Digital Commons Network^™

Arsenic Analysis: Comparative Arsenic Groundwater Concentration In Relation To Soil And Vegetation, Rominna E. Valentine Vecorena

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Arsenic (As) is a toxic semi-metallic element found in groundwater, soils, and plants. Natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to the distribution of arsenic in the environment. Arsenic’s toxic and mobile behavior is associated with its speciation ability. There are two types of arsenic available to the environment, inorganic and organic arsenic. Of the two, inorganic arsenic is more toxic to humans and more mobile in the environment. Two inorganic compounds responsible for arsenic contamination are trivalent arsenite, As (III), and pentavalent arsenate, As (V). Trivalent arsenate is considered to be more soluble, toxic, and mobile than pentavalent arsenate. Arsenic’s absorptive …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2015, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Student-Conducted Farmer Video Interviews, Jenn K. Simons, Justin Van Wart, Charles Francis, Kristyn Harms

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

High school agricultural education teachers have expressed concern about the lack of easily accessible educational materials dealing with contemporary topics in sustainable agriculture. There are numerous textbooks and monographs available for farmers and students at the college level, including the highly practical resources available from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) book series on soil fertility (Magdoff and van Es, 2010), cover crops (Bowman et al., 2007) and building a farm business (DiGiacomo et al., 2003), among others. Although these are full of color photos and easily accessible graphs and tables, they are still in the print media category. …

A Specialist Herbivore Pest Adaptation To Xenobiotics Through Up-Regulation Of Multiple Cytochrome P450s, Fang Zhu, Timothy W. Moural, David R. Nelson, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

The adaptation of herbivorous insects to their host plants is hypothesized to be intimately associated with their ubiquitous development of resistance to synthetic pesticides. However, not much is known about the mechanisms underlying the relationship between detoxification of plant toxins and synthetic pesticides. To address this knowledge gap, we used specialist pest Colorado potato beetle (CPB) and its host plant, potato, as a model system. Next-generation sequencing (454 pyrosequencing) was performed to reveal the CPB transcriptome. Differential expression patterns of cytochrome P450 complement (CYPome) were analyzed between the susceptible (S) and imidacloprid resistant (R) beetles. We also evaluated the global …

Comparative Evaluation Of The Effect Of Methyl Bromide Fumigation And Phytosanitary Irradiation On The Quality Of Fresh Strawberries, Tamar Serapian, Anuradha Prakash

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Fresh strawberries are highly perishable and have a short shelf-life especially when the cold chain is not maintained. Strawberries exported to Asia are currently fumigated with methyl bromide for phytosanitary purposes, which exposes strawberries to warm temperatures for several hours and air freight without temperature control, resulting in a shelf life of just a few days in the destination country. Irradiation offers an efficacious alternative to fumigation and can be performed on cold fruit. This study was conducted to compare the quality of strawberries subject to methyl bromide fumigation or irradiation followed by simulated commercial air freight shipment of strawberries …

Effects Of Host Microbiota On Intestinal Fiber Content, Kyle Olsen, John Chaston

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a pseudo-ruminant, the alpaca is highly dependent on the bacteria in its intestinal tract to obtain the nutrients it needs. For example the starch-fermenting bacteria in the compartment 1 (C1) access nutrients from the normally indigestible starches the alpaca consumes. The bacteria release volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in return. The alpaca uses VFAs as a source of energy. In turn, the composition of the microbiome (bacteria in the intestinal tract) is affected by many factors involving its host. These factors could include host genome, diet, and location in the digestive tract. Our research was to survey many aspects of …

The Effect Of Gut Microbiota On Starvation Resistance In D. Melanogaster, Alec Judd, John Chaston

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It has already been established that gut microbiota affect starvation resistance, fat (TAG) content, and development in D. melanogaster. Previous studies in this lab have suggested that effects of the microbiome on these traits are correlated, but this prediction has not been explicitly tested. We are specifically interested in identifying individual bacterial genes that may mediate microbial effects on all three host traits. One way to identify genes with causal influence on animal traits is MGWA (Meta Genome-Wide Association). To this end we have measured starvation resistance in D. melanogaster individually associated with a panel of 43 bacterial strains, and …

Forage News [2016-02], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Successful Heart of America Grazing Conference
• Special Forage Seminar to be held March 8th at UK
• Kentucky Represented in American Forage and Grassland Council Awards
• How could Mild Winter Affect Alfalfa Insects?
• Forage News Quote of the Month - "Feeding Seed is a Bad Idea"
• Kentucky Alfalfa Awards Given at Heart of America
• American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting
• Heart of America Grazing Conference Highlight: The Secret Ingredient of Clover: Biochanin A and Isoflavonoids
• Featured Publication: Inoculation of Forage Legumes

Effect Of Volunteer Corn Density On Deoxynivalenol Production By Fusarium Graminearum In Hybrid Corn, Gaelle Florence Hollandbeck

Open Access Theses

Fusarium graminearum causes Gibberella ear rot in corn and produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). Volunteer corn is a weed resulting from uncollected kernels from the previous harvest and is very difficult to control once established. An experiment was established in Porter County, IN from 2013 to 2015 to examine the impact of volunteer corn density on Gibberella ear rot severity and DON levels in hybrid corn. Five densities of volunteer corn were established within plots of each hybrid (0, 0.5, 2, 4, and 8 volunteer plants/m2). Disease severity and DON were assessed for both hybrid and volunteer ears collected …

Nebline, February 2016

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy — February is Heart Health Month

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Lentic And Lotic Habitats As Templets For Fungal Communities: Traits, Adaptations, And Their Significance To Litter Decomposition Within Freshwater Ecosystems, Kevin A. Kuehn

Faculty Publications

Decomposition of plant matter is a key ecosystem process and considerable research has examined plant litter decay processes in freshwater habitats. Fungi are common inhabitants of the decomposer microbial community and representatives of all major fungal phyla have been identified within freshwater systems. Development and application of quantitative methods over the last several decades have firmly established that fungi are central players in the decomposition of plant litter in freshwaters and are important mediators of energy and nutrient transfer to higher trophic levels. Despite the critical roles that fungi play in carbon and nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems, there are …

Influence Of Temperature On Intra- And Interspecific Resource Utilization Within A Community Of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers, Eric Siaw Ntiri, Paul Andre Calatayud, Johnnie Van Den Berg, Fritz Schulthess, Bruno Pierre Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Competition or facilitation characterises intra- And interspecific interactions within communities of species that utilize the same resources. Temperature is an important factor influencing those interactions and eventual outcomes. The noctuid stemborers, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis and the crambid Chilo partellus attack maize in sub-Saharan Africa. They often occur as a community of interacting species in the same field and plant at all elevations. The influence of temperature on the intra- And interspecific interactions among larvae of these species, was studied using potted maize plants exposed to varying temperatures in a greenhouse and artificial stems kept at different constant temperatures …

Picking Apples Off The Grazing Tree: How Far Can We Extend The Grazing Season Profitably?, Greg S. Halich

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Will grazing more and feeding less hay always increase profitability? There are many cases where cattle farmers could graze more days profitably. I would guess that more than half the cattlemen in Kentucky and the region could find ways to do so. But the statement is not universally correct and we need to evaluate the specific situation to determine if increasing grazing days will pay off.

Grazing Corn To Maximize Late Summer And Fall Gains, Jeff Lehmkuhler, Eric Vanzant

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Corn is a warm-season grass with a growth pattern dependent on temperatures. Warmer temperatures accelerate growth while cooler temperatures slow maturation. Thermal time is often referred to as Growing Degree Days (GGD) and calculated as GGD = ((Max Temp – Min Temp)/2) – 50 when calculating in Fahrenheit (Nielsen, 2012). In the upper transition zone, corn thrives and is the major planted crop. The warmer temperatures of the summer months combined with adequate precipitation allows this crop to be a potentially high yielding crop.

Native Warm-Season Grasses: Naturally Adapted Productive Pastures, Pat Keyser

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The series of severe droughts between 2007 and 2012 resulted in substantial decreases in cattle numbers – and enterprises – in our region. Some of the impact of these droughts may have been offset if producers in the region had reliable, drought-resilient summer forages. For all of the benefits of tall fescue, it was never meant to provide our summer forage. After all, it is a cool-season grass. What we have been learning about toxicosis in recent years further emphasizes the value of having alternative forages available during summer months.

How Diversity Extends The Grazing Season At Dogwood Farm, Debby Dulworth

Kentucky Grazing Conference

This article was previously published in Cow Country News.

Cattle are a valuable resource these days, in ways that most people, consumers and producers alike, haven’t yet realized. Putting some other resources into making the change for a better grazing system makes sense, especially here in Kentucky, where grass has, in the past, been the basis of a healthy and expansive economy. Grass can once again be the basis for a healthy economy, if enough people with the vision to see its possibilities get involved and make it happen. A truly healthy economy begins with good human health and …

Grazing Alfalfa: Producer Perspective, Bob Hall

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Scott County native Robert (Bob) Hall, Jr. is a man of many hats. He and his wife Bonnie have embarked on many ventures on their farm including sheep, hogs and tobacco. Hall was born and raised on the farm outside of Georgetown, where he currently resides and operates a stocker operation. Some may recognize Hall for the feed mill he purchased in the 1960’s known as Hallway Feeds. Early in the Mill’s history over 90 percent of their sales were to dairy producers. Now 95 percent of company’s sales go to the equine industry. Hallway Feed is sold and distributed …

'Lacefield Maxqll' Novel Tall Fescue, Timothy D. Phillips

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The goal of deploying novel endophyte strains in tall fescue varieties has been to achieve forage yields, stress tolerance, and persistence similar to toxic endophyte tall fescue varieties (mainly ‘Kentucky 31’ endophyte infected with the common toxic endophyte strain), but with the superior animal performance results seen with endophyte-free tall fescue varieties or other non-toxic forage species (orchardgrass, alfalfa, etc.). In addition to better stand persistence, less weed encroachment has been reported in novel endophyte (and toxic endophyte) tall fescue varieties compared to their endophyte-free versions (Rudgers et al., 2010; Bouton et al., 2002). The improved competitive ability of endophyte-containing …

Soy Hulls: More Than Just A Feed Supplement, Glen E. Aiken, Michael Flythe

Kentucky Grazing Conference

There is approximately 35 million acres of tall fescue in the USA, with most of this acreage being utilized in hay meadows and grazed pastures in a region between the temperate northeast and subtropical southeast and commonly referred to as the Fescue Belt. Popularity of the grass is due to its productivity, persistence, and low cost of management. Unfortunately, a fungal endophyte that infects most plants of tall fescue produces ergot alkaloid toxins that cause a toxicosis in cattle and other grazing livestock. Fescue toxicosis may reduce reproductive performance of cow herds and weaning weights, and reduce post-weaning weight gain …

The Secret Ingredients Of Clover: Biochanin A And Isoflavonoids, Michael Flythe, Glen Aiken, Isabelle Kagan

Kentucky Grazing Conference

It is well known that the value of clover is in nitrogen. Clovers fix their own nitrogen so that an input of nitrate fertilizer is not required. Furthermore, they are rich in protein-nitrogen, and can be used to meet the protein requirements of ruminants. Clovers also contain a class of chemicals called isoflavones, and we have recently discovered evidence that the isoflavones positively influence the way that ruminants digest protein.

Effect Of Green Tea On Interaction Of Lipid Oxidation Products With Sarcoplasmic And Myofibrillar Protein Homogenates Extracted From Bovine Top Round Muscle, Nahathai Stapornkul, Tatiana Prytkova, Lilian Were

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The interaction between lipid oxidation products and bovine sarcoplasmic (SP) and myofibrillar protein (MP) homogenates in the presence of green tea was investigated. To monitor the effect of green tea on lipid oxidation, aldehydes were measured while effect on protein was monitored via changes in myoglobin, thiols, and tryptophan fluorescence over nine days of refrigerated storage. The presence of SP and MP decreased free aldehydes in the buffers. The SP bound more aldehydes than MP. The tea compounds exhibited more favorable binding energies than aldehydes near histidine 64 close to the heme moiety of myoglobin. Addition of tea lowered tryptophan …

Novel Endophyte Varities: What's The Difference?, S. Ray Smith, Timothy D. Phillips

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Over the past few decades forage producers have seen several major changes in varieties of tall fescue. From the days of Kentucky 31 being the predominant variety, the first change was the development of endophyte-free tall fescue varieties. For many growers, these have been useful additions, especially when coupled with rotational grazing to reduce the risks of overgrazing, and practices that eradicate existing stands of KY-31 and preventing the reintroduction of endophyte infected KY-31. However, these endophyte-free varieties often lacked the persistence of Kentucky 31 and disappointed many early adopters. In the 30 years since the first generation of endophyte-free …

Tall Fescue: Past, Present, Future, Garry D. Lacefield

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Tall fescue is a native of Europe. The exact date of its’ introduction into the United States is not known, but likely came as a contaminant in meadow fescue seed from England prior to 1880 (Figure 1). Tall Fescue was an entry in the National Herbarium Collection in 1879 and was grown in plots in Utah, Kentucky and Maryland (USDA) in 1880. In 1916, tall fescue plants were identified in Pullman, Washington with some of these plants taken to Corvallis, Oregon in 1918. Selections out of this initial planting was released in 1945 as the variety Alta.

Tall Fescue Endophyte-Animal Relations: Cutting Edge Research And Implications, Glen E. Aiken

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Many cattle producers in Kentucky manage tall fescue as their perennial forage base. Tall fescue has served cow-calf producers well because of its productivity and persistence with minimal management. Like most things, however, “you must take some bad with the good.” The agronomic traits we like so much about tall fescue can be attributed to a fungal endophyte that infects most fescue plants. Without the endophyte, the grass is no longer productive and tolerant of environmental stresses (dry weather, low fertility, and grazing). Unfortunately, the endophyte also produces ergot alkaloids that cause a toxicosis in cattle, which costs the U.S. …

Foreword [2016], S. Ray Smith, Krista Lea

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Membrane Glycerolipidome Of Soybean Root Hairs And Its Response To Nitrogen And Phosphate Availability, Fang Wei, Brian Fanella, Liang Guo, Xuemin Wang

Biology Department Faculty Works

Root hairs are tubular extensions of specific root epidermal cells important in plant nutrition and water absorption. To determine membrane glycerolipids in root hairs and roots may differ, as well as their respective response to nutrient availability, this study analyzed the membrane glycerolipid species in soybean root hairs and in roots stripped of root hairs, and their response to nitrogen (N) and phosphate (Pi) supplementation. The ratio of phospholipids to galactolipids was 1.5 fold higher in root hairs than in stripped roots. Under Pi deficiency, the ratio of phospholipids to galactolipids in stripped roots decreased with the greatest decrease found …

A Bacterial Effector Co-Opts Calmodulin To Target The Plant Microtubule Network, Ming Guo, Panya Kim, Guangyong Li, Christian Elowsky, James R. Alfano

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

The bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae depends on effector proteins secreted by its type III secretion system for the pathogenesis of plants. The majority of these effector proteins are known suppressors of immunity, but their plant targets remain elusive. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model host, we report that the HopE1 effector uses the host calcium sensor, calmodulin (CaM), as a co-factor to target the microtubule- associated protein 65 (MAP65), an important component of the microtubule network. HopE1 interacted with MAP65 in a CaMdependent manner, resulting in MAP65-GFP dissociation from microtubules. Transgenic Arabidopsis expressing HopE1 had reduced secretion of the immunity …

Differential Toxicity Of Bare And Hybrid Zno Nanoparticles In Green Pea (Pisum Sativum L.): A Life Cycle Study, Amab Mukherjee, Youping Sun, Erving Morelius, Carlos Tamez, Susmita Bandyopadhyay, Genhua Niu, Jason C. White, Jose R. Peralta-Videa, Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The effect of surface or lattice modification of nanoparticles (NPs) on terrestrial plants is poorly understood. We investigated the impact of different zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs on green pea (Pisum sativum L.), one of the highest consumed legumes globally. Pea plants were grown for 65 d in soil amended with commercially available bare ZnO NPs (10 nm), 2 wt% alumina doped (Al2O3@ZnO NPs, 15 nm), or 1 wt% aminopropyltriethoxysilane coated NPs (KH550@ZnO NP, 20 nm) at 250 and 1000 mg NP/kg soil inside a greenhouse. Bulk (ZnO) and ionic Zn (zinc chloride) were included as controls. Plant fresh and dry …

The Folklore Of Flowers, Lisa Karen Miller

DLPS Faculty Publications

This presentation was prepared for WKU's Society for Lifelong Learning. It relates history and folklore of a variety of flowers, including their use in folk medicine, as food, and other stories and beliefs.

Application Of Infrared And Raman Spectroscopy For The Identification Of Disease Resistant Trees, Anna O. Conrad, Pierluigi Bonello

Forest Health Research and Education Center Faculty Publications

New approaches for identifying disease resistant trees are needed as the incidence of diseases caused by non-native and invasive pathogens increases. These approaches must be rapid, reliable, cost-effective, and should have the potential to be adapted for high-throughput screening or phenotyping. Within the context of trees and tree diseases, we summarize vibrational spectroscopic and chemometric methods that have been used to distinguish between groups of trees which vary in disease susceptibility or other important characteristics based on chemical fingerprint data. We also provide specific examples from the literature of where these approaches have been used successfully. Finally, we discuss future …