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A Land Data Assimilation System (Ldas) Based Dataset For Regional Agro-Climatic Assessments, Xing Liu

Open Access Theses

This study is part of a USDA sponsored project ----Useful to Usable (U2U): "Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers". The broader objective includes improving farm resilience and profitability in the U.S. Corn Belt region by transforming existing climate/weather data into usable knowledge and tools for the agricultural community.

The specific tasks of this research are: (1) Build a high-resolution (4 km, daily) agro-climatic dataset using a Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS). (2) Estimate regional corn yield across the Corn Belt with crop models and the agro-climatic dataset. (3) Evaluate the impacts of climate variability due to …

Effects Of Selected Pesticides On Calico Scale And Its Natural Enemies, Carlos Roberto Quesada Machigua

Open Access Theses

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) is an exotic pest of shade and ornamental trees. It feeds on phloem sap, reduces tree vigor and can ultimately kill trees. We observed effects of four foliar applied (bifenthrin, pyriproxyfen, chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole) and two soil applied pesticides (dinotefuran, imidacloprid) on calico scales and their natural enemies on infested thornless honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) over three years. Bifenthrin, dinotefuran and cyantraniliprole provided the largest reductions in scale populations when they were applied to egg laying females on branches early in the season. In contrast, bifenthrin and pyriproxyfen provided the most …

Influence Of Organic Groundcovers On Mycorrhizal Colonization And Symbiosis Of Organically Managed Fruit Crops, Raven Anai Bough, Curt R. Rom

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Ground covers have the potential to impact the crop rhizosphere biology, which includes organisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which in turn affect the crop host plant through symbiosis. There has been evidence that a ground cover that provides a suitable environment for colonization of AMF and subsequent symbiosis could be a tool in organic fruit production. The objective of this research was to compare colonization of AMF in strawberry plant (Frageria x ananassa cv. Radiance) and apple rootstocks (Malus x domestica, cv. M. 26) grown in a greenhouse affected by various ground cover treatments. Inoculation was achieved by …

The Influence Of Poultry Litter Biochar On Early Season Cotton Growth, Taylor D. Coomer, David E. Longer, Derrick M. Oosterhuis, Dimitra A. Loka

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Cotton is known for being sensitive to cool, wet soils, especially in the early stages of growth. Amendments to soil can aid cotton seedlings in development and nutrient uptake. However, soil amendments can be costly and detrimental to the environment, and alternatives such as the addition of biochar have been considered. Biochar is produced from biomass that has gone through pyrolysis and has been shown to improve plant yield, microbial response, soil structure, soil cation–exchange capacity, and water use efficiency. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar on early season cotton growth. The aim of this study …

Nutrient Contents, Color, Texture, And Sensory Evaluation Of 12 Arkansas Grown Soybean Cultivars In Canned Products, Quyen Nguyen, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Soybean was introduced in the U.S. in the 1800s, and it has been proven to have several health benefits. New cultivars of soybeans with varying hull colors have been developed using plantbreeding technology. Canning is one of the effective processing methods to extend the shelf life of products. However, very little information is available on canned soybeans. This research studied the composition of 12 soybean cultivars including two cultivars with brown seed coat (R08-4014 and R09-349), three cultivars with black seed coat (R07-1927, R07-10396, and R09-345), and seven regular cultivars with yellow seed coat (R05-1772, R05-4969, R07-2001, R08-4005, R08- 4006, …

Textural And Sensory Qualities Of Muffins Prepared With Fermented Rice Bran, Breeanna Williams, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Rice is one of the most popular cereal grains in the world. Rice bran, a by-product of the rice milling process, contains an abundance of nutrients including protein, fiber, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and other nutraceuticals. However, rice bran is underutilized in the food industry. In this project muffins were prepared with varying concentrations (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, 15.0%, 20.0%, and 25.0%) of 60 mesh (250 µm) fermented rice bran (60 mFRB) and 80 mesh (180 µm) fermented rice bran (80 mFRB). A cappuccino muffin formulation was used as flavor for all the samples. The control sample was prepared …

Unleashing The Potential Of The Root Hair Cell As A Single Plant Cell Type Model In Root Systems Biology, Zhenzhen Qiao, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant root is an organ composed of multiple cell types with different functions.This multicellular complexity limits our understanding of root biology because -omics studies performed at the level of the entire root reflect the average responses of all cells composing the organ. To overcome this difficulty and allow a more comprehensive understanding of root cell biology, an approach is needed that would focus on one single cell type in the plant root. Because of its biological functions (i.e., uptake of water and various nutrients; primary site of infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes), the root hair cell is an attractive …

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …

Planning Ahead - A Guide For Your Cropping Program, Janet Paterson

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

It is difficult to think logically and make rational choices when under extreme pressure.

The seasonal break between harvest and preparation for seeding is a good time to get some rest and take some time to consider the position of your enterprise.

This is your best opportunity to assess risks and make important decisions when the demands on your time are few.

Most people, farm managers included, struggle to make sound decisions if they are extremely stressed-this is only natural. If you feel that you are struggling to make decisions, counselling services are a valuable resource to help you plan …

Enzyme Activity In Wheat Breeding Lines Derived From Matings Of Low Polyphenol Oxidase Parents, Somrudee Nilthong, Robert A. Graybosch, P. Stephen Baenziger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in grain plays a major role in time-dependent discoloration of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) products, especially fresh noodles. Breeding wheat cultivars with low or nil PPO activity can reduce undesirable product darkening. The low PPO line PI 117635 was crossed to two low PPO wheats, IDO580 and ‘IDO377s’, to determine whether matings between wheats with low levels of grain PPO would result in complementation, such that lines with still lower or nil PPO would be generated. Progeny in a population derived from PI 117635/ IDO580 displayed no variation in PPO activity. In the F_3:4 populations …

Sorghum Transformation: Overview And Utility, Tejinder Kumar, Arlene Howe, Shirley Sato, Ismail M. Dweikat, Tom E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Over the past decade genomics resources available for sorghum have rapidly expanded (Paterson Int J Plant Genomics 2008:6, 2008), these resources, coupled with the recent completion of the genome sequence which is relatively small in size (730 Mb) (Paterson et al. Nature 457:551–556, 2009) makes sorghum a rather attractive species to study. Moreover, the USDA germplasm system maintains 42,614 accessions, of which more than 800 exotic landraces have been converted to day length-insensitive lines to facilitate their use in breeding programs. In addition, a set of EMS mutation stocks developed by the USDA Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Unit in …

Nutrient Partitioning And Grain Yield Of Tanam-Rnai Wheat Under Abiotic Stress, Mary J. Guttieri, Ricardo J. Stein, Brian M. Waters

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Aims — Decreased expression of TaNAM genes by RNAi results in delayed senescence and decreased grain protein, iron, and zinc concentrations. Here, we determined whether NAM expression level alters onset of senescence under stress conditions, whether delayed senescence in the TaNAM-RNAi line resulted in improved tolerance to post-anthesis abiotic stress, and determined the effects of post-anthesis abiotic stress on N and mineral remobilization and partitioning to grain.

Methods — Greenhouse-grown WT and TaNAM-RNAi wheat were characterized in two studies: three levels of N fertility or water limitation during grain fill. Studies were conducted under both optimal and heat stress …

Genetic Mapping And Confirmation Of Quantitative Trait Loci For Seed Protein And Oil Contents And Seed Weight In Soybean, Safiullah M. Pathan, Tri Vuong, Kerry Clark, Jeong-Dong Lee, J. Grover Shannon, Craig A. Roberts, Mark R. Ellersieck, Joseph W. Burton, P. B. Cregan, David L. Hyten, Henry T. Nguyen, David A. Sleper

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Demand for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] meal has increased worldwide and soybean importers often offer premiums for soybean containing higher contents of protein and oil. Objectives were to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with soybean seed protein, oil, and seed weight in a soybean mapping population and confirm detected QTL across genetic backgrounds and environments. Two populations of 216 and 156 recombinant inbred lines were developed from Magellan × PI 438489B and Magellan × PI 567516C crosses, respectively, and grown in two Missouri environments in 2008. More than 900 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism …

The Plant Science Decadal Vision: Response To The Martin Commentary, David Stern, Sally Ann Mackenzie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The plant science community is being called upon as never before to carry out research that addresses challenges in food, climate, and health, to educate a populace inundated with science misinformation, and to excite and recruit a new generation of scientists from among that populace, all while investments in basic research are stagnant or even declining in many countries. The Decadal Vision (Plant Science Research Summit, 2013) represents a response from that community, one that launches a meaningful and ongoing dialogue about how best to accomplish these goals. In that spirit, we welcome this thoughtful commentary by Cathie Martin (Martin, …

Agricultural Innovation To Protect The Environment, Jeffrey Sayer, Kenneth Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In a world of 9.5 billion people, global demand for food, fiber, and biofuels has to be met with minimal possible increases in land, water, fossil fuels, and the minerals used to produce fertilizers (1–4). The problem is debated at three levels: first, that agriculture will not be able to produce enough because it will come up against both biophysical and environmental limits that restrict yields (3, 5, 6); second, that the need to expand and intensify agriculture will destroy the broader environmental values of forests, wetlands, marine systems, and their associated biodiversity (7–9); and third, that there are institutional …

Food Webs And Food Sovereignty: Research Agenda For Sustainability, Charles A. Francis, Michelle Miller, Molly Anderson, Nancy Creamer, Michelle Wander, Jacob Park, Thomas Green, Brent Mccown

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Future food production will be constrained by the scarcity of fossil fuel and fresh water as well as increasing intensity and unpredictability of weather events and climate changes. The assurance of food security and equity for many consumers is complicated by concentration of ownership of land and other production resources, as well as a global corporate food systems model that is driven by profit at the expense of people and the environment. To assess potential alternatives to the contemporary global food chain, well focused research is needed on local food production and food webs where small- and midscale family farms …

Maternal Environment Effects On Phenolic Defenses In Abutilon Theophrasti Seeds, Brian J. Schutte, Sam E. Wortman, John L. Lindquist, Adam S. Davis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A class of phenolic compounds, ortho-dihydroxyphenols (hereafter “o-DHP”), has been implicated with seed survival. Based on expectations of the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis, we predicted that seed o-DHP concentration exhibits a curvilinear response to increasing resource availability in the maternal environment, with maximum o-DHP occurring at moderate resource levels. To test this hypothesis, Abutilon theophrasti seeds were produced under field conditions at two locations. Each location included twelve maternal environments established through factorial combinations of soil compost (+/−), species assemblage (A. theophrasti with and without maize), and soil nitrogen fertilizer (0, 0.5× or 1× local …

Genetic Dissection Of Yield And Its Component Traits Using High-Density Composite Map Of Wheat Chromosome 3a: Bridging Gaps Between Qtls And Underlying Genes, Sachin Rustgi, Mustafa N. Shafqat, Neeraj Kumar, P. Stephen Baenziger, M. Liakat Ali, Ismail M. Dweikat, B. Todd Campbell, Kulvinder Singh Gill

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Earlier we identified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3A as a major determinant of grain yield and its component traits. In the present study, a high-density genetic linkage map of 81 chromosome 3A-specific markers was developed to increase the precision of previously identified yield component QTLs, and to map QTLs for biomass-related traits. Many of the previously identified QTLs for yield and its component traits were confirmed and were localized to narrower intervals. Four novel QTLs one each for shoot biomass (Xcfa2262-Xbcd366), total biomass (wPt2740-Xcfa2076), kernels/spike (KPS) (Xwmc664-Xbarc67), and Pseudocercosporella induced lodging ( …

Evaluation Of The Recombination Efficiencies Of Flp Proteins, Linh Duy Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Site-specific recombination systems are powerful tools for genetic modification. They have been used to integrate a transgene into a pre-defined locus and to remove marker genes from a transgene locus. Two of the most widely used site-specific recombination systems in plants are the Cre/lox system from the bacteriophage P1 and the FLP/FRT system from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Cre/lox system is well-characterized and is the first choice in application of site-specific recombination system. However, some applications such as marker-free site-specific gene integration require the use of two recombination systems. In addition, the availability of alternative recombination systems can offer …

Breeding For Modified Seed Composition In Soybean: Selection Of Genotypes, Yield Stability, And Environmental Effects, Luciano Miguel Jaureguy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of cultivars with modified seed composition represents an excellent alternative to cope with the world's need for more nutritious food. Understanding the genetic and environmental factors controlling crop seed quality traits is of crucial importance for such an endeavor. The objectives of this study were: a) to evaluate the efficiency of phenotype and marker-assisted selection for low stachyose and low phytate soybean breeding lines, and their yield stability, b) to study the effect of management practices planting date and delayed harvest on soybean seed composition, and c) to study the potential association between soil properties and leaf chemical …

Intsormil- Centa’S New Bmr Sorghum Varieties Create A Surge In Dairy Production, René Clará Valencia

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Scientists from the INTSORMIL-CENTA project based at the National Center for Agricultural Technology and Forestry (CENTA) of El Salvador have worked for five years to develop varieties of sorghum for grain and forage that are highly nutritious to cattle. Using the gene bmr-12, received from Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Purdue University, they combined commercial varieties CENTA S-2, S-3 CENTA, CENTA RCV and VG 146 and were able to form new varieties containing this same gene. The first generation created 76 new varieties.

Survey Of Endosymbionts In The Diaphorina Citri Metagenome And Assembly Of A Wolbachia Wdi Draft Genome, Surya Saha, Wayne B. Hunter, Justin Reese, J. Kent Morgan, Mizuri Marutani-Hert, Hong Huang, Magdalen Lindeberg

School of Information Faculty Publications

Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), the Asian citrus psyllid, is the insect vector of Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus, the causal agent of citrus greening disease. Sequencing of the D. citrimetagenome has been initiated to gain better understanding of the biology of this organism and the potential roles of its bacterial endosymbionts. To corroborate candidate endosymbionts previously identified by rDNA amplification, raw reads from the D. citri metagenome sequence were mapped to reference genome sequences. Results of the read mapping provided the most support for Wolbachia and an enteric bacterium most similar to Salmonella. Wolbachia-derived reads were extracted using …

Amelioration Of Root Disease Of Subterranean Clover (Trifolium Subterraneum) By Mineral Nutrients, Tim Scanlon, Tiernan A. O’Rourke, Megan H. Ryan, Martin J. Barbetti, Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam

Journal articles

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is a key pasture legume across southern Australia and elsewhere. Decline in subterranean clover pastures was first recognised in Australia during the 1960s and manifests as an increase in weeds and a decrease in desirable legume species. While both root disease and poor nutrition contribute to subterranean clover pasture decline, the relationships between root disease and nutrition have not been determined. The objective of this study was to define these relationships. Field experiments were undertaken to determine the nutritional and pathogen status of soils and subterranean clover from three Western Australian field sites. Subsequently, …

Asareca-Intsormil: Regional Sorghum Research And Development Workshop, September 2–6, 2012, Executive Hotel, Adama, Ethiopia, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Priorities in Sorghum Research and Development Cross-Cutting Elements

All priorities should be cognizant and address:

Gender responsiveness

User friendliness in sharing knowledge and information

Sustainable growth

Capacity building

Collaboration with public and private partners especially NARS, and regional and international organizations

Production

Integrated soil and water management in response to climate change

Integrated pest management

Cropping systems

Mechanization to alleviate drudgery

Breeding/Genetics

Breeding high yielding sorghum cultivars with enhanced ecological adaptation (drought tolerance and Striga resistance and diseases and pests) and superior grain quality

Development, release and distribution of enhanced sorghum germplasm materials with desired end-use quality attributes (malt, biofuel, …

2013 Barley Variety Sowing Guide For Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Andrea Hills, Harmohinder Dhammu, Sanjiv Gupta

Bulletins 4000 -

This publication presents general information on market demand by industry sector, variety and Port Zone for each of the malting barley varieties that will potentially be segregated in Western Australia at the 2013/14 harvest (Tables 1, 2 and 3).

This information is presented on behalf of the Grain Industry of Western Australia (GIWA) Barley Council. It represents the expected demand from domestic and international customers of Western Australian barley. Before planting any variety with a malting or food classification growers are advised to talk to their preferred grain acquirer to determine their demand for each malt and food variety, potential …

Effects Of Meloidogyne Incognita, Soil Physical Parameters, And Thielaviopsis Basicola On Cotton Root Architecture And Plant Growth, Jianbing Ma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, and the seedling pathogen, Thielaviopsis basicola, commonly co-exist in Arkansas cotton fields and may interact resulting in increased losses. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of soil physical parameters on these soilborne pathogens and cotton growth in controlled environmental, field, and microplot studies. Controlled environmental experiments used two soil bulk densities and four pathogen treatments: non-infested soil, soil infested with M. incognita or T. basicola and soil infested with both pathogens. The results indicated bulk density generally did not affect seedling growth or disease since soils had low penetration resistance …

Economic Implications Of Extreme Heat Effects On Rice Yield And Milling Quality In Arkansas, Nate Lyman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Future increases in global surface temperature threaten those worldwide who depend on rice production for their livelihoods and food security. Past analyses of extreme heat effects on rice production have focused on paddy yield and have not accounted for the detrimental impact of extreme heat on milling quality outcomes which ultimately determine edible (marketable) rice yield and value. Using rice yield and milling quality data on six popular rice cultivars from Arkansas, USA, combined with on-site, half-hourly and daily temperature observations, this study finds a nonlinear effect of extreme heat exposure on yield and milling quality. A 1 °C increase …

The Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci For Sucrose And Stachyose Content In Soybean Seed, Ailan Zeng

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sucrose is a desirable sugar in soybean seed that affects the quality and taste of soyfoods, while stachyose is a non-digestible sugar that induces flatulence in non-ruminant animals. Therefore, soybean cultivars with high sucrose and/or low stachyose would be valuable for soyfood and meal markets. The objectives of this study were to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) or genes associated with seed sucrose and stachyose content using simple sequence repeat (SSR) or single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A low sucrose line, MFS-553, was crossed with a high sucrose plant introduction, PI 243545, to develop the sucrose QTL mapping population. A …

B.R. Wells Rice Research Studies 2011, R. J. Norman, K.A. K. Moldenhauer

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Is Local Food In Your Future?: An Analysis Of The Viability Of The Local Food Movement, Jennifer A. Sliney

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

The Local Food Movement has arisen in recent decades as a proposed solution to problems in the current food distribution system. Proponents of the movement look to solve problems such as unsustainable farming practices, greenhouse gas emissions, and unhealthy communities. Skeptics raise questions as to whether local food is truly capable of accomplishing any of those. The author proposes that as a solution, aspects of the Local Food Movement such as urban agriculture and attempts at community development should be taken more seriously in order to create a better future for the land and people alike.