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Science-Based Organic Farming 2006: Toward Local And Secure Food Systems, Charles A. Francis, Katja Koehler-Cole, Twyla Hansen, Peter Skelton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming includes growing food and fiber—animals, agronomic crops, horticultural fruits and vegetables, related products—as one dynamic and rapidly evolving component of our complex U.S. food system. Even as more farmers are moving toward organic certification and participation in an environmentally sound and economically lucrative market, questions arise about the long-term social impacts and sustainability of a set of practices that has gone from a movement to an industry. Consolidations in the organic trade have brought multinational corporations to the table, as they have observed a grassroots activity that has grown by 20% per year for the past two decades, …

Nebline, January 2006

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

30 MyPyramid Steps to a Healthier You
Guide to Growing Amaryllis
Winter Care of Houseplants
Managing Dust Mites
Urban Pest Management Conference
You Caught Your Mouse — How About Cleanup?
Beginning Beekeeping 2-Day Workshop
Private Pesticide Applicator Certification
Is Burning Wood an Economically Feasible Option?
Crop Protection Clinic, Jan. 23
Acreage-Tough Plants
The Physical Resources of the Acreage—Part 1
Upcoming Acreage Insights Clinics
Meet the Grain Group
Mock Frozen “Peach” Daiquiri Recipe
Sit Less, Move More!
Low-Cost Indoor Avenues to Fitness
Home Energy Checkup
Household Hints: Cleaning silver by electrolysis
President’s Notes — Janet’s Jargon
FCE News & Events
Rokeby …

Effect Of Various Photoperiods On Testicular Weight, Weekly Sperm Output And Plasma Levels Of Lh And Testosterone Over The Reproductive Season In Male Turkeys, Jérôme Noirault, Jean-Pierre Brillard, Murray R. Bakst

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

The effects of duration and variation in photoperiod on testis weight, testicular sperm production, semen output, and hormone status over the reproductive season in male turkeys were investigated. In Experiment 1, four groups of males raised from 17 to 23 wk of age under a constant short photoperiod were subjected to a constant short (Group 1: 7L:17D; Group 2: 10.5L:13.5D), constant long (Group 3: 14L:10D) or progressively increasing photoperiod (Group 4: 7L:17D to 14L:10D) up to 60 wk of age. In Experiment 2, four groups of males first raised as in Experiment 1 up to 23 wk of age were …

Prevention Of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) And House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) From Entering Simulated Aircraft With Commercial Air Curtain Units, David A. Carlson, Jerome Hogsette, Daniel Kline, Chris D. Geden, Robert Vandermeer

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

Commercially available air curtain units were used to create air barriers to prevent mosquitoes and house flies from entering a simulated aircraft doorway together with passengers. Two assemblies of simulated passenger bridge and aircraft were constructed, and airflow measurements were recorded to confirm airflow characteristics for several combinations of commercial units. Three mosquito species were selected for different host-seeking characteristics, and house flies were selected to represent a large, strong-flying insect. Batches of 20 or 200 insects of four species were released into the passenger bridge just before 25 persons passed through the assembly, then insects that entered the aircraft …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of Monocots Based On The Highly Informative Plastid Gene Ndhf, Thomas J. Givnish, J. Chris Pires, Sean W. Graham, Marc A. Mcpherson, Linda M. Prince, Thomas B. Patterson, Hardeep S. Rai, Eric H. Roalson, Timothy M. Evans, William J. Hahn, Kendra C. Millam, Alan W. Meerow, Mia Molvray, Paul J. Kores, Heath W. O'Brien, Jocelyn C. Hall, W. John Kress, Kenneth J. Sytsma

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We used ndhF sequence variation to reconstruct relationships across 282 taxa representing 78 monocot families and all 12 orders. The resulting tree is highly resolved and places commelinids sister to Asparagales, with both sister to Liliales—Pandanales in the strict consensus; Pandanales are sister to Dioscoreales in the bootstrap majority-rule tree, just above Petrosaviales. Acorales are sister to all other monocots, with Alismatales sister to all but Acorales. Relationships among the four major clades of commelinids remain unresolved. Relationships within orders are consistent with those based on rbcL, alone or in combination with atpB and 18S nrDNA, and …

Molecular Basis Of Development In Petaloid Monocot Flowers, Bo Johansen, Signe Frederikson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

and several studies have confirmed the extended ABC model as the molecular background of flower development in this plant group. The core eudicots are characterized as having one copy of each of the B-class genes and at least two copies of A-class genes: one is expressed in floral meristems, the other in inflorescence meristems. In monocots and non-core eudicots the validity of the ABC model is under discussion. Generally, more than one functional copy is found of at least one of the B-class genes. The A-class genes apparently are expressed in meristems of both flower and inflorescence. Morphologically petaloid stamens …

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Using Naturally Occurring Terata To Distinguish The Possible From The Impossible In Orchid Floral Evolution, Richard M. Bateman, Paula J. Rudall

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We interpret extensive field observations of terata in the context of recent insights into monocot phylogeny and evolutionary-developmental genetics to explore the evolution of the orchid flower. Our arguably typological classification of floral terata focuses on natural occurrences of three contrasting modes of peloria (restoration of actinomorphy in a formerly zygomorphic perianth) and three contrasting modes of pseudopeloria (lessening of the degree of zygomorphy shown by the evolutionarily preceding perianth). Dynamic evolutionary transitions in floral morphology are assigned to recently revised concepts of heterotopy (including homeosis: evolutionary transitions in position of expression) and heterochrony (evolutionary transitions in timing of expression), …

Genetic Diversity And Gene Flow In Fragmented Populations Of The Rare Shrub, Calothamnus Sp. Whicher, Sean Stankowski

Theses : Honours

Ca/othamnus sp. Whicher (Myrtaceae) is a narrow range endemic shrub restricted to ironstone soils near the town of Busselton in south-western Australia. Due to extensive land clearing for agriculture and mineral exploration, the species is fragmented over the majority of its range. In the present study, microsatellite markers were used to characterise levels of genetic diversity and describe levels of differentiation and gene flow among seven small, isolated road verge populations. Allelic diversity within the taxon over the six microsatellites was high (A = 17.6 ± 1.6). Diversity within populations was considerably lower (A = 5.19 ± 1.27), …

Forage News [2006-01], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Forages at KCA
• Heart of America Grazing Conference
• 26th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference
• Selecting Varieties for Kentucky
• Upcoming Events

Snp-Phage – High Throughput Snp Discovery Pipeline, Lakshmi K. Matukumalli, John J. Grefenstette, David L. Hyten, Ik-Young Choi, Perry B. Cregan, Curt P. Van Tassell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as defined here are single base sequence changes or short insertion/deletions between or within individuals of a given species. As a result of their abundance and the availability of high throughput analysis technologies SNP markers have begun to replace other traditional markers such as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs or microsatellite) markers for fine mapping and association studies in several species. For SNP discovery from chromatogram data, several bioinformatics programs have to be combined to generate an analysis pipeline. Results have to be stored in …

Guide For Weed Management In Nebraska, Mark L. Bernards, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Roch E. Gaussoin, Drew J. Lyon, Brady F. Kappler, Alex Martin, Robert N. Klein, Fred Roeth, Robert G. Wilson, Robert A. Masters, Patrick J. Shea, Larry D. Schulze

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Each year we strive to provide a publication that is updated, informative, and easy to use. Last year’s edition has been revised to include the latest research-based information and several new sections outlined below. We hope you find these revisions useful and that they make this guide an even better resource than the previous edition.

Gondwanan Origin Of Major Monocot Groups Inferred From Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis, Kåre Bremer, Thomas Janssen

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Historical biogeography of major monocot groups was investigated by biogeographical analysis of a dated phylogeny including 79 of the 81 monocot families using the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II (APG II) classification. Five major areas were used to describe the family distributions: Eurasia, North America, South America, Africa including Madagascar, and Australasia including New Guinea, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. In order to investigate the possible correspondence with continental breakup, the tree with its terminal distributions was fitted to the geological area cladogram ((Eurasia, North America), (Africa, (South America, Australasia)) and to alternative area cladograms using the TreeFitter program. The results …

Mitochondrial Data In Monocot Phylologenetics, Gitte Peterson, Ole Seberg, Jerrold I. Davis, Douglas H. Goldman, Dennis W. Stevenson, Lisa M. Campbell, Fabian A. Michaelangeli, Chelsea D. Specht, Mark W. Chase, Michael E. Fay, J. Chris Pires, John V. Freudenstein, Christopher R. Hardy, Mark P. Simmons

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Mitochondrial sequences are an important source of data in animal phylogenetics, equivalent in importance to plastid sequences in plants. However, in recent years plant systematists have begun exploring the mitochondrial genome as a source of phylogenetically useful characters. The plant mitochondrial genome is renowned for its variability in size, structure, and gene organization, but this need not be of concern for the application of sequence data in phylogenetics. However, the incorporation of reverse transcribed mitochondrial genes ("processed paralogs") and the recurring transfer of genes from the mitochondrion to the nucleus are evolutionary events that must be taken into account. RNA …

Phylogeny, Genome Size, And Chromosome Evolution Of Asparagales, J. Chris Pires, Ivan J. Maureira, Thomas J. Givnish, Kenneth J. Systma, Ole Seberg, Gitte Peterson, Jerrold I. Davis, Dennis W. Stevenson, Paula J. Rudall, Michael F. Fay, Mark W. Chase

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Asparagales are a diverse monophyletic order that has numerous species (ca. 50% of monocots) including important crop plants such as Allium, Asparagus, and Vanilla, and a host of ornamentals such as irises, hyacinths, and orchids. Historically, Asparagales have been of interest partly because of their fascinating chromosomal evolution. We examine the evolutionary dynamics of Asparagales genomes in an updated phylogenetic framework that combines analyses of seven gene regions (atp1, atpB, matK, ndhF, rbcL, trnL intron, and trnL-F intergenic spacer) for 79 taxa of Asparagales and outgroups. Asparagales genomes are evolutionarily labile for …

Pollination Biology And Adaptive Radiation Of Agavaceae, With Special Emphasis On The Genus Agave, Martha Rocha, Sara V. Good-Ávila, Fracisco Molina-Freaner, Hector T. Arita, Amanda Castillo, Abisaí García-Mendoza, Arturo Silva-Montellano, Brandon S. Gaut, Valeria Souza, Luis E. Eguiarte

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Agavaceae are an American family that comprises nine genera and ca. 300 species distributed in arid and semiarid environments, mainly in Mexico. The family is very successful and displays a wide array of ecological, reproductive, and morphological adaptations. Many of its members play important roles as keystone species, because they produce abundant resources during the reproductive season. In this paper we analyze the current knowledge about the pollination ecology of the different genera in the family and the role that pollination systems have played in the ecological and phylogenetic success of the group. After providing an overview of each of …

Letter From The Dean, Gregory J. Weidemann

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

No abstract provided.

Fungicide Sensitivity Of Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa From Golf Courses In Ohio, Young-Ki Jo, Amy L. Niver, Joseph W. Rimelspach, Michael J. Boehm

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Managing dollar spot, the most common and chronic disease on intensively cultivated turfgrass, relies on the judicious use of fungicides. The heavy use of fungicides has led to the development of isolates of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa insensitive to several classes of fungicides, including benzimidazoles, demethylation-inhibitors, and dicarboximides. In vitro fungicide sensitivity assays using single discriminatory concentrations of thiophanate-methyl, propiconazole, and iprodione were developed in this study for evaluating field efficacy of these fungicides and the prevalence of fungicide insensitivity within S. homoeocarpa isolated from golf courses throughout Ohio. Discriminatory concentrations for these fungicides were determined to be: thiophanate-methyl = 1,000 μg …

Apparent Digestibility In Lamas (Lama Glama), Fed With Brazilian Grass And Wheat In The C.E.A.C., William Edson Velez Contacayo

Theses and Dissertations

Considering the activity of introducing genetic resources with a high potential for yield, and with a wide adaptation range, it is possible to strengthen the cattle production system, through the production of adequate forage in quality, and quantity. Brazilian grass was introduced to Bolivia in 1974 for demonstrating excellent forage characteristics, and great adaptation qualities to the different ecosystems of the Andes. The material was introduced through the Experimental Station of Patacamaya, with their material supplied through the Experimental Station of Obonuco (Colombia). The following study was conducted at the Agropecuary Experimental Center of Condori, located 49 km. north of …

The Vertebrate Fauna Of The Upper Permian Of Niger. Iv. Nigerpeton Ricqlesi (Temnospondyli: Cochleosauridae), And The Edopoid Colonization Of Gondwana, J. Sebastien Steyer, Ross Damiani, Christian A. Sidor, F. Robin O’Keefe, Hans C.E. Larsson, Abdoulaye Maga, Oumarou Ide

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

We describe the edopoid temnospondyl Nigerpeton ricqlesi from the Upper Permian Moradi Formation of northern Niger on the basis of two partial skulls and tentatively associated postcranial material. This crocodile-like taxon displays several edopoid characters states such as a long prenarial region with enlarged premaxillae, elongated vomers, large, posteriorly tapering choanae, and a jugal that broadens anteriorly. Nigerpeton possesses a unique carnivorous dentition. It is autapomorphic in its possession of an extremely elongate snout bearing a maxillary bulge that accommodates three hypertrophied caniniform teeth, inner premaxillary tusks, and anterior paired fenestrae, which pierce the skull roof. In addition, both the …

Attraction Of Mosquitoes To Volatiles Associated With Blood, S. A. Allan, Ulrich R. Bernier, Donald Kline

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

Responses of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Culex nigripalpus to volatiles and compounds associated with bovine and avian blood that were presented in collagen membranes were evaluated in olfactometer and landing assays. The presence of attractants produced by blood was supported by more attraction of all species to blood than water controls in the olfactometer. Females of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus were more attracted to bovine blood than to avian blood, but there was no difference in Cx. nigripalpus responses. In landing assays, significantly more females of all species landed on casings with blood than on water …

Temperature Effects On Bradyrhizobium Spp. Growth And Symbiotic Effectiveness With Pigeonpea And Cowpea, Lurline E. Marsh, Raymond Baptiste, Dyremple B. Marsh, David Trinklein, Robert J. Kremer

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

Temperature is a limiting factor on legume-Bradyrhizobium symbiosis of subtropical plants in the temperate region. Twelve strains of Bradyrhizobium spp. that nodulate pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp], and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp], were evaluated for tolerance to three temperature regimes (20 °C/10 °C, 30 °C/20 °C, and 38 °C/25 °C day/night temperature) by determining their growth following exposure to the regimes. The five most temperature-tolerant strains were further evaluated for symbiotic effectiveness with pigeonpea and cowpea under controlled temperatures. These strains were USDA 3278, USDA 3362, USDA 3364, USDA 3458, and USDA 3472. Plant heights of …

Evaluating The Influence Of Storage Time, Sample-Handling Method, And Filter Paper On The Measurement Of Water-Extractable Phosphorus In Animal Manures, Kristen Baum, Gary Pierzynski, Peter Kleinman, John Kovar, Rory Maguire, Philip Moore, Tiequan Zhang

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

Surface-applied manures create a potential phosphorus (P) runoff hazard, especially when unincorporated. In such cases, the concentration of water- extractable P in the manure has been correlated to soluble P concentrations in runoff. This study evaluated the influence of holding time, sample-handling procedure, and filtration method on measurement of the water-extractable P content of manures in a 3 ×3 ×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. A two-way interaction between holding time and sample-handling procedure occurred for most samples. Six samples had waterextractable P concentrations that were less than or equal to dried and dried/ground treatments. Only one sample had higher water-extractable …

Effect Of High-Pressure Hot-Water Washing Treatment On Fruit Quality, Insects, And Disease In Apples And Pears Part Iii. Use Of Silicone-Based Materials And Mechanical Methods To Eliminate Surface Pests, J. D. Hansen, M. L. Heidt, L. G. Neven, E. A. Mielke, J. Bai, P. M. Chen, R. A. Spotts

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

Surface arthropods on pome fruits can cause export problems and disrupt commercial markets. Eliminating insects and mites on the packing line would be the last opportunity to provide for pest-free produce. In this study, an experimental packing line was used to evaluate techniques using different surfactant baths, pressurized water sprays, and styles of rotating brushes to remove field-collected and laboratory-reared grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus (Ehrhorn) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), the diapausing two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and the woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausman) (Homoptera: Aphididae). The organosilicone Silwet L-77 was no more effective than a silicone-based food grade …

Upper Profile Changes Over Time In An Appalachian Hayfield Soil Amended With Coal Combustion By-Products, X. Zhou, K. D. Ritchey, R. B. Clark, N. Persaud, D. P. Belesky

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

Large amounts of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and fluidized bed combustion (FBC) by-products from burning coal, consisting primarily of gypsum, are available for potential use as a soil amendment. However, information is limited on longer-term changes in chemical and physical properties induced over time and over small depth increments of the upper soil profile after applying these amendments. This study examined longer-term effects in an abandoned Appalachian pasture soil amended with various liming materials and coal combustion by-products (CCBPs). Soil chemical and physical properties were investigated over time and depths. The results indicated limited dissolution and movement of the calcium …

Microarray Based Comparison Of Two Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Lineages, Scot E. Dowd, Hiroshi Ishizaki

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

Background: Previous research has identified the potential for the existence of two separate lineages of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Clinical isolates tended to cluster primarily within one of these two lineages. To determine if there are virulence related genes differentially expressed between the two lineages we chose to utilize microarray technology to perform an initial screening.

Results: Using a 610 gene microarray, designed against the E. coli O157 EDL 933 transcriptome, targeting primarily virulence systems, we chose 3 representative Lineage I isolates (LI groups mostly clinical isolates) and 3 representative Lineage II isolates (LII groups mostly bovine isolates). Using standard dye …

Comparative Mapping Of Bovine Chromosome 27 With Human Chromosome 8 Near A Dairy Form Qtl In Cattle, E. E. Connor, M. S. Ashwell, R. Schnabel, J. L. Williams

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

In the absence of a complete and annotated bovine genome sequence, detailed human-bovine comparative maps are one of the most effective tools for identification of positional candidate genes contributing to quantitative trait loci (QTL) in cattle. In the present study, eight genes from human chromosome 8 were selected for mapping in cattle to improve breakpoint resolution and confirm gene order on the comparative map near the 40 cM region of the BTA27 linkage map where a QTL affecting dairy form had previously been identified. The resulting map identified ADRB3 as a positional candidate gene for the QTL contributing to the …

Prehistoric And Medieval Plant Remains From Two Sites On The Euphrates, South-Eastern Turkey, Emel Oybak Dönmez

Turkish Journal of Botany

The results of the archaeobotanical examination of 2 sites, namely Mezraa Höyük and Gre Virike, on the Euphrates in the Karkamış (Carchemish) area, near Birecik (Şanlıurfa) in south-east Turkey are given. The cultural levels that yielded carbonised plant remains date from the Early Bronze Age (3000-2000 BC), Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) and Medieval period (11^{th} - 13^{th} centuries AD). The plant assortment in the Bronze Age did not differ essentially from that during the Medieval period. The major crop plant of the farmers was Hordeum L. (barley, hulled). Other cereal crops included Triticum dicoccum Schübl. (emmer wheat), T. monococcum …

Folk Medicines In Merzifon (Amasya, Turkey), Nurten Ezer, Öykü Mumcu Arisan

Turkish Journal of Botany

Natural sources used as folk medicines in Merzifon were investigated in this study. It was determined that 35 plant and 4 animal species together with 3 animal and 1 inorganic sources are being used as various preparations of folk medicines in Merzifon area. All the collected medicinal plants were identified and voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy (HUEF). Local names, part(s) used, methods of preparation and traditional usages of folk medicines are given in this paper. Traditional herbal medicines were mostly used for gastrointestinal system diseases, heart and circulatory system disorders. When our …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 7 2006, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.