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Development, Characterization And Linkage Mapping Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphsim In The Grain Amaranths (Amaranthus Spp.), Scott Smith, Dr. Jeff Maughan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The grain amaranths (Amaranthus sp.) are important pseudo-cereals native to the New World. During the last decade they have garnered increased international attention for their nutritional quality, tolerance to abiotic stress and importance as a symbol of indigenous cultures. Notwithstanding their renewed potential as an emerging alternative crop species, few molecular tools needed for accelerated breeding programs, have been developed. Our research describes the development and characterization of the first 411 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker assays for the species as well as the first complete genetic linkage map of the species.

Nucleic Acid Analysis Of Black Dot Infected Russet Burbank Potato As Influenced By Environmental Phosphorus, Jeremey Gneck, Dr. Brad Geary

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Each year potato yields are reduced due in part to root pathogens such as the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes (Black Dot). Research interactions among Russet Burbank potatoes, C. coccodes and mineral nutrition will be conducted in hydroponic growth chambers in order to determine the optimal concentration of phosphorus, a necessary macro-nutrient required in plants for growth and disease resistance. The expected outcome of this research will determine the necessary concentration of phosphorus that will boost the plant’s natural resistance to the C. coccodes fungus without adversely affecting the plant. This research will then be added to prior studies that have measured …

Nebline, April 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Backyard Farmer -- Six Decades of Growing Gardeners and Protecting the Environment

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Special Pullout Section: Weed Awareness

Towards The Development Of Ash Varieties Resistant To Emerald Ash Borer, Lindsay Ann Kolich

Open Access Theses

The emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a destructive invasive beetle from Asia which has killed millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) throughout North America. This phloem-feeding borer is capable of killing otherwise healthy trees and colonizes trees as small as saplings - most affected trees die within four years of colonization. Asian ash species (i.e., Manchurian and Chinese) appear to be more resistant to EAB than those native to North America (e.g., green, white, and black ash). In this project we use reciprocal and conspecific grafts of these five ash species to determine the …

Biochar And Vermicompost Amendments In Vegetable Cropping Systems: Impacts On Soil Quality, Soil-Borne Pathogens And Crop Productivity, Nathan Lee Shoaf

Open Access Theses

Amending soils with biochar and vermicompost has the potential to provide multiple benefits for specialty crops including pathogen suppression and increased crop productivity. Oomycete pathogens such as Phytophthora capsici can devastate crop fields and they are difficult to control presenting significant management challenges for Midwestern growers. Soils amended with a microbially-inoculated softwood biochar increased carrot root growth relative to the control and corn stover biochar in 2011, while the corn stover biochar also increased carrot root growth relative to the control, but only in two varieties. Neither biochar treatment influenced carrot growth in 2012. In greenhouse trials, vermicompost amendments provided …

Quality Changes In Hermetically Stored Corn Caused By Fungi And Sitophilus Zeamais, Nda-Agyima Addae-Mensah K

Open Access Theses

Hermetic storage has been shown to be effective in controlling insect pests and maintaining grain quality of dry grains at 13% moisture and below. However, the feasibility and use of hermetic storage for grains at intermediate mid-moisture levels under the influence of the sub-Saharan African weather conditions is relatively unknown. Hermetic storage experiments were conducted on grade 1 "6297 and 6333 VT RIB" hybrid corn under controlled temperature conditions at 10 degrees centigrade and 25 degrees centigrade at target approximate moisture content levels of 11, 15, 18 and 21% wet basis for a total storage period of 6 months. Corn …

Induced Transcriptional Profiling Of Phenylpropanoid Pathway Genes Increased Flavonoid And Lignin Content In Arabidopsis Leaves In Response To Microbial Products, Mohammad Babar Ali, David H. Mcnear

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The production and use of biologically derived soil additives is one of the fastest growing sectors of the fertilizer industry. These products have been shown to improve crop yields while at the same time reducing fertilizer inputs to and nutrient loss from cropland. The mechanisms driving the changes in primary productivity and soil processes are poorly understood and little is known about changes in secondary productivity associated with the use of microbial products. Here we investigate secondary metabolic responses to a biologically derived soil additive by monitoring changes in the phenlypropanoid (PP) pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana.

RESULTS: This study …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2014), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

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

This issue contains the SDSU Extension 2013 Annual Report.

[Page] 2 The New SDSU Extension: Two Years Later, Change Has Brought New Successes
[Page] 4 Your 24-7 Connection: iGrow.org Makes SDSU Extension Easily Accessible, Responsive
[Page] 5 SDSU Regional Extension Centers: Your Front Door To SDSU
[Pages] 6-7 Leading The Challenge: Projects To Address Food Security, Financial Knowledge Underway
[Pages] 8-9 Regional Collaboration: SET Grants & Food Networks Initiated
[Pages] 10-11 Encouraging & Empowering: Native American Program Assists Reservations In Striving For Healthy Food, Healthy Communities & Youth Science Programming
[Page] 12 Evaluating Yields: Crop Performance Testing Provides Important, Unbiased …

Mn-Euvering Manganese: The Role Of Transporter Gene Family Members In Manganese Uptake And Mobilization In Plants, Amanda L. Socha, Mary Lou Guerinot

Dartmouth Scholarship

Manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, is important for plant health. In plants, Mn serves as a cofactor in essential processes such as photosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Mn deficient plants exhibit decreased growth and yield and are more susceptible to pathogens and damage at freezing temperatures. Mn deficiency is most prominent on alkaline soils with approximately one third of the world’s soils being too alkaline for optimal crop production. Despite the importance of Mn in plant development, relatively little is known about how it traffics between plant tissues and into and out of organelles. Several gene transporter families …

Effect Of Aluminum Treatment On Proteomes Of Radicles Of Seeds Derived From Al-Treated Tomato Plants, Ikenna Okekeogbu, Zhujia Ye, Sasikiran Sangireddy, Hui Li, Sarabjit Bhatti, Dafeng Hui, Kevin J. Howe, Tara Fish, Yong Yang, Theodore W. Thannhauser

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major constraint to plant growth and crop yield in acid soils. Tomato cultivars are especially susceptible to excessive Al³⁺ accumulated in the root zone. In this study, tomato plants were grown in a hydroponic culture system supplemented with 50 µM AlK(SO₄)₂. Seeds harvested from Al-treated plants contained a significantly higher Al content than those grown in the control hydroponic solution. In this study, these Al-enriched tomato seeds (harvested from Al-treated tomato plants) were germinated in 50 µM AlK(SO₄)₂ solution in a homopiperazine-1,4-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer (pH 4.0), and …

Effects Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Infection And Common Mycelial Network Formation On Invasive Plant Competition, Rachael Elizabeth Workman

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding the biotic factors influencing invasive plant performance is essential for managing invaded land and preventing further exotic establishment and spread. I studied how competition between both conspecifics and native co-habitants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) impacted the success of the invasive bunchgrass Brachypodium sylvaticumin early growth stages. I examined whether invasive plants performed and competed differently when grown in soil containing AMF from adjacent invaded and noninvaded ranges in order to determine the contribution of AMF to both monoculture stability and spread of the invasive to noninvaded territory. I also directly manipulated common mycelial network (CMN) formation by AMF …

Effects Of Covering System, Sealing Time, And Packing On Fermentation, Nutritional Quality, And Organic Matter Loss Of Corn Silage In A Drive-Over Pile, Katie Rose Nutcher

Dairy Science

This project involved an experiment conducted using a 550-ton capacity drive-over pile of whole-plant corn silage. The main effects compared were: packing the final forage surface with a loader or crawler, delay or immediate sealing, and covering with standard plastic or an oxygen barrier film.

Numerous studies have shown that the absence of oxygen in silage stored in a bunker silo or pile is crucial for proper fermentation and to ensure the highest quality silage at feed out. When oxygen is allowed to permeate through the covering material, it leads to visible spoilage. This trial showed that the oxygen barrier …

Pre-Plant Anhydrous Ammonia Placement Consequences On No-Till Versus Conventional-Till Maize Growth And Nitrogen Responses, Peter Kovacs, George E. Van Scoyoc, Thomas A. Doerge, James J. Camberato, Tony J. Vyn

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

With the advent of precision guidance systems, maize (Zea mays L.) farmers in various tillage systems have more options in pre-plant nutrient banding relative to the intended crop rows. Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) placement during pre-plant application is of interest because of concerns for possible ammonia toxicity to maize seedlings when high NH3 rates are applied too close to the seed row and the need to improve plant-nitrogen (N) use efficiencies. Field studies were conducted between 2010 and 2012 near West Lafayette, IN, to compare traditional angled (diagonally) vs. precision-guided parallel NH3 applications (the latter was offset 15 cm from …

Nebline, March 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Make a Difference -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

No 4 2013 Tomato High Tunnel Variety Trial, Andrew M. Radin

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

Descriptions of tomato varieties trialed in high tunnels, and a system used to trellis them at the Gardiner Crop Research Farm of URI, Kingston, RI

Effects Of Cryptogamic Crusts On Water Infiltration And Evapora· Lion Rates On Desert Soils, Eric Edgley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of microbiotic (also called cryptogamic) crusts on soil surfaces on water infiltration and evaporative rates on a soil developed from fine textural lake sediments in Utah County, Utah. Twenty study plots (10 with cryptogamic cover and 10 without) are adjacent to the Camp Floyd Cemetery near Cedar Fort, Utah. They were established to evaluate the effect of cryptogamic cover on rates of water infiltration. Two aliquots of 150 ml of water were applied sequentially to each plot through standing water infiltration rings. The infiltration time of each aliquot was recorded. …

Nebline, February 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Garbology Uses Science to Teach Environmental Responsibility

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Physical Mapping Of Dna Sequences Of Chenopod Chromosomes Using Florescence In Situ Hybridization (Fish)., Theron J. Baker, Dr. Eric N. Jellen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an Andean cereal chenopod known for its ideal nutritional characteristics along with its abilities to grow in drought conditions and in soils with high salt content (Fairbanks 2002). Until recently, quinoa has received little attention from the scientific community; but due to recognition of its nutritional and agronomic potential, science is now beginning to take interest (Fleming 1995). Among the few genetic studies published, Giusti (1970) established the base chromosome number of the species to be eight or nine with varying ploidy levels. More recently, Kolano (2001) mapped the 45S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences using fluorescence …

Expressed Sequence Tags For Chenopodium Quinoa Seed, Shanna Mason, Lucy Stewart, Dr. Craig E. Coleman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Quinoa (Chenopoduim quinoa) is a pseudograin cultivated in the Altiplano region of Bolivia and other areas of South America, where it is well adapted to harsh local conditions including high elevation, drought, frost, and saline soils. In addition to its environmental adaptations, quinoa is unique among crops in its exceptional nutritional quality. Quinoa seeds not only have high protein content, but the amino acid composition of these proteins is nutritionally complete, including all of the essential amino acids for human dietary requirements (The Quinoa Project at Brigham Young University: A five-year proposal, unpublished). However, since quinoa use and …

Red Meat And Our Health: Separating Scientific Fact From Politics, Emotion And Misinformation, Peter Ballerstedt

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends restricting our intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of calories, and our cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day (less than two eggs). They promote the use of low-fat milk and lean meat, and the use of “meat substitutes” in school lunches. These recommendations are consistent with the official dietary policy that began in 1977 with the release of the first Dietary Goals for the United States by the United States Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. These guidelines were not justified by the then-available science. …

Animal Welfare--Animal Rights: "Protecting Animals Or A Threat To U.S. Food Production And Our Way Of Life?", W. Roy Burris

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Cattle producers are accustomed to dealing with many forms of adversity. Adversity generally comes in the form of blizzards, droughts, floods and economic conditions but now we must deal with animal activists who have their own opinions of what we can and cannot do as it relates to animal welfare and animal rights.

Phages Of Non-Diary Lactococci: Isolation And Characterization Of Phi L47, A Phage Infecting The Grass Isolate Lactococcus Lactis Ssp Cremoris Dpc6860, Daniel Cavanagh, Caitríona M. Guinane, Horst Neve, Aidan Coffey, R. Paul Ross, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Olivia Mcauliffe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Lactococci isolated from non-dairy sources have been found to possess enhanced metabolic activity when compared to dairy strains. These capabilities may be harnessed through the use of these strains as starter or adjunct cultures to produce more diverse flavor profiles in cheese and other dairy products. To understand the interactions between these organisms and the phages that infect them, a number of phages were isolated against lactococcal strains of non-dairy origin. One such phage, ΦL47, was isolated from a sewage sample using the grass isolate L. lactis ssp. cremoris DPC6860 as a host. Visualization of phage virions by transmission electron …

Traversing Swanton Road, 14th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Volume 1, Chapter 3-3: Sexuality: Size And Sex Differences, Janice M. Glime, Irene Bisang

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Volume 1, Chapter 3-4: Sexuality: Reproductive Barriers And Tradeoffs, Janice M. Glime, Irene Bisang

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Volume 1, Chapter 3-2: Sexuality: Sex Ratio And Sex Expression, Janice M. Glime, Irene Bisang

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Volume 2, Chapter 1: The Fauna: A Place To Call Home, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Volume 2, Chapter 10-1: Arthropods: Crustacea - Copepoda And Cladocera, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Volume 2, Chapter 10-3: Arthropods: Crustacea - Isopoda, Mysida, And Decapoda, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Developmental Changes And H+-Atpase Co-Localization In Nepenthes Alata Peristomal Nectary Glands, Alison Carini

Biology Honors Papers

Nepenthes alata is an east-Asian species of tropical carnivorous plant more commonly known as a pitcher plant. The pitcher is a modified epiascidiate leaf used to passively capture insects as nutritious supplements to its diet. In this study, the ultrastructure of different age stages of peristomal extrafloral nectary glands were surveyed, selected ages were immunolabeled for H+-ATPases. All nectary cells had numerous mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, plastids, and vacuoles in a dense cytoplasm consistent with an active secretory system. The larger class of immature pitchers (approx. 4 cm in diameter, lid closed) had budding structures affecting the plasma membrane …