Digital Commons Network^™

Corn Residue Stocking Rate Affects Cattle Performance But Not Subsequent Grain Yield, L. A. Stalker, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Jennifer A. Gigax, A. L. Mcgee, T. M. Shaver, S. J. Van Donk

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

This study investigated effects of stocking rate on cattle performance, quality and quantity of corn residue, and impact of residue removal on grain yield for 5 yr at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln West Central Water Resources Field Laboratory near Brule, NE. Four removal treatments—1) no removal (control), 2) grazing at 2.5 animal unit month (AUM)/ ha, 3) grazing at 5.0 AUM/ha, and 4) baling—were applied to a center pivot–irrigated corn field (53 ha). The field was divided into eight 6.6-ha paddocks to which replicated treatments were assigned. Samples of residue were collected in October and March (before and …

Establishment Of Biotrophy By The Maize Anthracnose Pathogen Colletotrichum Graminicola: Use Of Bioinformatics And Transcriptomics To Address The Potential Roles Of Secretion, Stress Response, And Secreted Proteins, Ester Alvarenga Santos Buiate

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Colletotrichum graminicola is a hemibiotrophic pathogen of maize that causes anthracnose leaf and stalk rot diseases. The pathogen penetrates the host and initially establishes an intracellular biotrophic infection, in which the hyphae are separated from the living host cell by a membrane that is elaborated by the host, apparently in response to pathogen signals. A nonpathogenic mutant (MT) of C. graminicola was generated that germinates and penetrates the host normally, but is incapable of establishing a normal biotrophic infection. The mutated gene is Cpr1, conserved in eukaryotes and predicted to encode a component of the signal peptidase complex. How …

The Effects Of Phosphorus And Nitrogen Fertilization On Tall Fescue Nutrient Content, Yield And Baleage Quality, Cheyenne Adele Arthur

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a cool season perennial grass commonly used in year-round forage production systems. Producers often wrap large round bales of tall fescue in plastic. The fermented product of this practice, termed baleage, allows the forage to be stored for later feeding. During periods of rapid growth in the spring and the fall, the nutrient content of tall fescue can be imbalanced and cause nutritional disorders in grazing animals. To improve the nutrition of tall fescue, it is known that fertilization of phosphorus (P) can help improve leaf nutrient content of P, magnesium (Mg), and calcium …

Productivity And Biological Nitrogen Fixation Of Different Species Of Vetches (Vicia Spp.) Under The Rainfed Conditions Of West Asia, Ali Abd El Moneim, Mohan C. Saxena

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The low rainfall areas of West Asia are characterized by pastoral production system primarily based on small ruminants (sheep and goats). Rangelands serve as the main source of feed. With increasing population, the demand for livestock products has increased. As a consequence, the stocking rates have soared, increasing the pressure on rangelands. Rangeland degradation has therefore been increasing threatening the sustainability of livestock production system and the livelihood of the people dependent on it. Production of additional feed is essential to reduce the pressure on rangelands. Vetches (Vicia spp.) are endemic in the area and can be potential source …

Livestock Production From Grasslands With Improved Management Compared To Traditional Management, Florian Leiber

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The value of traditional versus improved management systems for grassland is discussed. The set target is the persistence of the ecological, economic and social multifunctionality of grasslands and the increase of food output from these areas without increasing parallel requirements for arable crop or energy inputs. Based on the fact that historically traditional systems were stable and sustainable in many cases, while severe damage is faced nowadays, it is argued that lot of improvement should be based on the acknowledgment of successful traditional practises. The challenge might rather be to define improvement as a contemporary development of traditional techniques. The …

Potential Of Forages In Crop Diversification And Crop Rotation, Martin H. Entz, Joanne Thiessen Martens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Redesign of agricultural systems according to ecological principles has been proposed for the development of sustainable systems. We review a wide variety of ecologically-based crop production practices that focus on forage crops in farming systems and discuss their potential role in enhancing the profitability, environmental sustainability and resilience. Crop-livestock systems that most closely mimic natural systems through appropriate integration of diverse components appear to offer the greatest potential benefits. These systems are more energy efficient and combine high productivity with low ecological footprint. Greater understanding of ecological relationships within crop-livestock systems are required to purposefully and proactively redesign agricultural systems …

Evergraze: A Partnership Between Researchers, Farmers And Advisors To Deliver Effective Grassland Management, Warwick B. Badgery, Kate Sargeant, Michael A. Friend, Scott Glyde, Paul Sanford, Ralph Behrendt, Meredith L. Mitchell, Sean Murphy, Angela Avery

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The profitable and sustainable management of livestock production from grassland systems is challenging and it can be difficult to develop a research structure that addresses farmer’s needs and has acceptable rigour and on-ground impact. This paper describes the attributes of research, development and extension (RD&E) programs that are required for a successful partnership between researchers, farmers and advisors. Insights are provided from the EverGraze program that designed, tested and implemented farming systems based on perennial pastures across southern Australia. With this project farmers and advisors were involved in setting research direction, designing experiments, providing strategic guidance over the management of …

Ecologically And Socially Sustainable Livestock Development In Marginal Areas, Ilse Köhler-Rollefson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

“Marginal areas” are perceived as difficult and unproductive landscapes, always under the threat of drought, desertification and poverty. Yet, both dryland and high altitude marginal areas have an extraordinary output of livestock products; in the efficiency of producing human-edible protein they far surpass more fertile areas. This productivity under adverse climatic conditions rests on sophisticated strategies and social institutions developed by pastoral communities to deal with variability in the availability of resources. It depends on the use of animal genetic resources that are adapted to make best use of local vegetation and can cope with seasonal variations in availability. Livestock …

Participatory And Holistic Approaches With Grassland Farmers And Development Of Policies, Alain Peeters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The world is changing rapidly. Grassland farmers and ruminant livestock breeders will have to adapt to these changing environmental, social and economic conditions. Research can help them at the condition that linear ‘top-down’ technology transfer methods are abandoned for the benefit of participatory and holistic approaches. These approaches classified in the generic term of ‘Farming System Research’ consider farmers as real research partners, and they merge farmer’s and scientist’s ideas with those of other stakeholder types. They combine scientist’s and farmer’s knowledge for creating fast innovations, easily adopted by farmers since farmers themselves contribute to their design and their development. …

Climate Change Impact And Adaptation In Temperate Grassland And Livestock Industries, Afshin Ghahramani, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate is projected to have negative impact on temperate grassland and livestock productions across the globe. Moderately elevated atmospheric CO₂ in the near future is expected to increase plant photosynthetic rates but this is likely to be limited by soil nitrogen deficits. However, in Australia at least it is unlikely that positive effect of elevated CO₂ on plant production be able to offset the negative impacts of climate change. Currently there is a considerable gap between actual and achievable production and profit in Australian grazing systems and many management and genetic improvements for climate adaptation would operate by …

Climate-Smart Brachiaria For Improving Livestock Production In East Africa: Emerging Opportunities, Sita R. Ghimire, Donald M. G. Njarui, Mupenzi Mutimura, Juan A. Cardoso, Linda Johnson, Elias M. Gichangi, Suliana Teasdale, Kennedy Odokonyero, John Caradus, Idupulapati M. Rao, Appolinaire Djikeng

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Brachiaria grass is an important tropical forage of African origin with desirable attributes of agricultural and environmental significance. Brachiaria has been extensively cultivated as a pasture across the tropics except in its endemic provenance of Africa. In 2013, a collaborative research program was initiated in Kenya and Rwanda with the aim of improving the availability of quality livestock feeds adapted to drought and low fertility soils using Brachiaria. The outcomes sought were increased livestock productivity leading to improved farmer income and the development of seed production opportunities. The program has identified five preferred cultivars, and four of them are currently …

Tropical Grassland Ecosystems And Climate Change, C. R. Babu, Vivek Kr. Choudhary, Vijay Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasses are unique group of flowering plants that form the foundation for the trophic structure in terrestrial communities. The grasses are found in every conceivable habitat where plants can thrive – from sea to deserts and from wetlands to peaks of highest mountains. The grasses form a distinct biome – a major ecological formation in the global classification of vegetation.

Recent Trends In Breeding Of Tropical Grass And Forage Species, J. S. Sandhu, Dinesh Kumar, Vijay Kumar Yadav, Tejveer Singh, R. P. Sah, Auji Radhakrishna

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Germplasm enrichment in major tropical grasses and their characterization for emerging environmental challenges have been major focussed area in the recent past. Breeding efforts in tropical grasses are still limited to few selected species viz. Panicum spp, Cenchrus spp, Pennisetum spp and Bracharia spp and all other grasses use of land races for varietal development through selection have been major source of improvement. The pace of breeding efforts in the tropical grasses have been slowed because of many inherent characteristics viz. apomixis, poor seed set, high photo and thermo sensitivity often creating problem in designing and implementing an effective breeding …

Sustainability, Biodiversity And Environmental Issues: A Global Perspective For Livestock Production, David L. Michalk

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To meet world food demand through the 21st century, agricultural production needs to increase, but this needs to be done sustainably through increasing efficiency, optimising sufficiency and achieving consistency, such that resource use is optimised, waste reduced and environmental benefits gained. These strategies need to be developed against changing food patterns, especially a decline in per capita consumption of cereals and an increase in meat consumption as household incomes increase. Grasslands are collectively the larger group of land-based ecosystems on the planet. Their values are not always recognised, often being seen as ‘reserves’ for exploitation for urban expansion, …

Grassland And Livestock Production: The East African Case, David Miano Mwangi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands cover over 26% of the world land mass and about 80% of the agricultural area. They are the source of a livelihood for about 1 million people in the developing countries. Livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural outputs. Approximately 60% of rural households keep livestock. In East Africa there are a number of grasslands. The most extensive of these are the Acacia based Savanna grasslands. Others include the sudd flooded grasslands of South Sudan and the Miobo woodlands of Tanzania. More than 60% of the livestock and wildlife in this region are found on these grasslands. …

Tropical Grasslands--Trends, Perspectives And Future Prospects, Panjab Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper attempts a rapid summary of the present day state of tropical grassland and livestock based production systems globally, especially in tropics, in relation to recent trends, future assessment, grassland rehabilitation and management strategies, future perspectives of grassland science and development including policy imperatives.

About Sponsors, National Organizing Committee, International Grassland Congress

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Sheep Updates 2015 - Katanning, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Mike Hyder, Leigh Sonnerman, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Ian Robertson, Lucy Anderton, Hayley Norman, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Lifetime management for maternal ewes, Mike Hyder, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

5. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Leigh Sonnermann, …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 16 2015, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Decadal Scale Responses Of Soil And Ecosystem Processes To Forest Restoration In Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests, Peter Ganzlin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Decades of fire suppression have left much of the forest in the intermountain western United States exceedingly dense, and forest restoration techniques – including thinning and prescribed fire – are increasingly being used in an attempt to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of severe wildfire, to enhance tree growth and regeneration, and to stimulate soil nutrient cycling. While many of the short-term effects of forest restoration have been established, the long-term effects on soil biogeochemical and ecosystem processes are largely unknown. In this thesis I present two manuscripts documenting and synthesizing these long-term impacts. The first chapter focuses on the …

School Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer

Honors Theses

School gardens have existed since the late nineteenth century and today are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world, including where I studied in Maine and Australia (AUS). Multiple organizations support school gardens in Maine, including the Maine School Garden Network, which has over 125 registered school gardens. In AUS, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation primarily supports the school garden movement and has over 800 registered school gardens. While many researchers have studied school gardens, few have compared two countries, focused on environmental sustainability, or investigated Maine in particular. This thesis combines information from literature reviews, and …

Allelopathic Effects Of S. Canadensis On The Germination Of Native Prairie Plants, James David Megenhardt

Masters Theses

Solidago canadensis has become a aggressive species of North American prairie forb throughout the world and within restored prairies throughout North America, causing the loss of biodiversity within those ecosystems. While reproductive methods of wind dispersed seeds and clonal expansion through rhizomes has helped S. canadensis colonize and spread through these ecosystems, S. canadensis also releases allelopathic chemicals which may inhibit the germination and growth of competing species. What was unknown is if these same allelopathic chemicals which give S. canadensis an edge within foreign ecosystems might also explain why S. canadensis is so prolific in restored North American …

Evaluating Physiological Responses Of Ten Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa Subsp. Falcata) Germplasm To Drought Treatments, Austin Hanson

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alfalfa is the most widely produced perennial forage legume in North America. However, its use in the semiarid northern Great Plains is limited due to poor stand establishment and persistence under drought condition. The development of drought-tolerant alfalfa cultivars is of great need. Some Medicago sativa subsp. falcata populations have demonstrated promising drought resistance when compared to M. sativa. Morphological and physiological mechanisms play a critical role in drought tolerance by influencing seedling survival, stand establishment and drought recovery. Assessment of variability in physiological responses to drought among germplasm lines to drought is necessary for developing cultivars with improved drought …

Plant Functional Traits Of Dominant Native And Invasive Species In Mediterranean-Climate Ecosystems, Jennifer L. Funk, Rachel J. Standish, William D. Stock, Fernando Valladares

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The idea that dominant invasive plant species outperform neighboring native species through higher rates of carbon assimilation and growth is supported by several analyses of global datasets. However, theory suggests that native and invasive species occurring in low-resource environments will be functionally similar, as environmental factors restrict the range of observed physiological and morphological trait values. We measured resource-use traits in native and invasive plant species across eight diverse vegetation communities distributed throughout the five Mediterranean-climate regions, which are drought-prone and increasingly threatened by human activities including the introduction of exotic species. Traits differed strongly across the five regions. In …

Promotive Effect Of Exogenously Applied Thiourea On Key Physiological Parametersand Oxidative Defense Mechanism In Salt-Stressed Zea Mays L. Plants, Cengi̇z Kaya, Muhammad Ashraf, Osman Sönmez

Turkish Journal of Botany

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to examine the alleviating role of thiourea (TU) on antioxidants and some vital physiological attributes in salt-stressed plants of two maize cultivars. The maize cv. DK 5783 performed better than cv. Apex 836 in an initial experiment. Of the six TU levels used in the initial experiment, 400 and 500 mg L-1 were chosen for subsequent studies. The two cultivars were subjected to saline stress (100 mM NaCl) and two levels of TU were applied presowing or as foliage spray. Salt stress suppressed total biomass, maximum fluorescence yield (Fv/Fm), chlorophyll, and leaf water potential ($\Psi$w), …

Characterizing The Expression Of Genes Involved In Iron Transport Inpakistani Peanut Varieties Under Iron Deficiency Stress, Shamim Akhtar, Yusuke Kakei, Khurrum Bashir, Armghan Shahzad, Takashi Yamakawa, Muhammad Arshad, Fayyaz- Ul-Hassan, Hiromi Nakanishi, Naoko K. Nishizawa

Turkish Journal of Botany

Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the major yield-limiting factors in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), especially when grown in calcareous soils. The soils of the Pothwar region in Pakistan are calcareous in nature, exposing peanut to Fe deficiency. The molecular mechanisms governing Fe deficiency response in peanut have not been fully revealed. We compared 4 locally important varieties of peanut to evaluate Fe deficiency responses at the molecular level. The expression profiles of 7 important genes including AhIRT1, AhFRO1, AhNRAMP1, AhYSL1, AhYSL3.1, AhYSL4, and AhYSL6 in roots and young and old leaves of local peanut varieties were investigated 19 days …

Assessment Of Genetic Diversity Among 125 Cultivars Of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Of Indian Origin Using Issr Markers, Himanshu Aggarwal, Alka Rao, Anil Kumar, Jasbir Singh, Jogender Singh Rana, Pradeep Kumar Naik, Vinod Chhokar

Turkish Journal of Botany

Utilization of diverse germplasm is required to enhance the genetic variability of cultivars. Opportunity to generate favorable gene combinations can be provided by genetically diverse lines; thus, the probability of creating unique cultivars increases. Genetic diversity analysis of chickpea can give important indications for understanding species relationships and may help in developing and planning breeding programs. Thus, the present investigation was performed to assess the genetic diversity in 125 cultivars of chickpea of Indian origin, among which 42 are resistant and 13 are susceptible to Fusarium wilt and Ascochyta blight. Out of 40 ISSR primers, 26 primers generated 213 polymorphic …

Assessment Of Species Diversity And State Of Stipa Tenacissima Steppes, Wahida Ghiloufi, Jose Luis Quero Perez, Miguel Garcia Gomez, Mohamed Chaieb

Turkish Journal of Botany

North African steppes are subjected to extreme degradation resulting in the reduction of their surface, genetic erosion of resources, and decrease in biodiversity. Stipa tenacissima steppes, which constitute one of the most representative vegetation types in the driest areas of the Mediterranean basin, are continuously degrading. With the aim of contributing to a better knowledge of the floristic composition and diagnosing the state of degradation of these steppes, we conducted a phytoecological analysis of 10 S. tenacissima sites in Tunisia. Floristic inventory compiled a systematic list of 46 vascular plant species belonging to 43 genera and 26 families. Species richness …

The Modified Qualities Of Basil Plants By Selenium And/Or Ascorbic Acid, Zahra Oraghi Ardebili, Narges Oraghi Ardebili, Sara Jalili, Somayeh Safiallah

Turkish Journal of Botany

The current research aimed to evaluate the possible impacts of foliar supplementations of selenium (Se) and/or ascorbic acid (AsA) on basil. Seedlings were foliarly treated with 4 concentrations of Se (0, 30, 60, and 120 mg L-1) and/or 2 levels of AsA (0 and 200 mg L-1), 2 times with 2-week intervals. In contrast to Se30, chla contents were significantly decreased by Se120 compared with the control. Se applications had a reducing effect on chlb contents. Se and/or AsA treated plants exhibited higher contents of carotenoid. The antioxidative system was affected by the applied treatments as it was indicated by …