Digital Commons Network^™

Late Gestation Supplementation Of Beef Cows Differing In Body Condition Score: Effects On Cow And Calf Performance, D. W. Bohnert, L. A. Stalker, R. R. Mills, A. Nyman, S. J. Falck, R. F. Cooke

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

A 2-yr study utilizing 120 mature, crossbred (Angus × Herford) cows/year, evaluated the influence of cow BCS and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) supplementation during late gestation on cow performance and productivity of subsequent offspring. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design with 2 BCS and with or without DDGS supplementation. Cows were nutritionally managed to enter the last trimester of gestation with a BCS of approximately 4 (LBCS) or 6 (HBCS) and were thereafter managed in a single herd (initial BCS were 4.4 and 5.7 for LBCS and HBCS treatments, …

Live Weight Parameters In Dorper, Damara And Australian Merino Lambs Subjected To Restricted Feeding, Tim Scanlon, Andre M. Almeida, Andrew Van Burgel, Tanya Kilminster, John Milton, Johan C. Greeff, Chris Oldham

Journal articles

Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is a serious constraint to ruminant production in tropical and Mediterranean climates. SWL is controlled using supplementation, costly and difficult to implement in extensive production systems; or alternatively, using breeds with a natural adaptation to tropical climates, namely hair and fat tailed sheep. Albeit a 15-year presence in Australia, little is known on how Dorper and Damara sheep compared to the most widely used sheep breed in Australia, the Australian Merino. In this trial, the responses of the Damara, Dorper and Merino breeds to nutritional stress were compared during a 42-day trial. Seventy-two ram lambs, 24 …

Forage News [2013-01], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Dr. Jimmy Henning to Open AFGC Conference
• Forages at KCA
• Heart of America Grazing Conference
• 2012 U.K. Forage Variety Results
• Missouri Farmers Fright Rise in Hay Thefts
• "Beef: The Real Health Food"
• More VALUE from Pastures in 2013
• Renovation: More Important in 2013
• Perennial Forages Benefit Soils, Other Crops, and Water Quality in Important Way
• JBS to Beef up Production from Grass-fed Brazil Herd

Bioactive Natural Products, A. Hamid A. Hadi, Mehmet Emin Duru, Ana Belen Martin-Diana

Other resources

Bioactive natural products have never ceased to play an important role in the search of novel therapeutic agents. Natural products from the nature such as the plant and marine sources form an integral part of the living system, and they have existed ever since the beginning of life. Therefore, it is undeniable that works related to natural products continue to develop in many aspects involving researchers from various scientific backgrounds. This special issue is dedicated to compile twelve articles on chemical and biological aspects of research developments in natural products.

Critical Research Needs For Successful Food Systems Adaptation To Climate Change, Michelle Miller, Molly Anderson, Charles A. Francis, Chad Kruger, Carol Barford, Jacob Park, Brent H. Mccown

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is a growing sense of the fragility of agricultural production in the Global North and South and of increasing risks to food security, as scientific observations confirm significant changes in the Gulf Stream, polar ice, atmospheric CO₂, methane release, and other measures of climate change. This sense is heightened as each of us experiences extreme weather, such as the increasing frequency of droughts, floods, unseasonal temperatures, and erratic seasonality. The central research challenge before us is how global, national, regional, and local food systems may adapt to accelerating climate change stresses and uncertainties to ensure the availability, …

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Differ In Their Ability To Regulate The Expression Of Phosphate Transporters In Maize (Zea Mays L.), Hui Tian, Rhae A. Drijber, Xiaolin Li, Daniel N. Miller, Brian J. Wienhold

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have found that some phosphate (Pi) starvation inducible transporter genes are downregulated and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inducible Pi transporter genes are upregulated in maize roots associated with the fungus Glomus intraradices. However, little is known about the functional diversity of different AM fungal species in influencing the expression of Pi transporters in maize roots. Here, we studied the expression of two Pi transporter genes ZEAma:Pht1;3 (Pi starvation inducible) and ZEAma:Pht1;6 (AM inducible) in maize root colonized by different AM fungal inoculants. Non-mycorrhizal maize, maize colonized by Glomus deserticola (CA113), Glomus intraradices (IA506), Glomus mosseae (CA201), Gigaspora gigantea …

Differential Allocation To Photosynthetic And Non-Photosynthetic Nitrogen Fractions Among Native And Invasive Species, Jennifer L. Funk, Lori A. Glenwinkle, Lawren Sack

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Invasive species are expected to cluster on the “high-return” end of the leaf economic spectrum, displaying leaf traits consistent with higher carbon assimilation relative to native species. Intra-leaf nitrogen (N) allocation should support these physiological differences; however, N biochemistry has not been examined in more than a few invasive species. We measured 34 leaf traits including seven leaf N pools for five native and five invasive species from Hawaii under low irradiance to mimic the forest understory environment. We found several trait differences between native and invasive species. In particular, invasive species showed preferential N allocation to metabolism (amino acids) …

Tnt1 Retrotransposon Mutagenesis: A Tool For Soybean Functional Genomics, Yaya Cui, Shyam Barampuram, Minviluz G. Stacey, C. Nathan Hancock, Seth Findley, Melanie Mathieu, Zhanyuan Zhang, Wayne A. Parrott, Gary Stacey

Faculty Publications

Insertional mutagenesis is a powerful tool for determining gene function in both model and crop plant species. Tnt1, the transposable element of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell type 1, is a retrotransposon that replicates via an RNA copy that is reverse transcribed and integrated elsewhere in the plant genome. Based on studies in a variety of plants, Tnt1 appears to be inactive in normal plant tissue but can be reactivated by tissue culture. Our goal was to evaluate the utility of the Tnt1 retrotransposon as a mutagenesis strategy in soybean (Glycine max). Experiments showed that the …

Aspen Status Report And Recommendation For The Book Cliffs, Paul C. Rogers, Cody M. Mittanck, Ronald J. Ryel

Aspen Bibliography

Regionally quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests are experiencing numerous impediments to resilience. In the West, recent drought, fire suppression, insects, diseases, climate trends, inappropriate management, and ungulate herbivory are impacting these high biodiversity forests. We conducted a landscape assessment of aspen communities in the Book Cliffs region, Vernal Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, for the purposes of determining landscape-level status of aspen and making recommendations for future management of these forests. The study area consists of 268 distinct aspen polygons totaling approximately 70 ha (174 acres) of aspen forest surrounded by much larger tracts of …

A Land Data Assimilation System (Ldas) Based Dataset For Regional Agro-Climatic Assessments, Xing Liu

Open Access Theses

This study is part of a USDA sponsored project ----Useful to Usable (U2U): "Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers". The broader objective includes improving farm resilience and profitability in the U.S. Corn Belt region by transforming existing climate/weather data into usable knowledge and tools for the agricultural community.

The specific tasks of this research are: (1) Build a high-resolution (4 km, daily) agro-climatic dataset using a Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS). (2) Estimate regional corn yield across the Corn Belt with crop models and the agro-climatic dataset. (3) Evaluate the impacts of climate variability due to …

Developing White Ash With Resistance To The Emerald Ash Borer, Kaitlin Joy Palla

Open Access Theses

Hypocotyls isolated from mature embryos germinated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 22.2 µM 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 0.5 µM thidiazuron (TDZ) were transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring the pBI121-8D2 vector containing the neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) gene and a full length, codon-optimized Bacillus thuringiensis Cry8Da protoxin gene (cry8D2). Explants were transformed in a bacterial suspension with 100 µM acetosyringone using 90 s sonication and 10 min vacuum-infiltration. Four independent lines of transformed shoots were selectively regenerated on MS medium with 22.2 µM BA, 0.5 µM TDZ, 50 mg L^-1 adenine sulfate, 10% …

Effects Of Selected Pesticides On Calico Scale And Its Natural Enemies, Carlos Roberto Quesada Machigua

Open Access Theses

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) is an exotic pest of shade and ornamental trees. It feeds on phloem sap, reduces tree vigor and can ultimately kill trees. We observed effects of four foliar applied (bifenthrin, pyriproxyfen, chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole) and two soil applied pesticides (dinotefuran, imidacloprid) on calico scales and their natural enemies on infested thornless honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) over three years. Bifenthrin, dinotefuran and cyantraniliprole provided the largest reductions in scale populations when they were applied to egg laying females on branches early in the season. In contrast, bifenthrin and pyriproxyfen provided the most …

Physiological Responses To Nitrate Stress Of Transgenic Tobacco Plants Harbouring The Cucumber Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Gene, Huini Xu, Xudong Sun, Xiaoyu Yang, Qinghua Shi, Xiufeng Wang

Turkish Journal of Botany

The physiological responses to nitrate stress of 2 transgenic tobacco lines containing the cucumber mitogen-activated protein kinase (CsNMAPK) gene were investigated. Seed germination rates of the transgenic tobacco lines were higher than that of the wild type (WT) tobacco under 150 mM nitrate treatment. The transgenic seedlings had higher root fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) than the WT plants after 98 mM and 182 mM nitrate treatment. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content, electrolytic leakage (EL), and H_{2}O_2 content were higher in the WT than they were in the transgenic plants after 7-day nitrate stress treatment. The antioxidant enzyme (superoxide …

Anther Development And Cytochemistry In Asphodelus Aestivus (Asphodelaceae), Fi̇li̇z Vardar, Işil İsmai̇loğlu, Meral Ünal

Turkish Journal of Botany

Asphodelus aestivus Brot. (Asphodelaceae) anthers were analysed to provide a detailed understanding of the events that lead to pollen grain development, accompanied by cytochemical observations at different ontogenic stages. An anther locule of A. aestivus was bordered by 4 different layers: the tapetum, the middle layer, the endothecium, and the epidermis. At the tetrad stage, secretory tapetal cells enlarged maximally, while they showed degeneration at the young microspore stage. During the course of the degeneration, vacuolisation and reduction in the volume were conspicuous. Cytochemical analysis revealed that tapetal cells presented an intense reaction with regard to protein, insoluble polysaccharides, and …

In Vitro Germination, Protocorm Formation, And Plantlet Development Of Orchis Coriophora (Orchidaceae), A Naturally Growing Orchid Species In Turkey, Ersan Bektaş, Mustafa Cüce, Atalay Sökmen

Turkish Journal of Botany

Some species belonging to the genus Orchis Tourn. ex L. (Orchidaceae) are of great economic importance as their tubers or corms are used to produce a hot beverage called salep. Nevertheless, these plants are not cultivated but are rather collected from nature, and due to careless collection many have already been listed as endangered plants. In order to assess the possibility of in vitro propagation, an orchid, Orchis coriophora L., was selected as a model plant, and the effects of basal media and plant growth regulators on in vitro seed germination, protocorm development, and plantlet formation were studied. Mature seeds …

Polar Nuclei Behaviour In The Mature Megagametophyte Of The Natural Tetraploid Trifolium Pratense (Fabaceae), Hati̇ce Nurhan Büyükkartal

Turkish Journal of Botany

The mature female gametophyte in Trifolium pratense L., a natural tetraploid plant, consists of 7 cells: the egg cell, 2 synergids, the central cell, and 3 antipodal cells. This type of mature female gametophyte is known as polygonum. The central cell occupies the largest portion of the mature female gametophyte and the polar nuclei are situated close to the egg apparatus. The cytoplasm of the central cell is rich in organelles. A large number of rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, plastids, dictyosomes, ribosomes, starch, and lipid bodies were observed. Differences were identified in this plant between the sizes of …

Physioanatomical Adaptations In Response To Salt Stress In Sporobolus Arabicus (Poaceae) From The Salt Range, Pakistan, Mansoor Hameed, Tahira Nawaz, Muhammad Ashraf, Nargis Naz, Riffat Batool, Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad, Atif Riaz

Turkish Journal of Botany

Sporobolus arabicus Boiss. is a perennial stoloniferous grass that prefers a saline or desert habitat. A natural population of Sporobolus arabicus growing in a salty area was compared with a normal nonsaline population. The salt-tolerant population showed better growth than its counterpart. Physioanatomical adaptations to saline environments in the salt-tolerant population were very specific. They included restricted toxic ion uptake, production of organic osmolytes, sclerification in roots, succulence in stem, and development of vesicular hairs on the leaves. These adaptations were not only for the excretion of toxic ions but also for the accumulation of inorganic ions in the parenchymatous …

Ecophysiology Of The Holoparasitic Angiosperm Cistanche Phelypaea (Orobancaceae) In A Coastal Salt Marsh, Gamal Mohammad Fahmy

Turkish Journal of Botany

Cistanche phelypaea (L.) Cout. (Orobancaceae) was found parasitising the roots of the succulent shrublets Arthrocnemum macrostachyum (Moric.) K.Koch (Chenopodiaceae) in a coastal salt marsh in Qatar. Measurements were conducted to identify soil properties, host, and noninfected plants by soil excavations to expose the haustoria of the parasite attached to the host roots. The water potential, osmotic potential, pressure potential, and chemical analyses were determined in parasite, host, and noninfected plants. Crown diameter and dry mass of the host plants were smaller than in the noninfected plants. A gradient of water potential existed between the host root and the underground tuberous …

Effects Of Drought Stress On Quantitative And Qualitative Yield And Antioxidative Activity Of Bunium Persicum, Amir Hossein Saeidnejad, Mohammad Kafi, Hamid Reza Khazaei, Mohammad Pessarakli

Turkish Journal of Botany

Drought stress is one of the growing concerns in agriculture management around the world. Adopting tolerant plants to drought conditions could be an appropriate approach to this problem. Bunium persicum is one of the most important medicinal plants of Iran and Turkey as well as neighbouring countries and has been forced into endangered plant status due to mismanagement of its wild habitats. An experiment was conducted in order to evaluate drought tolerance of Bunium persicum and the effects of drought on its essential oil qualitative properties. Two separate plans based on randomised complete block design were performed with 4 drought …

Cadmium Detoxification In Populus × Canescens, Huiping Dai, Chanjuan Shan, Gengliang Jia, Chao Lu, Tuxi Yang, Anzhi Wei

Turkish Journal of Botany

Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals and affects all viable cells, even at low concentrations. It is introduced to agricultural soils mainly by phosphate fertilisers and causes many toxic symptoms in cells. Phytochelatins (PCs) are heavy metal-binding peptides that play an important role in sequestration and detoxification of heavy metals in plants. In this study, after a 12-week cultivation, the plants were treated with 5 CdSO4•7 H_{2}O concentrations of 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, and 70 µM for 28 days. The effects of Cd on growth and on glutathione (GSH) and PC contents were investigated in the …

Rafflesia Sharifah-Hapsahiae (Rafflesiaceae), A New Species From Peninsular Malaysia, Jumaat Haji Adam, Rahmah Mohamed, Mohd Afiq Aizat Juhari, Nik Nadira Farhana Nik Ariff, Kiew-Lian Wan

Turkish Journal of Botany

A new species of the genus Rafflesia, Rafflesia sharifah-hapsahiae, is described, with illustrations. A key to 2 related species of Rafflesia of Peninsular Malaysia is also provided. A discussion on its differences and similarities with Rafflesia azlanii and Rafflesia hasseltii is presented.

Ranking Of 11 Coastal Halophytes From Salt Marshes In Northwest Turkey According Their Salt Tolerance, Christian Zörb, Ali̇ Sümer, Ali̇ Sungur, Timothy J. Flowers, Hasan Özcan

Turkish Journal of Botany

Salt-affected soils with high electrolyte contents limit the development of the majority of plants and serve as a habitat only for such species (halophytes) that can survive the conditions. To date, there is still much that is unknown about the physiological mechanisms, including ion relationships, that make plants salt-resistant. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate a method of ranking plants for their salt tolerance. A total of 11 coastal halophytes of the Kavak Delta were evaluated for their ability to cope with different soil salinities. For this, electrical conductivities of soils (of up to 135 dS m^{-1}) …

Callogenesis And Production Of Anthocyanin And Chlorophyll In Callus Cultures Of Vegetative And Floral Explants In Rosa Gallica And Rosa Hybrida (Rosaceae), Roshanak Tarrahi, Farkhondeh Rezanejad

Turkish Journal of Botany

Callogenesis using vegetative (leaf, stem, petiole) and floral (petal, pistil, anther) explants of Rosa gallica and R. hybrida was investigated using different combinations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 6-benzylaminopurine, and gibberellic acid on modified Murashige and Skoog medium. The highest callogenesis was obtained on Murashige and Skoog medium containing ratios of 2 and 3 mg L^{-1} of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid to 1 mg L^{-1} of 6-benzylamino purine in both species depending on type of explant. Stem explants in R. gallica initiated callus after 4 days while the other explants in R. gallica and all explants in R. hybrida showed the greatest percentage of …

Protective Role Of Foliar-Applied Nitric Oxide In Triticum Aestivum Under Saline Stress, Farhana Kausar, Muhammad Shahbaz, Muhammad Ashraf

Turkish Journal of Botany

A study was conducted to assess whether foliar-applied nitric oxide (NO) could alleviate the adverse effects of salt stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Four sodium nitroprusside levels (control [water spray] and 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 mM) were sprayed as a donor of NO on the leaves of cultivar S-24 plants grown under nonsaline and saline conditions (150 mM NaCl). Data for growth and yield, chlorophyll contents, activities of antioxidants, and concentrations of mineral nutrients were recorded. Root-medium salinity adversely affected shoot and root dry weight, shoot length, and yield attributes of the wheat plants while it enhanced the activities …

Agrophysiological And Biochemical Properties Associated With Adaptation Of Medicago Sativa Populations To Water Deficit, Mohamed Farissi, Abdelaziz Bouizgaren, Mustapha Faghire, Adnane Bargaz, Cherki Ghoulam

Turkish Journal of Botany

The effect of water deficit on growth and some physiological and biochemical parameters related to water deficit tolerance was studied in 4 Moroccan alfalfa Medicago sativa L. populations that originated from the mountains and oases of Morocco. The experiment was conducted in greenhouse conditions. Seeds were allowed to germinate in pots filled with sand and peat at a 2:1 ratio, respectively. After 1 month of sowing, the plants were subjected to 3 water regimes: optimal irrigation (75% of field capacity, FC), moderate water deficit (50% FC), and severe water deficit (25% FC). At 45 days of stress, the plants were …

Heifer Calving Date Positively Influences Calf Weaning Weights Through Six Parturitions, R. A. Cushman, L. H. Kill, Richard N. Funston, E. M. Mousel, G. A. Perry

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Longevity and lifetime productivity are important factors influencing profitability for the cowcalf producer. Heifers that conceive earlier in the breeding season will calve earlier in the calving season and have a longer interval to rebreeding. Calves born earlier in the calving season will also be older and heavier at weaning. Longevity data were collected on 2,195 heifers from producers in South Dakota Integrated Resource Management groups. Longevity and weaning weight data were collected on 16,549 individual heifers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). Data were limited to heifers that conceived during their first breeding season. Heifers were grouped …

Influence Of Organic Groundcovers On Mycorrhizal Colonization And Symbiosis Of Organically Managed Fruit Crops, Raven Anai Bough, Curt R. Rom

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

Ground covers have the potential to impact the crop rhizosphere biology, which includes organisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which in turn affect the crop host plant through symbiosis. There has been evidence that a ground cover that provides a suitable environment for colonization of AMF and subsequent symbiosis could be a tool in organic fruit production. The objective of this research was to compare colonization of AMF in strawberry plant (Frageria x ananassa cv. Radiance) and apple rootstocks (Malus x domestica, cv. M. 26) grown in a greenhouse affected by various ground cover treatments. Inoculation was achieved by …

The Influence Of Poultry Litter Biochar On Early Season Cotton Growth, Taylor D. Coomer, David E. Longer, Derrick M. Oosterhuis, Dimitra A. Loka

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

Cotton is known for being sensitive to cool, wet soils, especially in the early stages of growth. Amendments to soil can aid cotton seedlings in development and nutrient uptake. However, soil amendments can be costly and detrimental to the environment, and alternatives such as the addition of biochar have been considered. Biochar is produced from biomass that has gone through pyrolysis and has been shown to improve plant yield, microbial response, soil structure, soil cation–exchange capacity, and water use efficiency. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar on early season cotton growth. The aim of this study …

The Effects Of Multiple Abiotic Stressors On The Susceptibility Of The Seagrass Thalassia Testudinum To Labyrinthula Sp., The Causative Agent Of Wasting Disease, Nichole Danielle Bishop

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the past century, seagrasses have experienced massive die off episodes in what has been collectively referred to as “wasting disease.” Researchers generally agree that wasting disease is caused by a protist of the Labyrinthula genus, and that environmental stressors can make some populations of seagrasses more susceptible to infection. The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of elevated salinity, elevated temperature, elevated sulfide and night-time hypoxia on Thalassia testudinum health and its response to Labyrinthula sp. infection under controlled conditions. To test these effects, microcosms were utilized and individual seagrass shoots were randomly assigned to …

Comparative Morphological, Epidermal, And Anatomical Studies Of Pinus Roxburghii Needles At Different Altitudes In The North-West Indian Himalayas, Satyendra Prakash Tiwari, Pradeep Kumar, Deepika Yadav, Devendra Kumar Chauhan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The aim of the present study was to understand the ecological adaptation of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. in the North-West Himalayan region. P. roxburghii needles showed morphological, epidermal, and anatomical variation at different altitudes. Needle length was negatively correlated with altitude. Stomatal characters like stomatal density, stomatal index, and guard cell lengths were found to be affected by environmental factors and showed a direct correlation with altitude. The results showed that potential conductance index was dependent on the climatic conditions of the habitat. The anatomical properties of needles exhibited variation from lower to higher elevation, especially in the number and position …