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Full-Text Articles in Plant Sciences

Oregon Aspen Project, Forest Restoration Partnership Dec 2010

Oregon Aspen Project, Forest Restoration Partnership

Aspen Bibliography

The Oregon Aspen Project was initiated in response to the decline of aspen groves in Oregon and throughout the Western United States, and the lack of information to guide managers interested in stewardship to enhance this resource. There were three central goals and accompanying objectives for this project which are listed below. The project accomplishments are provided below each bulleted objective


Topsoil Quality Guidelines For Landscaping, Rich Koenig, Von Isaman Dec 2010

Topsoil Quality Guidelines For Landscaping, Rich Koenig, Von Isaman

Gardening

No abstract provided.


Topsoil Quality Guidelines For Landscaping, Rich Koenig, Von Isaman Dec 2010

Topsoil Quality Guidelines For Landscaping, Rich Koenig, Von Isaman

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.


Using Mulches In Utah Landscapes And Gardens, Rich Koenig, Kitt Farrell-Poe Phd, Bruce Miller Dec 2010

Using Mulches In Utah Landscapes And Gardens, Rich Koenig, Kitt Farrell-Poe Phd, Bruce Miller

All Current Publications

This publication discusses the use of mulches in Utah landscapes including benefits and application information.


Solutions To Soil Problems: I. High Salinity (Soluble Salts), Vernon Parent, Rich Koenig Dec 2010

Solutions To Soil Problems: I. High Salinity (Soluble Salts), Vernon Parent, Rich Koenig

All Current Publications

Salinity is a measure of the total amount of soluble salts in soil. As soluble salt levels increase, it becomes more difficult for plants to extract water from soil. Some plants are more resistant than other’s, but as the salt levels exceed their ability to extract water, they become water stressed.


Solutions To Soil Problems: V. Low Organic Matter, Kevin Heaton, Rich Koenig Dec 2010

Solutions To Soil Problems: V. Low Organic Matter, Kevin Heaton, Rich Koenig

All Current Publications

Utah soils are inherently low in organic matter due to the desert climate and historically low plant growth rates. In Utah, soil organic matter levels are typically 0.25 to 1%, while regions with high rainfall such as the Midwest and Eastern United States have soils with as much as 7 to 10% organic matter.


Solutions To Soil Problems: Ii. High Ph (Alkaline Soil), Loralie Cox, Rich Koenig Dec 2010

Solutions To Soil Problems: Ii. High Ph (Alkaline Soil), Loralie Cox, Rich Koenig

All Current Publications

PH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a material. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH value below 7 indicates the soil is acidic, while values above 7 are alkaline. Each unit change in the pH scale is a 10-fold difference in acidity or alkalinity. For example, soil with a pH of 8 is ten times more alkaline than soil with a pH of 7.


Solutions To Soil Problems: Iv. Soil Structure, Rich Koenig, Teresa Cerny Dec 2010

Solutions To Soil Problems: Iv. Soil Structure, Rich Koenig, Teresa Cerny

All Current Publications

Soil structure refers to the combination of primary soil particles – sand, silt and clay – into larger units called aggregates or clods. Aggregates are commonly seen when a soil is tilled or disturbed.


Utah Fertilizer Guide, D. W. James, K. F. Topper Dec 2010

Utah Fertilizer Guide, D. W. James, K. F. Topper

All Current Publications

The Utah Fertilizer Guide is designed to provide practical answers to routine questions related to soil fertility management. The guide emphasizes laboratory analysis of soil and plant samples as the keystone to optimum fertilizer rates for maximum economic plant yield and quality. The focus of the guide is on soil fertility problems peculiar to the semi-arid and arid soils of Utah.


The Landscape Similarity Toolbox: New Tools For Optimizing The Location Of Control Sites In Experimental Studies, Thomas E. Dilts, Jian Yang, Peter J. Weisberg Nov 2010

The Landscape Similarity Toolbox: New Tools For Optimizing The Location Of Control Sites In Experimental Studies, Thomas E. Dilts, Jian Yang, Peter J. Weisberg

Articles

Large‐scale manipulative experiments are critically important for linking ecological theory with land management at a relevant spatial scale. Statistically powerful inferential approaches such as the before‐after‐control‐impact design involve pairing a small number of treatment sites with control sites of analogous ecological structure and landscape context. Pairing treatment and control sites that are as analogous as possible is an important step to ensuring that differences are due to a treatment effect. The Landscape Similarity Toolbox provides tools for optimizing the location of potential control sites based upon the spatial characteristics of the treatment site.


Colorful Fruit And Foliage, Larry A. Sagers Nov 2010

Colorful Fruit And Foliage, Larry A. Sagers

Archived Gardening Publications

No abstract provided.


Creating Fall Color, Larry A. Sagers Nov 2010

Creating Fall Color, Larry A. Sagers

Archived Gardening Publications

No abstract provided.


Turfgrass Cultural Practices And Insect Pest Management, Diane Alston, Kelly Kopp Sep 2010

Turfgrass Cultural Practices And Insect Pest Management, Diane Alston, Kelly Kopp

All Current Publications

There are a number of insects that can cause aesthetic and economic loss to turfgrass in Utah – in home lawns as well as in athletic fields and on recreational lands. Good turfgrass cultural practices are the primary way to prevent insect infestation and turfgrass damage.


Cover Crops For Utah Gardens, Michael Johnson, Maggie Wolf, Rich Keonig Jun 2010

Cover Crops For Utah Gardens, Michael Johnson, Maggie Wolf, Rich Keonig

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.


Solutions To Soil Problems: Iii. Drainage, Michael Johnson, Rich Koenig Jun 2010

Solutions To Soil Problems: Iii. Drainage, Michael Johnson, Rich Koenig

All Current Publications

Drainage is a common problem throughout Utah. Complex patterns of soil development, transport and deposition have resulted in excessively drained soils that are coarse-textured (sandy or rocky), and poorly drained soils that are fine-textured (silt and clay-dominated). Excessively drained are more common in higher elevation and bench areas.


Guide To Stakeholder Groups For Great Basin Sagebrush Steppe Restoration, Scott Hoffmann, Mark W. Brunson, Summer Olsen May 2010

Guide To Stakeholder Groups For Great Basin Sagebrush Steppe Restoration, Scott Hoffmann, Mark W. Brunson, Summer Olsen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

As efforts are made to restore the health and functioning of sagebrush ecosystems within the Great Basin, various stakeholder interest groups have the potential to offer partnerships as well as adversarial involvement with land managers tasked with restoration. Given that greater than 60% of the Great Basin is publicly owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, it is critical for those working in restoration to understand the views held by key stakeholder groups that may enhance or impair such efforts (Brunson and Peterson 2007). Gaining knowledge about and familiarity with those interest groups active …


Planting Landscape Trees, Michael R. Kuhns, Margaret Shao May 2010

Planting Landscape Trees, Michael R. Kuhns, Margaret Shao

All Current Publications

Trees and shrubs are valuable additions to most property, providing beauty, wind protection, shade, wildlife habitat, visual screening, and other benefi ts. Unfortunately, many landscape trees are not properly planted or cared-for.


The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (Sagestep): A Test Of State-And-Transition Theory, James Mciver, Mark W. Brunson, Steve Bunting, Jeanne C. Chambers, Nora Devoe, Paul Doescher, James Grace, Dale Johnson, Steve Knick, Richard F. Miller, Mike Pellant, Fred Pierson, David Pyke, Kim Rollins, Bruce Roundy, Eugene W. Schupp, Robin Tausch, David Turner Apr 2010

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (Sagestep): A Test Of State-And-Transition Theory, James Mciver, Mark W. Brunson, Steve Bunting, Jeanne C. Chambers, Nora Devoe, Paul Doescher, James Grace, Dale Johnson, Steve Knick, Richard F. Miller, Mike Pellant, Fred Pierson, David Pyke, Kim Rollins, Bruce Roundy, Eugene W. Schupp, Robin Tausch, David Turner

Reports

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) is a comprehensive, integrated, long-term study that evaluates the ecological effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments designed to reduce fuel and to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities of the Great Basin and surrounding areas. SageSTEP has several features that make it ideal for testing hypotheses from state-and-transition theory: it is long-term, experimental, multisite, and multivariate, and treatments are applied across condition gradients, allowing for potential identification of biotic thresholds. The project will determine the conditions under which sagebrush steppe ecological communities recover on their own following fuel treatment versus the communities crossing …


Shrub Selection For Utah Landscapes, Taun Beddes, Jaydee Gunnell, Heidi Kratsch, Rick Hefelbower Apr 2010

Shrub Selection For Utah Landscapes, Taun Beddes, Jaydee Gunnell, Heidi Kratsch, Rick Hefelbower

CWEL Extension Fact Sheets

Urban and suburban landscapes present special challenges concerning shrub selection in Utah. Due to our distinctive climate, shrubs must be able to withstand intense sunlight, low relative humidity, drying winds, and limited seasonal precipitation. Additionally, landscapes may also have shady locations and areas of high moisture that create unique situations. This means that ideally before purchasing shrubs, a person should research suitable species adapted to the specific location where they will be planted. Even with the unique conditions that challenge shrub species, many still perform well and should be used more often in the landscape. They soften architectural structures, provide …


Temperature Management In High Tunnels, Brent Black, Dan Drost Apr 2010

Temperature Management In High Tunnels, Brent Black, Dan Drost

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Damage Agents And Condition Of Mature Aspen Stands In Montana And Northern Idaho, Brytten E. Steed, Holly S.J. Kearns Apr 2010

Damage Agents And Condition Of Mature Aspen Stands In Montana And Northern Idaho, Brytten E. Steed, Holly S.J. Kearns

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.


Influence Of Prescribed Fire On Ecosystem Biomass, Carbon, And Nitrogen In A Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Benjamin M. Rau, Robin Tausch, Alicia Reiner, Dale W. Johnson, Jeanne C. Chambers, Robert R. Blank, Annmarrie Lucchesi Mar 2010

Influence Of Prescribed Fire On Ecosystem Biomass, Carbon, And Nitrogen In A Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Benjamin M. Rau, Robin Tausch, Alicia Reiner, Dale W. Johnson, Jeanne C. Chambers, Robert R. Blank, Annmarrie Lucchesi

Articles

Increases in pinyon and juniper woodland cover associated with land-use history are suggested to provide offsets for carbon emissions in arid regions. However, the largest pools of carbon in arid landscapes are typically found in soils, and aboveground biomass cannot be considered long-term storage in fire-prone ecosystems. Also, the objectives of carbon storage may conflict with management for other ecosystem services and fuels reduction. Before appropriate decisions can be made it is necessary to understand the interactions between woodland expansion, management treatments, and carbon retention. We quantified effects of prescribed fire as a fuels reduction and ecosystem maintenance treatment on …


First Report Of Two Curtoviruses In Spinach And Common Beet In Arizona, Claudia Nischwitz Feb 2010

First Report Of Two Curtoviruses In Spinach And Common Beet In Arizona, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.


Sensitivity Of Wtp Estimates To Definition Of 'Yes': Reinterpreting Expressed Response Intensity, Mimako Kobayashi, Kimberly Rollins, M. D. R. Evans Feb 2010

Sensitivity Of Wtp Estimates To Definition Of 'Yes': Reinterpreting Expressed Response Intensity, Mimako Kobayashi, Kimberly Rollins, M. D. R. Evans

Articles

Willingness to pay (WTP) estimation typically involves some strategy for mapping nondichotomous contingent valuation (CV) responses onto a dichotomous yes/no dependent variable. We propose a new approach to selecting which responses qualify as ‘yes.’ We apply the proposed method to polychotomous CV data for preventative land management programs in the Great Basin. We also estimate WTP using other methods of response recoding found in the literature. By contrasting the results under different approaches, we demonstrate how and why WTP point estimates vary across recoding methods and discuss the comparative advantages of our more generalized recoding approach that is based on …


A Transition-Phase Teleconnection Of The Pacific Quasi-Decadal Oscillation, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. R. Gillies, L. E. Hipps, J. Jin Jan 2010

A Transition-Phase Teleconnection Of The Pacific Quasi-Decadal Oscillation, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. R. Gillies, L. E. Hipps, J. Jin

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The atmospheric circulation patterns associated with the Pacific quasi-decadal oscillation (QDO) are investigated using available observational data from 1948 to 2007. Previous studies indicate that the Pacific QDO is characterized by a distinct lifecycle in the form of sea surface temperature (SST) patterns. In the warm and cool phases of the Pacific QDO, the SST patterns resemble those associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During the warm–cool and cool–warm transitions of the Pacific QDO, recurrent SST patterns are also clearly visible. The rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis on the 10–15 year filtered data shows that the evolutions of SST …


Optimizing The Physical And Nutritional Environment Of Unleached Root-Zones, Curtis B. Adams Jan 2010

Optimizing The Physical And Nutritional Environment Of Unleached Root-Zones, Curtis B. Adams

Publications

Unleached root-zones represent an environmental ideal by eliminating wasteful leaching of nutrients and water. NASA grows plants in space in unleached root-zones, incorporating polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) into a ceramic media (Turface or Profile). However, lack of growth productivity in space has led to the need for research to improve the nutritional and physical environment of the root-zone, which is the objective of this research. PCF types are diverse in release characteristics and the effects of temperature and substrate water content have not been well characterized. In spite of widespread use, studies on chemical properties and applied studies to verify soil …


Propagation And Growth Of Chokecherry (Prunus Virginaiana) As An Alternative, Water-Wise, Fruit Crop For The Intermountain West, Jeremy R. Crook Jan 2010

Propagation And Growth Of Chokecherry (Prunus Virginaiana) As An Alternative, Water-Wise, Fruit Crop For The Intermountain West, Jeremy R. Crook

Browse All Undergraduate research

Utah fruit growers have shown interest in chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) as an alternative crop that has low requirements for water and soil fertility. Consumers want native fruits like chokecherry that are healthy and taste good. Currently, the limiting factor in developing a chokecherry industry in Utah is the ability to propagate large numbers of plants for orchard establishment. Chokecherries are difficult to propagate by traditional means because of their low rooting percentages. Plant numbers can be increased in tissue culture but methods are lacking for efficiently inducing roots and acclimating tissue culture plantlets. We are also working on other propagation …


Shadetree Insect Pest Management, Diane Alston Jan 2010

Shadetree Insect Pest Management, Diane Alston

Archived Gardening Publications

No abstract provided.


Advanced Master Gardeners Thanksgiving Point, Larry Sagers Jan 2010

Advanced Master Gardeners Thanksgiving Point, Larry Sagers

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.


Advanced Master Gardeners - Thanksgiving Point, Larry A. Sagers Jan 2010

Advanced Master Gardeners - Thanksgiving Point, Larry A. Sagers

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.