Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis And Installation Of A Demonstration Agroforestry Orchard For Californian Mediterranean Plant Communities, Brandon Hurd

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate-appropriate agroforestry can provide low-input food security and ecosystem services for local Californian Mediterranean climates, while conserving natural resources (e.g., water, nitrogen, etc.). This project showcases a variety of agroforestry methods for five common plant communities of California and other analogous Mediterranean climates at the CAFES Experimental Farm on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Plant community species and their ethnobotanical uses were analyzed to mimic and incorporate aspects of native flora. Agricultural plants were also characterized to represent each of the five selected plant communities. GIS was used to assess the project site for soil, slope, and …

Nebline, March/April 2023

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Youth-Led Photovoice Project Gives Refugees Opportunity to Explore Mental Health by Emily Gratopp

Upcoming Photovoice Exhibits

Recipe of the Month: Baharat (Middle East Spice Blend) by Emily Gratopp

Early Season Disease Control in the Home Orchard by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

2023 Chemigation Training

Farm Estate Planning Workshop, March 7

2023 Lincoln Early Childhood Conference, Saturday, March 25

Two Lancaster 4-H’ers Participated in National 4-H Congress

4-H Horse Judging Team at Nationals

Teen Council 4-H’ers Team Up to Lead Lock-In

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Trevor Kauer and Bethany Bettenhausen

4-H Club Gives Youth With …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 3, March 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.

Included in this edition:

K-12 curriculum and resources

Elementary school resources

Middle school resources

High school resources

STEM educational trailers

Career exploration: Pathways for students who like animals and insects

Teacher and student opportunities

Registration open now for Cultivando Caminos

CASNR six interest areas: Analytic investigators, health system innovators, food system futurists, environmental stewards, entrepreneurial designers, community leaders

Environmental careers spotlight: Wildlife careers, …

The Use Of Open Data Kit (Odk) In Characterizing The Cacao Industry Sites In Panay Island, Rhea J. Subong-Espina, Reynold D. Tan, Christine Mae D. Hernando

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Cacao is one of the world's most valuable export commodities and cash crops. Western Visayas, along with the other regions in the Philippines, has committed to participate in national efforts to strengthen the production capacity of the cacao industry and address prospects and opportunities for the industry growth and development. This paper presents the results of a region-wide study that mapped out and assessed key cacao-producing areas in Western Visayas, specifically Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo. The study sought their current production levels, important agricultural properties of farming areas, production densities, and growth potentials. Geospatial data was generated, analyzed, and …

Proceedings Of The 50th Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 1-2, 2023, Pensacola Beach, Florida), Kiersten A. Wise, Ian Small, Tessie Wilkerson, Danise Beadle, Trey Price, Tom W. Allen

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Southern United States Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for 2022. TW Allen, K Bissonnette, CA, Bradley, TR Faske, Z Grabau, T Isakeit, RC Kemerait, A Koehler, D Langston, J Lofton, JD Mueller, GB Padgett, PP Price, EJ Sikora, IM Small, R Vann, and H Young

Reflecting and Looking Forward: Perspectives from “Legends” and “Fresh Faces” of the SSDW (Moderators: Kiersten Wise and Ian Small)

The Implementation of a National Response to a New Soybean Pathogen, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, in North America. J Marois

Fungicide Resistance in Cercospora sojina: How Did We Get Here and What’s Next? CA Bradley

Exploring Mechanisms …

Best Practice Marking Of Lambs, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Lambs should be marked between two and 12 weeks of age, with the youngest animal in the mob at least 24 hours old, to ensure the formation of a maternal bond. If lambing extends for more than six weeks, consider having two mulesing/marking sessions.

Lambs should be tail docked using a gas-heated knife or rubber rings and mulesing should only be carried out when necessary.

The provision of pain relief with routine husbandry procedures benefits animal health and welfare and is now a consumer and community expectation. Producers have access to registered products that can relieve pain associated with mulesing, …

Molecular Characterization Of Germination Of Date Palm Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Pace (International Space Station), Wesam Izzeldeen Khader

Theses

Over the past decade, the UAE has experienced unprecedented innovations in the space sector. Collaborating closely with universities and space agencies around the world, the country's efforts have advanced steadily but quietly under the public radar. The proposed research focuses on basic research to complement the UAE initiative to send date palms to Mars for future space missions. Plant growth analysis of date palm seeds was performed after maintaining at zero gravity in outer space in the International Space Station (ISS) and simultaneously under normal gravity at ground level. In this context, this work was carried out to analyze the …

Differential Impacts Of Cereal And Protein Sources Fed To Pigs After Weaning On Diarrhoea And Faecal Shedding Of Escherichia Coli, Production, And Total Tract Apparent Digestibility, John R. Pluske, Bruce P. Mullan, Jae Cheol Kim, David J. Hampson

Animal production and livestock research articles

Different cereal types, in combination with different protein sources, are fed to pigs after weaning, but their interactions and possible implications are not well researched. In this study, 84 male weaned piglets were used in a 21-day feeding trial to investigate the effects of feeding either medium-grain or long-grain extruded rice or wheat, in a factorial combination with protein sources of either vegetable or animal origin, on postweaning performance, shedding of β–haemolytic Escherichia coli, and the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD). Pigs fed either rice type performed the same (p > 0.05) as wheat-fed pigs after weaning. The use …

Evaluating Metabolic And Genomic Data For Predicting Grain Traits Under High Night Temperature Stress In Rice, Ye Bi, Rafael Massahiro Yassue, Puneet Paul, Balpreet Kaur Dhatt, Jaspreet Sandhu, Phuc Thi Do, Harkamal Walia, Toshihiro Obata, Gota Morota

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The asymmetric increase in average nighttime temperatures relative to increase in average daytime temperatures due to climate change is decreasing grain yield and quality in rice. Therefore, a better genome-level understanding of the impact of higher night temperature stress on the weight of individual grains is essential for future development of more resilient rice. We investigated the utility of metabolites obtained from grains to classify high night temperature (HNT) conditions of genotypes, and metabolites and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to predict grain length, width, and perimeter phenotypes using a rice diversity panel. We found that the metabolic profiles of rice genotypes …

Data On Data: An Analysis Of Data Usage And Analytics In The Agricultural Supply Chain, Lourival Carmo Monaco Neto, Brady Brewer, Allan Gray

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The amount of data being collected throughout the agricultural supply chain has increased in both volume and velocity. All signs indicate that this will only increase as data collection technologies become more cost effective and prevalent throughout the supply chain. Previous work in this area has focused on data collection at the farm level. Our study focuses on data that originates at five different stages of the agricultural supply chain off the farm and how these stages view their firm's data collection and analysis efforts. We find that there is heterogeneity in the data collection efforts and analysis across the …

Parasitoid Wasps Of The Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug In Utah, Zachary R. Schumm, Kate V. Richardson, Mark Cody Holthouse, Yota Mizuno, Diane G. Alston, Lori R. Spears

All Current Publications

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys Stål), an invasive insect from eastern Asia, is causing nuisance problems and agricultural damage in northern Utah. Insecticide applications to control this pest are not sustainable, and therefore the focus is on biological control through the use of parasitoid wasps that sting and kill stink bug eggs. Surveys are underway in Utah to search for Samurai wasp (Trissolcus Japonicus [Ashmead]), a parasitoid wasp native to BMSB’s home range that has been found in 12 U.S. States, and is highly effective at killing BMSB eggs. While Samurai wasp has not been found, …

Alfalfa In Rotation With Annual Crops Reduced Nitrate Leaching Potential, Arshdeep Singh, Tahseen Afzal, Bryan Woodbury, Charles Wortmann, Javed Iqbal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Rotation of perennial alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with annual crops has the potential to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) in the vadose zone and increase soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects on SOC, NO₃-N, ammonium-N (NH₄-N), and soil water in the 7.2 m depth with an alfalfa rotation compared with continuous corn (Zea mays L.). Soils from six pairs of alfalfa rotation versus continuous corn observation points were sampled to 7.2 m depth in 0.3 m increments. The uppermost 0.3 m was divided into …

Soybean Seed Protein Concentration Is Limited By Nitrogen Supply In Tropical And Subtropical Environments In Brazil, E. H. Figueiredo Moura Da Silva, N. Cafaro La Menza, G. G. Munareto, A. J. Zanon, Santos Carvalho, F. R. Marin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean production contributes to ca. 60% of global plant-based protein used for food and feed. Brazil is the largest soybean producer and exporter, with 60% from tropical and 40% from subtropical environments. Nitrogen (N) can play an essential role in the storage of proteins in seeds; thus, it could be a key factor in increasing the quantity and quality of seeds in high-yielding soybean crops. Unlike in temperate environments, there is a gap of knowledge on whether soybean grown under tropical and subtropical climates are limited by N-fertilization to sustain the seed yield increase without detriments in seed protein concentration. …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile Of Pathogenic And Commensal Bacteria Recovered From Cattle And Goat Farms, Winne Mukuna, Tobenna Aniume, Bharat Pokharel, Collins Khwatenge, Ashesh Basnet, Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The use of antibiotics in food animals results to antimicrobial resistant bacteria that complicates the ability to treat infections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pathogenic and commensal bacteria in soil, water, manure, and milk from cattle and goat farms. A total of 285 environmental and 81 milk samples were analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae by using biochemical and PCR techniques. Susceptibility to antibiotics was determined by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion technique. A total of 15 different Enterobacteriaceae species were identified from goat and cattle farms. Manure had significantly higher (p < 0.05) Enterobacteriaceae (52.0%) than soil (37.2%), trough water (5.4%), and runoff water (5.4%). There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in Enterobacteriaceae in goat milk (53.9%) and cow milk (46.2%). Enterobacteriaceae from environment showed 100% resistance to novobiocin, erythromycin, and vancomycin E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus spp., and Listeria monocytogenes displayed three, five, six, and ten. AMR patterns, respectively. NOV-TET-ERY-VAN was the most common phenotype observed in all isolates. Our study suggest that cattle and goat farms are reservoirs of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Food animal producers should be informed on the prudent use of antimicrobials, good agricultural practices, and biosecurity measures.

Study Of Tetracycline Detection In Milk By Pre-Incubation Mediated Signal Enhanced Colloidal Gold Method, Chen Ju-Yi, Wu Yu-Han, Yao Li, Xu Zhou, Wu Qian, Chen Wei

Food and Machinery

Based on the traditional colloidal strip, the pre-incubation reaction model was adopted, which was performed in the homogeneous aqueous solution between the colloid gold labeled antibody and analyte. This pre-incubation reaction was used to improve the efficiency of the immunoreaction. The pre-incubation solution was added to the colloidal gold strip for detection. Taking advantage of the pre-incubation model, the pre-incubated products were added to the colloidal gold strip for detection and the sensitivity for tetracycline was improved by 5 folds, as low as 1 μg/L. Changing the reaction model of the traditional colloidal gold strip from the direction adding sample …

Determination Of Vancomycin Antibiotics Residues In Animal Derived Food By Solid Phase Extraction And High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Jin Lin, Xiao-Long Fan, Feng Jiang, Qing-Zhi Peng, Tao-Hong Zhou

Food and Machinery

A accurate and quantitative method was developed for the determination of vancomycin antibiotics residues in animal food by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted by formic acid acetonitrile solution, degreased by acetonitrile-saturated n-hexane, purified by cation solid-phase extraction column, detected in the multi reaction monitoring (MRM) positive ion mode, and quantified by internal standard method using didechloro vancomycin as internal standard. The results showed that the target of vancomycin and norvancomycin had a good linear relationship in the range of 20~200 μg/L, and the correlation coefficient (R²) could reach more than 0.997. The …

Optimization Of Degumming Process And The Analysis Of Physicochemical Indexs Of Flaxseed Oil, Yun-Yun Chen, Jin-Ying Wang, Xing-Rui Wang, Yu-Ze Han

Food and Machinery

In order to improve the quality of flax oil, the conventional hydration method was used to optimize the degumming process conditions and analyze the main physicochemical indexes. Taking the degumming rate as an indicator, the effects of temperature, time, water addition and phosphoric acid addition on the degumming effect of flax seed oil were studied respectively. Optimizing the degumming conditions of flax seed oil based on single factor and Box-Behnken center combination experimental design principle. The results showed that the best process conditions for degumming by conventional hydration method of flax seed oil: the temperature of 63.7 ℃, the time …

Risk Assessment And Regulation Of Bacteriophage As A New Food Antimicrobial Agent, Lin Wei, Juan-Juan Sun

Food and Machinery

Based on the theory of modern risk regulation and the existing research results at home and abroad, this paper discusses the bacteriophage as a kind of food antimicrobial agent from the perspective of risk assessment and risk regulation. In previous studies on risk assessment, no obvious adverse effects and side effects of phages on the environment, animals and human body were found. As an antibacterial agent, bacteriophage has shown good antibacterial effects in fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products and seafood, with a very broad application prospect. However, while complying with the application research trend of bacteriophage food antimicrobial agents, …

Screening And Identification Of Two Strains Of Β-Glucosidase Producing Symbiotic Fungi In Martianus Dermestoides And The Mechanism Of Combined Transformation Of Ginsenoside, Liu Fang, Yan-Cheng Wang, Wen-Xiu Ji, Wei-Wei Dong

Food and Machinery

Two strains of fungi producing β-glucosidase were screened and identified from Martianus dermestoides. The conversion of rare ginsenosides and fermentation quality were improved by combined fermentation of the two strains. The dynamic fermentation process was studied, and the mechanism of ginsenoside transformation was clarified. Screening was performed by MRS (aesculin, ferric citrate) medium. Two fungi producing β-glucosidase were identified by 18S rRNA gene amplification. The strains were fermented with total ginsenoside, the fermentation products were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Two fungi producing β-glucosidase were identified as genus Chaetomium and Aspergillus respectively. The fermentation products of WY1 reacted with total …

An Uhplc-Ms/Ms Method For Rapid Analysis Of Tea For The Potential Presence Of Illegally Added Flavorings, Zhi-Sen Liang, Yu-Zhen Chen, Lang-Jun Zhou

Food and Machinery

A qualitative and quantitative method for simultaneous detection of 7 potential presence of illegally-added flavorings, including trans-anethole, coumarin, estragole, lawsone, methyleugenol, pulegone and trans-cinnamaldehyde in tea samples. Tea samples were extracted with acetonitrile-water served as a mixed solvent, subjected to whirlpool oscillation and then diluted properly. After that, anhydrous sodium sulfate, primary secondary amine (PSA) and octadecylsiyl silica gel (C₁₈) were added to the solvent for purification. The centrifugation, the supernatant was filtered over a membrane and separated on a Kinetex C₁₈ column. These 7 target compounds were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS in MRM mode, and quantified utilizing …

Effect Of Refrigerated Storage On Nutritional Composition And Volatile Substances Of Yak Yogurt, Sheng-Sheng Li, Shu-Jie Liu

Food and Machinery

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nutritional composition and volatile substances changes of yak yogurt under refrigeration storage. The nutritional composition and volatile substance were measured by amino acid analysis, fatty acid methyl ester method and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that yak yogurt had no significant difference on the contents of protein, fat, lactose and water content (P＞0.05) under refrigeration storage. The total amino acid and flavour amino acid of yak yogurt significant increased after 7 d refrigeration storage (P＜0.05), and the increased rate were 12.96% and 8.51%, respectively; the amino acids score of yak …

Effect Of Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion In Vitro On The Antioxidant Activity Of Oyster Oligopeptides, Yong Ma, Li-Hui Gao, Xiao-Wen Feng, Rui-Zeng Gu, Tao Han, Wen-Ying Liu

Food and Machinery

Oyster oligopeptides were prepared by enzymolysis from shelled oyster meat. The molecular weight distribution, DPPH radical scavenging capacity, hydroxyl free radical (·OH) scavenging capacity, ABTS free radical scavenging capacity and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) of oyster oligopeptides were compared before and after digestion in vitro. The changes of antioxidant activity of the oligopeptides after digestion in simulated stomach and intestine were explored. The experimental results showed that the relative molecular weight of oyster oligopeptides was mainly under 1 000 Da, and the average molecular weight of pepsin and trypsin decreased by no more than 8.2%; after pepsin and trypsin …

Research Progress On The Extraction Of Natural Astaxanthin From Haematococcus Pluvialis, Yan Li, Jing Gao

Food and Machinery

Natural astaxanthin has stronger stability, biological activity and safety than chemically synthesized astaxanthin. Haematococcus pluvia-lis is the most important biological source of natural astaxanthin and more attentions have been paid to the extraction of astaxanthin from H. pluvialis. This work focuses on the development methods of cell-wall disruption of H. pluvialis and the extraction of astaxanthin, which can provides a theoretical basis for the efficient extraction and comprehensive utilization of natural astaxanthin from H. pluvialis.

Effects Of Storage Conditions On Physical And Chemical Characteristics Of Almond Protein Isolates, Wang Wei-Qing, Li Xiu-Ting, Zhou Bin, Li Shu-Gang

Food and Machinery

Taking the almond protein isolate (API) as the research object, explored the effect of different storage conditions (temperature, packaging method and time) on the physical and chemical properties and digestion properties of API. The results showed that the free sulfhydryl group of API gradually decreased and the disulfide bond and carbonyl value gradually increased with the storage time prolonged. After 9 months of storage, the molecular weight of API increased, mainly concentrated in 50~70 kDa; as the oxidation degree deepened, the function characteristics of API decreased (solubility and foaming characteristics); at 35 ℃ and non-vacuum packaging conditions, after 9 months …

Analysis And Comporison Of Nutritional Component In The Muscle Of Zhedong Geese And Landes Geese, Hua Yang, Su-Ling Sun, Wei-Hu Chen, Li-Zhi Lu, Yu Zhang, Jun-Hong Wang, Zuo-Yi Zhu, Xue Li, Wei Wang

Food and Machinery

To study the difference of nutritional value of Zhedong geese and Landes geese, the contents of nutritional component in chest and leg muscle of Zhedong geese and Landes geese were determined. The results showed that crude fat content of Zhedong geese was higher than that of Landes geese. However, crude protein and crude ash contents were almost same in Zhedong geese and Landes geese. Both Zhedong geese andLandes geese had a wide variety of amino acids, and their essential amino acids (EAA) compositions and structures fit in FAO/WHO recommended pattern for amino acids. The first limited amino acid in Zhedong …

Bison Influences On Composition And Diversity Of Riparian Plant Communities In Yellowstone National Park, J. Boone Kauffman, Dian Lyn Cummings, Cimarron Kauffman, Robert L. Beschta, Jeremy Brooks, Keeley Macneill, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Riparian zones are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the Intermountain West, USA, and provide valuable ecosystem services, including high rates of biotic productivity, nutrient processing, and carbon storage. Thus, their sustainability is a high priority for land managers. Large ungulates affect composition and structure of riparian/stream ecosystems through herbivory and physical effects, via trailing and trampling. Bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have been characterized as "ecosystem engineers" because of their demonstrated effects on phenology, aboveground productivity of grasses, and woody vegetation structure. Bison have greatly increased in numbers during the last two decades …

Incentive Mechanisms To Exploit Intraseasonal Price Arbitrage Opportunities For Smallholder Farmers: Experimental Evidence From Malawi, Tabitha Nindi, Jacob Ricker-Gilbert, Jonathan Bauchet

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Seasonal commodity price fluctuations can potentially offer farmers arbitrage opportunities to increase their income. However, smallholder farmers in most of sub-Saharan Africa often do not exploit these opportunities to the fullest extent possible. To inform this issue, we conducted a randomized controlled trial among 1739 smallholder farmers in Malawi to estimate the impact of two key post-harvest constraints, lack of appropriate storage technology and commitment issues, on farmers' legume storage and sales decisions. The treated groups received (i) an improved storage technology in the form of two hermetic (airtight) bags, (ii) the same improved storage technology under the condition that …

Agriculture Water Use And Economic Value In The Great Salt Lake Basin, Cody Zesiger, Burdette Barker, Sarah Null, Earl Creech, Matt Yost, Ryan Larsen, Joshua Dallin

All Current Publications

This fact sheet briefly describes human impacts on GSL water volume, human population growth, surface water withdrawals, and agricultural water use from 1985 and 2015 in the GSL Basin. Finally, agriculture’s economic impact and food production in the GSL Basin are summarized.

Expression Of Malic Enzyme Reveals Subcellular Carbon Partitioning For Storage Reserve Production In Soybeans, Usda Agricultural Research Service, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Thomas E. Clemente, Hanh T. Nguyen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

• Central metabolism produces amino and fatty acids for protein and lipids that establish seed value. Biosynthesis of storage reserves occurs in multiple organelles that exchange central intermediates including two essential metabolites, malate, and pyruvate that are linked by malic enzyme. Malic enzyme can be active in multiple subcellular compartments, partitioning carbon and reducing equivalents for anabolic and catabolic requirements. Prior studies based on isotopic labeling and steady-state metabolic flux analyses indicated malic enzyme provides carbon for fatty acid biosynthesis in plants, though genetic evidence confirming this role is lacking. We hypothesized that increasing malic enzyme flux would alter carbon partitioning …

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The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 2, February 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.

Included in this edition:

K-12 curriculum and resources

Career exploration: Pathways for students who like animals and insects

Teacher and student opportunities

Send your students to campus

Kudos to our partners

Success story: University's TAPS program coming soon to high school class rooms