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Nebline, February 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

EFNEP celebrates 50 years of nutrition education

Tips to lower your risk for heart disease

Recipe of the Month

Pesticide applicator trainings

Successful Farmer Series runs through Feb. 8

Nut Orchard Seminar, Feb. 21

ProHort Lawn & Landscape Update

More than drugs and tobacco: Drugstore and cigarette beetles

Now’s the time to get birdhouses ready for spring

2019 flower All-America Selections

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

What’s going on in the world of early childhood?

Upcoming early childhood trainings

HEART OF 4-H Volunteer Award: Travis Hodtwalker

Meet 2018–2019 4-H Teen Council

IT’S TIME TO RE-ENROLL IN 4-H!

Seeking …

Insights Into Paleoenvironmental Conditions, Relative Sea-Level, And Carbonate Reservoir Quality Using Ichnology: Middle–Upper Miocene Slope Deposits, Great Bahama Bank, Ryan M. Mustacato

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Detailed ichnological and petrographic analyses were conducted on two biostratigraphically-constrained intervals (11.9-11.3 Ma and 10.7-9.4 Ma) from the Middle-Upper Miocene stratigraphy of the Great Bahama Bank’s leeward margin to assess spatiotemporal trends in paleoenvironmental conditions and reservoir properties in carbonate slope deposits. Six ichnofacies, varied in expression, are documented: the Skolithos Ichnofacies (distal and impoverished expressions) the Cruziana Ichnofacies (proximal, archetypal, distal and impoverished expressions), the Zoophycos Ichnofacies, the Nereites Ichnofacies, the Glossifungites Ichnofacies, and the Trypanites Ichnofacies. An analysis of spatiotemporal ichnofacies trends reveals two distinct responses of the benthic community to significant environmental perturbations on the slope. An …

Hunter And Angler Motivations, Preferences, And Barriers To Waterfowl Hunting In The Central United States, Matthew P. Hinrichs

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Since the mid-1980s, there has been a decrease in individuals participating in waterfowl hunting in the United States. The decline in participation has over-arching consequences for state and federal wildlife agencies in their ability to fund and manage habitat and waterfowl populations. There is a fundamental need to understand why individuals participate in waterfowl hunting and what barriers there are to participating in waterfowl hunting. An online survey was conducted in the summer and fall of 2018 asking waterfowl hunters, anglers, big game hunters, combination users (i.e., hunters that have multiple hunting and fishing permits), and small game hunters about …

Evaluation Of Stabilized Fertilizer And Crop Canopy Sensors As Next-Generation Nitrogen Management Technologies In Irrigated Corn, Leonardo Mendes Bastos

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

Nitrogen (N) is often the most limiting nutrient to corn. Once applied to the field, N can be lost through different pathways, which contributes to low N use efficiency (NUE) by plants. Increases in NUE and decreases in N losses can be potentially achieved by using management options that allow a better synchrony between N supply and demand, such as stabilized fertilizers, and spatially-variable sensor-derived in-season N application. Three studies were conducted in order to assess the effects of different stabilized fertilizers and crop canopy sensors on irrigated corn yield. The first study evaluated the effect of urease inhibitor on …

Behavioral Flexibility Of A Generalist Carnivore, Sarah E. Daniels, Rachel E. Fanelli, Amy Gilbert, Sarah Sarah Benson‑Amram

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Innovative problem solving, repeated innovation, learning, and inhibitory control are cognitive abilities commonly regarded as important components of behaviorally flexible species. Animals exhibiting these cognitive abilities may be more likely to adapt to the unique demands of living in novel and rapidly changing environments, such as urbanized landscapes. Raccoons

(Procyon lotor) are an abundant, generalist species frequently found in urban habitats, and are capable of innovative problem solving, which makes them an ideal species to assess their behavioral flexibility. We gave 20 captive raccoons a multi-access puzzle box to investigate which behavioral and cognitive mechanisms enable the generation …

Effect Of Cooled Perches On Performance, Plumage Condition, And Foot Health Of Caged White Leghorn Hens Exposed To Cyclic Heat, J Y. Hu, P Y. Hester, M M. Makagon, Y Xiong, R S. Gates, H W. Cheng

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

We examined the effects of water-chilled perches as cooling devices on hen performance during 2 summers using daily cyclic heat. White Leghorns, 17 wk of age, were assigned to 36 cages arranged into 6 banks. The banks were assigned to cooled perches, air perches, and no perches resulting in 2 replicate banks and 12 cages per treatment. Chilled water (10^◦C) was circulated through the cooled perches during heat episodes. Daily cyclic heat of 35^◦C was applied from 0600 to1800 h with a lowering of temperature to 28^◦C from 1800 to 0600 h during the …

Genome-Wide Characterization, Molecular Evolution And Mexpression Profiling Of The Metacaspases In Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.), Nehal Dubey, Maitri Trivedi, Suresh Varsani, Vishal Vyas, Manisha Farsodia, Sunil Kumar Singh

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Metacaspases are distant relatives of animal caspases found in plants, protozoa and fungi. Some recent studies have demonstrated that metacaspases are involved in regulating the developmental and environmentally induced programmed cell death in plants. In this study, we identified metacaspase gene family in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and analyzed their expression pattern in various developmental tissues and stress responses of plants. There were eight metacaspase genes identified in the Peptidase (Cysteine protease) C14 family and based upon sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, a systematic nomenclature of potato metacaspases (SotubMCs) has been proposed. Three of the eight candidate genes showing homology …

Effects Of Dietary Protein Content On Hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis Aureus × O. Niloticus) Performance, Common Microbial Off-Flavor Compounds, And Water Quality Dynamics In An Outdoor Biofloc Technology Production System, Bartholomew W. Green, Steven D. Rawles, Kevin K. Schrader, T. Gibson Gaylord, Matthew E. Mcentire

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Given tilapia grown in the biofloc technology production system can consume the biofloc, it should be possible to optimize formulated diet protein content to account for nutrition derived from consuming biofloc. The present study, conducted in an outdoor biofloc technology production system, evaluated impacts on fish production indices, common microbial off-flavors, and water quality dynamics for hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis aureus×O. niloticus) fed diets formulated to contain 22.5%, 27.7%, and 32.3% digestible protein (DP) and 6% lipid. Fingerlings (32.2 ± 10.1 g/fish) were stocked in tanks (18.6m2; 16.6m3) in May 2016 at 25/m2 (29/m3) and grown for 5 months to market …

Measuring & Monitoring Plant Populations, Caryl L. Elzinga, Daniel W. Salzer, John W. Willoughby

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

The root of the word monitoring means "to warn," and an essential purpose of monitoring is to raise a warning flag that the current course of action is not working. Monitoring is a powerful tool for identifying problems in the early stages, before they become dramatically obvious or crises. If identified early, problems can be addressed while cost-effective solutions are still available. For example, an invasive species that threatens a rare plant population is much easier to control at the initial stages of invasion, compared to eradicating it once it is well established at a site. Monitoring is also critical …

Complete Genome Sequence Of A Salmonella Enterica Subsp. Enterica Serovar Fresno Isolate Recovered From A Bovine Lymph Node, Bradd J. Haley, Timothy P.L. Smith, Gregory P. Harhay, Guy H. Loneragan, Hattie E. Webb, Marie Bugarel, Seon Woo Kim, Jo Ann S. Van Kessel, Dayna M. Harhay

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Salmonella enterica serovar Fresno is an infrequently isolated serovar whose ecology and genomic characteristics have not yet been described. To further understand the genomic characteristics of this serovar, we sequenced the complete genome of a single isolate recovered from a bovine lymph node at harvest.

Modeling Effects Of Crop Production, Energy Development And Conservation-Grassland Loss On Avian Habitat, Jiill A. Shaffer, Cali L. Roth, David M. Mushet

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Birds are essential components of most ecosystems and provide many services valued by society. However, many populations have undergone striking declines as their habitats have been lost or degraded by human activities. Terrestrial grasslands are vital habitat for birds in the North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), but grassland conversion and fragmentation from agriculture and energy-production activities have destroyed or degraded millions of hectares. Conservation grasslands can provide alternate habitat. In the United States, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the largest program maintaining conservation grasslands on agricultural lands, but conservation grasslands in the PPR have declined by over 1 …

Whooping Crane Use Of Riverine Stopover Sites, David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Shay Howlin, Aaron T. Pearse, Jason M. Farnsworth, Chadwin B. Smith

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Migratory birds like endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) require suitable nocturnal roost sites during twice annual migrations. Whooping cranes primarily roost in shallow surface water wetlands, ponds, and rivers. All these features have been greatly impacted by human activities, which present threats to the continued recovery of the species. A portion of one such river, the central Platte River, has been identified as critical habitat for the survival of the endangered whooping crane. Management intervention is now underway to rehabilitate habitat form and function on the central Platte River to increase use and thereby contribute to the survival of whooping …

A Piece Of Cake Or Religious Expression: Masterpiece Cakeshop And The First Amendment, Richard F. Duncan

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

Sadly, religious liberty has become a matter of great controversy and division in our society. Although not so many years ago there was a nearly unanimous, bi-partisan consensus supporting the legal protection of religious liberty from laws substantially burdening the free exercise of religion, irreconcilable differences among us over contraception, abortion, sexuality, and the nature of marriage have made religious liberty a divisive partisan issue. Although most religious liberty cases concern religious minorities whose religiously-motivated conduct has been disregarded “by an insensitive majority,” a handful of cases involving Christian-owned businesses and ministries claiming a religious liberty right to refuse to …

A Piece Of Cake Or Religious Expression: Masterpiece Cakeshop And The First Amendment, Richard F. Duncan

Nebraska Law Bulletin (Selected Issues)

Public accommodations laws are being weaponized by supporters of same-sex marriage to drive religious conscientious objectors out of business and deprive them of their livelihoods. For example, in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins attempted to use Colorado law not only to demand “the right to live their own lives by their own values, but also the right to force religious objectors to assist them in doing so.” The issue was not whether they could obtain a custom wedding cake in the Denver metropolitan marketplace, but whether Jack Phillips must set aside his sincerely held religious beliefs to design …

Socioecological Determinants Of Drought Impacts And Coping Strategies For Ranching Operations In The Great Plains, Tonya Haigh, Walter H. Schacht, Cody L. Knutson, Alexander J. Smart, Jerry Volesky, Craig R. Allen, Michael Hayes, Mark E. Burbach

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

In Great Plains rangelands, drought is a recurring disturbance. Ranchers in this region expect to encounter drought but may not be adequately prepared for it. Efforts to encourage drought preparednesswould benefit froma better understanding of the conditions under which managers make decisions to minimize the impacts of drought.We tested the direct andmoderating roles of the drought hazard and the social-ecological context on drought impacts and response. This study was conducted with ranchers in western and central South Dakota and Nebraska following the drought that began in 2012. We surveyed ranchers regarding the effects of the drought and their responses and …

The Past And Future Roles Of Competition And Habitat In The Range-Wide Occupancy Dynamics Of Northern Spotted Owls, Charles B. Yackulic, Larissa L. Bailey, Katie M. Dugger, Raymond J. Davis, Alan B. Franklin, Eric D. Forsman, Steven H. Ackers, Lawrence S. Andrews, Lowell V. Diller, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Christopher Mccafferty, Janice A. Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, Stan G. Sovern

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Slow ecological processes challenge conservation. Short-term variability can obscure the importance of slower processes that may ultimately determine the state of a system. Furthermore, management actions with slow responses can be hard to justify. One response to slow processes is to explicitly concentrate analysis on state dynamics. Here, we focus on identifying drivers of Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) territorial occupancy dynamics across 11 study areas spanning their geographic range and forecasting response to potential management actions. Competition with Barred Owls (Strix varia) has increased Spotted Owl territory extinction probabilities across all study areas and driven recent declines in …

Cow-Calf Producers’ Willingness To Pay For Bulls Resistant To Horn Flies (Diptera: Muscidae), Lettie Mckay, Karen L. Delong, Susan Schexnayder, Andrew P. Griffith, David B. Taylor, Pia Olafson, R. T. Trout Fryxell

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Horn flies (Haematobia irritans (L.)) have long posed animal health and welfare concerns. Economic losses to the cattle and dairy industries from their blood-feeding behavior include decreased weight gain, loss in milk productivity, and transmission of bacteria causing mastitis in cattle. Horn fly management strategies are labor intensive and can become ineffective due to the horn fly’s ability to develop insecticide resistance. Research indicates that for some cattle herds, genetically similar animals consistently have fewer flies suggesting those animals are horn fly resistant (HFR) and that the trait is heritable; however, it is currently unknown if cattle producers value this …

Objectification In Heterosexual Romantic Relationships: Examining Relationship Satisfaction Of Female Objectification Recipients And Male Objectifying Perpetrators, Gemma Sáez, Abigail R. Riemer, Rebecca L. Brock, Sarah J. Gervais

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Sexual objectification is one of most the common manifestations of discrimination against women in Western societies; however, few studies have examined objectification in the context of romantic relationships. The primary aim of the present research was to bring the study of objectification phenomena into the setting of heterosexual romantic relationships. The present set of studies examined the relation between sexual objectification and relationship satisfaction for both the sexual objectification recipient (Study 1) and the sexual objectification perpetrator (Study 2). The results of the first study with 206 U.S. undergraduate female students in committed romantic relationships replicated a previously identified negative …

Individual-Level Antibody Dynamics Reveal Potential Drivers Of Influenza A Seasonality In Wild Pig Populations, Kim M. Pepin, Kerri Pedersen, Xiu-Feng Wan, Fred L. Cunningham, Colleen T. Webb, Mark Q. Wilber

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swine are important in the ecology of influenza A virus (IAV) globally. Understanding the ecological role of wild pigs in IAV ecology has been limited because surveillance in wild pigs is often for antibodies (serosurveillance) rather than IAVs, as in humans and domestic swine. As IAV antibodies can persist long after an infection, serosurveillance data are not necessarily indicative of current infection risk. However, antibody responses to IAV infections cause a predictable antibody response, thus time of infection can be inferred from antibody levels in serological samples, enabling identification of risk factors of infection at estimated times of infection. Recent …

Review Of Dust Bowls Of Empire: Imperialism, Environmental Politics, And The Injustice Of “Green” Capitalism, By Hannah Holleman, Baligh Ben Taleb

Department of History: Faculty Publications

Drawing on a rich multidisciplinary scholarship and extensive original literature, Dust Bowls of Empire resituates the local horror and human tragedy of the 1930s Dust Bowl into a global historical development of the modern world system. At its center are privatization, commodification, and erosion of land, soil, and nature. Holleman takes direct aim at the root causes of an imperial ideology— capitalism— which legislates, institutionalizes, and practices ecological injustices. She explains that the Dust Bowl in the Southern Plains embodies an imperial instance of a global crisis of soil erosion that began in the 1870s and lasted through the first …

Defining The Morphological Quality Of Fossil Footprints. Problems And Principles Of Preservation In Tetrapod Ichnology With Examples From The Palaeozoic To The Present, Lorenzo Marchetti, Matteo Belvedere, Sebastian Voigt, Hendrik Klein, Diego Castanera, Ignacio Díaz-Martínez, Daniel Marty, Lida Xing, Silverio Feola, Ricardo N. Melchor, James O. Farlow

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The morphology of fossil footprints is the basis of vertebrate footprint ichnology. However, the processes acting during and after trace fossil registration which are responsible for the final morphology have never been precisely defined, resulting in a dearth of nomenclature. Therefore, we discuss the concepts of ichnotaphonomy, ichnostratinomy, taphonomy, biostratinomy, registration and diagenesis and describe the processes acting on footprint morphology. In order to evaluate the morphological quality of tetrapod footprints, we introduce the concept of morphological preservation, which is related to the morphological quality of footprints (M-preservation, acronym MP), and distinguish it from physical preservation (P-preservation, acronym PP), which …

The N-Glycan Structures Of The Antigenic Variants Of Chlorovirus Pbcv-1 Major Capsid Protein Help To Identify The Virus-Encoded Glycosyltransferases, Immacolata Speciale, Garry A. Duncan, Luca Unione, Irina Agarkova, Domenico Garozzo, Jesus Jimenez-Barbero, Sicheng Lin, Todd L. Lowary, Antonio Molinaro, Eric Noel, Maria Elena Laugieri, Michela Tonetti, James L. Van Etten, Cristina De Castro

James Van Etten Publications

The chlorovirus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) is a large dsDNA virus that infects the microalga Chlorella variabilis NC64A. Unlike most other viruses, PBCV-1 encodes most, if not all, of the machinery required to glycosylate its major capsid protein (MCP). The structures of the four N-linked glycans from the PBCV-1 MCP consist of nonasaccharides, and similar glycans are not found elsewhere in the three domains of life. Here, we identified the roles of three virus-encoded glycosyltransferases (GTs) that have four distinct GT activities in glycan synthesis. Two of the three GTs were previously annotated as GTs but the third …

Native Solitary Bees Provide Economically Significant Pollination Services To Confection Sunflowers (Helianthus Annuus L.) (Asterales: Asteraceae) Grown Across The Northern Great Plains, Rachel E. Mallinger, Jeff Bradshaw, Adam J. Varenhorst, Jarrad R. Prasifka

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The benefits of insect pollination to crop yields depend on genetic and environmental factors including plant selffertility, pollinator visitation rates, and pollinator efficacy. While many crops benefit from insect pollination, such variation in pollinator benefits across both plant cultivars and growing regions is not well documented. In this study, across three states in the northern Great Plains, United States, from 2016 to 2017, we evaluated the pollinatormediated yield increases for 10 varieties of confection sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), a plant that is naturally pollinator-dependent but was bred for self-fertility. We additionally measured pollinator visitation rates and compared per-visit …

Land-Use, Crop Choice, And Proximity To Ethanol Plants, Junpyo Park, John Anderson, Eric Thompson

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

This paper examines how proximity to an ethanol plant influences land-use and crop choice among producers. We estimated a Tobit model of crop choice within parcels located in Central Nebraska in a 2014 sample period in order to analyze changes in land-use and crop choice. We employed Geographic Information System (GIS) databases to access relevant data on crop choice and other land uses in the study area parcels, in addition to detailed information on the location and capacity of irrigation wells. We utilized an instrumental variable approach to account for the endogeneity of crop choice with ethanol refinery locations in …

Irrigation Water Quality—A Contemporary Perspective, Arindam Malakar, Daniel D. Snow, Chittaranjan Ray

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

In the race to enhance agricultural productivity, irrigation will become more dependent on poorly characterized and virtually unmonitored sources of water. Increased use of irrigation water has led to impaired water and soil quality in many areas. Historically, soil salinization and reduced crop productivity have been the primary focus of irrigation water quality. Recently, there is increasing evidence for the occurrence of geogenic contaminants in water. The appearance of trace elements and an increase in the use of wastewater has highlighted the vulnerability and complexities of the composition of irrigation water and its role in ensuring proper crop growth, and …

Experimental Assessment Of Predation Risk For Juvenile Green Sturgeon, Acipenser Medirostris, By Two Predatory Fishes, S. Baird, A. E. Steel, D. E. Cocherell, Jamilynn B. Poletto, R. Follenfant, N. A. Fangue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pesticide Application Practices And Knowledge Among Small-Scale Local Rice Growers And Communities In Rwanda: A Cross-Sectional Study, Benjamin Ndayambaje, Hellen Amuguni, Jeanne Coffin-Schmitt, Nancy Sibo, Martin Ntawubizi, Elizabeth Vanwormer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background: Agriculture contributes a third of Rwanda’s GDP and is the main source of income for rural households, with 80% of the total population involved in crop and/or livestock production. The Government of Rwanda established the Muvumba rice project in 2011 amidst a policy shift towards rice as a national staple crop. However, the indiscriminate use of pesticides by local, low-income rice growers has raised concerns about potential human, animal and ecosystem health impacts as pesticide distribution and application are not strictly regulated. Although pesticide use can directly influence farmer health and ecosystems, little is known about small-scale farmers’ pesticide …

A Pilot Qualitative Case Study Of Agricultural And Natural Resources Scientists’ Twitter Usage For Engaging Public Audiences, Jaime Loizzo, Catherine Jones, Abby Steffen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Scientists are frequently asked to broadly share their expertise and research with a variety of audiences, beyond typical academic circles in their home disciplines. That could include developing community engagement programs, school outreach, leveraging online social networks, and other activities. The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. agricultural and natural resources (ANR) scientists’ typical science communication channels, their experiences utilizing Twitter for sharing their knowledge, research, and engaging in online public science discussion. Diffusion of Innovations theory and the model of science in-reach versus outreach guided this study. Researchers used a qualitative case study design. Data collection included …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of The Rodenatortm (Propane-Oxygen Device) For Control Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs In Montana, Stephen M. Vantassel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Black-tailed prairie dogs’ feeding and burrowing behavior is a significant economic nuisance to agricultural producers. We tested the RodenatorTM on two portions of an isolated prairie dog town in Lewis and Clark County, Montana to determine how effective it was in reducing prairie dog numbers. Though other studies have been done using propane-oxygen devices, our study employed updated application techniques and an aggressive hole closing procedure to reduce the likelihood of false failures. In the southern area, we treated 53 burrows for 30 seconds with oxygen set at 40 psi and propane at 45 psi. In the northern area, we …

Variation In White-Tailed Deer Antler Size: The Effects Of Age, Landscape Composition, And Physiographic Province, Kathleen B. Quebedeaux, Andrew R. Little, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Gino J. D'Angelo, Charlie H. Killmaster, Karl V. Miller

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Spatial variation in landscape composition can influence phenotypic expression in wildlife species and can improve management efforts to express certain phenotypic traits. We evaluated the influence of age, landscape composition, and physiographic province on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) antler characteristics using data from 16,622 male deer (age range: 1.5–3.5+ years old) harvested between 1997–2016 across five physiographic provinces in Georgia. Age and physiographic province influenced antler size index (ASI; P < 0.001). ASI of yearling males was greatest (- x = 53.37; SE = 0.39) in the Upper Coastal Plain and least (- x = 46.23; SE = 0.51) in the Lower Coastal Plain physiographic province. Given the differences in ASI among physiographic provinces, we evaluated how landscape composition within each physiographic province influenced ASI of 7,325 yearling (1.5-year-old) males. Yearling ASI was positively related to increasing coverage of cultivated crops and suburban-urban areas (e.g., parks, small housing developments). Conversely, evergreen and deciduous forested cover consistently had a negative effect on ASI, except in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province where evergreen was positively related to ASI. Wildlife managers and hunters should recognize the effects of age, landscape composition, and physiographic province when setting antler size expectations.