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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Impact Of Cover Crop Species Diversity On Soil Nutrient Availability And Crop Productivity, Amanda Kramer May 2023

Impact Of Cover Crop Species Diversity On Soil Nutrient Availability And Crop Productivity, Amanda Kramer

Masters Theses

Cover crops provide multiple environmental benefits that improve both soil and water quality; however, farmers only utilize them on approximately 5% of harvested U.S. cropland. Low adoption rates are attributed to yield impact concerns, seed and planting costs, and lack of advocacy. This study, which began in October 2019, assessed the effects of nitrogen rate and cover crop diversity on weed biomass, soil coverage, in-situ residue decomposition, soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability, and cash crop yield to better understand the costs and benefits of cover crop adoption at two locations in Tennessee (Milan and Spring Hill). Treatments were replicated 4 …


Regional Dynamic Price Relationships Of Distillers Dried Grains In U.S. Feed Markets, Matthew Fulton Johnson Aug 2016

Regional Dynamic Price Relationships Of Distillers Dried Grains In U.S. Feed Markets, Matthew Fulton Johnson

Masters Theses

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is now a mainstream substitute in U.S. animal feed rations. DDGS is rich in fat and protein content and serves as a competitive feed source in livestock markets. The objective of this study is to identify dynamic price relationships among DDGS, corn, soybean meal, and livestock outputs in context of specific livestock sectors and their geographic location. Four locations associated with a predominant livestock sector are selected for analysis by measuring density and relative proportion of a livestock sector’s grain consumption at the county level. A vector error correction model is applied to post-mandate …


Impacts Of Biofumigation And Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation On Strawberry Production, Jennifer Renee’ Wheeler May 2016

Impacts Of Biofumigation And Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation On Strawberry Production, Jennifer Renee’ Wheeler

Masters Theses

Due to the phase-out of methyl bromide, there is a need for alternative, nonchemical fumigation treatments in strawberry production. Anaerobic soil disinfestation and biofumigation are two non-chemical methods for controlling soilborne plant pathogens of strawberry. This study was designed to observe strawberry fruit nutrition and soil volatiles of a strawberry field being treated with biofumigation treatments, anaerobic soil disinfestation treatments, and a combination of the two alternative methods. A trial was conducted with 11 pre-plant soil-incorporated treatments arranged in a randomized complete block design with 6 rows (blocks). Biofumigation treatments consisted of deactivated mustard meal, deoiled mustard meal, mustard pellets, …


Opportunities In Sustainability: Maize Seeders For The Developing World And Alternative Fertilizers In The United States, Rebecca Mattingly Harman May 2016

Opportunities In Sustainability: Maize Seeders For The Developing World And Alternative Fertilizers In The United States, Rebecca Mattingly Harman

Masters Theses

Sustainable agricultural systems are needed for both large and small-scale farmers the world over. Central to the sustainability of these systems is the availability of cheap and effective seeders for smallholder farmers and effective utilization of less energy intensive nitrogen sources. In the first two chapters, this thesis considers maize seeders for smallholder use in a Conservation Agriculture system. To sustain the smallholder sector, soil fertility and soil erosion must be addressed and a Conservation Agriculture model seeks to improve soil conditions in agriculture. The technologies available to smallholder farmers, though, need to be tested in a no-till system before …


Long-Term Impacts Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Carbon Storage, Stability, And Utilization Under Cotton Production In West Tennessee, Candace Brooke Wilson Dec 2015

Long-Term Impacts Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Carbon Storage, Stability, And Utilization Under Cotton Production In West Tennessee, Candace Brooke Wilson

Masters Theses

Biogeochemical cycling of soil carbon (C) is heavily influenced by conservation agricultural (CA) practices. This study examined SOC stability under three CA practices: reduced nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate, cover cropping, and zero-tillage implemented for 31 years. Respiration rates measured from a 602-day incubation period were fitted to a double-pool first order exponential model of SOC decomposition. The active [respired] SOC pool showed distinct differences between applications of reduced (34N kg ha-1 [-1]) and high fertilization rates (101N kg ha-1) combined with tillage, and suggest that high fertilizer applications with conventional tillage allocated more C into a …


Hydrogeology Of The Little River Animal Agriculture Environmental Research Unit And Impacts Of Dairy Operations On Groundwater, Robert Wesley Hunter Dec 2013

Hydrogeology Of The Little River Animal Agriculture Environmental Research Unit And Impacts Of Dairy Operations On Groundwater, Robert Wesley Hunter

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the development of an integrated hydrogeologic/hydrologic site assessment and groundwater/surface water quality monitoring program at the University of Tennessee – Little River Dairy Farm, located near Townsend, TN. Hydrologic/hydrogeologic investigations of streams and groundwater at the site have been underway for more than 5 years, and these are expected to provide background data for assessing impacts of dairy wastes. The lower half of the ~180 ha site consists of low-relief fields used for row crops, which are underlain by 4 – 9 m of alluvial deposits on top of black shale or limestone that include sinkhole features. …


Sp740-A Good Agricultural Practices Series: Testing Water For Fruit And Vegetable Production, Susannah Amundson, Grant Mccarty, Faith Critzer, Annette Wszelaki Jul 2012

Sp740-A Good Agricultural Practices Series: Testing Water For Fruit And Vegetable Production, Susannah Amundson, Grant Mccarty, Faith Critzer, Annette Wszelaki

Commercial Horticulture

No abstract provided.


Sp740-A Good Agricultural Practices Series: Testing Water For Fruit And Vegetable Production, Susannah Amundson, Grant Mccarty, Faith Critzer, Annette Wszelaki Jul 2012

Sp740-A Good Agricultural Practices Series: Testing Water For Fruit And Vegetable Production, Susannah Amundson, Grant Mccarty, Faith Critzer, Annette Wszelaki

Commercial Horticulture

No abstract provided.