Digital Commons Network^™

Forage News [2011-07], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• UK All Commodity Field Day - July 21
• KFGC Forage Field Day - September 8
• Kentucky to Host National Forage Meeting
• Dr. Dougherty Retires
• Forage Tour Photos
• KFGC Members Place in all AFGC Contests at the Annual Meeting
• Arkansas 300 Day Grazing Program - Demonstration Results
• Arkansas 300-Day Grazing Program - Whole Farm Projects
• Beef Cow Reproductive Performance is Negatively Impacted by the Grazing of Toxic Tall Fescue
• Producer Attitudes Toward Renovating Toxic Fescue with Novel Endophyte Fescu

Nebline, July 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Urban Agriculture is a Growing Trend

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

Herbicide-Resistant Risk Assessment: Response Of Common Nebraska Weeds To Dicamba Dose, Roberto J. Crespo

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

Dicamba-resistant soybeans are being developed to provide an additional herbicide mechanism of action that can be used in soybean, and to provide a tool to help manage or mitigate the evolution of other herbicide-resistant weed populations. The objectives of this thesis were to assess the risk of common Nebraska weeds developing resistance to dicamba, quantify baseline dose-response to dicamba of high-risk weed species, and survey the variability in dicamba dose-response among populations of those species. Twenty-five weed scientists were asked to estimate the risk likelihood of ten weed species evolving resistance to dicamba following the commercialization of dicamba-resistant soybean. Palmer …

Effects Of Xenobiotics And Phytotoxins On Reproduction In Food Animals, Kip E. Panter, Bryan L. Stegelmeier

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

The influence of natural toxicants and anthropogenic compounds on reproduction in food animals is significant in its economic impact, and the subject requires more research and further experimental substantiation. Confounding factors such as stress, nutritional status, season of the year, animal species involved, genetic variability, disease conditions, management factors, and so forth exacerbate the difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis and thereby may impede progress to improve reproductive performance on an individual operation. The interaction between the reproductive system and xenobiotics (reproductive toxicology) is a relatively new area of study and a subject of increasing interest, especially in the area …

Prairie Restoration And Species Diversity: A Comparison Of Propagation Success Between Seeded And Planted Forbs, Julie A. Widinski

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Prairie ecosystems used to dominate Illinois’ landscapes, providing some of the most organically rich soils in the world, supplying homes to hundreds of native species, and conserving soil and water. The deep rooted forbs prevent water runoff and soil erosion. Economically the prairies have provided medicines, commercial forbs, and aesthetically pleasing landscapes for humans. Society is dependent on the rich soils these prairies have provided for agriculture and for prevention of erosion and water runoff. With less than one tenth of one percent of Illinois prairies still remaining, successful prairie restoration is of the utmost importance. In order to achieve …

Forage News [2011-06], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting
• UK All Commodity Field Day
• Equine Exhibit Expanded for UK All Commodity Field Day
• Clover PowerPoint Released
• Kentucky Grazing School
• Alfalfa Intensive Training Seminar
• New Page added to Forage Website
• New Native Warm-Season Grasses Publications Available
• Filming Completed on Forage DVD
• Harvesting and Managing Flooded Forage
• Spraying Roundup Ready Alfalfa
• Net Wrap Cuts Losses, Saves Time
• Keys to a Profitable Forage Program

Assessing The Role Of Conspecific Attraction In Habitat Restoration For Henslow’S Sparrows In Iowa, Jennifer A. Vogel, Rolf R. Koford, David L. Otis

The Prairie Naturalist

The presence of conspecific individuals may provide important cues about habitat quality for territorial songbirds. We tested the ability of a conspecific song playback system to attract Henslow’s sparrows to previously unoccupied restored habitat. We successfully attracted Heslow’s sparrows to 3 of 7 treatment plots using conspecific song playbacks and we found no Henslow’s sparrows in control plots. The addition of social cues using playback systems in restored grassland habitats may aid conservation efforts of Henslow’s sparrows to available habitat.

Calodium Hepaticum In White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Dustin J. Schaible, Charles D. Dieter, Regg D. Neiger, Michael B. Hildreth

The Prairie Naturalist

White-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) are common on the prairie, and an important species in prairie food webs (Lim 1987). Although it has been suggested that jackrabbits have cyclic populations (Donoho 1972, Gross et al. 1974, Anderson and Shumar 1986), there is concern that a general downward trend exists in populations in the Northern Great Plains (Feldhamer et al. 2003). Disease incidence in white-tailed jackrabbits is poorly known (Feldhamer et al. 2003), but may be an important factor in population changes. Tularemia, a disease caused by bacteria (Francisella tularensis), occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere and can affect many mammals including hares, …

Resource Selection By Elk At Two Spatial Scales In The Black Hills, South Dakota, Mark A. Rumble, R. Scott Gamo

The Prairie Naturalist

Understanding resource selection by elk (Cervus elaphus) at multiple spatial scales may provide information that will help resolve the increasing number of resource conflicts involving elk. We quantified vegetation at 412 sites where the precise location of elk was known by direct observation and 509 random sites in the Black Hills of South Dakota during 1998– 2001. We obtained stand level variables from geographic information system coverages for a 250 m buffer around elk and random sites. We used classification and regression trees to simultaneously evaluate environmental thresholds of resources selected by feeding and bedded elk at the site and …

First Record Of The Least Weasel In The Black Hills Of South Dakota, Tim R. Mullican

The Prairie Naturalist

The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a circumboreal species, occurring in North America from Alaska to the Appalachian Mountains (Jones et al. 1983). In the Great Plains, the least weasel recently expanded its range southward through Nebraska (Benedict et al. 2000) and Kansas (Choate et al. 1979, Bailey and Terman 1986) into Oklahoma (Clark and Clark 1988). Also, in recent decades, the least weasel has expanded from eastern and central Nebraska into western Nebraska (Benedict et al. 2000). In South Dakota, least weasels have been previously reported from the eastern 3/4 of the state (Jones et al. 1983, Higgins et …

Nebline, June 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Lower Platte South Natural Resources District Trails in Lancaster County Offer Recreation & Education

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

Sphingolipids Containing Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acids Define A Secretory Pathway For Specific Polar Plasma Membrane Protein Targeting In Arabidopsis, Jennifer E. Markham, Diana Molino, Lionel Gissot, Yannick Bellec, Kian Hématy, Jessica Marion, Katia Belcram, Jean-Christophe Palauqui, Béatrice Satiat-Jeunemaître, Jean-Denis Faure

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Sphingolipids are a class of structural membrane lipids involved in membrane trafficking and cell polarity. Functional analysis of the ceramide synthase family in Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrates the existence of two activities selective for the length of the acyl chains. Very-long-acyl-chain (C > 18 carbons) but not long-chain sphingolipids are essential for plant development. Reduction of very-long-chain fatty acid sphingolipid levels leads in particular to auxin-dependent inhibition of lateral root emergence that is associated with selective aggregation of the plasma membrane auxin carriers AUX1 and PIN1 in the cytosol. Defective targeting of polar auxin carriers is characterized by specific aggregation of Rab-A2a– …

Savvy About Succulents, Mardel Runnels, Jessica Paulisich

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create an educational booklet explaining that succulents make fantastic SAE projects. The booklet was designed to be helpful to both high school students and high school instructors. All students enrolled in agriculture programs have projects known as SAE’s. This booklet includes a variety of topics that are relevant to having an SAE project. All information was based on industry statistics and information gained from courses. The booklet can be distributed both electronically and in a print version. The major consideration in the design of this project was to develop a booklet that would …

Habitat Selection By Female Swift Foxes (Vulpes Velox) During The Pup- Rearing Season, Indrani Sasmal, Jonathan A. Jenks, Troy W. Grovenburg, Shubham Datta, Greg. M. Schroeder, Robert W. Klaver, Kevin M. Honness

The Prairie Naturalist

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) was historically distributed in western South Dakota including the region surrounding Badlands National Park (BNP). The species declined during the mid-1800s, largely due to habitat loss and poisoning targeted at wolves (Canis lupis) and coyotes (C. latrans). Only a small population of swift foxes near Ardmore, South Dakota persisted. In 2003, an introduction program was initiated at BNP with swift foxes translocated from Colorado and Wyoming. We report on habitat use by female swift foxes during the pup-rearing season (May–July) in 2009. Analyses of location data from 13 radiomarked female foxes indicated disproportional use (P < 0.001) of some habitats relative to their availability within swift fox home ranges. Swift foxes used grassland (ŵ = 1.01), sparse vegetation (ŵ = 1.43) and prairie dog towns (ŵ = 1.18) in proportion to their availability, whereas they were less likely to use woodland (ŵ = 0.00), shrubland (ŵ = 0.14), pasture/agricultural-land (ŵ = 0.25) and development (ŵ = 0.16) relative to availability. Swift foxes typically are located in habitats that provide greater visibility, such as shortgrass prairie and areas with sparse vegetation; which allow detection of approaching coyotes (e.g., primary predator of swift foxes).

Distribution Of Crayfish Species In Select North Dakota Streams, Cari-Ann Hayer, Terrance L. Velazquez, Mclain S. Johnson, Brian Graeb

The Prairie Naturalist

Crayfish have an integral role in aquatic ecosystems, serving as herbivores, predators, detritivores, and prey for fishes and other aquatic and terrestrial animals (Momot 1995, Taylor et al. 1996, Martin 1997). Many crayfish populations are currently declining as a result of habitat alteration (Taylor et al. 1996) and invasive predators (e.g., rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus [Girard; Lodge et al. 2000]). Knowledge of crayfish distribution and biology in North America and specifically North Dakota is sparse or lacking (Taylor et al. 1996) and baseline information is necessary to identify effects of anthropogenic alterations. Early inventories documented 3 crayfish species in North …

Impacts Of Goat Browsing And Disease On Lilium Grayi, Gray's Lily, On Roan Mountain., Joseph Powell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The flora of southern Appalachian high elevation balds has strong representation of northern disjuncts and regional endemics. Among the endemics, the showy Lilium grayi (Gray’s Lily), is most noteworthy for its historical significance and for a high public profile. As bald vegetation changes in response to human and natural environmental shifts, active bald management has been implemented on public lands. Among managed balds, the Roan Mountain massif supports a large population of L. grayi. The purpose of this study was to describe the demography of adult plants, compare browsed and non-browsed plots, and determine the extent to which disease …

Generation Of Transgenic Medicago Sativa Overexpressing "Osmotin-Chitinase" Gene Chimera, Jahnavi Reddy Kancharla

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Medicago is widely used as a forage crop. It is often susceptible to various pathogenic infections and exhibits low growth in drought and extreme climatic conditions. In the current study, a strategy was developed for over-expressing an “Osmotin-Chitinase” gene chimera in transgenic Medicago that could potentially confer resistance to different biotic and abiotic stresses. Seed germination of several cultivars of Medicago (M. sativa ssp. sativa, M. sativa ssp. falcata, M. sativa ssp. caerulea, M. truncatula, and M. Rugosa) was tested to determine the cultivars with good germination rates. Among these, M. sativa ssp. sativa showed an …

Economic Impacts Of Drought On Kentucky Corn, Hay, And Soybeans, Kortney E. Craft

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Understanding climatic impacts is important if we are to comprehend the relationship between climate and society. Weather phenomena can have environmental, economical, and social impacts. Drought is the natural hazard that affects people the most. It is also the most complex and least understood. There is no one universally accepted definition for drought which makes its examination difficult. Droughts’ duration is also difficult to determine because it has no clearly defined onset and end. Also, drought varies both geographically and temporally making uniform drought monitoring difficult. Since drought is difficult to monitor and access, drought impacts are often poorly documented. …

The Western Kentucky University Teaching Gardens: Landscape Design And Establishment Plan, Claudia Stetter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to design a landscape plan for Teaching Gardens at the Western Kentucky University Agriculture Research and Education Center. The landscape plans were selected based upon the available 5.3 acres surrounding the greenhouse, vineyard, and Exposition Center. Planning included goals and objectives, analysis of the available site, landscape design plans, and connecting the Teaching Gardens to the current curriculum. This thesis also includes related areas to the development of Teaching Gardens such as: summary of courses with related topics to Teaching Gardens, programs that will be used throughout the community, and a listing of current …

Recetario De Productos Elaborados A Base De Sorgo (Sorghum Bicolor, L. Moench), Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

El Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal (CENTA), “Enrique Álvarez Córdova”, a través del Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos, ha venido desarrollando por más de una década, investigaciones relacionadas al uso de sorgo en la alimentación humana, con la colaboración del instituto para la investigación en Sorgo y Mijo de los Estados Unidos de América (INTSORMIL). A partir del año 2000, las investigaciones en el cultivo del sorgo han tomado más auge, por lo que el Programa de Granos Básicos, como apoyo al trabajo que realiza el Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos, ha desarrollado una serie de variedades mejoradas, …

Forage News [2011-05], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Alfalfa Conference Photos
• 32nd Kentucky Alfalfa Conference Date Set
• Grazing Conference set for Bowling Green
• American Forage & Grassland Council Annual Meeting
• Grazing School
• Mob Grazing Misconceptions
• Letter to the Editor
• Kentucky Land Values and Rental Rates
• Economic Study Proves Value of Legumes & Non-toxic Fescue in Pastures
• Low Soil pH Reduces Fertilizer Efficiency
• Terminology for Grazing Lands and Grazing Animals

Creating An Environmental Placed Based Education At Norris Elementary, Ben Kittrell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study is focused on creating a place based education program. Place based education programs provide many benefits at the personal level with the students (PBEEC). The study was completed at Norris Elementary School where the students have access to the “Norris Forest” which is a planted forest with a walk way through the trees. Some of the trees are labeled for the students to identify and others are not. A graph of the unlabelled trees has been included for the students or the teachers to use.

This project incorporates activities that will engage the students in order to teach …

A Contribution To The Vascular Flora Of The Sequatchie Valley Within Sequatchie County, Tennessee, John Richard Evans

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The vascular flora of the Sequatchie Valley within Sequatchie County, Tennessee was studied for three growing seasons from 2008 through 2010. The Sequatchie Valley is located within the southeastern portion of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered to be part of the Cumberland Plateau Physiographic Province. Nevertheless, a number of geological and ecological factors distinguish the Sequatchie Valley from the elevated Cumberland Plateau, suggesting that the floristic composition of the valley may be different from the surrounding region. Although several previous floristic studies have been conducted on the plateau surface, very little attention has been given to the Sequatchie …

The Role Of Albino3 And The Lipid Environment In Chloroplast Signal Recognition Particle Targeting, Nathan Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Signal recognition particles (SRPs) in pro- and eukaryotes function in cotranslational targeting of nascent poplypeptides to an SRP receptor at the target membrane. A unique chloroplast SRP (cpSRP) functions post-translationally to direct light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding proteins (LHCPs) to the receptor cpFtsY at the thylakoid membrane for LHCP insertion in a process involving the integral membrane protein Albino3 (Alb3) and requiring GTP. Work here focuses on understanding cpSRP targeting events at the thylakoid membrane, specifically those involving Alb3 and the lipid environment.

We show an interaction between the novel cpSRP subunit cpSRP43 and the soluble, stromal-exposed C terminus of Albino3 (Alb3-Cterm). We …

Nebline, May 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Nature, Gardening & Science Come Together in the Butterfly Garden

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

Impact Of Student Motivation In Online Learning Activities, Amy Lathrop

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

With the prevalence of online learning in education for both distance and campus-based students, it is critical to determine how to design electronic learning materials that tailor to student motivation and facilitate learning.  Students were asked to complete an online plant breeding activity, motivation survey and an online learning quiz related to the activity.  The control group of students was those who elected not to complete the activity, while the experimental group of students chose to complete the activity.  Motivation scores were compared between control and experiment groups, courses, and gender using independent sample t-tests.  Pearson correlations were also used …

Relationships Of Exotic Plant Invasions With Biological Soil Crust, Desert Pavement, And Soil Carbon In The Eastern Mojave Desert, Adria Decorte

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In a matter of 50 years, exotic annual plants have become widespread in the Mojave Desert, contributing to drastic landscape changes such as those caused by recent fires. Invasions by exotics threaten native Mojave Desert plant communities by altering community functions (e.g. fire regimes) and by reducing plant diversity. Because it is not practical, or even possible, to eradicate these exotics, developing effective prevention techniques is the key to controlling these invasions.

This thesis used a greenhouse experiment, a field experiment, and a correlational field study to examine the affect soil surface types have on the establishment of three exotic …

Analysis Of Rice Blast Resistance Genes In The National Small Grains Collection (Nsgc), Moytri Roychowdhury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Identification of blast resistance genes in rice germplasm is one of the most important activities of rice breeding programs in worldwide. The objective of this research was to characterize two major blast resistance genes, Pi-z and Pi-b, in selected rice germplasm. A simple sequence repeat DNA marker, AP5659-1 linked to the Pi-z gene, and a Pib dominant marker derived from the Pi-b gene were first used to screen a rice core collection consisting of 1700 accessions estimated to represent 70% of the genetic diversity of rice in the US National Small Grains Collection. There were 131 rice germplasm accessions with …

Process-Based Management Of Downy Brome In Salt Desert Shrublands: Assessing Pre- And Post- Rehabilitation Soil And Vegetation Attributes, Merilynn Carol Hirsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an ecosystem driver, downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) presents obstacles to land rehabilitation efforts, including restoring desirable species cover. Because damaged ecosystems may have crossed both abiotic and biotic thresholds, ecologically-based control strategies may assist with altering successional trajectories and restoring desirable plant species. My thesis research had three objectives: 1) assess soil and vegetation relationships in degraded salt desert ecosystems prior to implementing downy brome control treatments, 2) determine the effects of control treatments on soil properties and resident plant species, and 3) evaluate the relative importance of shrubland soil type, herbicide type, and herbicide rate on seedling …

Establishing Weed Prevention Areas And Evaluating Their Impact, Stephanie Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The spread of invasive weeds continues to be a serious economic and environmental threat. Weed prevention has the potential to stop weeds before they become well established in an area conserving time, energy, and resources. Unfortunately, weed prevention is often overlooked. Weed Prevention Areas (WPAs) are a relatively new tool developed to help improve the application of weed prevention. They are cooperatively managed areas that focus on implementing prevention and early detection strategies at a community level. The purpose of this research was to establish baseline data that will be used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the WPA concept, …