Agricultural Science Commons^™

Pb1789 Weed Control Manual For Turf Managers In Tennessee, James T. Brosnan, Greg Breeden, Tom Samples

Commercial Horticulture

A manual to assist turf managers with developing effective weed management programs, including herbicide recommendations.

Version 6.0

Intsormil Information, Daily Nebraskan

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative Research Support Program (INTSORMIL) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently received at $1.1 million grant to work with Central American countries to increase sorghum foliage.

Upland Contribution Of Sediment And Runoff During Extreme Drought: A Study Of The 1947–1956 Drought In The Blackland Prairie, Texas, P.M. Allen, R.D. Harmel, J.A. Dunbar, J. G. Arnold

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The 1950s drought severely impacted a 1.1 million km² area in the central US. This drought, along with the famous 1930s drought, was among the most severe of the 20th century for large areas and is the drought of record for water supply planning in Texas. At the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds during the drought, average annual rainfall was reduced 27%, which produced 75% less runoff and 35% less sediment yield. Rainfall intensity during the drought was, however, typically greater than for the non-drought period. Based on long-term data from the Riesel Watersheds, the mean, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentile …

Evapotranspiration Information Reporting: I. Factors Governing Measurement Accuracy, Richard G. Allen, Luis S. Pereira, Terry A. Howell, Marvin E. Jensen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

More and more evapotranspiration models, evapotranspiration crop coefficients and associated measurements of evapotranspiration (ET) are being reported in the literature and used to develop, calibrate and test important ET process models. ET data are derived from a range of measurement systems including lysimeters, eddy covariance, Bowen ratio, water balance (gravimetric, neutron meter, other soil water sensing), sap flow, scintillometry and even satellite-based remote sensing and direct modeling. All of these measurement techniques require substantial experimental care and are prone to substantial biases in reported results. Reporting of data containing measurement biases causes substantial confusion and impedance to the advancement of …

Conventional And Glyphosate-Resistant Maize Yields Across Plant Densities In Single- And Twin-Row Configurations, Kipling S. Balkcom, Jason L. Satterwhite, Francisco J. Arriaga, Andrew J. Price, Edzard Van Santen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Maize (Zea mays L.) produced in narrow rows can increase yields and accelerate canopy closure. Costly equipment modifications make narrow rows impractical, but a twin-row configuration may boost production with fewer equipment modifications. Four field experiments were conducted to measure weed biomass, leaf area index (LAI), and yield for a conventional (CN) and a glyphosate-resistant (GR) hybrid across three plant densities (low 4.0–4.4 plants m⁻²; medium 5.9–6.4 plants m⁻²; and high 7.9–8.4 plants m⁻²) and two row configurations (single vs. twin) in a conservation tillage system during the 2005 growing season. The experimental design …

Comparative Cryopreservation Of Avian Spermatozoa: Benefits Of Non-Permeating Osmoprotectants And Atp On Turkey And Crane Sperm Cryosurvival, Juan M. Blanco, Julie A. Long, George Gee, David E. Wildt, Ann M. Donoghue

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A comparative approach was used to evaluate the cryosurvival of turkey and crane sperm frozen in a dimethylacetamide (DMA) cryodiluent supplemented with osmoprotectants and ATP. A range (6–26%) of DMA concentrations was used alone or in combination with ATP (30, 60 or 118mM) or one of the following osmoprotectants: (1) sucrose (turkey, 8.0%; crane, 5.0%); (2) 5.0% sucrose and 5.0% trehalose; or (3) betaine hydrochloride (0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mM). The viability of thawed sperm was assessed using the nigrosin–eosin stain and sperm motility was determined using the hanging-drop technique. For semen frozen only with DMA, post-thaw sperm motility was …

26th Hohenheim Consensus Conference, September 11, 2010 Scientific Substantiation Of Health Claims: Evidence-Based Nutrition, Hans Konrad Biesalski, Peter J. Aggett, Robert Anton, Paul S. Bernstein, Jeffrey Blumberg, Robert P. Heaney, Jeya Henry, John M. Nolan, David P. Richardson, Ben Van Ommen, Renger F. Witkamp, Ger T. Rijkers, Iris Zöllner

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Objective: The objective was to define the term evidence based nutrition on the basis of expert discussions and scientific evidence.

Methods and procedures: The method used is the established Hohenheim Consensus Conference. The term “Hohenheim Consensus Conference” defines conferences dealing with nutrition-related topics. The major aim of the conference is to review the state of the art of a given topic with experts from different areas (basic science, clinicians, epidemiologists, etc.). Based on eight to 12 questions, the experts discuss short answers and try to come to a consensus. A scientifically based text is formulated that justifies the …

Response Of Tribolium Castaneum And Tribolium Confusum Adults To Vertical Black Shapes And Its Potential To Improve Trap Capture, Altair A. Semeao, James F. Campbell, R. Jeff Whitworth, Phillip E. Sloderbeck

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum can be monitored in food processing facilities using traps baited with pheromones and kairomones, but beetle response to traps might be enhanced by adding visual cues. Against a white background, T. castaneum adults were more likely to visit black pillars than white pillars when presented with a choice (e.g., 73% of beetles visited black and 17% visiting white pillar), and visits to black pillars increased with pillar height. When tested against a black background, beetles did not show a significant preference for either color pillar regardless of height. When comparing beetle’s captures in pheromone/kairomone baited …

Carbon Exchange By Establishing Biofuel Crops In Central Illinois, Marcelo Zeri, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, George Hickman, Michael Masters, Evan Delucia, Carl J. Bernacchi

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Perennial grass bio-fuels may contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in soils, thereby providing a broad range of environmental benefits. To quantify those benefits, the carbon balance was investigated over three perennial grass bio-fuel crops – miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus), switch-grass (Panicum virgatum) and a mixture of native prairie plants – and a row crop control (maize–maize–soy) in Central Illinois, USA, during the establishment phase of the perennial grasses (2008–2011). The eddy covariance technique was used to calculate fluxes of carbon dioxide and energy balance components, such as latent and sensible heat fluxes. Whereas maize attained the highest maximal …

Effect Of Maternal Restraint Stress During Gestation On Temporal Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroendocrine And Immune Responses Of Progeny, C.T. Collier, P.N. Williams, J.A. Carroll, T.H. Welsh Jr, J.C. Laurenz

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The impact of gestational dam restraint stress on progeny immune and neuroendocrine temporal hormone responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was assessed. Maternal stress (5-min snout snare restraint stress during days 84 to 112 of gestation) increased (P < 0.05) the magnitude of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6, epinephrine (E), norepinephrine, and serum amyloid A (SAA) production following LPS infusion in the offspring. Moreover, these effects appear to be dependent on gender for TNF-α, E, and cortisol production. However, maternal stress did not affect (P < 0.05) the normalization of proinflammatory cytokines or neuroendocrine hormones produced following LPS. Collectively, these results indicate that maternal stress impacts aspects of the proinflammatory cytokine and stress hormone response in their progeny following LPS dosing of the offspring. This response is potentially responsible in part for the resultant changes to SAA production. Because several of the changes observed here are dependent on pig gender, these results are also the first evidence that inherent epigenetic factors coupled with maternal stress impact the cumulative response to stress and LPS in young pigs.

Carbon Dioxide Fluxes In Corn–Soybean Rotation In The Midwestern U.S.: Inter- And Intra-Annual Variations, And Biophysical Controls, Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez, Jerry L. Hatfield, Timothy B. Parkin, Thomas J. Sauer, John H. Prueger

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Quantifying carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems is critical for better understanding of global carbon cycling and observed changes in climate. This study examined year-round temporal variations of CO₂ fluxes in two biennial crop rotations during 4 year of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production. We monitored CO₂ fluxes using eddy-covariance (EC) and soil chambers in adjacent production fields near Ames, Iowa. Under the non-limiting soil water availability conditions predominant in these fields, diel and seasonal variations of CO₂ fluxes were mostly controlled by ambient temperature and …

Influence Of Ensiling Time And Inoculation On Alteration Of The Starch-Protein Matrix In High-Moisture Corn, P. C. Hoffman, N. M. Esser, R. D. Shaver, W. K. Coblentz, M. P. Scott, A. L. Bodnar, R. J. Schmidt, R. C. Charley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The fates of hydrophobic zein proteins, which encapsulate corn starch to create vitreous endosperm, have not been investigated in high-moisture corn (HMC). To assess influences of ensiling time and inoculation on zein proteins in HMC, quadruplicate samples of 2 random corn hybrids (A and B), containing 25.7 and 29.3% moisture, were ground, inoculated with (I) or without 600,000 cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 (Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Milwaukee, WI), and ensiled for 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 d. Nutrient composition [crude protein (CP), starch, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber], fermentation (pH, lactate, and acetate), and protein degradation …

Phenologymms: A Program To Simulate Crop Phenological Responses To Water Stress, Gregory S. Mcmaster, Da Edmunds, W.W. Wilhelm, D.C. Nielsen, P.V.V. Prasad, J.C. Ascough Ii

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Crop phenology is fundamental for understanding crop growth and development, and increasingly influences many agricultural management practices. Water deficits are one environmental factor that can influence crop phenology through shortening or lengthening the developmental phase, yet the phenological responses to water deficits have rarely been quantified. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of a decision support technology software tool, PhenologyMMS Vl.2, developed to simulate the phenology of various crops for varying levels of soil water. The program is intended to be simple to use, requires minimal information for calibration, and can be incorporated into other crop …

Evaluating Decision Rules For Dryland Rotation Crop Selection, David C. Nielsen, Merle F. Vigil, Joseph G. Benjamin

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

No-till dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow systems in the central Great Plains have more water available for crop production than the traditional conventionally tilled winter wheat-fallow systems because of greater precipitation storage efficiency. That additional water is used most efficiently when a crop is present to transpire the water, and crop yields respond positively to increases in available soil water. The objective of this study was to evaluate yield, water use efficiency (WUE), precipitation use efficiency (PUE), and net returns of cropping systems where crop choice was based on established crop responses to water use while incorporating a …

Effects Of Transmission Gear Selection On Tractor Performance And Fuel Costs During Deep Tillage Operations, C.M. Kichler, J.P. Fulton, R.L. Raper, T.P. Mcdonald, W.C. Zech

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Deep tillage operations required to alleviate soil compaction common in the Southeastern US remain energy intensive and expensive. Equipment performance and in-field efficiency are two variables that can be improved to minimize fuel consumption and ultimately reduce input costs for crop production. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of transmission gear selection on fuel costs, draft, and other equipment performance variables using two deep tillage implements. Three different transmission gears were selected which represented slow, normal, and fast operating speeds for two typical in-row, integral subsoilers (KMC generation I rip-strip and Bigham Brothers Paratill^TM). …

Changes In Mineral Concentrations And Phosphorus Profile During Dry-Grind Processing Of Corn Into Ethanol, Keshun Liu, Jianchun Han

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

For determining variation in mineral composition and phosphorus (P) profile among streams of dry-grind ethanol production, samples of ground corn, intermediate streams, and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) were obtained from three commercial plants. Most attributes (dry matter concentrations) increased significantly from corn to cooked slurry but fermentation caused most significant increase in all attributes. During centrifugation, more minerals went into thin stillage than wet grains, making minerals most concentrated in the former. Mineral increase in DDGS over corn was about 3 fold, except for Na, S, Ca, and Fe. The first three had much higher fold of increase, …

Improving In-Season Nitrogen Recommendations For Maize Using An Active Sensor, J. Schmidt, D. Beegle, Q. Q. Zhu, R. Sripada

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

An active crop canopy reflectance sensor could be used to increase N-use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.), if temporal and spatial variability in soil N availability and plant demand are adequately accounted for with an in-season N application. Our objective was to evaluate the success of using an active canopy sensor for developing maize N recommendations. This study was conducted in 21 farmers’ fields from 2007 to 2009, representing the maize production regions of east central and southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Four blocks at each site included seven sidedress N rates (0–280 kgNha⁻¹) and one at-planting N …

A Novel Monoclonal Antibody Effective Against Lethal Challenge With Swine-Lineage And 2009 Pandemic H1n1 Influenza Viruses In Mice, Hongxia Shao, Jianqiang Ye, Amy L. Vincent, Nicole Edworthy, Andrea Ferrero, Aijian Qin, Daniel R. Perez

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The HA protein of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 viruses (H1N1pdm) is antigenically closely related to the HA of classical North American swine H1N1 influenza viruses (cH1N1). Since 1998, through mutation and reassortment of HA genes from human H3N2 and H1N1 influenza viruses, swine influenza strains are undergoing substantial antigenic drift and shift. In this report we describe the development of a novel monoclonal antibody (S-OIV-3B2) that shows high hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and neutralization titers not only against H1N1pdm, but also against representatives of the α, β, and γ clusters of swine-lineage H1 influenza viruses. Mice that received a single intranasal …

Determination Of Representative Elementary Areas For Soil Redoximorphic Features Identified By Digital Image Processing, T. Kevin O'Donnell, Keith W. Goyne, Randall J. Miles, Claire Baffaut, Stephen H. Anderson, Kenneth A. Sudduth

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Photography has been a welcome tool in documenting and conveying qualitative soil information. When coupled with image analysis software, the usefulness of digital cameras can be increased to advance the field of micropedology. The determination of a representative elementary area (REA) still remains a critical information need for soil scientists so that field measurements are independent of sample size and account for spatial heterogeneity. An objective of this study was to define and determine an REA for Low Chroma and High Chroma soil redoximorphic features (SRFs) present in claypan soils of northeastern Missouri, USA using a digital camera and image …

Evaluation Of Two Mutants Of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis As Candidates For A Live Attenuated Vaccine For Johne’S Disease, Kun Taek Park, Andrew J. Allen, John P. Bannantine, Keun Seok Seo, Mary J. Hamilton, Gaber S. Abdellrazeq, Heba M. Rihan, Amanda Grimm, William C. Davis

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Control of Johne’s disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, has been difficult because of a lack of an effective vaccine. To address this problem we used targeted gene disruption to develop candidate mutants with impaired capacity to survive ex vivo and in vivo to test as a vaccine. We selected relA and pknG, genes known to be important virulence factors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis, for initial studies. Deletion mutants were made in a wild type Map (K10) and its recombinant strain expressing the green fluorescent protein (K10-GFP). Comparison of survival in an ex vivo …