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Envelope Protein Complexes Of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis And Their Antigenicity, Fernando L. Leite, Timothy A. Reinhardt, J. P. Bannantine, Judith R. Stabel

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

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic enteric disease of ruminant animals. In the present study, blue native PAGE electrophoresis and 2D SDS-PAGE were used to separate MAP envelope protein complexes, followed by mass spectrometry (MS) to identify individual proteins within the complexes. Identity of individual proteins within complexes was further confirmed by MS upon excision of spots from 2D SDS-PAGE gels. Among the seven putative membrane complexes observed, major membrane protein (MAP2121c), a key MAP antigen involved in invasion of epithelial cells, was found to form a complex with cysteine desulfurase (MAP2120c). …

Sheep Updates 2015 - Ravensthorpe, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Mike Hyder, Leigh Sonnerman, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Ian Robertson, Lucy Anderton, Hayley Norman, Ed Barrett-Lenard, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Lifetime management for maternal ewes, Mike Hyder, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

5. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Leigh Sonnermann, …

Industry Career Guide: Agribusiness, Roderick C. Bugador

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Agribusiness is generally the commercial aspect related to agriculture or agricultural activities and its products. The Agribusiness sector is engaged in the production and operations of a farm, the manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies, and the processing, storage, and distribution of farm commodities. The very core of the industry is agriculture, which is supported by the manufacturing sector and service sector. As a whole, the Agribusiness sector is quite diverse as it encompasses input production, farm operations and management, equipment and supplies manufacturing, food/non-food processing, trading, and retailing.

Sheep Updates 2015 - Merredin, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Dawson Bradford, Khama Kelman, Lucy Anderton, Jaq Pearson, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Myths, Facts and the role of animal welfare in farming, Lynne Bradshaw, president, RSPCA WA

5. Latest research and development on breech strike prevention, Geoff Lindon, Manager Productivity and Animal Welfare, AWI

6. …

Pilbara Regional Biosecurity Group Inc. Annual Report 2014/15, Pilbara Regional Biosecurity Group Inc.

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

The Pilbara RBG is a not for profit association formed under the Associations Incorporation Act 1987, providing declared pest control programs for land managers, particularly in the pastoral zone. The associations’ primary purpose is the control of declared pests using funding from Declared Pest Rates paid by landholders on pastoral stations. These Declared Pest Rates funds are matched dollar for dollar by the WA Government to reflect the public benefit of controlling declared pest animals and weeds. The association is formally recognised by the Hon Minister for Agriculture and Food as a recognised biosecurity group (RBG).

Carnarvon Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc. Annual Report 2014/15, Carnarvon Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc.

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

About the Carnarvon Rangelands Biosecurity Association The CRBA is a not for profit association formed under the Associations Incorporation Act 1987, providing declared pest control services for land managers throughout Carnarvon, Exmouth, Murchison and Upper Gascoyne Shires. The associations’ primary purpose is the control of declared pests using funding from Declared Pest Rates paid by landholders on pastoral stations. These Declared Pest Rates funds are matched dollar for dollar by the WA Government to reflect the public benefit of controlling declared pest animals and weeds. The association is formally recognised by the Hon Minister for Agriculture and Food as a …

Goldfields Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc. Annual Report 2014/15, Goldfields Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc.

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

The Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc.(GNRBA) is unique in rangeland management across Western Australia. It has a huge area to service and is working hard to provide a top class service to ratepayers. It is now well recognised as being a leader in the RBG’s in WA.

Kimberley Rangelands Biosecurity Association Invasive Species Activity Report 2014/15, Kimberley Rangelands Biosecurity Association

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

The Kimberley Rangelands Biosecurity Association (KRBA) has an annual Large Feral Herbivore culling program that includes feral donkeys, horses and camels with other animals such as water buffalo and pigs targeted when located. The program focusses primarily on donkeys, using the radio telemetry technique with horses and camels culled opportunistically during tracking. Currently there are 135 active collars throughout the region.

Meekatharra Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc. Annual Report 2014/15, Meekatharra Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc.

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

The Meekatharra Rangelands Biosecurity Association Inc (MRBA) is an industry body with a membership of all pastoralists in the Shires of Yalgoo, Mount Magnet, Cue and Meekatharra. The Association has been established under the Biosecurity and Agricultural Management Act 2007 with a charter to manage and control declared pests, both animal and plant.

Feed The Future Ipm Innovation Lab: A Critical Role In Global Food Security, R. Muniappan, Elvis A. Heinrichs

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The World Food Summit of 1966 defined ”food security” as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” Food insecurity is part of a continuum that includes hunger (food deprivation), malnutrition (deficiencies, imbalances, or excess of nutrients), and famine. The world faces three major challenges: (1) to match the rapidly changing demand for food, (2) to do so in ways that are environmentally and socially acceptable, and (3) to ensure that the world’s poorest people are no longer hungry. World population is expected to reach 9 …

Qtl For Seed Protein And Amino Acids In The Benning × Danbaekkong Soybean Population, C. V. Warrington, H. Abdel‑Haleem, D. L. Hyten, P. B. Cregan, J. H. Orf, A. S. Killam, N. Bajjalieh, Z. Li, H. R. Boerma

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean, rather than nitrogen-containing forages, is the primary source of quality protein in feed formulations for domestic swine, poultry, and dairy industries. As a sole dietary source of protein, soybean is deficient in the amino acids lysine (Lys), threonine (Thr), methionine (Met), and cysteine (Cys). Increasing these amino acids would benefit the feed industry. The objective of the present study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with crude protein (cp) and amino acids in the ‘Benning’ × ‘Danbaekkong’ population. The population was grown in five southern USA environments. Amino acid concentrations as a fraction of cp (Lys/cp, Thr/cp, …

First Approximations Of Prescribed Fire Risks Relative To Other Management Techniques Used On Private Lands, Dirac L. Twidwell, Carissa L. Wonkka, Michael T. Sindelar, John R. Weir

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Fire is widely recognized as a critical ecological and evolutionary driver that needs to be at the forefront of land management actions if conservation targets are to be met. However, the prevailing view is that prescribed fire is riskier than other land management techniques. Perceived risks associated with the application of fire limits its use and reduces agency support for prescribed burning in the private sector. As a result, considerably less cost-share support is given for prescribed fire compared to mechanical techniques. This study tests the general perception that fire is a riskier technique relative to other land management options. …

A Genomic Selection Index Applied To Simulated And Real Data, J. Jesus Ceron-Rojas, Jose Crossa, Vivi N. Arief, Kaye Basford, Jessica Rutkoski, Diego Jarquin, Gregorio Alvarado, Yoseph Beyene, Kassa Semagn, Ian Delacy

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A genomic selection index (GSI) is a linear combination of genomic estimated breeding values that uses genomic markers to predict the net genetic merit and select parents from a nonphenotyped testing population. Some authors have proposed a GSI; however, they have not used simulated or real data to validate the GSI theory and have not explained how to estimate the GSI selection response and the GSI expected genetic gain per selection cycle for the unobserved traits after the first selection cycle to obtain information about the genetic gains in each subsequent selection cycle. In this paper, we develop the theory …

Selection For Silage Yield And Composition Did Not Affect Genomic Diversity Within The Wisconsin Quality Synthetic Maize Population, Aaron Lorenz, Timothy M. Beissinger, Renato Rodrigues Silva, Natalia De Leon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Maize silage is forage of high quality and yield, and represents the second most important use of maize in the United States. The Wisconsin Quality Synthetic (WQS) maize population has undergone five cycles of recurrent selection for silage yield and composition, resulting in a genetically improved population. The application of high-density molecular markers allows breeders and geneticists to identify important loci through association analysis and selection mapping, as well as to monitor changes in the distribution of genetic diversity across the genome. The objectives of this study were to identify loci controlling variation for maize silage traits through association analysis …

Overexpression Of The Transporters Atzip1 And Atmtp1 In Cassava Changes Zinc Accumulation And Partitioning, Eliana Gaitán-Solis, Nigel J. Taylor, Dimuth Siritunga, William Stevens, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Zinc deficiency in humans is a serious problem worldwide with an estimated one third of populations at risk for insufficient zinc in diet, which leads to impairment of cognitive abilities and immune system function. The goal of this research was to increase the bioavailable zinc in the edible portion of cassava roots to improve the overall zinc nutrition of populations that rely on cassava as a dietary staple. To increase zinc concentrations, two Arabidopsis thaliana genes coding for ZIP1 and MTP1 were overexpressed with a tuber-specific or constitutive promoter. Eighteen transgenic events from four constructs, out of a total of …

Genetic Control Of Morphometric Diversity In The Maize Shoot Apical Meristem, Samuel Leiboff, Xianran Li, Heng-Cheng Hu, Natalie Todt, Jinliang Yang, Xiao Li, Xiaoqing Yu, Gary J. Muehlbauer, Marja C.P. Timmermans, Jianming Yu, Patrick S. Schnable, Michael J. Scanlon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The maize shoot apical meristem (SAM) comprises a small pool of stem cells that generate all above-ground organs. Although mutational studies have identified genetic networks regulating SAM function, little is known about SAM morphological variation in natural populations. Here we report the use of high-throughput image processing to capture rich SAM size variation within a diverse maize inbred panel. We demonstrate correlations between seedling SAM size and agronomically important adult traits such as flowering time, stem size and leaf node number. Combining SAM phenotypes with 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) via genome-wide association study reveals unexpected SAM morphology candidate …

High Tunnel Design, Site Development, And Construction, Stacy A. Adams, Kim Todd

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

High tunnels are low technology plant growing structures that provide opportunity for season extension, severe weather protection, and modified environments to increase productivity and visual quality of harvested plant products. This publication describes high tunnel components, site selection, development, covering materials, installation, and operation.

Experienced specialty plant growers can increase the quality of their products and the duration of their marketing of high- value crops through the use of high tunnels. High tunnels give growers the opportunity to plant earlier and include more sequential planting dates. This can result in early- season, high- dollar returns and the ability to offer …

Urea Formulations On The Productivity Of Bermudagrass And Bermudagrass-White Clover Pastures, Caitlin Timberlake

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) is a perennial warm-season grass that is very responsive to nitrogen (N) fertilization. Excessive N applications have negative environmental consequences and make maintaining mixed swards difficult. This study determined the effects of enhanced efficiency (EE) N fertilizers and fertilizer rate on bermudagrass yields, nutritive values, and white clover persistence. Nitrogen sources included urea, urea formulated with Agrotain^® (U+A), urea with Agrotain^® and dicyandiamide (SuperU), a polymer-coated urea (ESN), ESN+urea (75% ESN, 25% urea), and methylene urea (MU). In the urea formulation trial, SuperU and U+A maximized forage yields at lower N rates. The …

National Agri-Marketing Association Annual Conference Professional Growth Opportunities For Unl Students, Caleb Nuehring, Rosalee A. Swartz

Cornhusker Economics

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) annual conference in April of each year is a highlight for Nebraska NAMA students. The students look forward to opportunities to network with professionals and attend sessions and workshops presented by internationally known speakers and experts.

NAMA is comprised of 23 professional chapters in six regions nationwide and has more than 3,500 professional and student members. NAMA members include professionals in agribusinesses, commodity associations, advertising and public relations agencies, as well as faculty, staff, and students from universities across the u.s. and Canada. At the state level, Nebraska's professional Cornhusker Chapter has nearly 70 members. …

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2015), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

This issue includes the 2014 SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report.

[Page] 2 AES Director’s Message
[Page] 3 Better Beans: Innovative Research Seeks To Increase Soybean’s Nitrogen-Fixing Ability
[Page] 6 Bioprocessing Adds Value: Researchers Turn Agricultural Residue Into Energy Storage Material
[Page] 8 Protecting Water Quality: Conservation Practices Minimize Erosion, Surface Runoff
[Page] 10 Balancing Ag & Wildlife: Cover Crop Food Plots Help Manage Deer Population
[Page] 11 Industry Insight: Beef Consumers Get Information From Websites, Social Media
[Page] 12 Evaluating Efficiency: Swine Nutritional Studies Underway; New Facility Will Allow For Expanded Research
[Page] 14 SDSU Hosts National Ag Leaders …

Farmer Field School As An Effective Approach In Increasing Farmers’ Knowledge, Skills, And Practices, And In Enhancing Diffusion Of Innovations: Evidences From Selected Rice Farmers In Masalasa, Victoria, Tarlac, Philippines, Glenn Y. Ilar

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study assessed the effectiveness of the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach in increasing the knowledge, skills, and practices of selected rice farmers in Barangay Masalasa, Victoria, Tarlac in the Philippines as well as the diffusion of innovations among them. Empirical evidences were obtained from the 24 farmers who attended the FFS on PalayCheck System and 24 non-participating farmers serving as the control group. The FFS provided farmers with new knowledge and skills on the whole PalayCheck System as demonstrated by the FFS graduates having more knowledge on the PalayCheck component-technologies as compared with non-FFS farmers. All the FFS farmers …

Comparative Analysis Of The National And Communal Irrigation Systems’ Water Governance: The Philippines Case, Miriam R. Nguyen, Agnes C. Rola, Rosalie A. Hall, Corazon L. Abansi, Myra E. David

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

Using Saleth and Dinar’s water governance framework, the study characterized irrigators’ associations and examined how they operate and how they are managed. A total of 128 association presidents were surveyed in ten provinces in the Philippines and were asked about their knowledge and perception on the organization, natural resource policies, and water status in the locality.

The National Irrigation Systems (NIS) still has a formal structure as influenced by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), but it is assuming the characteristics of the Communal Irrigation Systems (CIS) management because of the paradigm shift to participatory irrigation management. The CIS, on the …

Addressing Food Security: Saba Banana And Rootcrops As Alternative Food Staples To Rice In Quezon Province, Philippines, Isabelita M. Pabuayon, Blanquita R. Pantoja, Anselma C. Manila, Mac Lorenz C. Santos

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The Philippines considers rice self-sufficiency as vital to food security; hence, possible alternative food staples are being identified in case of persistent shortfalls in domestic rice production. This paper explores the potential of Saba (cardava) banana, sweet potato, potato, yam, and cassava as alternative staples for the local communities in the Quezon province, Philippines, which grow all these crops. Socioeconomic surveys of 375 farmers, 82 traders, and 625 consumers were conducted in 2013 but covered crop year 2012. Results showed that Saba banana, sweet potato, and cassava had the highest demand among the five crops based on per capita consumption. …

Characterization Of Suspected Cyclic Di-Gmp Metabolizing Genes In Streptomyces Scabies, Bridget N. Bickers

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Streptomyces scabies is a bacterial plant pathogen responsible for a condition known as common scab in potatoes and other tuber crops. Aerial hyphae and spore development have been shown to be regulated by cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling in the non-pathogenic species Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces venezuelae. The second messenger c-di-GMP is ubiquitous among bacteria and is connected to many functions such as: motility, virulence, and biofilm formation, but the effects of c-di-GMP signaling in other streptomycetes are unknown. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the function of the suspected S. scabies c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase genes SCAB11501 and SCAB27241 …

Expanding Eco-Visualization: Sculpting Corn Production, Jennifer E. Figg

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation expands upon the definition of eco-visualization artwork. EV was originally defined in 2006 by Tiffany Holmes as a way to display the real time consumption statistics of key environmental resources for the goal of promoting ecological literacy. I assert that the final forms of EV artworks are not necessarily dependent on technology, and can differ in terms of media used, in that they can be sculptural, video-based, or static two-dimensional forms that communicate interpreted environmental information. There are two main categories of EV: one that is predominantly screen-based and another that employs a variety of modes of representation …

Slavery, Agriculture, And Malaria In The Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

In Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly illuminates a previously unstudied phenomenon: the large-scale employment of people of African ancestry as slaves in agricultural oases within the Arabian Peninsula. The key to understanding this unusual system, Reilly argues, is the prevalence of malaria within Arabian Peninsula oases and drainage basins, which rendered agricultural lands in Arabia extremely unhealthy for people without genetic or acquired resistance to malarial fevers. In this way, Arabian slave agriculture had unexpected similarities to slavery as practiced in the Caribbean and Brazil.

This book synthesizes for the first time a body of …

Estimating Desirable Cattle Traits Using Latent Class And Mixed Logit Models: A Choice Modeling Application To The U.S. Grass-Fed Beef Industry, Isaac Sitienei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the preferences for cattle traits using mixed logit and latent class models. Choice experiment data from a 2013 mail survey of 1,052 U.S. grass-fed beef producers were used. The findings indicate that grass-fed beef producers generally preferred lower-priced, heavy animals that were small-to-medium framed and easy to handle for grass-finishing. Black animals that were retained from their own calves were preferred. Relative to intact males, steers and heifers were preferred. Except for the estimated parameter for the weight attribute, the standard deviations for the temperament, body frame, source, color, gender, and price attribute levels were significant at …

Three Essays On Economic Analysis Of Production Systems Of U.S. Grass-Fed Beef Industry, Basu Deb Bhandari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation research consists of three essays. The first two studies analyze experimental research data based on three pasture systems for grass-fed beef (GFB) production in the Gulf Coast Region. System 1 included bermudagrass and ryegrass; System 2 included bermudagrass, ryegrass, rye, dallisgrass, and clover mixtures (red, white, and berseem clovers); and System 3 included bermudagrass, soybean, sorghum sudan hybrid, ryegrass, rye, dallisgrass, and clover mixtures (red, white, and berseem clovers). Fifty-four Fall-born steers were weaned in May and grouped into nine groups and randomly blocked into treatments and replicates. Inputs and output data were recorded on a daily basis. …

Three Essays On Land Ownership, Gender, And Agricultural Productivity In The Case Of Developing Countries, Krishna H. Koirala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation set out to evaluate the impact of land ownership and role of gender to the Filipino farmers and to investigate gender difference in agricultural productivity and technical efficiency of Malawian rural households. The first essay investigates the impact of land ownership on the productivity and technical efficiency of rice farmers in the Philippines. We use a 2007-2012 Loop Survey from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and analyzed it by using a stochastic frontier function method. Results show that land ownership has a significant impact on technical efficiency. In particular, counter to the theory, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform …

Navigating A Pathway Toward Colorado's Water Future: A Review And Recommendations On Colorado's Draft Water Plan, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Colorado Water Working Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

40 pages (includes color illustrations).