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Nebline, June/July 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H embryology will crack 50 years of chicks hatching in local classrooms, Vicki Jedlicka

Simple ways to eat more fruits and veggies every day, Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the month: Crunchy veggie wraps

Annual flowers for sunny locations, Mary Jane Frogge

Garden guide: Things to do this month, Mary Jane Frogge

2025 Gro Big Red

It’s time for private well maintenance, Becky Schuerman

Monitoring pastures for improving management and productivity, John Nelson

Why play is your child's most important work, Hayley Jackson Perez

Keep an eye out for some common caterpillars, Kait Chapman

Lancaster County Super Fair

Upcoming babysitting trainings …

State And Transition Models For Mulga Rangelands Of Western Australia, Alison O'Donnell, Anna E. Richards, Suzanne Prober, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Sarah Luxton, Ian Watson, Brett Abbott, Philip Thomas, Joshua E. Foster

Natural resources published reports

This report details a collaborative project between the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and CSIRO that focused on developing State and Transition Models (STMs) for mulga rangelands in Western Australia. The overarching aim of the project was to improve the common understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of mulga rangeland ecosystems and the expected impacts of management. Specifically, the project aimed to collate expert knowledge and monitoring information using a nationally consistent framework to develop quantitative and dynamic STMs. The geographic scope of the project covers the extensive mulga rangelands of Western Australia, particularly the Gascoyne …

One Health Interventions And Challenges Under Rural African Smallholder Farmer Settings: A Scoping Review, Evanson R. Omuse, Honest Machekano, Bonoukpoè M. Sokame, Daniel M. Mutyambai, Thomas Dubois, Sevgan Subramanian, Frank Chidawanyika

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The global human population is rapidly increasing, escalating interactions of people, animals and the environment. This has led to more convoluted health challenges, for which African smallholder farmers bear the brunt. The One Health (OH) approach recognises the interconnectedness of these health challenges and thus follows a transdisciplinary approach involving diverse stakeholders to address them. Although there have recently been global concerted efforts and studies on OH, an information gap exists in Africa, particularly regarding smallholder farmers and their needs. Additionally, evaluation frameworks and outcome metrics for OH initiatives are still unclear. Thus, this study was conducted to critically map …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

Pollinator Plant Communities Within Restored Montane Longleaf Pine Ecosystems, Hanen Van Rossem

Master's Theses

Historically the fire-dependent and biodiverse longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem was the dominant ecosystem of the Southeastern US. This ecosystem’s range was massively reduced due to land conversion and fire exclusion, causing the decline of many native species. Efforts to restore and protect longleaf pine stands are now ongoing with the goal of expanding habitat and refuge for threatened species. Differences in restoration practices and prior land use may influence the extent to which restored habitat patches can support pollinators and their plants. This study compared pollinator plant biodiversity between restored neighboring montane longleaf pine stands that differed in …

Evaluation Of Plant Growth Regulators On Sweetpotato Slip Propagation, Kerington Lyn Bass

Theses and Dissertations

Sweetpotato production is often impacted by high mortality of slips during transplantation to the field, particularly with greenhouse-grown slips. These slips develop thinner stems, thus being more vulnerable to transplant shock, resulting in reduced establishment. To address this issue, the study evaluated the effects of four plant growth regulators on the morphological and anatomical characteristics of sweetpotato slips. In the first experiment, external growth parameters were recorded over four weeks, followed by post-harvest assessments of plant and root material. In the second experiment, the widths of various stem structures in stained cross-sections of slip stems were measured. Results showed that …

Taxonomic Revision Of Korean Salix Section Subviminales Based On Comparative Morphology And Complete Plastome Analysis, Young Moon Kim, Shukherdorj Baasanmunkh, Nudkhuu Nyamgerel, Won Seok Lee, Dong Chan Son, In Kyu Park, Bom Bi Jin, Hyo Sig Won, Hyeok Jae Choi

Turkish Journal of Botany

Salix section Subviminales, including only three species, is endemic to East Asia. In this study, we revised three species, S. gracilistyla, S. graciliglans, and S. blinii in Korea based on their plastomes and extensive morphological analyses to provide a comprehensive understanding of their taxonomic relationships. Based on our findings, we identified the morphological characteristics of S. blinii endemic to Korea, including its small size and distinct leaf shapes, which are well distinguished from both S. gracilistyla and S. graciliglans. Most of the morphological characteristics of S. gracilistyla and S. graciliglans overlapped, particularly leaf shape, floral structure, and growth habits. Next, …

Ecological Assessment Of Lentic Ecosystems In Ceyhan River Basin Using Phytoplankton Indices, Abuzer Çelekli̇, Emi̇ne Yonca Gümüş, Tolga Çeti̇n

Turkish Journal of Botany

Increasing exploitation of water resources has led to declining water quality in aquatic environments. Freshwater ecosystems face various environmental pressures, such as the impacts of climate change and intensifying land-use practices. This study aimed to assess the ecological preferences of phytoplankton communities and determine the ecological status (ES) of several reservoirs and lakes in Ceyhan River Basin across different seasons. A canonical correspondence analysis was conducted to understand the associations between phytoplankton assemblages and stressors in freshwater ecosystems, revealing a strong correlation of 97%. The factors that most influenced the distribution of phytoplankton species were electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, total …

Genome-Wide Association Of Gene Regions Controlling Selenium And Magnesium Accumulation In Walnuts (Juglans Regia L.), İrem Büyükalgan, Bülent Yağmur, Erdal Orman, Muhammed Bahatti̇n Tanyolaç, Duygu Ateş

Turkish Journal of Botany

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is one of the most economically important species. It is of great importance to the food industry due to its nutritional value, and high content of many beneficial components such as macro and microelements. In the current study, the aim was to determine markers of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with the gene(s) controlling the accumulation of Selenium (Se) and Magnesium (Mg) in walnuts. Se and Mg concentrations were measured in 154 genotypes of Juglans regia in 2021 and 2022. A total of 16,473 SNP markers were used for association mapping to analyze the marker-trait associations. …

Complete Genome Analyses Of A Novel Narlivirus Identified In The Ectomycorrhizal Fungus Amanita Vidua, Ilgaz Akata, Eda Kumru, Gülce Edi̇ş, Ertuğrul Kaya, Ergi̇n Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Botany

The widespread utilisation of deep sequencing has dramatically enhanced and revolutionised our understanding of virus diversity, particularly in complex environments such as soil and biological samples. This research explored mycovirus sequence analyses in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Amanita vidua, utilising deep sequencing alongside total double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) extractions. Our investigation unveiled a unique member of the proposed family, Narliviridae, designated as Amanita vidua narlivirus 1 (AvNV1), in an A. vidua specimen. AvNV1, classified under Amabiliviricetes, possesses a distinct genome structure and sequence attributes. T horough analyses indicated that AvNV1 exhibits sequence similarities with other mycoviruses from the proposed family Narliviridae and …

Unveiling The Physical Interaction Between Gsnor1 And Trx-H Isoforms, Anika Tabassum, Gary J. Loake

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study aims to investigate any possible interaction between two highly conserved regulators of cellular SNO levels: S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR1) and thioredoxin (TRX). These two enzymes control global S-nitrosylation levels and thus impact the cellular redox state during immune responses. A mutant line (Δtrx1trx2sfa1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MaV203 strain was generated to explore this possibility rather than using a classical strain. We identified and characterized the physical interaction between GSNOR1 and Arabidopsis cytosolic h isoforms in a yeast two-hybrid screen. Out of the seven TRX isoforms, AtGSNOR1 displayed a high interaction with AtTRXh3, AtTRXh4, and AtTRXh5 (AtTRXh5>AtTRXh4 & AtTRXh3). …

Proceedings Of The 12th Research Symposium At Mammoth Cave National Park, Pat Kambesis Editor, Lee Anne Bledsoe Editor, Ana K. Celis Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Proceedings of the 12th Research Symposium at Mammoth Cave National Park: Celebrating 100 Years of Scientific Research & Resource Management in the Mammoh Cave Region.

Biochar Suppresses Growth, Pupation And Eclosion Success Of A Specialist (Manduca Sexta) And A Generalist (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Insect Herbivore, Nischal Wagle, Soumya Unnikrishnan, Satinderpal Kaur, Engil Pereira, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made by the pyrolysis of organic material from agricultural and forestry waste. While biochar is well documented for altering soil physicochemical conditions, few studies have investigated its possible effects on the management of arthropod pests. Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) are specialist and generalist insect herbivores respectively, that can cause significant defoliation in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, we examined whether walnut shell biochar can affect growth and development of these herbivores. Specifically, we investigated how biochar influences parameters such as mass gain, length of pupation, pupal mass, …

Sustainable Process Valorization For Bioactives From Invasive Plants Environmental Burden And Their Efficacy As Antimicrobial Agents, Shamprasad Br

Theses and Dissertations

Agri-food industries produce large quantities of fruit waste which are usually discarded and one such major beverage juice waste is Citrus waste. Likewise, invasive plants like Prosopis juliflora, which is richly distributed across Tamil Nadu, are underutilized for secondary metabolites/bioactives isolation. Halophytes are another rich source of bioactives present around mangrove forests and distributed in the salt rich marshy land.

1. Separation of phenylpropanoids from the Citrus waste through solvent extraction and pH-assisted precipitation was developed. The PPCM precipitated (phenylpropanoids form Citrus medica) were analysed by HPTLC and were found to contain Rutin, Naringin, Quercetin-3-beta-glycoside, Chlorogenic acid, Ferulic acid and optimization …

Genomic Structure Among Populations Of A Regionally Rare Perennial Plant Indicates The Need For Reevaluation Of Management Units, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Conservation of rare species often relies on the delineation of management units and genomic tools can now be applied for this purpose. However, this is not as common on a local scale, where populations are often small and fragmented, despite the utility of informing conservation and management practice at the regional level. We use a genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach to assess the perennial riparian plant species Baptisia australis (Fabaceae) in Pennsylvania, where the taxon is at the edge of its natural distribution and considered threatened. In this system, we investigate whether sampled subpopulations exhibit genetic structure. We find that …

Evaluation Of Tree Legumes Species At Different Agroclimatic Zones Of Indonesia, Mas'ud Panjaitan, R Jessop, W W. Stur

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The population of Indonesia is over 145 million and more than 56 % of them earn their living from agriculture (Bi. Stat. Ind., 1983). A major problem in the development of improved animal production has been the shortage of feed and the generally low nutritive value of tropical forages which limit livestock pro­duction in Indonesia (Asian Agriculture Survey, 1969). The production of feed of adequate quality for ruminants is an important consideration particularly for small holders. In many situations, nitrogen fixing legume trees can be used as a high protein feed supplement which improves the utilization of grasses and crop …

Utilization Of Native Mediterranean Fodder Trees By Dairy Goats, M Meuret

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Few data are available on utilization of fodder trees and shrubs by lactating goats. In most cases, predictions of animal performances on the basis of recommendations obtained from standard reference trials, do not correspond with production results achieved on the farm. Using measurements in digesti­bility cages and on rangelands (chromic oxide marker), we recorded intake, apparent digestibility of diets and perform­ances of goats well used to rangelands and browsing fresh oak foliage (Quercus ilex and Quercus pubescens).

Phenols As Defensive Compounds In Birch (Betula Spp.) Metabolism Of Platyphylloside In Goats, Rabbits And Hares, R T. Palo, G Iason, P G. Knutsonn

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Herbivores of the boreal forest like moose (Alces alces), hares (Lepus spp.) and birds (Tetranoidae) use birch as a major feed source. The tree is of medium preference to the animals and is low in available nutrients for most of the year. Apart from a high amount of lignified cell walls it also contains con­siderable amounts oflow molecular phenolic substances (Palo, 1984). A herbivore feeding on birch could thus be excepted to ingest large amounts of phenols. These are in general enough fat soluble to enter animal cells expected to ingest large amounts of …

Rumen Degradation Of Various Grass Species At Different Stages Of Growth, L J. Halliday

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The species and cultivars sown depends on the farming sys­tem practiced. These developing swards are however, always invaded by native species including Agrostis, Paa and Festuca spp. which are generally referred to as 'weed' grasses. While the merits of Lolium spp. are well documented (Minson et al. 1960; Norton, 1982) information on the weed grasses is limited (Hag­gar, 1976). The potential for milk and meat production is dependent on the supply of utilizable nutrients to the animal's tissues which in turn is largely governed by the ability of rumen microbes to degrade plant cell walls. Although the degradability of dry …

Feed Evaluation Using Mobile Dacron Bags And Influences Of The Diet Composition, H Anzola, F N. Owens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Mobile Nylon Bag (MNB) technique has been used successfully in protein nutrition studies with swine (Sauer et al., 1983) to determine amino acid availability from protein in specific feedstuffs. Canadian researchers also have tested this technique to predict site of digestion in ruminants (Kirkpatrick and Kennelly, 1987). Differences in small intestinal digestion may explain why animal responses differ to dietary protein sources which have similar ruminal escape values (Owens, 1986). The MNB holds promise to appraise the intestinal avail­ability of undegraded dietary protein though further develop­mel).t and testing are needed. The objective of this experiment was to examine the …

Forage Quality Of Coast Cross 1 Bermudagrass On Intestinal Digestion Of Dietary Amino Acids, G Coto, Hanna Meier, Patrica Malgarez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this work was to study the digestibility of dietary amino acids found in the fibrous material, considering the qual­ity of the forage offered as the sole feeding source.

Nitrogen And Organic Matter Disappearance In The Digestive Tract Of Sheep Grazing Three Winter Foggages, W A. Van Niekerk, H H. Meissner, E B. Spreeth, I S. Conradie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal production in the tropics and subtropics is limited by poor intake. This results because of high cell wall content and poor digestibility of tropical forages (Minson & McLeod, 1970). During the dormant (winter) season these negative effects were exaggerated. Also, N declines resulting in a further reduction in intake. The questions addressed here were whether winter foggage of improved subtropical pastures could be ben­eficial and secondly, how three species adapted to the drier areas of South Africa, compare in this regard.

Comparison Of Laboratory Methods For Estimating Herbage Digestibility, Francoise Riviere, P Maupetit, G Blanchard

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forages are an important source of nutrients for ruminants and recently interest has been shown in using forages for a greater proportion of the nutrients in ruminant production. The feeding value of forages mainly depends on their digestible organic matter contents. Feeding of forages to animals is the most accurate method of evaluation but such trials are expens­ive and very slow. Many laboratory procedures have been developped for esti­mating forage nutritive value. Recently, near infrared reflec­tance has been developped to provide a fast and reliable alter­native method. The aim of the study is to compare laboratory methods of forage evaluation …

Determination Of Forage In Vivo Digestibility By Nirs, R Biston, P Dardenne, C Demarquilly

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The forage energetic value determination has always been and remains a important issue. It consists in predicting the Organic Matter Digestibility (OMD). Measuring In Vivo OMD on animals is time and money consuming. To predict OMD in laboratory, different chemical, microbiological and enzymatic methods are used. The articles published on the use of Near InfraRed Spec­trometry (NIRS) indicate that this method can improve OMD determination efficiently (Norris, 1983; Shenk, 1977; Biston, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988). The research work carried out in the Station de Haute Belgique in collaboration with INRA in Theix, has defined the efficiency of these technics for …

Enzymatic Solubility And Other Analytic Parameters Predicting Digestibility In Grasses Of Middling Food Value, J Silva Colomer, M Zarate, J C. Guevara, C Fransinelli

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

For a long time, laboratories techniques have been applied to predict "in vivo" digestibility. Among the biological methods, those basing on rumen fluid are the most used in the nutrition laboratories (Osbourn and Siddons, 1980). These techniques, however, present difficulties as the necessity of maintaining rumen-fistulated donor animals, variations in ruminal activity and high cost. For these reasons, the capacity of enzymatic solubility to predict digestibility has been studied in the last few years in different forages : hays, cereal straws, silages and pellets (Aerts et al., 1977 ; Rivero Yeas, 1985), agri­cultural byproducts (Aerts, 1977; Aguilera and Molina, 1986) …

Use Of Near Infrared Spectroscopy To Assess Nutritional Status Of Cattle Diets On Rangelands, J W. Stuth, E D. Kapes, R K. Lyons

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are two principal means for assessing the quality of grazing ruminant diets, analysis of extrusa from esophageally fistulated animals or indirect estimates from fecal analysis. Wet chemistry methods are well documented for the former but have proven to be of limited value regarding the latter. It is the purpose of this research to determine the suitability of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for estimating diet crude protein (%) and organic matter digestibility (%) directly from extrusa and indirectly from feces.

Monitoring The Nutrition Of Grazing Cattle With Near-Infrared Analysis Of Feces, S W. Coleman, J W. Stuth, J W. Holloway

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The nutrition of grazing animals is difficult to assess because of the difficulty in determining the amount and quality of the ingested forage. Although many techniques have been proposed for sampling the grazed forage, none offer quantitat­ive estimates of diet quality and intake for individual animals in large numbers. The feces excreted by animals contain undigested residues of the diet consumed along with products of animal and microbiological origin. The objective was to determine if near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could be used to developed spectral indices from feces which describe the quantitative and qualitative attributes of the diet over a range …

Predicting Organic Matter Digestibility Of Forage By Two Pepsin-Cellulase Methods, Jocelyne Aufrere, C Demarquilly

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In vivo organic matter digestibility (OMd) of forage is very variable. That of standing forage varies, depending on species, growth cycle number and more especially stage of development or forage age, between 49 and 86 p. 100 according to the 1 719 samples of grasses, legumes and permanent pastures studied on sheep in our Laboratory (Demarquilly and Andrieu, 1987). Variation may also be caused by conservation method, particu­larly hay-making. Since net energy value depends closely on OMd, a good knowledge of the latter is indispensable in the preparation of animal diets. It is also important in the choice of crop …

Evaluation Of King Grass Clones (Pennisetum Purpureum) Obtained By Tissue Culture. Iii. Quality Of The Mutants, R S. Herrera, J Lauzan, R O. Martinez, M Monzote, R Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two ofthe main aspects of the forages used in bovine cattle nutrition are yield and its quality. More recently, Martinez et al. (1986) observed the possibility of modifying some indices by the in vitro tissue culture. Thus, the objective of the present work was to evaluate some quality indice of Pennisetum clones obtained by tissues culture.

The Effect Of Plant Population Density And Fertilizer Nitrogen On The Performance And Quality Of Maize For Silage, E O. Asare, A.A K. Adjepong-Yamoah

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ghanaian soils are inherently low in Nitrogen (N) content especially in grassland areas and where the forest has been cleared for cultivation. The diet of Ghanaians is very low in protein, and more meat protein is needed. Livestock pro­duction is empeded when during the long dry season livestock lose weight, get diseased or die because of insufficient forage. This limits animal protein available for Ghanaians. Forage conservation in the rainy season for use during the drought period is suggested, and for this, silage preparation has been found most practicable .. Means of improving the yield and quality of forages in …