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Intraspecific Diversity In Sinningia Speciosa (Gesneriaceae: Sinningieae), And Possible Origins Of The Cultivated Florist's Gloxinia, David Zaitlin

Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The florist's gloxinia is a familiar houseplant in the Gesneriaceae, the botanical family that includes the African violet (Saintpaulia) and other ornamental species. The gloxinia's wild progenitor is Sinningia speciosa (Lodd.) Hiern, a Brazilian endemic. Although it has been cultivated for almost 200 years, little is known about the genetic diversity in S. speciosa, how the wild populations relate to one another or even where the cultivated forms originated. Using available wild collections, preliminary phenetic and phylogenetic investigations were conducted to elucidate the interspecific relationships within S. speciosa and to infer the origins of the cultivars.

METHODOLOGY: …

Plant Polyadenylation Factors: Conservation And Variety In The Polyadenylation Complex In Plants, Arthur G. Hunt, Denghui Xing, Qingshun Q. Li

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Polyadenylation, an essential step in eukaryotic gene expression, requires both cis-elements and a plethora of trans-acting polyadenylation factors. The polyadenylation factors are largely conserved across mammals and fungi. The conservation seems also extended to plants based on the analyses of Arabidopsis polyadenylation factors. To extend this observation, we systemically identified the orthologs of yeast and human polyadenylation factors from 10 plant species chosen based on both the availability of their genome sequences and their positions in the evolutionary tree, which render them representatives of different plant lineages.

RESULTS: The evolutionary trajectories revealed several interesting features of plant polyadenylation factors. …

Intsormil- Centa’S New Bmr Sorghum Varieties Create A Surge In Dairy Production, René Clará Valencia

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Scientists from the INTSORMIL-CENTA project based at the National Center for Agricultural Technology and Forestry (CENTA) of El Salvador have worked for five years to develop varieties of sorghum for grain and forage that are highly nutritious to cattle. Using the gene bmr-12, received from Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Purdue University, they combined commercial varieties CENTA S-2, S-3 CENTA, CENTA RCV and VG 146 and were able to form new varieties containing this same gene. The first generation created 76 new varieties.

Plant Responses To Heterogeneous Salinity: Growth Of The Halophyte Atriplex Nummularia Is Determined By The Root-Weighted Mean Salinity Of The Root Zone, Nadia Bazihizina, E G. Barrett-Lennard, Timothy Colmer

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Soil salinity is generally spatially heterogeneous, but our understanding of halophyte physiology under such conditions is limited. The growth and physiology of the dicotyledonous halophyte Atriplex nummularia was evaluated in split-root experiments to test whether growth is determined by: (i) the lowest; (ii) the highest; or (iii) the mean salinity of the root zone. In two experiments, plants were grown with uniform salinities or horizontally heterogeneous salinities (10–450mM NaCl in the low-salt side and 670mM in the high-salt side, or 10mM NaCl in the low-salt side and 500–1500mM in the high-salt side). The combined data showed that growth and gas …

Variedad De Sorgo Para Grano De Ciclo Precoz Centa Liberal, Intsormil-Centa

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

El sorgo es una alternativa para las familias agricultoras dedicadas a la producción de grano debido a la capacidad que tiene de tolerar sequías prolongadas.

Sus características lo vuelven una alternativa, incluso para sustituir al maíz, aún con las limitantes hídricas que se han incrementado en los últimos años debido a los efectos del cambio climático.

Es un cultivo rústico capaz de producir en condiciones adversas de suelo (excepto suelos mal drenados), clima y de poco manejo agronómico; se adapta desde los 10 hasta los 1000 m.s.n.m.

La variedad CENTA Liberal que hoy se pone a disposición de los productores …

Centa S-3 Bmr Y Centa S-4 Bmr: Variedades De Sorgo Forrajero Para Ensilaje, Intsormil-Centa

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Siendo la nutrición animal un factor importante para el éxito de la ganadería de leche y carne en El Salvador, el Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal “Enrique Álvarez Córdova” (CENTA), en colaboración con el Instituto de Sorgo, Mijo y Otros Granos (INTSORMIL), ha desarrollado dos nuevas variedades de sorgo para ensilaje con alta digestibilidad, capaces de incrementar la producción de leche y carne en el ganado bovino con el objetivo de fortalecer la seguridad alimentaria en el país.

La utilización del sorgo en forma de ensilaje se ha incrementado en nuestro país a partir de los años 80, …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2010, Katherine Mcgraw, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the seventh in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution on the Arkansas economy. Utilizing data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc. (MIG), the economic contribution of agriculture on the Arkansas economy was estimated for the most recent year available, 2010. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by State information for Arkansas in 2010 was compared with those of other states in the Southeast U.S. to give a measure of the relative importance of agriculture in Arkansas.2 The total …

Forage News [2012-11], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Kentucky Grazing Conference
• KFGC Presents Awards
• Alfalfa Intensive Training Seminar
• Kentuckian Featured at National Hay Convention
• AFGC Conference in Covington
• Kentucky's 2012 National Forage Spokesman to speak at Farm Bureau Forage Commodity Conference
• Dr. Peter Ballerstedt to Speak at Forages at KCA During the KCA Convention
• Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD): A Good Predictor of Forage Quality
• Where Does Nitrogen Fertilizer Come From?
• The Cost of Pasture vs. Hay

Nebline, November/December 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Co-Parenting For Successful Kids Online Class Has Great Response in First Year

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

North American Bioactive Plants For Human Health And Performance, Maria Pontes Ferreira, Fidji Gendron, Katrina C. Mcclure, Kelly Kindscher

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Native and naturalized bioactive plants of the Canadian and American temperate biome are examined for their health and performance enhancement properties. Some of these plants are now being used as natural health products, and many have a long history as traditional foods and/or medicines with indigenous groups. This paper reviews the medicinal/cultural uses and bioactive properties of selected plant families: the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae) as stimulants, the Celery family (Apiaceae) as normoglycemic aids and analgesics, the Ginseng family (Araliaceae) as energy- boosting aids, the Sunflower family (Compositae) as anti-inflammatory aids, and the Legume family (Fabaceae) and Nightshade family (Solanaceae) as …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Performance Tests 2012, R. D. Bond, D. G. Dombek, J. A. Still, R. M. Pryor

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers.

Situation Statement: The 'Prickle Bush' Weeds (Mesquite, Parkinsonia And Prickly Acacia) In Western Australia, Jon Dodd, Andrew Reeves, Richard Watkins, Linda Anderson

Biosecurity published reports

The term 'Prickle bush weeds' refers to weedy trees and shrubs of Mesquite, Parkinsonia and Prickly acacia. All are present in Western Australia.

Mesquite and Parkinsonia are widespread, well established woody weeds in various parts of the WA Rangelands. Prickly acacia is a recent introduction and has a relatively restricted distribution in the East Kimberley. All three impact mainly on the pastoral industry and have considerable potential for further spread and greater impact within the Rangelands. All are Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) and are high priority Declared Plants in WA.

The purpose of this situation statement is to describe …

Strategies To Minimize The Effects Of Drought, Gary Bates

Kentucky Grazing Conference

As this summer has shown, forage production from cool-season pasture and hay fields across the state can be dramatically affected by drought. Pastures that consist of cool-season grasses like tall fescue and orchardgrass have been severely overgrazed, and many may have lost some significant stand. Even if you have reseeded these fields, the question is how to prevent having the same problem next year. One of the best practices is to develop a forage program that doesn’t rely on cool-season grasses for summer production, but selects forage species that are better able to produce during periods of limited rainfall and …

Grassfed Beef From A Global Perspective, Glen Aiken

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Beef production and marketing has been shifting over the last few decades in response to unstable cattle markets, higher input costs, and a need to better meet market demands. Advancement of vertical integration of the production and marketing of beef calves through retained ownership from suckling calf to feedyard has certainly enhanced the genetics of the U.S. beef herd and improved the consistency of beef products. Another shift in production has been an increased number of grassfed cattle (grass finished) for marketing either organic or locally grown beef. These niche markets have developed primarily from concerns of urban consumers regarding …

The Cost Of Pasture Versus Hay, Kenneth H. Burdine

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Whenever I discuss the economics of grazing, I like to start by thinking about hay production costs. Regardless of which species we are talking about, a livestock producer should know what his / her most expensive feeding days are. In most cases, these will be winter feeding days, and that will generally consist of feeding either purchased or home-grown hay. So, I encourage producers to start by getting a solid feel for what their daily winter feeding costs are. For the purposes of this article, I am going to present some specific estimates for winter feeding costs, and other items, …

Winter Annuals And Short Term Perennials For Grazing, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Grazing Conference

During the last 5 years there has been a renewed interest in winter annual and short term perennials for grazing and for stored feed. There are many sources of information on this subject. I especially encourage you to read the new publication written by Dr. Garry Lacefield and colleagues, “Extending Grazing and Reducing Stored Feed Needs”. I have used information from this publication and other publications from the University of Kentucky Forage Website (www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage) in writing this article. This website contains many use publications on the subject of winter annuals and variety trial information on annual ryegrass and …

Novel Endophyte Tall Fescue, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Grazing Conference

“Novel” endophyte is a term used to describe a “good” or “friendly” fungus (endophyte) in tall fescue as opposed to the endophyte that’s present if over eighty-five percent of the tall fescue in the Fescue Belt of the USA. This endophyte is costing beef producers an estimated $1 Billion dollars in losses from animal gains, reproduction and overall performance.

Amelioration Of Root Disease Of Subterranean Clover (Trifolium Subterraneum) By Mineral Nutrients, Tim Scanlon, Tiernan A. O’Rourke, Megan H. Ryan, Martin J. Barbetti, Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam

Journal articles

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is a key pasture legume across southern Australia and elsewhere. Decline in subterranean clover pastures was first recognised in Australia during the 1960s and manifests as an increase in weeds and a decrease in desirable legume species. While both root disease and poor nutrition contribute to subterranean clover pasture decline, the relationships between root disease and nutrition have not been determined. The objective of this study was to define these relationships. Field experiments were undertaken to determine the nutritional and pathogen status of soils and subterranean clover from three Western Australian field sites. Subsequently, …

Towards Defining Nutrient Conditions Encountered By The Rice Blast Fungus During Host Infection, Richard A. Wilson, Jessie Fernandez, Cristian Fernando Quispe, Julien Gradnigo, Anya Seng, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Janet D. Wright

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Fungal diseases cause enormous crop losses, but defining the nutrient conditions encountered by the pathogen remains elusive. Here, we generated a mutant strain of the devastating rice pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae impaired for de novo methionine biosynthesis. The resulting methionine-requiring strain grew strongly on synthetic minimal media supplemented with methionine, aspartate or complex mixtures of partially digested proteins, but could not establish disease in rice leaves. Live-cell-imaging showed the mutant could produce normal appressoria and enter host cells but failed to develop, indicating the availability or accessibility of aspartate and methionine is limited in the plant. This is the first report …

A Proposed Mechanism For Nitrogen Acquisition By Grass Seedlings Through Oxidation Of Symbiotic Bacteria, James F. White Jr., Holly Crawford, Mónica S. Torres, Robert Mattera, Ivelisse Irizarry, Marshall Bergen

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

In this paper we propose and provide evidence for a mechanism, oxidative nitrogen scavenging (ONS), whereby seedlings of some grass species may extract nitrogen from symbiotic diazotrophic bacteria through oxidation by plant-secreted reactive oxygen species (ROS). Experiments on this proposed mechanism employ tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae) seedlings to elucidate features of the oxidative mechanism. We employed 15N₂ gas assimilation experiments to demonstrate nitrogen fixation, direct microscopic visualization of bacteria on seedling surfaces to visualize the bacterial oxidation process, reactive oxygen probes to test for the presence of H₂O₂ and cultural experiments to assess conditions …

Visual And Electronic Evaluations Of Detached Strawberry Leaves Inoculated With Colletotrichum Species, M. A. Miller-Butler, K. J. Curry, B. R. Kreiser, B. J. Smith

Faculty Publications

Inoculation of detached strawberry leaves with Colletotrichum species may provide an accurate, rapid, non-destructive method of identifying anthracnose resistant germplasm. Two assessments of anthracnose disease severity were compared on detached strawberry leaves inoculated with Colletotrichum fragariae and C. gloeosporioides: a quantitative assessment made via computer-based image analysis and a visual assessment made by two independent raters. The image analysis provided a precise measurement of percent lesion area of infected leaves. There was a strong positive correlation between percent lesion area and the visual disease scores of the raters.

Developmental Time, Longevity, And Lifetime Fertility Of Three Introduced Parasitoids Of The Mealybug Paracoccus Marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Catharine M. Mannion, Nancy D. Epsky

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Developmental time, longevity, and lifetime fertility of three previously introduced parasitoids (Acerophagus papayae Noyes and Schauff, Anagyrus loecki Noyes and Menezes, and Pseudleptomastix mexicana Noyes and Schauff) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) were studied in the laboratory to understand the outcome of their recovery in field studies conducted in the United States. The developmental time of both male and female A. papayae and A. loecki was shorter than the developmental time of male and female P. mexicana. Male parasitoids of all three species had a shorter developmental time than …

Fuzzy Clustering Of Cpp Family In Plants With Evolution And Interaction Analyses, Tao Lu, Yongchao Dou, Chi Zhang

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Background: Transcription factors have been studied intensively because they play an important role in gene expression regulation. However, the transcription factors in the CPP family (cystein-rich polycomb-like protein), compared with other transcription factor families, have not received sufficient attention, despite their wide prevalence in a broad spectrum of species, from plants to animals. The total number of known CPP transcription factors in plants is 111 from 16 plants, but only 2 of them have been studied so far, namely TSO1 and CPP1 in Arabidopsis thaliana and soybean, respectively.

Methods: In this work, to study their functions, we applied …

Photosynthetic Advantage Of Invasive Species, Gabby Gurule-Small, Alis Sokolova, Patrick Stephens

Featured Research

Californians have greatly benefited from the introduction of plant and animal species necessary for food or other human pursuits; however, there are many other introduced species that can wreak havoc on the state’s environment and economy. Invasive species threaten the diversity and abundance of native species by both competing for resources and causing changes to the natural habitat. We hypothesize that invasive species will have higher photosynthetic and conductance rates which contribute to their success. Through their impacts on natural ecosystems, agricultural lands, and water delivery systems, invasive species may also negatively affect human health and possibly even the economy.

Stomatal Conductance Trends Of The Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata) In Relation To Circadian Rhythm Entrainability, Katie Cahoon, Martin Garcia, Matthew Pierga

Featured Research

The effect of an inverse light cycle on a Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant was observed in the study. CAM plants are unique in that they open their stomata at night in order to conserve water, an evolution that has come about because these plants primarily exist in very arid climates. By placing a plant in a chamber in which the lights could be programmed to turn on when it was dark out, and to turn off during normal daylight hours, the stomatal conductance of the leaves of a jade plant (Crassula ovata) were recorded several times a day over …

Forage News [2012-10], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• 13th Kentucky Grazing Conference
• AFGC Returns to Kentucky - Register Soon
• 33rd Kentucky Alfalfa Conference
• Heart of America Grazing Conference
• Hay Testing - A Wise Investment
• UK Beef Cow Forage Supplement Tool - A Web Based APP
• KFGC Field Day
• Kentucky Grazing School
• Bale Weight, Nutrient Removal, and Feed Value of Hay: An On-Farm Perspective
• Beware of Cyanide (Prussic Acid) Poisoning
• Nitrate Rumors can Kill Cattle

Monitoring Standing Herbage Of The Sands And Choppy Sands Ecological Vegetation Types In The Nebraska Sandhills, Daniel W. Uresk

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

A modified Robel pole with white and gray alternating bands (2.54 cm) was used to measure vegetation on sands and choppy sands ecological types in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Objectives were to determine the relationship between visual obstruction readings (VOR) and clipped standing herbage, develop guidelines for monitoring standing herbage, and provide sample size estimates. Visual obstruction measurements of standing herbage were linear, and regression coefficients were significant (P< 0.001) for 125 transects (R² = 0.60, SE = 496 kg/ha). Clipped standing herbage ranged from 293 to 4389 kg/ha with a mean of 1,559 kg/ha. A minimum of four transects (20 stations/transect with four …

Initial Changes In Species Cover Following Savanna Restoration Treatments In Western Iowa, David A. Mckenzie, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Study areas in the Iowa Loess Hills were used to evaluate short-term responses of understory species to three treatment methods designed to facilitate restoration of Quercus macrocarpa savanna. Treatments included burning alone, burning with thinning, and burning with clear-cutting. Plant abundance and diversity were compared before treatment and one year after treatment. Ninety-nine plant species were identified during the study, of which 40 were new following treatment, although most of these were forest associates. Increases in diversity of understory species were observed after treatment, particularly in plots with combined burning and thinning. The forb group was most consistent in response …

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter, Autumn 2012, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Butterfly Survey at Cedar River Natural Area
-- Renewed Assault on Prairie
-- Practical Data Collection: Establishing Methods and Procedures for Measuring Water Clarity and Turbidity of Stormwater Runoff from Active Highway Construction Sites
-- Seven Things to consider when hand collecting prairie seed
-- Reachin' Out (!) to a Different Kind of Audience
-- Ryan's Reachin' Out! Cowboy Cookies

Nebline, October 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Make Every Drop Count in the Home

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events