Digital Commons Network^™

Do Cover Crop Mixtures Improve Soil Physical Health More Than Monocultures?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Rationale and Purpose — Adding multispecies cover crop (CC) mixtures could diversify the current simplified crop rotations and enhance soil health more than monoculture CCs. Further, CC mixtures with diverse plant species could adapt better to changing climatic and environmental conditions than monoculture CCs. However, our current understanding of the soil benefits of CC mixtures is still limited. This review discussed whether CC mixtures are better than monoculture CCs to improve soil physical health.

Methods — All studies published up to May 25, 2023, comparing soil physical properties between CC mixtures and their constituents grown as monocultures were searched in …

​ Soilborne Pathogens Of Strawberry In The Central Coast Region Of California: ​ Survey And Cover Cropping With Wheat For Management Of Macrophomina Phaseolina, Mary Steele

Master's Theses

Surveys of the four major soilborne pathogens of strawberry (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, Macrophomina phaseolina, Phytophthora spp., and Verticillium dahliae) to determine their relative prevalence were conducted in Watsonville-Salinas, CA in 2021 and in Santa Maria, CA in 2022. All four major pathogens were detected at relatively similar prevalence in Watsonville-Salinas, between 22% and 31% of sampled fields. In Santa Maria, M. phaseolina was far more prevalent at 52% of sampled fields, the other three falling between 14% and 17%. Additionally replicated greenhouse and field trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat as …

Biochemical Characterization Of Date Palm (Phoniex Dactylifera L) Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Space Iss, Shamma Khalid Aldhaheri

Theses

The UAE’s vision to reach space dates to 1976 when Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan met with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo group; this meeting marked the first attempt of UAE to enter the field of space science. The UAE is currently one of the top countries executing space missions and research. This research focuses on the biochemical characterization of date palm seeds that are sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in outer space. The research methodology involves biochemical analysis of seeds maintained under two different environmental conditions-microgravity and standard gravity. In total, 30–45 seeds …

What Regenerative Agriculture Can Teach Medical Students About Human Health, David Ebbott, Dimitrios Papanagnou

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

A Study On Image Processing Techniques And Deep Learning Techniques For Insect Identification, Vinita Abhishek Gupta, M.V. Padmavati, Ravi R. Saxena, Pawan Kumar Patnaik, Raunak Kumar Tamrakar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Automatic identification of insects and diseases has attracted researchers for the last few years. Researchers have suggested several algorithms to get around the problems of manually identifying insects and pests. Image processing techniques and deep convolution neural networks can overcome the challenges of manual insect identification and classification. This work focused on optimizing and assessing deep convolutional neural networks for insect identification. AlexNet, MobileNetv2, ResNet-50, ResNet-101, GoogleNet, InceptionV3, SqueezeNet, ShuffleNet, DenseNet201, VGG-16 and VGG-19 are the architectures evaluated on three different datasets. In our experiments, DenseNet 201 performed well with the highest test accuracy. Regarding training time, AlexNet performed well, …

Covid-19 Pandemic, Climate Change, And Conflicts On Agriculture: A Trio Of Challenges To Global Food Security, Devendra Paudel, Ram Chandra Neupane, Sailesh Sigdel, Pradip Poudel, Aditya R. Khanal

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Global food security is a worldwide concern. Food insecurity is a significant threat to poverty and hunger eradication goals. Agriculture is one of the focal points in the global policy agenda. Increases in agricultural productivity through the incorporation of technological advances or expansion of cultivable land areas have been pushed forward. However, production growth has slowed in many parts of the world due to various endemic challenges, such as decreased investment in agricultural research, lack of infrastructure in rural areas, and increasing water scarcity. Climate change adversities in agriculture and food security are increasing. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely …

Why Teach? Exploring The Motivations And Expectations Of First-Year, Alternatively Certified Agriscience Teachers, Sarah E. Larose, Blake C. Colclasure, Anna J. Warner, Debra M. Barry, Edward W. Osborne

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

School-Based agricultural education increasingly depends upon alternatively certified (AC) teachers to teach agriculture across the United States. Understanding why these individuals become teachers is an important step to better recruit and retain educators who do not complete traditional preparation programs. The purpose of our study was to explore the backgrounds, motivations, and expectations of AC agriscience teachers joining the profession. Our study was guided by the social cognitive career theory and utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach. We interviewed seven AC agriscience teachers in Florida during their first-year teaching to explore their journey into teaching agricultural education. Six major themes were …

Investigating Students’ Career-Readiness In The Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study, Jean A. Parrella, Holli R. Leggette, Theresa P. Murphrey, Christi Esquivel, Anna Bates

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students’ career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes—Career Advice-Seeking Behavior,Employability Skills Development, Network Establishment, Relevant Experiences, and Personal Growth. Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to …

Development And Evaluation Of An Automated Tactical Tillage Tool To Control Weeds In Row-Crop Production Systems, Grace Mccormick Friday

Theses and Dissertations

Weed control is an integral part of a successful overall production strategy in row- cropping systems and has the potential to reduce or eliminate yield losses that negatively affect profitability. Timely and correctly selected herbicide applications are the major keys for effective weed control in a majority of instances. However, there are negative factors that contribute to ineffectiveness and weed escape issues that currently lack viable options for management. Sparsely populated late-season weeds that emerge after lay-by herbicide applications and weeds that have become tolerant and resistant to traditional herbicide chemistries are of greatest concern. Historically, these weeds would have …

Evaluation Of Conservation Practices Effect On Water Quality Using The Swat Model, Vivek Venishetty

Theses and Dissertations

The deterioration of water quality due to human-driven alternations has an adverse effect on the environment. More than 50% of surveyed surface water bodies in the United States (US) are classified as impaired waters as per the Clean Water Act. The pollutants affecting the water quality in the US are classified as point and non-point sources. Pollutant mitigation strategies such as the selective implementation of best management practices (BMPs) based on the severity of the pollution could improve water quality by reducing the amounts of pollutants. Quantifying the efficiency of a specific management practice can be difficult for large watersheds. …

Marginal Agricultural Land Identification In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Prakash Tiwari

Theses and Dissertations

This study identified marginal agricultural lands in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley using crop yield predicting models. The Random Forest Regression (RFR) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models were trained and validated using county-level crop yield data, climate data, soil properties, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The RFR model outperformed MLR model in estimating soybean and corn yields, with an index of agreement (d) of 0.98 and 0.96, Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) of 0.88 and 0.93, and root mean square error (RMSE) of 9.34% and 5.84%, respectively. Marginal agricultural lands were estimated to 26,366 hectares using cost and sales …

Pasturelands As Natural Climate Solutions: A Socioecological Study Of Tree Carbon And Beef Production Trade-Offs, Bela Starinchak

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Forest restoration is the most effective natural climate solution, with the potential to sequester 37% of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) needed to reach the Paris climate mitigation goal. Cattle pastures offer an underutilized opportunity to increase global forest restoration efforts, improve biodiversity, and maximize carbon storage through the adoption of management strategies that prioritize the incorporation of trees into pasturelands. However, remote estimations of tree carbon storage in pastoral systems have never been field-verified and their accuracy is unclear. Furthermore, the effect of increased trees on cattle production is understudied across biomes. Lastly, the restoration potential of these …

Hybrid Allele‑Specific Chip‑Seq Analysis Identifies Variation In Brassinosteroid‑Responsive Transcription Factor Binding Linked To Traits In Maize, Thomas Hartwig, Michael Banf, Gisele Passaia Prietsch, Jia‑Ying Zhu, Isabel Mora‑Ramírez, Jos H. M. Schippers, Samantha J. Snodgrass, Arun S. Seetharam, Bruno Huettel, Judith M. Kolkman, Jiashi Yang, Julia Engelhorn, Zhi‑Yong Wang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Genetic variation in regulatory sequences that alter transcription factor (TF) binding is a major cause of phenotypic diversity. Brassinosteroid is a growth hormone that has major effects on plant phenotypes. Genetic variation in brassinosteroidresponsive cis-elements likely contributes to trait variation. Pinpointing such regulatory variations and quantitative genomic analysis of the variation in TF-target binding, however, remains challenging. How variation in transcriptional targets of signaling pathways such as the brassinosteroid pathway contributes to phenotypic variation is an important question to be investigated with innovative approaches.

Results: Here, we use a hybrid allele-specific chromatin binding sequencing (HASChseq) approach and …

Macro And Micro-Nutrient Accumulation And Partitioning In Soybean Affected By Water And Nitrogen Supply, Ingrid Silva Setubal, Aderson Soares De Andrade Júnior, Silvestre Paulino Da Silva, Artenisa Cerqueira Rodrigues, Aurenívia Bonifácio, Evandro Henrique Figueiredo Moura Da Silva, Paulo Fernando De Melo Jorge Vieira, Rafael De Souza Miranda, Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, Henrique Antunes De Souza

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

This study aimed to investigate the influence of water availability and nitrogen fertilization on plant growth, nutrient dynamics, and variables related to soybean crop yield. Trials were performed in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, using randomized blocks in a split-split plot arrangement. The plots corresponded to water regimes (full and deficient), the split plots to N fertilization (0 and 1000 kg ha^-1 N-urea), and the split-split plots to harvest times of soybean plants (16, 23, 30, 37, 44, 58, 65, 79 and 86 days after emergence), with three replicates. In general, the accumulation and partitioning of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium …

Perception Of Alumni Of The Department Of Agriculture At Stephen F. Austin State University, Sherifat Rufai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. …

Estimating A Model Of Forward-Looking Behavior With Discrete Choice Experiments: The Case Of Lifetime Hunting License Demand, Yusun Kim, Carson Reeling, Nicole Olynk Widmar, John G. Lee

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Sales of deer licenses, one of the most important revenue sources for wildlife management at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), have been declining for a decade. To increase its revenue, the IDNR is considering introducing a new lifetime deer license for sale. This license would allow hunters to harvest deer (and possibly other species) each year for the rest of their lives in exchange for a relatively large up-front fee. The forward-looking nature of the decision to buy a lifetime license means hunters' choice behavior is necessarily dynamic. Prior work estimates preferences for long-lived, durable goods using standard …

Economic Analysis Of Western Corn Rootworm Injury To Continuous Corn In Northeast Nebraska, Isadora Vercesi Bethlem

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The most economically significant corn pest in the US Corn Belt is the Western Corn Rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. This study compares a field experiment outcome of 4 different treatments against WCR, which consist of a rootworm Bt corn pyramid (SmartStax®) and non-rootworm Bt trait hybrid (VT2P), with or without the addition of the rootworm soil insecticide (Aztec®) to identify the risk-reward trade-off for each one of them. Observed prices were used for the years in the study (2020, 2021, and 2022), and low and high price scenarios were simulated for the period, to incorporate different dynamic relations …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2021, Leah English, Jennie Popp

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the sixteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and labor …

Effects Of Exercise When Transitioning From Free Choice Tall Fescue (Lolium Arundinaceum) Grass Diet In Late Summer To Free Choice Tall Fescue Hay Diet In Late Fall On Plasma Fructosamine Concentrations, Insulin Levels, Body Weight, And Body Condition Scores Of Stock Horse Mares And Gelding, Riley Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Equine exercise may influence a horse’s metabolic and physiological functions. Studies can help to prove this linkage, and to better understand the nutritional requirements of the horse. The parameters that are being evaluated are plasma-fructosamine concentrations, insulin levels, body weight (lbs.), and body condition score (BCS) as a measurement of obesity. Eight horses used in this study were split into two groups; Worked horses were exercised three times a week while the unworked horses were not exercised. All eight horses were fed an ad libitum diet of tall fescue grass and hay for 127 days.

Forage samples were collected to …

Solar Grazing As A Possible Vegetation Management Solution: A Budget Analysis, Byron Louk

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

A growing response to climate change among agricultural producers is to integrate renewable energy production in their portfolio of enterprises. Nonetheless, land use competition for agricultural production and solar energy production exists. To alleviate some of this competition, and possibly generate income for sheep grazers, photovoltaic (PV) system operators may save on operations and maintenance by grazing forages under solar panels rather than using mechanical or chemical means of vegetation management. “Solar grazing” operations have been shown to be economically feasible for PV system operators who own the land and pay for sheep grazing as a method of vegetation management, …

Perspectives Of Dairy Employees At The Beginning Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey Of Health Risks And Educational Needs, Fernanda Ferreira, Maristela Rovai, Mireille Chahine, Mario E. De Haro-Martí, John Wenz, Joseph Dalton, Noelia Silva-Del-Rio

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Our objective was to understand dairy employees' perceptions and educational needs at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A bilingual (English and Spanish), anonymous survey targeted at dairy employees was circulated nationwide via university and allied industry media outlets. Responses (n = 63) from 11 states were received (May–Sep. 2020). Respondents worked in herds ranging from 50 to 40,000 animals in size. Dairy managers (33%) responded mostly to the English survey (52%), whereas entry-level workers (67%) chose the Spanish format (76%). Survey results highlighted different perspectives, educational needs, and preferred sources of information between English- and Spanish-speaking dairy workers. Overall, …

Climate Change, Food Security, And The Myth Of Unlimited Abundance, Susan A. Schneider

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The Biden-Harris White House can be commended for convening the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health highlighting the critical connections between access to healthy food and sustaining a healthy population. This article explores the impact of climate change and seeks to fill a critical gap in the national discussion. It argues that dramatic changes are needed in the way we think about domestic food security and that meaningful change will be required to assure an adequate supply of healthy food, as envisioned by the White House Conference. It explores the impact of the changes to the climate …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 5, May 2023, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Contents

K-12 Curriculum & Resources

Career Exploration pathways for students who like animals and insects

Teacher & Student Opportunities

East Campus Discovery Days and Farmers Market

ALEC Department

PGA Management Program

Environmental Studies Program

CandidCareer.com: Career Exploration

Community Leaders Careers Spotlight

Haskell Ag Lab

NCE Conference 2023

In Vitro Screening Of 12 Strains Of Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus Corniculatus) Against Haemonchus Contortus, Isabella Caldwell, Elizabeth Kass, Rebecca Brown, Katherine Harper Petersson

Senior Honors Projects

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), primarily Haemonchus contortus, are one of the leading causes of death in sheep and goats. As resistance to commercial dewormers continues to rise, alternative strategies for GIN parasite control are needed. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that secondary plant compounds in birdsfoot trefoil (BFT, Lotus corniculatus) possess antiparasitic activity against GIN. In this study, the antiparasitic effect of twelve strains of BFT on the hatching of H. contortus eggs and motility of larvae was determined. BFT strains were harvested in June of 2020 and hay-dried. H. contortus eggs were recovered from mono-infected Dorset yearlings by running fresh …

Nebline, May 2023

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

The 4-H Thriving Model Provides a Guide for Helping Youth Grow to Their Full Potential by Tracy Anderson

Beef: A Healthy and Delicious Choice for Your Next Meal by Kayla Colgrove

Recipe of the Month: Skillet Lasagna by Kayla Colgrove

Managing Chlorosis in Trees by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

May is the Perfect Time to Learn More About Your Drinking Water! by Becky Schuerman

Cash Rent Survey

Challenging Behavior Corner: Providing Choices by Hayley Jackson

Pollinator Spotlight: The Yucca Moth by Kait Chapman

At Ag Literacy Festival, 4th Graders Learn How Agriculture Impacts Their Daily …

Genomic Selection For Yield And Seed Composition Stability In An Applied Soybean Breeding Program, Benjamin Mark Harms

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Stability traits are of primary importance in plant breeding to ensure consistency in phenotype across a range of environments. However, selection efficiency and accuracy for stability traits can be hindered due to the requirement of obtaining phenotype data across multiple years and environments for proper stability analysis. Genomic selection is a method that allows prediction of a phenotype prior to observation in the field using genome-wide marker data and phenotype data from a training population. To assess prediction of stability traits, two elite-yielding soybean populations developed three years apart in the same breeding program were used. The individuals in each …

Plasticity Of Sorghum Biomass And Inflorescence Traits In Response To Nitrogen Application, Kyle M. Linders

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient required for growth and development in plants. Insufficient nitrogen availability can reduce vegetative growth and grain yield. However, nitrogen is a costly input for farmers, is energy intensive to manufacture, and runoff of excess nitrogen fertilizer impacts water quality. Compared to its close relative, maize, sorghum has much greater resilience to nitrogen and water deficit, and heat stress, allowing sorghum to be grown with fewer inputs and on marginal land. Variation in total biomass accumulation and grain yield between sorghum accessions, as well as between nitrogen conditions, can be largely explained by differences in vegetative …

Consumer Valuation And Preferences For Sustainably Produced Rice In Ghana, Vera Adabrah-Danquah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable agricultural production is a systematic concept that integrates environmental health, economic profitability, and social/economic equity goals. Improving the sustainability of food production is of utmost importance to the human race, given the growing population and the increased depletion of natural resources. Improving sustainability is particularly important for rice, a global food staple with a significant environmental footprint. Rice accounts for 10% of global methane emissions. The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standard is the first globally recognized certified sustainable production standard for rice. This study focuses on consumers' preferences for sustainable rice in Ghana, including consumers’ perceptions of different SRP's …

Understanding The Operations And Decision-Making Of Cow-Calf Farmers In Northwest Arkansas, Clayton Weyl

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Societal pressure on farmers has become a more central part of the rhetoric surrounding livestock production. This study includes farmers in the discourse on the rhetoric surrounding climate change via interviews and simulations tailored to their operation. Previous research has addressed regenerative agricultural practices and conditions that influence farmer decision-making, but little research has analyzed decision-making in tandem with environmental practices. The literature reveals that cow-calf producer decision-making is influenced by their reliance on cattle as an income source, and farmers overall choose climate-friendly practices based on their perceptions about climate change. The goal of this research was to gather …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 04 - May 2023, Jean Galloway, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 4 - May 2023 contents:

• Do not confuse springtails with other pests
• Consider beneficial insects when spraying
• Growers may need to reapply baits for slugs and snails
• Field pea blackspot disease forecasts for WA are available online
• Plant disease webinar recording can now be viewed online