Life Sciences Commons^™

Trichoderma Indica: A New Species In The Longibrachiatum Clade From Western Ghats, India, Ajay Lagashetti, Sanjay Singh, Paras Nath Singh

Turkish Journal of Botany

Trichoderma is a hyperdiverse genus that comprises species showing a wide range of applications. In this study, we have found an isolate of the genus Trichoderma from a soil sample collected from Vetal Hill, Pune, Maharashtra State, India. The isolate was found to be morphologically distinct compared to other isolates of the Longibrachiatum clade showing longer phialides and shorter conidia. Moreover, a phylogenetic analysis based on combined sequence data of the second-largest nuclear RNA polymerase subunit (rpb2), and the translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α) confirmed the uniqueness of the present isolate, showing an independent branch supported by strong bootstrap values …

Nitrogen Transfer From Cover Crops To The Subsequent Grain Crop And The Influence Of Variability In Winter Conditions, Spencer Heuchan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cover crops, which are used to provide ground cover after the harvest of the grain crop, can potentially improve the sustainability of agroecosystems by reducing nutrient losses. However, few data are available to document the extent to which cover crops improve both the retention of soil nitrogen (N) and the transfer of this N to the grain crop. The efficiency of this N transfer may be further influenced by variation in winter soil temperature; for example, reduced snow cover can increase the frequency and intensity of soil freezing, which can affect the survival of cover crops and the timing of …

Temporal Changes In The Nutrient Content Of Cattle Dung In The Nebraska Sandhills Ecosystem, Amanda Shine, Martha Mamo, Gandura O. Abagandura, Walter Schacht, Jerry Volesky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dung excreted by cattle composes a significant portion of the nutrient inputs in a grazed ecosystem and can have wide-ranging effects on soil properties and vegetation. However, little research has been conducted on the nutrient dynamics of excreted dung in situ that has not been disturbed prior to field sampling. In this study, we analyzed 294 dung pats (1–24 days old) collected from a Nebraska Sandhills meadow to determine water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC), water-extractable nitrogen (WEN), water-extractable phosphorus (WEP), and percent dry matter (DM) changes over time. In addition, we investigated if sample handling - frozen storage – and the …

A Method For Visualizing Water Flow Through Modified Root Zones, Dallas M. Williams

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

As the number of impervious surfaces in urban environments increases, the ability of modified root zones to infiltrate water is becoming more important. Current methods of tracing water flow through soil profiles include excavating large pits in situ or analyzing soil cores in the laboratory with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. While useful, these methods may not be suitable for urban settings or practical in every laboratory. We propose a new method that is less invasive, does not require extensive technical equipment and can reliably trace water movement through the soil profile in order to calculate flow rate based …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2020, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Statistical And Machine Learning Methods Evaluated For Incorporating Soil And Weather Into Corn Nitrogen Recommendations, Curtis J. Ransom, Newell R. Kitchen, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard B. Ferguson, Fabian G. Fernandez, David W. Franzen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, D. Brenton Myers, Emerson D. Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendation tools could be improved for estimating corn (Zea mays L.) N needs by incorporating site-specific soil and weather information. However, an evaluation of analytical methods is needed to determine the success of incorporating this information. The objectives of this research were to evaluate statistical and machine learning (ML) algorithms for utilizing soil and weather information for improving corn N recommendation tools. Eight algorithms [stepwise, ridge regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso), elastic net regression, principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), decision tree, and random forest] were evaluated using a dataset …

Rethinking Invasion Impacts Across Multiple Field Sites Using European Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum Rossicum) As A Model Invader, Grant L. Thompson, Terrence H. Bell, Jenny Kao-Kniffin

Grant Thompson

Biological Soil Crusts In A Northeastern Pine Barren: Composition And Ecological Effects, Jessica Gilbert

Honors Theses

Biological soil crusts (BSCs), otherwise known as cryptogamic soil crusts, biocrusts, or cyanobacterial crusts, are soil aggregations hosting diverse biotic communities. They are composed of cyanobacteria and algae, and generally have a covering of moss and/or lichen. BSCs are typically found in arid to semi-arid regions throughout the world, and are integral soil stabilizers, moisture retainers, and nitrogen fixers in these communities. Along with these factors, BSCs are able to impact germination and establishment of plants, either as an accompanying influence, or direct result of those listed above. BSCs have yet to be formally described in the inland northeastern United …

Determination Of Soil Nutrient Status In Vuralia Turcica Populations Growing At Different Locations In The Central Anatolia Region Of Turkey, Di̇lek Tekdal, Burçi̇n Çingay, Mehmet Seli̇m Çeti̇ner

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study is an overview of the importance of soil nutrients for the maintenance of Vuralia turcica, which is an endemic in Turkey due to its natural habitats. Electrical conductivity, pH, and mineral element content (macroelements: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium, and microelements: boron, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc) were analyzed in 21 soil samples taken at 30?60 m depth at 21 points from 8 different locations where V. turcica was growing to determine nutrient content, which is important for soil fertility and controls the crop yield. According to pH analysis, all samples were strongly …

Tetracycline And Sulfonamide Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Soils From Nebraska Organic Farming Operations, Marylynn Cadena, Lisa M. Durso, Daniel N. Miller, Heidi M. Waldrip, B. L. Castleberry, Rhae A. Drijber, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is widespread agreement that agricultural antibiotic resistance should be reduced, however, it is unclear from the available literature what an appropriate target for reduction would be. Organic farms provide a unique opportunity to disentangle questions of agricultural antibiotic drug use from questions of antibiotic resistance in the soil. In this study, soil was collected from 12 certified organic farms in Nebraska, evaluated for the presence of tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes (n = 15 targets), and correlated to soil physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were found in soils from all 12 …

Isolation And Analysis Of Microbial Communities In Soil, Rhizosphere, And Roots In Perennial Grass Experiments, Morgan R. Mcpherson, Peng Wang, Robert B. Mitchell, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant and soil microbiome studies are becoming increasingly important for understanding the roles microorganisms play in agricultural productivity. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide detail on how to rapidly sample soil, rhizosphere, and endosphere of replicated field trials and analyze changes that may occur in the microbial communities due to sample type, treatment, and plant genotype. The experiment used to demonstrate these methods consists of replicated field plots containing two, pure, warm-season grasses (Panicum virgatum and Andropogon gerardii) and a low-diversity grass mixture (A. gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Bouteloua curtipendula). Briefly, plants …

Maize Genomes To Fields: 2014 And 2015 Field Season Genotype, Phenotype, Environment, And Inbred Ear Image Datasets, Naser Alkhalifah, Darwin A. Campbell, Celeste M. Falcon, Jack M. Gardiner, Nathan D. Miller, Maria Cinta Romay, Ramona Walls, Renee Walton, Cheng-Ting Yeh, Martin Bohn, Jessica Bubert, Edward S. Buckler, Ignacio Ciampitti, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Michael A. Gore, Christopher Graham, Candice Hirsch, James B. Holland, David Hooker, Shawn Kaeppler, Joseph Knoll, Nick Lauter, Elizabeth C. Lee, Aaron Lorenz, Jonathan P. Lynch, Stephen P. Moose, Seth C. Murray, Rebecca Nelson, Torbert Rocheford, Oscar Rodriguez, James C. Schnable, Brian Scully, Margaret Smith, Nathan Springer, Peter Thomison, Mitchell Tuinstra, Randall J. Wisser, Wenwei Xu, David Ertl, Patrick S. Schnable, Natalia De Leon, Edgar P. Spalding, Jode Edwards, Carolyn J. Lawrence-Dill

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Crop improvement relies on analysis of phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental data. Given large, well-integrated, multi-year datasets, diverse queries can be made: Which lines perform best in hot, dry environments? Which alleles of specific genes are required for optimal performance in each environment? Such datasets also can be leveraged to predict cultivar performance, even in uncharacterized environments. The maize Genomes to Fields (G2F) Initiative is a multi-institutional organization of scientists working to generate and analyze such datasets from existing, publicly available inbred lines and hybrids. G2F’s genotype by environment project has released 2014 and 2015 datasets to the public, with …

Assessing Explanatory Factors For Variation In On-Farm Irrigation In Us Maize-Soybean Systems, Katherine E.B. Gibson, Haishun S. Yang, Trenton E. Franz, Dean E. Eisenhauer, John B. Gates, Paolo Nasta, Bhupinder S. Farmaha, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Irrigation exhibits large variation across producer fields, even within same region and year. A knowledge gap exists relative to factors that explain this variation, in part due to lack of availability of high-quality irrigation data from multiple field-years. This study assessed sources of variation in irrigation using a large database collected during 9 years (2005–2013) from ca. 1400 maize and soybean producer fields in Nebraska, central USA (total of 12,750 field-year observations). The study area is representative of ca. 4.5 million ha of irrigated land sown with maize and soybean. Influence of biophysical (weather, soil, and crop type) and behavioral …

Effects Of Habitat Restoration On Soil Retention On Santa Rosa Island, Michael Perez, Kathryn Mceachern, Ken Niessen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Ranching began on Santa Rosa Island in the 1840’s, consequently introducing nonnative megafauna that put novel selective grazing pressures on endemic plant species. Their movement patterns also altered substrate integrity as the land became denuded of any stabilizing vegetation. Dense groves of island oak (Q. tomentella) are known to aid in sediment deposition and retention. The groves also function to collect water during periods of intense fog common to the island. This experiment sought to determine whether sediment is being lost or deposited on a ridge in the middle of the island containing a grove of Q. tomentella …

Evaluation Of Concrete Grinding Residue (Cgr) Slurry Application On Vegetation And Soil Responses Along Nebraska State Highway 31, Martha Mamo, Dennis L. Mccallister, Walter H. Schacht

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Inter- And Intra-Specific Interactions In Germination And Seedling Establishment Of Cheatgrass And Russian Wildrye, Erin K. Espeland

The Prairie Naturalist

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive species in the arid and semi-arid west of the USA, and is weedy in disturbed prairie landscapes. Perennial Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea) limits population growth of cheatgrass, but the mechanism is unclear. I conducted glasshouse and greenhouse experiments to test if intra- and interspecific competitive interactions of seeds and seedlings of cheatgrass and Russian wildrye were different across a geographic soil gradient with different cultivation legacies in eastern Montana, USA. Seed-seed interactions occurred in both species. Cheatgrass and Russian wildrye inhibited one another’s emergence in one edaphic condition in one experiment. Cheatgrass growth was …

Association Of Soil Conditions And Grass Species With Variable Cover Of Leafy Spurge, Terence P. Mcgonigle, Jeremy L. Timmer

The Prairie Naturalist

Variation in soil conditions and grass cover was assessed across a range of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) cover values on a sandy rangeland in Manitoba, Canada. Soil conditions varied by site but not in relation to cover of leafy spurge. We observed a significant negative relationship between total grass cover and increasing cover of leafy spurge. Only porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea [Trin.] Barkworth) had a negative relationship with leafy spurge, falling from high cover at low weed occurrence to only trace levels at the highest leafy spurge abundance. Neither prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha [Ledeb.] Schult.), rough …

Structure And Productivity Of Haloxylon Ammodendron Communities In The Mongolian Gobi, Tamara I. Kazantseva, Nikolay N. Slemnev, Pjotr D. Gunin, Sh. Tsooj

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Communities of Haloxylon ammodendron are widespread in the Mongolian Gobi where they play a significant role in biodiversity preservation. They occupy several main types of habitats, showing differences in density, projective cover, and productivity. Haloxylon ammodendron plays a similar, if not even more important role in the arid zone of Mongolia as the principal forest-making trees in the Northern part of the country. The complex set of quantitative parameters of Haloxylon ammodendron stands studied here in respect to temporal dynamics can serve as an indicator of both the vitality of desert ecosystems, and of environmental change.

Fragaria Species Grown In A Greenhouse Cropping System Chemigated By Phosfite® And Bacillus® In Subsidence Of Phytophthora Fragariae And Verticillium Dahliae, Russell L. Morgan

Earth and Soil Sciences

Strawberry yields depend directly on infestation of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae in correspondance to the use of Phosfite and Bacillus. The objective is to find understanding of newly administered techniques in prevention of Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae and prohibiting the use of Methyl Bromide. Application of Phosfite and Bacillus on patented Fragariae species to identify utilization of P and ZN forms and their aid in prevention of Phytophthora and Verticillium species. In the Plots on the western bench the developmental symptoms of PRR disease were absent within all infested soil containers containing the FHS-1 crop. In the plots …

Variations In Stomatal Traits Of 14 Bornean Tree Species Growing On Soils With Different Moisture Contents In Lambir Hills National Park, Whitney Logan Cannon

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The goal of this study was to look at variations in stomatal traits of tree species on soils with different moisture contents and fertility at Lambir Hills National Park. Stomates are important structures on the surface of leaves that mediate conduction of moisture and gassesin and out of the leaf. If stomatalt raits are important for regulation, then there should be variation in stomatal traits in regards to their soil specialization. The 14 Borneant ree speciess ampledi ncluded6 sandyl oam specialists6, clay specialistsa nd 2 generalistsfo und growing with equald istributionso n both sandyl oam and clay. Confocal microscopy was …

Nutrient Contents Of Pinus Brutia Ten. (Pinaceae) And Pistacia Terebinthus L. (Anacardiaceae) Growing On Marl And Conglomerate Substrata In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hüsni̇ye Aka Sağliker, Cengi̇z Darici

Turkish Journal of Botany

The eastern Mediterranean region is one of the main areas of the Mediterranean vegetation containing Calabrian cluster pine (Pinus brutia Ten., Pinaceae) forests and terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus L., Anacardiaceae) communities. This study was carried out with the leaves, shoots, leaf litters, and soils of Calabrian cluster pine and terebinth growing on both marl and conglomerate substrata in the eastern Mediterranean region (Turkey) to determine average C, N, P and K contents, and the amounts of humic and fulvic acid in these plant soils. The average element contents of leaf, shoot, leaf litter and soil samples of both plants from the …

Isolation And Identification Of Soilborne Fungi In Fields Irrigated By Gap In Harran Plain Using Two Isolation Methods, Ayşe Di̇lek Azaz

Turkish Journal of Botany

The microfungal flora of field soils irrigated by the South-eastern Anatolia Project (GAP: Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi) in Harran Plain were investigated in terms of quality and quantity, using the soil dilution plate and soil washing methods. A total of 1690 microfungi were isolated from 105 soil samples. With the identification of these isolates, 109 species plus 16 different sterile fungi were identified. Sixty-two of these taxa were isolated through the soil dilution plate method, seven through the soil washing method, and 40 through both methods. The results indicate that ten of these species belong to Mucorales, four to Sphaeriales, one …

Comparison Of Soil Fungi Flora In Burnt And Unburnt Forest Soils In The Vicinity Of Kargıcak (Alanya, Turkey), Ayşe Di̇lek Azaz, Osman Pekel

Turkish Journal of Botany

Out of the 50 soil samples taken from burnt forest land in the vicinity of the village of Kargıcak in Alanya and from the adjacent normal forest soils by the Soil Dilution Plate Method 84 different species and 12 sterile microfungi taxa were obtained. Seventy-eight of them belong to Hyphomycetes, five to Mucorales and one to Coelomycetes. The richest taxa were Penicillium (34 species), Aspergillus (16 species) and Cladosporium (5 species). As a result of quantitative analysis, it was determined that there was average of 43,780 propagules of microfungi in a bulk of fresh burnt forest soil equivalent to 1 …

An Autecological Study On The Vitex Agnus-Castus L. (Verbenaceae)Distributed In West Anatolia, Yunus Doğan, Hasan Hüseyin Mert

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study covers the investigation of the soil-plant relations of Vitex agnus-castus L. (Verbenaceae), a typical element of Mediteranean macchia vegetation. Soils collected from 38 different localitis in West Anatolia were analysed together with the V. agnus-castus plants from the same localities. This plant was observed to generally prefer loamy-textured, neutral and slightly alka-line soils, poor in calcium carbonate, containing varying amounts of organic matter, being rich or very rich in nitrogen, rich in phos-phorus and deficient in potassium. They grow on nonsaline soils. The relations between the results of soil and plant analysis were tested statistically, and correlation coefficient …

'Living Soil' Seminar, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

Provides an opportunity for farmers and those involved in the agricultural service industry, to focus on what happens in the soil. Seminar reflects the interest detected amongst farmers in knowing more about the things that influence plant growth and a genuine concern about the environment.