Agriculture Commons^™

Agricultural Situation And Outlook Fall 2008, Sara Williamson, Kenneth H. Burdine

Agricultural Situation and Outlook

No abstract provided.

A Polyadenylation Factor Subunit Implicated In Regulating Oxidative Signaling In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Jingxian Zhang, Bala Subrahmanyam Addepalli, Kil-Young Yun, Arthur G. Hunt, Ruqiang Xu, Suryadevara Rao, Qingshun Q. Li, Deane L. Falcone

Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Plants respond to many unfavorable environmental conditions via signaling mediated by altered levels of various reactive oxygen species (ROS). To gain additional insight into oxidative signaling responses, Arabidopsis mutants that exhibited tolerance to oxidative stress were isolated. We describe herein the isolation and characterization of one such mutant, oxt6.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The oxt6 mutation is due to the disruption of a complex gene (At1g30460) that encodes the Arabidopsis ortholog of the 30-kD subunit of the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF30) as well as a larger, related 65-kD protein. Expression of mRNAs encoding Arabidopsis CPSF30 alone was able to …

Colloid Mediated Transport Of Heavy Metals In Soils Following Reclamation With And Without Biosolid Application, Jarrod O. Miller

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Soils disturbed by strip mining practices may have increased colloid loads moving to groundwater resources, also enhancing the transport of contaminants into our water resources. We hypothesize that contaminant transport within soils following mining is enhanced by colloid mobility. Two sites were chosen for this study, a 30-year old reclaimed strip mine in southwest Virginia and a recently mined area from eastern Kentucky. Intact reclaimed soil monoliths were retrieved from sandstone derived soils in southwestern Virginia. Reclaimed monoliths from eastern Kentucky were recreated in the lab. Intact undisturbed (native) soil monoliths representing the soils before mining were also sampled for …

Precision Agriculture: Realizing Increased Profit And Reduced Risk Through Cost Map And Lightbar Adoption, Benjamin Michael Kayrouz

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis examines the use of two specific types of precision agriculture technologies: cost maps and lightbar. Cost maps visually depict spatial differences in production costs. The visual depictions of these costs are represented using ArcGIS in an attempt to aide farmers in further decision making. Results will show that cost maps have great possibilities in their addition to the set of tools that farmers use in decision making. This thesis will expand the understanding of lightbar from a partial budget study to a whole farm model incorporating competition across different enterprises for labor and capital. The results from the …

Content Preparation Of Pre-Service Agricultural Education Teachers And Its Influence On Their Content Knowledge, Amber Houck

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Content knowledge preparation for teachers is a crucial component of the modal curriculum model for education. The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and quality of coursework preparation of pre-service University of Kentucky agriculture teachers influences their content knowledge as defined by the Praxis II agriculture exam scores. This study concluded that there was variability in coursework preparation of pre-service agriculture teachers at the University of Kentucky. Praxis II exam scores of pre-service teachers indicated that most students are meeting an adequate content knowledge level based on the exam material. It can also be concluded that …

Assessing The Demand For Weather Index Insurance In Shandong Province, China, Lisha Zhang

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Shandong Province, renowned as China’s greatest agricultural province, is dominated by smallholders growing rain-fed crops and vulnerable to severe weather shocks that can increase poverty rates. Weather index insurance, an innovative agricultural risk management product, may be an effective mechanism to address vulnerability to catastrophic weather risk in rural regions of China, including Shandong. This project evaluated current household livelihood and risk management strategies and farmer interest in weather index insurance. Data from 174 participants were collected using a methodology that included focus groups, questionnaires, and personal interviews. Despite limited access to formal financial services, Shandong farmers generally employ informal, …

An Analysis Of Kentucky Equestrian Trail Riders: Determining Rider Behaviors And Valuing Site Amenities That Contribute To Repeat Visits, Katharine Auchter

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this travel cost study is to determine how rider behaviors and site characteristics influence repeat visits for equestrian trail riding in Kentucky. Primary data was collected via a survey developed and administered to trail riders in person and online. The average surveyed trail rider tends to be female, about 46 years old, with some higher education, and an annual household income of $65,000. She makes 11 trips to a specified site per year, 8 of which are daytrips, usually in the fall, and traveling 132 miles round trip. From other information gathered, an index of trail characteristics …

Packing Factors Of Feed Products In Storage Structures, Samuel G. Mcneill, Michael D. Montross, Sidney A. Thompson, I. Joseph Ross, Thomas C. Bridges

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Experiments were conducted to measure the changes in bulk density of cracked corn, corn meal, soybean meal, cotton seed meal, and distillers dried grain (without solubles) when subjected to simulated overburden pressures. All materials were tested at two moisture content levels (approximately 8% and 12% w.b.) and seven pressures between 0 and 69 kPa (0 and 10 psi). A mathematical model was fitted to the data to predict the bulk density of each feed ingredient as a function of pressure and moisture content. These relationships were inserted into a previously developed computer model to predict ingredient packing within conventional storage …

Airflow Resistance Of Wheat Bedding As Influenced By The Filling Method, J. Łukaszuk, M. Molenda, J. Horabik, B. Szot, Michael D. Montross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A study was conducted to estimate the degree of variability of the airflow resistance in wheat caused by the filling method, compaction of the sample, and airflow direction. Two types of grain chambers were used: a cylindrical column 0.95 m high and 0.196 m in diameter, and a cubical box of 0.35 m side. All factors examined were found to influence considerably the airflow resistance. Gravitational axial filling of the grain column from three heights (0.0, 0.95 and 1.8 m) resulted in the pressure drops of 1.0, 1.3, and 1.5 kPa at the airflow velocity of 0.3 m/s. Consolidation of …

The Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook For 2008, Laura A. Powers

Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook

No abstract provided.

Inorganic And Organic Phosphorus Interactions With Hydroxy-Interlayered Soil Minerals, Paul D. Shumaker Ii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Phosphorus (P), a necessary plant and animal nutrient, can also lead to eutrophication of fresh waters when in excess. Appropriate P management is necessary to prevent fresh water pollution. Mineralogy of soil clays has been shown to affect P adsorption, desorption, and movement through soils. Specifically, hydroxy-interlayered minerals have been shown to adsorb and retain inorganic P in soil systems. This study was designed to determine the sorption and desorption characteristics of inorganic, organic, and mixed forms of P interacting with soil hydroxy-interlayered vermiculites (HIV) and smectites (HIS), and compare the findings to sorption and desorption processes of natural aluminum …

Quantifying Cellulase In High-Solids Environments, Alicia Renée Abadie

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

In recent years, fungal and bacterial cellulases have gained popularity for the conversion of lignocellulosic material to biofuels and biochemicals. This study investigated properties of fungal (Trichoderma. reesei) and bacterial (Clostridium thermocellum) cellulases. Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out with T. reesei using nine enzyme concentration and substrate combinations. Initial rates and extents of hydrolysis were determined from the progress curve of each combination. Inhibition occurred at the higher enzyme concentrations and higher solids concentrations. Mechanisms to explain the observed inhibition are discussed. Samples of C. thermocellum purified free cellulase after 98% hydrolysis were assayed to determine …

Map-Based Cloning Of An Anthracnose Resistance Gene In Medicago Truncatula, Shengming Yang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Anthracnose, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum trifolii, is one of the most destructive diseases of alfalfa worldwide. Cloning and characterization of the host resistance (R) genes against the pathogen will improve our knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlying host resistance and facilitate the development of resistant alfalfa cultivars. However, the intractable genetic system of cultivated alfalfa, owing to its tetrasomic inheritance and outcrossing nature, limits the ability to carry out genetic analysis in alfalfa. Nonetheless, the model legume Medicago truncatula, a close relative of alfalfa, provides a surrogate for cloning the counterparts of many agronomically important genes in …

The Role Of Spiders In The Detrital Food Web Of An Eastern Deciduous Forest, Erin Elizabeth Hladilek

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Historically, terrestrial food web research has focused on describing the structure of aboveground grazing webs, and determining how interactions among plants, herbivores and higher trophic levels influence primary productivity. Detrital food webs however, play a significant role in regulation of ecosystem dynamics through direct impacts on decomposition. Unraveling the complex nature of detrital food web structure is critical to developing a better understanding of ecosystem function. Therefore the primary objective of this research was to describe the structure of the leaf-litter food web in a temperate deciduous forest, with emphasis on interactions between a community of generalist predators, the forest-floor …

Microbial Community Structure Dynamics In Ohio River Sediments During Reductive Dechlorination Of Pcbs, Andres Enrique Nunez

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The entire stretch of the Ohio River is under fish consumption advisories due to contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, natural attenuation and biostimulation of PCBs and microbial communities responsible for PCB transformations were investigated in Ohio River sediments.

Natural attenuation of PCBs was negligible in sediments, which was likely attributed to low temperature conditions during most of the year, as well as low amounts of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon. Moreover, surface sediments were relatively oxidized, as indicated by the prevalence of aerobic bacteria such as beta- Proteobacteria, alpha-Proteobacteria, Sphingobacteria, and Nitrospira in 16S rRNA sediment …