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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Tamaulipan Thornforest Restoration: Factors Influencing Restoration Outcomes And Impacts Of Cover Crops During Replanting, Jerald Thomas Garrett
Tamaulipan Thornforest Restoration: Factors Influencing Restoration Outcomes And Impacts Of Cover Crops During Replanting, Jerald Thomas Garrett
Theses and Dissertations
Though the rate of deforestation has slowed in recent years, it remains a primary cause of land cover change within forest ecosystems. The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas (LRGV) has lost nearly 95% of its native thornforest since the early 1900’s due to agricultural and urban expansion. The focus of this study is to assess the current vegetative state of restored thornforest sites located in the eastern LRGV and to evaluate the use of cover crops during replanting of native seedlings. Our assessment of restored thornforest sites revealed actively restored sites demonstrated higher overall averages of richness, abundance, and diversity …
Soil Moisture Dynamics In Cover Cropping Systems: From Local To Global Scales, Manish Gautam
Soil Moisture Dynamics In Cover Cropping Systems: From Local To Global Scales, Manish Gautam
Theses and Dissertations
Cover cropping systems, which have gained recognition for their ability to enhance soil health and promote sustainability are also associated with potential risks related with declining soil moisture and pose a dilemma for farmers considering the adoption of cover crops in water deficit semi-arid settings worldwide. To address this pressing issue, we conducted a participatory cover cropping trial in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) region, encompassing four different farms and supplemented this experiment with a meta-analysis to answer our soil moisture and climate parameters and quantify the impact of cover crops on soil moisture levels. The findings revealed that …
Evaluating Soil Health Changes Following Cover Crop And No-Till Integration Into A Soybean (Glycine Max) Cropping System In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Alexandra Gwin Firth
Evaluating Soil Health Changes Following Cover Crop And No-Till Integration Into A Soybean (Glycine Max) Cropping System In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Alexandra Gwin Firth
Theses and Dissertations
The transition of natural landscapes to intensive agricultural uses has resulted in severe loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), increased CO₂ emissions, river depletion, and groundwater overdraft. Despite negative documented effects of agricultural land use (i.e., soil erosion, nutrient runoff) on critical natural resources (i.e., water, soil), food production must increase to meet the demands of a rising human population. Given the environmental and agricultural productivity concerns of intensely managed soils, it is critical to implement conservation practices that mitigate the negative effects of crop production and enhance environmental integrity. In the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) region of Mississippi, USA, …
Examining The Efficacy Of Cover Crops As An Integrated Pest Management Tool In Organic Farms In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Lili M. Martinez
Examining The Efficacy Of Cover Crops As An Integrated Pest Management Tool In Organic Farms In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Lili M. Martinez
Theses and Dissertations
The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) consists of a mix in subtropical and costal habitats, a combination that provides a favorable environment for the animals and plants that inhabit it. This is a problem for organic farmers as they refrain from using synthetic chemicals and therefore led them to seek other methods of dealing with insect herbivory. Of the many alternative methods available, we looked specifically at integrated pest management methods (IPM) to determine their efficacy in reducing insect herbivory among cash crops. Chapter II discusses an experiment performed in an organic farm in Edinburg, Texas consisting of a two-year …
Investigating Limitations To Nitrogen Fixation By Leguminous Cover Crops In South Texas, Stephanie L. Kasper
Investigating Limitations To Nitrogen Fixation By Leguminous Cover Crops In South Texas, Stephanie L. Kasper
Theses and Dissertations
Many farms use leguminous cover crops as a nutrient management strategy to reduce their need for nitrogen fertilizer. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) depends on a symbiotic relationship between legumes and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Under certain conditions despite inoculation with appropriate rhizobial strains, this symbiosis fails to form. Such failure was observed in a 14-acre winter cover crop trial in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas when three legume species (forage pea, crimson clover, and hairy vetch) produced no signs of nodulation and nitrogen fixation. This study examined nitrogen, phosphorus, moisture, micronutrients and biotic interference as potential causes for the failure and …
Multifunctionality Of Cover Crops On Organic Vegetable Farms In South Texas, Savannah M. Rugg
Multifunctionality Of Cover Crops On Organic Vegetable Farms In South Texas, Savannah M. Rugg
Theses and Dissertations
Situated in deep South Texas, the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is considered one the most productive agricultural regions in the southern US. With the highest concentration of organic farms in the state (Hidalgo county), finding management practices that comply with organic certification is increasingly pertinent. Cover cropping can serve multiple functions in an agroecosystem such as: suppressing weeds, increasing soil organic matter (SOM), increasing soil nitrates, and enhancing soil biodiversity. The four cover crops (lablab, sunn hemp, sudangrass, and pearl millet) were assessed to see their potential to increase soil nitrogen, to increase soil organic matter, and to suppress …
Nutrient Loading Reduction In A Tile Drained Agricultural Watershed Through Watershed-Scale Cover Cropping: A High Resolution Analysis, Benjamin Gerald Bruening
Nutrient Loading Reduction In A Tile Drained Agricultural Watershed Through Watershed-Scale Cover Cropping: A High Resolution Analysis, Benjamin Gerald Bruening
Theses and Dissertations
Nutrient pollution originating from agricultural regions in the Midwest is a serious issue, leading to pollution of drinking water sources as well as large hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico. The source of much of this contamination has been shown to be runoff from agricultural fields in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. One method that has been shown to reduce this pollution from the Upper Mississippi River Basin is the planting of winter cover crops. Winter cover crops such as rye and tillage radish have been shown to significantly reduce nitrate exported from agricultural fields, even in tile-drained watersheds …