Life Sciences Commons^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 27, No.2. June 1995

The Prairie Naturalist

WILDLIFE MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH OIL PITS IN WYOMING ▪ B.J. Esmoil and S.H. Anderson

DRAMATIC INCREASE OF LE CONTE'S SPARROW IN CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FIELDS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ LD. Igl and D.H. Johnson

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1994 ▪ R.N. Randall

DESCRIPTIONS OF WALLEYE STOCKS IN HIGH-ELEVATION RESERVOIRS, WYOMING ▪ T.D. Marwitz and W A. Hubert

NEW VASCULAR PLANT RECORDS FOR THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMING • G.E. Larson and J.R. Johnson

NOTES

A New Population of Small White Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium candidum) in South Dakota ▪ S.E. Boettcher

Sandhill …

Stomatal Characterization Of Grass Leaves By Four Preparation Techniques, Val J. Anderson, John S. Gardner, Joyce Phillips Hardy

Faculty Publications

Four leaf preparation techniques (air drying, tetramethylsilane air drying, critical point drying, and freeze substitution) used in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were evaluated with respect to the degree of cellular distortion they produce in stomatal guard cells of leaves of Dactylis glomerata and Elymus canadensis. Surface morphological distortion and cuticle disruption in the air-dried and tetramethylsilane air-dried leaves, and cuticle disruption within the critical point-dried tissue made it difficult to obtain measurements.The freeze-substituted tissue experienced little cuticle disturbance, and the cellular morphology appeared normal. The length of the guard cells did not significantly differ between the air-dried, tetramethylsilane air-dried, critical …

Research On Plant Disease And Pest Management Is Essential To Sustainable Agriculture, R. James Cook, Clifford J. Gabriel, Arthur Kelman, S. Tolin, Anne K. Vidaver

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In the United States, a country with food in great abundance, it is difficult to realize that, were it not for the current level of plant disease and pest management, most human resources would be needed to obtain enough food and other plant and animal products merely to survive. Instead, there are surpluses, markets for many agricultural products are depressed, and funds available for research on plant disease and pest management-and for agricultural research generally-have plateaud or are declining.

Why does the United States need more research on plant disease and pest management? Because the health and productivity of the …

Research On Plant Disease And Pest Management Is Essential To Sustainable Agriculture, R. James Cook, Clifford J. Gabriel, Arthur Kelman, Sue Tolin, Anne K. Vidaver

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In the United States, a country with food in great abundance, it is difficult to realize that, were it not for the current level of plant disease and pest management, most human resources would be needed to obtain enough food and other plant and animal products merely to survive. Instead, there are surpluses, markets for many agricultural products are depressed, and funds available for research on plant disease and pest management-and for agricultural research generally-have plateaued or are declining. Why does the United States need more research on plant disease and pest management? Because the health and productivity of the …

Spectral Reflectance From A Broccoli Crop With Vegetation Or Soilias Background: Influence On Immigration By Brevicoryne Brassicae And Myzus Persicae, Michael J. Costello

Horticulture and Crop Science

Light reflectance in five wavebands of the spectrum was measured from broccoli (Brassicae oleracea var.botrytis [L].) interplanted with leguminous cover crops (cover crop background) or broccoli grown as monoculture (bare soil background), and fertilized with compost or synthetic fertilizer. Alate Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae) were monitored in yellow pan water traps and on broccoli leaves. Reflectance intensity was higher with a background of bare soil at all wavebands except blue (400–455 nm) in the early-season. Intensity decreased as broccoli canopy cover increased at all wavebands except blue and green (515–550 nm), declining-most dramatically in …

Fecal Bacteria In Agricultural Waters Of The Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, J. M. Howell, Mark S. Coyne, P. L. Cornelius

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Agricultural runoff influenced by nonpoint pollution frequently exceeds the USEPA standards for bacterial contamination of primary contact water (200 fecal coliforms/100 mL). Few studies have evaluated the effect of cattle (Bos taurus) grazing on fecal contamination of ground water in the karst topography of central Kentucky. Our objectives were to: (i) observe the extent and pattern of fecal bacteria in agricultural waters from two central Kentucky watersheds; (ii) determine if monthly sampling accurately assessed the extent and variability of fecal contamination; and (iii) assess the fecal coliform/fecal streptococci ratio (FC/FS) as an indicator of fecal bacteria source. Springs, …

An Economic Study Of The Relative Profitability Of Alfalfa Production And Marketing Practices, David Claycomb

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The seasonality of the price of alfalfa hay in Kentucky was studied as well as the potential cost or profitability of storage of this hay. Economic comparison of alfalfa hay production to other farm enterprises was carried out. In addition, an estimate of the value of two qualities of alfalfa hay was calculated based on 1991 prices. The analysis of 41 years of marketing data demonstrated significant differences (P<.01) in price with seasonal lows in June/July and a steady increase in price to a high in March. In general (based on $100 per ton hay and 12% interest) the alfalfa hay producer could lose from $5 to $10 storing hay and selling at a later date. There were some specific conditions where he might have realized a return to storage of $0.16 to $1.48 per ton. A further evaluation of average (KY Feeder) and good (KY Pride) quality hays indicated that current prices of $70-$75 and $100 per ton respectively were the prices where a dairyman would be able to include this hay in the cow's total diet. Even with problems of quality and quantity of alfalfa hay, the economic returns to the production of alfalfa hay were favorable when compared to other crops in Kentucky with the additional benefit of alfalfa being a crop that can result in reduced soil erosion from sloping land. Returns above variable costs can be from $120 to $400 per acre depending upon yield and sale price. However, an understanding of seasonality of price as well as storage costs need to be considered by alfalfa hay producers to assure realizing the above returns.

The Analysis Of Genetically And Physiologically Complex Traits Using Ceratopteris: A Case Study Of Nacl-Tolerant Mutants, Thomas R. Warne, Dale L. Vogelien, Leslie G. Hickok

Faculty and Research Publications

Genetic and physiological complexities associated with salt tolerance in plants have limited progress in the analysis of specific factors responsible for the salt-tolerant phenotype. We have used the homosporous fern Ceratopteris richardii as a model plant to investigate the physiological basis of salinity tolerance by selecting single gene mutants that confer tolerance in the gametophyte generation. The unique genetic system of homosporous ferns permits the generation of mutants in a genetic background nearly isogenic to the wildtype, such that comparative studies with the wildtype can identify specific physiological responses associated with salt tolerance. One of these mutations, stl2, confers …

Atlantic White Cedar Chamaecyparis Thyoides (L.) Bsp, Gene Silberhorn

Reports

The Wetland Flora Technical Report series provides concise information regarding the identification, growth habits, distribution, habitat, ecology and wetland indicator status for the title species. Illustrations are also included to aid in specimen identification.

Virginia Willow, Tassel-White, Sweet Spires Itea Virginica, Gene Silberhorn

Reports

The Wetland Flora Technical Report series provides concise information regarding the identification, growth habits, distribution, habitat, ecology and wetland indicator status for the title species. Illustrations are also included to aid in specimen ident

Plant Community Changes Over 54 Years Within The Great Basin Experimental Range, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Scott C. Walker, David K. Mann, E. Durant Mcarthur

Aspen Bibliography

Plant community changes and natural succession over time impact forage values, watershed quality, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem dynamics. Comparisons were made between a vegetation map of community types completed in 1937 by the U.S. Forest Service, and vegetation maps compiled in 1990 of the same areas by satellite imagery, and through 1991 areal photo interpretation combined with ground truthing. The study area includes nearly all of the drainage in Ephraim Canyon located in central Utah which consists of 6,027 acres (2,439 ha). Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 10,400 feet (2,040 to 3,210 m). Vegetation types ranged from pinyon-juniper woodland through …

Movement Of Dna Across The Chloroplast Envelope: Implications For The Transfer Of Promiscuous Dna, Heriberto D. Cerutti, André Jagendorf

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Little is known about the mechanistic basis for the movement of promiscuous nucleic acids across cell membranes. To address this problem we sought conditions that would permit the entry of plasmid DNA into isolated, intact pea chloroplasts. DNA uptake did not occur normally, but was induced by hypotonic treatments, by incubation with millimolar levels of Mg²⁺, or by heat shock at 42 °C. These results are consistent with DNA movement being permitted by conditions that transiently alter the permeability of the chloroplast envelope. Plant cells are subject to osmotic tensions and/or conditions inducing polymorphic changes in the membranes, …

A Computer-Based Tool For Introducing Turfgrass Species, T. W. Fermanian, David J. Wehner

Office of the Dean (CAFES) Scholarship

An essential component of an introductory turfgrass management course is the description of how turfgrass species are adapted to different cultural systems and environments. The objectives of this project were to develop an interactive program to introduce the characteristics of turfgrass species and their optimum environments and to evaluate the students' gain in understanding turf species characteristics through this approach. A self-contained application, Turf Species, was constructed using the SuperCard development tool. Turf Species consists of three sections including a self-paced tour of the species, a what if establishment section, and randomly composed reinforcement quizzes with automatic grading. Turf Species …

Mistaken Identity?, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

The December 1994 NEWS item "Red Menace" contains, I believe, an unfortunate misidentification of the algae allegedly responsible for the catastrophic mortality of sea birds from Pliocene deposits of the Florida Gulf Coast.

Corn-Soybean Rotation Effects On Soil And Plant N Indices, G. E. Varvel, N. L. Klocke, Wallace Wilhelm

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

An irrigated study comparing monoculture corn and corn-soybean systems is being conducted on a uniform site in the Platte Valley of Nebraska. Four corn hybrids differing in yield potential, maturity, and stay-green characteristics are used in both the monoculture and rotation systems with five N-fertilizer rates. Stalk nitrate-nitrogen concentrations determined in mature corn plants at harvest have been used in many areas of the country as an indicator of the amount of N available to those plants. In this study, stalk nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (taken after the 1992 and 1993 growing seasons) reflected differences in N status between and within the …

Reproductive Structure And Organogenesis In A Cottonwood, Populus Deltoides (Salicaceae), Robert B. Kaul

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The organogenesis of inflorescences, flowers, and fruits was followed for two years in a male and a female tree of eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides. Soon after anthesis, an inflorescence for the next year is initiated as a continuation of the apical meristem in most axillary buds of the extension shoot of the current year. Bract and then floral primordia arise helically, and by the end of summer all floral appendages are evident. Individual perianth parts are evident early in ontogeny but not at anthesis; they are vascularized independently by distal traces of discrete vascular strands that also serve the …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 27 , No. 1. March 1995

The Prairie Naturalist

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF SAGE GROUSE IN COLORADO ▪ CE. Braun

BIRDS ASSOCIATED WITH BLACKBIRD SPRING FEEDING SITES IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ G.M. Linz, D.L. Bergman and W J. Bleier

INFLUENCE OF FORB ABUNDANCE ON WINTER BIRD USE OF CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FIELDS ▪ S.D. Hull, R.J. Robel and K.E. Kemp

FIRST NEST DOCUMENTATION FOR WHIP-POOR-WILL IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ K. L. Dean, D.L. Swanson, E.T. Liknes and D.P. Weinacht

WOOD DUCK POPULATION EXPANSION IN NORTHERN MONTANA ▪ DM. Prellwitz, J.R. Little, L.R. Rau and C.J. Hoff

PRAIRIE VOLES AT LOW DENSITY IN UNGRAZED TALLGRASS PRAIRIE IN THE FLINT HILLS …

Yield And N Uptake Of Inbred Corn With Reduced N-Fertilizer Application, Wallace Wilhelm, B. E. Johnson, R. Koopman, W. R. Peterson

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

Most corn planted in the United States is a single-cross hybrid; therefore the seed is produced on inbred lines. Inbreds are known to be less productive than the resultant hybrids; however, growers and seed companies want to maximize seed production. To this end growers attempt to keep mineral nutrition, especially nitrogen, non-limiting. Low production potential and high N fertilization rates can result in the likelihood of groundwater contamination. Key to proper N application is knowledge of the N response of inbred lines. The purpose of this research was to determine the yield and N uptake response of a group of …

Addition Of Cellulolytic Clostridia To The Bovine Rumen And Pig Intestinal Tract, Vincent H. Varel, J.T. Yen, Kelly K. Kreikmeier

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

Studies were conducted to determine whether intestinal cellulolytic bacteria could be introduced into the bovine rumen or pig large intestine. In the first study, the ruminal fluid of three cows was evacuated and replaced with 20 liters of buffer and 6 liters of the ruminal or swine cellulolytic organism Clostridium longisporum or Clostridium herbivorans, respectively. The introduced organisms were the predominant cellulolytic bacterium in the fluid (>107 cells ml21) at 0 h. C. longisporum was still the predominant cellulolytic organism after 5 h, at 0.55 3 107 cells ml21; however, after 24 h the count of C. longisporum …

Common Elderberry, Black Elderberry Sambucus Canadensis L., Gene Silberhorn

Reports

The Wetland Flora Technical Report series provides concise information regarding the identification, growth habits, distribution, habitat, ecology and wetland indicator status for the title species. Illustrations are also included to aid in specimen identification.

Abundance, Growth Rate And Parasitism Of Brevicoryne Brassicae And Myzus Persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae) On Broccoli Grown In Living Mulches, Michael J. Costello, Miguel A. Altieri

Horticulture and Crop Science

In 1990 and 1991, populations of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, were monitored on broccoli interplanted with three leguminous cover crops (the living mulches) and compared with broccoli without cover crop (clean cultivation). The cover crops used were white clover (Trifolium repens L.), strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum L.) and a mixture of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) and red clover (Trifolium praetense L.). Fertilizer was applied as compost or synthetic fertilizer crossed with cropping system regime. Brevicoryne brassicae can reach pest status in Brassica cropping systems, whereas …

Central Crops And Soils Research Station Highmore, South Dakota: Annual Progress Report, 1994, Agricultural Experiment Station, Plant Science Department

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 1994 progress report for the Central Crops and Soils Research Station at Highmore, South Dakota State College. This document represents the research conducted at the Station during the 1994 crop season including: weather data, alfalfa cultivar yield test, forage production of cowpeas and millets, soybean breeding, wheat breeding, oat breeding crop performance testing, fertilizer placement, the influence of seed placed fertilizer on corn and soybean emergence and yield, the inluence of seed placed fertilizer on sunflower emergence and yield, weed control herbicide evaluations, cheatgrass control, and field evaluations of woody plant materials.

Proceedings Of The 22nd Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (February 20-22, 1995, St. Louis, Missouri), John Rupe, Brian M. Anderson, Robert P. Mulrooney, Gabe Sciumbato, Glenn G. Hammes

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

Business session

Soybean Disease Loss Estimate for the Southern United States during 1994. JA Wrather

Treasurer report. GG Hammes

SSDW Committee Chairmen for 1994-1995

Graduate student papers

Host preference of Rotylenchulus reniformis for weed species common to Louisiana soybean. CH Carter, EC McGawley, and JS Russin

Development of an immunoassay for Heterodera glycines eggs. MJ Kennedy, JE Schoelz, TL Niblack, PA Donald

Effects of delayed planting and host susceptibility on colonization of soybean by Calonectria crotalariae and development of red crown rot. PU Kuruppu, JS Russin, and EC McGawley

Effects of long-term corn/soybean rotation on pathogenicity of Pythium populations …

Ruminal Degradation Of Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, And Smooth Bromegrass Leaf Proteins, Daren D. Redfearn, Lowell E. Moser, Steven S. Waller, Terry J. Klopfenstein

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Two in situ protein disappearance experiments were conducted to determine disappearance rates of leaf protein fractions and characterize individual leaf protein fractions that escaped ruminal degradation. Fresh leaf blades of two warm-season grasses, switchgrass (Panicum uirgatum L. 1 and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), and one cool-season grass, smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), were included in Exp. 1. Only warm season grasses were used in Exp. 2. Leaves were harvested from greenhouse-grown plants, placed in polyester bags, and incubated up to 48 h in situ in three ruminally fistulated steers fed diets of warm season grass hay. …

Quantifying Developmental Morphology Of Perennial Grasses, K. J. Moore, Lowell E. Moser

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Perennial forage grasses can be viewed as modular organisms. The phytomer is usually considered the basic unit of the grass plant and consists of a leaf blade and sheath, the internode, the node, and the associated axillary bud below the point of sheath attachment. The tiller is a collection of phytomers differentiated from a single apical meristem. The grass plant is a group of tillers that ultimately arise from a single zygote and are of the same genotype. A grass sward is a population of individual plants, often genetically related, but usually of unique genotypes. The developmental morphology of perennial …

West River Agricultural Research And Extension Center Progress Report, 1994, Agricultural Experiment Station

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 1994 annual progress report of the West River Crops Soils Research and Extension Center, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. This report includes a weather summary, wheat variety trials, oat and barley variety recommendations, soybean variety testing, management, tillage and cultural practices, herbicide studies, and nutrient recommendations for crops grown in South Dakota.

Cranberry Tissue Testing, Joan Davenport, Et Al

Cranberry Station Fact Sheets

No abstract provided.

Weed Mapping As A Component Of Ipm In Cranberry Production, Mary Jane Else, Hilary A Sandler, Scott Schluter

Cranberry Station Fact Sheets

No abstract provided.

Intsormil Annual Report 1994, John M. Yohe, Joan Frederick, Dorothy Stoner

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

USAID conducted an overall evaluation of the Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSPs), including lNTSORMIL, between May and July 1994. According to the "CRSP Evaluation Scope of Work" developed by USAID, the goal of this evaluation was to provide an objective assessment of the degree to which each of the CRSPs has had an impact on increasing agricultural production and development, and improving natural resource management through the development and dissemination of new and/or more appropriate sustainable agriculture technologies. The evaluation also assessed the extent to which the CRSP framework has responded to past Agency expectations and objectives and if the …

Life History And Description Of Immature Stages Of Euaresta Stigmatica (Diptera: Tephritidae) On Ambrosia Spp. (Asteraceae) In Southern California, David H. Headrick, Richard D. Goeden, Jeffrey A. Teerink

Horticulture and Crop Science

Euaresta stigmatica Coquillett is bivoltine and nearly monophagous on four native ragweeds, Ambrosia spp. (Asteraceae), in the southwestern United States. In southern California, larvae of the spring (F₁) generation develop singly in and feed on one or both ovules of young fruiting involucres of Ambrosia ilicifolia (Gray) Payne, with a small proportion infesting the staminate involucres. Adults emerge after ≈1 mo, with their reproductive organs immature. The F₂ generation develops in the involucres of fall-blooming Ambrosia acanthicarpa Hooker. The egg is described and illustrated for the first time for any species of Euaresta. First, second, and …