Agriculture Commons^™

Comparative Decomposition Rates Of Prickly Pear And Sage Using Litterbags, Curtis Jang, Vy Ly, Ashlyn Reagan, Ellie Sebaugh, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Litterbags are used to study nutrient cycling and track the rate of decomposition over time. Decomposition rates may vary between plant species due to various factors. One factor includes the abundance of lignin, or a structural component that provides support to a plant, which can slow the rate of decomposition. This study compared the decomposition rate of sage (Salvia officinalis), which has higher lignin levels, and prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa), which has higher water content and thus lower lignin levels. Four samples of each species, with two replicates each, were initially weighed and then placed in …

Value Of Horticulture From Western Australia 2023–24, Manju Radhakrishnan, Rohan Prince

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

In 2023–24, WA produced approximately $1.92 billion worth of fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables, and amenity horticulture at the wholesale level. The real value of Western Australia’s horticulture sector, as of 2023–24, grew by 9.6% compared to 2020 levels, driving regional economic development.

Dusky Grouse Seasonal Resource Selection In The Great Basin Isolated Mountain Ranges Of Nevada, Usa, Stephanie Landry, Brian Smith, Erica Stuber, Shawn Espinosa, David Dahlgren

Aspen Bibliography

Dusky grouse Dendragapus obscurus are a montane forest grouse species with a paucity of information regarding their temporal and spatial resource use during critical times of high mortality and reproductive output. This lack of vital data may leave dusky grouse at risk of sub-optimal management in many areas of their distribution, especially in the isolated ‘sky island’ mountain ranges of the Great Basin, where high elevation habitats are surrounded by sagebrush and salt desert shrub land flats. Many of these high elevation habitats are being altered and lost rapidly from increasing disturbance events and effects of climate change. Our objective …

Effective Control Of Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta Absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Using The Entomopathogenic Fungus, Beauveria Pseudobassiana Rehner & Humber In Commercial High-Arched Plastic Tunnels, Aya Fardoun, Nour Ezzeddine, Hagop S. Atamian, Hana Sobh, Houssam Shaib, Yusuf Abou Jawdah

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a highly invasive pest that causes significant damages to tomato crops globally. Its resistance to commonly used chemical insecticides has made management increasingly difficult, prompting the need for sustainable, effective alternatives. This study investigated the efficacy of a Lebanese isolate of Beauveria pseudobassiana as a biological control agent against T. absoluta, compared its performance to Bacillus thuringiensis and conventional pesticide mixtures under both controlled, commercial production conditions

Results

Three preliminary cage experiments were conducted under controlled infestation conditions using larvae reared from field-collected adults. Conidial suspensions of B. pseudobassiana …

Understanding Rice Production Stagnation In The Philippines: Regional Evidence And Development Implications, Henry Bartelet, Alenn Jhulia D. Prodigalidad, Janelle S. Dy, Jan Gabriel N. Manzano

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Despite decades of investment in agricultural research and rice development, the Philippines continues to face stagnation in domestic rice production. This persistent trend, occurring despite a sizable arable land base and large rural workforce, has contributed to the country’s growing reliance on rice imports to meet national food needs. In response, the government has implemented a tariff-based import system designed to fund domestic productivity improvements. While previous studies have explored the technical and environmental constraints affecting rice production, such as irrigation shortfalls, land degradation, and climate variability, few have examined recent national trends using regionally disaggregated data alongside qualitative insights. …

Evaluation Of Host Resistance To Rotylenchulus Reniformis In Sweetpotato Germplasm, Timothy S. Miller

LSU Master's Theses

The reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) is an emerging plant-parasitic threat to sweetpotato production. Dissimilar from the galling caused by root-knot nematode infections, infections from the reniform nematode occur without visible damage to the root system. In the southern United States, heavily infested sweetpotato fields can lose up to 40% of their total yield. Growers rely heavily on fumigants and nematicides which provide inconsistent control and are not sustainable in the long-term. Past research has been more focused on the efficacy of chemicals than in the identification of host resistance or tolerance in sweetpotato germplasm. This study evaluated past …

Flawed Analysis Invalidates Claim Of A Strong Yellowstone Trophic Cascade After Wolf Reintroduction: A Comment On Ripple Et Al. (2025), Dan R. Macnulty, David Cooper, Michael Procko, T.J. Clark-Wolf

Aspen Bibliography

Ripple et al. (2025) recently argued that large carnivore recovery in Yellowstone National Park triggered one of the world’s strongest trophic cascades, citing a ∼1500 % increase in willow crown volume derived from plant height data. In this comment, we show that their conclusion is invalid due to fundamental methodological flaws. These include use of a tautological volume model, violations of key modeling assumptions, comparisons across unmatched plots, and the misapplication of equilibrium-based metrics in a non-equilibrium system. Additionally, Ripple et al. rely on selectively framed photographic evidence and omit critical drivers such as human hunting in their causal attribution. …

Factors Influencing Plant Community Structure And Composition Of Restored Tamaulipan Thornscrub Forests, Jerald T. Garrett, Audrey J. Hicks, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas is a biodiversity hotspot due to its high alpha, beta, and gamma diversity and high regional endemism, which are at high risk of degradation. The region has lost 95% of its native thornforest habitat primarily due to agricultural and urban expansion. This study aims to evaluate the current vegetative structure and composition of restored thornforest sites located in the LRGV to identify restoration methods and site characteristics that affect forest restoration outcomes. Twelve restored thornforest sites were selected for this study that varied in time since restoration, patch size, degree of isolation, …

Nebline, October 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Contents

4-H super fair helps youth become beyond ready

What's popping? by Natalie Sehi

Recipes of the month, by Kayla Colgrove: Fish bait snack mix, kicked up popcorn, and cinnamon crunch snack mix

Are your trees for the next storm? by Rachel Anderson

Garden guide: Things to do this month by Mary Jane Frogge

GRO Big Red virtual learning series

Composting demonstration

Promoting language development in young children by Hayley Jackson

Tip sheet for harvest 2025 by John Nelson

Rogers Memorial Day farm field day, September 2025

Heart of 4-H volunteer award: Rachel Wells

Join 4-H to become beyond ready …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2025), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Mesonet at SDState: A benefit to every South Dakotan
[Page] 6 Governor’s Ag Ambassador — Glenn Muller
[Page] 8 Precision agriculture cooperative agreement signed with University of Debrecen
[Page] 10 Students experience international agriculture, culture in Vietnam, New Zealand
[Page] 12 Legen-dairy! SDSU students claim national judging awards
[Page] 13 SDSU Rodeo Team continues storied rodeo tradition at nationals
[Page] 14 SDSU wheat breeders helping feed the world
[Page] 20 SDSU drone holds promise for soil, leaf sampling
[Page] 22 Don't be a fish out of water
[Page] 24 A passion for academic advising
[Page] 25 One takeaway …

Statice Cut Flower Production In Utah, Kellie Webb, Melanie Stock, Benjamin Scow, Cheyenne Reid, Victoria Xiong, Ali Harrison, Lorin Harrison, Amanda Pratt, Claudia Nischwitz, Nick Volesky

All Current Publications

Statice is a cut-and-come-again, full-sun annual with clustered, papery blooms. Plants have lower water needs and a moderate tolerance to salinity, making this crop a sustainable choice for cut flower production in Utah and other states with water and soil limitations. This fact sheet provides information on statice cultivars, site preparation, germination, transplanting and spacing, trellising, nutrient management, harvest, economics for producers, and pest and disease management.

Western Australian And South Australian Grain Enterprise Emission Intensities And Gross Margins: A Review, Christophe D'Abbadie, Ross Kingwell

Farm Systems and Economics research articles

Drawing on various datasets, crop enterprise emission intensities and gross margins are reported for the main broadacre crops grown in Western Australia and South Australia. Values are reported for various rainfall regions and across time, and for different farm performance groupings. As a generalisation, in each region, wheat and canola production display marked increases in emissions intensity across the study period whilst legume crops’ emission intensities increase far less. Wheat crops display upward emission intensity trajectories across time whilst displaying different rates of increase in emissions intensity according to regional rainfall. Canola demonstrates higher emissions intensities per tonne compared to …

Unraveling Crop Nitrogen-Water Dynamics With Hyperspectral-Thermal Sensing In Northern Central Valley, California, Shahryar Fazli, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Joshua B. Fisher, Rejoice Thomas, Fernando Romero Galvan, Gabriela Shirkey, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Ensuring global food security in the face of climate change requires optimizing crop water use and nutrient management. This study investigates the relationship between canopy nitrogen (N) and evapotranspiration (ET) across sunflower, rice, walnut, alfalfa, and plum crops using advanced remote sensing technologies. High-resolution hyperspectral data from NASAs Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) and thermal multispectral data from the Landsat-based OpenET system were analyzed over 1,135 km² in California. Regression analysis revealed strong spatial association between canopy N and ET for sunflower (R² = 0.82), rice (R² = 0.71), and walnut (R² = 0.68), …

Where The Buffalo Roam: Ungulate Influences On Quaking Aspen And Willow Communities In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, J. Boone Kauffman, Dian L. Cummings, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and willows (Salix spp.) are keystone species of montane and shrub-steppe landscapes of the Western United States. Intact communities dominated by these species provide a wide range of ecosystem services, harboring an exceptional proportion of landscape biodiversity. Land use, especially overgrazing by large ungulates, is among the greatest threats to these ecosystems. To examine the effects of wild ungulates and levels of grazing at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and the adjacent Gallatin National Forest, we sampled plant community composition and vegetation structure of aspen and willow communities both inside and outside of exclosures. …

Pollen Loads Of Insects Caught In Cultivated Fields Of Oilseed Pennycress, Frank Forcella, Ellinor Sheik, Michael Zavada, Mark Bernards

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Although many insects are known to be associated with the floral canopies of oilseed pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), those that carry the crop’s pollen are unknown. During early spring of 2024 insects associated with pennycress flowers in Illinois and Minnesota were captured in sweep nets, frozen, sorted by species, and sonicated to remove pollen. Pollen grains were counted, and pollen loads per individual insect were calculated. Members of the orders Diptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera accounted for 66%, 16%, and 14% of the 850 insects examined, but these same orders were responsible, respectively, for 18%, 3%, and 78% of the …

Amaranthus Spp. Control And Sweetpotato Tolerance To Fluridone-Containing Herbicide Programs, Stephen L. Meyers, Katherine M. Jennings, Mark W. Shankle, Jeffrey L. Main

Publications

Click on author name to view affiliation information Article Category: Research Article Online Publication Date: 12 Sept 2025 Page(s): 843 – 847 Volume/Issue: Volume 35: Issue 5 DOI: 10.21273/HORTTECH05727-25

Open Access

Abstract

Field studies were conducted at the Pontotoc Ridge–Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station in Pontotoc, MS, USA and the Horticultural Crops Research Station in Clinton, NC, USA in 2015 to determine pigweed (Amaranthus spp.) control and sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) crop response to fluridone herbicide. Treatments consisted of 168 g·ha⁻¹ a.i. fluridone alone or tank-mixed with 54 g or 107 g·ha⁻¹ a.i. flumioxazin applied pretransplanting, fluridone/flumioxazin …

Stake-And-Weave Trellising Produces Higher Tomato Yield In High Tunnels Than Does A Double- Or Multiple-Leader Vertical-String Support System, Elizabeth Maynard

Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture Faculty Publications

Yield of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) grown in high tunnels in Wanatah, IN, USA, was evaluated using two plant support systems: stake-and-weave or vertical-string. With stake-and-weave, plants were not pruned; stakes were placed every two plants and string was woven horizontally along either side of the plants along the row. With vertical-string, indeterminate cultivars Big Beef and Cherokee Purple were pruned to two stems and each stem was clipped to a vertical string. For the determinate cultivar Mountain Fresh, all branches below the first main stem flower cluster except one were removed and the main stem and major branches …

Relaxation Of The Leaf Economics Spectrum Within And Across Quaking Aspen Populus Tremuloides Genotypes, Jolanta Rieksta, Bente J. Graae, Kenny Helsen, Rozália E. Kapás, Richard Strimbeck, Benjamin W. Blonder

Aspen Bibliography

Plant functional traits typically show strong covariation, e.g. as in the worldwide leaf economics spectrum (LES). Covariation is thought to arise from selective forces and physical constraints. However, processes shaping covariation at interspecific scales may differ from those at intraspecific scales. Potential sources of intraspecific trait variation include variation in genetics, abiotic environment, and biotic environment; any of these factors may cause divergence from interspecific patterns. Quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides (Salicaceae), is a widespread tree species ideal for assessing these processes' role in the intraspecific LES, due to its clonal growth along environmental gradients, intraspecific variation in cytotype (ploidy level), …

Influence Of Varying Levels Of Lactiplantibacillus Plantarum Inoculant On The Physicochemical Characteristics And Degradation Kinetics Of Corn Silage, Christian V. Lualhati, Kimberly Turaja, Le Chan P. Yu, Jonalyn M. Sandro, Angelica Maghirang Maria, Jimmy C. Espina Jr., Cedric M. Nerona, Reynald D. Amido, Mary Rose De Guia, Gerald Guadayo, Menandro M. Loresco, Arnel N. Del Barrio

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study evaluated the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as an inoculant on the physical (color, odor, texture), chemical characteristics (pH, total soluble sugars [TSS], Flieg point [FP], dry matter [DM], organic matter [OM], ash, crude protein [CP], neutral detergent fiber [NDF], acid detergent fiber [ADF], and hemicellulose), and fermentation kinetics of corn silage. Treatments were 0% (T1), 1% (T2), 2% (T3), and 3% (T4) concentration of L. plantarum applied to corn before ensiling for 21 d. Afterwards, an in situ experiment was immediately conducted to test the digestibility of corn silage at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h …

Understanding Glufosinate Resistance In Palmer Amaranth And Examination Of Additives For Improved Weed Control, Pamela Carvalho-Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to: 1) provide an in-depth review about the potential use of natural and synthetic glutathione S-transferase (GST) inhibitors to enhance herbicidal activity or induce crop safety; 2) determine if the addition of metabolic inhibitors to glufosinate is an effective approach to enhance weed control; 3) investigate the mechanism conferring resistance to glufosinate in a highly-resistant Palmer amaranth accession; 4) characterize the genomic rearrangement involved in glutamine synthetase 2 amplification in a Palmer amaranth accession resistant to both glufosinate and glyphosate; 5) quantify the distribution of glufosinate resistance among Palmer amaranth accessions within a 15-km …

An Economic Assessment Of Precision Conservation With On-Farm Precision Experiment Data, Karina A. Schoengold, Badri Khanal, Taro Mieno, David S. Bullock

Cornhusker Economics

Using a novel dataset that includes within field variation in productivity, we find that partial field retirement for a prairie strip can not only provide conservation benefits, but can also be economically beneficial. We note that these results are for a single field with one year of data, and that additional years of production and fields are essential to determine how much these results can be generalized. We also note that precision systems can be costly, and a comparison of outcomes with and without this information is essential to determine if investing in such systems is profitable. However, variable rate …

Economic Analysis Of Stockers Grazing Botanically Diverse Summer Annual Pasture, Kelly M. Mercier, Christopher D. Teutsch, S. Ray Smith, Kenneth H. Burdine, Eric S. Vanzant, Edwin L. Ritchey

Journal of Extension

Economic analyses were performed to determine the feasibility of retaining weaned fall-born calves on summer annual pastures (a monoculture, a 3-species mixture, or a 12-species mixture). Average daily gain was reduced by 0.3 lbs/day in calves grazing the complex mixture in two out of three years. Enterprise budgeting illustrated that retaining calves on summer annual forages was not economical. Two-way net return tables indicated that this scenario would only be profitable when cattle prices are high and pasture establishment costs are low. Extension educators should be sure to emphasize the economic risks when discussing these systems.

Larkspur Cut Flower Production In Utah, Nick Volesky, Melanie Stock

All Current Publications

Larkspur is an annual crop that provides vertical structure, height, and balance to floral arrangements. Stems also dry well, making them ideal for dried floral designs and other products. Paired with low input costs compared to many other flowers, larkspur is a competitive local crop for small farms. Utah State University (USU) trialed three colors for each Cannes, Fancy, and QIS^TM series (C. ajacis) in 2023 and 2024. This fact sheet covers site preparation, direct sowing and plant density, nutrient management, irrigation, pests and disease, harvest and storage, and economics.

Agricultural Biotechnology In The Courts: Judicial Opinions And Commentary, Drew L. Kershen

Faculty Articles

Seven jurisdictions from around the world have issued judicial opinions that address fundamental issues about the governance and regulatory systems of agricultural biotechnology. This article summarizes these legal proceedings and describes their impact upon agricultural biotechnology. The article then provides a commentary and critique of the legal proceedings and resulting judicial opinions.

Northern Arizona Ecological Conservation: Assessing Quaking Aspen Health In Northern Arizona Using Earth Observations, Ikram Morso, Luke Collins, Margaret Cox, Melissa Schwan

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests in Northern Arizona provide critical habitat for endangered bird species and support regional tourism and recreation. However, aspen populations are declining due to a combination of abiotic and biotic stressors. In response, land managers implemented strategies, such as ungulate exclusion fencing, prescribed burns, and stand thinning, but efforts are constrained by limited data on where and when to intervene. This project worked in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, and Northern Arizona University School of Forestry. The team utilized Earth observations …

Managing Undesirable Vegetation Transitions On The Landscape: A Study Of Perceptions Of Conservation Professionals In Nebraska And Montana, Anubrata Deka, Simanti Banerjee, Theresa Floyd

Cornhusker Economics

In this bulletin, we have provided a descriptive analysis of the perceptions of conservation professionals in Nebraska and Montana, two states where the rangeland ecosystem is facing a large-scale transition from native grasses to invasive trees and grasses. This analysis provides an initial understanding of the different factors that can influence adoption of policy initiatives by conservation professionals. When considered alongside insights into the management behaviors of ranchers—whose productivity and profitability are adversely affected by these transitions—this information helps form a more comprehensive picture of the ecological and economic impacts of UVTs, as well as strategies for their mitigation. In …

Development Of A Machine Learning Framework For An Irrigation Decision Support System, Eric Wilkening, Derek M. Heeren, Yeyin Shi, Laila A. Puntel, Guillermo R. Balboa, Abia Katimbo, Kuan Zhang, Precious Nneka Amori, Bruno Lena

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Currently used irrigation scheduling techniques often require significant human intervention and are time consuming, particularly for variable rate irrigation. This research aimed to develop a conceptual framework that incorporates disparate data sources leveraging both mechanistic and machine learning (ML) approaches. The overarching objective is to utilize the growing availability of data and technology to manage irrigation more precisely, which will minimize negative impacts of irrigation on our water resources. An initial irrigation machine learning model was proposed and tested in this study as a key component of an edge-cloud computing and federated learning decision-making framework. The specific objectives were (1) …

Nebline, August/September 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Contents

Summertime’s Natural Light Show: Fireflies by Kait Chapman

Insect Science with Kids: Bug Collecting as a Tool to Learn

The Perfect Partnership: EFNEP and SNAP-Ed Join Forces for Lifelong Nutrition and Health by Emily Gratopp

Recipe of the month by Emily Gratopp: Fruit salsa & cinnamon chips

Southeast nebraska Pasture & Acreage Expo

Southeast Nebraska Alfalfa & Wheat Expo

Landlord/Tenant Cash Rent workshop

Vegetable Gardening in the Fall by Mary Jane Frogge

GRO Big Red virtual learning series

2025 perennial plant of the year: Blue mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

Garden guide: Things to do this month by …

Large Scale Deletion And Rebalancing Within The K1c Kafirin Family In Sorghum, Tyler W. Ferris

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Monech (sorghum) is cultivated as food for humans and livestock and is valued for its low input requirements. However, sorghum grain protein is deficient in the essential amino acid lysine and has poor protein digestibility because of the abundance of proline-rich kafirins that constitute >70% of proteins that form low-digestibility protein bodies. To reduce kafirin expression in the endosperm, and elicit wholesale proteome rebalancing to increase non-kafirin proteins, a single-guide RNA (sgRNA) Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) construct was previously used to target members of the highly-repetitive alpha-kafirin family, k1C in RTx430 sorghum. The …

Crop, Soil Nutrient, And Soil Health Responses Within Integrated Crop And Livestock Systems, Alyssa K. Hall

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We evaluated the influences of grazing livestock on crop production, soil nutrients, and soil health indicators of integrated crop livestock systems using three experiments during a seven-yr. period. Objectives were to (1) determine livestock grazing and cropping system effects on crop yield and soil properties across six yr. in corn-soybean (C-S) and wheat-corn-soybean (W-C-S) systems with and without periodic composted manure application, (2) explore seasonal variation in soil nutrient patterns over two yr., and (3) measure residual responses for corn grain yield plus soil health indicators in yr. seven following a six-yr. study. In experiment 1, neither livestock grazing ( …