Life Sciences Commons^™

Louisiana Agriculture Fall, 2002, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2002, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Spring, 2002, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Detecting Stress In Animals, Sharon Durham, Ted H. Elsasser

Agricultural Research Magazine

When people get stressed, they seek relief in many ways. Some exercise, some practice specific breathing techniques, and some eat chocolate. Farm animals become stressed, too. In domesticated food animals, stress can affect meat quality, milk production, and general health. But animal stress must often be intuited from clues such as lower-than-anticipated weights and increased illness.

Certain stressful events can be anticipated, for example, birth and weaning. But how do you know if an animal is stressed for some other reason? Ted H. Elsasser of ARS’ Growth Biology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, is investigating nitrated protein as a biomarker of …

Giving Baculoviruses A Better Edge, Arthur H. Mcintosh, Cynthia L. Goodman, James J. Grasela, Ben Hardin

Agricultural Research Magazine

Scientific advancements built on an understanding of what nature already provides are leading to environmentally friendly crop-pest control by either biological agents or specifically designed synthetic antiinsect compounds. A case in point: research on baculoviruses.

Baculoviruses are rod-shaped DNA viruses, many of which begin their life cycle reproducing inside cells. In the nuclei of caterpillar cells infected with baculoviruses, viral progeny multiply and are incorporated into protective polyhedronshaped protein structures called occlusion bodies. Infected caterpillars die and contaminate the leaf surfaces with the occlusion bodies. Then, healthy caterpillars ingest the occlusion bodies and release the virus when feeding on contaminated …

Getting Atop Climbing Fern, Marcia Wood, Jesús García

Agricultural Research Magazine

A team of two tiny moths might help stop the spread of Old World climbing fern, an aggressive vine that’s on the march in central and south Florida. With further research, a third moth, a hungry mite, a small beetle, and perhaps other hardworking organisms as well may qualify to join the coterie of pint-sized weedeaters.

Known to botanists as Lygodium microphyllum, Old World climbing fern makes its way up stems and trunks of other plants, forming blankets of lightgreen vegetation.

On the ground, climbing fern creates tough, spongy mats that can easily smother grasses, low-growing shrubs, and small …

Speeding Up Breeding Of Superior Plants, Judy St. John

Agricultural Research Magazine

That oatmeal you ate for breakfast this morning is loaded with healthful compounds known as antioxidants. They help to protect your body from damage caused by molecules known as free radicals. Oats, for instance, are rich in the antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocotrienol.

But what if tomorrow’s oats could provide even more of these health-imparting compounds? That’s a goal of ARS oat researchers at laboratories in several states. Aiding this research is an invaluable tool of modern biotechnology. Known as biomolecular markers, gene markers, or DNA markers, these pieces of genetic material are signposts or clues. They are telltale indicators that, …

Protecting Peanuts From Aflatoxin, Jan Suszkiw, Joe W. Dorner, Marshall C. Lamb

Agricultural Research Magazine

Peanut farmers could soon have a biological pesticide for protecting their crop’s prized seed from fungi that produce aflatoxin—the chief culprits being Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus.

Circle One Global, Inc. (COGI), of Cuthbert, Georgia, has applied for an exclusive license on an ARS technique for making the biopesticide from spores of a nontoxigenic, or benign, strain of A. flavus.

In Florida, Georgia, and Alabama—top peanut-producing states— aflatoxin outbreaks from 1993 to 1996 caused losses averaging $26 million annually, ARS economist Marshall C. Lamb estimates. The Peanut Administrative Committee strictly regulates the sale or use of shelled peanuts …

Ars Researchers Winning Battle With Noxious Weed, Daniel Gandolfo, Jesús García

Agricultural Research Magazine

Small victories are being reported by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the war against tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum), a nonnative, invasive weed of pastures, row crops, forests, and urban areas throughout the southeastern United States.

Tropical soda apple (TSA) was first observed in Florida in 1988, causing little concern with fewer than 2,000 acres affected. Just 6 years later, however, researchers estimated that more than 1 million acres were infested. Charles T. Bryson, an ARS research botanist with the Southern Weed Science Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi, says researchers believe the resilient weed has now been …

Science Update January 2002, Consuelo M. De Moraes, Brad Morris, Steven M. Valles, Yvette Alonso

Agricultural Research Magazine

Caterpillars—Agents of Their Own Demise

Bean Plants Repel Nematodes

Unlocking the Keys to Cockroach Resilience

Everything You Wanted To Know About Food Safety

Fighting Insect Pests Of Stored Foods, Michael A. Mullen, Franklin H. Arthur, Linda Mcgraw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Anyone who has ever been to a picnic knows insects are drawn to food. That’s why developing new methods to keep insects out of food in packages, warehouses, and processing plants is critical for food manufacturers. New and innovative methods are needed because the industry is challenged to reduce pesticide use while ensuring that food products are insect-free. To meet these challenges, a team of ARS scientists at the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center in Manhattan, Kansas, is working closely with industry.

Keep Out, Bug!

Keeping food in containers is one of the oldest ways to protect food from …

Shortcuts To Disease-Resistant Wheats, Gina L. Brown-Guedira, John P. Fellers, Linda Mcgraw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Everyone likes to take shortcuts in time-consuming tasks. And wheat breeders are no exception. Someday, wheat breeders may be able to use new molecular tools being developed by ARS in collaboration with Kansas State University and the Kansas Wheat Commission.

These tools show promise for reducing the time it takes breeders to move important quality and resistance traits into breeding populations of wheat using conventional breeding techniques. Currently, it can take as long as 10 or more years to develop new wheat varieties.

“Using molecular (or DNA) markers may shorten the task of improving insect and disease resistance while maintaining …

To Keep Rivers Within Bounds : A Channel Erosion Guide, Hank Becker, Jill Lee, Andrew Simon, Doug Shields Jr.

Agricultural Research Magazine

In the world of finance, bank failures tend to get press coverage. But there’s another kind of bank failure that affects the American West: Missouri River bank failures in eastern Montana involve lost soil—not dollars—but still hurt farmers financially.

Just ask Boone Whitmer, who farms 3,000 acres of wheat and alfalfa near Wolf Point. Like most farmers bordering the Missouri River downstream from the Fort Peck dam, he places irrigation pumps along the banks to get water for his crops. But the shifting sand bed of the river can clog pumps with sediment and hit growers like him hard.

“In …

Letter From The Dean, Gregory J. Weidemann

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

No abstract provided.

Crystalline Structure Properties Of Bleached And Unbleached Wheat Straw (Triticum Aestivum L.) Soda-Oxygen Pulp, Esat Gümüşkaya, Mustafa Usta

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In this study, the crystallinity index and crystallite size of wheat straw powder, soda-oxygen pulp and soda oxygen pulp bleached with hypochlorite (H) and hypochlorite and peroxide (HP) sequences were determined using an x-ray diffractometer method. The crystallinity indexes of these pulp samples were found to be 45.61%, 52.00%, 52.60% and 54.11%, respectively. The crystallite sizes of these pulp samples were also determined and were 6.4 nm, 3.4 nm, 4.3 nm and 4.6 nm, respectively. On the other hand, the crystallinity index and crystallite size of holocellulose, cellulose and alpha-cellulose in wheat straw were then found to be 65.00%, 55.20% …

Comparison Of Erosion And Runoff Predicted By Wepp And Agnps Models Using A Geographic Information System, Hali̇l Kirnak

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model and the Agricultural Non-Point-Source Pollution Model (AGNPS) were used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) database to predict runoff and sediment discharges for Rock Creek watershed, an agricultural watershed in Ohio, USA. Observed and predicted values were compared for selected storm events in 1988 and 1990. The statistical evaluation of the WEPP and AGNPS models showed that WEPP predicted average runoff, peak runoff and sediment yield better than AGNPS. WEPP and AGNPS overpredicted peak runoff rates compared to observed data by 15.5% and 26.5%, respectively. The t-test showed that there was …

Additive Main Effects And Multiplicative Interactions Analysis Of Yield Performances In Bread Wheat Genotypes Across Environments, Yüksel Kaya, Çeti̇n Palta, Seyfi̇ Taner

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was carried out to determine the yield performances of 20 bread wheat genotypes across six environments in Central Anatolia, Turkey, in the 2000-2001 growing season. The experimental layout was a randomized complete block design with four replications. Additive main effects and multiplicative interactions analysis (AMMI) indicated that the yield performances of genotypes were under the major environmental effects of genotype by environmental interactions. The first two principal component axes (PCA 1 and 2) were significant (p < 0.01) and cumulatively contributed to 78.64% of the total genotype by environment interaction. A biplot generated using genotypic and environmental scores of the first two AMMI components also showed that genotypes with larger PCA 1 and lower PCA 2 scores gave high yields (stable genotypes), and genotypes with lower PCA 1 and larger PCA 2 scores had low yields (unstable genotypes), as in the sites tested.

The Amount Of No_{3}^{-}-N Transferred To Soil By Legumes, Forage And Seed Yield, And The Forage Quality Of Annual Legume + Triticale Mixtures, Uğur Büyükburç, Yaşar Karadağ

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The forage yield and quality of hairy vetch, grasspea and triticale grown alone and as mixtures of legume + triticale were investigated in field experiments conducted in the fields of the Faculty of Agriculture of Gaziosmanpaşa University in 1998-1999 and 1999-2000. The highest dry matter (10.06 t/ha) and crude protein yields (1.56 t/ha) were obtained from the mixture including 50% Line-452 of grasspea + 50% triticale. On the other hand, the highest seed yield (5.38 t/ha) was achieved from the 50% Line-38 of grasspea + 50% triticale mixture. The amount of NO_{3}^{-}-N transferred to the soil by legumes (0.079 t/ha) …

Seasonal Carbohydrate Changes Of The Bark Tissues Of Hazelnut Cultivars Grown In The East And West Black Sea Region, Yeşi̇m Okay, A. İlhami̇ Köksal, Nevzat Artik

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The seasonal changes in total carbohydrate, fructose, glucose and sucrose levels of bark tissues of the Tombul, Palaz, Kalınkara, Çakıldak and Sivri cultivars grown in the East and West Black Sea regions were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As with other fruit species, carbohydrate levels decreased from the end of spring to summer, showed steady changes with low values in summer and increased starting in the middle of fall until winter. Despite a general tendency of decline during spring, the carbohydrate and soluble sugar contents of Sivri increased in the Düzce region in April. Annual changes in carbohydrates …

Effects Of Girdling, Ga3 Applications And Additional Nutrient Applications On Fruit Yield, Fruit Set And Fruit Size In The Clementine Mandarin, Turgut Yeşi̇loğlu, Ebru Cücü Açikalin

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In small fruit species, like the mandarin, fruit size is lower in Turkey than in other countries and this has a negative effect on their marketing. There are problems with fruit yield and size in the Clementine mandarin, which is a commonly grown mandarin cultivar in Turkey. To solve these problems, various studies have been carried out. Girdling is one of the methods studied and it had positive effects on fruit yield and size without lowering the fruit quality. However, fruit yield and fruit size were reduced to previous levels if the treatment was repeated over a long period. In …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Developing Tobacco Lines Resistant To Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe Cichoracearum L.) By Anther Culture Technique For The Aegean Region, A. Sani̇ye Gencer

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The anther culture technique as a biotechnological application was combined with conventional breeding methods in order to improve tobacco varieties' resistant to powdery mildew prevailing in the Aegean region of Turkey. For this, resistance was transferred to two varieties from a genitor by the backcross method leading to derive haploid plants from the cultured anthers of BC_1 plants firstly, and dihaploid plants by acenaphthene or colchicine treatments secondly. A total of 14 dihaploid lines out of 67 DH lines developed were found to be resistant to powdery mildew in disease screening tests. They were later subjected to field experiments to …

Effects Of Pruning Treatments On The Yield And Fruit Quality Of Precoce De Tyrinthe Apricot Cultivar, Levent Son, Ali̇ Küden

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was carried out to determine the effects of pruning on the yield, fruit quality and phenological aspects of three year-old trees of the Precoce de Tyrinthe apricot cultivar grown in Mut-Mersin. In the first experimental year, unpruned trees were found to be more productive; however, these trees gave lower yields (6.5 kg/tree) in the second year due to alternate bearing. August+winter (12.0 kg/tree), July+winter (10.4 kg/tree), and September+winter (10.1 kg/tree) pruning applications were more productive than control trees (6.50 kg/tree). The fruit size of the control trees was 34.05 g, while September+winter (45.66 g), August+winter (44.70 g), and …

Comparison Of Determinate And Indeterminate Types Of Sesame For Oil Content And Fatty Acid Composition, Bülent Uzun, Sali̇h Ülger, M. İlhan Çağirgan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Determinate growth habit in sesame is not available in nature originally. The character was a mutant induced by gamma rays and has the potential to make possible mechanised harvesting in sesame by enabling synchronous flowering. Though no detailed study on fatty acids of determinate types has been recently performed, much material is available on the genotypes of indeterminates. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare determinate and indeterminate types of sesame with regard to oil content and fatty acid composition. A total of 10 genotypes, six determinate and four indeterminate types, were grown in a randomised complete blocks design with …

Research On The Determination Of The Socio-Economic Factors Affecting The Farmers' Behaviour In Adopting Land Consolidation Implemented In Güzelbeyli Town In Zile County, Tokat Province, Nuray Kizilaslan, Sevi̇lay Almus

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The main purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the farmers' adoption behaviour in adopting land consolidation implemented in Güzelbeyli town in Zile county, Tokat province. Chi-square analysis was performed to determine whether a difference existed between the farmers who adopted and did not adopt the land consolidation. The results of the analysis indicated that there were some factors affecting the adoption of land consolidation such as farmers' social participation level and their level of awareness about land consolidation. This result may show that the participation of farmers in different activities increases parallel to an expansion in …

Socio-Economic Structural Analysis Of Small Firms In The Forest Product Industry In The Eastern Black Sea Region In Turkey, Kadri̇ Cemi̇l Akyüz, Hi̇cabi̇ Cindik, Hasan Seri̇n

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Structural and statistical analyses of small establishments in the forest products industry were performed in 63 towns and cities in six provinces in the Eastern Black Sea region, which is relatively less developed than many other regions in Turkey. The other objective of this study was to classify the establishments by using various factors. Correlation, cluster and discriminate analysis were used for classification of these establishments. Twenty-five various factors, collected especially from workers, were analyzed. The study was realized using questionnaire forms, filled in with the face-to-face communication method. As a result, 341 questionnaire forms were filled out in 63 …

Game Theory And Its Application To Field Crops In Antalya Province, Burhan Özkan, Handan Vuruş Akçaöz

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first aim is to present briefly game theory and to illustrate the relationship between game theory and linear programming. The other aim is to apply game theory to field crops. The game theory model was used for main field crops, namely wheat, barley, maize, chickpea, sesame, cotton and groundnut, in Antalya province in Turkey. The data included time series of gross product values of the investigated crops for the period 1980-1999. The Wald decision-making criterion was applied to the game theory model to determine the highest income under the worst conditions. The …

Profitability Of Variable Rate Phosphorus In A Two Crop Rotation, Jennie Popp, Terry W. Griffin, Michael P. Popp, William H. Baker

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The purpose of this study is to examine the profitability of variable rate phosphorus application on a rotation of rice (Oryza sativa) and soybeans (Glycine max) on fields comprised of clay and silt loam soils. Phosphorus was chosen because 1) farmers have recently been advised of the benefit of phosphorus applications on rice as well as soybeans, 2)recommended phosphorus application rates vary greatly between clay and silt loam soils and across rice and soybeans, and 3) the residual effects of phosphorus applications in a crop rotation affect the appropriateness of variable rate technology (VRT). A three phase simulation, regression and …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 3 2002, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.