Digital Commons Network^™

Institutions, Structures And Topics Of Grassland Research In Germany - From Science To Practice, Johannes Isselstein, H. Hochberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Germany, grassland covers some 30% of the agriculturally used land. It forms the basis of forage production in dairy and beef cattle husbandry as well as sheep and horse feeding. The intensification of grassland farming during the last fifty years was made possible through extended basic and applied research in all fields of grassland management. This included the improvement of forage species and varieties by plant breeding, the adaptation of botanical knowledge for the control of the botanical composition of permanent grass swards, the application of regular fertilisation, the improvement of the grazing management, the increased frequency of utilisation …

The Spanish Society For The Study Of Pastures: 45 Years Promoting Better Pasture Knowledge And Management, A. San Miguel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Spanish Society for the Study of Pastures (SEEP) (http://www.seepastos.es) was founded in 1960 through the initiative of Prof. G. González with the intention of combining efforts and initiatives on pasture studies from many points of view. The Society has the objective of promoting the knowledge and improvement of Spanish pastures, regarding every issue related with pastoral science: typology; ecology and functions of pastoral ecosystems; plant production; feeding value; animal production; economics; sociology and agricultural policy, etc. The term 'Pasture' is considered in a broad sense to include every plant part, individual or community capable of being used for livestock …

Activity Of Japanese Society Of Grassland Science, K. Sugawara, S. Saiga, K. Tateno, Y. Cai, N. Yoshida, T. Takamizo, M. Goto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Japanese Society of Grassland Science (JSGS) was founded in 1954 for the purposes of progressing grassland and forage crop sciences and fostering grassland agriculture and better management of grassland for animal production in Japan. From the first, the members of JSGS have included interdisciplinary scientists from forage crop science, forestry, animal science, agribusiness and many related fields. In the 50 years since its foundation, JSGS has made large contributions to the progress of both science and industry in Japan. The number of JSGS members is now declining slightly, but there are still about 950 including 800 individual members and …

The Tropical Grassland Society Of Australia Incorporated, David M. Orr, M. H. Shelton, C. A. Hall

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Tropical Grassland Society of Australia was formed in 1962 and became incorporated in 1987 and has the following aims:

• To publicise information of interest to primary producers and scientists
• To improve the relevance of research and adoption of technology through the flow of ideas between scientists and producers
• To publicise the findings of Australian pasture research and development to overseas workers, and to draw on their experience for application in Australia

Comments On The Present Activity Of Czech Specialists In Grassland Cultivation, B. Cagaš

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Unlike some other countries, there is no officially established forage crop or grassland society in the Czech Republic. This, however, does not mean that activity in this field is lacking. Several institutions are involved in the development of grassland research. These are predominantly: Grassland Commission of the Section of Plant Production of the Czech Academy of Agricultural Science, Forage Crop Commission of the Bohemian-Moravian Union of Plant Breeders, Bohemian-Moravian Association of Plant Breeding and Seed Production and Association of Grass and Clover Seed Growers. Members of these institutions are researchers and breeders of grasses and legumes, university lecturers from departments …

American Forage And Grassland Council Technology Interaction And Policy Development, E. K. Twidwell, W. A. Tucker

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The American Forage and Grassland Council (AFGC) is a national organisation which has been in existence since 1968. Membership of AFGC is about 2,500. The membership of AFGC is divided into three main sectors: private, public and industry. The private sector has the largest membership (60%), and private members are usually producers that are engaged in some type of agricultural enterprise involving the use of forages. The public sector members (30%) are educators and other government agency personnel that work with the general public. The industry sector (10%) involves various companies that deal with the forage industry. The AFGC Board …

The Ulster Grassland Society, J. Morrison

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Northern Ireland is a grass-growing region. Grassland accounts for 92% of the area farmed (excluding hill land). So the great majority of farm businesses in the Province are, at least partly, dependent on grass as a source of ruminant feed and grassland farming makes a major impact on the environment and landscape of the Province.

The Ulster Grassland Society was formed in response to a realisation that grass should be treated as a crop in its own right with potential to produce high output in higher rainfall areas which include Northern Ireland. Although there had been informal meetings held since …

The Role Of Grassland Societies In The West Of Scotland, G. E. D. Tiley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Local grassland societies were first established in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, under the guiding hand of the national, British Grassland Society, itself founded in 1946. In the west of Scotland two local societies were formed: 1) the South West Scotland Grassland Society in 1962, covering the former counties of Ayrshire, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown; and 2) the Central Scotland Grassland Society for Lanark, Stirling, Renfrew, Dumbarton and Clackmannan. The declared aim of these two societies was to promote good grassland farming in all its aspects amongst members and to identify opportunities for improved grassland management, all to the …

The Leucaena Network: A Grazier Advocacy Organisation Ensuring The Future Of A Valuable Forage Resource For Northern Australia, K. Mclaughlin, B. F. Mullen, H. M. Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Leucaena leucocephala is a productive and sustainable forage tree legume for beef cattle production in northern Australia. Following a protracted period of research and development to overcome agronomic and social constraints, substantial adoption by graziers is now occurring (Mullen, these proceedings). However, a recent challenge has threatened future development, viz. the perception by some environmentalists that leucaena is an environmental weed. In addition, production-oriented support from public research and development organisations has diminished significantly over the past 20 years. The Leucaena Network (TLN) was formed in July 2000, primarily to counter the anti-leucaena movement, but has since developed as an …

The Lotus Newsletter: An Electronic Lotus Research Community, Mónica Rebuffo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Lotus Newsletter (LN) was created by Dr. W.F. Grant (former editor) in 1971, integrating scientists working on diverse aspects of research on Lotus spp. The LN received further impetus under the editorship of Dr. P.R. Beuselinck, who shaped the electronic version (http://www.psu.missouri.edu/lnl/). The newsletter aims to provide a vehicle for the exchange of information where opinions, in addition to established facts, can be presented. One of the strengths of the LN has been the lead article for each issue and the extensive bibliographic listing published every year, which facilitates access to recent literature. As a …

Grassland Technology Interaction And Policy Evolution In Canada, Duane H. Mccartney, P. Jefferson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Canada is the world's second largest country covering approximately 10 million km² (McCartney & Horton, 1997). About 90% of Canada is uninhabited with 90 percent of Canadians living within 500 km of the American border. The forage resources used by livestock grazing and the production of forage crops covers over 36 million ha of Canada's land base (3.6%) and is divided into 72% native range (26 million ha), 11% cultivated pastures (4 million ha) and 17% forage crops (6 million ha) There are 25 million ha in grain and oilseed crops (McCartney & Horton, 1997).

The Great Mission Of The Chinese Grassland Society: Grassland Strategic Research, F. Hong

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Chinese Grassland Society (CGS) was founded in 1979 in Beijing. Since 1991, it has become a national science society authorised by the State Ministry of Civil Affairs. The basic task of CGS is to unite the national grassland scientists and technicians for academic exchanges at home and abroad, to popularise grassland science, to train qualified personnel for the further development of grassland science and to accelerate the development of grassland science. The Society is affiliated with ten professional committees and sponsors the academic journals: Acta Agrestia Sinica, Acta Prataculturae Sinica and China Grassland.

Change In Grassland Science: Implications For Training, Research And Grassland Societies, G. Lemaire, R. J. Wilkins, J. Hodgson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In most of the world the priority for production-oriented research has been succeeded by the need for grassland research to focus on systems which satisfy requirements relating to the stability and protection of land, water and atmospheric resources and to biodiversity, in addition to production efficiency. This dictates not only a new approach to research, but also new approaches for the organisation of research, the training and development of research scientists and the activities of Grassland Societies and associated organisations.

Citizen Scientists: Efforts By The Tri-Societies To Inject Science Into Us Policymaking, E. Bergfeld, K. Glasener

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Tri-Societies (American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America), the largest life science professional societies in the United States (US) dedicated to the agronomic, crop and soil sciences, encompass approximately 18,000 members globally and include approximately 14,000 certified professionals who are a direct conduit to the farming communities across the US. The Tri-Societies' US-based federal science policy programmes have been active for decades. There is a Washington, DC-based Director of Science Policy, Congressional Science Fellows (CSF) and Science Policy Interns.

Increasing Rye Cover Crop Biomass Production After Corn Residue Removal To Balance Economics And Soil Health, Sabrina J. Ruis, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Paul J. Jasa, Glen Slater, Richard B. Ferguson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Low or variable cover crop (CC) biomass production could limit CC benefits. Longer CC growing periods via late termination could increase CC benefits, especially under limited crop residue return. We studied whether early (2–3 wk before planting)- or late (at planting)-terminated winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC maintains soil properties, crop yields, and farm income under 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% corn (Zea mays L.) residue removal in rainfed and irrigated no-till in the U.S. Great Plains after 6 yr. Early-terminated CCs produced < 1 Mg ha^-1 of biomass while late-terminated CCs averaged 1.6 Mg ha^-1 at the rainfed …

Unraveling Prevalence And Effects Of Deleterious Mutations In Maize Elite Lines Across Decades Of Modern Breeding, Shichao Sun, Baobao Wang, Changyu Li, Gen Xu, Jinliang Yang, Matthew B. Hufford, Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra, Haiyang Wang, Li Wang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Future breeding is likely to involve the detection and removal of deleterious alleles, which are mutations that negatively affect crop fitness. However, little is known about the prevalence of such mutations and their effects on phenotypic traits in the context of modern crop breeding. To address this, we examined the number and frequency of deleterious mutations in 350 elite maize inbred lines developed over the past few decades in China and the United States. Our findings reveal an accumulation of weakly deleterious mutations and a decrease in strongly deleterious mutations, indicating the dominant effects of genetic drift and purifying selection …

Soybean Tolerance To Ultra-Low Doses Of Dicamba: Hormesis Or Not, Luka Milosevic, O. Adewale Osipitan, Jon E. Scott, Stevan Z. Knezevic

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The widespread use of dicamba across the soybean growing regions of the United States resulted in increased off-target movement of this herbicide to susceptible vegetations. There are speculations that a drift of sublethal (ultra-low) doses of dicamba can enhance soybean growth and yield through a phenomenon called hormesis. Field studies were conducted during 2018 and 2019 to determine whether soybean growth and yield can be enhanced with ultra-low doses (0.0112–56 g ae ha^-1) of dicamba, applied at three growth stages (V2, R1 and R2). There was no evidence that the ultra-low doses of dicamba (0.0112–56 g ae ha …

Method Developments To Identify Loci And Selection Patterns Associated With Genotype By Environment Interactions In Soybean, Mary M. Happ

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

For many complex traits such as grain yield, genotype by environment (GxE) interactions are a prevalent source of phenotypic variation. Exploring the capacity of different methodologies to help describe and quantify the GxE interaction landscape for grain yield is an important step in informing plant breeders what the most viable strategies for management and exploitation of GxE may be. In this endeavor, we compared the results from multiple genome wide association studies (GWAS) that used either stability estimators as a phenotype to capture GxE variance, or directly mapped GxE in a mixed model for yield. Leading into this study, a …

Sustainability Of Permanent Grassland On A Low Moor Soil With Different N And K Nutrient Management, K. Orlovius, J. Pickert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

After the reunification of Germany fertilisation with P and K was strongly reduced in the eastern states of Germany due to the poor financial situation of the farms. Particularly on sites with a low nutrient delivery capacity, such a nutrient management strategy implies the risk of decreasing soil fertility. On a low moor soil with permanent grassland a 4 - year trial with different N and K fertilisation was set up to study the development of dry matter production and K concentrations in the grass.

Genomes To Fields 2022 Maize Genotype By Environment Prediction Competition, Dayane Cristina Lima, Jacob D. Washburn, José Ignacio Varela, Qiuyue Chen, Joseph L. Gage, Maria Cinta Romay, James Holland, David Ertl, Marco Lopez-Cruz, Fernando M. Aguate, Gustavo De Los Campos, Shawn Kaeppler, Timothy Beissinger, Martin Bohn, Edward Buckler, Jode Edwards, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Michael A. Gore, Candice N. Hirsch, Joseph E. Knoll, John Mckay, Richard Minyo, Seth C. Murray, Osler A. Ortez, James C. Schnable, Rajandeep S. Sekhon, Maninder P. Singh, Erin E. Sparks, Addie Thompson, Mitchell Tuinstra, Jason Wallace, Teclemariam Weldekidan, Wenwei Xu, Natalia De Leon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Objectives The Genomes to Fields (G2F) 2022 Maize Genotype by Environment (GxE) Prediction Competition aimed to develop models for predicting grain yield for the 2022 Maize GxE project field trials, leveraging the datasets previously generated by this project and other publicly available data.

Data description This resource used data from the Maize GxE project within the G2F Initiative [1]. The dataset included phenotypic and genotypic data of the hybrids evaluated in 45 locations from 2014 to 2022. Also, soil, weather, environmental covariates data and metadata information for all environments (combination of year and location). Competitors also had access to ReadMe …

Structural Diversity And Stress Regulation Of The Plant Immunity-Associated Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Family Of Transcription Factors In Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato), Vanessa Shivnauth, Sonya Pretheepkumar, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Christina A. M. Rossi, Keaun Amani, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Cellular signaling generates calcium (Ca2+) ions, which are ubiquitous secondary messengers decoded by calcium-dependent protein kinases, calcineurins, calreticulin, calmodulins (CAMs), and CAM-binding proteins. Previous studies in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have shown the critical roles of the CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60 (CBP60) protein family in plant growth, stress responses, and immunity. Certain CBP60 factors can regulate plant immune responses, like pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and synthesis of major plant immune-activating metabolites salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). Although homologous CBP60 sequences have been identified in the plant kingdom, their function and regulation in most species remain unclear. In …

Role Of Biotechnology In Creating Sustainable Agriculture, Saurav Das, Manjit Kumar Ray, Dinesh Panday, Piyush Kumar Mishra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This narrative review paper discusses the role of biotechnology in the development of sustainable agriculture. The paper begins by defning sustanability and highlights the importance of biotechnology in establishing sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is an approach that prioritizes meeting current food and fiber production needs while conserving and enhancing natural resources for future generations. To achieve agricultural sustainability, it is necessary to strike a balance between economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. This can be difficult, especially in the face of biotic and abiotic stresses such as pests, diseases, climate change, soil degradation, and water depletion. The prevalence of …

A Protein Kinase Coordinates Cycles Of Autophagy And Glutaminolysis In Invasive Hyphae Of The Fungus Magnaporthe Oryzae Within Rice Cells, Gang Li, Ziwen Gong, Nawaraj Dulal, Margarita Marroquin-Guzman, Raquel O. Rocha, Michael Richter, Richard A. Wilson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae produces invasive hyphae in living rice cells during early infection, separated from the host cytoplasm by plantderived interfacial membranes. However, the mechanisms underpinning this intracellular biotrophic growth phase are poorly understood. Here, we show that the M. oryzae serine/threonine protein kinase Rim15 promotes biotrophic growth by coordinating cycles of autophagy and glutaminolysis in invasive hyphae. Alongside inducing autophagy, Rim15 phosphorylates NADdependent glutamate dehydrogenase, resulting in increased levels of α- ketoglutarate that reactivate target-of-rapamycin (TOR) kinase signaling, which inhibits autophagy. Deleting RIM15 attenuates invasive hyphal growth and triggers plant immunity; exogenous addition of α-ketoglutarate prevents these …

A Protein Kinase Coordinates Cycles Of Autophagy And Glutaminolysis In Invasive Hyphae Of The Fungus Magnaporthe Oryzae Within Rice Cells, Gang Li, Ziwen Gong, Nawaraj Dulal, Margarita Marroquin-Guzman, Raquel O. Rocha, Michael Richter, Richard Wilson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae produces invasive hyphae in living rice cells during early infection, separated from the host cytoplasm by plantderived interfacial membranes. However, the mechanisms underpinning this intracellular biotrophic growth phase are poorly understood. Here, we show that the M. oryzae serine/threonine protein kinase Rim15 promotes biotrophic growth by coordinating cycles of autophagy and glutaminolysis in invasive hyphae. Alongside inducing autophagy, Rim15 phosphorylates NADdependent glutamate dehydrogenase, resulting in increased levels of α- ketoglutarate that reactivate target-of-rapamycin (TOR) kinase signaling, which inhibits autophagy. Deleting RIM15 attenuates invasive hyphal growth and triggers plant immunity; exogenous addition of α-ketoglutarate prevents these …

A Protein Kinase Coordinates Cycles Of Autophagy And Glutaminolysis In Invasive Hyphae Of The Fungus Magnaporthe Oryzae Within Rice Cells, Gang Li, Ziwen Gong, Nawaraj Dulal, Margarita Marroquin-Guzman, Raquel O. Rocha, Michael Richter, Richard Wilson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae produces invasive hyphae in living rice cells during early infection, separated from the host cytoplasm by plantderived interfacial membranes. However, the mechanisms underpinning this intracellular biotrophic growth phase are poorly understood. Here, we show that the M. oryzae serine/threonine protein kinase Rim15 promotes biotrophic growth by coordinating cycles of autophagy and glutaminolysis in invasive hyphae. Alongside inducing autophagy, Rim15 phosphorylates NADdependent glutamate dehydrogenase, resulting in increased levels of α- ketoglutarate that reactivate target-of-rapamycin (TOR) kinase signaling, which inhibits autophagy. Deleting RIM15 attenuates invasive hyphal growth and triggers plant immunity; exogenous addition of α-ketoglutarate prevents these …

Do Species Matter? Examining The Niche Of White Ash (Fraxinus Americana L.) And Estimating Potential Subcanopy Effects Of Its Loss In North-Temperate Forests, Elizabeth Anne Studer

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

To understand the downstream consequences of the extinction of a species, we must understand its role in an ecosystem. With the impending extirpation of ash (Fraxinus spp.) due to the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), understanding the role of ash trees is critical to predicting whether its loss will precipitate further species declines and/or ecosystem functions. We evaluated whether subcanopy microbial, invertebrate, and floral communities under four tree species (white ash, American beech, yellow birch, sugar maple) and on two soil hydropedological types (Bh podzol and Typical podzol) varied in species richness, composition, and functional traits in a factorial …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2022, Victor Ford, Jason Kelley, Nathan Mckinney Ii

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2022 edition of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series includes research results on topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production, including weed, disease, and insect management; economics; sustainability; irrigation; post-harvest drying; soil fertility; mycotoxins; cover crop management; and research verification program results. Our objective is to capture and broadly distribute the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series serves as a citable archive of research results.

Reports in this publication are 2–3 year summaries. …

Likelihood-Based Tests Of Species Tree Hypotheses, Richard Adams, Michael Degiorgio

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Likelihood-based tests of phylogenetic trees are a foundation of modern systematics. Over the past decade, an enormous wealth and diversity of model-based approaches have been developed for phylogenetic inference of both gene trees and species trees. However, while many techniques exist for conducting formal likelihood-based tests of gene trees, such frameworks are comparatively underdeveloped and underutilized for testing species tree hypotheses. To date, widely used tests of tree topology are designed to assess the fit of classical models of molecular sequence data and individual gene trees and thus are not readily applicable to the problem of species tree inference. To …

Maintaining Grassland Plant Diversity While Controlling Woody Plant Encroachment, James Stubbendieck, Kay L. Kottas, S. J. Tunnell, S. J. Palazzolo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The tallgrass prairie region of the United States is a fragmented grassland ecosystem. Much of the 1 to 2% of the remaining prairie is being degraded by invading woody plants, which frequently results in a shift from grassland to woodland. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra L.), a shrub native to the region, can rapidly increase in density and become dominant in the plant community. Prescribed fire alone is not a constraint to this resprouting species (Stubbendieck et al., 2003). Herbicides are useful tools for managing woody plants in grasslands, but the negative response of desirable plants to herbicides is …

Do Species And Functional Diversity Indices Reflect Changes In Grazing Regimes And Climatic Conditions In Northeastern Spain?, F. De Bello, J. Leps, M. T. Sebastià

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Understanding the mechanisms that maintain biodiversity in various ecosystems enables the development of management practices that prevent degradation (Canals & Sebastia, 2000). Each diversity index reflects some compositional properties and could be influenced differently by stress and disturbance factors (Magurran, 2004). In this study, we aim to reveal 1) which management practices and environmental factors affect biodiversity in rangelands of northeastern Spain and 2) the relationship between species diversity and functional diversity (SD and FD).