Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Remote Sensing To Detect The Movement Of Wheat Curl Mites Through The Spatial Spread Of Virus Symptoms, And Identification Of Thrips As Predators Of Wheat Curl Mites, Abby R. Stilwell

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella Keifer, transmits three viruses to winter wheat: wheat streak mosaic virus, High Plains virus, and Triticum mosaic virus. This virus complex causes yellowing of the foliage and stunting of plants. WCMs disperse by wind, and an increased understanding of mite movement and subsequent virus spread is necessary in determining the risk of serious virus infections in winter wheat. These risk parameters will help growers make better decisions regarding WCM management. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the capabilities of remote sensing to identify virus infected plants and to establish the potential …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2007 And Revised Estimates For 2006, Nathan Kemper, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the fourth in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution on the Arkansas economy. Utilizing data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis, USDA Economics Research Service, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, and Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc., the economic contribution of agriculture on the Arkansas economy was estimated for the most recent year available, 2007. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by State information for Arkansas was compared with those of other states in the southeast U.S. to give a measure of the relative importance of agriculture in Arkansas. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, …

Detection And Measurement Of Water Stress In Vegetation Using Visible Spectrum Reflectance, Arthur Zygielbaum

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

At any scale, from a single microbe to the planet that nurtures us, water defines our place in the universe. It provides the hydraulic forces needed to give plants structure, and the medium enabling photosynthesis, the basis for most life on Earth, to occur. Knowledge of plant water status is vital to understanding the state or condition of vegetation, information which is essential to disciplines as diverse as agriculture, geography, and climatology. Non-destructive and remote sensing of plant water status allows the gathering of such information across wide geographic extents and over long periods of time. Monitoring vegetation remotely requires …

A Multidimensional International Examination Of The Impact Of Gmos: A Biological, Economic, International Trade, Intellectual Property, And Geopolitical View, Kevin E. Soubly

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper includes working papers, UN official documents, corporate internal memos, scientific studies, international agreements, and interviews conducted with prominent persons or experts in the fields of biotechnology, the environment, trade, economics, sustainable development, intellectual property law, and international policy. Interviews were conducted in both English and French, and printed sources appeared in both languages as well.

The thesis of this paper strives to consider the various components of genetically modified organisms in their development, use, and ownership on a global scale, examining the biological and scientific backgrounds of them, the multi-national corporations who claim to own them, and the …

Crop Bioengineering: Enormous Potential For Catalyzing International Development, Peter Gregory, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] Bioengineering provides unique and dramatic opportunities for crop improvement. It can be used to develop crop varieties that would otherwise be unavailable and can facilitate much faster and more precise ways of developing improved varieties. It can help to increase yields and reliability and thus reduce food costs for the consumer while helping to control input costs for farmers through reduced applications of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer.

The extent to which this will be achieved depends on how effectively the global scientific community – including both the public and private sectors – can cooperate in harnessing the power of …

A Photovoice Participatory Evaluation Of A School Gardening Program Through The Eyes Of Fifth Graders, Catherine Sands, Krista Harper, Lee Ellen Reed, Maggie Shar

Anthropology Department Faculty Publication Series

In the springtime, fifth grade students at the Williamsburg Elementary School in rural Western Massachusetts ask to snack on sorrel and chives from the school garden, between planting potatoes and building a shade structure for their outdoor classroom. They are members of the first cohort of the curriculum-integrated program initiated by Fertile Ground, a grassroots organization in western Massachusetts. The children’s delight in the fresh greens they have grown marks a national phenomenon: the farm-to-school movement. With limited resources, parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community activists are developing inroads to better school food and food education, by constructing school teaching …

Atlas Of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench): Production In Eastern And Southern Africa, Charles S. Wortmann, Martha Mamo, Christopher Mburu, Elias Letayo, Girma Abebe, Kaizzi C. Kayuki, Medson Chisi, Munyaradzi Mativavarira, Soares Xerinda, Theophile Ndacyayisenga

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a major crop in many parts of Africa and is noted for its versatility and diversity. It is adapted over a wide range of precipitation and temperature levels and is produced at sea level to above 2000 m altitude. In eastern and southern Africa, it is primarily a crop of resource-poor, small-scale farmers and is typically produced under adverse conditions such as low input use and marginal lands. There are numerous biotic and abiotic constraints to production. The grain and stover are used in many different ways with localized preferences. Much information …

Vision Of Self-Sufficiency Comes Alive (On Less Than Two Acres!), Madeleine K. Charney

University Libraries Publication Series

A Montague, Massachusetts family relishes their traditional homesteading lifestyle.

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of The Lower Murchison River Area, Western Australia, P Hennig

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of the lower Murchison River area, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 2002 and 2003, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. This survey report presents …

Farmers And Nature Conservation: What Is Known About Attitudes, Context Factors And Actions Affecting Conservation?, Johan Ahnström, Jenny Höckert, Hanna L. Bergea, Charles A. Francis, Peter Skelton, Lars Hallgren

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Farmers’ attitudes towards viability of specific conservation practices or actions strongly impact their decisions on adoption and change. This review of ‘attitude’ information reveals a wide range of perceptions about what conservation means and what the impacts of adoption will mean in economic and environmental terms. Farmers operate in a tight financial situation, and in parts of the world they are highly dependent on government subsidies, and cannot afford to risk losing that support. Use of conservation practices is most effective when these are understood in the context of the individual farm, and decisions are rooted in land and resource …