Life Sciences Commons^™

Spatial Variation In Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Susceptibility To Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn Events In Nebraska, Jordan D. Reinders

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is an economically important pest species of field corn (Zea mays L.) in the U.S. Corn Belt. Yield losses and control costs exceed greater than $1 billion annually. Over the past 10+ years, growers have adopted transgenic corn hybrids expressing rootworm-active Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins as a primary WCR management tactic. Field-evolved resistance to Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A proteins expressed in single-trait Bt hybrids has been confirmed in some areas of Nebraska. Growers have used different tactics as needed to prevent or mitigate resistance, resulting in a mosaic of selection pressure placed …

Nitrogen Availability And Use Efficiency In Corn Treated With Contrasting Nitrogen Sources, Avneet Kakkar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The plant-soil nitrogen cycle plays a significant role in allocation of available N to plants, and improved understanding of N cycling helps sustainably increase fertilizer use efficiency. There are various processes (nitrogen mineralization and nitrification) involved in the availability and mobility of nitrogen in the soil. The primary objective of this study was to determine the NUE under contrasting nitrogen treatments over a period of five years. Additionally, we examined the effect of different N treatments on N mineralization and nitrification in conventional and organic farming systems.

This project was funded by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program …

Jaggers, Katie Thompson (Fa 1107), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1107. Paper titled “Methods of Corn Production in an Edmonson Co[unty] Community” in which Katie Jaggers Charts the history of corn harvesting by traditional means, such as using mules, shovels, wagons, and A-harrows, up through the current practice of employing highly-tech machinery. Paper is based on information collected by Jaggers from two brothers, Edgar and Harry Thompson, who resided in Lindseyville, Kentucky. Collection also includes color photos and descriptions of traditional farming machinery.

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Peformance Tests 2017, R. D. Bond, J. A. Still, D. G. Dombek

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers.

Thesis Document 07172017 Revised.Pdf, Jesse Gray

Jesse Gray

Analysis Of The Flow Behaviors Of Corn Meal During Extrusion, Daniel N. Hauersperger, Martin R. Okos, Troy Tonner

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Food extrusion can be used to make many products we consume today, including pasta, cereals and more. The ability to predict the characteristics of the final product from an extruder using raw material characteristics and operating conditions is vital to the extrusion process. In order to answer this need, the flow behavior of corn meal was measured in a lab viscometer (off-line) and compared to the flow behaviors from an extruder (in-line) at three different moisture contents (32.5%, 35%, 37.5% wet basis). The extruder and product are heated through the friction of the corn meal passing through the barrel not …

Preserving Corn, Heidi Leblanc, Charlotte Brennand, Paige Wray

All Current Publications

Corn is not only a favorite vegetable, but it is also the source of corn starch, cornmeal, corn oil, corn syrup, bourbon, and laundry starch.

Temporal Evaluation Of Corn Respiration Rates Using Pressure Sensors, Gagandeep Singh Ubhi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High respiration rate of a grain indicates faster degradation of its dry matter. Proper grain management requires chronological and precise measurements of carbon dioxide evolved from grain respiration during the postharvest storage duration. Therefore the main goal of this research was to develop a new technique that evaluates temporal corn respiration rate using pressure sensors. It was based on measuring pressure drop associated with the grain respiration in a closed container and using it to calculate the grain respiration rates.

Dry corn (Zea Mays L.) was procured from a local farmer and stored at 4ºC. Corn rewetting technique was applied …

Interactions Between Plant Water-Stress And Neonicotinoid Insecticides On Spider Mite Infestations In Corn, Alice Ruckert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) are an important agricultural pest of many crops and landscape plants. They can reproduce rapidly and quickly develop resistance to many pesticides, making them difficult to manage. Plant water-stress and high temperatures promote spider mite infestations, while spider mite outbreaks can also result from neonicotinoid insecticide applications. Drought is predicted to increase in the Intermountain West due to increases in temperature and reduced frequency of precipitation events in the region, and neonicotinoids are currently one of the most widely used classes of insecticides in field crops. I studied the interactive effect of these two simultaneously occurring …

Candidate Perennial Bioenergy Grasses Have A Higher Albedo Than Annual Row Crops, Jesse N. Miller, Andy Vanloocke, Nuria Gomez-Casanovas, Carl J. Bernacchi

Andy VanLoocke

The production of perennial cellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy presents the potential to diversify regional economies and the national energy supply, while also serving as climate ‘regulators’ due to a number of biogeochemical and biogeophysical differences relative to row crops. Numerous observational and model-based approaches have investigated biogeochemical trade-offs, such as increased carbon sequestration and increased water use, associated with growing cellulosic feedstocks. A less understood aspect is the biogeophysical changes associated with the difference in albedo (a), which could alter the local energy balance and cause local to regional cooling several times larger than that associated with offsetting carbon. Here, …

Field-Observed Angles Of Repose For Stored Grain In The United States, Rumela Bhadra, Mark E. Casada, Sidney A. Thompson, Josephine M. Boac, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Michael D. Montross, Aaron P. Turner, Samuel G. Mcneill

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Bulk grain angle of repose (AoR) is a key parameter for inventorying grain, predicting flow characteristics, and designing bins and grain handling systems. The AoR is defined for two cases, piling (dynamic) or emptying (static), and usually varies with grain type. The objective of this study was to measure piling angles of repose for corn, sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and hard red winter (HRW) wheat in steel and concrete bins in the United States. Angles were measured in 182 bins and 7 outdoor piles. The piling AoR for corn ranged from 15.7° to 30.2° (median of 20.4° and standard deviation …

Performance Of The Producer Accumulator In Corn And Soybean Commodity Markets, Chad Te Slaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research quantifies risk reduction and performance of the producer accumulator contract in corn and soybean markets. To quantify performance, we use three alternative theoretical pricing models to estimate historical producer accumulator contract specifications in corn and soybean markets. We then compare the performance of the producer accumulator to eight alternative agricultural marketing strategy portfolios that are also used in new generation grain contracts. The performance measures we compare are: average bushel price that would be received by the producer, daily portfolio risk, and the Sharpe ratio. The period we examine performance was between 2008 and 2017. We investigate performance …

Evaluating The Long Term Effects Of Continuous Broiler Litter Applications On Residual Soil Fertility And Yields Of Corn And Soybean Crops, And A Side Experiment Studying The Residual Copper Fertilization Effects On These Crops, Jesse Lee Gray Mr.

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The increasing cost of commercial fertilizers and the availability of animal waste that has high nutrient content have led to producers utilizing animal waste such as poultry litter in their fertility programs. This increased use has raised concerns as to what are the optimum rates to apply to meet crop needs and how will long term use at high rates of litter effect soil test levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium. The objective of this study was to address these concerns. This study has been ongoing since 1997 with treatments of zero to seven tons of litter …

Bird Use Of Grain Fields And Implications For Habitat Management At Airports, Raymond B. Iglay, Bruce N. Buckingham, Thomas W. Seamans, James A. Martin, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jerrold L. Belant, Travis L. Devault

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Airport properties often include agricultural land cover that can attract wildlife species hazardous to aircraft, despite recommendations against row crops near air operations areas. However, few studies have directly quantified bird use of corn, wheat, and soybean fields relative to bird-aircraft collision (strike) hazard levels to support land cover recommendations. Therefore, we compared bird use among corn, wheat and soybean fields and predicted that corn and wheat would attract bird species recognized as hazardous to aviation. We also anticipated that soybeans would pose minimal attraction to such birds. Here, hazard ranking (low to extremely high) reflects the percentage of strikes …

Timing Of Side-Dress Applications Of Nitrogen For Corn In Conventional And No-Till Systems, D. W. Sweeney, D. E. Shoup

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Corn yields were affected by tillage and nitrogen (N) side-dress options in 2016. Corn yields were 12% greater with conventional tillage than with no-till. Side-dress applications of N at V10 resulted in greater corn yield than side-dress N applications at V6.

Large-Scale Dryland Cropping Systems, A. Schlegel, L. Haag

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This study was conducted from 2008 to 2016 at the Kansas State University Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, KS. The purpose of the study was to identify whether more intensive cropping systems can enhance and stabilize production in rainfed cropping systems to optimize economic crop production, more efficiently capture and utilize scarce precipitation, and maintain or enhance soil resources and environmental quality. The crop rotations evaluated were continuous grain sorghum (SS), wheat-fallow (WF), wheat-corn-fallow (WCF), wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF), wheat-corn-sorghum-fallow (WCSF), and wheat-sorghum-corn-fallow (WSCF). All rotations were grown using no-tillage practices except for WF, which was grown using reduced-tillage. The efficiency of …

Tillage And Nitrogen Placement Effects On Yields In A Short-Season Corn/Wheat/ Double-Crop Soybean Rotation, D. W. Sweeney

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In 2016, adding nitrogen (N) greatly improved average wheat yields, but the response to tillage and different N placement methods was minimal. Double-crop soybean yields were unaffected by tillage or the residual from N treatments that were applied to the previous wheat crop.

Cover Crop Effects On Corn In A Corn/Soybean Rotation, D. E. Shoup, I. A. Ciampitti, J. Kimball, Gretchen Sassenrath

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A research study was established in 2013 in a corn and soybean rotation with cover crops planted soon after each crop harvest. A variety of complex cover crop mixtures were evaluated ranging from single-specie to 7-specie mixtures. Cover crops were terminated in the spring prior to corn planting. Corn yield responded differently among the three years of the study. In general, 2014 and 2016 showed a similar trend of decreased corn yield as the complexity of cover crop specie mixtures increased. Significant corn yield losses ranged from 8.6 to 15.1 bu/a across all cover crop treatments in 2014. In 2016, …

Tillage Study For Corn And Soybean: Comparing Vertical, Deep, And No-Tillage, Eric Adee

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A tillage study comparing no-tillage, shallow tillage, and deep tillage in alternate or every year for corn and soybeans in annual rotation was conducted at Kansas River Valley Experiment Field for five years. The influence of tillage system on corn yield appears to be increasing with time, soybean yields appear to perform equally well with any of the systems. As the study progresses, the corn yields were increased with deep tillage occurring sometime in the cropping rotation.

Timing Of Strobilurin Fungicide For Control Of Top Dieback In Corn, Eric Adee, Stu Duncan

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Significant yield losses can result from top dieback (TDB) in dent corn, which is caused by infection by the fungus,Colletotrichum graminicola, causing anthracnose. Research is limited on the effectiveness of fungicide application because of the unpredictable nature of the disease. Three field studies were established to assess the timing of fungicide application on foliar diseases that developed TDB, one in Illinois (2010) and the other two in Kansas (2015 and 2016). Fungicide applications at tasseling and later were effective in reducing the incidence of TDB by greater than 20% and increasing yield greater than 14 bu/a, or greater …

Crop Production Summary, Southeast Kansas – 2016, Gretchen Sassenrath, L. Mengarelli, Jane Lingenfelser, X. Lin, D. E. Shoup

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Crop production in southeast Kansas is summarized from variety trials and research plot experiments conducted at the Southeast Research and Extension Center fields in 2016.

Wheat Stubble Height On Subsequent Corn And Grain Sorghum Crops, A. Schlegel, L. Haag

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A field study initiated in 2006 at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Tribune, KS, was designed to evaluate the effects of three wheat stubble heights on subsequent grain yields of corn and grain sorghum. Corn and sorghum yields in 2016 were greater than the long-term average. When averaged from 2007 through 2016, corn grain yields were 10 bu/a greater when planted into either high or strip-cut stubble than into low-cut stubble. Average grain sorghum yields were 6 bu/a (but not significantly) greater in high-cut stubble than low-cut stubble. Similarly, water use efficiency was greater for high or strip-cut stubble for …

Closing Corn Yield Gaps Via Improved Management: A Systems Approach, G. R. Balboa, I. A. Ciampitti

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Three corn research trials were conducted during the 2016 growing season. Two studies were conducted at Scandia, KS, (dryland and irrigated) and one at Topeka, KS (dryland). The objective of these trials was to investigate the contribution of different farming systems for closing corn yield gaps. Each experiment consisted of five treatments: common practices (CP), comprehensive fertilization (CF), production intensity (PI), ecological intensification (CF + PI), and advanced plus (AD). Across all three experiments and under dryland and irrigation scenarios, CP presented the lowest yield. In environments with yield response, intensifying production without a balanced nutrition program did not increase …

Irrigation And Tillage Management Effects On Canopy Formation In Corn, R. M. Aiken, F. Lamm, A. A. Aboukheira

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Effects of canopy formation and function are frequently represented in irrigation management models by crop coefficients, which can be used to calculate expected crop water requirements. Soil tillage alters the micro-environment of a developing corn canopy. The objective of this study was to evaluate irrigation capacity and tillage effects on seasonal changes in maize canopy and above-ground biomass productivity. Leaf area index (LAI) and above-ground biomass (AGB) were quantified by non-destructive methods during four growing seasons for corn under two irrigation capacities (1 in./4 days or 1 in./8 days) and three tillage regimes (no-tillage (NT), strip tillage (ST), or conventional …

Cleaning Reduces Mycotoxin Contamination In Corn, A. Yoder, M. D. Tokach, J. M. Derouchey, C. B. Paulk, C. R. Stark, C. K. Jones

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

A single load of corn naturally contaminated with aflatoxin (1,074 ppb), fumonisin (8.3 ppm), and ochratoxin A (206 ppb) was procured from central Oklahoma to evaluate the role of cleaning to remove mycotoxin contamination in corn. Corn was divided into twenty 333-lb lots, which were then cleaned using an EBM Gentle Roll corn cleaner to remove overs (material>1/2 inches) and unders (material<3/16 inches). The resultant 4 treatments included: 1) uncleaned corn; 2) overs from cleaned corn; 3) cleaned corn; and 4) unders from cleaned corn. Samples of each fraction were analyzed for mycotoxin content using multiclass liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Cleaning generated approximately 6% screenings (unders + overs), and reduced (P<0.05) aflatoxin by an average of 26%. Cleaning also reduced (P<0.05) fumonisin by 45%, but did not impact ochratoxin A. Unders had nearly 4 times the aflatoxin and 7.5 times the fumonisin as the uncleaned corn. In conclusion, cleaning corn may substantially reduce mycotoxin contamination, but the resultant screenings should be used cautiously.