Agriculture Commons^™

Developing A Method To Contain The Feeding Of The Wheat Curl Mite (Aceria Tosichella Keifer), Pierce Leef, Gary Hein

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To better understand the ecology and epidemiology of the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer) as a vector of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), it is necessary to develop a method to confine the microscopic mites and their infection to specific areas of their host plants, particularly wheat and corn. In this study, corn was the plant of interest. The device developed for this mite-confining method was made by removing the lens of a phone camera lens clip and gluing a 2.5 cm x 4.5 cm piece of wood to the other arm of the clip. Clips were utilized by …

Management Effects On Soil Quality Of The Geary Soil Series In Thayer County, Nebraska, Aime Nishimwe

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The CGIAR reports that around 40% of global crop yield variability is explained by climate. While global food consumption is expected to soar in 2050, the impact of climate change accounts for approximately 5% decrease in crop productivity. FAO estimates a 60% increase in global food demand by 2050, with global population reaching 9.8 billions. Sustainable soil management was also noted to boost agricultural food production by 58%. The evaluation of the impact of different management practices on dynamic soil properties was conducted on Geary silty clay loam, 3 to 7 %, eroded soils, which are mainly used for crop …

Using Hydrogeophysics & Xrf To Produce A High-Resolution 3-Dimensional Soil Cadmium Map For Evaluating Hybrid Wheat Trials, Thierry Bienvenu, Trenton Franz, Associate Professor Of Hydrogeophysics, Nuwan Wijewardane, Post Doc Research Associate, Yufeng Ge, Associate Professor

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Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in wheat decreases germination, growth, grain yield, and in higher concentration leads to adverse effects on human health (Liu et al, 2018). Due to wheat cultivars variation in Cd accumulation, wheat breeders aim to select those at low Cd concentration lines in a field. Hence the need to quantify the concentration of Cd at different parts of a field and visually represent on a high resolution Cd distribution map. Various ways to quantify the concentration of soil Cd exist. However, the cost of equipment required make the process quite expensive and labor intensive. This work studied the …

Sorghum Tolerance Of Phloem-Feeding Aphids, Earl Agpawa, Sajjan Grover, Joe Louis

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Aphids are phloem sap-feeding insects that negatively affects plant productivity. With short generation times, new aphid biotypes may arise either in response to pesticide use or through other factors. Additional biotypes can cause serious damage to plants compared to others. Whereas others can become highly resistant to methods of pest control. One possible solution to this problem is to focus on the plant itself, or host plant resistance. Plant tolerance is one of the plant resistance categories in which the plant is capable of functioning normally and remain relatively unharmed and stable in response to insect herbivory without harming the …

Statistical Analysis Of The Adoption Of Conservation Practices In Midwest And Great Plains Agriculture, Regan Gilmore, Karina Schoengold

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Improving conservation in conventional agriculture is crucial for the sustainability of agricultural economies. The aim of this project is to identify factors correlated with agricultural producers adopting conservation practices on their land.

Producers tend to choose their tillage and cropping systems based on soil management and yield/productivity concerns. Reasons and concerns for using no-till vary by state. For example, producers in Iowa choosing their tillage system based on yield/productivity concerns are 9.8% less likely to use no-till, while producers in South Dakota with the same concerns are 21.5% more likely to use no-till.

Simulating The Impact Of A Co2-Equivalent Meat Tax On Grain And Livestock Markets, Regan Gilmore, Azzeddine Azzam

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Research Question

What are the potential effects of imposing a carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent tax on meat consumption, including beef, pork, and poultry, on U.S. livestock and grain markets and greenhouse gas emissions?

This is the second half of a research project introduced in the poster entitled "Using an Equilibrium Displacement Model to Simulate the Impact of an Environmental Meat Tax on Grain and Livestock Markets," online at https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ucareresearch/125/

Environmental Performance Of Local Versus Conventional Food Systems With A Focus On Fresh Vegetables Sold In The City Of Lincoln, Melanie Kieffer, Katie Harner

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This study examines the early stages to collect data on energy expenditure of fresh vegetables sold at Lincoln farmer’s markets in comparison to those sold at conventional grocery stores via lifecycle analysis. Results from the life cycle analysis would determine what the energy costs are for both local food markets and grocery retailers and how these energy costs may differ. This research is important as previous work has shown that the US food system is a significant contributor to fossil fuel combustion, accounting for about 15% of total energy use in the country. The ability to determine which market is …

Reducing The Potential For Acrylamide Formation In Wheat Products, Amy Hauver, P. Stephen Baenziger, Mary J. Guttieri

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Acrylamide, a chemical formed from free asparagine and reducing sugars during high-temperature cooking via the Maillard reaction (i.e. frying or baking) of high starch foods is deemed ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ based on its affect in mice. In April of 2002, a group of Swedish researchers reported findings that presented evidence that heat-treated, starch-rich foods contained high levels of acrylamide, later linking the production of acrylamide to the Maillard reaction. A number of other studies have been done to link dietary intake of acrylamide to human cancers and other health effects, although many have had inconclusive results. Nevertheless, the World …