Life Sciences Commons^™

Livestock-Wildlife Dynamics And Subsequent Human Responses In Marginalized Communities Within Mexico’S Nationally Protected Areas, Deanna Seil

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Entering the planet’s sixth mass-extinction, monitoring biodiversity and the factors which affect it is of the utmost importance. This study on the interaction of humans and their livestock with wildlife, and the impact of this interaction on wildlife conservation, took place in Santiago Coatepec, located within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Wildlife interactions with livestock may depend upon species, season, ecological characteristics of the area, and livestock management practices. Using camera traps, field data, and interview data, I quantified livestock impact on wildlife behavior and community beliefs. Over two years, camera traps at 18 stations recorded 709 wildlife videos …

The Influence Of Landforms And Sampling Approaches On Riparian Buffer Area And Complexity, Houjun Ding

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A riparian area is a zone of interaction between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Delineating accurate riparian management zones (RMZs), often utilized in Best Management Practices (BMPs) for wetlands and stream protection, is important. The Riparian Buffer Delineation Model (RBDM) has been used extensively for accurate RMZs delineation. Utilizing the validated RBDM generates additional questions about riparian area form and function, which will ideally lead to an improved understanding of the ecological process within these zones. This study aims to determine how geomorphic landforms and their associated landscape characteristics influence riparian areas in terms of shape and complexity, whether sampling methods …

Of Elephants And Men, Helen Kopnina

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler’s target article is well-researched and thought-provoking, but I do have four points of contention: (1) The proposal to entrust elephants to traditional mahout culture has restricted elephants’ freedom of movement and reproduction and (ab)used them. (2) The concept of “indigenous” simultaneously reifies and denigrates the “noble savages”, privileging only human indigenous groups, ignoring nonhuman indigenes. (3) Most lifestyles have been globalized under consumer-economic and anthropocentric worldviews. (4) The fact that people (including mahouts) are part of nature does not mean they are benevolent, any more than cities, monocultures, or roads are.

Rewilding Or Reviewing: Conservation And The Elephant-Based Tourism Industry, Ingrid Suter

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler (2020) provide a detailed examination of elephants in captivity, from an historical perspective to modern-day concerns. Concerns include the poor level of mahout skills and subsequent captive elephant welfare issues in the Thai elephant tourism industry. Rewilding is proposed as a method of rehabilitation and a way to include mahouts in the conservation process. This commentary argues that the tourism industry is making positive changes and mahout skills can be utilised successfully without the arduous task of rewilding. Animal rights groups and the transfer of misinformation surrounding captive elephant welfare are also examined, as these typically fail …

Ecological And Evolutionary Dynamics Of Elephant Rewilding, Lysanne Snijders

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler make a thought-provoking contribution to the discussion of what role captive animals could play in nature conservation and how we could get there through rewilding. There certainly is potential for captive Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, to become targets of conservation efforts, but there are also many questions: (1) How much do (behavioral) traits of captive-origin animals differ from their free conspecifics? (2) What predicts the likelihood and strength of social reintegration of captive animals into free populations? (3) How much of an Asian elephant’s functional role in the environment can captive animals still fulfill and how …

Innovative, Yes: But Is It Rewilding?, Daniel T. Blumstein, Kate E. Lynch

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler’s extremely stimulating proposal clearly illustrates conflicting priorities in biodiversity conservation and management that are exacerbated when human cultural resources and animal welfare are a part of the solution. We suggest that the discussion can benefit from an even more explicit unpacking of the conflicting values associated with the proposal.

Practicalities Of Re-Wilding, William C. Mcgrew

Animal Sentience

Re-wilding large-brained, intelligent mammals dependent on social learning to acquire survival skills is challenging. Each reintroduced species has different needs, but basic questions relating to essential aspects of successful release such as subsistence remain the same. Here I pose 12 ecologically and ethologically based questions that should be addressed (if not already done).

Rethinking Rewilding Through Multispecies Justice, Danielle Celermajer

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler’s argument that some humans, especially some Indigenous peoples, neither conceive of themselves as ontologically distinct from nature, nor do they organize their lives as such, is an important one. However, one needs to understand how colonialism and global capitalism have drawn Indigenous peoples and animals into new political economies. The new situation and the constrained opportunities available may have introduced a range of injustices or forms of violence that did not previously exist. This commentary proposes how a multispecies justice lens might assist in evaluating the most just arrangement for all parties, human and non-human.

Protecting Nature, Freeing Beings, Eileen Crist

Animal Sentience

Large-scale protection of nature is needed to address the ecological crisis. Big animals are connected with this mandate: They are threatened worldwide; they play important ecological roles; and the vast areas they require support a host of lifeforms. But visionary conservation is not only a pragmatic necessity. It is an ethical imperative, for comprehensive nature protection and restoration that supports the good life for all. The story of Asian elephants is part of this bigger story. We must find compassionate ways to free captive elephants and restore a world in which they, and countless others, may live free and flourish.

A “Halfway House” For Improving Captive Welfare, Phyllis C. Lee, W. Keith Lindsay

Animal Sentience

It is certainly time to aim for higher quality management strategies for Thailand’s captive elephants, and to engage with sustainable livelihoods for traditional mahouts. Baker & Winkler’s proposal to rewild Thai elephants by placing them under the guardianship of Karen mahouts is recognized as not “wild” since it remains a form of management requiring elephants to live under the control of human caregivers. We applaud the positive welfare aims of this proposal; however, we caution that few of the long-term consequences for elephants or habitats can be known, and further considerations of elephant population dynamics and forest ecosystems are required …

Rewilding Elephants: A Solution Or A Potential Problem?, Sagarika Phalke

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler (B&W) provide a comprehensive and systematic review of Thailand’s captive tourist elephants. They propose rewilding as a solution to improving the welfare of captive tourist elephants. They also advocate this method for restoring degraded forests, elephant conservation and preserving traditional elephant-keeping practices and knowledge. This commentary argues that rewilding might exacerbate negative human-elephant interactions and impede conservation efforts. While further research is required for rewilding to be considered a viable and practical solution, B&W’s focus on documenting traditional knowledge which can directly contribute to the welfare of captive elephants remains important.

Challenging Our Conception Of Wildness, Elodie Massiot

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler (2020) point out the entanglement among free-living elephants, captive elephants, and humans in the elephant tourism industry. Where all living beings – captive and free-living – are more or less affected by human presence or activity, the binary notion of wild and captive, and in situ and ex situ conservation, becomes inadequate. B&W challenge our concept of wildness – and hence of rewilding – and our level of intervention in this wildness of which we are a component.

Elephants And Pandemics, Adrian Treves

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler’s critique of Asian elephant tourism and conservation in Thailand has convinced me that this was “an industry with too many victims.” Yet I fear that B&W’s proposed remedy of returning to past elephant husbandry by Karen hill-peoples has little likelihood of improving the lives of the elephants for long. Who can predict whether the Karen will live up to this hope? B&W advocate for the Karen, but not for “an abolitionist stance on elephant-human relationships.” In my view, whether we discuss elephants or the wild mammals that carry SARS-CoV-2, abolition of many human uses of animals is …

Rewilding And Mixed-Community Collaboration In Conservation, Liv Baker

Animal Sentience

Rewilding is a psychological and sociocultural event for nonhuman animals that goes beyond the traditional framework of ecology. Elephants need to be seen as political agents in a collaboration. Our commentators shed light on the hierarchical assumptions and politics involved. Mixed-community collaboration can create dynamic and sustainable conservation interventions that are crucial to reconceptualizing the human-elephant relationship beyond the concept of labor. The profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have laid bare the fundamental vulnerabilities of the elephant tourism industry. Moreover, how well an elephant has been buffered by the fallout of the pandemic is dependent on the specific relations …

Examining The Effectiveness Of A Nutrition Education Intervention For Hispanic Participants, Ginnefer O. Cox, Britt Rotberg, Melanie K. Ng, Sarah T. Henes, Silvia Q. Giraudo

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Food Talk nutrition education curriculum in the state of Georgia was specifically tailored towards Hispanic EFNEP participants in order to test the effectiveness of the intervention in the Hispanic population.

Methods: 455 Hispanic EFNEP individuals ages 18-61 in the state of Georgia participated in the data collection. Measures collected include a 24 hour diet recall, and a food behavior checklist to compare consumption and food behavior practices both before and after nutrition education intervention.

Results: Measurable objectives of the study include statistically significant (p<.001) in fruit, vegetable and milk consumption and consumption of fruits, vegetables and milk group foods closer to the recommended levels of USDA MyPlate guidelines for the nutrition education intervention group. Results also showed statistically significant (p<.0001) improvements in nutrition-related behaviors.

Conclusion: This study supports a nutrition intervention …

ผลของการงอกต่อการเพิ่มสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพในผลิตภัณฑ์น้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิ, ศตวรรษ หาดอ้าน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาผลของภาวะเครียดต่อการงอกและการเพิ่มปริมาณสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพในถั่วเพาะงอก และคัดเลือกน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิที่มีสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพและฤทธิ์ต้านออกซิเดชันเพิ่มสูงขึ้น ผลการวิจัยพบว่าระยะเวลาในการงอกส่งผลต่อองค์ประกอบทางเคมีภายในเมล็ดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ (p≤0.05) เช่น ปริมาณโปรตีนหยาบเพิ่มขึ้น ปริมาณไขมันหยาบลดลง และปริมาณสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพภายในเมล็ดเพิ่มขึ้น โดยระยะเวลาที่ดีที่สุดในการเพาะงอกถั่วเหลืองคือ 36 ชั่วโมง และถั่วอะซูกิ 30 ชั่วโมง ผลการให้ความเครียดเกลือจากการปรับสภาพถั่วอะซูกิก่อนเพาะงอก 30 ชั่วโมง ด้วยสารละลายเกลือโซเดียมคลอไรด์ความเข้มข้น 50 มิลลิโมลาร์ และความเครียดกรดจากการปรับสภาพถั่วอะซูกิก่อนเพาะงอกด้วยสารละลายกรดซิตริกความเข้มข้น 52 มิลลิโมลาร์ ส่งผลต่อการเพิ่มขึ้นของปริมาณสารประกอบฟีนอลิกทั้งหมดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ (p≤0.05) เมื่อเทียบกับถั่วอะซูกิเพาะงอกชุดควบคุม แต่ไม่ส่งผลต่อฤทธิ์ต้านออกซิเดชันอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ (p>0.05) และการพัฒนาสูตรน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองทั้งหมด 8 สูตร ด้วย mixture design ที่ได้จากการทดแทนน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองด้วยถั่วอะซูกิ และการทดแทนน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองและน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิด้วยน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองเพาะงอกและน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิเพาะงอก พบว่าการเพิ่มขึ้นของอัตราส่วนน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิ (อัตราส่วนร้อยละ 10-20) และการทดแทนน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองและน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิด้วยน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองเพาะงอกและน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิเพาะงอก ส่งผลให้ปริมาณฟลาโวนอยด์ทั้งหมด และฤทธิ์ต้านออกซิเดชันด้วยเทคนิค DPPH radical scavenging และ FRAP สูงขึ้นอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ (p≤0.05) เมื่อเทียบกับน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองที่ไม่ได้ผสมน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิ โดยการทดแทนน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองด้วยน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิร้อยละ 20 (อัตราส่วนผสมน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง:น้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิ:น้ำตาล คือ 75:20:5) และการทดแทนน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองและถั่วอะซูกิด้วยน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองเพาะงอกและน้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิเพาะงอก ด้วยอัตราส่วนผสมน้ำนมถั่วเหลืองเพาะงอก:น้ำนมถั่วอะซูกิเพาะงอก:น้ำตาล คือ 75:20:5 ส่งผลให้มีปริมาณสารประกอบฟีนอลิกทั้งหมด ปริมาณฟลาโวนอยด์ทั้งหมด และฤทธิ์ต้านออกซิเดชันด้วยเทคนิค DPPH radical scavenging และ FRAP สูงที่สุด เมื่อเทียบกับน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิในกลุ่มเดียวกัน และจากการเปรียบเทียบน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิสูตรไม่เพาะงอกสูตรที่มีอัตราส่วนผสม 75:20:5 (สูตรที่ 4) กับน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิสูตรเพาะงอก (สูตรที่ 8) ในหน่วยบริโภคอ้างอิง 200 มิลลิลิตร พบว่าน้ำนมถั่วเหลือง-ถั่วอะซูกิสูตรเพาะงอก สูตรที่ 8 มีสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพ ฤทธิ์ต้านออกซิเดชันด้วยเทคนิค FRAP และคะแนนความชอบทางประสาทสัมผัส ได้แก่ กลิ่นรสและรสชาติ เพิ่มสูงขึ้นอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ (p≤0.05)

สมบัติทางเคมีกายภาพ เนื้อสัมผัส และการปลดปล่อยสารระเหยให้กลิ่นของ ผลิตภัณฑ์เจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลือง, ธนากร วงษ์ประเสริฐ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาสูตรของผลิตภัณฑ์เจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองให้สามารถรับประทานได้ง่าย และศึกษาสมบัติทางเคมีกายภาพ เนื้อสัมผัส และรูปแบบการปลดปล่อยสารระเหยให้กลิ่นของผลิตภัณฑ์เจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลือง ในขั้นต้น ศึกษาสมบัติทางเคมีกายภาพ และทดสอบทางประสาทสัมผัสเพื่อคัดเลือกสูตรอาหารเจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองที่เหมาะสม โดยใช้กลูโคโนเดลตาแลคโตน (glucono-delta-lactone) ร้อยละ 0.3 โดยน้ำหนักเป็นสารที่ทำให้เกิดเจล แปรชนิดแป้งมันสำปะหลังดัดแปรเป็นชนิดออกซิไดซ์และชนิดดัดแปรด้วยกรด และแปรปริมาณแป้งดัดแปรเป็น 3 ระดับ คือ ร้อยละ 3 4 และ 5 โดยน้ำหนัก พบว่าแป้งมันสำปะหลังดัดแปรชนิดออกซิไดส์ ให้เนื้อสัมผัสที่สาก ซึ่งไม่เกิดขึ้นในผลิตภัณฑ์ที่ใช้แป้งดัดแปรด้วยกรด และยังพบว่าปริมาณร้อยละ 4 โดยน้ำหนัก เป็นปริมาณที่เหมาะสมที่ทำให้เนื้อสัมผัสของผลิตภัณฑ์เจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองใกล้เคียงกับตัวอย่างอ้างอิง Nutri-Jelly® ซึ่งเป็นอาหารสำหรับผู้ป่วยที่มีภาวะเคี้ยวและกลืนลำบากมากที่สุด ขั้นต่อมาศึกษาคุณค่าทางโภชนาการ การเปลี่ยนแปลงระหว่างการเก็บรักษาผลิตภัณฑ์ และรูปแบบการปลดปล่อยสารระเหยให้กลิ่น พบว่าผลิตภัณฑ์เจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองประกอบไปด้วย โปรตีน คาร์โบไฮเดรต ไขมัน เถ้า และเส้นใย ร้อยละ 29.98 66.91 2.36 0.56 0.19 โดยน้ำหนักแห้ง (dry basis) ตามลำดับ และให้ค่าพลังงานความร้อน 67.41 กิโลแคลอรี่ต่อตัวอย่าง 100 กรัม เมื่อศึกษาการเปลี่ยนแปลงระหว่างการเก็บรักษาผลิตภัณฑ์ ที่อุณหภูมิ 4 ºC พบว่าเมื่อระยะเวลาเก็บรักษานานขึ้น มีการแยกตัวของน้ำเพิ่มขึ้น ความแน่นเนื้อลดลง และมีกลิ่นรสที่ไม่พึงประสงค์เพิ่มขึ้นอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ เมื่อศึกษารูปแบบการปลดปล่อยสารระเหยให้กลิ่นโดยใช้สารประกอบวานิลลินเป็นโมเดล เปรียบเทียบกับตัวอย่างเจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองในสภาวะปกติและตัวอย่างเจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลืองในสภาวะที่มีน้ำลายเทียมเป็นองค์ประกอบ พบว่าตัวอย่างเจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลือง สามารถปลดปล่อยกลิ่นรสได้เพิ่มขึ้นเมื่อเพิ่มความเข้มข้นของวานิลลิน และเมื่อเติมน้ำลายเทียมลงไปในตัวอย่างเจลโปรตีนถั่วเหลือง วานิลลินถูกปลดปล่อยออกมาจากตัวอย่างที่ได้มากกว่าตัวอย่างเจลในสภาวะปกติอย่างเห็นได้ชัด เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับผลการทดสอบทางประสาทสัมผัสพบว่า ระดับความเข้มของกลิ่นวานิลลาที่ผู้ทดสอบได้รับเพิ่มขึ้นเมื่อเพิ่มความเข้มข้นของวานิลลินในตัวอย่าง และตัวอย่างที่มีน้ำลายเทียมมีระดับความเข้มของกลิ่นวานิลลามากกว่าตัวอย่างเจลในสภาวะปกติ

The Lateral Root Density Gene Regulates Root Growth During Water Stress In Wheat, Dante F. Placido, Jaspreet Sandhu, Shirley Sato, Natalya Nersesian, Truyen Quach, Thomas E. Clemente, Paul E. Staswick, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drought stress is the major limiting factor in agriculture. Wheat, which is the most widely grown crop in the world, is predominantly cultivated in drought-prone rainfed environments. Since roots play a critical role in water uptake, root response to water limitations is an important component for enhancing wheat adaptation. In an effort to discover novel genetic sources for improving wheat adaptation, we characterized a wheat translocation line with a chromosomal segment from Agropyron elongatum, a wild relative of wheat, which unlike common wheat maintains root growth under limited-water conditions. By exploring the root transcriptome data, we found that reduced …

Multi-Trait Random Regression Models Increase Genomic Prediction Accuracy For A Temporal Physiological Trait Derived From High-Throughput Phenotyping, Toshimi Baba, Mehdi Momen, Malachy T. Campbell, Harkamal Walia, Gota Morota

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Random regression models (RRM) are used extensively for genomic inference and predic- tion of time-valued traits in animal breeding, but only recently have been used in plant sys- tems. High-throughput phenotyping (HTP) platforms provide a powerful means to collect high-dimensional phenotypes throughout the growing season for large populations. How- ever, to date, selection of an appropriate statistical genomic framework to integrate multiple temporal traits for genomic prediction in plants remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the utility of a multi-trait RRM (MT-RRM) for genomic prediction of daily water usage (WU) in rice (Oryza sativa) through joint modeling with shoot …

Soil Carbon Increased By Twice The Amount Of Biochar Carbon Applied After 6 Years: Field Evidence Of Negative Priming, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, David A. Laird, Emily A. Heaton, Samuel Rathke, Bharat Sharma Acharya

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Applying biochar to agricultural soils has been proposed as a means of sequester-ing carbon (C) while simultaneously enhancing soil health and agricultural sustain-ability. However, our understanding of the long-term effects of biochar and annual versus perennial cropping systems and their interactions on soil properties under field conditions is limited. We quantified changes in soil C concentration and stocks, and other soil properties 6 years after biochar applications to corn (Zea mays L.) and dedicated bioenergy crops on a Midwestern US soil. Treatments were as fol-lows: no-till continuous corn, Liberty switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and low-diversity prairie grasses, 45% big bluestem …

Transforming Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) And Multispectral Sensor Into A Practical Decision Support System For Precision Nitrogen Management In Corn, Laura J. Thompson, Laila A. Puntel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Determining the optimal nitrogen (N) rate in corn remains a critical issue, mainly due to unaccounted spatial (e.g., soil properties) and temporal (e.g., weather) variability. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral sensors may provide opportunities to improve N management by the timely informing of spatially variable, in-season N applications. Here, we developed a practical decision support system (DSS) to translate spatial field characteristics and normalized difference red edge (NDRE) values into an in-season N application recommendation. On-farm strip-trials were established at three sites over two years to compare farmer’s traditional N management to a split-application N management guided by …

Land-Use Type As A Driver Of Large Wildfire Occurrence In The U.S. Great Plains, Victoria M. Donovan, Carissa L. Wonkka, David A. Wedin, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Wildfire activity has surged in North America’s temperate grassland biome. Like many biomes, this system has undergone drastic land-use change over the last century; however, how various land-use types contribute to wildfire patterns in grassland systems is unclear. We determine if certain land-use types have a greater propensity for large wildfire in the U.S. Great Plains and how this changes given the percentage of land covered by a given land-use type. Almost 90% of the area burned in the Great Plains occurred in woody and grassland land-use types. Although grassland comprised the greatest area burned by large wildfires, woody vegetation …

Overexpression Of Ferulate 5‑Hydroxylase Increases Syringyl Units In Sorghum Bicolor, Hannah M. Tetreault, Tammy Gries, Nathan Palmer, Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Shirley Sato, Zhengxiang Ge, Gautam Sarath, Scott Sattler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H) of the monolignol pathway catalyzes the hydroxylation of coniferyl alcohol, coniferaldehyde and ferulic acid to produce 5-hydroxyconiferyl moieties, which lead to the formation of sinapic acid and syringyl (S) lignin monomers. In contrast, guaiacyl (G) lignin, the other major type of lignin monomer, is derived from polymerization of coniferyl alcohol. In this study, the effects of manipulating S-lignin biosynthesis in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) were evaluated. Overexpression of sorghum F5H (SbF5H), under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, increased both S-lignin levels and the ratio of S/G lignin, while plant growth and development …

Biological And Cellular Functions Of The Microdomain-Associated Fwl/Cnr Protein Family In Plants, Sandra Thibivilliers, Andrew Farmer, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Membrane microdomains/nanodomains are sub-compartments of the plasma membrane enriched in sphingolipids and characterized by their unique protein composition. They play important roles in regulating plant development and plant-microbe interactions including mutualistic symbiotic interactions. Several protein families are associated with the microdomain fraction of biological membranes such as flotillins, prohibitins, and remorins. More recently, GmFWL1, a FWL/CNR protein exclusively expressed in the soybean nodule, was functionally characterized as a new microdomain-associated protein. Interestingly, GmFWL1 is homologous to the tomato FW2-2 protein, a major regulator of tomato fruit development. In this review, we summarize the knowledge gained about the biological, cellular, and …

Investigation Of Heat-Induced Changes In The Grain Yield And Grains Metabolites, With Molecular Insights On The Candidate Genes In Barley, Mona F.A. Dawood, Yasser S. Moursi, Ahmed Amro, P. Stephen Baenziger, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Heat stress is one of the abiotic stresses that cause a significant reduction in barley yield. Climate change will increase the number of heatwaves, which will result in more deterioration in the agricultural sector. Therefore, understanding the physiological changes that occur in the plant to tolerate heat stress is very important. A collection of 60 Egyptian spring barley genotypes has been tested for heat stress under field conditions. To quantify the changes in yield-related traits and the grain-reserve parameters as indicators for heat tolerance, several traits were scored. The causative genes that regulate the variation of all traits of interest …

Weather And Soil In The Us Midwest Influence The Effectiveness Of Single- And Split-Nitrogen Applications In Corn Production, Jason D. Clark, Fabián G. Fernández, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard B. Ferguson, David W. Franzen, Newell R. Kitchen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, Emerson Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Splitting the N application into two or more timings may improve corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield and N recovery relative to a single-N application. A 49 site-year study across eight U.S. Midwestern states compared the effect of an at-planting (single-N application) and two split-N applications [45 (45+SD) or 90 kg N ha−1 (90+SD) at planting with the remainder of the total rate (180 or 270 kg N ha−1) applied at V9]. For split-N applications, soil and plant responses were similar between 45+SD and 90+SD 93–98% of the time, indicating the at-planting N rate of 45 kg N ha−1 may …

Organic Fertilizer Abrasive Grits Increase Soil Available Nitrogen, Plant Height, And Biomass, Michael Carlson, Frank Forcella, Samuel E. Wortman, David Clay, Sharon A. Clay

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In organic cropping systems, air-propelled abrasive grits can be used to control in-row weeds. If the applied abrasive grit is an approved organic fertilizer, these applications may serve a dual purpose of weed control and crop fertility. Laboratory soil incubations examined the N mineralization rates of several grit types with differing C/N ratios (Agra Grit [crushed walnut shells, 170:1], corncob grit [91:1], Sustane [composted turkey litter, 5.0:1], Phytaboost Plant Food [crushed and pelletized soybean meal, 5.0:1]). A greenhouse study determined plant wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), kale (Brassica napus pabluaria DC), and velvetleaf (Abu- tilon theophrasti Medik.) growth response in soils …

Does Cover Crop Grazing Damage Soils And Reduce Crop Yields?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jim C. Macdonald, Daren Redfearn, Jay Parsons, Gary W. Lesoing, Tyler Williams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crop (CC) grazing can be a potential strategy to support livestock and crop production while enhancing soil ecosystem services, but research on this potential multi-functionality of CCs is limited. We assessed 3-yr cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) CC grazing impacts on soil compaction, structure, water infiltration, fertility, and crop yields on an on-farm irrigated strip-till continuous corn (Zea mays L.) silage experiment on a sandy loam with <1% slope in west-central Nebraska. Treatments were: (a) non-grazed CC, (b) grazed CC, and (c) no CC. Across the 3 yr, cattle grazed CCs at 5.9 AUM ha−1 with grazing occurring over a 4-mo period during winter and/or spring, depending on the year. We measured soil properties within 5 d after grazing ended in spring before tilling and plant- ing corn. Cattle grazing resulted in a 92% decrease of CC biomass, compared with non-grazed CCs. Grazing did not affect soil penetration resistance (com- paction parameter), bulk density, aggregate stability, pH, and concentration of organic matter and nutrients except in the 2nd yr where it reduced cumulative infiltration by 80% and increased penetration resistance from 1.23 to 1.72 MPa but such increase was below root growth thresholds (<2 MPa). Cover crop grazing had no negative effect on corn silage yields although data were variable. Overall, CC grazing for 3 yr had small and variable effects on soils and crop yields, indi- cating that it can be a management option to support livestock production but more long-term data from different tillage and cropping systems, and climates are needed to further understand CC grazing implications.

A Systematic Review Of Durum Wheat: Enhancing Production Systems By Exploring Genotype, Environment, And Management (G × E × M) Synergies, Brian L. Beres, Elham Rahmani, John M. Clarke, Patricio Grassini, Curtis J. Pozniak, Cameron Guy Robinson Geddes, Kenton D. Porker, William E. May, Joel Ransom

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

According to the UN-FAO, agricultural production must increase by 50% by 2050 to meet global demand for food. This goal can be accomplished, in part, by the development of improved cultivars coupled with modern best management practices. Overall, wheat production on farms will have to increase significantly to meet future demand, and in the face of a changing climate that poses risk to even current rates of production. Durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.)] is used largely for pasta, couscous and bulgur production. Durum producers face a range of factors spanning abiotic (frost damage, drought, and sprouting) and …

Solar Dimming Decreased Maize Yield Potential On The North China Plain, Qingfeng Meng, Baohua Liu, Haishun Yang, Xinping Chen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Solar dimming has been increasing in rapidly developing regions (China and India) and threatening food security. Although previous studies have summarized the ef- fects of climate change-associated increases in temperature on agriculture, few have examined the effects due to solar dimming. Here, we analyzed the effects of solar dimming on maize on the North China Plain (NCP). It is reported that solar dimming intensified and maize yield potential decreased since the 1960s. The total decrease in solar radiation for the whole maize growing season of this period was 17%, and solar dimming explained 87% of the decrease in yield potential. …