Digital Commons Network^™

Mycotoxin Occurrence And Aspergillus Flavus Soil Propagules In A Corn And Cotton Glyphosate-Resistant Cropping Systems, K. N. Reddy, H. K. Abbas, R. M. Zablotowicz, C. A. Abel, C. H. Koger

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

The effects of cotton–corn rotation and glyphosate use on levels of soil-borne Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in corn and cotton seed were determined during 2002–2005 in Stoneville, Mississippi (USA). There were four rotation systems (continuous cotton, continuous corn, cotton–corn and corn–cotton) for both glyphosate-resistant (GR) and non-GR cultivars–herbicide system arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Aspergillus flavus populations in surface (5-cm depth) soil, sampled before planting (March/April), mid-season (June) and after harvest (September), ranged from 1.47 to 2.99 log (10) cfu g^-1 soil in the four rotation systems. Propagules of A. flavus …

Non-Composted Municipal Solid Waste Processing Byproduct Effect On Soil Reclamation, H. Allen Torbert, Dick L. Gebhart, Ryan R. Busby, Kenneth N. Potter, Deborah R. Curtain

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

A new garbage processing technology has been developed that sterilizes and separates inorganic and organic components of municipal solid waste. The non-composted byproduct of this process, Fluff ®, has the potential to be utilized as a soil amendment to improve soil conditions in highly degraded soils. A study was initiated to evaluate Fluff as a soil amendment for establishing native grasses on disturbed US Army training lands. The Fluff was incorporated into a sandy loam soil at Fort Benning Military Reservation, GA on two sites: a moderately degraded and a highly degraded soil. The Fluff was incorporated at rates of …

Adrenomedullin (Am) And Adrenomedullin Binding Protein (Am-Bp) In The Bovine Mammary Gland And Milk: Effects Of Stage Of Lactation And Experimental Intramammary E. Coli Infection, Ted H. Elsasser, Anthony V. Capuco, Thomas J. Caperna, Alfredo Martínez, Frank Cuttitta, Stanislaw Kahl

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

Adrenomedullin (AM) has been characterized as an endogenous tissue survival factor and modulator of many inflammatory processes. Because of the increased susceptibility of the mammary gland to infection during the time surrounding parturition in the cow, we investigated how milk and tissue content of AM and its binding protein (AM-BP) might be affected by the stage of lactation and the udder health status. Milk and mammary biopsy samples were obtained from Holstein cows 21 days prior to and at various times after calving to represent the dry period and early and midstages of lactation. Additional cows received an intramammary challenge …

Proteomic And Genetic Analysis Of Glycinin Subunits Of Sixteen Soybean Genotypes, Savithiry Natarajan, Chenping Xu, Hanhong Bae, Bryan A. Bailey, Perry Cregan, Thomas J. Caperna, Wesley M. Garrett, Devanand Luthria

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

We investigated proteomic and genomic profiles of glycinin, a family of major storage proteins in 16 different soybean genotypes consisting of four groups including wild soybean (Glycine soja), unimproved cultivated soybean landraces from Asia (G. max), ancestors of N. American soybean (G. max), and modern soybean (G. max) genotypes. We observed considerable variation in all five glycinin subunits, G1, G2 G3, G4 and G5 using proteomics and genetic analysis. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis showed that the wild genotypes had a range of 25-29 glycinin protein spots that included …

Characterization Of Biological Types Of Cattle (Cycle Vii): Influence Of Postpartum Interval And Estrous Cycle Length On Fertility, R. A. Cushman, M. F. Allan, R. M. Thallman, L. V. Cundiff

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

Genetic improvement in reproductive efficiency through selection is difficult because many reproductive traits are binomial and have low heritabilities. Before genetic markers can be generated for fertility in cows, greater characterization of reproductive phenotypes is needed to understand the components of the trait. The current study tested the hypotheses that: 1) breeds vary in postpartum interval to estrus (PPIE) and estrous cycle length, 2) a longer estrous cycle immediately before breeding increased pregnancy rates, and 3) a greater number of cycles before breeding increased conception rates. The postpartum interval to estrus, estrous cycle length, and number of cycles before breeding …

Effects Of Graded Levels Of Sorghum Wet Distiller’S Grains And Degraded Intake Protein Supply On Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Feedlot Cattle Fed Steam-Flaked Corn-Based Diets, J. T. Vasconcelos, L. M. Shaw, K. A. Lemon, N. A. Cole, M. L. Galyean

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

Two experiments evaluated different levels of sorghum wet distiller’s grains plus solubles (SWDG) and effects of increasing the degraded intake protein (DIP) concentration in diets containing SWDG on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle. In Exp. 1, 200 beef steers (average BW = 404 kg) were fed increasing levels of SWDG (0, 5, 10, and 15% of DM) and one level of corn wet distiller’s grains plus solubles (10% of DM), which replaced steamflaked corn in a high-concentrate diet. Final BW (P = 0.04) and overall ADG (P = 0.01) decreased linearly with increasing levels of SWDG. Increasing SWDG …

Growth And Carcass Characteristics In Goat Kids Fed Grass- And Alfalfa-Hay-Based Diets With Limited Concentrate Supplementation, S. Wildeus, J.-M. Luginbuhl, K. E. Turner, Y. L. Nutall, J. R. Collins

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

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding legume hay (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) or mixed-grass hay on ADG and carcass characteristics of growing goats.

High Water Regime Can Reduce Ammonia Volatilization From Soils Under Potato Production, Guodong Liu, Yuncong Li, A. K. Alva

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

This research was conducted with Biscayne marl soil and Krome gravelly loam from Florida and Quincy fine sand and Warden silt loam from Washington to determine ammonia (NH₃) volatilization at various temperature and soil water regimes. Potassium nitrate (KNO₃), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄], or urea were applied to the soil at a rate of 75 kg N ha^-1. Soil water regime was maintained at either 20% or 80% of field capacity (FC) and incubated at 11, 20, or 29 °C, which represented …

Nitrogen Contribution Of Peanut Residue To Cotton In A Conservation Tillage System, B. Meso, K. S. Balkcom, C. W. Wood, J. F. Adams

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

Leguminous crops, particularly winter annuals, have been utilized in conservation systems to partially meet nitrogen (N) requirements of succeeding summer cash crops. Previous research also highlights the benefits of utilizing summer annual legumes in rotation with non-leguminous crops. This study assessed the N contribution of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) residues to a subsequent cotton (Gossypium hirsitum L.) crop in a conservation system on a Dothan sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Plinthic Kandiudults) at Headland, AL during the 2003–2005 growing seasons. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design, with main plots of peanut residue retained or removed from …

Ethylene Involvement In The Regulation Of The H+-Atpase Csha1 Gene And Of The New Isolated Ferric Reductase Csfro1 And Iron Transporter Csirt1 Genes In Cucumber Plants, Brian M. Waters, Carlos Lucena, Francisco J. Romera, Gena G. Jester, April N. Wynn, Carmen L. Rojas, Esteban Alcántara, Rafael Pérez-Vicente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In previous works using ethylene inhibitors and precursors, it has been shown that ethylene participates in the regulation of several Fe-deficiency stress responses by Strategy I plants, such as enhanced ferric reductase activity, rhizosphere acidification, and subapical root hair development. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that ethylene could regulate the expression of both the ferric reductase and the iron transporter genes of Strategy I plants by affecting the FER (or FER-like) transcription factor. Recently, two H⁺-ATPase genes have been isolated from cucumber roots, CsHA1 and CsHA2. CsHA1 is up-regulated under Fe deficiency while CsHA2 is constitutively expressed. In …

Nutrient Use Efficiency: Measurement And Management, Achim Dobermann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Mineral fertilizers have sustained world agriculture and thus global population and wealth growth for more than 100 years (Smil, 2001; Stewart et al., 2005). Their contribution to increasing crop yields has spared millions of hectares of natural ecosystems that otherwise would have been converted to agriculture (Balmford et al., 2005). However, lacking, imbalanced, inappropriate or excessive use of nutrients in agricultural systems remains a concern. Nutrient mining is a major cause for low crop yields in parts of the developing world, particularly Africa. In other situations, nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) often move beyond the bounds of …

Construction And Testing Of A Simple And Economical Soil Greenhouse Gas Automatic Sampler, Daniel Ginting, Spemcer L. Arnold, Nicholas S. Arnold, Ronald S. Tubbs

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

Quantification of soil greenhouse gas emissions requires considerable sampling to account for spatial and/or temporal variation.With manual sampling, additional personnel are often not available to sample multiple sites within a narrow time interval. The objectives were to construct an automatic gas sampler and to compare the accuracy and precision of automatic versus manual sampling. The automatic sampler was tested with carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes that mimicked the range of CO₂ fluxes during a typical corn-growing season in eastern Nebraska. Gas samples were drawn from the chamber at 0, 5, and 10 min manually and with the automatic …

Long-Term Application Of Biosolids On Apricot Production, Gary S. Ban˜Uelos, Sajeemas Pasakdee, Sharon E. Benes, Craig R. Ledbetter

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

The use and disposal of biosolids, or wastewater treatment sludge, as a fertilizer and soil amendment is becoming increasingly widespread. We evaluated the multiyear use of biosolids in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production, grown on productive agricultural soils. Class A biosolids were initially applied annually at rates of 0, 1.9, 5.8, and 11.7 Mg · ha^-1 (dry basis) to a 2-year-old apricot orchard on the USDAARS research site on the eastern side of the San Joaquin Valley, CA. These application rates provided estimated rates of 0 (control), 57, 170, and 340 kg total N · ha^-1 yr …

Compost And Manure Effects On Fertilized Corn Silage Yield And Nitrogen Uptake Under Irrigation, Gary A. Lehrsch, D. C. Kincaid

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

Dairy manure increases the yields of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from eroded, furrow-irrigated soils and may increase corn (Zea mays L.) silage yield from steeper eroded areas under sprinkler irrigation. In a 2-year field study in southern Idaho on Portneuf silt loam (coarse silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid), the effects of a one-time, fall application of 29 or 72 Mg ha^-1 of dry manure or 22 or 47 Mg ha^-1 of dry compost on subsequent silage yield and nitrogen (N) uptake from previously eroded, sprinkler-irrigated hill …

A Cellulose Fiber-Based Diet For Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Larvae, M. F. Chaudhury, Steven R. Skoda

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

A highly absorbent cellulose fiber from recycled paper was tested and compared with a polyacrylate gelling agent, Aquatain, normally used for bulking and solidifying larval rearing medium of screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The absorbent fiber, when mixed with water and dietary ingredients, produced a diet medium of homogeneous texture that supported larval growth and development comparable with the standard gelled diet. Larval and pupal weights from two concentrations of cellulose fiber-based diet were significantly higher than those obtained using gelled diet. The number of pupae per tray, percentage of adult emergence, oviposition, percentage of egg hatch, and adult …

Environmental Abundance Of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) Larval Habitats On Land Cover Change Sites In Karima Village, Mwea Rice Scheme, Kenya, Benjamin G. Jacob, Ephantus Muturi, Patrick Halbig, Joseph Mwangangi, R. K. Wanjogu, Enock Mpanga, Jose Funes, Josephat Shililu, John Githure, James L. Regens, Robert J. Novak

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A study was carried out at Karima Village in the Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme in Kenya to assess the impact of rice husbandry and associated land cover change for mosquito larval abundance. A multi-temporal, land use land cover (LULC) classification dataset incorporating distributions of Anopheles arabiensis aquatic larval habitats was produced in ERDAS Imagine version 8.7 using combined images from IKONOS at 4m spatial resolution from 2005 and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)™ classification data at 30-meters spatial resolution from 1988 for Karima. Of 207 larval habitats sampled, most were either canals (53.4%) or paddies (45.9%), and only one habitat was …

Technological Change And The Design Of Plant Variety Protection Regimes, Mark D. Janis, Stephen Smith

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Sorghum Flour In The El Salvador Baking Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The El Salvador baking industry is dependent on imported wheat which results in a loss of valuable foreign exchange. In response, CENTA (Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal) scientists with support from INTSORMIL have produced sorghum varieties which have the physical and chemical qualities making them suitable for flour which can be used as a partial substitute for wheat flour in the baking industry, thus decreasing the cost of baked goods. CENTA food technician, Fidelia Herrera pioneered the use of sorghum flour in El Salvador and began helping village bakers utilize sorghum flour back in the 70’s.

To test …

Convergence Of Agriculture And Energy: Implications For Research And Policy, Kenneth Cassman, Vernon Eidman, Eugene Simpson, Larry Berger, Robert Loomis, Marie Walsh, Todd A. Peterson, Edward Runge

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

Access to an adequate energy supply at reasonable cost is crucial for sustained economic growth. Unfortunately, oil prices and the need to import from politically unstable countries lowers the reliability of the U.S. energy supply and hinders economic development. Although biofuels have been identified as an important component of the national strategy to decrease U.S. dependence on imported oil, the ability to sustain a rapid expansion of biofuel production capacity raises new research and policy issues. This document seeks to identify the most critical of these issues to help inform the policy development process. The goal is to enhance the …

Pan Rey Bakery, El Salvador Tests Sorghum Flour, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Pan Rey, the “Bread King,” a large commercial bakery located at Quezaltepeque, El Salvador is testing sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat. The Pan Rey Bakery collaborates with the CENTA Food Technology Laboratory in a project to promote the use of sorghum flour in large bakeries. Many small, village level bakeries, such as the bakery of Clemencia Barrera in San Rafael Cedro, El Salvador (see INTSORMIL Report No. 5), have been using sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat for many years. However, use of sorghum flour on a large scale in the big commercial bakeries, such as Pan …

Intsormil Crsp: Sorghum, Millet And Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program: Leader With Associates Cooperative Agreement No. Eep-A-00-06-0016-00; Award From The U.S. Agency For International Development To The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Joseph Schmidt

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Pursuant to the authority contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hereby awards to University of Nebraska - Lincoln (hereinafter referred to as the "Recipient"), the sum of $9,000,000.00 to provide support for a program in Sorghum, Millet, and Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program as described in the Schedule of this award and in Attachment B, entitled "Program Description."

This Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement is effective and obligation is made as of 09-30-2006 and shall apply to expenditures made by the Recipient in furtherance of program objectives during …

Sorghum Flour As A Substitute For Wheat In El Salvador Village Bakeries, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum is generating new excitement on the health food scene. Why? For one reason, flour milled from grain sorghum has NO GLUTEN! That’s important to those people with an intolerance to gluten-containing products (Celiac disease). Sorghum is high in antioxidants (cancer prevention) and insoluble fiber (slowly digested), with relatively small amounts of soluble fiber. The protein and starch in sorghum endosperm are more slowly digested than other cereals. The slower rate of digestibility of sorghum products may be beneficial to diabetics.

So how is sorghum flour used in baking? It can be substituted for wheat, rice or soybean flour …

Creating New Markets For African Sorghum Farmers, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Lack of international markets for locally grown cereals such as sorghum is a major constraint to economic development for West African farmers. Lack of international markets has traditionally resulted in price declines in normal and good weather years since consumers can only eat so much of a staple. Once consumers have enough of the staple, prices collapse, as there are no other markets. These price declines discourage farmers from using higher input levels and therefore achieving productivity gains. Hence, facilitating the growth of the food and feed processing industries for the basic staples is critical for the rapid economic growth …

Influence Of Soil Compaction On Nitrogen Volatilization In A Management Intensive Grazing System: Estimation Of Gaseous N Losses Using Mass Balance In Intact Soil Cores, Luke Alan Petersen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Increasing concern about the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases and PM 2.5 particulates has prompted many researchers to examine the processes of gaseous loss of nitrogen (N) from agricultural land. As agricultural production becomes more competitive and producers strive to become more efficient by reducing input costs, they will increasingly employ practices such as the rotational stocking, also called Management Intensive Grazing (MIG). MIG utilizes high animal stocking rates for short periods of time to efficiently harvest pasture crops. Unfortunately, MIG also produces relatively high concentrations of livestock excreta. This has caused intensive grazing practices to become a focal point …

Lysine Residues In N-Terminal And C-Terminal Regions Of Human Histone H2a Are Targets For Biotinylation By Biotinidase, Yap Ching Chew, Gabreale Camporeale, Nagarama Kothapalli, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

In eukaryotic cell nuclei, DNA associates with the core histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 to form nucleosomal core particles. DNA binding to histones is regulated by posttranslational modifications of N-terminal tails (e.g., acetylation and methylation of histones). These modifications play important roles in the epigenetic control of chromatin structure. Recently, evidence that biotinidase and holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) catalyze the covalent binding of biotin to histones has been provided. The primary aim of this study was to identify biotinylation sites in histone H2A and its variant H2AX. Secondary aims were to determine whether acetylation and methylation of histone H2A affect …

Facilitating The Development Of The Strawberry Industry In Western Australia, Dennis Phillips, Aileen Reid

Horticulture research reports

Horticulture Australia Project No. BS05001 Annual report 2005/06

This is the first of three annual reports for the Horticulture Australia project BS05001 — ‘Facilitating the development of the strawberry industry in Western Australia’. This project is managed by the Strawberry Growers Association of WA Inc. and the work is being done in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA). The project has been funded by voluntary contributions from the W.A. Strawberry Producers Committee, Toolangi Strawberry Runner Growers Co-operative and DAFWA with matching funding from Horticulture Australia Ltd (HAL). The project has been funded for three years, 2005, …

Natural Abundance Of Foliar 15N As An Early Indicator Of Nitrogen Deficiency In Fertilized Cotton, S. Stamatiadis, C. Christofides, C. Tsadilas, V. Samaras, James S. Schepers

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

Information on the contribution of various soil nitrogen (N) sources to plant N uptake is often needed for the implementation of sustainable or site-specific management practices in agriculture. Considering the limitations of traditional methods in meeting these needs, this study investigated the potential of leaf δ¹⁵N as an early indicator of nutrient deficiency in cotton. The spatial and temporal natural abundance of ¹⁵N was measured in the soil and leaves of a fertilized cotton field located near the village of Moschochori (Larissa, Greece). The isotopic signal of the leaves was interpreted in the context of the relative …

Science-Based Organic Farming 2006: Toward Local And Secure Food Systems, Charles A. Francis, Katja Koehler-Cole, Twyla Hansen, Peter Skelton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming includes growing food and fiber—animals, agronomic crops, horticultural fruits and vegetables, related products—as one dynamic and rapidly evolving component of our complex U.S. food system. Even as more farmers are moving toward organic certification and participation in an environmentally sound and economically lucrative market, questions arise about the long-term social impacts and sustainability of a set of practices that has gone from a movement to an industry. Consolidations in the organic trade have brought multinational corporations to the table, as they have observed a grassroots activity that has grown by 20% per year for the past two decades, …

Evaluation Of The Single Kernel Characterization System (Skcs) For Measurement Of Sorghum Grain Attributes, S. R. Bean, O. K. Chung, M. R. Tuinstra, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, J. Erpelding

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The single kernel characterization system (SKCS) has been widely used in the wheat industry, and SKCS parameters have been linked to end-use quality in wheat. The SKCS has promise as a tool for evaluating sorghum grain quality. However, the SKCS was designed to analyze wheat, which has a different kernel structure from sorghum. To gain a better understanding of the meaning of SKCS predictions for grain sorghum, individual sorghum grains were measured for length, width, thickness (diameter), and weight by laboratory methods and by the SKCS. SKCS predictions for kernel weight and thickness were highly correlated to laboratory measurements. However, …

Temperature Effects On Bradyrhizobium Spp. Growth And Symbiotic Effectiveness With Pigeonpea And Cowpea, Lurline E. Marsh, Raymond Baptiste, Dyremple B. Marsh, David Trinklein, Robert J. Kremer

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

Temperature is a limiting factor on legume-Bradyrhizobium symbiosis of subtropical plants in the temperate region. Twelve strains of Bradyrhizobium spp. that nodulate pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp], and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp], were evaluated for tolerance to three temperature regimes (20 °C/10 °C, 30 °C/20 °C, and 38 °C/25 °C day/night temperature) by determining their growth following exposure to the regimes. The five most temperature-tolerant strains were further evaluated for symbiotic effectiveness with pigeonpea and cowpea under controlled temperatures. These strains were USDA 3278, USDA 3362, USDA 3364, USDA 3458, and USDA 3472. Plant heights of …