Digital Commons Network^™

The Cultivation And Feeding Value Of Persian Clover, P C. Flinn, K.F M. Reed, G R. Saul, G N. Ward, J G. Graham

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Research with Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum, ssp. majus) cv. Mara!, in south eastern Australia shows it to be productive and well adapted to waterlogged soils. It is particularly productive in spring when compared with other clovers. Winter production can be increased by sowing Persian clover with Westerwolds ryegrass or oats but the yield of clover in the spring is therby reduced. Persian clover conserved as hay was found to have a low neutral detergent fibre content (28.1 % ). In a 60 day feeding trial, lambs were fed Persian clover hay (78.5% digestible dry matter), lucerne hay (63.0% …

Voluntary Intake And Digestibility Of Two Selected Tropical Grasses By Swamp Buffaloes, M Wanapat, A Topark-Ngarm

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A study on chemical compositions, voluntary feed intake and nutrient digestibility of Panicum maximum cv. Guinea and Brachiaria decumbens cv. Signal at three regrowth cuttings (week 4, 8, 12) by swamp buffalo steers, was conducted. Dry matter, acid detergent lignin contents increased whereby ash, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber contents decreased, as the plants matured. Acid detergent fiber fraction remained similar for all cuttings. Voluntary dry matter intake and digestion coefficients of nutrients were relatively high at week 4 and 8 and markedly low at week 12 for both species. Buffaloes fed with signal grass had higher intakes and …

Research For Selection Criteria For Grass Quality, Based Upon Animal References, M Gillet, J Scehovic, M Lila

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In an effort to find selection criteria for intake and digestibility, based on correlations with the same characters measured on animals, we have compared 4 to 6 grasses of similar heading dates for intake, palatability, digestibility by sheep, intake by goats and many laboratory tests. 1979 results were published for Lexington Congress. Results of 1980 and 1981 springs bear them out in several points :

- palatability was a very precise and stable test

- palatability, digestibility and goat intake were stable and correlated with each other

- soluble phenols were able to predict palatability and part of digestibility

-sheep …

Using Grinding Energy Measurements For Predicting Crude Fibre Content In First Growths Of Permanent Grassland, Chr Paul, U V. Borstel, E Zimmer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The performance of a grinding energy test for the simple and rapid prediction of crude fibre content in spring growth of grassland was investigated during three successive years and its potential for deriving recommendations on appropriate cutting dates demonstrated. The grinding energy test appeared to achieve a precision comparable to that for near infrared based predictions of crude fibre reported from the literature. Prediction bias consisting in a mean 2% crude fibre underestimation was found to occur in one year presumably due to an anomalous _constellation of environmental conditions. This appeared to have affected the pattern of plant development and …

Cell Wall Composition And Rate Of Digestion Of Brown-Midrib Sorghum Internodes As Influenced By Maturity, J H. Cherney, J J. Volenec, K J. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

More information is needed on the growth of secondary plant cell walls in forage species, and the relationship of cell wall structure to rate and extent of digestion. Our overall objective was to relate changes in cell wall composition with maturation to rate and extent of cell wall digestion. The seventh intemode of normal and brown-midrib ( bmr) sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) was harvested at eight maturities beginning with the cessation of intemode elongation. Dry weight per segment was determined for each maturity stage. Lignin accumulation in lntemode 7 increased during maturation, with the rate of lignin synthesis being …

The Effect Of The Species, Stage Of Maturity And Level Of Intake Of Grass On The Efficiency Of Microbial Protein Synthesis In The Rumen Of Cattle, F J. Hart, Jane Leibholz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study was undertaken because there is a paucity of information in the literature on the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen of cattle when grass is fed as the sole diet. There is also little experimental data available on the factors which affect the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. The work involved feeding six rumen fistulated Friesian steers with three species of grass which were harvested at various tages of maturity. In addition each maturity of forage was fed at three 15levels of orp5 nic matter ( OM) intake.

as sampled at the omasum and microbial protein …

The Influence Of Aging On Forage Quality Of Individual Switchgrass Leaves And Stems, B Anderson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cattle selectrively graze switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) tops prior to the boot stage and prefer vegetative culms and new tillers following heading. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the changes in forage composition of individual leaves and stems during growth to determine if grazing selection may be influenced by aging. Plants were cut periodically at ground level from collaring of the first leaf until anthesis. Leaves (leaf blade plus sheath) of different ages, stems, and the whorl were hand separated at each harvest. Crude protein, in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), neutral and acid detergent fiber, lignin, and …

Harvesting Alyceclover For Maximum Dry Matter Yield And Nutrient Value, D D. Baltensperger, W G. Blue, W H. Anderson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Limited information is available on the quality of alyceclover (Alysicarpus vaginalis) in relation to plant stress. This study was undertaken to clarify the relationship between plant maturity and forage yield, quality and mineral composition in order to optimize each at harvest. Alyceclover was grown for two summers and new plots were harvested weekly through the pod-fill stage of development beginning eight weeks after planting. Samples were analyzed for dry matter, organic matter, In vitro dry matter digestibility, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc. Dry matter yields increased through the flowering stage of development except …

Adaptation Of The Inra System Of Determination And Expression Of The Nutritive Value Of Forages To The Tropical Conditions In The Caribbean Island, A Xande, R Garcia-Trujillo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This program have undertaken a series of trials of systematic measure of nu tritive value on the tropical forages. The choice of the calculation and of the way of expression of energetic and nitrogen values required comparation measures in different systems as well as attempts in alimentation before adopting the new french INRA system of energy (UFL-UFV) and of the protein value (POI). The general results of this study is a preamble to the diffusion of the table of nutritive value of the tropical forages. For this purpose 450 samples of forages have been analysed on sheep in cage of …

Plant Reproductive Strategies Shift In Response To Restoration Using Beaver Dam Analogs, Laurel F. Martinez

Biology ETDs

As riparian communities become increasingly degraded, restoration treatments are being implemented in streams to recover ecosystem functions. In the Jemez Mountains, beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are used to restore degraded streams by connecting the floodplain and increasing the extent of anoxic soil conditions. These environmental disturbances are expected to alter how riparian plants recruit, particularly their allocation to seed-based and vegetative regeneration strategies. We investigated whether BDAs and associated changes in soil water filled pore space (WFPS) affected riparian plant recruitment. We investigated the number of flowering stems as a proxy for seed-based regeneration and rhizome length and mass as …

Anatomical And Palynological Studies On Turkish Primula Taxa (Primulaceae) And Their Taxonomic And Phylogenetic Significance, Deni̇z Ulukuş, Esengül Özkaymakoğlu, Rebecca Stubbs, Hüseyi̇n Baykal, Kami̇l Coşkunçelebi̇, Osman Tugay, Barbara Keller, Elena Conti, Ferhat Celep

Turkish Journal of Botany

Anatomical (scape, pedicel, leaf lamina, and leaf midrib) and pollen morphological features of 11 taxa belonging to the genus Primula subgen. Primula (P. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, P. vulgaris subsp. rubra, and P.megaseifolia, P. meyeri,P. elatior subsp. pallasii, P. pseudoelatior, P. veris subsp. columnae, P. veris subsp. macrocalyx) and subgen. Aleurita (P. longipes, P. algida and P. auriculata) were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy to shed light on the existing taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships. The anatomical and palynological features of the majority of the taxa studied were revealed for the first time in this study. In anatomical studies, the …

Changing Aspen Stand Structure Following Large Carnivore Restoration In Yellowstone, Luke E. Painter, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Restoration of large carnivores in northern Yellowstone National Park in the late 20th century resulted in a sustained reduction of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) and their herbivory, facilitating new growth of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) saplings. In 2020–21, we examined 87 randomly selected, previously sampled aspen stands across northern Yellowstone, combining random plots with stand-wide observations. Forty-three percent of stands contained a new cohort of small trees (5–10 cm dbh), the first documented recruitment of overstory aspen trees in northern Yellowstone since the 1940s. Both aspen saplings ( ≥2 m tall) and small trees were …

Greenhouse Evaluation Of Great Plains Native Grasses And Forbs Tolerance To Postemergence Herbicides Used For Roadside Weed Control, Rachel C. Woody-Pumford, Matthew B. Bertucci, Mike D. Richardson, Dirk Philipp, Hannah E. Wright-Smith

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

To combat the decline in North American grasslands and prairies, innovative strategies to establish new native grass and forb plantings must be considered. Integrated vegetation management entails the use of many practices to cultivate desirable vegetation along roadsides, including mowing, applying herbicides, burning, and replanting. Currently, only a limited selection of postemergence herbicides are available to improve native plant establishment along roadsides. A greenhouse herbicide screen that included four postemergence herbicides registered for use on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres and rights-of-way was conducted to test their safety for use on four native grasses (big bluestem, buffalograss, sideoats grama, and …

Novel Tools And Datamining Techniques To Visualize And Interpret Historical Sugarcane Datasets, Zachary A. Taylor

LSU Master's Theses

Heritable genetic variation is an essential raw ingredient of variety development programs. This variation is acted upon via selection by identifying elite progeny that can be utilized agronomically or exploited as parents. Sugarcane breeders are tasked with creating optimal genetic variation through crossing. Prior knowledge of pedigree and parental performance allows breeders to discern which crosses to prioritize, since the time to make crossing decisions and the space to evaluate tens and thousands of progenies are both limited resources in sugarcane variety development programs. In this project, we have updated and validated the U.S. sugarcane pedigree …

Parthenocarpic Cucumber Cultivar Susceptibility Varies Among Common High Tunnel Insect And Mite Pests, Leslie Aviles, Elizabeth Maynard, Wenjing Guan, Laura Ingwell

Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture Faculty Publications

High tunnels (HTs) are a protected agriculture tool used by specialty crop farmers. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativa L.) are well suited for HT production because of their vertical growth habit, allowing for space optimization, and repeated flowering, providing multiple harvest opportunities. However, twospotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch; TSSM), striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum Fabricius), and melon aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover) are common pests of cucumbers in HT systems, limiting production. The unique environment of HTs lacks regulation of temperatures, which can reach high levels during summer, facilitating the rapid development of pests. Here, we present results …

Limited Soil Water Recharge In Summer Affects Seasonal Isotopic Signatures Of Tree Xylem Water, Marius G. Floriancic, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Harsh Beria, Scott T. Allen, James W. Kirchner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Recent studies have reported that xylem waters in forest trees during the summer growing season are often isotopically similar to winter, rather than summer, precipitation. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this observation, which can be viewed as a form of ecohydrological separation, but empirical tests spanning space and time remain limited. We hypothesise that variations in the seasonal origin of precipitation found in tree xylem waters can be explained by seasonal differences in soil water recharge. We test this hypothesis by evaluating to what extent climatic aridity can explain seasonal signals in extensive surveys of the isotope ratios …

Canopy Insect Communities Are Shaped By The Genes And Phenotypes Of Their Aspen Hosts, Clay J. Morrow, Jennifer Lind-Riehl, Christopher T. Cole, Kennedy Rubert-Nason, Cécile Ané, Richard L. Lindroth

Aspen Bibliography

1. Community genetics research aims to identify genetic and phenotypic mechanisms that shape communities as extended phenotypes. To date, most progress has been made identifying variation in herbivore communities associated with intraspecific variation in plants, with little focus on identifying specific genes or traits responsible for that variation. Here, we identify how extended phenotype variation of a foundation tree species, Populus tremuloides, arises from trait variation among individuals and specific genes. 2. We quantified heritability for 13 tree traits -- including phenology, defense chemistry, reproduction, and morphology -- and for 18 associated insect species (640,557 individuals). We performed genomic …

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization: An Overview, Taylor J. Johnson

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

Integrating Belowground Recovery Into Tropical Forest Restoration Design And Monitoring, Lauren Toro, Leland K. Werden, Shalom D. Addo-Danso, Kelly M. Andersen, Sarah Batterman, Matilde M. Bragadini, Pooja Choksi, Rebecca J. Cole, Liza S. Comita, Daniela Cusack, Daisy H. Dent, Lee H. Dietterich, Joshua B. Fisher, Katrin Fleischer, Lucia Fuchslueger, Nohemi Huanca-Nunez, Janey R. Lienau, Lindsay A. Mcculloch, Ember M. Morrissey, Jennifer S. Powers, Mareli Sánchez-Juliá, Oscar Valverde-Barrantes, Anita Weissflog, Michelle Y. Wong

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

There is growing recognition that tropical forest restoration is key for sequestering carbon and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Soils, roots, and soil biota are central to ecosystem function and services, but belowground recovery is largely overlooked in restoration monitoring frameworks. Here, we outline current understanding of the links between above- and belowground recovery in tropical forests by examining how belowground properties before and after intervention influence recovery; by evaluating whether aboveground recovery can serve as a proxy for belowground dynamics; and by proposing a blueprint for monitoring dynamic soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (organic matter or carbon, pH), and …

Bridging Prairie Restoration And Regenerative Agriculture With Compost Tea, April Hersey

2025 Symposium

Inland Pacific Northwest prairie is an endangered ecosystem that has been reduced by conversion to agriculture. There is growing interest in the role of soil microorganisms in prairie ecosystems, which may be crucial for restoration of the plant community through interspecies interactions within the soil near plant roots. One method for improving soil microorganism community composition is compost tea: enriched liquid compost extract. Compost tea is used in regenerative agriculture to improve crop yields and protect against pathogens, ostensibly through the activity of the added compost microbes. While research has supported compost tea application in regenerative agriculture, it has not …

Niche Conservatism And Sympatric Parallel Evolution May Help To Maintain Eight Nascent Tree Taxa Along A Sharp Elevation Gradient, Elizabeth A. Stacy, Rebecca Ostertag

Life Sciences Faculty Research

1. Patterns of niche partitioning among closely related taxa, such as those in incipient adaptive radiations, can provide clues into how niches are created, partitioned, and integrated over ecological and evolutionary time scales. Hawaiian Metrosideros is a ~3-MYO adaptive radiation of trees that dominates the Hawaiian Islands in continuous stands within islands and allows examination of niche partitioning at the early stages of adaptive radiation.
2. We monitored growth and survivorship over 2 years of seedlings derived from open-pollinated fruits of eight Metrosideros taxa distributed along the elevation gradient of Koʻolau Volcano, Oʻahu, under four combinations of light and phosphorus. We included …

Bigapp: A User-Friendly Genomic Tool Kit Identified Quantitative Trait Loci For Creeping Rootedness In Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.), Alexander M. Sandercock, Michael D. Peel, Cristiane H. Taniguti, Josué Chinchilla-Vargas, Shufen Chen, Manoj Sapkota, Meng Lin, Dongyan Zhao, Arlyn J. Ackerman, Bhoja R. Basnet, Craig T. Beil, Moira J. Sheehan

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a globally vital forage crop valued for its perennial growth and multiple annual harvests. A breeding effort is underway to improve the crop for productivity and persistence against biotic and abiotic stresses using “creeping rootedness,” a trait where plants exhibit horizontal root growth, similar to rhizomes, with increased vegetative ground surface area. In this study, we genotyped a breeding population of 648 alfalfa lines segregating for creeping rootedness using the 3K DArTag marker panel to identify trait-associated genomic loci and evaluate the feasibility of genomic prediction to accelerate breeding cycles. Using genome-wide association studies …

Hemp Cultivation Under Off-Season High Tunnel Growth Chamber Environments In South Louisiana, Gabriel Lococo

LSU Master's Theses

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) production in Louisiana began in 2020 with 932 acres cultivated for fiber and cannabidiol (CBD) extraction. By 2024, production had declined to just 58.4 acres (Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, personal communication). During the 2020–2021 season, over 40% of field-grown hemp was lost due to tropical storms, insect pressure, and diseases associated with warm, wet conditions. To mitigate these challenges, hemp was planted and harvested between November and January, a cooler period with reduced environmental stress.

‘Sour Citron’, a day-neutral cultivar, was selected for its insensitivity to photoperiod, enabling flowering during shorter days. …

Genome-Wide Characterization Of Vdac Gene Family In Soybean (Glycine Max L.) And In Silico Expression Profiling In Response To Drought And Salt Stress, Muhammad Muneeb Ullah, Muqadas Aleem, Mudassar Muhammad Iqbal, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is grown worldwide to obtain edible oil, livestock feed, and biodiesel. However, drought and salt stress are becoming serious challenges to global soybean cultivation as they retard the growth of soybean plants and cause significant yield losses. Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) proteins are well-known for their role in drought and salt tolerance in crop plants. In this study, we identified 111 putative VDAC genes randomly distributed in genomes of 14 plant species, including cultivated soybean (Glycine max) and wild soybean (Glycine soja). The comparative phylogenetic studies classified these genes into six different clades and found the …

Aspen Impedes Wildfire Spread In Southwestern United States Landscapes, Matthew P. Harris, Jonathan D. Coop, Jared A. Balik, Jessika R. Mcfarland, Sean A. Parks, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests are generally thought to impede fire spread, yet the extent of this effect is not well quantified in relation to other vegetation types. We examined the influence of aspen cover on interpolated daily fire spread rates, the relative abundance of aspen at fire perimeters versus burn interiors, and whether these relationships shifted under more fire-conducive atmospheric conditions. Our study incorporated 314 fires occurring between 2001 and 2020 in the southwestern United States and a suite of gridded vegetation, topography, and fire weather predictor variables. We found that aspen slows fire progression: as aspen cover …

Transgenerational Imprints Of Sequential Herbivory Onsoybean Physiology And Fitness Traits, Insha Shaft, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sequential herbivory leads to a multitude of effects on plants, influencing processes like growth, physiology, defense, and fitness. However, whether the sequential herbivore attack can elicit any transgenerational consequences is poorly examined. In this study, we show evidence of transgenerational impacts of sequential herbivory by two chewing herbivores, fall armyworm (Spodopterafrugiperda , FAW) and soybean looper (Chrysodeixis includens , SL) on soybean (Glycine max ) progeny. Seeds from the parents subjected to different herbivore sequences (SL-FAW: initial attack by SL followed by FAW and FAW-SL: FAW followed by SL) were used for the transgenerational experiment. Our main hypothesis was that …

Prior To Termination, The Rye Cover Crop Increased The Soil Methane Sink, Shailesh Pandit, Graig W. Reicks, Janet Moriles Miller, Deepak R. Joshi, Sharon A. Clay, David E. Clay

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Even though the impact of cover crops on soil moisture has been well documented, little work has investigated the resulting impact on methane emissions. Therefore, the objective was to determine the influence of a dormant seeded rye (Secale cereale) cover crop on soil temperatures, soil moisture, inorganic N, and total CH₄-C emission in a well-drained frigid soil from the start of growth in April/May through corn's (Zea mays) V4 growth stage. In this study, soil moisture, temperature, CH₄-C, and N₂O-N fluxes were measured near-continuously. The rye cover crop: (1) reduced …

Creek-Friendly Practices For Hoas, Plaster Creek Stewards

Print Materials

This booklet is intended to be a comprehensive guide to encourage Homeowner Associations (HOAs) in nurturing and safeguarding their local waterways. Within these pages the challenges facing our water ecosystems will be addressed, with particular focus being placed on the Plaster Creek Watershed in West Michigan. This booklet will also emphasize the role HOAs can play in fostering environmental stewardship and healthier, more resilient creek systems. This booklet contains practical strategies, from rain gardens to native plantings, that not only enhance the beauty of your HOA but extends care to downstream neighbors and the creek.

Native Seed Scoop, 2025 Summer Edition, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

Contents:

--- Upcoming Events
--- TPC at 2025 National Native Seed Conference
--- Regional and National Partnerships
--- 2025 Iowa Native Seed Meeting
--- New Species in Production
--- A Scoop of Science

Soil Health In Nebraska: Exploring Practitioners' Needs And Insights From A Long-Term Organic Farm, Ingrids Isabel Mata Vigil

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

Soil health is foundational to sustainable agriculture, environmental resilience, and long-term food security. Yet, the adoption of soil health assessments remains limited, often perceived as too technical, costly, or difficult to implement in real-world contexts. To better understand these challenges, the first chapter presents findings from a statewide survey of 41 soil health practitioners in Nebraska, including farmers, extension educators, NRCS staff, and conservation professionals. Respondents highlighted the need for simpler, more accessible, and context-specific tools for soil health assessment that help practitioners make informed decisions aligned with their management goals. Complementing these insights, the second chapter includes an independent, …