Digital Commons Network^™

Initial Response Of Evapotranspiration From Tallgrass Prairie Vegetation To Co2 At Subambient To Elevated Concentrations, H. W. Polley, H. B. Johnson, P. A. Fay, J. Sanabria

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

A series of weighing lysimeters in which tallgrass prairie species had been planted were exposed to a subambient to elevated gradient in CO₂ in a field chamber. Lysimeters with intact monoliths of three soil types were represented along the CO₂ gradient. We used regression analysis to determine how CO₂ effects on evapotranspiration per unit of soil surface area (ET_soil) and per unit of leaf area (ET_la) depended on variation in leaf area index (LAI) and diurnal changes in environmental variables during the initial 6 weeks of CO₂ treatment.

Growth And Feed Efficiency Of Juvenile Channel Catfish Reared At Different Water Temperatures And Fed Diets Containing Various Levels Of Fish Meal, Menghe H. Li, Edwin H. Robinson, Brian C. Peterson, Terry D. Bates

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

Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus do not feed well at low temperatures. It is generally thought that a diet containing fish meal enhances feed palatability at low temperatures since fish meal is highly palatable to fish. There is a lack of information on the effects of fish meal levels on the growth performance of channel catfish reared at low temperatures. Therefore, a study was conducted in a recirculating system to examine the effects of fish meal levels on the feed consumption, weight gain, and feed efficiency of juvenile channel catfish reared at various temperatures. Fish with an initial weight of 9.6 …

Enteric Bacteria Of Field-Collected Colorado Potato Beetle Larvae Inhibit Growth Of The Entomopathogens Photorhabdus Temperata And Beauveria Bassiana, Michael B. Blackburn, Dawn E. Gundersen-Rindal, Donald C. Weber, Phyllis A. W. Martin, Robert R. Farrar Jr.

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

The nematode Heterorhabditis marelatus fails to reproduce in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, possibly due to interference from the enteric bacteria of the beetle. Specifically, the enteric bacteria inhibit the growth of Photorhabdus temperata, the enteric symbiont of the nematode, in vitro. However, previous work was based on a laboratory culture of L. decemlineata, and we wished to determine if similar bacteria were present in the field. Therefore, we cultured the enteric bacteria of fourth-instar larvae collected from the field at two locations in Maryland and Virginia. Representatives of the genera Pantoea, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas …

Nebraska Promotes Sorghum And Pearl Millet Food Processing In East Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Sorghum and millet are ideal crops for many parts of Africa. However, sorghum and millet’s use as food sources for large urban populations in West Africa is hampered by 1) lack of infrastructure for conveying and demonstrating the food value of sorghum and millet to small business investors, 2) limitations on the supply of high quality grains to processors, 3) lack of small processors, 4) lack of educational resources related to small business development, 5) lack of product development expertise, and 6) lack of knowledge of evidence supporting nutritional claims associated with sorghum and millet consumption.

The Department of Food …

Livestock Production System Management Responses To Thermal Challenges, J. A. Nienabar, G. L. Hahn

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

The adaptive capabilities of animals and livestock production systems have been emphasized in this report. Biometeorology has a key role in rational management to meet the challenges of thermal environments. While the focus is primarily on cattle in warm or hot climates, the importance of dynamic animal responses to environmental challenges applies to all species and climates. Methods used to mitigate environmental challenges focus on heat loss/heat production balance. Under cold stress, reduction of heat loss is the key. Under heat stress, reduction of heat load or increasing heat loss are the primary management tools, although heat-tolerant animals are also …

Biofuel Feedstocks: The Risk Of Future Invasions, Joseph M. Ditomaso, Jacob N. Barney, Alison M. Fox

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

In an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, expand domestic energy production, and maintain economic growth, public and private investments are being used to pursue dedicated feedstock crops for biofuel production. Unlike food crops grown for grain-based ethanol (e.g., corn), which require high inputs of fertilizers and pesticides and typically are grown on prime agricultural land, proposed lignocellulose-based energy crops (e.g., switchgrass) typically have a neutral or negative carbon budget, require relatively few economic or environmental inputs, and can be cultivated on marginal, lower-productivity land. Thus, a rapidly growing industry related to crop selection, cultivar improvement, and conversion technologies is …

Convergence Of Agriculture And Energy: Ii. Producing Cellulosic Biomass For Biofuels, Steven L. Fales, J. Richard Hess, Wallace Wilhelm, Don Erbach, William D. Provine, Kenneth P. Vogel, Todd A. Peterson, Edward C. A. Runge

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

Global energy demand is increasing as known global petroleum supplies are decreas¬ing. Calls to supplement or replace the current fossil-based energy system with new, envi¬ronmentally and economically sustainable strategies continue to increase, especially in light of more expensive traditional energy sources. Various governmental agencies and working groups have set aggressive targets and timelines for decreasing fossil fuel consumption by substituting bio-based energy (Bush 2007; Foust et al. 2007; Perlack et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2004). The alignment and continuity of these goals is illustrated in Figure 1.
Current biofuel production in the United States relies primarily on corn grain …

K12-Biotinylated Histone H4 Marks Heterochromatin In Human Lymphoblastoma Cells, Gabriela Camporeale, Anna M. Oommen, Jacob B. Griffin, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

Covalent modifications of histones play crucial roles in chromatin structure and genomic stability. Recently, we reported a novel modification of histones: biotinylation of lysine residues. Here we provide evidence that K12-biotinylated histone H4 (K12Bio H4) maps specifically to both heterochromatin (alpha satellite repeats in pericentromeric regions) and transcriptionally repressed chromatin (γ-G globin and interleukin-2) in human lymphoblastoma cells. The abundance of K12Bio H4 in these regions was similar to that of K9-dimethylated histone H3, a known marker for heterochromatin. Likewise, K8-biotinylated histone H4 (K8Bio H4) mapped to heterochromatin, but the relative enrichment was smaller compared with K12Bio H4. Stimulation of …

Engineering, Nutrient Removal, And Feedstock Conversion Evaluations Of Four Corn Stover Harvest Scenarios, Reed L. Hoskinson, Douglas L. Karlen, Stuart J. Birrell, Corey W. Radtke, Wally Wilhelm

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

Crop residue has been identified as a near-term source of biomass for renewable fuel, heat, power, chemicals and other bio-materials. A prototype one-pass harvest system was used to collect residue samples from a corn (Zea mays L.) field near Ames, IA. Four harvest scenarios (low cut, high-cut top, high-cut bottom, and normal cut) were evaluated and are expressed as collected stover harvest indices (CSHI). High-cut top and high-cut bottom samples were obtained from the same plot in separate operations. Chemical composition, dilute acid pretreatment response, ethanol conversion yield and efficiency, and thermochemical conversion for each scenario were determined. Mean …

Usda-Ars Lincoln Location Contact Information

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

Grain, Forage, & Bioenergy Research Unit
Mid-West Livestock Research Unit
Soil & Water Conservation Research Unit
Employee Listing

The mission of the USDA / ARS programs at Lincoln, Nebraska is to improve the productivity, stability of production, sustainability and profitability of crop and livestock production systems in the Great Plains

The Lincoln Location is a part of the Northern Plains Area (NPA) of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a Research, Education and Economics (REE) agency, and the main in-house research arm of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Internode Structure And Cell Wall Composition In Maturing Tillers Of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum. L), Gautam Sarath, Lisa M. Baird, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell

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

This work examined cell composition gradients in maturing tillers of switchgrass (Panicum virgatuln L. ) with the aim of developing baseline information on this important forage and biomass crop. Flowering tillers were collected from plants raised from seeds in a greenhouse and field, harvested at soil level and separated into internodes beginning with the node subtending the peduncle. Internodes were analyzed using microscopy, by fiber digestion, high-performance liquid chromatography and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to obtain anatomical and compositional data. Microscopy demonstrated the development and maturation of cortical fibers which eventually became confluent with the fiber sheath surrounding vascular …

Tillage And Rotation Effect On Corn–Soybean Energy Balances In Eastern Nebraska, G.-W. Rathke, Brian Wienhold, Wallace Wilhelm, W. Diepenbrock

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

Data from a field experiment conducted in eastern Nebraska over 16 years (1986–2001) were used to determine the energy balance of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) as affected by tillage treatments and rotation. Tillage treatments included chisel plow, tandem disk, moldboard plow, ridge-tillage, no-till and subsoil tillage. Crop sequences were continuous corn, continuous soybean, corn in a corn–soybean rotation and soybean in a soybean–corn rotation. The energy balance was assessed by comparing the parameters: energy gain (net energy output), energy intensity (energy input per unit grain equivalent, GE) and output/input ratio. Changes in plant …

B.R. Wells Rice Research Studies 2006, R. J. Norman, J. F. Meullenet, K. A.K. Moldenhauer

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

An Avidin-Based Assay For Histone Debiotinylase Activity In Human Cell Nuclei, Yap Ching Chew, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

The covalent binding of biotin to histones participates in heterochromatin formation, cell cycle progression and cellular response to DNA breaks. Biotinylation of histones appears to be a reversible process, but the identity of enzymes that remove biotin marks is largely unknown. Our long-term goal is to identify histone debiotinylases in human cells. Here we developed an avidin-based plate assay to quantify histone debiotinylase activities in nuclear extracts. This assay is an essential first step in purifying and identifying histone debiotinylases from human cells. Using this assay, we demonstrated that debiotinylation of histones depends on temperature and pH, consistent with enzyme …

El Salvador President Tony Saca Releases Sorghum Forage Hybrid “Centa Ss - 44", Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

President of the Republic of El Salvador, Don Elias Antonio Saca, on May 17, 2006 officially gave the green light to the opening of the agricultural year 2006-2007. Speaking in the city of Turin in the western department of Ahuachapán, El Salvador, he informed the nation’s thousands of farmers that the opportune moment to begin planting had again arrived. The Chief of State let it be known that this celebration in Turin was a clear signal to the nation’s farmers that the Government of El Salvador pledges its support to assist the farming community in producing the necessary food for …

Effects Of Forage Management On Pasture Productivity And Phosphorus Content, M. M. Haan, J. R. Russell, J. L. Kovar, W. J. Powers, J. L. Benning

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

The objectives of the current study were to determine the amounts of above- and below-ground plant biomass production, P uptake by forage, and P concentration of cool-season grass forage as influenced by management and season. Five forage management treatments were evaluated over 3 years in smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) pastures. Management practices were: ungrazed (U), hay harvest/fall stockpile grazing (HS), rotational stocking to residual sward heights of 10 (10R) or 5 (5R) cm, and continuous stocking to maintain sward height at 5 cm (5C). Forage samples were hand-clipped within and outside grazing exclosures monthly from April through November …

An Algorithm For Corn Nitrogen Recommendations Using A Chlorophyll Meter Based Sufficiency Index, Gary E. Varvel, Wally Wilhelm, J. F. Shanahan, James S. Schepers

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

Nitrogen fertilizer continues to be the major input influencing corn (Zea mays L.) yield in the Midwest. Improved N recommendations should result in greater N use efficiency and producer profit while reducing surface and groundwater contamination. This study was conducted to develop a plant-based technique to detect and correct N deficiencies during the season. Chlorophyll meter readings and grain yield were collected from corn in irrigated monoculture corn and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]–corn cropping systems with four hybrids and five N fertilizer application rates in the Platte Valley near Shelton, NE. Normalized chlorophyll meter readings (sufficiency index, …

An Algorithm For Corn Nitrogen Recommendations Using A Chlorophyll Meter Based Sufficiency Index, G. E. Varvel, W. W. Wilhelm, J. F. Shanahan, J. S. Schepers

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

Nitrogen fertilizer continues to be the major input influencing corn (Zea mays L.) yield in the Midwest. Improved N recommendations should result in greater N use efficiency and producer profit while reducing surface and groundwater contamination. This study was conducted to develop a plant-based technique to detect and correct N deficiencies during the season. Chlorophyll meter readings and grain yield were collected from corn in irrigated monoculture corn and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]–corn cropping systems with four hybrids and five N fertilizer application rates in the Platte Valley near Shelton, NE. Normalized chlorophyll meter readings (sufficiency index, …

Sorghum: A Substitute For Maize In The West Africa Poultry Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

With the declining relative prices of chicken compared with other meats, poultry consumption per capita in the USA has been increasing, while that of other meats has been stagnant or declining. Similar developments are occurring in West Africa.

There is interest in substituting sorghum for maize in poultry rations, in the U.S. and in West Africa, for both broiler and egg production. In contrast to maize, which is a thirsty plant and requires large amounts of water, sorghum offers farmers the ability to grow a crop where other crops do not produce well. In Niger, West Africa, locally produced sorghum …

Ua66/5/2 Newsletter, Wku Department Of Agriculture

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter regarding programs, events, students and alumni of the WKU Agriculture department.

Sorghum: A Substitute For Maize In The Nicaraguan Poultry Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The coffee crisis brought widespread unemployment, poverty and hunger to parts of Nicaragua. In some regions, 33% of the area’s children suffer malnutrition and child mortality claims ten out of every thousand children. Partially, in response to the coffee crisis, there is interest in promoting the poultry industry in Nicaragua, and international aid agencies are assisting Nicaraguan farmers with poultry projects. For example, the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc. is currently managing a poultry project in Nicaragua called Gallinas de Patio, or backyard chickens. The project provides material and technical assistance to Nicaraguan families, enabling them to successfully raise …

Sorghum: Nutritional Feed For U.S. And African Poultry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum, an important dryland crop in the Central Great Plains of the United States, is adapted to growing in areas where low and erratic rainfall and high temperatures limit production of other crops such as maize and soybeans. The United States is the largest producer of grain sorghum with 6 million acres devoted to production of this crop in 2005. Kansas produces more grain sorghum, commonly known as milo, than any other U.S. state. Kansas growers value sorghum because it performs well in many types of soils and weather. More than 80% of the sorghum produced in Kansas is …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2006, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts also be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university's research efforts. Additionally, soil test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Greater Diversity Of Shiga Toxin-Encoding Bacteriophage Insertion Sites Among Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Isolates From Cattle Than In Those From Humans, Thomas E. Besser, Nurmohammad Shaikh, Nicholas J. Holt, Phillip I. Tarr, Michael E. Konkel, Preeti Malik-Kale, Coilin W. Walsh, Thomas S. Whittam, James L. Bono

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

E. coli O157:H7, a zoonotic human pathogen for which domestic cattle are a reservoir host, produces a Shiga toxin(s) (Stx) encoded by bacteriophages. Chromosomal insertion sites of these bacteriophages define three principal genotypes (clusters 1 to 3) among clinical isolates of E. coliO157:H7. Stx-encoding bacteriophage insertion site genotypes of 282 clinical and 80 bovine isolates were evaluated. A total of 268 (95.0%) of the clinical isolates, but only 41 (51.3%) of the bovine isolates, belonged to cluster 1, 2, or 3 (P < 0.001). Thirteen additional genotypes were identified in isolates from both cattle and humans (four genotypes), from only cattle (seven genotypes), or from only humans (two genotypes). Two other markers previously associated with isolates from cattle or with clinical isolates showed similar associations with genotype groups within bovine isolates; the tir allele sp-1 and the Q_933W allele were under- and overrepresented, respectively, among cluster 1 to …

Intsormil 2007 Annual Report, John M. Yohe, Kimberly Christiansen, Joan Frederick

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The 2007 INTSORMIL Six Year Report presents the progress and notable achievements by the Sorghum/Millet CRSP during the period of July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2007. These results are an outcome of partnerships between scientists at seven U.S. Land Grant Universities (Kansas State University, Mississippi State University, Ohio State University, University of Nebraska, Purdue University, Texas A&M University and West Texas A&M University), scientists of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Tifton, Georgia and the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and National Universities in nineteen countries in Central America, West Africa, East Africa and …

Enhancing Fertiliser Use Efficiency For Transplanted Vegetables, Dennis Phillips, Aileen Reid, Gavin D'Adhemar

Horticulture research reports

Horticulture Australia (HAL) Project No. VG04018.

Project VG 04018 ‘Enhancing fertiliser use efficiency for transplanted vegetables’ showed that spraying highly concentrated solutions containing nitrogen over newly transplanted vegetable seedlings for between 14 and 21 days after planting can increase marketable yields by as much as 300% compared to other methods of fertiliser application. Crops that this method has been successfully tested on in this study by the W.A. Department of Agriculture and Food include iceberg and Cos lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage (wombok), celery and cabbage.

The research was conducted on virgin sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near …

Ua66/5/2 Newsletter, Wku Department Of Agriculture

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter regarding programs, events, students and alumni of the WKU Agriculture department.

Early Investments In Soil Conservation Research Continues To Provide Dividends, J. E. Gilley, D. C. Flanagan

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

Current soil conservation programs are built upon an established research legacy. Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service from 1935 to 1951, was instrumental in the establishment of a network of 35 soil conservation experiment stations (SCES). Research projects were initiated at the SCES in the 1930s to investigate the principal factors causing erosion and to identify the most effective and practical methods of controlling soil loss from agricultural areas. Information obtained from the SCES, and selected other locations, was assembled at the National Runoff and Soil Loss Data Center (NRSLDC) established on the campus of Purdue …

Dry Weight And Nitrogen Content Of Chickpea And Winter Wheat Grown In Pots For Three Rotations, James E. Bidlack, Charles T. Mackown, Srinivas C. Rao

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

Chickpea [Cicer arietinum (L.)] cultivars ‘ICCV-2’ and ‘Sarah’ were studied along with a control, multistrain, TAL 1148, and TAL 480 Bradyrhizobium strains to determine the effect(s) of cultivar and inoculum on dry weight (DW) and nitrogen (N) content of the legume, as well as soil mineral N, DW, and N content of wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Thell.] in a continuous wheat-legume rotation. Chickpeas were planted during the summer and harvested in the fall of 1992, 1993, and 1994. Vegetative growth from chickpeas was incorporated into the soil prior to wheat planting, and soil cores were taken at …

Publishing Ltd Whole-Plant Mineral Partitioning Throughout The Life Cycle In Arabidopsis Thaliana Ecotypes Columbia, Landsberg Erecta, Cape Verde Islands, And The Mutant Line Ysl1ysl3, Brian M. Waters, Michael A. Grusak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

• Minimal information exists on whole-plant dynamics of mineral flow through Arabidopsis thaliana or on the source tissues responsible for mineral export to developing seeds. Understanding these phenomena in a model plant could help in the development of nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars. • A whole-plant partitioning study, using sequential harvests, was conducted to characterize growth and mineral concentrations and contents of rosettes, cauline leaves, stems, immature fruit, mature fruit hulls, and seeds of three WT lines (Col-0, Ler, and Cvi) and one mutant line (Col-0::ysl1ysl3). • Shoot mineral content increased throughout the life cycle for all minerals, although tissue-specific mineral …