Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Phosphorus Dynamics In Calcareous Soils Amended With Organic Matter, Logan Banner

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Phosphorus (P) is considered immobile in calcareous soils. Organic matter is known to enhance P mobility in these soils. Few studies have considered what role iron oxides might play in P sorption in calcareous soils, especially in the presence of soluble organic matter. This study investigated P sorption dynamics in sand-based, simulated soil systems in the absence or presence of 5 mM carbon (C) as humic acid (HA). Treatments included combinations of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), calcite, and ferrihydrite. Solutions containing 10 mg P L^-1 in a background of 0.01 M CaCl₂were equilibrated with each solid treatment …

Ecology And Management Of Dyer's Woad (Isatis Tinctoria) In Northern Utah, Erin Marie Hettinger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) is a non-native forb that continues to threaten natural areas throughout Northern Utah and much of the Intermountain West. Once introduced, dyer’s woad can become extremely invasive, decreasing forage quality, and displacing native species. While dyer’s woad is found throughout much of Northern Utah, its range in other states remains limited. If promptly managed, control success in these areas will be much higher and populations may be kept at bay before ecological damage becomes severe.

This project tested the ability of dyer’s woad seedlings to compete with common rangeland grasslands at varied densities as …

Reducing Inputs And Adding Value To Turfgrass Systems Through Clover Inclusion And Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Applications, Paige E. Boyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Recently, the US has seen an expansion in the amount of turfgrass land cover (lawns, parks, roadsides, sports fields, and golf courses), as well as an interest in reducing fertilizer, water, and pesticide use in these grass systems. To help maintain quality and function while reducing resource inputs, two promising approaches have emerged: planting clover into lawns and applying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

White clover and grass mixtures have been studied for their ability to cut down on fertilizer usage and provide a uniform, dark green lawn, but other clover types have not been as widely studied and may provide similar …

Daytime Versus Nighttime Sprinkler Irrigation Of Two Urban Crops In A Semi-Arid Climate At High-Elevation, Samikshya Pyakurel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nighttime irrigation scheduling is a longstanding water conservation approach to reduce evaporative losses in Utah's semi-arid, urban landscapes. However, residential demand now exceeds system capacity, and the efficiency of the practice has come under question. Therefore, the objectives of this study include: 1) quantify whether a water savings exists between day and night irrigation with a water balance and energy balance approach, and 2) analyze microclimate and crop quality effects to determine any changes to evaporative demand or plant stress by irrigation timing. In 2019, we established 12 field plots in North Logan, UT (41.77° N, -111.81° W, 1380 m …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Pah) Contamination In Urban Soils: Testing And Management, Melissa Chilinski, Paul Grossl, Melanie Stock

All Current Publications

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large class of chemicals and common environmental pollutants. Understanding which PAHs and soil test levels may impact human health is an important aspect of gardening and micro-farming, particularly in urban environments that are at increased risk of soil contamination. Land use histories, such as sites associated with vehicle and industrial emissions, burning, and dumping, can elevate concentrations of PAHs in soils. This fact sheet provides instructions on assessing your site for PAHs that may present health risks to humans, testing the soil, and first steps for interpretation and management.

Digital Atlas Of The Vascular Plants Of Utah, R. Douglas Ramsey, Leila M. Shultz, Wanda Lindquist, Chris Garrard, Mindy Wheeler

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Locations of 74,755 vascular plant vouchers representing 2,425 species were digitized into a spatial database from the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Utah (Albee et al. 1988). Source maps consisted of 1:6,000,000-scale shaded relief maps of Utah with points representing collection locations by species. Location points, representing 1 or more specimens, were transposed onto these maps from the approximately 400,000 herbarium records of 3 major universities and federal land management agencies.

Pariette Wetlands Water, Sediment And Plant Total Selenium Concentration, Colleen P. Jones, Paul R. Grossl, Astrid R. Jacobson

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We measured total Selenium in plants from July through November of 2012 and in water, macroinvertebrates, plants, and sediments from July of 2014 from Pariette Wetlands, Utah, U.S.A. to test for spatial, temporal, plant species and plant tissue distribution of Selenium.

Urban Soil Chemical And Nutrient Management Issues Facing Emerging Small Grower Enterprises In Utah, Frank E. Oliver

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Knowledge of both soil quality and contamination has become increasingly important with the growth of urban agriculture in Utah and the United States as whole. Land is also a common limiting factor in urban agriculture, so it is important to maximize yield and net returns. In order to meet these demands, three studies were conducted across key urban agriculture sites along the Wasatch Front: 1) an urban soil survey to assess soil contamination, 2) an urban soil survey to evaluate macronutrient and salinity levels, and 3) a nitrogen fertilizer management trial for dahlia (Dahlia pinnata), a cut flower …

Trace Element Contamination In Urban Soils: Testing And Management, Melissa Chilinski, Melanie Stock, Paul R. Grossl, Eli Oliver

All Current Publications

Trace elements, often referred to as heavy metals, naturally occur in the soil at low levels. Certain land use histories can elevate the concentrations of trace elements to levels that present health risks. Understanding which elements and soil test values may impact human or crop health is an important aspect of gardening and micro-farming, particularly in urban environments that are at increased risk of soil contamination. This fact sheet provides instructions on interpreting soil test results for trace elements through the Total Element Composition EPA 3050B Soil Test (#S19) at Utah State University Analytical Laboratory.

Art As An Educator, Kylie Hansen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

When looking at art, eyes are often drawn to the foreground of the canvas, which can leave out many details and not tell the whole story a painting has to offer. The process of analyzing and looking deeper into works of art would be common in a perfect world; its lessons can be universal. Everyone should study art because it increases skills that can be used for many things. Art can reframe views of the world as well as condition the mind to look past quick judgments. Art teaches one to slow down and analyze situations before acting and may …

Moderate Plant–Soil Feedbacks Have Small Effects On The Biodiversity–Productivity Relationship: A Field Experiment, Josephine Grenzer, Andrew Kulmatiski, Leslie Forero, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Jeanette Norton

Wildland Resources Student Research

Plant–soil feedback (PSF) has gained attention as a mechanism promoting plant growth and coexistence. However, most PSF research has measured monoculture growth in greenhouse conditions. Translating PSFs into effects on plant growth in field communities remains an important frontier for PSF research. Using a 4-year, factorial field experiment in Jena, Germany, we measured the growth of nine grassland species on soils conditioned by each of the target species (i.e., 72 PSFs). Plant community models were parameterized with or without these PSF effects, and model predictions were compared to plant biomass production in diversity–productivity experiments. Plants created soils that changed subsequent …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Showed Little Effect On First- And Second-Year Corn Yield And Quality Following Alfalfa, Bailey Brent Shaffer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silage corn (Zea mays L.) following alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a common crop rotation in Utah and southern Idaho. This is done, in part, to take advantage of residual nitrogen (N) fixed by bacteria that work in symbiosis with the roots of alfalfa. After alfalfa is terminated, much of the N that was fixed by the plant is released into the soil and becomes available for use by the rotational crop. This reduces the amount of N fertilizer that growers need to apply. The Utah Fertilizer Guide currently recommends an N credit to a rotational crop following …

In Silico Screeing Of Natural Compounds As Novel Drug Targets For Treatment Of Multiple Myeloma, Rousselene Larson

Student Research Symposium

In Silico Screening of Natural Compounds as Novel Drug Targets for The Treatment of Multiple MyelomaRousselene Larson1 2, Naveen Duhan1, and Rakesh Kaundal1 2 *1Department of Plants, Soils, and Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; 2Bioinformatics Facility, Center for Integrated BioSystems; Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322 USA* corresponding author (e-mail: rkaundal@usu.edu)Telephone: +1 (435) 797-4117Fax: +1 (435) 797-2766Abstract: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological malignancy cancer characterized by excessive clonal plasma cell proliferation in the bone marrow. In the United States, MM is the second most prevalent type of cancer that affects about 4 in 100,000 Americans. Toxicity …

Comparative Study Of The Microbiome Of The Native Plant Ceanothus Velutinus (Snowbrush) From Different Locations And Greenhouse Studies, Jyothsna Ganesh

Student Research Symposium

Climatic change is one of the biggest threats to the ecosystem and biodiversity by enhancing environmental stresses. Environmental stresses such as biotic and abiotic stresses affect plant health and reduce crop production. The rhizosphere microbiome of a plant plays a significant role in a plant's defense against various biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, we are investigating the microbiome diversity of bulk soil, rhizosphere, and endosphere of Ceanothus velutinus, snowbrush. Ceanothus is an evergreen native plant that is usually found in dry areas and thrives well in harsh conditions. The snowbrush samples were collected from different locations 1920m, 1950m, …

Day Versus Night Irrigation Loss From Sprinkler Irrigation Of Urban Crops, Samikshya Pyakurel

Student Research Symposium

Nighttime irrigation is a widespread strategy to conserve water, as it reduces wind drift and evaporation loss (WDEL). However, daytime sprinkler irrigation may also conserve water by lowering the temperature and increasing the humidity of crop microclimates, thereby reducing evapotranspiration (ET). Therefore, the objectives of this study include: 1) quantify whether a water savings exists between day and night irrigation with a water balance approach, 2) analyze the microclimate effects by irrigation timing to determine any changes to WDEL and evaporative demand, and 3) assess the quality and yield response of two urban crops. In 2019-21, we established 12 field …

Transgenic Expression Of Prunus Persica Salt Overly Sensitive 2 (Ppsos2) In Atsos2 Mutant Imparts Salt Tolerance In Arabidopsis, Vishal Singh

Student Research Symposium

Salinity is one of the major environmental stresses that affect crop growth and productivity. Almond crop has a great potential for Utah as a cash crop and salinity is one of the stresses affecting its growth and yield. Although almond trees are sensitive to salt stress, salinity-tolerant rootstocks can play a significant role in sustaining crop production in semiarid areas. Salinity tolerance has a complex mechanism with many genes acting in different pathways. Understanding the role of potential candidate genes is an important aspect of genomics assisted improvement of stress tolerance. In this study, functional complementation of the Prunus persica …

Genomic Prediction Of Salinity Stress Tolerance In Maize (Zea Mays L.), Vishal Singh

Student Research Symposium

Maize is the largest crop in the world in terms of production. Utah, maize is a potential fodder crop. With increasing climate change, soil salinity is also increasing worldwide. Soil salinity is very detrimental to plants' growth and development and crop production. For a fodder crop, plant biomass is an important trait, and maize biomass is adversely affected by salinity stress, especially at the seedling stage. A Selection of salt-tolerant breeding material is a time-consuming process and its complexity is further increased by significant heterogeneity in soil salinity under field based evaluation. Genomic prediction is an emerging tool that can …

Microbial Community Of The Rhizosphere Of Ceanothus Velutinus Improves The Plant's Growth And Development Under Greenhouse Conditions, Jyothsna Ganesh

Student Research Symposium

Climatic change-induced environmental stresses affect crop production. Drought is such a stress which affect crop production and landscaping adversely. Native plants are great for low water use landscaping and can adapt to the natural environment. USU Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping has released a list of native plants that can be used for this purpose. This study focuses on a native plant Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush) which is an evergreen plant native to western North America. It thrives well in harsh conditions and can act as ornamental plant in low water use landscaping but is difficult to propagate under landscape conditions. Here, …

Examining Urban Soil Quality And Contamination Along The Wasatch Front, Frank Oliver

Student Research Symposium

Urban soil contamination has become an increasingly prevalent concern within residential developments and the expansion of urban agriculture. The purpose of this study was to establish an urban soil survey along the Wasatch Front to examine the concentrations of common contaminants and general soil quality in urban farms and community gardens during 2020-2021. Areas of concern include 1) heavy metals: lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, 2) organic contaminants- petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic carbon, 3) pH, 4) soil salinity, and 5) elevated macronutrient levels. Measured contaminant concentrations will be compared to EPA regional screening levels (RSL) along …

Deepnec: A Novel Alignment-Free Tool For The Characterization Of Nitrification-Related Enzymes Using Deep Learning, A Step Towards Comprehensive Understanding Of The Nitrogen Cycle, Naveen Duhan

Student Research Symposium

Abstract: Nitrification is an important microbial two-step transformation in the global nitrogen cycle, as it is the only natural process that produces nitrate within a system. The functional annotation of nitrification-related enzymes has a broad range of applications in metagenomics, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, etc. The time and resources needed for determining the function of enzymes experimentally are restrictively costly. Therefore, an accurate genome-scale computational prediction of the nitrification-related enzymes has become much more important.In this study, we developed an alignment-free computational approach to determine the nitrification-related enzymes from the sequence itself. We propose deepNEC, a novel end-to-end feature selection and …

Pyseqrna: An Automated Python Package For Advanced Rna Sequencing Data Analysis And Annotation, Naveen Duhan

Student Research Symposium

Abstract: With the advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, numerous data is being generated every day, however, streamlined analysis remains a big hurdle to efficiently use the technology. A large number of algorithms, statistical methods, and software tools have been developed in recent years to perform the individual analysis steps of various NGS applications. Some NGS applications data analysis procedures are therefore very complex, requiring several program tools to be downloaded for their various processing steps. There is a significant room for the development of scalable computing environments that link the individual software components to automated workflows to efficiently and …

Translating -Omics Big Data: Comprehensive Understanding Of Host-Pathogen Interactions To Control Bacterial Blight In Alfalfa Using Computational Approaches, Raghav Kataria

Student Research Symposium

Plant infectious diseases are a major threat to the crops, owing to economic losses to the agriculture industry worldwide. Molecular interactions between the host and pathogen play a critical role in understanding the basis of pathogenesis. Majority of the Pseudomonas syringae strains are known to cause frost injury in plants, amongst which, P. syringae pv. syringae ALF3 is asserted to be a causal organism of bacterial stem blight in Medicago sativa (alfalfa). We elucidated the genome-scale host-pathogen interactions (HPIs) between alfalfa and P. syringae using two intense computational approaches: interolog (homology-based) and the domain-based method (based on 3D structure of …

Is Mitigation Of Drought Stress By Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Driven By A Nano-Specific Mechanism Or Mitigation Of Micronutrient Deficiency?, Justin Deakin

Student Research Symposium

It has been reported that zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) can promote drought tolerance in crops when used as soil amendments. However, many of these experiments were conducted in Zn-deficient growth media with no comparison to currently available Zn fertilization methods, making it unclear if the benefits from adding ZnO NPs were caused by a nano-specifc mechanism or simply by the mitigation of a micronutrient deficiency. A review of the literature shows that of 12 published experiments considering the effects of ZnO NPs on plant health, 5 out of 6 studies that did not include a comparison to currently available …

Nitrogen Use Efficiency And Soil Bioavailable Nitrogen In Corn Silage Production In A Semi-Arid Environment, Phearen Miller

Student Research Symposium

As agriculture intensifies, the world faces a dual challenge of increasing food production while reducing impacts of excess reactive nitrogen (N) in the environment. A field study examining different N sources in corn silage under semi-arid conditions was conducted at the Greenville farm in northern Utah (41°45’ N, 1111°48’52 W) since 2012. The experimental design is a randomized complete block design with four blocks and four treatments: control (no nitrogen), low ammonium sulfate (AS 112 kg N/ha), high ammonium sulfate (AS 224 kg N/ha), and steer manure compost (224 kg total N/ha). We examined yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and …

Boron In The Pariette Wetlands, Uinta Basin, Ut, Palak Vasudeva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Boron is a naturally occurring mineral in shale and coal beds formed in marine environments, as found in the Uinta Basin. Mining activity and the application of excess irrigation water on agricultural lands in the Pariette watershed lead to mobilization of B via surface run off. Water quality monitoring records from 2006- 2009 reported violations of Utah B standard for irrigation water 43-100% of the time, for water flowing through the Pariette Wetlands. This study aims to determine B distribution in abiotic (water, sediments) and biotic samples (macroinvertebrates, aquatic vegetation, fish, bird eggs), and to establish correlations between B concentrations …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Needs Of First-Year Small Grains Following Alfalfa, Collin Pound

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wheat, barley, triticale, and oats, are small grains commonly grown as hay and grain following alfalfa in Utah and the Intermountain West, especially during drought years as they require less irrigation than corn. Several studies in many parts of the world have shown that first-year corn following alfalfa rarely needs nitrogen (N) fertilizer, yet relatively few have evaluated the N needs of small grains, especially small grains grown for hay. Objectives of this research were to determine whether N fertilizer is needed to economically optimize the yield and quality of first-year small grains following alfalfa, develop N guidelines, and whether …

Effect Of Plant Derived Tannins On Nitrogen And Carbon Cycling In Pasture Soils, Kathryn A. Slebodnik

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pasture-finished beef has become increasingly popular, but nitrogen losses from these pastures are of concern. Legumes containing condensed tannins such as birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) may serve as environmentally and economically viable alternative forages in pasture finishing systems while reducing soil nitrogen loss. The goal of this project was to understand how tannin type and concentration affects soil nitrogen cycling both in the lab and the field. This thesis: 1) compared the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil samples obtained from grazed grass and tannin and non-tannin containing legume pastures, 2) …

Soil Health Assessment On Arid Rangeland Soils Impacted By Oil And Gas Exploration, Development, And Extraction, Justin Allred

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Oil and gas well pad reclamation in arid environments such as in the Uinta Basin of Utah, presents unique challenges, including remote locations, limited water, and elevated soil salinity and sodicity. Successfully reclaimed Plugged and Abandoned (P&A) well pads should resemble the surrounding rangeland once fully reclaimed. Revegetation of native species is the primary indicator of successful reclamation, but the lack of water makes it challenging to re-seed native plants, while trying to prevent the encroachment of invasive plant species such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), Salsola tragus (Russian thistle), and Halogeton glomeratus (halogeton). Could successful reclamation be reflective of good …

Empirical Models For Predicting Water And Heat Flow Properties Of Permafrost Soils, Michael T. O'Connor, M. Bayani Cardenas, Stephen B. Ferencz, Yue Wu, Bethany T. Neilson, Jingyi Chen, George W. Kling

Publications

Warming and thawing in the Arctic are promoting biogeochemical processing and hydrologic transport in carbon‐rich permafrost and soils that transfer carbon to surface waters or the atmosphere. Hydrologic and biogeochemical impacts of thawing are challenging to predict with sparse information on arctic soil hydraulic and thermal properties. We developed empirical and statistical models of soil properties for three main strata in the shallow, seasonally thawed soils above permafrost in a study area of ~7,500 km² in Alaska. The models show that soil vertical stratification and hydraulic properties are predictable based on vegetation cover and slope. We also show that …

A 100-M-Scale Modeling Study Of A Gale Event On The Lee Side Of A Long Narrow Mountain, Halie Xue, Jian Li, Tingting Qian, Hongping Gu

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

In this study, a gale event that occurred on the lee side of a long narrow mountain was investigated, together with the associated mountain flows, using a realistic-case large-eddy simulation (LES) that is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. The mountain is located on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, where approximately 58 gales occur annually, mostly in the afternoons during the winter season. Benefitting from realistic topography and high horizontal resolution as fine as 111 m, the LES can replicate features similar to the wind fields observed during the gale period. Investigation of the early morning wind structure over …