Life Sciences Commons^™

Estimating Optimum Overstory Vegetation Reduction For Increasing Understory Production, John A. Tanaka

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate analytical approaches for estimating the optimum (profit maximizing) rate of initial overstory kill for increasing seasonal forage availability on a specific ranch. The models were developed using the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) - crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum, A. desertorum) vegetation type on a Utah cow-calf-yearling operation as an example. The models should be applicable on any ranching situation where understory forage production is constrained by the establishment and growth of undesirable overstory vegetation.

Three model forms were developed and compared for their applicability to on-the-ground investment decision …

Alfalfa Production As Related To Irrigation Scheduling: An Economic Perspective, Craig L. Israelsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study analyzed the economics of irrigation scheduling for alfalfa hay in the Cache Valley, Utah area. Yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation drainage loss, along with the costs and returns per acre attributable to irrigation scheduling, were simulated through the use of a computerized plant growth model. The model created yearly "irrigation schedules" for alfalfa hay based on actual climatic, soil and plant characteristic data from the Utah State University Greenville Experiment Station. The model calculated the irrigation schedules based on a soil-water balance equation which never allowed the available soil water to go below the crop stress point.

The …

Production Factors In Beef Cattle Finishing, Gary L. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A feeding trial was conducted comparing four finishing diets, typically fed in this area, two hormone implants zeranol (Ralgro) and estradiol 17-beta (Compudose), and a feed additive. Thirty-two Hereford steers were fed in individual pens to maintain accurate intake records. The four diets compared were: 1) a whole corn diet with a small amount of corn silage as roughage; 2) a high energy ground barley diet using corn silage and chopped alfalfa as roughage; 3) a total diet consisting of rolled barley, beet pulp, and ground alfalfa hay; and 4) a high energy rolled barley diet using corn silage and …

The Relationship Of Ewe Body Mass To Lamb Production, Sebhatu Gebrelul

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Body size was estimated by multiplying the average of the hip and chest widths by body length and chest depth in 208 ewes of three genotypes: Targhee x Targhee (TXT), Finn x Targhee (FXT), and Suffolk x Targhee (SXT), and two seasons, fall (pre-breeding) and spring (post-lambing). The estimated ewe body size did not fluctuate with season, body condition or physiological stress and proved to be a constant measure of size. Measuring linear body dimension is time consuming; and hence ewe body size can best be approximated by the chest depth in a regression equation. In the absence of linear …

Asexual Vs. Sexual Propagation Of Quaking Aspen, Robert B. Campbell Jr.

Aspen Bibliography

ABSTRACT: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)

regenerates almost exclusively by root suckers in the

western United States, even though female clones

produce abundant viable seed. During the past decade,

interest in propagating aspen for use as an

ornamental and for revegetation of forest land has

increased. To satisfy these diverse needs for aspen

planting stock, nurserymen have a choice between

sexual and asexual propagation. Criteria for clone

selection, suggestions for root and seed collection

and storage, propagation techniques, and the

advantages of both sexual and asexual propagation are

discussed.

Effect Of Three Methods Of Processing Barley On Intake And Production Of Lactating Cows, Carlos Garcia Jauregui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-four lactating cows were randomly assigned to three treatments within eight each 3 x 3 latin squares with three periods of 21 days duration. Three processing treatments of barley were 1) steam-rolled, 2) ground (fine), and 3) soak-rolled (soaked in water for appr. 24 hours, rolled, and fed within 48 hours). All rations were fed ad libitum and were comprised of 24% alfalfa hay, 16% corn silage, 35.5% barley, 12% whole cottonseed, 12% wheat bran, 0.3% salt, and 0.3% dicalcium phosphate on a dry matter (DM) basis. Electronic doors were used to collect individual feed intake data. Rations and feces …

The Effect Of Rain Leaching On Field Dried Alfalfa Hay Yield And Lamb Production From The Hay, John M. Kaykay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A 2 x 3 x 2 factorial arranged split plot experiment was used to determine the decrease of dry matter yield from field-dried alfalfa hay caused by the application of a measured quantity of artificial rain (sprinkling irrigation). The three hay treatment factors were (1) alfalfa hay was cut at late vegetative and early bloom stage of maturity and (2) leached by 0, 5 mm or 20 mm of artificial rain applied by sprinkling and (3) sprinkled in the swath, 24 or 48 hours after cutting.

Changes in dry matter yield were not significantly (P < .05) related to stage of maturity of forage, level of artificial rain applied or the time of application of artificial rain. There were no significant interactions for dry matter yield. The non-significant results were probably due to the variability of the alfalfa stand among the specific areas harvested for each treatment and insufficient replications to control the variability.

Forty-eight lambs were fed for …

Stream Insect Production As A Function Of Alkalinity And Detritus Processing, Thomas G. Osborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study was conducted to determine if aquatic insect production was significantly different between high and low alkalinity mountain streams and if any differences were associated with food availability factors. The major objectives included determining: (1) if annual production differences occur between high and low alkalinity streams; (2) if processing rates of terrestrial detritus differs between high and low alkalinity streams; (3) if detrital processing rates are related to stream insect productivities; (4) if primary productivity varies between high and low alkalinity streams; (5) if toxic effects or micronutrient limitations exist in high or low alkalinity streams that could limit …

Diversity And Production Of Herbaceous Vegetation In A Northern Utah Subalpine Chronosequence, Gary A. Reese

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Successional trends in herbaceous plant production and diversity were studied in an age sequence of sites, i.e. chronosequence, inferred to represent a meadow to aspen to fir to spruce-fir sere. Primary production was observed to decrease in a linear fashion with successional development. Three components of diversity; richness, heterogeneity, and equitability or evenness, each had low early successional values, reaching maximum diversity in mid-succession, and declining to intermediate levels with maturity. The magnitude of these trends varied greatly, depending on the methods used to determine plant dominance. Characteristics of various dominance indices and their applicability to this study were examined. …

An Approach To Functionalizing Key Environmental Factors Forage Production In Rocky Mountain Aspen Populus-Tremuloides Stands, J.P. Roise, D.R. Betters, B.M. Kent

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Production And Intake Responses Of Dairy Cows Fed Four Levels Of Malic Acid, Juan Carlos Martinez Alferez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thirty-two lactating cows were assigned at random to four treatments of malic acid to determine if these levels had an effect on milk production, milk composition, feed intake, and efficiency of feed utilization. Malic acid allotment for each treatment consisted of 1) 15.4, 2) 11.6, 3) 7.7, and 4) 0 grams of malic acid fed per kilogram of concentrate. Concentrate was fed according to production at a rate of one kilogram per two kilograms of milk in excess of 9.1 kilograms of milk per cow daily. Alfalfa hay was fed free choice and corn silage at a rate of 11.4 …

The Impact Of Surface Soil Removal On Plant Production, Transpiration Ratios, Nitrogen Mineralization Rates, Infiltration Rates, Potential Sediment Losses, And Chemical Water Quality Within The Chained And Reseeded Pinyon-Juniper Types In Utah, Steven M. Lyons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the period of October 1974 to August 1976, a study was conducted to measure the effects of surface soil removal on plant production, plant transpiration rates, nitrate nitrogen mineralization rates, and selected hydrologic parameters (infiltration rates, potential sediment production, and chemical quality of runoff water). The treatments were incremental 7.6 centimeter soil layers to a depth of 30.5 centimeters.

Plant production and transpiration ratios (or water use efficiencies) were measured in greenhouse studies using Agrogyron desertorum grown in the incremental 7.6 centimeter soil layers from five study sites throughout the state of Utah, (Blanding, Brush Creek, Milford, Huntington, and …

Primary Production In A Cache Valley, Utah Farm Pond, J. Kent Summers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Primary production was measured on a 9.5 acre Cache Valley, Utah farm pond from July 1971 to July 1972. Polyethylene film tubes, with lids, were used to confine columns of water for determining dissolved oxygen concentration. Once a week, dissolved oxygen samples were taken at sunset, the following sunrise and sunset. Annual primary production was estimated at 1289 grams oxygen per square meter for two of the four stations, and 927 grams oxygen per square meter for the remaining two stations.

The weekly data was computed at once a month intervals to see if it would be possible to get …

Greenhouse Production And Marketing Of Petunia, W. Theron Hansen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was performed during a three year period, 1969-1971. The first year the writer evaluated containers, soil mixtures, planting dates, fertilizers, and temperatures for optimum petunia production. The data collected aided in selecting the best greenhouse procedures for future studies. The second year three bedding plant varieties were used for further evaluate containers and soil mixtures using direct seeding and transplanting and watering continuously or watering as needed.

As a result of the first two year's studies, a liquid fertilizer (10-5-5), an average temperature of 75 F, Jiffy-7 peat pellets, plants not receiving continuous water program was used for …

Simulation Of The Daily Growth Of An Aspen Population From The Measured Co2-Exchange Rates Of The Components, G.C. Bate, D.T. Canvin

Aspen Bibliography

The daily total CO₂-exchange of an aspen population (32 trees) was measured using a growth chamber gas analysis system which had been shown to measure accurately the actual carbon gain of the population. The CO₂-exchange rates of the components (e.g. roots, stems, leaves) were measured in the light and dark and these rates were used to calculate the total CO₂-exchange of the population using a computer model. The carbon gain during the photoperiod was underestimated by 25% in the simulation while the carbon loss during the nyctoperiod was overestimated 100% by the simulation.

Estimating Agricultural Production Functions From Experimental Data For Different Crops In Relation To Irrigation, Fertilization And Soil Management In Northern Utah, Subramaniuam Swami Nathan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estimates of agricultural production functions from experimental data for four different crops in relation to six variable inputs are calculated by this study. There are four basic sections in the study. The first section covers the review of production function concepts and the procedures and problems that specifically pertain to this study. Also the importance of joint economic-agronomic research efforts, methodologies and applications of agricultural production functions are cited.

The second section includes the presentation data and postulated functional relationships in estimating production functions. Model building programs are used in developing three dimensional figures, which aid in the selection of …

Relation Of Canopy Area And Volume To Production Of Three Woody Species, James M. Peek

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Waterfowl Production On A Spring-Fed Salt Marsh In Utah, Donald E. Mcknight

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Results of past studies on the spring-fed salt marshes of Utah indicated that waterfowl production on these areas was much lower than on Utah's river-fed marshes. Waterfowl production on the newly-established Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, a spring-fed marsh, increased considerably, however, after its waters were impounded. It was believed that by determining what caused this increased production at Fish Springs it would be possible to obtain greater waterfowl production at other spring-fed marshes. Consequently waterfowl populations and factors affecting waterfowl production on this marsh were studied during the summers of 1966, 1967, and 1968.

Populations of breeding ducks averaged …

Estimated Supply Response Of Sugar Beet Production To Changes In Profitableness, Box Elder And Cache Counties, Utah, 1967, Brent W. Spaulding

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relative profitability of sugar beets and competitive crops were studied in Box Elder and Cache counties, Utah.

Profitability ratios based on enterprise budget data and resource use requirements were used as a basis for comparison. Sugar beets was found to be more profitable than competing crops in returns per acre, in returns to water used and in returns to fixed investment and management. However, sugar beets was found to be less profitable than certain other crops in returns to operating capital and returns to labor. Also, on land rated low in productivity sugar beets was found to be less …

An Evaluation Of Conservation Reserve Lands In Relation To Pheasant Production And Survival, Richard M. Bartmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is one of the most important upland game species over much of the nation. It is also one of the most difficult to effectively manage for the increasing hunter population. The high value of agricultural lands renders habitat improvement programs by state agencies a financial impossibility except on an extremely localized basis. Therefore, the primary pheasant management tool largely remains hunting season manipulation.

The federal government through various agricultural programs may have an influence upon pheasant habitat. Public Law 540 entitled "Agricultural Act of 1956," more commonly referred to as the "Soil Bank …

The Effect Of Range Condition Upon The Production, Nutritive Intake And Digestibility Of Desert Range Forage In Southwestern Utah, J. Kent Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The 65 million acres of winter range in the Intermountain region furnish forage for about five million sheep and four million cattle each winter for approximately six months. These arid ranges are well suited for winter grazing, and are of paramount importance to the livestock industry. Many of these ranges were fully stocked by 1900 and as livestock continued to increase, many winter ranges were seriously over-grazed (Hutchings and Stewart, 1953). Today many of these ranges remain in a deteriorated condition. Forage production has decreased and desirable plants have been replaced by less desirable species.

Little is known about the …

Economics Of Farm Flock Sheep Production In Northern Utah, Bruce E. Nielson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Throughout the history of mankind, sheep have played a very important and unique part in the economies of the world. They have been a source of meat, milk, skins and fiber. They have become adapted to nearly every kind of husbandry, from nomadic types to intensively managed flocks on small farms and have thrived under nearly all climatic conditions, ranging from sub-artic regions of Greenland to hot areas of the Mediterranean countries; from desert areas of Africa to wet lowland of England.

Cultural Practices For Alfalfa Seed Production, M. W. Pedersen, George E. Bohart, M. D. Levin, William P. Nye, S. A. Taylor, J. L. Haddock

All PIRU Publications

No abstract provided.

Bulletin No. 386 - Production Of Lettuce Seed As Affected By Soil Moisture And Fertility, Leslie R. Hawthorn, Leonard H. Polland

UAES Bulletins

Much of the lettuce seed produced in the United States is grown under irrigation in various western states. Few studies have been made to determine the extent to which yields of seed are influenced by soil moisture and other cultural conditions. Crops have been irrigated mostly on the basis of local practices and the general experience of the grower. Recent studies in Utah (Hawthorn 1951) showed rather conclusively that carrot and onion seed crops grown side by side under the same climatic conditions differ widely in their response to soil moisture. High seed yields were obtained from carrots grown under …

The Effect Of Limited Moisture Supply At Various Stages Of Growth On The Development And Production Of Hybrid Corn, Ralph E. Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corn occupies from 25 to 30 percent of the crop land harvested in the United States. In recent years the acreage devoted to corn in this country has been decidedly greater than that devoted to any other cultivated crop. In 1944 its dollar value exceeded the combined values of wheat, barley, rye, grain sorghums, and cotton.

Although South Dakota lies on the northwestern fringe of the corn belt, the corn crop is one of the most important in that state. Corn production in that area is somewhat unstable because of drought. Corn often fails to reach full maturity before the …

Bulletin No. 355 - An Economic Study Of The Production Of Canning Tomatoes In Utah, 1948 And 1949, Earnest M. Morrison, George T. Blanch

UAES Bulletins

Production of canning tomatoes is an important enterprise on many farms in Utah. In 1949 this crop brought about $1,772,000 and in 1951, nearly $2,750,000 to the farmers of the state (appendix table 1). Nearly all the canning tomatoes of the state are produced in the counties at the west of the Wasatch Mountains. In order of importance, these are: Davis, Weber, Utah, Box Elder, and Salt Lake (appendix table 2). Since tomatoes are processed relatively close to where they are grown, the income to farmers is not a complete measure of the importance of the tomato enterprise to this …

Bulletin No. 354 - Marketing Of Chickens From Producer To First Handler Washington, Oregon, And Utah (1948-1949), Roice H. Anderson

UAES Bulletins

In 1949 the receipts from eggs and chickens amounted to 8.6, 6.0, and 13.2 percent of the total cash receipts from farm marketings in Washington, Oregon, and Utah, respectively. About three fourths of these receipts were from sale of eggs and one fourth from the sale of chickens. Receipts from chicken sales, while less important than from eggs, amounted to about 21.5 million dollars in 1949 in the three states. As would be expected, considering the importance of egg production in the three states, many of the chickens sold are cull layers and other chickens produced incidental to the egg …

Seed And Forage Production In Four Clonal Lines Of Alfalfa As Influenced By Lygus Infestation, John Keith Noyes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

No other forage crop cultivated in the United States can be used in as many ways as alfalfa. The variety of its uses make it a most useful forage crop.

The distribution of alfalfa is world wide and it plays a leading role in the production of livestock and their products. For general feeding of farm animals, alfalfa is unsurpassed. Used for pasture, it has a high capacity, which leads to large gains in grasing animals. If properly rotated and cared for, it adds nitrogen to the soil in a form that is available to plants and thereby increases crop …

Bulletin No. 329 - Cost And Efficiency Of Producing Sugar Beets In Utah, 1945, Ernest M. Morrison

UAES Bulletins

Early in the history of Utah the pioneers became interested in sugar-beet production. In 1852 John Taylor, Elias Morris and others, under the direction of Brigham Young, obtained machinery from France for refining beet sugar, transported it across the Atlantic Ocean by boat, up the Mississippi River to Fort Leavenworth, and thence across the plains to Utah by ox teams. The factory was established in what is now known as Sugar House in the southeastern part of Salt Lake City. These initial efforts proved to be unsuccessful primarily because the "open kettle" method employed was never satisfactory.

Not until 1891 …

Bulletin No. 284 - Lygus Bugs In Relation To Alfalfa Seed Production, C. J. Sorenson

UAES Bulletins

This investigation, which continued during the two succeeding years, had four primary purposes: (1) to determine the distribution of these plant bugs and the intensity of their infestation in the alfalfa-seed districts of the state; (2) to ascertain whether these bugs constitute an important factor, either causing or contributing to, the excessive flower-drop annually occurring in alfalfa-seed fields, or if they are otherwise responsible for decreased yields of alfalfa seed; (3) to study the general biology of these insects with particular reference to their life histories in alfalfa as the host plant; and (4) to investigate possible practical methods for …