Life Sciences Commons^™

Choosing A Bt Transgenic Corn Hybrid, R. J. Wright, Thomas E. Hunt, J. F. Witkowski, Blair Siegfried, John E. Foster

John E. Foster

Describes traits of various Bt corn hybrids and factors to consider when selecting and using these hybrids.

Physiological Evaluation And Root Morphological Differences Associated With Novel Drought Tolerant Corn (Zea Mays L.) Hybrids, Austin Gentry Scott

Masters Theses

Corn hybrids designated “drought tolerant” (DT) from three commercial seed companies were evaluated in order to determine the benefit of DT technology in a mid-south environment that may receive adequate but often poorly timed rainfall. Field research was conducted in 2014 and 2015 at Milan, TN where hybrid response to stress was evaluated at two planting dates and in non-irrigated and irrigated environments and greenhouse research was conducted in Jackson, TN to evaluate early season drought to plant physiology and root structure.

In 2014 and 2015, the non-irrigated trials received enough rainfall to create a high yielding environment. Since the …

Evidence Of Ancient Maya Agriculture In The Bajos Surrounding Tikal, Guatemala, Adam Calvin Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Current Central American agricultural practices are environmentally and economically unsustainable, yet the ancient Maya who lived in the same region thrived for thousands of years. Archaeologists have attempted to understand the factors enabling the prolonged success and ultimate collapse of the Maya societies. Some have proposed that the karst seasonal wetlands, called bajos, that border many Maya sites in the region were an influential factor in the Maya's ability to flourish. For the past decade, researchers have used carbon isotope analyses to identify areas of ancient maize agriculture at Maya archaeological sites. In this study, we collected soil samples from …

Folate Stability In Fortified Corn Masa Flour, Tortillas, And Tortilla Chips, Renee Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Neural tube defects (NTDs) occur at higher rates in Hispanic populations in the USA. Such populations would benefit from folic acid fortification of corn masa flour (CMF). This study evaluated folate stability in fortified CMFs and products made from the flours, tortillas and tortilla chips. There was no significant loss of folate during the six-month shelf-life of fortified tortilla CMF and tortilla chip CMF. There was a 13% loss (P < 0.05) of folate during tortilla baking and no loss during tortilla chip frying. Both tortillas and tortilla chips showed significant folate losses over the two-month shelf-life for these products, with a 17% loss in fortified tortillas and 9% loss in tortilla chips. Folate in fortified CMFs, tortillas and tortilla chips is relatively stable and comparable to the stability of folate in wheat flour and breads.

Goss's Bacterial Wilt Development And Clavibacter Michiganensis Subsp. Nebraskensis Interactions With Spray Adjuvants, Sarah A. Schlund

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

Goss’s bacterial wilt and leaf blight of corn (Zea mays L.), causal agent Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis, was first confirmed in Dawson County, NE in 1969. Disease incidence decreased in the 1980’s due to various management strategies and disease developed sporadically until the early 2000’s when it re-emerged and was economically important. A Midwest, multistate survey conducted in 2011 suggested farming practices that may have contributed to the pathogen’s re-emergence. The use of agricultural pesticides was associated with Goss’s wilt. Since spray adjuvants are often used with pesticides, and physical characteristics of these adjuvants may enable infection of …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Performance Tests 2015, R. D. Bond, J. A. Still, D. G. Dombek

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers.

Testing Usda Certified Organic And Non-Gmo Verified Project Labeled Foods For The Presence Of Genetic Modifications, Ryan Loren Phelps

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals that have been produced using genetic insertion or deletion via technology (also called genetic engineering or GE). Merged DNA from different species creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and/or virus genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Our goal was to determine the presence or absence of GMO markers in USDA Organic Certified and in Non-GMO Project food products. We investigated only corn or soy-based products that were purchased from many types of retailers. Our study was limited to products that contained a label for USDA organic certification and/or …

The Potential For Reducing N Fertilizer Inputs For Corn Production In The First Year Following Alfalfa, Earl Creech, Grant Cardon, James Barnhill, Jody Gale, Clark Israelsen, Boyd Kitchen, Mark Nelson, Mike Pace

All Current Publications

The objectives of the project reported in this fact sheet were to 1) examine current post-alfalfa N fertilizer credit guidelines and investigate the potential to further reduce N fertilizer rates (if possible) on first year corn after alfalfa across Utah, and 2) accordingly update the USU Extension corn management recommendations and promote grower awareness and adoption of the new guidelines.

Nitrogen And Water Effects On Canopy Sensor Measurements For Site-Specific Management Of Crops, Nicholas C. Ward

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

Water and nitrogen (N) are undoubtedly the two largest agricultural inputs globally. Coupled with advances in site-specific management technology their integration into production agriculture will allow for the most efficient use these crop input resources. Active canopy sensors offer the ability to measure biophysical plant traits rapidly and make assessments about plant status. Specifically, optical sensor measurements of light reflectance assess plant N status allowing for in-season and on-the-go N recommendations and applications; while infrared thermometers (IRT) measurement of canopy temperature can be used a tool for irrigation management. To evaluate how these technologies work among different plant stress environments …

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 26, 2015, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 26, 2015 (5/26/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Corn Characterization And Development Of A Convenient Laboratory Scale Alkaline Cooking Process, Shreya N. Sahasrabudhe

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

Nixtamalized (alkaline cooked) corn (Zea mays L.) products are increasing in popularity due to their affordable cost, ease of production, and the diversity of products that can be made using similar unit operations. The nixtamal produced after alkaline cooking depends on the processing parameters used during cooking and steeping, as well as the physicochemical properties of the corn hybrids used. Processors incur high costs in narrowing down hybrids suitable for a given process, or they must be able to adjust cooking conditions to obtain the desired end-product characteristics. Improper processing generates large quantities of waste. Researchers have developed small …

Mentored Student Research In The Study Of Ancient Maize Agriculture In Mesoamerica, Richard E. Terry

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For the past two years, Richard Terry, his graduate students, Zachary Larsen and Jacob Horlacher have mentored twenty two undergraduate majors in Environmental Science in the collecting, preparation, and analysis of soil samples from the rural surroundings of ancient Maya cities in Guatemala and Mexico. Corn (called maize in Mesoamerica) has been very important to both the ancient and contemporary Maya. The Maya creation story as recorded in the Popol Vuh tells of the creation of man from the ground maize. Many of the Maya view themselves as “people of the maize”. The actions of planting the seeds, harvesting, preparation …

Gmo Vs. Non-Gmo: Comparing The Addictiveness Of Corn In Rats, Christian A. Carroll, Sara L. Hill, Kelly A. Huston, Tyler Michael, Courtney Noll, Melissa J. Beck, Ginger D. Cameron

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) refer to organisms whose DNA has been altered to produce a certain characteristic. GMOs account for a significant proportion of the crops produced in the United States. Specifically, GMO corn accounted for approximately 88% of all corn grown for human and animal consumption in the year 2012. Previously conducted studies have not uniformly demonstrated the safe use of GMO corn, and no studies have been conducted to analyze the addictiveness of GMO corn.

The idea of addiction refers to more than just a physical dependence, but to a psychological dependence on something as well. Addiction is …

Increasing Expression Of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen In Maize Through Breeding, Erin Suzanne Miller

Master's Theses

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a common virus, with two billion people infected worldwide. It causes approximately 600,000 deaths each year, despite the availability of an effective vaccine since 1982. Maize as a platform for oral vaccination can supply a heat stable vaccine, which does not require syringes or trained personnel to administer. The Hepatitis B Surface antigen was transformed into maize and this seed was used to evaluate expression levels through the breeding process. The transgene was transferred into two elite maize inbreds by backcrossing. Highest expressing ears were selected each generation until approximately 99% commercial parent was …

Maize Yield And Components As Influenced By Environment And Agronomic Management, Jeremy J. Milander

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

Yield component analysis research on dent maize and waxy maize (Zea mays L.) as related to crop management is limited in Europe and the United States. Two research studies were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at Mead and North Platte, NE and Zagreb, Croatia with the objective to determine the influence of environment, water regime, hybrid, and plant population on maize yield and yield components. Grain yield, ears m^-2, kernels ear^-1, kernels row^-1, rows ear^-1, ear length and circumference, and kernel weight were measured. Environment and water regime altered maize yield …

Pack Factor Measurements For Corn In Grain Storage Bins, Rumela Bhadra, Aaron P. Turner, Mark E. Casada, Michael D. Montross, Sidney A. Thompson, Josephine M. Boac, Samuel G. Mcneill, Ronaldo G. Maghirang

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Shelled yellow corn is commonly stored in concrete or corrugated steel bins. Granular materials compact under their own weight, primarily due to particle rearrangement, leading to an increase in bulk density and a change in volume when stored. Reliable grain pack factors are needed to estimate storage capacities and to accurately monitor grain inventories. A science-based model (WPACKING) of pack factors is available that uses the differential form of Janssen's equation and takes into account the variation in density caused by pressure variation with height and moisture content of the grain and accounts for the effects of grain type, test …

Identification Of Yield-Limiting Factors In Southeast Kansas Cropping Systems, G. F. Sassenrath, X. Lin, D. E. Shoup

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Crop performance and yield within production fields varies as a function of growing environment and soil properties within the field. Components contributing to yield in corn, wheat, and soybean production were examined through on-farm measurements of soil properties in southeast Kansas. Additional tests in research plots explored components contributing to yield in greater detail. Environmental variability between the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons contributed to differences in yield. Additional variability in soil parameters influenced crop performance, particularly for soils high in clay content.

Wheat Stubble Height On Subsequent Corn And Grain Sorghum Crops, A. Schlegel

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A field study initiated in 2006 was designed to evaluate the effects of three wheat stubble heights on subsequent grain yields of corn and grain sorghum. Corn yields in 2014 were similar to the long-term average, while sorghum yields were greater than the long-term average. Taller cut stubble in 2014 increased biomass production of corn and yield for grain sorghum. When averaged across 2007 through 2014, corn grain yields were 9 bu/a greater when planted into either tall or strip-cut stubble than into low-cut stubble. Average grain sorghum yields were not significantly affected by wheat stubble height. Water use efficiency …

Corn Yield Response To Water Availability, T. Newell, K. Roozeboom, G. J. Kluitenberg, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Drought-tolerant technologies have become popular in hybrids for low-yielding corn environments across central and western Kansas and are marketed for their ability to produce higher grain yields with less water. The objective of this study was to compare water use, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of two types of drought-tolerant (DT) corn hybrids and a high-yielding non-DT hybrid. Water use and yield of two DT and one non-DT, high-yielding hybrid were compared in both dryland and irrigated situations. The average yield for the irrigated corn was 217 bu/a, and the average was 127 bu/a in dryland, representing a yield …

Response Of Wheat To Residual Fertilizer Nitrogen Applied To Previously Failed Corn, D. W. Sweeney, D. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

When drought conditions result in poor corn growth and yield, the potential exists for carryover of fertilizer nitrogen (N) to wheat. Soil sampling at the wheat jointing stage showed that NO₃-N levels increased slightly as previous N rate increased up to 240 lb/a N, but did not appear sufficient for the wheat yield increase to previous N rate. The relationship between wheat normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) measurements at jointing and wheat yield was linear. The use of crop active sensors such as the GreenSeeker (Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sunnyvale, CA) may provide plant response data to supplement soil …

Tillage Study For Corn And Soybean: Comparing Vertical, Deep, And No-Till, E. A. Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The need for tillage in corn and soybean production in the Kansas River Valley continues to be debated. The soils of the Kansas River Valley are highly variable, with much of the soil sandy to silty loam in texture. These soils tend to be relatively low in organic matter (<2%) and susceptible to wind erosion. Although typically well drained, these soils can develop compaction layers under certain conditions. A tillage study was initiated in the fall of 2011 at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Topeka to compare deep vs. shallow vs. no-till vs. deep tillage in alternate years. Corn and soybean crops are rotated annually. This is intended to be a long-term study to determine if soil characteristics and yields change in response to a history of each tillage system.

Breaking Corn Yield Barriers: A Cropping Systems Approach, G. R. Balboa, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A corn research trial was conducted at Scandia, KS, during the 2014 growing season. The objective was to study the contribution of different farming systems in developing efficient and high-yielding corn production systems. The experiment had five treatments: farmer practices, comprehensive fertilization, production intensity, ecological intensification, and advanced plus. Farmer practice was the lowest-yielding treatment, and ecological intensification and advanced plus treatment presented similar yields.

Large-Scale Dryland Cropping Systems, A. Schlegel

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A large-scale dryland cropping systems research and demonstration project at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, Kansas, evaluated two summer crops (corn and grain sorghum) along with winter wheat in crop rotations varying in length from 1 to 4 years. The rotations were continuous grain sorghum, wheat-fallow, wheat-corn-fallow, wheat-sorghum-fallow, wheat-corn-sorghum-fallow, and wheatsorghum- corn-fallow. The objective of the study is to identify cropping systems that enhance and stabilize production in rain-fed locations to optimize economic crop production. Averaged across the past 7 years, wheat yields ranged from 22 to 25 bu/a and were not affected by length of rotation. Corn and …

Response Of Drought Tolerant And Conventional Corn To Limited Irrigation, I. Kisekka, F. Lamm, J. D. Holman

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

With declining water levels in the Ogallala aquifer, many wells cannot supply peak irrigation water needs for corn. Emerging drought-tolerant (DT) corn hybrids could help farmers maintain yield with limited capacity wells. A knowledge gap exists comparing transgenic DT and conventional corn hybrids in yield response to water level. The purpose of this study was to compare yield, yield components, water productivity, and irrigation water use efficiency response of DT corn with cspB (DKC 6267 DGVT- 2PRO) transgene trait and conventional corn hybrid (DKC 62-98 VT2PRO) with similar maturity to full and limited irrigation. Preliminary results from the 2014 growing …

Effects Of Supplementation With Corn Or Dried Distillers Grains On Gains Of Heifer Calves Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pastures, L. W. Lomas, J. L. Moyer

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Thirty heifer calves grazing smooth bromegrass pastures were used to compare supplementation with 0.5% of body weight per head daily of corn or dried distillers grains (DDG). Daily gains of heifers supplemented with corn or DDG were similar (P>0.05).

Effects Of Varying Methodologies On Grain Particle Size Analysis, J. R. Kalivoda, C. K. Jones, C. R. Stark

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Particle size reduction is an important component of feed manufacturing that impacts pellet quality, feed flowability, and pig feed efficiency. The correct determination of particle size is important for feed manufacturers, nutritionists, and pork producers to meet target specifications. The current method for determining the geometric mean diameter (dgw) and geometric standard deviation (Sgw) of grains has been published by the ANSI/ASAE S319.4. This method controls many variables, including the suggested quantity of initial material and the type, number, and size of sieves. However, the method allows for variation in shake time, sieve agitators, and the use of a flow …

Cover Crop Impacts On Soil Water Status, M. Kuykendall, K. Roozeboom, G. J. Kluitenberg, P. V. Vara Prasad

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Water is a primary concern for producers in the Great Plains; as such, research is warranted to quantify how much cover crops affect the amount of soil water available to subsequent cash crops. Cover crop mixes have been marketed as a means to conserve water in no-till cropping systems following winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) harvest. The objectives of this study are to quantify changes in soil profile water content in the presence of different cover crops and mixtures of increasing species complexity, to quantify their biomass productivity and quality, and to quantify the impact of cover crops on …

Fertilizer Placement And Tillage Interaction In Corn And Soybean Production, A. T. Rosa, D. A. Ruiz Diaz

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Different tillage systems can affect the availability of phosphorus (P) by changing the soil environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects and interaction of fertilizer placement, tillage, and varieties for soybean and corn. The experiment was established at two locations in Kansas in 2014. The experimental design was a factorial in a randomized complete block with four replications. Three fertilizer treatments were combined with two tillage systems and two varieties of soybean and corn selected based on contrasting root systems. Plant tissue samples were collected during the vegetative and reproductive stages to evaluate P concentration, P …

Effects Of Increasing Crystalline Amino Acids In Sorghum- Or Corn-Based Diets On Finishing Pig Growth Performance And Carcass Composition, K. E. Jordan, R. D. Goodband, J. C. Woodworth, M. D. Tokach, S. S. Dritz, J. M. Derouchey

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A study was conducted to determine the impact of increasing crystalline amino acids in either sorghum- or corn-based diets on finishing pig growth and carcass composition. A total of 288 pigs (PIC 327×1050; initially 101.1 lb) were used in a 90-d study with 8 pigs per pen and 6 pens per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of grain source (sorghum vs. corn) and crystalline AA supplementation (low, medium, or high). Amino acids ratios to Lys as well as standardized ileal digestibility coefficients used were set by NRC (2012). All diets were formulated …

Corn Response To Foliar-Applied Zinc Fertilizers, A. Lamb, N. O. Nelson

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study was conducted to determine corn response to three foliar-applied zinc sources. The study was conducted on dryland corn in Manhattan, KS, during the 2014 growing season. Yields were low as a result of very low precipitation during pollination and grain fill. There was no yield response to foliar-applied Zn; however, grain analysis show significant increases in grain Zn concentration from foliar-applied Zn. Foliar-applied Zn products are effective for increasing Zn uptake in corn. Additional studies need to be conducted to determine the yield response.