Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Release Timing On Survival And Movements Of Translocated Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus) In Utah, David C. Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Translocation of wildlife has become common practice for wildlife managers charged with management of animals on increasingly modified landscapes. Translocation can be used to reduce population density in the source area, supplement existing populations, reestablish extirpated populations, and establish new populations. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are a species of great interest to the public in western North America. Although translocations have been used to manage mule deer, very little has been done to document the outcomes of this management practice. The purpose of this research was to evaluate movement, site fidelity, space use, and survival of translocated mule …

Exploring The Possibility Of Photosynthetic Plasticity In Agave Sensu Lato, John Anthony Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) provides desert plants with distinct advantages over the C₃ and C₄ photosynthetic pathways in harsh climates where water is scarce. CAM is, however more metabolically costly than C₃ or C₄ photosynthesis, and some plants, such as Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, facultatively utilize CAM when water is abundant, and water conservation unnecessary. In such situations, these plants behave akin to a C₃ plant when photosynthesizing. CAM is divided into four phases, with each phase displaying unique metabolic processes. Certain changes, including changes in the timing of CO₂ fixation, stable carbon isotope ratios, …

Deficient, Adequate And Excess Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Growth Curves Established In Hydroponics For Biotic And Abiotic Stress-Interaction Studies In Lettuce, Douglas Keith Jacobson

Theses and Dissertations

Mineral nutrients have marked effects on plant health by providing the building blocks for plant growth, as well as for mitigating abiotic and biotic stress factors, particularly disease development. Even if mineral nutrition field studies are conducted to study pest management, they are at the mercy of complex soil, water, and climatic conditions not amenable to strict experimental control. Therefore, a hydroponic method of growing lettuce was developed and growth curves were established for the macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Lettuce plants were grown at varying levels of each nutrient: 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, …

Sage Grouse Groceries: Forb Response To Piñon-Juniper Treatments, Jonathan D. Bates, Kirk W. Davies, April Hulet, Richard F. Miller, Bruce Roundy

Articles

Juniper and piñon coniferous woodlands have increased 2- to 10-fold in nine ecoregions spanning the Intermountain Region of the western United States. Control of piñon-juniper woodlands by mechanical treatments and prescribed fire are commonly applied to recover sagebrush steppe rangelands. Recently, the Sage Grouse Initiative has made conifer removal a major part of its program to reestablish sagebrush habitat for sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and other species. We analyzed data sets from previous and ongoing studies across the Great Basin characterizing cover response of perennial and annual forbs that are consumed by sage grouse to mechanical, prescribed fire, …

Non-Specific Phospholipase C1 Affects Silicon Distribution And Mechanical Strength In Stem Nodes Of Rice, Huasheng Cao, Lin Zhuo, Yuan Su, Linxiao Sun, Xuemin Wang

Biology Department Faculty Works

Silicon, the second abundant element in the crust, is beneficial for plant growth, mechanical strength, and stress responses. Here we show that manipulation of the non‐specific phospholipase C1, NPC1, alters silicon content in nodes and husks of rice (Oryza sativa). Silicon content in NPC1‐overexpressing (OE) plants was decreased in nodes but increased in husks compared to wild‐type, whereas RNAi suppression of NPC1 resulted in the opposite changes to those of NPC1‐OE plants. NPC1 from rice hydrolyzed phospholipids and galactolipids to generate diacylglycerol that can be phosphorylated to phosphatidic acid. Phosphatidic acid interacts with Lsi6, a silicon transporter that is expressed …

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter (No. 18) = 嶺南彩園通訊 (第18期), Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter 嶺南彩園通訊

Grain Buds 小滿

Changes In Oxidative Patterns During Dormancy Break By Warm And Cold Stratification In Seeds Of An Edible Fruit Tree, Dilinuer Shalimu, Jia Sun, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Liwei Sun, Yujun Liu

Biology Faculty Publications

The transition from seed dormancy to germination is triggered by environmental factors, and in pomegranate (Punica granatum) seeds higher germination percentages are achieved by warm + cold stratification rather than by cold stratification alone. Our objective was to define the pattern of internal oxidative changes in pomegranate seeds as dormancy was being broken by warm + cold stratification and by cold stratification alone. Embryos isolated from seeds after 1–42 days of warm stratification, after 56 days of warm stratification + 7, 28 or 56 days of cold stratification, and after 1–84 days of cold stratification alone, were used …

A Brief History Of Corn: Looking Back To Move Forward, Jon Derek Pruitt

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Maize was domesticated from teosinte in Mexico some 7,000 to 10,000 years ago and quickly spread through the Americas. It has become one of the most important crops at a local and global level. Two types, Northern Flint corn and Southern Dent corns provided the basis of the genetic background of modern maize hybrids. The development of hybrids, first double-cross and later single-cross hybrids, along with a transition to high input farming provided huge yield increases, which have continued to improve with improving technology.

Increase in maize production also caused a rise in Western corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera …

Forage News [2016-05], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Looking Ahead to Plant Annuals
• 2016 Kentucky Grazing School Planned for May
• Heart of America Grazing Conference Highlight: Grazing Alfalfa: Producer Bob Hall Perspective
• Forage News Quote of the Month: "Cutting Late Increases Hay Weight; Cutting Early Increases Animal Weight"
• Windrow Moisture Testing Made Easy
• Featured Publication: Understanding Forage Quality
• Forage Trip Planned to New Zealand

Nebline, May 2016

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Emerald Ash Borer is Getting Closer

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Development Of A Biofilm Model For Evaluating Poultry Drinking Water Sanitation Procedures, Pramir Maharjan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enclosed water system has created a minimal sanitation focus leading to biofilm issues which are a source of flock health challenges. A series of in vitro tests were conducted to evaluate biofilm growth on polyvinylchloride (PVC) surfaces when exposed to treated/untreated water sources (test water) that are typically supplied in commercial barns. PVC test coupons (15.16 cm2) were immersed in test water in beakers to grow biofilm. Test water supplies were characterized for microbial, mineral and pH content. Temperature of test water was set at 90 °F (32.2 ᵒC) on d1 and then dropping 1°F each day over 7-day period …

Effect Of Potassium Deficiency On Uptake And Partitioning In The Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Plant And Detection By A Crop Reflectance Sensor, Taylor Dayne Coomer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to grow and develop normally, plants need to uptake the necessary amount of nutrients and use those nutrients in a beneficial fashion. It is recognized that cotton needs a certain tissue concentration of ions to achieve and maintain growth rates (Siddiqi et al., 1987). One of the most essential and abundant nutrients in cotton is potassium (K), second only by mass to nitrogen (N) (Marschner, 1995; Oosterhuis et al., 2013). Potassium exists in the soil in four separate pools and moves through soil to roots mainly through diffusion (Rengel & Damon, 2008; Samal et al., …

Influence Of Fatty Acids And Their Derivatives On Aphid Resistance In Arabidopsis And Tomato, Jiamei Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) are enzymes that act in the chloroplast or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to incorporate double bonds into the acyl chains of fatty acids, and recent evidence indicates that at least one of these enzymes, FAD7, also influences plant resistance to aphids. FAD7 is an enzyme in the chloroplast that is found throughout the plant kingdom and that desaturates 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids (FAs) with two double bonds (dienoic acids) to generate FAs with three double bonds (trienoic acids). In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, mutants with impaired FAD7 function are more …

The State Of Tobacco : A Remote Sensing Approach To Understanding Tobacco Crop Production In Kentucky., Laura Krauser

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Agricultural policy allows for governing bodies to better control the landscape, economy, and security of resources. Because of this power, it is essential for policy and its effects to be thoroughly understood. This study examines the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP, “tobacco buyout”), in effect from 2005 to 2014, using a mixed methods approach. The TTPP lifted the existing geographic restrictions of tobacco production and deregulated market prices formerly controlled by the government. Kentucky’s economic, social, and agricultural landscapes changed significantly in the wake of this legislation. To explore these changes, this study employs semi-structured interviews and remote sensing analyses …

Consumer Willingness To Pay For Genetically Engineered Edamame, Elijah John Wolfe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of GM labeling on consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for edamame. It also investigated how people reacted to different messages and whether the order of receiving positive or negative information about GM technology impacted their willingness to pay (WTP). The study had three components: (1) a sensory test of GM and non-GM labeled products; (2) a non-hypothetical experimental auction to assess WTP for GM, non-GM and unlabeled products; and (3) a questionnaire to collect demographics and other information from the participants. Results of the sensory evaluation revealed no statistically significant difference between GM and non-GM …

Spinach (Spinacia Oleracea L.) Seed Germination And Whole Plant Growth Response To Heat Stress And Association Mapping Of Bolting, Tallness And Erectness For Use In Spinach Breeding, Jessica Chitwood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of temperature on spinach seed germination was evaluated using a total of nine spinach genotypes and seven temperatures: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 32, and 35 oC in growth chambers. Genetic variation was observed. ‘Donkey’, ‘Marabu’, and ‘Raccoon’ showed higher seed germination percentage with over 70% at 30 and 32 oC, indicating the three spinach genotypes had heat-tolerance for germination. However, all spinach genotypes except ‘Ozarka II’ had lower germination percentages of less than 30% while ‘Ozarka II’ had 63% at 35 oC, indicating ‘Ozarka II’ may be a source of heat-tolerance for seed germination.

Seed germination may …

Grazing Method Effects On Forage Production, Utilization, Animal Performance And Animal Activity On Nebraska Sandhills Meadow, Torie Lindsey

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

A study was conducted on a subirrigated meadow in the Nebraska Sandhills to determine differences in aboveground plant production, utilization, trampling, harvest efficiency, ground cover, plant functional group composition and animal performance among four grazing treatments. Grazing treatments included ultrahigh stocking density, four-pasture rotation with one occupation (4-PR-1), and four-pasture rotation with two occupations (4-PR-2). Pastures were grazed from May to August in 2014 and 2015 at equal stocking rates within years but varied among years. Stocking densities were 225,000 kg ha^-1 for ultrahigh stocking density, 7,000 kg ha^-1 for 4-PR-1, and 5,000 kg ha^-1 for 4-PR-2. …

Increasing The Sustainability Of Utah Farms By Incorporating Quinoa As A Novel Crop And Protecting Soil Health, Kristine R. Buckland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most of the western United States faces increasing water shortages in the coming years, that will present a major challenge for maintaining sustainable farms. Incorporating an alternative crop that is well adapted to projected changes in climate could be a successful approach to increasing the sustainability of farms in the region. Quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa Willd., may be an ideal alternative crop to meet the demands of the Intermountain West. Before widespread adoption of this novel crop can occur, best management strategies need to be documented. This paper provides research on cropping systems, irrigation rates, and weed competition with quinoa. Additionally, …

Friend Or Foe—Light Availability Determines The Relationship Between Mycorrhizal Fungi, Rhizobia And Lima Bean (Phaseolus Lunatus L.), Daniel J. Ballhorn, Martin Schädler, Jacob D. Elias, Jess A. Millar, Stefanie Kautz

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plant associations with root microbes represent some of the most important symbioses on earth. While often critically promoting plant fitness, nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) also demand significant carbohydrate allocation in exchange for key nutrients. Though plants may often compensate for carbon loss, constraints may arise under light limitation when plants cannot extensively increase photosynthesis. Under such conditions, costs for maintaining symbioses may outweigh benefits, turning mutualist microbes into parasites, resulting in reduced plant growth and reproduction. In natural systems plants commonly grow with different symbionts simultaneously which again may interact with each other. This might add complexity …

Selenate Uptake By Symphyotrichum Ascendens Western Aster, Nathan Hankes

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Symphyotrichum ascendens is a native forb species responsible for selenium poisoning of livestock grazing on mine wastes in the American Intermountain West. While S. ascendens has long been assumed to be a Se accumulator species, this report details the first investigation into its Se uptake, affinity, partitioning, and growth in response to selenate fertilization. The study was performed in a hydroponic growth environment at selenate concentrations of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mM selenate. Symphyotrichum ascendens absorbed selenate in percentage concentrations, with the highest tissue concentration of 3.6% Se. Symphyotrichum ascendens exhibited signs of stress, producing 69.2% less biomass at …

Soil Nutrient Cycling And Water Use In Response To Orchard Floor Management In Stone-Fruit Orchards In The Intermountain West, Catherine Mae Culumber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An organic peach orchard trial evaluated the effectiveness of different organic management approaches to enhance soil quality and conserve water without compromise to fruit tree growth and fertility. Two tree-row treatments: ‘straw mulch’ (Triticum aestivum L.) and ‘living mulch’ (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv.) were tested in combination with two alleyway groundcovers: ‘grass’ (Festuca rubra L. with Lolium perenne L.) and a legume, ‘Birdsfoot trefoil’ (Lotus corniculatus L.). The novel treatments were compared with tillage and weed fabric tree-rows with grass alleyways. After mowing, cuttings from the trefoil alleyway were deposited into tree-rows, which provided additional N …

Salt Tolerance Of Forage Kochia, Gardner's Saltbush, And Halogeton: Studies In Hydroponic Culture, Joseph Sagers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus) is a halophytic, invasive species that displaces Gardner’s saltbush (Atriplex gardneri) on saline rangelands. Forage kochia (Bassia prostrata) is a potential species to rehabilitate these ecosystems. This study compared the salinity tolerance of these species and tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Plants were evaluated for 28 days in hydroponics where they were maintained at 0, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600, and 800 mM NaCl. Shoot growth and ion accumulation were determined. Alfalfa and tall wheatgrass were severely affected by salt with both species’ shoot …

Establishment And Trends In Persistence Of Selected Perennial Cool-Season Grasses, Craig W. Rigby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The choice of plant materials is an important factor in restoration or revegetation of disturbed rangelands. To better identify plant materials that could be adapted to increased competition from invasive grasses and fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, there is a need to understand potential seedling establishment, plant persistence, and dry-matter yield (DMY) as a measure of plant vigor in the newly developed varieties across a wide range of environmental conditions. Experiments were conducted on four semiarid range sites to compare these traits in 14 perennial cool-season grass species currently used for revegetation in the Western U.S.A. There were location differences, …

Growth And Productivity Of Irrigated Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) For A Tropical High Altitude Environment In Rwanda, Elie Rene Gasore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Yield components, grain yield, biomass and plant N accumulation, and N fertilizer responses of irrigated rice (Oryza sativa, L.) were evaluated for a tropical inland valley environment in the high altitudes in Rwanda. Effects were measured for nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (0, 60, 90,120,150,180 kg N ha-1), season, growth stage and cultivar of different subspecies and plant types during 2012 dry season (DS) and 2013 wet season (WS) at Cyili Rice Research Farm (1380 m above sea level). Variations in irradiance (17.2± 0.32 MJ m-2 day-1 in DS and 9.4 ± 0.66 MJ m-2 day-1in WS) were linked to seasonal …

Biology, Ecology, And Management Of Nonnative Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) In Ornamental Plant Nurseries, Christopher M. Ranger, Michael E. Reding, Peter B. Schultz, Jason B. Oliver, Steve D. Frank, Karla M. Addesso, Juang Hong Chong, Blair Sampson, Christopher Werle, Stanton Gill, Charles Krause

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford) and Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are two of the most damaging nonnative ambrosia beetle pests in ornamental plant nurseries. Adult females tunnel into the stems and branches of host plants to create galleries with brood chambers. Hosts are infected with symbiotic Ambrosiella spp. fungi that serve as food for the larvae and adults. Plants can also become infected with secondary opportunistic pathogens, including Fusarium spp. Both X. germanus and X. crassiusculus have broad host ranges, and infestations can result in “toothpicks” of extruded chewed wood and sap flow associated with gallery entrances, canopy dieback, stem …

Managing Drought Stress In California Agricultural Systems, Gregory D. Brittain Jr.

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

California is currently facing a historic drought, and this has led many farmers in the state to severely cut back on irrigation. Optimal use of water for irrigation requires a comprehensive understanding of how plants respond physiologically to water stress (Chapter 1). By monitoring water requirements in crops and managing irrigation to meet those requirements, growers can significantly reduce water use (Chapter 2). This can be done through improving application efficiency of irrigation technology as well as increasing the water use efficiency of the crops themselves. Deficit irrigation practices can be used to manipulate the physiology of water use in …

Antifungal Activity Of Essential Oils On Aspergillus Parasiticus Isolated From Peanuts, Mina M. Yooussef, Quyen Pham, Premila Achar, Marikunte Yanjarappa Sreenivasa

Faculty Articles

Aspergillus parasiticus is one of the most common fungi which contaminates peanuts by destroying peanut shells before they are harvested and the fungus produces aflatoxins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activities of seventeen essential oils on the growth of the aflatoxigenic form of A. parasiticus in contaminated peanuts from commercial outlets in Georgia. The agar dilution method was used to test the antifungal activity of essential oils against this form of A. parasiticus at various concentrations: 500; 1,000; 1,500; 2,000; 2,500 ppm. Among the seventeen essential oils tested, the antifungal effect of cinnamon, lemongrass, clove …

Evolutionary Responses Of Invasive Grass Species To Variation In Precipitation And Soil Nitrogen, Monica A. Nguyen, Amy E. Ortega, Quoc L. Nguyen, Sarah Kimball, Michael L. Goulden, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1.Global climate models suggest that many ecosystems will experience reduced precipitation over the next century and the consequences for invasive plant performance are largely unknown. Annual invasive species may be able to quickly evolve traits associated with drought escape or tolerance through rapid genetic changes.

2.We investigated the influence of five years of water and nitrogen manipulations on trait values in a southern California grassland system. Seeds from two annual grass species (Avena barbata, Bromus madritensis) were collected from experimental plots and grown in a common environment over two generations. We measured 14 physiological, morphological, phenological, and …

Effect Of Light Intensity And Wavelength On Concentration Of Plant Secondary Metabolites In The Leaves Of Flourensia Cernua, Rick E. Estell, Ed L. Frederickson, Darren K. James

Agriculture Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Flourensia cernua (tarbush) is a shrub that has encroached into grasslands in many areas of the northern Chihuahuan Desert and contains high levels of carbon-based secondary compounds. Concentrations of secondary compounds are affected by numerous biotic and abiotic influences, including amount and wavelength of solar radiation. However, responses to shade and ultraviolet light restriction are inconsistent among plant species and compound class. We conducted a three-year study to evaluate the effect of shade and UV light restriction on total phenolic and terpene concentrations in tarbush. Sixty plants were randomly assigned to one of three treatments (control, UV light restriction, or …

Plantbot Genetics Presents: The Moth Project, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

2015-2016

PlantBot Genetics Inc. presents an engaging overview of second shift pollinators such as the moth, along with recent advances in self-pollinating robo-plants. The Moth Project highlights inspired responses to the decline of the honeybee and the hope that Moths and PlantBots will step in and save the day.

As consumers, we no longer know the real price of our food. Present food distribution systems are so complicated that it is unrealistic to expect consumers will make responsible choices based on the knowledge at hand. We encourage people to think more about their food, where it comes from, and where it …