Digital Commons Network^™

A Decision Support System For Monitoring Livestock Diet Quality And Performance: Verification Study On Cattle, Adami Tulu, Ethiopia, A. A. Jama, G. Tolleson, J. W. Stuth, Abule Ebro, K. Zander, Robert J. Kaitho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fecal profiling technology based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in the U.S. to predict the diet quality and performance of free-ranging animals (e.g. Leite & Stuth 1995, Lyons & Stuth 1992, Lyons et al., 1993, Stuth et al., 1999, Tolleson et al., 2001). This technology is linked with the Nutritional Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL-PRO) model to form the core of a nutritional advisory system for livestock producers in the United States. This model predicts changes in body weight and condition for a broad range of livestock classes for cattle, sheep and goats. To test …

Irish Grassland Association: Delivering The Benefits From Grassland, S. Flanagan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Irish Grassland Association (IGA) is Ireland's leading forum for discussing the science of grass and animal production, the economics and finances of dairy, beef cattle and sheep farm enterprises. Membership is 800 and is a lively mix of progressive farmers (70%), research scientists, advisers and agribusiness personnel. The IGA is a member of the European Grassland Federation and has close ties with the Ulster Grassland Society, Fermanagh Grassland Club and the British Grassland Society.

The Role Of The British Grassland Society In Technology Transfer, J. M. Crichton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since its formation in 1945, the British Grassland Society (BGS) has been active in disseminating information to the grassland and associated sectors of agriculture and has adapted to a change from production-based agriculture to its current output mix of private and public goods. The BGS has as its remit: (a) improved production and utilisation of grass and forage crops for the promotion of agriculture and the public benefit, and (b) the advancement of education and research in grass and forage crop production and utilisation, and the publication of results.

The Addition Of Phosphorus And Potassium Fertilizer In The Generative Stage Of Job’S Tears Affects Yield Components, Yield, And Yield Quality, Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, Salma Khairunnisa, Tati Nurmala, Aep Wawan Irwan

Jurnal Kultivasi

Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is an indeterminate food crop that requires more than one-time application of fertilizer. This study aims to determine the effect of additional doses of phosphorus and potassium at the beginning of the generative phase as side dressing fertilization on yield components, yield, and yield quality of the Job’s tears plant. The research was conducted in dry season March - August 2021 at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran at Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency around 750 m above sea level. The experimental design used randomized block design (RBD) consisting of nine treatments and …

Identification Of Extreme Weather And Their Correlation On Soybean Production In Garut Regency, Ruminta, Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, Annisa Nurinnida, Agus Wahyudin

Jurnal Kultivasi

The phenomenon of extreme weather events as a result of the impact of climate change can cause threats to agricultural systems, including soybean (Glycine max L.). Soybean is the main source of vegetable protein, which is sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, research has been carried out through the identification analysis of changes in extreme weather events and analyzed for their correlation with soybean crops in Garut Regency to determine the effect of extreme weather elements on soybean production. The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative, using trend analysis on extreme weather with data on extreme weather …

Testing Of Resistance To Downy Mildew On Several Sweet Corn Inbred Lines Of 7th Generation, Heri Kustanto

Jurnal Kultivasi

Sweet corn is one of the most well-known horticultural crop commodities and can adapt to various climates and environments. Efforts to control downy mildew disease continue to be carried out in collaboration with various parties in different ways, including genetic improvement of the varieties planted. The purpose of this study was to test the resistance of the 7th generation of sweet corn inbred lines to downy mildew and to find out the phenotypic characters that affect downy mildew. The new inbred lines obtained from the results of a long breeding process will be better tested for resistance to downy mildew …

Reproductive Ecology And Bee Associates Of Packard’S Milkvetch (Astragalus Packardiae), A Rare Plant Endemic To Southwestern Idaho, Justin R. Fulkerson, C. Lynn Kinter

Western North American Naturalist

Conservation of rare plants is dependent on identifying mechanisms that limit their population or persistence. Successful pollination of flowers is one life history trait that is often limiting in plants occurring in fragmented landscapes. We studied pollinator associates and seed production in Astragalus packardiae (= A. cusickii var. packardiae, Packard’s milkvetch), a narrow endemic that is imperiled as a result of nonnative annual grasses, increased wildfire, recreational off-highway vehicle use, and livestock use. We used pollinator exclusion bags to examine the breeding system of Packard’s milkvetch. We collected and videotaped floral visitors to determine the makeup of the associates …

The Impact Of Soil Disturbance On Soil Bacterial Community Composition, Marie A. Rodriguez, Mark Peach, Timothy D. Trott

Research in Biology

Soil bacterial communities are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems due to their roles in biogeochemical cycling processes. Consequently, understanding how soil disturbance affects the soil bacterial diversity is vital to understanding the entire ecosystem. In this study we examined the effects of soil disturbance (by mining) on the soil bacterial community composition from three sites on Bauxite Ridge in Southeast Tennessee compared to three undisturbed sites in a nearby location. The soil bacterial community was analyzed by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing of total DNA extracted from the soil samples collected from each of the six sites. Characterization of the …

Development And Use Of A Detached Leaf Assay To Assess Soybean Cultivar Resistance To Target Spot, Caused By Corynespora Cassiicola, Rachael Wolf

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Target spot, caused by the fungus Corynespora cassiicola, was once considered a minor foliar disease of soybean in the US. However, a severe outbreak of target spot occurred in the southeastern U.S in 2016. Due to the lack of information on resistance in soybean cultivars, and the challenges in screening cultivars in the field, a detached leaf assay was developed to evaluate resistance. The objectives of the effort were to 1) develop a greenhouse inoculation method of soybean with C. cassiicola 2) use that method to compare reactions of soybean germplasm lines to target spot 3) collect and characterize isolates …

Breeding Cotton For Determinate Growth Habit: Increasing Cotton Fiber Yield By Remobilization Of End-Of-Season Perennial Reserves, Salman Naveed

All Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a major export commodity for the U.S. Despite advances in plant breeding and management practices, the cotton yield gains in the U.S. have stagnated. Therefore, to increase cotton fiber yield, we undertook a novel approach by altering the growth habit of cotton from perennial to annual. In this effort, eight genotypes showing strong expression alleles for five floral induction and meristem identity genes were selected from 44 Upland cotton mini-core collection genotypes and genetically crossed in various combinations to stack the strong expression alleles in a genotype. These efforts have allowed us to develop high-yielding, …

Evidence Of Competitive Release Following Overstory Mortality In A Semi-Arid Piñon-Juniper Woodland, Corrie D. Gonzalez

Biology ETDs

Extreme temperatures and severe drought events have led to widespread tree mortality worldwide. In semi-arid regions of the Southwest United States, these events pose a significant threat to piñon-juniper (PJ) woodlands. We studied the effects of piñon and juniper mortality on the growth and physiology of existing saplings in PJ woodlands by analyzing water status, photosynthetic activity, and tissue chemistry to gain insights into these impacts. Juniper saplings exhibited improved water status and water use efficiency in response to overstory mortality, whereas piñon saplings did not. Additionally, both piñon and juniper saplings exhibited increased photosynthetic rates, increased photosynthetic capacity, and …

Use Of Biorational Products For Botrytis Management In Floriculture Crops, Josselyn Calidonio

All Theses

Botrytis cinerea is an important pathogen that has a significant economic impact on the floriculture industry from propagation to the postharvest environment. Chemical fungicide applications have been one of the main approaches that growers use for botrytis blight management; however, studies have shown that the indiscriminative use of these chemicals leads to fungicide resistance (Brent and Hollomon, 1998; Fillinger and Elad 2016). This thesis explores the potential use of biorational products for botrytis blight management. Biorationals are defined as compounds that have low or no direct mammalian toxicity and few effects on the environment (Paulitz and Belanger 2001). A review …

Evaluating The Effect Of Biochar Soil Amendments On Belonolaimus Longicaudatus Populations Damaging Bermudagrass In South Carolina, Malone Thomason

All Theses

Belonolaimus longicaudatus Rau, (1958) (sting nematode) is a prevalent plant-parasitic nematode found in association with Cynodon spp. (bermudagrass) in South Carolina (Ye et al., 2012). Due to the persistence of the pest, long-term management strategies are necessary. Applications of biochar and compost amendments have reduced nematodes in various crop systems, but research on turfgrass systems is limited. The objectives of the studies were to determine: (1) The effect of topdressing or soil incorporated biochar amendments on sting nematode populations, and (2) The effect of topdressing or soil incorporated amendments on turf quality. A field study was established to examine topdressings …

Identifying Genetic Sources Of Anthracnose Resistance In Global Sorghum Lines, Mary-Frances Behnke

All Theses

Anthracnose of sorghum (causal agent: Colletotrichum sublineola) is the most detrimental disease of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) worldwide, significantly reducing grain yield. This study includes a literature review of the disease and a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of anthracnose-resistance in sorghum as means to elucidate genetic sources of the trait. The meta-analysis includes genotypic and phenotypic data from 5 unique studies and 1,071 sorghum lines. Original genotyping-by-sequencing data from were obtained primarily from National Center for Biotechnology Information’s Sequence Read Archive (NCBI-SRA) and prepared and processed using the Tassel 5 GBS v2. pipeline. Phenotypic data were …

Water Conservation Through Drought-Resilient Landscape Plants And Deficit Irrigation, Ji-Jhong Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increases in urban population and inadequate rainfall result in imbalanced water budgets in urban and sub-urban regions. Water conservation becomes important in urban landscapes because of increased water demands. Modern landscape designs require drought-resistant plants to maintain urban landscape greenness during water scarcity. Irrigating plants at their irrigation requirements, which is the minimum irrigation rate that can achieve acceptable aesthetic quality, can also conserve water. However, the drought tolerance and irrigation requrements of most landscape plants have not been widely evaluated. Shepherdia ×utahensis ‘Torrey’ (‘Torrey’ buffaloberry) and Penstemon species (beardtongues) are low-water-use landscape plants, but their drought resistance mechanisms are …

Phenotypic And Transcriptomic Characterization Of Rice Snrk1 Mutants Developed By Crispr/Cas9 Mutagenesis, Maria Clara Faria Chaves

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

SnRK1 is a heterotrimeric protein kinase that is composed of a catalytic subunit (α) and two regulatory subunits (β and βγ), and it has a main role in regulating energy homeostasis in the plant by modulating anabolic and catabolic process. SnRK1 phosphorylates and alters the activities of enzymes involved in metabolism and regulates gene expression by altering the activity of chromatin-remodeling enzymes or the transcription factors. Rice contains three functional paralogs of SnRK1α: SnRK1αa (LOC_Os03g17980), SnRK1αb (LOC_Os08g37800), and SnRK1αc (LOC_Os05g45420). This study focused on the function of these SnRK1 paralogs by evaluating the phenotypic and transcriptomic characteristics and the disease …

Vegetation Survey Data For Spring Run Experimental Site, Valerie N. Thurston, Ryan W. Mcewan, Anna R. Pallone, Mary C. Lloyd

Data Files: Ecosystem Restoration Following Industrial Agriculture

This spreadsheet is the percent cover of each species surveyed in the Spring Run experimental restoration site (39° 46 '42.2"N, 84° 20' 52.5"W) collected at the quadrat level.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26890/fdw4698

Screening A Set Of Tomato Genotypes For Resistance To Bacterial Wilt And A Genomic Wide Association Study And Genomic Prediction For Yield-Related Traits In ‘Lcp 85-384’. I. Sugarcane, Theresa Makawa Phiri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis comprises two studies that focused on screening tomato genotypes for bacterial wilt resistance and a genome-wide association study and genomic prediction for yield-related traits in sugarcane with the aim of contributing to the breeding programs. In the first chapter, 40 tomato accessions from the USDA collection were evaluated for their resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum isolate P822 under controlled greenhouse conditions. The plants were inoculated, and disease symptoms were visually assessed. Disease severity was rated on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 represented no wilting and 4 indicated complete leaf wilting. Among the tested accessions, five (PI …

B. R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2022, J. Hardke, X. Sha, N. Bateman

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading rice producer in the United States. The state represents 50.1% of total U.S. rice production and 49.8% of the total acres planted to rice in 2022. Rice cultural practices vary across the state and across the U.S. However, these practices are also dynamic and continue to evolve in response to changing political, environmental, and economic times. This survey was initiated in 2002 to monitor and record changes in the way Arkansas rice producers approach their livelihood. The survey was conducted by polling county extension agents in each of the counties in Arkansas that produce rice. Questions …

Lunchbox Hydroponics, Stacy A. Adams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Growing plants with hydroponics is less complicated than it may appear when the fundamentals of the system are understood. This publication provides instruction on the construction of a simple hydroponic prototype suitable for school or youth education programs. The fundamentals of hydroponics, basic design of a solution system, seed starting, creating a nutrient solution, and plant care are explored through this engaging project. This prototype can successfully be used to grow small edible and herb plants in the classroom or at home.

The Effects Of Dormant Season Burning And Flooding On Invasive Cattail, Typha X Glauca, On Rainy Lake And Lake Kabetogama In Northern Minnesota, Erika Meints

All NMU Master's Theses

Typha x glauca is one of the most invasive plants in North America. The plant exhibits hybrid vigor and displaces native flora by rapidly forming dense monotypic stands that can break free from the substrate and form floating mat types when established. I tested the effects of prescribed burning, on Typha x glauca in wetlands to adjacent large lakes in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. My team surveyed four wetlands that were burned in late winter of 2020-21, and six that were unburned controls. Pre-burn data was also collected for all ten wetlands. Pre-flooding data from other wetlands within …

Influence Of Abiotic Drivers And Plant Community Interactions On Bald Cypress (Taxodium Distichum) Seedlings: Implications For Restoration, Victoria Ellis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Forested freshwater wetlands are valuable ecosystems that provide habitat for numerous species, sequester carbon, and act as sinks for excess water and nutrients. Historically, these ecosystems have been heavily degraded by anthropogenic activities leading to loss of ecosystem services and a desire to restore freshwater forested wetland habitat. Thus, science-backed approaches for the restoration of freshwater forested wetlands are necessary to ensure restoration goals are met. This body of research employed the Stress Gradient Hypothesis to test whether a multi-species planting approach using Juncus effusus (L.) (soft rush) could facilitate the survival of Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. (bald cypress) seedlings …

Fungal Plant Pathogens Affecting Crops In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Isabel Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) located in South Texas has a subtropical and humid environment which is conducive for plant disease. In Chapter 1, Southern blight caused by Athelia rolfsii was collected from Edinburg, Texas in tomato and bean crops. The present study focused on assessing the role of temperature on growth and sclerotia production. We found that there is an optimal growing temperature for both hyphal growth and sclerotia production. In Chapter 2, red rot fungal disease was collected from sugarcane in Texas. Morphology, pathogenicity, effects of temperature, and biocontrol agents were assessed. Isolate morphology closely resembled Fusarium …

Impacts Of Urbanization On Pollination Success For Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca), David Rockow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is among the greatest threats to biodiversity on the planet, and is projected to increase in magnitude in coming years. This growing threat makes it important to better understand how urbanization may impact vital ecosystem services, such as pollination. Studies on the impact of urbanization on pollination vary wildly in their findings. This study analyzed multiple aspects of pollination success in common milkweed populations varying in urbanization level, including insect community composition, pollen removal/deposition, and fruit/seed production. By analyzing multiple pollination aspects we can determine the overall mechanism in which urbanization instills on the entire pollination process. Overall, urbanization …

Salinity In Propagation: Germination And Juvenile Acclimatization Of Wetland Halophytes Using Saline Irrigation, Morgan Tomlin

All Theses

The introduction of poor water quality into commercial nursery crop production is predicated on optimized methods that apply saline irrigation without compromising plant success and health. Halophytes have many mechanisms of salt tolerance; however, these are greatly tied to physiological and developmental maturity. Thus, evaluating salt tolerance of halophytic crops (Hibiscus moscheutos and Kosteletzkya virginica) during seed germination and juvenile phases of life may provide insight into the efficacy of integrating poor quality water in horticultural operations.

Four seed priming methods (hydropriming, proline priming, low concentration halopriming, and high concentration halopriming) were evaluated as pre-sowing techniques to ameliorate …

Patterns And Drivers Of Wiregrass Gap Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris Mill.) Woodland Succession As Part Of Restoration Efforts, Armin Weise

All Theses

Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) communities are widespread throughout the Southeastern United States with a dominant understory vegetation of wiregrass (Aristida spp.) in most of its range. A small area in central South Carolina that is naturally free of wiregrass is called the “Wiregrass Gap”. Here, the understory vegetation is dominated by bluestems grasses (Andropogon spp. and Schizachyrium spp.) which drive the disturbance regime of frequent low-intensity fire. The successful establishment of these grasses is key for longleaf pine woodland restoration efforts in this region, but few resources detail the ecological drivers at play that enable successful restoration in these longleaf …

Survey And Prevalence Of Palmer Amaranth Herbicide Resistance In South Carolina, Mitchell Williams

All Theses

Palmer amaranth is a troublesome weed for growers to control, not only due to its aggressive growth characteristics that limit row-crop production, but because of its resistance to different herbicide modes of action. The first case of herbicide resistance in Palmer amaranth was detected in 1989 and has since grown to nine different herbicide classes throughout the United States. New herbicide modes of action have not been developed since the 1980s, so proper stewardship of the remaining modes of action is important for effective control of Palmer amaranth. Increased herbicide resistance from states bordering South Carolina have been reported; therefore, …

Biology And Herbicide Resistance Characteristics Of Various Annual Bluegrass (Poa Annua L.) Biotypes From Across The United States, Jacob William Taylor

All Dissertations

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is one of the most problematic winter annual weeds in managed turfgrass systems, having rapidly adapted to different climates and management practices. Characteristics such as prolific seedhead production, clumped bunch-type growth habit, and lack of stress tolerance negatively impact turfgrass quality. Achieving adequate control can be difficult because annual bluegrass exhibits high levels of genetic diversity, the ability to germinate year-round, and has a high tendency for evolving herbicide resistance, currently resistant to at least nine different herbicide sites of action. Current management programs rely heavily on herbicides for control; however, frequent use without implementing …

Utilizing Mitotalens To Investigate Large Repeats In The Arabidopsis Thaliana Mitochondrial Genome, Cambelle Johnson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Mitochondria are a silly place to store the genetic code. In spite of the ever-present threat of oxidative DNA damage, plant mitochondrial genomes are expansive in size and include noncoding repeat sequences, a small number of which are greater than 1kilobase (kb), known hereafter as “large repeats” (LR). This theme of one or more large repeat pairs is shared across most flowering plants, lending to the belief that they somehow contribute to the plant’s fitness. These repeats exhibit high rates of rearrangement and recombination. Studying repeats in vivo could have large scale implications in hybrid crop production enhancement including eliminating …

Time And Chance Happen To Them All: A Macroevolutionary Examination Of The Effects Of Whole Genome Multiplications, Eric Robert Hagen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polyploidy, the state of having more than two complete sets of chromosomes, is common in plants and has been linked to several beneficial traits. On the macroevolutionary scale, the effects of polyploidy have been hotly debated for over one hundred years, being alternatively described as an “evolutionary dead end” and the most important discovery in evolutionary biology since Darwin and Wallace. This thesis aims to contribute to the debate by studying the diversification, biogeography, and ecophysiology of polyploid flowering plants with recently developed phylogenetic comparative methods. This dissertation has three chapters. In Chapter I, I review work on the so-called …