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Nebline, October 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: What is Your Energy IQ?

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Extensive Clonal Spread And Extreme Longevity In Saw Palmetto, A Foundation Clonal Plant, Mizuki K. Takahashi, Liana M. Horner, Toshiro Kubota, Nathan A. Keller, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

The lack of effective tools have hampered our ability to assess the size, growth and ages of clonal plants. With Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) as a model, we introduce a novel analytical framework that integrates DNA fingerprinting and mathematical modelling to simulate growth and estimate ages of clonal plants. We also demonstrate the application of such life-history information of clonal plants to provide insight into management plans. Serenoa is an ecologically important foundation species in many Southeastern United States ecosystems; yet, many land managers consider Serenoa a troublesome invasive plant. Accordingly, management plans have been developed to reduce or eliminate …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2011), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

Page] 2 Adapting for the Future: South Dakota 4-H Efforts Move Forward
[Page] 5 Regional Transitions: Eight Extension Centers to Open in October
[Page] 6 College News [Page] 8 Making a Difference with Research: Ag Experiment Station Aids Industry & Economy
[Page] 10 Pig Potential: South Dakota's Swine Industry Offers Economic Opportunity [Page] 13 New Department Debuts: Natural Resource Disciplines Join Forces
[Page] 14 Autumn in the AIr: Grab Your Blue and Gold and Visit Campus
[Page] 16 iGrow Evolves: Usability And Content Are Being Enhanced
[Page] 18 Collection Effort: Despite Budget Cuts, Private Funds Allowed for Growth [Page] 21 …

Sfa Gardens Newsletter, Fall 2011, Sfa Gardens, Stephen F. Austin State University

SFA Gardens Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter, Fall 2011, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Iowa Wrote the Book on IRVM
-- Center Extreme MakeOver: New Research Lab, Seed Cooler, Shop and Equipment Storage Space
-- "The Effect of Perigynia Removal and Stratification on Germination and Emergence of Three Sedge (Carex) Species"
-- Recent Presentations of Center Programs and Projects Natural Areas and Ecological Management Seminar presents: Bulk Seed Harvesting of a Diverse Reconstructed Prairie
-- Wetland Delineation Course June 11-15, 2012
-- Videos Soon to be Available On-Line
-- Natural Selections Seed to be Stored Nationally

Widespread Horizontal Gene Transfer From Circular Single-Stranded Dna Viruses To Eukaryotic Genomes, Huiquan Liu, Yanping Fu, Bo Li, Xiao Yu, Jiatao Xie, Jiasen Cheng, Said A. Ghabrial, Guoqing Li, Xianhong Yi, Daohong Jiang

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: In addition to vertical transmission, organisms can also acquire genes from other distantly related species or from their extra-chromosomal elements (plasmids and viruses) via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). It has been suggested that phages represent substantial forces in prokaryotic evolution. In eukaryotes, retroviruses, which can integrate into host genome as an obligate step in their replication strategy, comprise approximately 8% of the human genome. Unlike retroviruses, few members of other virus families are known to transfer genes to host genomes.

RESULTS: Here we performed a systematic search for sequences related to circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses in publicly available …

Bulbs, Larry A. Sagers

Archived Gardening Publications

No abstract provided.

Rna-Mediated Silencing In Algae: Biological Roles And Tools For Analysis Of Gene Function, Heriberto Cerutti, Xinrong Ma, Joseph Msanne, Timothy Repas

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Algae are a large group of aquatic, typically photosynthetic, eukaryotes that include species from very diverse phylogenetic lineages, from those similar to land plants to those related to protist parasites. The recent sequencing of several algal genomes has provided insights into the great complexity of these organisms. Genomic information has also emphasized our lack of knowledge of the functions of many predicted genes, as well as the gene regulatory mechanisms in algae. Core components of the machinery for RNA-mediated silencing show widespread distribution among algal lineages, but they also seem to have been lost entirely from several species with relatively …

Muts Homolog1 Is A Nucleoid Protein That Alters Mitochondrial And Plastid Properties And Plant Response To High Light, Ying-Zhi Xu, Maria P. Arrieta-Montiel, Kamaldeep S. Virdi, Wilson B. M. De Paula, Joshua R. Widhalm, Gilles J. Basset, Jaime I. Davila, Thomas Elthon, Christian G. Elowsky, Shirley J. Sato, Thomas E. Clemente, Sally Ann Mackenzie

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Mitochondrial-plastid interdependence within the plant cell is presumed to be essential, but measurable demonstration of this intimate interaction is difficult. At the level of cellular metabolism, several biosynthetic pathways involve both mitochondrial- and plastid-localized steps. However, at an environmental response level, it is not clear how the two organelles intersect in programmed cellular responses. Here, we provide evidence, using genetic perturbation of the MutS Homolog1 (MSH1) nuclear gene in five plant species, that MSH1 functions within the mitochondrion and plastid to influence organellar genome behavior and plant growth patterns. The mitochondrial form of the protein participates in DNA recombination …

Nebline, September 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Helps Build Successful Scientists

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Economic And Social Impacts Of Wildfires And Invasive Plants In American Deserts: Lessons From The Great Basin, Mark W. Brunson, John Tanaka

Articles

Research on the impacts of wildfire and invasive plants in rangelands has focused on biophysical rather than human dimensions of these environmental processes. We offer a synthetic perspective on economic and social aspects of wildfire and invasive plants in American deserts, focusing on the Great Basin because greater research attention has been given to the effects of cheatgrass expansion than to other desert wildfire/invasion cycles. We focus first on impacts at the level of the individual decision-maker, then on impacts experienced at the human community or larger socio-political scales. Economic impacts of wildfire differ from those of invasive grasses because …

Evaluation Of Perennial Forage Legumes And Herbs In Six Mediterranean Environments, Daniel Real, Guangdi D. Li, Steve Clark, Tony Albertsen, Richard C. Hayes, Matt D. Denton, Mario F. D'Antuono, B S. Dear

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

There is an absence of drought tolerant herbaceous perennial forage legume and herb options other than lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) for environments with Mediterranean-like climates common in extensive areas of Southern Australia, the Mediterranean basin, and Chile. Therefore, a collection of 174 forage perennial legume and herb entries from 103 species and 32 genera was evaluated for adaptation in a diverse range of Mediterranean climatic environments in Southern Australia. The seasonal rainfall distribution varied from moderately to highly winter dominant with long term average annual rainfall ranging from 318 to 655 mm. The entries were rated for productivity and …

Forage News [2011-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• KFGC Awards and Forage Spokesman Nominations
• Kentucky Grazing School
• Kentucky Grazing Conference
• Heat Damage to Moist Hay
• Forage Quality, Ergot Alkaloid Concentrations, and Species Composition from Toxic Wild-Type and Non-Toxic, Novel Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue Pastures Grazed by Cow-Calf Pairs
• Yield Response of Summer-Dormant and Active Tall Fescue to Stockpiling
• Round-Bale Feeder Design Affects Hay Waste and Economics During Horse Feeding
• Determining Profitability is a Cost Thing

Usda Nutrient Data Set For Retail Beef Cuts, Marybeth L. Duvall, Seema Bhagwat, Juliette C. Howe, Joanne M. Holden, Kristine Y. Patterson

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

Purpose
This data set provides retailers with a tool to find the most accurate beef nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling. This data set focuses on the beef cuts identified by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for nutrition labeling and, in addition, some new Beef Value Cuts.

Introduction
Since 1990’s, nutrient composition data for beef products in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) have been updated regularly. These updates have been important since changes in animal husbandry practices and industry procedures have led to the availability of leaner cuts, as well …

Single Molecule Analysis Of The Arabidopsis Fra1 Kinesin Shows That It Is A Functional Motor Protein With Unusually High Processivity, Chuanmei Zhu, Ram Dixit

Biology Faculty Research

The Arabidopsis FRA1 kinesin contributes to the organization of cellulose microfibrils through an unknown mechanism. The cortical localization of this kinesin during interphase raises the possibility that it transports cell wall-related cargoes along cortical microtubules that either directly or indirectly influence cellulose microfibril patterning. To determine whether FRA1 is an authentic motor protein, we combined bulk biochemical assays and single molecule fluorescence imaging to analyze the motor properties of recombinant, GFP-tagged FRA1 containing the motor and coiled-coil domains (designated as FRA1(707)–GFP). We found that FRA1(707)–GFP binds to microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner and that its ATPase activity is dramatically stimulated …

Substantial Equivalence Assessment Of Transgenic Corn Plants, Martina Garda

Student Theses and Dissertations

Transgenic crops are regulated until they are judged to be as safe as non-transgenic plants. To grow them without permits, they must attain regulatory approval. . A lot of data are needed to show "substantial equivalence" and safety . This work deals with corn lines that contain cellulase genes. We hypothesize that no difference exists between Genetically Engineered (GE) and non-Genetically Engineered (non-GE) corn seeds at the morphological, protein, and DNA levels, except for the protein expressed specifically from the corresponding gene. This research will address concerns in commercializing GE crops, such as those containing a gene for either an …

Effect Of Nitrogen Source And Harvest Date On In Vitro True Digestible Dry Matter And Yield Of Switchgrass, Eastern Gama Grass And Switchgrass Mixture, Venkata Kiran Siddineni

Student Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of nitrogen source and harvest date on in vitro true digestible dry matter (IVTDDM) and dry matter yield of switchgrass (SW), gamagrass (EGG) and switchgrass-big bluestem-Illinois bundleflower grass mixture (SWM). Three grass species SW, EGG and SWM were fertilized with an equal amount of nitrogen (67.4 kg N/ha). Treatments were control (no added nitrogen), urea, poultry litter and municipal biosolids. Plots were arranged in four blocks in a completely randomized block design. Samples were collected from each plot at three harvest dates (June, July and August, 2010). Samples were analyzed …

Selecting Improved Lotus Nodulating Rhizobia To Expedite The Development Of New Forage Species, John Gregory Howieson, Ross Andrew Ballard, Ronald J. Yates, Nigel Charman

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Aims

In the past decades the increasing focus by Australian pasture development programs on the genus Lotus has seen the evaluation of many species previously untested in Australia. In field trials, nodulation failure was commonplace. This work was undertaken to select effective symbionts for Lotus to ensure further agronomic evaluation of the genus was not compromised. The symbiotic needs of Lotus ornithopodioides were a particular focus of the studies.

Methods

Glasshouse experiments were undertaken to evaluate symbiotic relationships between 15 Lotus spp and 23 strains of nodulating Mesorhizobium loti. This was followed by evaluation of elite rhizobial strains for …

Nebline, August 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: For Many 4-H Families, County Fair is Quality Time Together

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Lancaster County Super Fair Schedule & Map Special Pullout Section

Relationships Among Rubus (Rosaceae) Species Used In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yinu Wang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of using plants therapeutically including multiple species of the genus Rubus (Rosaceae). Fruits and other parts of Rubus plants have had a significant effect on human health and nutrition in both ancient and modern times. The pharmacological effects of Rubus include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-stress, anti-cancer and anti-aging properties. One of the current challenges limiting further development of Rubus resources in traditional Chinese medicine is a poor understanding of phylogenetic relationships among Rubus species in general and especially among Asian species, and also the need for additional studies of phytochemicals. Several confounding factors are …

Growing Oats In Western Australia For Hay And Grain, Raj Malik, Blakely Paynter, Cindy L. Webster, Amelia Mclarty

Bulletins 4000 -

The oat industry in Western Australia has made phenomenal progress in recent years with the discovery of new markets, the release of several high yielding varieties and the development of agronomic guidelines through rigorous research programs. Oat production in Western Australia for the domestic and export market has significantly increased over the past few years. Oats are now regarded as one of the most profitable cropping enterprises. Oat production is mainly export orientated and thus has a substantial economic influence on the agricultural industry.

In Western Australia, oats are grown for grain, for both milling and feed, and for hay. …

The Rate Of Shattercane X Sorghum Hybridization In Situ, Jared J. Schmidt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cultivated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor subsp. bicolor) can interbreed with its close weedy relative shattercane (S. bicolor subsp. drummondii). The introduction of traits from cultivated sorghum into a shattercane population could contribute to the invasiveness of the wild shattercane population. An in situ experiment was conducted across two years to determine the potential for pollen-mediated gene flow from grain sorghum to shattercane. Shattercane with juicy midrib (dd) was planted in a soybean field in concentric arcs at varying distances from a sorghum pollen source with dry midrib (DD). The arcs were placed …

Hydrologic Effectiveness And Plant Survivability In The Holmes Lake Rain Garden Pilot Program: Year Three, Marilyn K. Liebsch

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rain gardens are increasingly being used as small scale stormwater best management practices (BMPs) to reduce stormwater runoff through infiltration and to remove pollutants through filtration. In 2007, as part of a comprehensive water quality restoration process of Holmes Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, 20 pilot rain gardens were installed in residential and school properties in the watershed. Currently, assessment and monitoring has been limited to participant surveys and cannot be used to determine if hydraulic or vegetative problems exist within the garden area. In this study, visual inspections were conducted to establish a database standard for successful rain gardens, hydraulic …

Remarkable Features Of The Hotdog-Fold Thioesterases Involved In Phylloquinone (Vitamin K1) Biosynthesis, Joshua R. Widhalm

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phylloquinone (vitamin K₁) is a bipartite molecule, consisting of a naphthoquinone ring attached to a phytyl side chain, that is synthesized by plants and certain cyanobacteria to serve as an electron carrier in photosystem I. The coupling of the ring and isoprenyl moieties relies on the cleavage of the CoA-thioester linkage with 1,4-dihydroxy-2- naphthoate (DHNA). It has long been a mystery if this hydrolysis is an enzymatic or chemical process. Using comparative genomics, protein biochemistry, genetics and metabolic profiling, we identified a cyanobacterial thioesterase responsible for the in vivo hydrolysis of DHNA-CoA. This enzyme bears a signature domain …

Aiding Conservation Of The Federally Threatened Scutellaria Montana (Lamiaceae, Large-Flowered Skullcap) Through Abundance Monitoring And Transplantation Studies, Heather Mae Kile

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Scutellaria montana Chapm. (large-flowered skullcap) is a federally threatened species endemic to Georgia and Tennessee. This thesis presents conservation work on this species through abundance monitoring at a single site in Catoosa County, Georgia, and transplantation experiments at two sites located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Catoosa County, Georgia. Plants naturally occurring in the fixed plots surveyed over seven years had an overall stable growth status, though relatively low floral induction and seedlings. Transplantation revealed influences of abiotic and biotic factors. One transplantation site was fenced to prevent human trampling and apparently discouraged vertebrate grazing, resulting in dramatic flower number …

Ungulate Damage To Safflower In San Juan County, Utah, Michael J. Haney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Utah, farmers are concerned that ungulates are damaging safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) fields. I examined elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) damage to safflower production in San Juan County, Utah during 2009 and 2010. Data on damaged safflower plants were collected within 28 fields, totaling 1,581 ha (13 fields totaling 963 ha during 2009; 15 fields totaling 618 ha during 2010). I compared 3 methods to assess losses: ungulate-proof exclosures, adjacent plant compensation method, and counting the number of damaged plants in 50-m transects (safflower count method). Exclosures were of limited use …

Botryoccocus Braunii Triterpene Synthase Proteins And Nucleic Acid Molecules, And Methods For Their Use, Joe Chappell, Shigeru Okada, Tom Niehaus, Tim Devarenne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Patents

This application relates to the functional identification and characterization of a nucleic acid molecule encoding a triterpene synthase, in particular botryococcene synthase. Also described are host cells comprising the nucleic acid molecules of this invention, proteins encoded by the nucleic acid molecules and methods for using the nucleic acid molecules, transformed hosts and encoded proteins to produce high levels of triterpene hydrocarbons.

The Integrated Pest Management (Ipm) Concept, Diane G. Alston

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Documenting Effects Of Urbanization On Flora Using Herbarium Records, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcia E. Moore, Jessica Stephens

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

1. As human populations increasingly live in cities, urban floras and the ecosystem services they provide are under increasing threat. Understanding the effects of urbanization on plants can help to predict future changes and identify ways to preserve biological diversity. Relatively few studies document changes through time in the flora of a focal region and those that do primarily address European floras. They often rely on contemporary spatial gradient studies as surrogates for changes with time.

2. We compare historical species records (prior to 1940) with the current flora for Marion County, Indiana, USA, home to Indianapolis, the 13th largest city in …

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Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid– Containing Toxic Plants (Senecio, Crotalaria, Cynoglossum, Amsinckia, Heliotropium, And Echium Spp.), Bryan L. Stegelmeier

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

Many problematic pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-containing plants are foreign invasive weeds that invade pastures, fields, and ranges, and contaminate feeds and food. Others are native plants that may increase or expand on field edges or in disturbed areas. Most are unpalatable, only becoming a problem for livestock when alternative forages are unavailable, or when they are included in hay and other harvested feeds. Human poisoning is most often a result of contaminated grain or flour, although several poisonings have resulted from the use of PA-containing herbal preparations. Major PA plants and their specific health-related characteristics are discussed individually.