimed was an important reason for starting fertilizer work on this soil as soon as it was possible to do so. This thesis reports some of the fertilizer work being …