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Water Current, Volume 8, No. 3, May/June 1976

Water Current Newsletter

From the Desk of the Director
Summer Institute Planned
Research Technologist Hired
Water Research in Nebraska
Bill Introduced to Amend Water Resources Planning Act
OMB Wants "Section 80" Reviewed Again
National Commission on Water Quality Sends Recommendations to Congress
Water Assessment and Appraisal Given Top WRC Priority
Rio Grande Region: More Water Stored Underground than Above
Research Review: Physiological Aspects of Plant Water Use Efficiency

Agricultural Experiment Station News May 1976

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
PERSONNEL ACTIONS
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
GENERAL NOTES
NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION PUBLICATIONS – April 1976
BULLETINS PRINTED

Postweaning Performance And Carcass Merit Of Purebred And Two-Breed Cross Pigs, L. D. Young, R. K. Johnson, I. T. Omtvedt, L. E. Walters

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The feedlot records of 2,111 purebred and crossbred pigs representing all purebred and all possible two-way crosses of Duroc, Hampshire and Yorkshire were analyzed to evaluate average daily gain on test, age at 100 kg, average backfat probe of gilts, average daily feed consumption and feed conversion. A random sample of 392 barrows was used to evaluate carcass traits. The data were analyzed to determine breed of sire and breed of dam effects, to evaluate differences between reciprocal crosses and to estimate heterosis.

Breed of sire and breed of dam effects were significant for many of the traits evaluated. Straightbred …

Resonance Raman Scattering Of Light From A Diatomic Molecule, D. L. Rousseau, P. F. Williams

P. F. (Paul Frazer) Williams Publications

No abstract provided.

Laws, Rules, And Regulations Pertaining To Groundwater In Nebraska, Gerald R. Svoboda

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

This publication contains (1) Nebraska laws pertaining to groundwater, and (2) the duties assigned to or the rules and regulations developed by various Nebraska agencies charged with the regulation of groundwater use. Following public hearings, rules and regulations can be changed at any time by state agencies. Each state agency with responsibility for groundwater regulation is able to supply, upon request, its rules and regulations pertaining to groundwater use. Water legislation varies from state to state because of differences in climate, availability and utilization of water, and fundamental legal concepts inherited at the time of statehood. Some states have laws …

Federal Regulations Pertaining To Collection, Import, Export, And Transport Of Scientific Specimens Of Mammals, Hugh H. Genoways, Jerry R. Choate

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The routine tasks of mammalogists whose research or curatorial activities include collecting, importing, processing, exporting, or interstate transporting of living or dead scientific specimens of mammals have become increasingly complicated by newly enacted (or more rigorously enforced) Federal regulations. These regulations were necessary largely because of the activities of non-scientists, but their provisions have had a tremendous impact on the activities of scientists (especially museum-based systematists and ecologists). Most mammalogists have expressed a willingness to comply with the regulations (although nearly all agree that administration of the permit system should be consolidated into a single office) if they can obtain …

A New Species Of Chiroderma From Guadeloupe, West Indies (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

During the course of a study of the bat faunas of the Caribbean islands we obtained a specimen of Chiroderma from the island of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. The nearest known populations of this genus occur on Tobago and Trinidad (C. villosum and C. trinitatum). approximately 550 kilometers to the south. This specimen represents a distinct new species that appears to be most closely related to C. doriae and C. villosum. This new species is named and described.

Evidence Favoring Nonevolutionary Cepheid Masses, Norman R. Simon, Edward G. Schmidt

Edward Schmidt Publications

It is suggested that the bumps on the velocity curves of nonlinear Cepheid models may be understood as the consequence of a resonance between the fundamental and the second overtone modes of the pulsating star. Thus the presence of bumps can be inferred from linear calculations. The region of the observational instability strip containing bumps is compared with the location of the calculated resonances. As was the case for the nonlinear calculations, we find that masses considerably less than evolutionary values are required to bring agreement between the observations and the theory.

Evaluating Germ Plasm For Beef Production, Cycle 1- Progress Report No. 3, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

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

Because of the large number of combinations of production resources and variations in beef market requirements, one type of cattle will not be most efficient in all production systems. The wide spectrum of cattle types available in the world offers the opportunity of quickly matching genetic resources with production and market requirements. Characterization of available genetic resources for economically important traits is necessary if we are to use this opportunity wisely. Initially, change in production characteristics can be made more rapidly by using existing variation among breeds than by selecting within breeds. However, selection within breeds remains the primary method …

Results Of The Fifth International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery Grown In 1973, J. E. Stroike, K. D. Wilhelmi, V. A. Johnson, J. W. Schmidt, P. J. Mattern

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

This is the fifth report of results from an International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery (IWWPN) organized in 1968 by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under a contract with the Agency for International Development, U. S. Department of State. The Nursery was designed to (1) test the adaptation of winter wheat cultivars in a range of latitudes, daylengths, fertility conditions, water management, and disease complexes; (2) identify superior winter cultivars to serve as recipient genotypes for high protein and high lysine genes, and (3) test the degree of expression and stability …

Agricultural Experiment Station News April 1976

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
How is IANR Doing?
PERSONNEL ACTIONS
GENERAL NOTES
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION PUBLICATIONS - March 1976
BULLETINS PRINTED

Farm, Ranch And Home Quarterly Institute Of Agriculture And Natural Resources, University Of Nebraska- Lincoln

Farm, Ranch and Home Quarterly

In this issue:

3 Does Ag Research Pay?

4 Warm Season, Ornamental Turfgrasses for Nebraska

7 New Protein Sources Evaluated

8 Computer Can Analyze Your Diet

10 Photographing Rural Nebraska

13 Irrigation-From Army Ordnance to Ag Research

15 Credit Use Among Nebraska Farmers

17 Toxic Weeds Can Cause Disease in Cattle

18 Is Solar Heating Feasible for Livestock Housing?

Relationship Between Physiological And Morphological Characteristics And Yield Of Nondormant Alfalfa Clones, A. L. Foutz, Wallace Wilhelm, A. K. Dobrenz

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

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) breeders are constantly striving to improve the productivity of alfalfa. Yields have been increased primarily through the selection of plant materials resistant to insects and diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate physiological characteristics which might be used as selection criteria in alfalfa improvement. Alfalfa clones were grown under field conditions on a Mojave clay loam soil. Carbon dioxide flux was evaluated in a closed system using an infrared gas analyzer. The physiological variables measured in these studies did not account for the varialion in yield among the clones. Apparent photosynthetic rates, dark …

A Hematologic Survey Of Captive Waterfowl, Hazel Shave, Valeria Howard

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

Hematologic parameters were studied in giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis Maxima), mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos) and various species of diving ducks at seasonal intervals throughout the year. Highest values for packed cell volume, hemoglobin content and erythrocyte counts were found in the winter and pre-nesting periods. Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin varied inversely with these values.

Prevalence Of Antibodies To Toxoplasma Gondii In Wild And Domestic Animals Of New Mexico, Arizona And Colorado, Alan A, Marchiondo, Donald W. Duszynski, Gary O. Maupin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Using the Sabin-Feldman dye test, sera from wild and domestic animals in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado were tested for the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. The prevalence of positive titers (≥ 1:8) in animals from these areas was: New Mexico (178 of 569, 31%), Arizona (11 of 56, 20%), and Colorado (2 of 7, 29%). The overall prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma was 30% (191 of 632).

Nine of 17 fecal samples from wild zoo felines contained Toxoplasma-like oocysts which were inoculated per os and intraperitoneally into mice. Mice from six of these nine inoculations later …

Immunoglobulins Attached To And In The Integument Of Adult Schistosoma Mansoni Sambon 1907, From First Infection Of Cf1 Mice, Franklin Sogandares-Bernal

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

7S_γ2b antibody was found attached to and in the integument of adult Schistosoma mansoni removed from CF₁ white mice. With the techniques used, I_gA, I_gM, 7S_γ1, 7S_γ2a, 7S_γ3, and C3 complement were not found to be attached to the integumental surfaces. 7S_γ2b does not seem to fix C3, and it is suggested this antibody may be acting in enhancing and blocking roles which protect the worms from the host.

Water Current, Volume 8, No. 2, March/April 1976

Water Current Newsletter

From the Desk of the Director
NWRRI Research Seminar
Water Resources Activities - Agency Overview
AEEP Distinguished Foreign Lecturer
Water Research in Nebraska
Agreement Signed Between WRC and ERDA
Government's Water Pollution Program Questioned
Coal and the Powder River Basin: Five-State Groundwater Study Underway
Research Review

Wildlife And Vertebrate Pests In Egypt, A. Maher Ali, Hassana Hafez

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The conservation of Egyptian wildlife is discussed. Control measures are reviewed for rodents and birds, especially the house sparrow. Because of the high dam permanent irrigation has resulted in Arvicanthis becoming a more serious invader of rural buildings.

The Role Of Private Consultants In Vertebrate Pest Problems In Canada, D.E. Alsager

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

An in depth look at the principal requirements of an orderly and systematic approach to vertebrate pest problems in Canada is presented (Part I) as a prerequisite to a proposed theoretical model illustrating the involvement of various agencies. A model depicting how these agencies could best utilize their available resources towards the development of improved vertebrate pest control technology is presented in Part II. The involvement of private consultants in vertebrate pestology is relatively new (and perhaps unappreciated), yet offers substantial potential in the development of selected facets of the vertebrate pest field. The proposed roles of other agencies are …

4-Aminopyrioine For Protecting Crops From Birds-A Current Review, Jerome F. Besser

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

4-aminopyridine, a chemical frightening agent, has proved effective for protecting field corn, sweet corn, sunflowers, peanuts, and pecans from attack by birds, chiefly blackbirds. Problems in more effective use of the product, Avitrol FC Corn Chops 99, by growers include restricted availability; a restricted number of certified applicators, few of whom have the time to attain an adequate knowledge of bird damage problems and to put forth a concerted and maintained baiting effort that is necessary to obtain the best results; a weakness in use directions that causes much of the bait to be squandered or used less effectively; and …

Controlling Damage By Forest Rodents And Lagomorphs Through Habitat Manipulation, John E. Borrecco

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Damage to coniferous seedlings and trees by forest rodents, including forest lagomorphs, is a major factor limiting prompt regeneration and causing significant losses in young stands. Manipulating the vegetation to adversely influence food and cover thereby reducing animal numbers is proposed as an approach to alleviating damage. The adaptability, high reproductive potential, opportunistic feeding behavior, and mobility of forest rodents combined with the species diversity of rodent communities, rapid recovery of vegetation, and need for long-term protection make habitat manipulation for damage control a difficult approach. However, an example is presented where herbicide-induced reduction in vegetative cover and availability of …

Laboratory And Field Investigations With Difenacoum, A Promising New Rodenticide, John O. Bull

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Difenacoum is a new rodenticide recently introduced on the British market; it is one of the most potent of a series of hydroxycoumarin-based anticoagulants. Difenacoum is effective against laboratory rats and mice resistant to conventional anticoagulants and has a marked selectivity in favor of non-target species. Vitamin K₁ is an effective antidote and the hazard of secondary poisoning is minimal. Laboratory and field trials confirm difenacoum's efficacy against wild resistant strains. Further work is in progress to evaluate the efficacy of difenacoum against other rodent pest species.

Review Of Cultural And Other Control Methods For Reducing Pine Vole Populations In Apple Orchards, Rose E. Byers, R.S. Young, R.D. Neeley

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The use of cultivation three times a year (May, July, and November) or cultivation plus a residual herbicide twice a year (July and November) greatly aided in the control of pine voles Microtus pinetorum (LeConte) in apple orchards. The use of Chlorophacinone (CPN) or Diphacinone (DPN) baits placed by hand in holes and runs 2-3 weeks after the November cultivation resulted in a very effective control procedure. Without cultivation at least two applications of anticoagulant baits at the rate of 10 lbs/acre each were required to insure adequate control. Due to low apple prices in 1975, large numbers of dropped …

Bird And Mammal Problems In Southeastern Pine Forests, T.E. Campbell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Birds and rodents eat pine seeds needed for regeneration, and the larger mammals destroy established seedlings by browsing or trampling. Some of the problems they cause have been solved or solutions are near; some still defy solution.

Bird And Mammal Problems In Southeastern Pine Forests, T.E. Campbell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Birds and rodents eat pine seeds needed for regeneration, and the larger mammals destroy established seedlings by browsing or trampling. Some of the problems they cause have been solved or solutions are near; some still defy solution.

Increasing Pocket Gopher Problems In Reforestation, John C. Capp

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Concern over pocket gopher damage to conifer seedlings is increasing rapidly in the northwestern United States. The evolution of the pocket gopher (Thomomys spp.) has resulted in an animal that occurs throughout northwest forested areas and responds to site disturbances by increasing numbers and distribution. Pocket gophers kill or slow growth of conifer seedlings. More extensive logging, wildfires, and insect epidemics are resulting in more damage problem areas. This will continue. Current damage control is judged poor. Juvenile dispersal, high natural mortality rate, need for intensive treatment on entire damaged areas, current dependency on pesticides for control, increasing …

Training For High School Students In Animal Damage Control, Stanley Christensen, Clark P. Allen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The training program was started in 1973 for students in Advance Agriculture Occupations classes. Several state and federal agencies were involved in the planning and have since been involved in the training program. The program stresses the practical approach with a variety of field work and related classroom work. Classroom work covers all problems involved in animal damage control. The program is still in the innovative stage, but it seems to be fulfilling a need.

Pheromones In Small Rodents And Their Potential Use In Pest Control, Erik Christiansen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The paper reviews social interactions in small rodents in which pheromones have been reported to play a part. Some of the chemical messengers involved may have a potential use in control of rodent pests. Research in this field should be encouraged, because alternatives to the current control methods are highly desirable.

Experimental Use Of Sodium Cyanide Spring-Loaded Ejector Mechanism For Coyote Control In California, Jerry P. Clark

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, as amended, granted the California Department of Food and Agriculture an experimental permit to obtain data to support registration of sodium cyanide as a predacide. The program was implemented by the Tehama County Department of Agriculture. The experimental permit provided for use of not more than 300 sodium cyanide spring-loaded ejector mechanisms (SCSLEM) and 1,800 sodium cyanide capsules. The permit was issued April 1, 1974 and expired June 1, 1975.

The program objectives were to: (l) measure the usefulness of the SCSLEM as a method …

Commercial Pest Management Of Birds In Grapes, Jim Clore

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Vineyard losses to birds are primarily due to two species; these are the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). The majority of losses in the Central California Coastal region are caused by the starling, due to the large numbers of migratory birds arriving prior to harvest. Starlings are best controlled by a combination of pyrotechnic and acoustic devices. Linnets are most effectively controlled by trapping and poisoning. No matter what type of control is used, it is necessary to have sound knowledge of the birds' behavior and reliable personnel carrying out the program. …