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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Impacts Of Cover Crop Mixtures On Productivity Of Cropping Systems, Brionna Lee West Dec 2018

Impacts Of Cover Crop Mixtures On Productivity Of Cropping Systems, Brionna Lee West

MSU Graduate Theses

A field study and a meta-analysis were conducted to compare the impact of cover crops on carbon and nitrogen dynamics and cash crop yield. The field study included six treatments: winter cereal rye, winter cereal rye-Austrian winter pea at two seeding rates, cereal rye-Austrian winter pea-radish at two seeding rates, and a no cover control. Meta-analysis data sets were compiled from studies published between 1994 and 2017. Treatments were grouped into the following classifications: monoculture, binary mix, polyculture, or control. In both the field study and meta-analysis, cover crops did not affect cash crop yield. However, plant biomass and plant …


Relative Contribution Of Physical Interference And Allelopathy To Weed Suppression By Winter Annual Cover Crop Mixtures, Alyssa D. Travlos Dec 2018

Relative Contribution Of Physical Interference And Allelopathy To Weed Suppression By Winter Annual Cover Crop Mixtures, Alyssa D. Travlos

MSU Graduate Theses

Cover cropping systems are widely used in crop production systems to prevent erosion, improve soil health, and suppress weeds. Common cover cropping systems include combinations of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), Brassica species, legumes, and other winter annual species. Three cover crop mixtures (cereal rye alone, cereal rye plus winter pea, and cereal rye plus winter pea plus radish) were applied using three methods (fresh residue, dried leached residue, and leachate) to common waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus var. rudis) and large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.]. The experiment was conducted once in a greenhouse and once in a …


Modeling The Response Of Black Walnut -Dominant Mixed Hardwoods To Seasonal Climate Effects With Uav-Based Hyperspectral Sensor And Aerial Photogrammetry, Tyler G. Bradford Dec 2018

Modeling The Response Of Black Walnut -Dominant Mixed Hardwoods To Seasonal Climate Effects With Uav-Based Hyperspectral Sensor And Aerial Photogrammetry, Tyler G. Bradford

MSU Graduate Theses

The development of compact sensors in recent years has inspired the use of UAS-based hyperspectral and aerial imaging techniques for small-scale remote sensing applications. With increasing concerns about climate change, spectrally-derived vegetation indices (VIs) have proven useful for quantifying stress-induced vegetation response. The goal of this study was to develop predictive models and assess methodology for modeling the biological response of a black walnut -dominant mixed hardwood stand to seasonal climate events using UAV-based hyperspectral remote-sensing. The derived VIs were evaluated against the means of four seasonal measures of climate calculated for a two-week period prior to the flight date. …


Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus: Epidemiological Patterns And Construction Of A Clone, Cory Von Keith Aug 2018

Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus: Epidemiological Patterns And Construction Of A Clone, Cory Von Keith

MSU Graduate Theses

Grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) is a recently discovered virus belonging to the Badnavirus genus. Characteristic to its name, the virus is associated with a disease where symptoms manifest as pronounced vein-clearing, resulting in severe berry deformation and vine decline in susceptible grape varieties. Sustainable production of wine is dependent on healthy plants. The associated disease is mainly found in Midwest vineyards. Attempts were made in this thesis to provide evidence of causality of the virus to the associated disease and to infer the historical path and migration pattern of GVCV. Conclusions and discussions will provide grape producers with the …


The Identification Of Interspecific Hybrids Between Jaeger 70 X Vignoles Grapes Using Ssr Markers, Carl William Knuckles Iv Aug 2018

The Identification Of Interspecific Hybrids Between Jaeger 70 X Vignoles Grapes Using Ssr Markers, Carl William Knuckles Iv

MSU Graduate Theses

Jaeger 70 cultivar is an interspecific hybrid of Vitis linececumii x Vitis rupestris, with an interesting past. It was created by Hermann Jaeger of Neosho, MO, who is most notable for saving the French wine industry by developing phylloxera resistant rootstocks in the mid-1800s. Traditionally the Jaeger 70 variety has been grafted to French wine grape cultivars to impart disease resistance and cold hardiness while retaining desirable wine characteristics. One interesting characteristic of Jaeger 70 is that it is a female-only plant, allowing for many interesting areas of study. Vitis interspecific hybrid Vignoles, is a cold hardy cultivar of largely …


Alternative Feeding Strategies For Growing Cattle Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue During The Summer, Kerri A. Johnson May 2018

Alternative Feeding Strategies For Growing Cattle Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue During The Summer, Kerri A. Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Two experiments were conducted to determine animal performance of alternative feeding strategies to heifers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue during summer months. In Experiment 1, 40 Limousin heifers (261± 40kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a spring harvested tall fescue silage diet or grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture with grain supplement having either natural or artificial shade for 80 days. In Experiment 2, 40 Limousin heifers (277 ± 44kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a traditional grain supplement or feather-meal supplement (rumen bypass arginine supplement) with natural or artificial shade while …