Life Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Grain Safety In Developing Nations, Jose R. Mendoza

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grains are the most widely consumed foods worldwide, with maize (Zea mays) being frequently consumed in developing countries where it feeds approximately 900 million people under the poverty line of 2 USD per day. While grain handling practices are acceptable in most developed nations, many developing nations still face challenges such as inadequate field management, drying, and storage. Faulty grain handling along with unavoidably humid climates result in recurrent fungal growth and spoilage, which compromises both the end-quality and safety of the harvest. This becomes particularly problematic where there is little awareness about health risks associated with poor …

Characterizing Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Associations In Corn Inoculated With Soil From Till Or No-Till Farmlands, Catherine Defouw

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Many crops have mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) associations that positively affect plant and soil health. AMF likely mitigates agricultural problems like topsoil depletion and compaction from tilling. The literature review on AMF associations under different practices showed the need for more studies. This project studied an AMF community's impact on soil quality and plant health in conventional till(CT) and no-till(NT) managed corn and soybean plants. Data was gathered from these fields in West MI, using field soil to inoculate greenhouse plants in normal/drought conditions. Three types of data were collected for each case: 1)AMF community via spore type and presence, …

Influence Of Cover Crop Management Practices On Rainfed Corn Production In Semi-Arid Western Nebraska, Alexandre Tonon Rosa

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the increased cover crop (CC) popularity, producers of semi-arid regions of western Nebraska are questioning whether they could successfully incorporate CC into their rainfed winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-corn (Zea mays L.)-fallow rotations. The major concern is that CCs may deplete soil water affecting the subsequent crop. Therefore, three studies were established under rainfed conditions of western Nebraska to access the effects of CCs on soil water, soil compaction, nutrient cycling, weed demographics, residue coverage, and subsequent corn yield. The first study evaluated the influence of CC planting and termination times prior to corn establishment. …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2019, Victor Ford, Jason Kelley, Nathan Mckinney Ii

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2020 Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series is the inaugural edition of this annual report and includes research results on all topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production including disease management, environmental/sustainability, irrigation, post-harvest drying, soil fertility, weed control, and research verification program results. Our objective is capturing and broadly distributing the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series will also serve as a citable archive of research results. Research reports contained in this publication …

Developing A Method To Contain The Feeding Of The Wheat Curl Mite (Aceria Tosichella Keifer), Pierce Leef, Gary Hein

UCARE Research Products

To better understand the ecology and epidemiology of the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer) as a vector of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), it is necessary to develop a method to confine the microscopic mites and their infection to specific areas of their host plants, particularly wheat and corn. In this study, corn was the plant of interest. The device developed for this mite-confining method was made by removing the lens of a phone camera lens clip and gluing a 2.5 cm x 4.5 cm piece of wood to the other arm of the clip. Clips were utilized by …

Corn Cropping Systems To Improve Economic And Environmental Health, Heather Darby, Lindsey Ruhl, Rory Malone, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, UVM Extension’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program continued a multi-year trial at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT to assess the impact of corn cropping systems on overall health and productivity of the crop and soil. Management choices involving crop rotation, tillage, nutrient management, and cover crops also make differences in the long term. Yields are important and they affect the bottom line immediately and obviously. Growing corn with practices that enhance soil quality and crop yields improves farm resiliency to both economics and the environment. This project evaluated yield and soil health effects of five different corn …

Sare Interseeding Cover Crops In Corn Silage Cropping Systems, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, John Bruce, Lindsey Ruhl

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

With increasing focus on minimizing environmental impacts from agriculture, farmers are looking for strategies that are good for farm and environmental viability. Cover cropping is one strategy that has been promoted to help farms improve soil health and minimize soil and nutrient losses to the environment. However, with a short growing season it is often difficult to get an adequate cover cropping following corn silage harvest. Therefore, farmers are interested in using interseeding techniques to establish cover crops into an actively growing corn crop. Being successful with this practice will likely require changes to other aspects of the cropping system …

Vermont Organic Silage Corn Performance Trial, Heather Darby, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

The University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program conducted an organic silage corn variety trial in 2020 to provide unbiased performance comparisons of commercially available varieties. To determine varieties that are best suited to this production system and our region’s climate, we evaluated 9 commercially available organic corn silage varieties. It is important to remember that the data presented are from a replicated research trial from only one location in Vermont and represent only one season. Crop performance data from additional tests in different locations and over several years should be compared before making varietal selections.

Integrating Cover Crops And Manure Into Corn Silage Cropping Systems, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, John Bruce, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone, Lindsey Ruhl

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

With increasing focus on managing environmental impacts from agriculture, farmers are looking for ways to manage nutrients efficiently on their farms without sacrificing crop productivity. Cover cropping and no-till crop production are strategies that have been promoted as methods that help retain nutrients on farms and minimize losses to the environment. However, integrating these practices into the cropping system requires changes to other aspects of the system. For instance, manure management becomes more difficult when using no-till production methods as the timing or method of application may need to be altered to fit appropriately into the new production system. Farmers …

Vermont Non-Gmo Corn Silage Performance Trial, Heather Darby, Ivy Luke, Rory Malone, Sara Ziegler

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

In 2020, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program evaluated yield and quality of six non-GMO corn silage varieties at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT. To successfully transition to growing non-GMO corn, farmers are looking for more information on non-GMO varieties that are available and perform well in our region. While the information presented can begin to describe the yield and quality performance of these non-GMO corn silage varieties in this region, it is important to note that the data represent results from only one season and one location.

Closing The Nutrient Loop Through An Innovative Organic Fertilizer Technology Field Tested For Corn, Heather Darby

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Excess nutrients from agricultural, industrial, and wastewater runoff result in harmful algae blooms in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous can fuel the rapid growth of algae, which deprives the aquatic environment of oxygen and sunlight. This process, eutrophication, results in anoxic “dead zones” and threatens ecosystems and access to clean water.

In agriculture, this nutrient pollution can be controlled by implementing and improving practices that reduce runoff, such as building good soil structure and not over-fertilizing nitrogen and phosphorus using slow release fertilizers.

An Analysis Of Yield Variation Under Soil Conservation Practices, Andrew E. Anderson, W. Ashley Hammac, Diane E. Stott, Wallace E. Tyner

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

Much attention has been paid to the effects of multiple soil conservation and soil health practices on the mean yield of the subsequent crop. Much less research has focused on the variability of crop yields over time or space. Yield stability reported in standard deviation, mean absolute deviation, or coefficient of variation can be an important measure of risk for producers. Risk reduction has economic value, and understanding the effect of tillage and other soil conservation practices on yield risk is relevant to farm financial management and crop insurance risk assessment. We used data from test plots in a corn …

Transforming Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) And Multispectral Sensor Into A Practical Decision Support System For Precision Nitrogen Management In Corn, Laura J. Thompson, Laila A. Puntel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Determining the optimal nitrogen (N) rate in corn remains a critical issue, mainly due to unaccounted spatial (e.g., soil properties) and temporal (e.g., weather) variability. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral sensors may provide opportunities to improve N management by the timely informing of spatially variable, in-season N applications. Here, we developed a practical decision support system (DSS) to translate spatial field characteristics and normalized difference red edge (NDRE) values into an in-season N application recommendation. On-farm strip-trials were established at three sites over two years to compare farmer’s traditional N management to a split-application N management guided by …