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The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 4. December 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ASPECTS OF THE NESTING ECOLOGY OF LEAST TERNS AND PIPING PLOVERS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA ▪ C. A. Faanes

LEAD SHOT INCIDENCE IN SANDHILL CRANES COLLECTED FROM ALASKA, CANADA, AND TEXAS ▪ B. M. Wallace, R. J. Warren and G. D. Gaines

LEAD SHOT INCIDENCE IN WATERFOWL COLLECTED FROM THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS ▪ B. M. Wallace, R. J. Warren and R. J. Whyte

SMALL MAMMALS OF WINTER WHEAT AND GRAIN SORGHUM CROPLANDS IN WEST-CENTRAL KANSAS ▪ K. W. Navo and E. D. …

Root System Characteristics Of Two Soybean Isolines Undergoing Water Stress Conditions, A. F. Garay, Wallace Wilhelm

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

Environmental stress may have a differential influence on root development of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] isolines which vary in pubescence density. Root length density and root dry matter distribution as a function of depth and distance from the row were s determined for two isolines of 'Harosoy' soybean in association with an experiment designed to evaluate the influence of epidermal pubescence on root development, water use, and photosynthetic characteristics of the two isolines. The isolines, Harosoy normal (HN) and Harosoy dense (HD), differed in the density of trichomes on the epidermal surfaces of leaves, stems, and pods. The …

Root System Characteristics Of Two Soybean Isolines Undergoing Water Stress Condition, A. F. Garay, Wallace Wilhelm

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

Environmental stress may have a differential influence on root development of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] isolines which vary in pubescence density. Root length density and root dry matter distribution as a function of depth and distance from the row were determined for two isolines of 'Harosoy' soybean in association with an experiment designed to evaluate the influence of epidermal pubescence on root development, water use, and photosynthetic characteristics of the two isolines. The isolines, Harosoy normal (HN) and Harosoy dense (HD), differed in the density of trichomes on the epidermal surfaces of leaves, stems, and pods. The study …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 3. September 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WINTER DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE BY MULE DEER AND WHITE-TAILED DEER IN SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA ▪ J. E. Swenson, S. J. Knapp and H. J. Wentland

HISTORY AND STATUS OF EUROPEAN FALLOW DEER (Dama dama dama) AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY, ILLINOIS ▪ G. G. Gray

REPRODUCTIVE CHRONOLOGY OF GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS IN MINNESOTA AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CENSUSING AND NEST SEARCHING ▪ W. D. Svedarsky

SUMMER BIRD USE OF A STATE-OWNED HUNTING AREA IN NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS ▪ M. W. Brown

EVALUATION OF INTRODUCED RUFFED GROUSE IN WESTERN …

Biosynthesis And Degradation Of Storage Protein In Spores Of The Fungus Botryodiplodia Theobromae, Gary Petersen, Kurt Dahlberg, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Muiridin, a spore-specific protein of the fungus Botryodiplodia theobromae, comprises about 25% of the mature pycnidiospore protein. It has an apparent molecular weight of 16,000 to 17,000 and is rich in glutamine, asparagine, and arginink. Muiridin is synthesized in developing spores via a precursor with an apparent molecular welght of 24,000. Two other polypeptides present in young developing spores with apparent molecular weights of 18,000 and 15,000 are immunologically related to muiridin. We propose a pathway for muiridin synthesis. Muiridin is actively degraded during the germination of spores from 30-day old cultures. This degradation is independent of exogenous amino …

Results Of The Twelfth International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery Grown In 1980, S. L. Kuhr, C. J. Peterson, V. A. Johnson, P. J. Mattern, J. W. Schmidt

Historical Research Bulletins of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station

This is the twelfth report of results from an International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery (IWWPN) organized in 1968 by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, under contract number AID/ta-C-1093 with the U.S. International Development Corporation, Agency for International Development. The Nursery was designed to (1) test the adaptation and stability of winter wheat cultivars in a range of latitudes, daylengths, fertility conditions, water management regimes, and disease complexes; (2) identify superior winter cultivars to serve as recipient genotypes for high protein and high lysine genes; (3) test the degree …

Day-Degree Methods For Pest Management, Kenneth P. Pruess

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Recommendations are made for reporting day-degree methods which may have practical applications. Standardized thresholds (40, 50, and 60°F, or 5, 10, and 15°C) should be used. Day-degrees may be either sine wave approximations or exact units determined by instrumentation. Methods are proposed for converting current day-degree models to standardized thresholds and, ultimately, to actual day-degrees.

Quality Traits In Forage Sorghum Harvested At Early Head Emergence And At Physiological Maturity, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Francis A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Information about the extent of variation in quality traits among plants sampled at the same developmental stage but on different dates would be useful to forage researchers. The primary purpose of this study was to obtain such information for five forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivars. Percent dry matter, crude protein, and in vitro dry matter disappearance of leaf, stem, and whole plant samples were determined for field-grown samples harvested on three different days during early head emergence (EHE) and once during physiological maturity (PM) for each cultivar. Orthogonal comparisons between EHE and PM sampling stages and among …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 2. June 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON RODENTS IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE OF THE FLINT HILLS REGION OF EASTERN KANSAS. D. W. Kaufman, G. A. Kaufman, and E. J. Finck

FECAL pH AND FOOD HABITS OF SYMPATRIC LAGOMORPHS IN TEXAS R. J. Warren

UNUSUAL PLANT ASSEMBLAGE IN WALSH COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ B. Heidel

ADDITIONAL RECORDS OF PASSERINES FEEDING ON POPLAR GALLS, AND A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR SUMMER NOMADISM IN BOREAL FINCHES ▪ P. J. DuBowy

UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, Haliaeetus leucocephalus L., IN NEBRASKA ▪ S. J. Rothenberger …

False Positive Results In The Vanillin-Hel Assay Of Tannins In Sorghum Forage, M. F. Walton, Francis A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Vanillin-HCl procedures are widely used for the assay of tannins in plants. In attempts to adapt such procedures for use with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] forage it was found that false positive reactions resulted, that is, red color developed in the presence of HCl with or without vanillin. Leucoanthocyanidins (monomeric proanthocyanidins) may be the constituents responsible for this red color. A "chloroform-HCl" procedure was developed for measuring leucoanthocyanidins in sorghum forage. The procedure avoids interference by chlorophyll or other chloroform-soluble constituents. With vanillin added to the solution, this procedure should also be useful for the assay of condensed …

Variability For Traits Used To Estimate Silage Quality In Forage Sorghum Hybrids, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Francis A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz, R. Britton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The variation among 49 F₁ forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] hybrids from a 7 X 7 cross-classified design was explored in 1979 and 1980 for the following silage traits: dry matter (DM), crude protein, in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD), neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, ammonia, lactate, and Brix of the juice from fresh stalks. Wider ranges generally were found for male than for female parental means. Means for most traits were significantly different among entries. Significant differences among hybrid means over males and over females were found for only DM, IVDMD, and …

An Experimental Center-Pivot Irrigation System For Reduced Energy Crop Production Studies, James R. Gilley, Lloyd N. Mielke, Wallace Wilhelm

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

An experimental 52.6 ha center-pivot irrigation system for studies of reduced energy crop production systems is described. The system consists of high pressure impact sprinklers, low pressure impact sprinklers, and low pressure spray nozzles that are automatically turned on or off at preselected locations in the field. The control procedures of the system operation are described. The system also has the capability of applying different depths of water per irrigation as a function of position radially outward from the pivot point. Four years of data indicate that the system controls function properly and the design irrigation depths are being met. …

Proceedings Of The 10th Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 15-17, 1983, Houston, Texas): Significance Of Soybean Diseases, Wayne Winner, H. Jack Walters, Dick Stuckey, Jerry Berggren, J. Dan Smith

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

1983 Southern Soybean Disease Workers Officers

1983 Southern Soybean Disease Workers Program Committee

Committee Chairmen

General session

Presidentiial address. W Winner

Soybean Research Needs and the American Soybean Association. KJ Smith

American Soybean Association Pesticide Assessment in the Administrative Hearing: An Educational Guide for the Agricultural Scientist. MT Olexa and AH Daniels

Soybean Disease Loss Estimate. E Koldenhoven

The influence of cultural practices on disease incidence. JG Kantzes presiding

The Relationship Between Chloride Uptake and Leaf Scorch of Soybeans. MB Parker, TP Gaines, and GJ Gascho

Effect of No-tillage on Fusarium Blight of Soybean on Delmarva. B Carroll

Effect …

Yield, Vigor, And Persistence Of Sand Lovegrass [Eragrostis Trichodes (Nutt.) Wood] Following Clipping Treatments, Lowell E. Moser, L. J. Perry

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Individual sand lovegrass [Eragrostis trichodes (Nutt.) Wood.] plants on a choppy sands range site in Nebraska’s Sandhills were clipped with 7 different harvest regimes for 3 years to determine critical defoliation times. After 3 years unclipped plants had the greatest survival rate and plants harvested only once a year on June 10 or July 10 survived better than those with other harvest regimes. Top and root yields, new tiller counts, and total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) levels were all reduced severely with multiple harvests within one year. Sand lovegrass plants cannot tolerate close defoliation at anytime of the year although …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 1. March 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

NUTRIENT POOL SIZE RELATIONS IN THE UNDERSTORY STRATA OF A NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS GALLERY FOREST ▪ K. T. Killingbeck

COMPARISON OF OLD FIELD SUCCESSION ON A TALLGRASS PRAIRIE AND A NEBRASKA SANDHILLS PRAIRIE ▪ M. L. Bomberger, S. L. Shields, A. T. Harrison and K. H. Keeler

MANIPULATION OF FLOOD MEADOW VEGETATION AND OBSERVATIONS ON SMALL MAMMAL POPULATIONS ▪ J. E. Cornely, C. M. Britton and F. A. Sneva

CANVASBACK INTRODUCTION IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA ▪ H. A. Doty

FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND WATER USE OF HORSES AND CATTLE IN THE WYOMING RED DESERT ▪ L. J. Krysl, G. E. Plumb, M. …

Comparison Of Old Field Succession On A Tallgrass Prairie And A Nebraska Sandhills Prairie, Mary Bomberger Brown, Shelly L. Shields, A. Tyrone Harrsion, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Long held to be reasonably well understood, the process of ecological succession has recently come under attack. The predictability of successional changes has been doubted (Walker 1970), the mechanism of species replacement has been questioned (Connell and Slatyer 1977), and the reality of steady-state (climax) challenged (Botkin and Sobel 1975, Connell and Slatyer 1977, Connell 1978). In particular, several communities are presently recognized as having "cyclic succession" (Ricklefs 1973), in which the process is continually repeating. Such communities include heaths (Watt 1947), prairie pot-hole marshes (Vander Valk and Davis 1978), spruce-fir forests (Sprugel 1976, Sprugel and Bormann 1981), and intertidal …

Combining Ability Effects For Forage Residue Traits In Grain Sorghum Hybrids, W. M. Ross, H. J. Gorz, Francis A. Haskins, G. H. Hookstra, J. K. Rutto, R. Ritter

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Combining ability effects of 10 female and 10 male inbred lines were evaluated for agronomic, grain, and forage residue traits in 100 grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] F₁ hybrids for 2 years. Traits studied were height, flowering, tillering, seed weight, yield, protein percentage, protein yield of grain, leaves, and stems; and in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) percentage and digestible dry matter (DDM) yield of leaves and stems. General combining ability (GCA) effects exceeded specific combining ability (SCA) effects for all traits except height in females and grain and leaf yields in males. Both GCA and SCA …

Results Of The Eleventh International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery Grown In 1979, S. L. Kuhr, V. A. Johnson, P. J. Mattern, J. W. Schmidt

Historical Research Bulletins of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station

This is the eleventh report of results from an International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery (IWWPN) organized in 1968 by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, under contract number AID/ta-C-1093 with the U.S. International Development Corporation, Agency for International Development. The Nursery was designed to (1) test the adaptation and stability of winter wheat cultivars in a range of latitudes, daylengths, fertility conditions, water management regimes, and disease complexes; (2) identify superior winter cultivars to serve as recipient genotypes for high protein and high lysine genes; (3) test the degree …

Taxonomic Limits Of The Genus Nagelus (Thorne And Malek, ]968) Siddiqi, 1979 With A Description Of Nagelus Borealis N.Sp. From Alaska, Thomas O. Powers, James G. Baldwin, A. H. Bell

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Tire genus Nagelus (Thorne and Malek, 1968) Siddiqi, 1979 is modified and a new species from Alaska is described. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy permits the characterization of Nagelus spp. as having a broadly oval face pattern, no longitudinal striations on the lip region, deirids surrounded by six incisures, and an irregularly tapering tail with a large hyaline region. Nagelus leptus (Allen, 1955) Siddiqi, 1979, N. alpensis Doucet and Luc, 1981, N. camelliae (Kheiri, 1972) Siddiqi, 1979, N. jamelensis (Nesterov, 1973) Siddiqi, 1979, and N. obscurus (Allen, 1955) n. comb. are retained on this basis. Nagelus …

Soil Science Research Report- 1983

Soil Science Research Reports

Corn Experiments

Residual Effects of Nitrification Inhibitor for Irrigated Corn ........... Section 1

High Yield Corn-Soybeans-Wheat Rotation Study ........... Section 2

Influence of Interseeded Alfalfa or Rye in Irrigated Corn Production ........... Section 3

Maximizing Fertilizer N and Water Use Efficiency on Irrigated and Rainfed Corn ........... Section 4

Placement of N and P Fertilizers for Minimum Till corn under Sprinkler Irrigation ........... Section 5

Wheat Experiments

Increasing Fertilizer P and N Efficiency on Winter Wheat and Corn ........... Section 6

Phosphorus Rate and Method of Application on Winter Wheat in Southeast Nebraska ........... Section 7

Soybean Experiments

Lime-Induced Chlorosis …

Fate Of Turkey Spermatozoa After Intrainfundibular And Intramagnal Inseminations, M. R. Bakst

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

About 92% of the spermatozoa recovered after intrainfundibular inseminations of turkey hens were in the infundibulum and 6% in the magnal segments 24 h later. Of the spermatozoa recovered after intramagnal inseminations, about 67% were in the infundibulum, 26% in the magnal segments, and a total of about 8% in the isthmus, uterus, and vagina. It is suggested that spermatozoa in the infundibulum and magnum are not transported in significant numbers in an abovarian direction.

Pulsatile Luteinizing Hormone Secretion In The Castrate Male Bovine: Effects Of Testosterone Or Estradiol Replacement Therapy, B. D. Schanbacher, M. J. D'Occhio, T. W. Gettys

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

Luteinizing hormone (LH) secretory profiles have been determined for the male bovine following castration and steroid replacement therapy. Serum LH concentrations increased approximately threefold during the first week following castration and thereafter remained elevated (6.6 ± .7 ng/ml). Castrates not receiving steroid replacement showed a rhythmic pattern of LH release that was of high frequency (mean pulse interval; 85 ± 5 min) and high amplitude (mean peak concentration, 11.2 ± 1.4 ng/ml). Chronic administration of estradiol-17β via subdermal Silastic implants reduced mean serum LH concentrations (2.1 ± .3 ng/ml) and blocked the pulsatile pattern of LH release in all steers. …

Physiology Of Male Reproduction, R. P. Amann, B. D. Schanbacher

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

The major advances over the past 25 yr in male reproductive physiology of cattle, sheep, swine and horses are reviewed. Those findings which have allowed efficient culling of subfertile males and exploitation of the reproductive capacity of genetically superior sires are emphasized.

Hormones secreted by the male gonad early in gestation induce regression of potentially female structures and development of the male reproductive tract. Compartmentalization of the testis and formation of the bloodtestis barrier during prepubertal development permit the steroidogenic and gametogenic activities of the adult testes to proceed normally. The role of the central nervous system, hypothalamus and anterior …

Effects Of Two Species Of Va Mycorrhizal Fungi On Drought Tolerance Of Winter Wheat, Michael F. Allen, Michael G. Boosalis

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Roots and soils from western Nebraska fields of native and planted grasslands, and winter wheat of varied fallow-wheat cultivation duration, were evaluated for vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal root infection and spore numbers and types. Increased cultivation decreased percentage mycorrhizal infection in wheat and reduced spore numbers of Glomus fasciculatus, the dominant VA mycorrhizal fungus in these soils. Spore numbers of other VA mycorrhizal fungi did not change significantly with cultivation although mean numbers of G. mosseae increased with continued wheat production. Water relations and growth were determined for greenhouse-grown non-mycorrhizal, G. fasciculatus-infected, and G. mosseae-infected wheat in wet …

Evaluation Of Bromegrass Introductions For Forage Yield And Quality, Kenneth P. Vogel

Historical Research Bulletins of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station

Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) is one of the most important cool-season forage grasses in the United States and Canada. Further improvement in this grass by breeding depends on identifying sources of genetic variability for forage yield and quality. Since smooth bromegrass is an introduced species, foreign introductions are an obvious source of genetic variability. This study evaluated 49 smooth bromegrass introductions for forage yield and quality as measured by in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and protein content and compared them with the cultivar 'Lincoln'. Evaluated in a separate study and reported here were eight meadow bromegrass ( …

Semiautomated X-Y-Plotter-Based Method For Measuring Root Lengths, Wallace Wilhelm, J. M. Norman, R. L. Newell

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

Root-length measurements are an important aspect of many agronomic research programs. Several automated systems have been reported which use modifications of the line-intersect technique to estimate root length; however, most of these systems are very costly. This paper describes an inexpensive automated system using a modified line-intersect technique to estimate root length. An X-Y plotter was used to move a light sensor in a grid pattern through the projected photographic image of a root system, recording intersections with an event counter. Compared to manual counting using the Line-intersect technique, the system described accurately estimated root length of samples up to …

Semiautomated X-Y-Plotter-Based Method For Measuring Root Lengths, Wallace Wilhelm, J. M. Norman, R. L. Newell

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

Root-length measurements are an important aspect of many agronomic research programs. Several automated systems have been reported which use modifications of the line-intersect technique to estimate root length; however, most of these systems are very costly. This paper describes an inexpensive automated system using a modified line-intersect technique to estimate root length. An X-Y plotter was used to move a light sensor in a grid pattern through the projected photographic image of a root system, recording intersections with an event counter. Compared to manual counting using the Line-intersect technique, the system described accurately estimated root length of samples up to …

Reproductive Effects Of Immunizing Heifers Against Androstenedione And Oestradiol-17Β, T. H. Wise, B. D. Schanbacher

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

Heifers were treated with saline (Group I, N = 10), keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH ; Group II, N = 10), androstenedione-KLH antigen (Group III, N = 14), or oestradiol-17β-KLH antigen (Group IV, N = 14). Booster injections were given to produce binding of > 10% at dilutions of 1:100 to 1:1000 (50% binding = 14·4pg androstenedione and 9·5pg oestradiol). The heifers were mated and killed at ~46days of gestation to establish ovulation rates, calf numbers, blood hormone relationships and ovarian morphology.

Ovulation rate in animals immunized against androstenedione (Group III) was significantly greater than in the other groups; 4 of the …

Binding Of Phosphorylated Effectors By Active And Inactive Forms Of Ribulose-1, 5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase, Douglas B. Jordan, Raymond Chollet, William L. Ogren

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Activation of ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase by CO₂ and Mg²⁺ is slow and reversible. At subsaturating concentrations of CO₂ and Mg²⁺, positive effectors increase and negative effectors decrease the amount of active enzyme at equilibrium. Pre-equilibrium experiments indicated that both positive and negative effectors inhibit the rates of enzyme activation and deactivation. Greater than 99% inhibition of the activation and deactivation rates was observed at high effector concentrations, indicating that the binding and release of the activators CO₂ and Mg²⁺ occur only with effector-free enzyme. The deactivation rate K_i values for the negative …

Is P-Hyrdoxybenzaldehyde A Major Constituent Of Epicuticular Wax From Sorghum Bicolor Seedlings, Francis A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Free p-hydroxybenzaldehyde was not present in appreciable quantity on the surface or in the interior of week-old Sorghum bicolor shoots that had been heated to inactivate hydrolytic enzymes, nor was p-hydroxybenzaldehyde detected in epicuticular wax of greenhouse-grown sorghum ca 4.5 months old.