Digital Commons Network^™

Alfalfa And Mrls: What We Know After One Year Of Testing, Jimmy C. Henning, Wayne Long

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The onset of mare reproductive loss syndrome in April 2001 in Kentucky lead to much speculation about its cause. Some of these initial 'suspects' included the ergot alkaloids of tall fescue, potential cyanide content of white clover, wide Calcium/Potassium ratios in pasture, fungal mycotoxins and the presence of certain poisonous plants. Certain consultants also indicated that no one should purchase or feed any Kentucky hay in 2001. However, these statements were not based on any hard information, just one person's opinion. But great damage was done to the confidence in Kentucky grown hay.

Alfalfa, The Queen Of Forage Crops — Reflections After Sixty Years Experience With The Crop, Warren C. Thompson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Yes, it is true I have been involved with alfalfa for 60 years and then some. Fact is I was fortunate enough to pick the World's best forage on which to base much of my career about the same time I fell in love with and married the best lady I ever knew. Betty has stuck with me through these crazy wonderful years. She was largely responsible for matters at home and raising the family. She managed our family and home while I was on the move trying to encourage maybe even coerce farmers in Kentucky and then over the …

Alfalfa For Summer Grazing, Jason Sandefur

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Jason manages the Berle Clay Farm in Paris, Kentucky. The farm has been in the Clay family since the 1770's. The Homestead was built in 1778.

The farming operation consist of approximately 680 acres of orchardgrass-clover, 300 acres of orchardgrass-alfalfa, 210 acres of tall fescue-clover, 100 acres of crops, 13 acres of tobacco and 70 acres in roads, buildings, etc.

Advances In Developing Better Alfalfa Varieties, Jim Moutray

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa breeders continue to actively pursue the development of varieties that will bring more benefits to farmers. Yield and better persistence are our highest priorities. Other traits under selection can make alfalfa easier and cheaper to grow, better and safer for livestock and more attractive to livestock.

The goal of this paper is to update you on the types of alfalfa research going on in the U.S., time tables on when you may expect to see these new developments and how they may help you in your operation.

Alfalfa Hay Quality: Terms And Definitions, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

At the 22^nd Kentucky Alfalfa Conference we discussed the relationship among Alfalfa - Yield-Quality-Persistence. In our presentation, we indicated that all three components must be considered for best management of alfalfa stands. Over the past week, I have looked through the past twenty-two years of Alfalfa Conference Proceedings. It's interesting, but not surprising that we have focused far more attention on yield than on quality and/or persistence.

Alfalfa yield (quantity) and quality are both important; however, it is easier for producers to recognize problems associated with quantity than quality because quantity can be easily assessed visually. Thus, forage quantity …

Foreword [2003], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Aepat: Software For Assessing Agronomic And Environmental Performance Of Management Practices In Long-Term Agroecosystem Experiments, Mark A. Liebig, Martin E. Miller, Gary E. Varvel, John W. Doran, Jon D. Hanson

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

Approaches to assess the effects of management practices on agro-ecosystem functions are needed. This paper describes a computer program designed to assess the relative sustainability of management practices using agronomic and environmental data. The program, entitled AgroEcosystem Performance Assessment Tool (AEPAT), utilizes performance-based index methodology to derive a relative ranking of agroecosystem performance among management practices for functions and indicators included in the procedure. The program is organized into eight major steps: Introduction, Input Files, Assign Indicators to Functions, Describe Indicators, Assign Weights, Select Output File, Calculate Agroecosystem Performance Scores, and Save Agro-ecosystem Project. Help windows as well as a …

Crop Updates - 2003 Lupins, Mark Sweetingham, Bevan J. Buirchell, Geoff Thomas, Amelia Mclarty, Harmohinder Dhammu, Martin Harries, Wayne Parker, Terry Piper, David Nicholson, Jairo Palta, Neil C. Turner, Bob French, Kedar Adhikari, Katia Stefanova, Françoise Berlandier, Glen Riethmuller, Paul Blackwell, Geoff Fosbery, Bill Crabtree, Tracy Gilham, Laurie Wahlsten, Pierre Fievez, Mike Collins, John Holmes, Dirranie Kirby, Ken Adcock, Roger Jones, Rohan Prince, Stuart Johnson, Ramon Hall, Madeleine Ball, Sofia Sipas, David Petterson

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty one papers from different authors

LUPIN ISSUES AND R & D DIRECTIONS

1. Mark Sweetingham, Department of Agriculture

   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

   VARIETIES AND BREEDING

2. New lupin line for release – WALAN2141, Bevan J, Buirchell, Mark Sweetingham, Geoff Thomas, Amelia McLarty, Harmohinder Dhammu and CVT and Lupin Breeding teams, Department of Agriculture

3. Lupin variety trial, Martin Harries and Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture

4. Herbicide tolerance of new lupins, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture

   YELLOW AND ALBUS LUPINS

5. Selection for high lupin yield under terminal drought, Jairo A. Palta^1&2, Neil …

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Crop Updates - 2003 Oilseeds, Peter Nelson, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer, Paul Carmody, J. A. Fortescue, D. W. Turner, Janet Wroth, Wallace Cowling, Anh-Van Pham, R. F. Brennan, Glen Riethmuller, Greg Hamilton, Jo Hawksley, C. M. Zaicou-Kunesch, D. Eksteen, Françoise A. Berlandier, Christiaan Valentine, Owain Edwards, Roger Jones, Brenda Coutts, Lisa Smith, Jenny Hawkes, Ravjit Khangura, Moin Salam, Art J. Diggle, Martin J. Barbetti, Kevin Walden

Crop Updates

This session covers fifteen papers from different authors

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

VARIETIES

1. Large scale canola varietal evaluation in WA, Peter Nelson, Oilseeds WA

2. Performance of IT and TT canola varieties in the medium and high rainfall agzones of WA 2001-02, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer and Paul Carmody, Department of Agriculture

QUALITY

1. Reproductive biology, cotyledon development and oil accumulation in canola, J.A. Fortescue and D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia

2. Plant and environmental factors affecting oil concentration in canola – a mini-review, D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, …

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A Watershed Analysis Of Threemile Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Threemile Pond (2003)

The 2003 Colby Environmental Assessment Team chose to study the Threemile Pond watershed. The Threemile Pond watershed is located in Vassalboro, China., Windsor, and Augusta, Maine. Threemile Pond is a popular site for recreation and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Like all other lakes in Maine, it is a young lake. However, intensive human activity in the watershed contributes a substantial amount of nutrients and the lake has algal blooms annually in the summer months. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of land use and development on the water quality of …

Avoiding The “Fat” Of The Land: Case Studies Of Agricultural Nutrient Balance, David Weaver, Simon Neville

Journal articles

Let’s start with a simple analogy: if a person eats more than they need, they gain weight. That is: if our feed inputs (kilojoules in) are greater than our outputs (exercise — kilojoules out) then we will gain weight (kilojoules in storage).That’s our fat. If, on the other hand, our feed inputs are less than our outputs, then we will lose weight.And if our inputs are the same as our outputs, our weight will remain constant. In general, the further away you are from an ‘ideal’weight, the greater the health risks. And yes, other aspects of your body management — …

Use Of Ground-Based Canopy Reflectance To Determine Radiation Capture, Nitrogen And Water Status, And Final Yield In Wheat, Glen L. Ritchie

Publications

Ground-based spectral imaging devices offer an important supplement to satellite imagery. Hand-held, ground-based sensors allow rapid, inexpensive measurements that are not affected by the earth’s atmosphere. They also provide a basis for high altitude spectral indices. We quantified the spectral reflectance characteristics of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Westbred 936) in research plots subjected to either nitrogen or water stress in a two year study. Both types of stress reduced ground cover, which was evaluated by digital photography and compared with ten spectral reflectance indices. On plots with a similar soil background, simple indices such as the normalized …

Diurnal Variation In The Basal Emission Rate Of Isoprene, Jennifer L. Funk, Clive G. Jones, Christine J. Baker, Heather M. Fuller, Christian P. Giardina, Manuel T. Lerdau

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Isoprene is emitted from numerous plant species and profoundly influences tropospheric chemistry. Due to the short lifetime of isoprene in the atmosphere, developing an understanding of emission patterns at small time scales is essential for modeling regional atmospheric chemistry processes. Previous studies suggest that diurnal fluctuations in isoprene emission may be substantial, leading to inaccuracies in emission estimates at larger scales. We examined diurnal patterns in the basal emission rate of isoprene in red oak (Quercus rubra), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus saligna) and the influence of light and temperature on the magnitude of these diurnal patterns. Maximum …

Sedimentological And Plant Taphonomic Evaluation Of The Early Middle Devonian Trout Valley Formation, Jonathan Allen

Honors Theses

The Trout Valley Formation of Emsian-Eifelian age, outcropped in Baxter State Park, Maine, consists offluvial and coastal deposits preserving early land plants. Massive, crudely bedded conglomerate represents deposits of proximal braided channels on an alluvial fan complex. Lithic sandstone bodies in channel-form geometries represent deposits of river channels draining the Acadian highlands whereas associated siltstones represent overbank deposits, intertidal flats, and tidal channels. Localized lenticular quartz arenites represent nearshore shelf bar deposits that were storm influenced. The majority of plant assemblages preserved mainly in siltstone lithologies are allochthonous and parautochthonous, with only one autochthonous assemblage identified in the sequence. Plant …

2003 Survey Of Priority Natural Communities In Jefferson County, Nebraska, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This survey was undertaken to update information on native plant communities and wildlife habitats in Nebraska to facilitate the development of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) Comprehensive Wildlife Plan. The specific intent of the project was to identify and map all large blocks of privately owned native plant communities within the survey area. In 2003, the surveys focused on eastern Nebraska, specifically deciduous forest communities along the Missouri River, tallgrass prairies of southeastern Nebraska (Pawnee, Gage, Jefferson, and eastern Thayer counties), and loess mixed-grass prairies in central Nebraska. A brief survey of the Elkhorn River valley in Madison …

Sugarcane Seed Response To 2,4-D And Alternative Herbicides For Red Morningglory (Ipomoea Coccinea L.) Control, Jonathan Daniel Siebert

LSU Master's Theses

Field studies conducted over two growing seasons evaluated the effect of 2,4-D applied at 1.6 kg ai/ha to LCP 85-384 sugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrid) 7, 5, 3, and 1 wk before planting (WBP). Sugarcane was planted in mid-September using both whole stalk and billet (45 cm) seed pieces. When 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to planting, sugarcane shoot emergence and population averaged across planting methods was reduced 5, 7, and 28 wk after planting (WAP) when compared to the nontreated control. Sugarcane height in one of two years was reduced when 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer …

Understanding Corn Yield Potential In Different Environments, Achim R. Dobermann, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Kenneth G. Cassman, Rhae A. Drijber, John L. Lindquist, James E. Specht, Daniel T. Walters, Haishun Yang, Daniel N. Miller, Darren L. Binder, Gregory J. Teichmeier, Richard B. Ferguson, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The UNL research program on Ecological intensification of irrigated maize-based cropping systems aims to (i) improve understanding of the yield potential of corn and soybean and how it is affected by management, (ii) develop a scientific basis for evaluating yield potential at different locations, (iii) develop practical technologies for managing intensive cropping systems at 70-80% of the yield potential, and (iv) conduct integrated assessment of productivity, profitability, input use efficiency, soil carbon sequestration, energy and carbon budgets, and trace gas emissions. Results of this work have been reported earlier (Arkebauer et al., 2001; Dobermann et al., 2002). In …

Understanding Corn Yield Potential In Different Environments, Achim R. Dobermann, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Kenneth G. Cassman, Rhae A. Drijber, J. Lindquist, James E. Specht, Daniel T. Walters, Haishun Yang, D. Miller, Darren L. Binder, Gregory Teichmeier, Richard B. Ferguson, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The UNL research program on Ecological intensification of irrigated maize-based cropping systems aims to (i) improve understanding of the yield potential of corn and soybean and how it is affected by management, (ii) develop a scientific basis for evaluating yield potential at different locations, (iii) develop practical technologies for managing intensive cropping systems at 70-80% of the yield potential, and (iv) conduct integrated assessment of productivity, profitability, input use efficiency, soil carbon sequestration, energy and carbon budgets, and trace gas emissions. Results of this work have been reported earlier (Arkebauer et al., 2001; Dobermann et al., 2002). In this paper …

Growing Corn In A Computer: The Hybrid Hybrid-Maize Simulation Model And Its Application To Production Agriculture, Achim R. Dobermann, Haishun Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Outline

Yield potential and yield gaps

To achieve yield potential of an environment

Hybrid Hybrid-Maize model

Hybrid Hybrid-Maize validation

Potential applications

EI Lincoln, NE: 2003 Yields

What determines spatial variation in corn yield potential in Nebraska?

Simulated attainable corn yields in different regions of Nebraska

To achieve full climatic site yield potential, management requires:

Optimal management: gain in season length

Corn yield potential in 2003

Potential applications

Summary

Outlook

Do Species Evenness And Plant Density Influence The Magnitude Of Selection And Complementarity Effects In Annual Plant Species Mixtures?, H. Wayne Polley, Brian J. Wilsey, Justin D. Derner

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

Plant species richness influences primary productivity via mechanisms that (1) favour species with particular traits (selection effect) and (2) promote niche differentiation between species (complementarity). Influences of species evenness, plant density and other properties of plant communities on productivity are poorly defined, but may depend on whether selection or complementarity prevails in species mixtures. We predicted that selection effects are insensitive to species evenness but increase with plant density, and that the converse is true for complementarity. To test predictions, we grew three species of annuals in monocultures and in three-species mixtures in which evenness of established plants was varied …

Comparative Studies Of Evolutionary Responses To Light Environments In Arabidopsis, Massimo Pigliucci, Heidi Pollard, Mitchell B. Cruzan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article, we compare the reaction norms to foliage shade (changes in light quality, spatially fine-grained environmental variation) and photoperiod (day length, spatially coarse-grained environmental variation) in several haplotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana from Scandinavia. We found that both across-environment means and phenotypic plasticities evolved continuously and very rapidly within this group. Both character means and trait plasticities were highly integrated, in part as predicted by the adaptive plasticity hypothesis for response to foliage shade (the so-called shade-avoidance syndrome). We found that a significant but small fraction of the variance in across-treatment trait means and plasticities in response to one …

Mechanistic Studies Of Carbon Steel Corrosion Inhibition By Cashew Nut Shell Liquid, J Y N Philip, J Buchweishaija, L L Mkayula

Tanzania Journal of Science

The inhibition mechanism of the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) on SAE 1008 carbon steel corrosion in CO 2  saturated 3% NaCl solutions has been studied by weight loss, UV/VIS and electrochemical techniques. The phenoxide, R-Ar-O- ions from the CNSL inhibitor were found to be responsible for the reduction of the corrosion rate of the carbon steel. Also, it was observed that the surface charge of the carbon steel electrodes was positive with respect to the solutions containing CNSL inhibitor. It is likely that the mechanism of the CNSL inhibitor adsorption involved the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal …

Preparation And Characterization Of Activated Carbons From Rice Husks And Shells Of Palm Fruits, Jeg Mdoe, Ll Mkayula

Tanzania Journal of Science

Activated carbons from palm fruit shells (PFS) and rice husks (RH) were prepared using physical and chemical activation processes, respectively. The influence of activation time and temperature (in the case of PFS) and impregnation ratio and carbonization temperature (in the case of RH) on the properties of the resultant carbons were studied. In the case of PFS carbons, there were an increase in adsorption capacity and surface areas with increase in activation time and temperature. The surface area ranged between 292 and 642 m2g-1 at temperature range of between 1000 and 1200 K. In the case of RH carbons, surface …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 34, No. 3/4 September/December 2002

The Prairie Naturalist

SEASONAL FOOD HABITS OF COYOTES IN NORTHEASTERN KANSAS ▪ J. F. Kamler, P. S. Gipson, and C. C. Perchellet

SELECTION OF NESTING HABITAT BY SHARP-TAILED GROUSE IN THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS ▪ B. L. Prose, B. S. Cade, and D. Hein

PATTERNS OF REPRODUCTION FOR WESTERN HARVEST MICE IN NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS ▪ J. R. Goheen, G. A. Kaufman, and D. W. Kaufman

THE IMPACT OF RECREATIONAL TRAILS AND GRAZING ON SMALL MAMMALS IN THE COLORADO PIEDMONT ▪ C. A. Meaney, A. K. Ruggles, N. W. Clippinger, and B. C. Lubow

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 2001 ▪ R. N. Randall …

Pig Industry Biosecurity Plan - March 2003 - Protecting The Pig Industry Is Everyone's Business, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Farmnote 71/2002 - Farm Biosecurity

Farmnote 43/2002 - Biosecurity in the livestock industries

StockGuard has been initiated to develop a series of biosecurity plans for the animal industries in Western Australia. Through StockGuard, representatives from the animal industries have been working with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture to identify potential threats to each of the animal industries and to develop action plans detailing how these threats can be managed.

The overall purpose of StockGuard is to identify threats to the animal industries and to develop effective ways to minimise the potential impact of these threats.

If an emergency pig …

Soils Of Mississippi County, Arkansas, J. M. Mckimmey, B. Dixon, H. D. Scott, C. M. Scarlat

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Along with air and water, soil contributes essential processes to the natural order of global cycles. With the exception of edibles from the sea, virtually everything we, and most other land-based animals, eat is derived from soil. Soil is a storage medium of essential minerals and nutrients for fulfilling our agricultural and nutritional needs. Humans work the soil to provide the basics of food, clothing, and shelter. We also use the soil as a medium to store and discard our waste. Virtually everything we do is in some way connected to soil

Sustainability Issues For Agriculture In Western Australia, Anne Bennett, Ross Kingwell, Ross George

All other publications

Agriculture has been and will continue to be a major component of economic activity in several regions in Western Australia, and agricultural communities will remain an important part of the social fabric and landscape of the State. Promoting the sustainability of agriculture is likely to produce three main outcomes: vibrant rural communities; profitable agricultural systems; and conservation of the natural environment.

This paper describes briefly the main challenges to the sustainability of agriculture and outlines some means of responding to the challenges: market-based approaches; agricultural and environmental research and development; accelerated adjustment; and global and national policy initiatives.

Understory Species Patterns And Diversity In Old-Growth And Managed Northern Hardwood Forests, Robert M. Scheller, David J. Mladenoff

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forest management can significantly affect both the diversity and spatial patterning of understory vegetation. However, few studies have considered both diversity and spatial patterning at a stand scale. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of forest management on understory plant communities in northern hardwood forests and assess the processes governing differences in species composition, diversity, and spatial patterns. We sampled understory vegetation (all speciestall) and percentage of light transmission levels in three forest types in 12 mesic northern hardwood stands in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA: old-growth, undisturbed forests; even-aged forests resulting from clearcut logging …

Poisonous Plants Of Tennessee, Erica Fritz

Honors Theses

Many poisonous plants occur within Tennessee. These plants may have an evolutionary advantage over competing plants because of the presence of toxic secondary compounds. Consequently, plant species containing poisons may occur more frequently in advanced families than in primitive families. A list was compiled of those plants that occur in Tennessee that are known to be poisonous and these numbers were compared with the total number of species within both advanced and primitive families. Tennessee poisonous plants occur in higher percentages in those families that are primitive and moderately advanced than in those that are advanced.

Center For Grassland Studies Newsletter, Summer 2002, Volume 8, No. 3

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

• Influence of Topography on Sediment Trapping in Grass Buffers by Dean Eisenhauer, Michael Dosskey, Matthew Helmers, Jason Brothers, and Thomas Franti, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, UNL

• Vivien Allen to be Leu Distinguished Lecturer

• Arbor Links Golf Course Opens

• CGS Tour Showcased Golfing, Hunting, Ranching, Biology Education and Research

• New Grassland Reserve Program in Farm Bill

• Landscape Connections September 14

• Gudmundsen Ranch Open House August 28