Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts Of Disturbance And Nutrient Addition On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities, Kayla Beitzel

Honors Theses

Coastal dune ecosystems are globally distributed ecosystems that occur from the tropics to the poles and serve as the first line of defense during storms. They are critical habitats for a variety of organisms and also play a critical role in stabilizing coastal habitats. These systems face increased pressure via urban development, recreational expansion, and sea-level rise (Newman et al. 2023; Webster et al. 2005). Insects are vital consumers in coastal ecosystems and act as regulators of plant growth. Low-diversity ecosystems, like coastal dune systems, often contain a higher abundance of low-diverse insect consumers (Ripple et al. 2021), which can …

A Genome Wide Association Study Of Heat Tolerance In Snap Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris), Morgan Stone

All Theses

Bean production in the United States has decreased while the temperatures have been steadily increasing, reaching new highs each year. Heat stress is detrimental to common bean (also known as snap bean) production. Symptoms of heat stress include decrease in pollen viability, shriveling of pods, and pod abortion making them unmarketable. Pod production of 323 snap bean accessions from a large diversity panel was assessed in a randomized complete block design with field trials at two different times in the spring season. The results show a significant decrease in the number of pods produced per plant and weight of pods …

Rapid Leaf Senescence Symptoms Are Related To Carbohydrate Depletion In Cut Chrysanthemums, And Strategies For The Symptoms Reduction, Shara Ortiz Carvajal

All Theses

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ×morifolium) is the second-largest exported cut flower worldwide; however, some cultivars exhibit rapid leaf senescence during their first week of vase life. This phenomenon negatively impacts consumer perception of plant quality, and its cause has been unknown. Experiments were performed in Colombia on cut chrysanthemums shipped to the U.S. for vase-life evaluation. After 10 d, the severity of leaf senescence symptoms was recorded. Experiments examined the effect of flower form [disbud (one flower per stem) versus spray (5-10 flowers per stem)], the effect of time of harvest (A.M. versus P.M.), and sugar sources (dextrose, fructose, mannitol, and sucrose) …

Evaluating Habitat Use By Nekton In Widgeon Grass (Ruppia Maritima), Shoal Grass (Halodule Wrightii), And Unvegetated Bottom Habitats In The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Jessica Woodall

Master's Theses

Seagrass beds support high biodiversity and animal abundance, serve as feeding grounds for a variety of animals, offer shelter from predation, and act as a nursery habitat for juveniles. The species composition of seagrass beds can impact their use as habitat by animals. Two common species of seagrass in the Gulf of Mexico are Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass). The shallow coastal waters of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) support both species, but the use of each seagrass as habitat by nekton is poorly understood, which can limit management decision-making. Nekton communities were …

Integrated Techniques To Identify And Characterize Resistance To Fusarium Wilt Caused By Fusarium Oxysporum, F. Sp. Vasinfectum Race 4 In Two Domesticated Gossypium Species, Stephen Parris

All Dissertations

Fusarium wilt of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4), is the most threatening disease faced by today’s cotton breeders. During the past 20 years, over $7 million have been dedicated to efforts in breeding upland cotton for resistance to FOV4 while yielding little to no results. To counteract this, we conducted a study in Clint, TX, that utilized control plots and geostatistical methods to adjust phenotypic data for the heterogeneous distribution of FOV4 in the field, improving the accuracy of genetic resistance assessments. Concurrently, early-generation genetic mapping in …

Furthering Indaziflam-Based Management Strategies Of Three Invasive Annual Grasses In Northern Utah, Peter Weston Maughan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Indaziflam is an herbicide highly recognized for its potential to effectively control weedy, winter germinating grasses, such as downy brome, as the herbicides prevents seed germination for several years. Unfortunately, most of these studies only capture the first 2-3 years of indaziflam’s 3-5 years soil activity. This thesis sought to better understand indaziflam’s long-term effects by monitoring both a healthy ecosystem and a degraded ecosystem for up to 5 years after indaziflam application. A secondary study was also conducted to better understand the potential of revegetation via reseeding in indaziflam treated soils. The study concluded that indaziflam very little long-term …

Reducing Inputs And Adding Value To Turfgrass Systems Through Clover Inclusion And Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Applications, Paige E. Boyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Recently, the US has seen an expansion in the amount of turfgrass land cover (lawns, parks, roadsides, sports fields, and golf courses), as well as an interest in reducing fertilizer, water, and pesticide use in these grass systems. To help maintain quality and function while reducing resource inputs, two promising approaches have emerged: planting clover into lawns and applying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

White clover and grass mixtures have been studied for their ability to cut down on fertilizer usage and provide a uniform, dark green lawn, but other clover types have not been as widely studied and may provide similar …

Ecology And Management Of Dyer's Woad (Isatis Tinctoria) In Northern Utah, Erin Marie Hettinger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) is a non-native forb that continues to threaten natural areas throughout Northern Utah and much of the Intermountain West. Once introduced, dyer’s woad can become extremely invasive, decreasing forage quality, and displacing native species. While dyer’s woad is found throughout much of Northern Utah, its range in other states remains limited. If promptly managed, control success in these areas will be much higher and populations may be kept at bay before ecological damage becomes severe.

This project tested the ability of dyer’s woad seedlings to compete with common rangeland grasslands at varied densities as …

Chemical Investigation Of Dichloromethane Extract Of Aloe Vera Peels: An Agricultural Waste, Nazmul Huda

Theses and Dissertations

Aloe barbadensis Miller, commonly called Aloe Vera, is a widely popular succulent plant species cultivated across subtropical regions worldwide from India to the Tex-Mex border. Besides its historical uses, Aloe juice has garnered attention as a potential remedy for various ailments, particularly in treating various skin conditions and facilitating wound recovery, including obesity, diabetes, hepatitis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Regrettably, the agricultural practice following sap extraction involves discarding Aloe vera peels, constituting agricultural waste. As part of our continuous research on extraction, isolation, separation, and spectral characterization of value-added chemicals present in waste botanicals herein, …

Developing Recommendations For Broad Mite, Polyphagotarsonemus Latus Banks, In Blackberry, Rubus Subgenus Rubus, Jared Bradley Linn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broad mite, (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae), is an economically important pest of blackberry production across the world. Since it was first reported on primocane-fruiting blackberries in 2010, little work has gone into developing IPM tools and understanding impact on floricane-fruiting cultivars. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of broad mite feeding on floricane-fruiting cultivars of blackberry, develop an efficient and accurate field scouting strategy, and investigate the impact of cultivar and trellising technique on the development of broad mite populations. Experiments consisted of evaluating floricane fruiting cultivars by quantifying broad mite populations and cataloging their …

Do Organic Farming Practices Improve Soil Physical Properties?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Sabrina J. Ruis, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Organic farming (OF) is a reemerging system that could address food security and adverse environmental footprints of conventional farming (CF). However, how OF affects the soil physical environment, an essential pillar for soil ecosystem service delivery, is not well understood. This paper (1) reviews published global literature up to 13 July 2023 regarding the impacts of OF on soil physical properties compared with CF and (2) underlines research needs. Literature indicates OF improves some soil physical properties relative to CF although studies on some properties were few. Specifically, OF increased wet aggregate stability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and plant available water …

The Impact Of Environmental Factors And Management On The Fitness Of Carlina Acaulis Subsp. Caulescens (Lam.) Schübl. Et G. Martens In Mountain Mesic Meadows, Daniel Pruchniewicz, Ȃngela Lomba, Ludwik Żołnierz, Agnieszka Dradrach, João Pradinho Honrado

Turkish Journal of Botany

The stemless carline thistle (Carlina acaulis subsp. caulescens) is a plant species commonly found at lower altitudes in the Central European mountains. Although it is still relatively frequent in the area, there has been a decrease in its numbers in the last decades. This research aims to determine the impact of the management of mountain mesic meadows and habitat factors on the morphometric variability of C. acaulis and species composition patterns of accompanying vegetation. The study was carried out in the central part of the Sudetes Mountains (SW Poland) on a network of 42 plots randomly established within mesic grasslands. …

Ethnobotany Of Medicinal Plants Used In Dermatology In Türkiye: A Review, Serpi̇l Demi̇rci̇ Kayiran, Meryem Parlak, Di̇dem Yilmaz Oral

Turkish Journal of Botany

Medicinal plants are increasingly used to treat skin diseases and as cosmetics. Türkiye has a rich diversity of medicinal flora, and patients have a choice of ethnomedicines to manage various dermatology problems. This comprehensive review aims to summarize the primary information available on the dermatological properties of medicinal plants in Türkiye and provide a baseline for the detection of new plant species having efficacy against skin conditions. In this review, clinical and experimental data were researched using relevant search terms in scientific literature databases like PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, EBSCO, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, and HighWire Press. …

A Comprehensive Ethnobotanical Survey Of Medicinal Plants For 80 Villages In Trabzon (Türkiye), Sila Ozlem Sener, Kami̇l Çoşkunçelebi̇, Sali̇h Terzi̇oğlu, Aleyna Nalçaoğlu, Tuğçe Peli̇n Gençkaya, Ufuk Özgen, Merve Yüzbaşioğlu Baran

Turkish Journal of Botany

The current study targeted to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of medicinal plant taxa used in folk medicine in Trabzon. Due to its historical significance, diversity of plant species, and hosting a wide range of cultures, the Turkish city of Trabzon has significant ethnobotanical potential. Ethnobotanical data including family name, scientific name, local name, used parts, therapeutic uses, preparation methods, administration routes, and cited locations were gathered by face-to-face interviews with 645 participants mostly over 50 years old. The quantitative analyses were executed by the determination of frequency values of citation (FC), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), and informant …

Biochar Influences On Phytochemical Composition And Expression Genes Of Curly Kale At Different Treatment Times, Joyce Dedei Anteh, Esraa Almugrabi, Antonina Mostyakova, Olga Timofeeva

Turkish Journal of Botany

his study examined the effect of biochar application to the soil at different times on the phytochemical composition (phenolic compounds, carotenoids, vitamin C, sugars, proteins, MDA, and antioxidant activity) and expression of HCT, F3’H and CHS genes (which are involved in the accumulation of phenolic compounds) in cabbage kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala). Biochar was prepared from chicken manure, using the method of rapid pyrolysis at a temperature of 400 °C. The retention time at the maximum temperature was 4 h, and the heating rate was 10 °C min–1. The biochar fertilizer was applied to 5–7 day-old kale seedlings …

Influence Of Rootstock Age And Gibberellin On The Survival Rate Of Clove (Syzygium Aromaticum L. Merr. & Perr.) Grafting, Ireng Darwati, Rudi Suryadi, Nurliani Bermawie, Octivia Trisilawati, Devi Rusmin, Sri Wahyuni, Siswanto Siswanto, R Vitri Garvita

Turkish Journal of Botany

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is a cross-pollinated crop with significant genetic variation in planting materials derived from seeds. Vegetative propagation through grafting is a valuable strategy to achieve genetically identical characteristics in progeny. This study investigates the influence of rootstock age and hormone (gibberellin) treatments on the grafting union and survival rate of top clove grafting under greenhouse conditions. The experiments followed a randomized block design with three replications, each containing 10 samples, and involving two factors: rootstock age (4, 6, and 8 weeks old) and gibberellin (GA3 ) concentrations (0 and 1 mg L–1). The variables observed include success percentage, …

Beta-Carbonic Anhydrase Gene Expression Levels Change Depending On The Drought Severity In Both The Leaves And Roots Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Sertan Çevi̇k, Oğuzhan Kurt, Ayşi̇n Güzel Değer, Ferit Kocaçinar, Rıza Bi̇nzet

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between β carbonic anhydrase (βCA) gene expression levels and drought stress severity. For this purpose, the expression levels of six βCA genes in the roots and leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana were investigated under mild, moderate, and severe drought conditions. In addition, changes in the biomass, leaf water content, photosynthetic efficiency, CA enzyme activity, free proline content, and lipid peroxidation were also determined. The results showed that all of the β CA gene expression levels and CA enzyme activity increased in the leaf under mild drought conditions; however, the expression levels …

Brachiaria Spp. (Syn. Urochloa Spp.) Cv. Mulato Ii (Convert Hd364) Mass Production Under Continuous Grazing In The Water/Dry Transition Period, A. L. A. Castro, A. C. Prado, M. C. Silva Júnior, M. S. Soares, M. V. Teixeira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the transition period between the rainy and dry seasons there is decreased water, temperature and luminosity, reducing forage production and quality. Because of this variability in forage mass production, it is essential to quantify forage mass for use in planning and decision making about pastures management. The objective was to evaluate Brachiaria spp. (Syn. Urochloa spp.) cv. Mulato II (Convert HD364) growth, biomass production managed under continuous grazing with steers fed with protein supplement feed in-trough and on-ground during the seasonal transition period. The experiment was carried out in the Beef Cattle Sector of Jatai Federal University …

Production And Persistence Of Self-Regenerating Annual Clovers In The Pacific Northwest, Ian Silvernail, Serkan Ates

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Self-regenerating annual legumes are commonly included in dryland pastures to increase the production of high-quality forages to meet the nutritional demands of growing and lactating animals. Balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum Savi), not as widely evaluated as subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), has shown promise in Western Oregon. However, there is a paucity of information on the productivity and persistence of annual clover cultivars that have various flowering times. This study investigates the biomass production and persistence of early, mid and late flowering subterranean clover and balansa clover cultivars in Corvallis, Oregon. Averaged across the cultivars, the total annual …

Managing Vegetation In Grassland Habitats To Enhance Livestock Or Wildlife Objectives, B. B. Sleugh, S. Flynn, W. Hatler, C. Hart, S. Ingram, Joao B. Cason, D. Ovalle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustainably stewarding grassland systems involves applying various practices to manipulate forage interactions with other plants, the environment, and grazing animals to meet resource manager objectives. These interactions can result in invasion or encroachment and increased abundance of weeds which hinder attainment of management objectives. Weeds influence the structure and function of pasture ecosystems whether forages are grown in improved pastures, rangeland, or grassland communities. They degrade pasture quality and reduce livestock performance by interfering with forage establishment, yield, and quality by competing for resources. Weeds reduce the feed value of forage, decrease pasture carrying capacity, and can be toxic or …

Forage Allowance And Daily Gain Relationships On Rye-Ryegrass Pastures At Different Stocking Rates With Continuous And Rotational Stocking, F. M. Rouquette Jr., K. D. Norman, C. R. Long, E. Van Santen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

‘Maton’ cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) and ‘TAM-90’ annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) are used for winter annual pastures to background stocker cattle in the southeastern US. Rye and ryegrass were sod-seeded into bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pastures and fixed-stocked at different rates under continuous and 8-paddock rotation methods during each of 7 years to: 1) compare stocking methods for daily gain per animal (ADG) and gain/ha; and 2) quantify relationships of ADG with forage mass and forage allowance. Each of 3 levels of stocking rate, 4.9, 6.4, and 8.6 hd/ha, significantly affected ADG at 1.24, …

Characteristics Of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Isolated From Tibetan Plateau And Their Effects On Silage Quality Of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lam.) At Low Temperature, Siran Wang, Mudasir Nazar, Niaz Ali Kaka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Temperature is an important factor affecting ensilage. In cold regions, low temperature could be an adverse environmental factor during ensiling. However, little research has focused on improving silage quality at low temperatures. This study aimed to examine two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (LCG9 and TG1) isolated from the Tibetan Plateau, and evaluate their effects on the silage quality of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) at three temperatures (10° C, 15° C and 25° C). The isolated strains and one commercial inoculant (G, Lactobacillus plantarum MTD-1) were evaluated by morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. Strains G, LCG9, TG1 and …

A Novel Tractor Operated Grass Seed Harvester Developed In India, Chandra Shekhar Sahay, D. S. Thorat, P. S. Pathak

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The demand of green and dry fodder in India is estimated to increase to 1170 and 650 m tonne whereas availability is expected to be at 411.3 and 488 m tonne in 2025, respectively, depicting deficit of about 64.9% green fodder and 24.9% dry fodder (Vision 2030, ICAR - IGFRI, Jhansi, 2011). In forages, availability of quality seed is only 25-30% in cultivated fodder and less than 10 % in range grasses and legumes (Vision 2050, IGFRI). Prices paid for grass seeds of native species vary from Rs.5,000 to 6,500 per kg for clean, un-haired seeds due to excessive use …

Growth Components And Yield Of Brachiaria Ruziziensis (Congo Grass) And Centrosema Pascuorum (Centro) Mixtures As Influenced By Mixture Ratios, Phosphorus Levels And Stage Of Harvest, I. Sani, J. T. Amodu, R. J. Tanko, M. R. Hassan, N. Adamu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study was conducted during the 2017 and 2018 rainy season at the Crop Production Research farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi to determine the effects of plant mixture ratios in Brachiaria ruziziensis and Centrosema pascuorum (100% Sole B. ruziziensis, 75% B.R: 25% C.P, 50% B.R: 50% C.P, 25% B.R: 75% C.P and 100% Sole C. pascuorum) and phosphorus fertilizer (SSP) levels (0, 100 and 150kg/ha). The experiment was in a split-plot design with 5x3 factorial arrangement in which the mixture ratios constituted the main plots while phosphorus (SSP) levels constituted the sub treatments. Number of plants per …

Climate Change And Legume Performance In Grassland Agroecosystems, Lynn E. Sollenberger, M. M. Kohmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

We reviewed the literature to assess the effect of climate change factors on forage legumes. Whether growing in monoculture or mixtures with grasses, exposing legumes to elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) generally leads to sustained increases in forage accumulation (FA) and N fixation, but elevated temperature (eT) in conjunction with eCO₂ usually reduces magnitude of these responses. In legumes, nodules represent large C sinks, precluding photosynthetic acclimation to eCO₂ observed in non-N fixing plants. Greater N fixation in legume-grass mixtures exposed to eCO₂ is due to greater percentage of legume N derived from symbiotic fixation and …

Cattle Diet Composition Under A Short- Duration Grazing With And Without Deferment In Puna Rangelands, R. E. Tácuna, E. R. Flores

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The treatments of rest and deferment periods have shown to be effective tools to improve range condition, but little is known about their effect on the diet of animals. The present research aimed to evaluate the effect of the deferment period when applied to a short-term grazing system. The experimental design was a completely random factorial where the treatments resulted from combination of two grazing management systems: short-duration with deferment period (WD) and no deferral period (ND) both evaluated for three years. Forage yield (4.9 vs. 4.5 Tm DM ha^-1 year^-1) like range condition (55.5 vs. 50.7%) …

Canopy Changes Of Brachiaria Managed Under Continuous Stocking In The Dry-Water Transition, M. R. Castro, A. L. Bocchi, V. L. Banys, A. L. A. Castro, E. A. Collao-Sanez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture supplementation is an alternative to take advantage of the forage mass deferred in the rainy season and maintain or provide weight gain in periods of rain absence. The objective was to compare the structural characteristics, mass production, density and population dynamics of tillers of Urochloa brizantha cv. ‘Paiaguas’ and U. spp. cv. ‘Convert’ under fixed and continuous stocking with steers supplemented in the trough or on the ground in the water/dry transition period. The experiment was carried out at Jatai Federal University, from March to June, in a completely randomized design and a 2x2 factorial scheme, using six …

Canopy Changes Of Brachiaria Managed Under Continuous Stocking In The Dry-Water Transition, M. T. Maciel, A. L. Bocchi, V. L. Banys, A. L. A. Castro, E. A. Collao-Sanez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pasture supplementation is an alternative to take advantage of the forage mass deferred in the rainy season and maintain or provide weight gain in periods of rain absence. The objective was to compare the structural characteristics, mass production, density and population demography of tillers of Urochloa brizantha cv. Paiaguás and Urochloa spp. cv. Convert under fixed and continuous stocking with steers supplemented with pelleted concentrate supplied in the trough or on the ground in the water/dry transition period. The experiment was carried out in the Jatai Federal University, from March to June 2020, in a completely randomized design and …

Cool-Season Perennials And Stability In Year-Round Forage Production Systems, C. D. Teutsch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Changes in long-term climate normals have resulted in warmer and wetter summers and milder winters in the humid eastern United States. This will likely impact regional forage species adaptation in the long-term and varietal adaptation in the short term. Variety evaluation has been occurring at the University of Kentucky for almost 100 years. There are several considerations for selecting forage species and varieties including regional and local adaptation, productivity, distribution of growth, palatability, nutritive value, anti-quality factors, tolerance to stress, and persistence. Two of the most important criteria are long-term productivity and persistence under grazing, both of which are currently …

Spectral Reflectance Indices Associated With Biomass Production Of Cold Stress Resistant White Clover Genotypes Collected In Argentine And Chilean Patagonia, Hernán Acuña, Luis Inostroza, Catalina Vásquez, Joel Ibañez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is the main forage legume species in grazing pastures in central and southern Chile and many other temperate regions of the world. Its growth rate is limited by low temperature, therefore, the selection of cold stress resistant genotypes is an important step for breeding cultivar to improve the clover growth curve and extend the grazing season in early spring and autumn. The main objective of this experiment was to determine the relationship between phenotypic traits, measured by the high-throughput phenotyping procedures based on canopy reflectance at different wavelengths (spectral reflectance indices, SRIs), and dry …