Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hay Making Weather In Kentucky: How To Get Good Information, Matthew Dixon, Tom Priddy

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The UK Agricultural Weather Center, housed within the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, was developed in 1978. As part of the Cooperative Extension Service, the goal of the Ag Weather Center is to minimize weather and climate related surprise for Kentucky residents and their agricultural needs, ultimately for profitable and sustainable production. In doing so, numerous tools and models have been developed throughout the years to further help farmers and producers in management and production related decisions.

Foreword Of Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference [2017], S. Ray Smith, Krista Lea

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Effect Of Seed Position On Parental Plant On Proportion Of Seeds Produced With Nondeep And Intermediate Physiological Dormancy, Juan J. Lu, Dun Y. Tan, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin

Biology Faculty Publications

The position in which seeds develop on the parental plant can have an effect on dormancy-break and germination. We tested the hypothesis that the proportion of seeds with intermediate physiological dormancy (PD) produced in the proximal position on a raceme of Isatis violascens plants is higher than that produced in the distal position, and further that this difference is related to temperature during seed development. Plants were watered at 3-day intervals, and silicles and seeds from the proximal (early) and distal (late) positions of racemes on the same plants were collected separately and tested for germination. After 0 and 6 …

Ergot And Loline Alkaloid Concentrations In Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Tillers, Rebecca L. Mcculley

Forage Climate Change Experiment Research Data

Approximately 40 tall fescue tillers were randomly collected and frozen from each of the 20 treatment plots.

Tillers were cut at 7.6 cm above ground level and tested for the presence of the Epichloe endophyte using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Tillers from each plot were sorted into 'infected' vs 'uninfected' groups, lyophilized, and ground through a 1mm screen using a Cyclotec 1093 mill.

Ground material from the endophyte infected tillers was analyzed for ergot and loline alkaloids in the lab of Lowell Bush at the University of Kentucky, Plant and Soil Sciences Dept.

For details on alkaloid analyses see: McCulley …

Effects Of Litter On Seedling Emergence And Seed Persistence Of Three Common Species On The Loess Plateau In Northwestern China, Rui Zhang, Xiaowen Hu, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Yanrong Wang

Biology Faculty Publications

Litter accumulation resulting from land use change (enclosure) is one of the key variables influencing seedling recruitment and consequently the regeneration of plant populations and seed persistence in the soil seed bank. A better understanding of the effects of litter on seed germination and seedling emergence is crucial for developing a new set of indicators for grassland ecosystem health and for grassland management policy. We investigated the effects of seed position in litter and amount of litter covering the seed on seedling emergence and seed persistence of three common species on the Loess Plateau in northwestern China. Seed position beneath …

Seed Dormancy-Breaking In A Cold Desert Shrub In Relation To Sand Temperature And Moisture, Huiliang Liu, Buhailiqiemu Abudureheman, Lingwei Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Daoyuan Zhang

Biology Faculty Publications

Seasonal periodicity of seed germination and its relationship to seasonal changes in temperature and soil moisture have been well studied in seeds of species with physiological dormancy. However, relatively little information is available on the role of these environmental factors in controlling germination of seeds with physical dormancy (PY). Our primary aim was to determine if seeds of the cold desert sand dune semi-shrub Eremosparton songoricum exhibits seasonal periodicity of seed germination and the relationship between seed dormancy break and soil temperature and moisture. In the laboratory, seeds incubated on dry, wet, wet-dry and dry-wet sand were exposed to a …

Microbial Interactions In The Phyllosphere Increase Plant Performance Under Herbivore Biotic Stress, Muhammad Saleem, Nicole Meckes, Zahida H. Pervaiz, Milton B. Traw

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The phyllosphere supports a tremendous diversity of microbes and other organisms. However, little is known about the colonization and survival of pathogenic and beneficial bacteria alone or together in the phyllosphere across the whole plant life-cycle under herbivory, which hinders our ability to understand the role of phyllosphere bacteria on plant performance. We addressed these questions in experiments using four genetically and biogeographically diverse accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, three ecologically important bacterial strains (Pseudomonas syringae DC3000, Xanthomonas campestris, both pathogens, and Bacillus cereus, plant beneficial) under common garden conditions that included fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.). …

Moderator Biographies, Heart Of America Grazing Conference

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Grazing Panel, Jeff Beasley, Trevor Toland, Ted Krauskopf

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Cover Crops/Annuals And Grazing, Roger Staff

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The use of annual forages (cover crops), both summer and winter, have been utilized for several years. When cover crops first were used to extend the grazing season, it began with one to three species in a mixture. That was before the soil health benefits were being observed and discussed as they are now. There have been a wide variety of planting methods used: airplanes, helicopters, conventional and No-till drills. Some seeding methods is simply broadcast on the soils surface and lightly tilled in or just rained in depending upon the weather. Then we discovered the herbicides and amounts used …

Mitigating The Challenges Of Grazing Lush, Spring Forages, W. Travis Meteer

Kentucky Grazing Conference

During the winter season most cattle are supplemented with dry forages, grains, and co-products. This ration is balanced and delivered to cattle. Then spring comes along and cattle are put out to grass. While green grass solves a lot of problems associated with winter feeding (manure, pen maintenance, calf health, and labor demands), it can pose nutritional challenges. Lush, spring forage has three major challenges when it comes to meeting cattle nutrition requirements.

Seedhead Suppression In Tall Fescue With Chaparral Herbicide, E. S. Flynn, P. B. Burch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Tall Fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.)) is cool-season perennial grass found in pastures throughout the Eastern US, most commonly in the transition zone. It’s tolerance to extreme temperatures, drought, poor soil fertility, heavy grazing, and pests have made it a reliable forage base for livestock pastures. Released in 1943, ‘KY-31’ tall fescue was quickly adopted by cattle producers and now inhabits an estimated 40 million acres in the US.

Soon after its adoption, cattle producers began to notice a reduction in animal performance and signs that animals were heat stressed following tall fescue consumption. These symptoms were an indication of an …

Fescue Tolerance Testing, Monty Kerley

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Fescue toxicosis is characterized by clinical symptoms such as vasoconstriction, immunosuppression, and poor thermoregulation. Fescue toxins bind to membrane receptors of cells that control constriction of blood through capillaries responsible for heat dissipation. When cattle consume toxic tall fescue, they lose ability to move blood to their skin where heat can be lost to the environment. As they lose this ability they become more prone to heat stress. In the winter, this lack of blood flow leads to other clinical symptoms, such as fescue foot and loss of tail switch, that occur from restricted blood flow.

Research Update: Beef Cattle Management Considerations For Grazing Tall Fescue, Frank Ireland

Kentucky Grazing Conference

It has been reported that 8 million beef cattle graze an estimated 35 million acres of endophyte-infected tall fescue in the United States with the majority of tall fescue being produced in the Midwest and southeastern regions of the United States. In the presence of the endophytic fungus, ergot alkaloids are present that when consumed by beef cattle results in decreased animal performance as measured in reduced weight gains, lower body condition scores, decreased conception rates, rough hair coats and the inability to regulate body temperatures. It has been estimated that this loss in animal performance accounts for a $600 …

In Defense Of Soil Health, Allen R. Williams

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Soil health is a hot topic today in sustainable agriculture circles and is even becoming more popular in conventional agriculture. However, the term is often thrown around loosely, and sometimes the meaning gets muddled.

Foreword And Conference Information [2017], Matt Bunger

Kentucky Grazing Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Effects Of Biochar Treatment Of Municipal Biosolids And Horse Manure On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Rachel Williams, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Land-applied horse manure and municipal biosolids can increase nutrient and bacteria concentrations in runoff. Biochar has been demonstrated to have beneficial impacts on nutrient retention and runoff quality when used to treat other land-applied organic soil amendments (e.g., poultry manure). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar addition to horse manure and municipal biosolids on runoff concentrations of nutrients and fecal coliforms. Biochar was added at 5% to 8% (wet basis) to horse manure and biosolids that were applied to 2.4 m x 6.1 m fescue plots followed by application of simulated rainfall (102 mm …

Field Investigation Of An Active Landslide In Kentucky: A Framework To Correlate Electrical Data And Shear Strength, Matthew M. Crawford, L. Sebastian Bryson

Report of Investigations--KGS

Landslide hazard assessments are best accomplished by a multidisciplinary approach that connects geologic processes with geotechnical behavior. Tools to accomplish this in the field include geologic characterization, hydrologic monitoring, and geophysical surveys, and in the laboratory, soil-strength testing. Volumetric water content, soil-water potential (suction), local rainfall, and in situ electrical conductivity were measured at a shallow colluvial landslide in Kentucky. Surface electrical-resistivity surveys were also conducted to support interpretations of depth to failure, lithologic differences, and changes in moisture content over time. Correlations of hydrologic data with electrical measurements and shear strength indicate that observed changes in the degree of …

A Method For Reflectance Index Wavelength Selection From Moisture-Controlled Soil And Crop Residue Samples, Ali Hamidisepehr, Michael P. Sama, Aaron P. Turner, Ole O. Wendroth

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Reflectance indices are a method for reducing the dimensionality of spectral measurements used to quantify material properties. Choosing the optimal wavelengths for developing an index based on a given material and property of interest is made difficult by the large number of wavelengths typically available to choose from and the lack of homogeneity when remotely sensing agricultural materials. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using a low-cost method for sensing the moisture content of background materials in traditional crop remote sensing. Moisture-controlled soil and wheat stalk residue samples were measured at varying heights using a reflectance probe connected …

Soil Hydraulic Property Estimation Under Major Land-Uses In The Shawnee Hills, Trinity Joseph Baker

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The ability to map soil moisture is becoming more important with changing climates and modeling these effects depends on reliable estimations of hydrologic soil properties under different land managements. This study: 1) tests the application of existing soil hydraulic property estimation methods against in-situ values of six catenas under two covers (forest and grass); 2) validate Random Forest Algorithm (RF) estimates informed from the six catenas on two separate catenas; 3) identify Rapid Carbon Assessment (RaCA) sites within the Shawnee Hills Region that represent different land-uses (Crop, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Forest, and Pasture); 4) apply RF learning tree informed …

Evaluating Soil Physical And Chemical Properties Following Addition Of Non-Composted Spent Coffee And Tea For Athletic Fields, Shuang Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Physical and chemical properties of non-composted spent coffee (CF) and tea (T) suggest they may have applications as soil amendments for improving poor soils. Studies were conducted to determine 1) the effect of amendments on grass growth and soil properties, 2) the effect of incorporation versus surface application of amendments on soil properties, and 3) the effect of amendment application frequency on grass growth and soil properties. In the first study, amendments were mixed with sand and planted to bermudagrass. Treatments included CF, T, and peat moss (PM) mixed with sand, and 100% sand as a control. In the second …