Agriculture Commons^™

2020 Summer Annual Variety Trial, Heather Darby, Sara Ziegler, Ivy Krezinski, Rory Malone

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Warm season grasses, such as sudangrass, and millet can provide quality forage in the hot summer months, when cool season perennial grasses enter dormancy and decline in productivity. The addition of summer annuals into a rotation can provide a harvest of high-quality forage for stored feed or grazing during this critical time. Generally, summer annuals germinate quickly, grow rapidly, are drought resistant, and have high productivity and flexibility in utilization. The UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program conducted this variety trial to evaluate the yield and quality of warm season annual grasses.

South Dakota Farmers’ Perceived Extreme Weather Frequency And Adaptation Measures, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted surveys of eastern South Dakota (SD) commodity crop producers with the support of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council. Using publicly available addresses of government program participants, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible and 708 responded to the survey for a response rate of 30%. In 2021, the same producers who took the survey in 2018 were asked to take a follow up survey. 94 were ineligible, and 350 responded for a 59% response rate. Producers could take the survey online or via …

South Dakota Farmers’ Perceived Value Of Carbon Credits, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted surveys with South Dakota commodity crop producers in the eastern part of the state in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, farming practices including usage of soil and water conservation practices, challenges and benefits to using conservation practices, and their attitudes about the environment. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency of government program participants, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the survey …

South Dakota Farmers’ Usage Of Integrated Crop & Livestock Management, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted producer surveys in the eastern part of South Dakota in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, farming practices including usage of soil and water conservation practices, and their values. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the survey for a response rate of 30%. In 2021, the same producers who took the survey in 2018 were asked …

South Dakota Farmer Survey Chemical Use On Cropland, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted surveys with South Dakota (SD) commodity crop producers in the eastern part of the state in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, farming practices including usage of soil and water conservation practices, challenges, and benefits to using conservation practices, and their attitudes about the environment. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency of government program participants, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the …

South Dakota Farmers’ Usage Of Cover Crops, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted producer surveys in the eastern part of South Dakota in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, farming practices including usage of soil and water conservation practices, and their values. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the survey for a response rate of 30%. In 2021, the same producers who took the survey in 2018 were asked …

South Dakota Farmers’ Usage Of Conservation Tillage, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted producer surveys in the eastern part of South Dakota in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, farming practices including usage of soil and water conservation practices, and their values. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the survey for a response rate of 30%. In 2021, the same producers who took the survey in 2018 were asked …

South Dakota Farmers’ Usage Of Diversified Crop Rotations, Tong Wang, Jim Ristau

South Dakota Farm Survey

Researchers at South Dakota State University (SDSU) conducted producer surveys in the eastern part of South Dakota in both 2018 and 2021. Producers could take the survey online or via mail and were asked questions about their farm, soil and water conservation practices, and their values. Using publicly available addresses from the Farm Service Agency, a random sample of 3,000 producers were sent the survey in 2018. 650 were ineligible, and 708 responded to the survey for a response rate of 30%. In 2021, the same producers who took the survey in 2018 were asked to take a follow up …

The Uniform Soybean Tests: Northern Region 2021, Guohong Cai, Adam Brock

Uniform Soybean Tests Northern Region

The purpose of The Uniform Soybean Tests is to critically evaluate the best of the experimental soybean lines developed by federal and state research personnel in the U.S. and Canada, for their potential release as new varieties. A test is established for each of ten maturity groups. Uniform Test 00 includes maturity Group 00 strains adapted to production in the northern fringe of the present area of soybean production. Uniform Tests 0 through IV include later maturing strains adapted to locations progressively further south in the North Central States and areas of similar latitude. Each year new selections are added …

Genetic Fingerprinting And Aflatoxin Production Of Aspergillus Section Flavi Associated With Groundnut In Eastern Ethiopia, Abdi Mohammed, Paola C. Faustinelli, Alemayehu Chala, Mashilla Dejene, Chemeda Fininsa, Amare Ayalew, Chris O. Ojiewo, David A. Hoisington, Victor S. Sobolev, Jaime Martínez-Castillo, Renee S. Arias

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: Aspergillus species cause aflatoxin contamination in groundnut kernels, being a health threat in agricultural products and leading to commodity rejection by domestic and international markets. Presence of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus colonizing groundnut in eastern Ethiopia, as well as presence of aflatoxins have been reported, though in this region, no genetic studies have been done of these species in relation to their aflatoxin production. Results: In this study, 145 Aspergillus isolates obtained from groundnut kernels in eastern Ethiopia were genetically fingerprinted using 23 Insertion/Deletion (InDel) markers within the aflatoxin-biosynthesis gene cluster (ABC), identifying 133 ABC genotypes. Eighty-four isolates …

Genetic Mapping And Qtl Analysis For Peanut Smut Resistance, Francisco J. De Blas, Cecilia I. Bruno, Renee Arias, Carolina Ballén-Taborda, Eva Mamani, Claudio Oddino, Melina Rosso, Beatriz P. Costero, Marina Bressano, Juan H. Soave, Sara J. Soave, Mario I. Buteler, J. Guillermo Seijo, Alicia Massa

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: Peanut smut is a disease caused by the fungus Thecaphora frezii Carranza & Lindquist to which most commercial cultivars in South America are highly susceptible. It is responsible for severely decreased yield and no effective chemical treatment is available to date. However, smut resistance has been identified in wild Arachis species and further transferred to peanut elite cultivars. To identify the genome regions conferring smut resistance within a tetraploid genetic background, this study evaluated a RIL population {susceptible Arachis hypogaea subsp. hypogaea (JS17304-7-B) × resistant synthetic amphidiploid (JS1806) [A. correntina (K 11905) × A. cardenasii (KSSc 36015)] × A. …

Evidence Of Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte) Field-Evolved Resistance To Cry3bb1 + Cry34/35ab1 Maize In Nebraska, Jordan Reinders, Emily E. Reinders, Emily Robinson, Brian W. French, Lance J. Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Western corn rootworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) field-evolved resistance to transgenic maize expressing the Cry3Bb1 protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been confirmed across the United States Corn Belt. Although use of pyramided hybrids expressing Cry3Bb1 + Cry34/35Ab1 has increased in recent years to mitigate existing WCR Bt resistance, susceptibility of Nebraska WCR populations to this rootworm–Bt pyramid has not been assessed. Plant-based bioassays were used to characterize the susceptibility of WCR populations to Cry3Bb1 and Cry3Bb1 + Cry34/35Ab1 maize. Populations were collected from areas of northeastern Nebraska with a history of planting Bt maize that expressed Cry3Bb1 …

Assessment Of Soil Sampling Equipment For Guiding Fertiliser Decisions, David Weaver, Robert Summers, David Rogers, Peta Richards, David Rowe

Resource management technical reports

A range of methods, technologies and equipment are used to collect representative composite soil samples from paddocks. Once collected, soil samples are analysed for various parameters that provide evidence to guide fertiliser decisions. The sampling methods, technologies and equipment used must result in samples that consistently represent the parameter of interest.

Soil sampling technology and equipment has advanced from manual devices (such as pogo-stick-style foot-thrust core samplers [pogo]) to a variety of mechanised core-thrust samplers and augers that are fitted to vehicles or battery drills. Each device may function differently under different conditions, and each requires differing levels of human …

Cattle Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2020/2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

In June 2010 the Cattle Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) was introduced to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) cattle industry. The Scheme was established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable cattle producers to identify the pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and to raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Cattle IFS, there is a Sheep and Goat IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in a similar manner.

The purpose of …

Measuring Ecosystem Services From Soil Health. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Research Report #1, Alissa C. White, Heather M. Darby, Benjamin Timothy Dube, Bryony Sands, Joshua W. Faulkner, Meredith Albers, Maggie Payne

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

There are a multitude of approaches to evaluating soil health and the soil processes influenced by soil health. As the state of Vermont explores innovative programs that compensate farmers for soil health and associated ecosystem services, the selection of soil health indicators and quantification methods is a foundational first step that influences other aspects of program design. What is measured determines the ecosystem services that can be inferred, the accuracy of data that informs decisions, and programmatic transaction costs. Simply put, what is measured matters. The PES Working Group identified organic matter, bulk density, aggregate stability, greenhouse gas flux from …

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2020, Jeremy Ross

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2020 Arkansas Soybean Research Studies includes research reports on topics pertaining to soybean across several disciplines from breeding to post-harvest processing. Research reports contained in this publication may represent preliminary or only data from a single year or limited results; therefore, these results should not be used as a basis for long-term recommendations. Several research reports in this publication will appear in other University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications. This duplication is the result of the overlap in research coverage between disciplines and our effort to inform Arkansas soybean producers of the research …

The Potential Of Remotely Sensed Vegetation Indices For Monitoring Pasture Condition, Pouria Ramzi, Karen Holmes

Resource management technical reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is developing an integrated monitoring system using remote sensing and on-ground measurements to track pasture condition across Western Australia’s pastoral region. We extended and adapted the methods developed in the Pastoral Lease Assessment Using Geospatial Analysis (PLAGA) project (Robinson et al. 2012), which combined remotely sensed vegetation indices (VIs) with on-ground pasture condition observations to assess the potential of using different vegetation indices in a statewide condition monitoring system.

There were 6 regions in WA’s pastoral rangelands with DPIRD on-ground condition traverse points: Kimberley and Broome, Pilbara, Yalgoo and Sandstone, Goldfields, …

Feeding A New Corn Milling Coproduct To Lactating Dairy Cattle; Examination Of Whole Animal Energy And Nitrogen Balance, Addison Carroll

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

New coproducts are continually developed in the ethanol production industry. With that, the new product originates from the dry milling process which is unlike the traditional process as nitrogenous based particles are concentrated from the residual fiber by sieving post fermentation. Although high protein coproducts have been available since the mid 2000’s. These new products must be evaluated for chemical composition so that they can be accurately described in feed libraries that are used in commercial ration formulation software. While chemical composition provides us an initial and useful description of a feed product, in vivo nitrogen and energy balance studies …

Small Grain Cereal Cover Crops For Late Fall Or Early Spring Grazing, Kallie Calus

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Beef cattle operations are confronted with early spring and late fall forage deficiencies. Producers in integrated crop and livestock systems can fill forage gaps using cover crops as a forage source in between cash crops.

A five-year study evaluating forage production, growing calf performance and economics of grazing an oats cover crop planted after corn silage (CS) and high moisture corn (HMC) corn harvests was conducted. The economic analysis accounted for costs of establishing and grazing the oats and the value of calf gain to determine fall grazing system profitability. Steers had greater average daily gain grazing oats after CS …

Host Genetics And Phenotype Associations Within The Bovine Rumen Microbiome, Waseem Abbas

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rumen microbes have a symbiotic relationship with the host where the host provides a suitable environment and microbial fermentation fulfill nearly 70% of the energy needs of the host. Rumen microbes play a central role in host performance and health. To date, most rumen microbiome studies have focused on the influence of diet on microbial species composition. In addition to dietary factors, studies have suggested that host genetic markers could influence the colonization of gastrointestinal microbiota. However, our understanding of the host-microbiome interaction and how host phenotype is influenced by the rumen microbiome is limited. This dissertation demonstrates: (1) host …

Evaluation Of Cattle Management For Systems With Limited Perennial Pasture, Morgan Grabau

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Due to the conversion of perennial pasture and hay land to cropland in the western corn belt region, alternative methods of cow/calf management are being used to decrease reliance on perennial forages. These include grazing corn residue and feeding cow/calf pairs in confinement. Previous research has shown that limit-feeding a diet of low-quality forage and energy-dense co-products to cows in confinement is cost-effective. However, this strategy may limit the intake of the young calf and thus their performance. A study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of two alternative calf management strategies when pairs are in confinement, early weaning or …

Rehydrating The Landscape At Yanget, Geraldton, Western Australia, Jamie Bowyer, Rod O'Bree

Natural resources published reports

Rod and Bridie O’Bree’s farm is 25 km east of Geraldton in the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia. The long-term rainfall average is 486 mm although that has dropped to 354 mm over the last 30 years. They run a 150 head beef cattle herd, fatten 500-700 lambs annually and have a 40-60 head horse stud on the farm. They purchased the farm early in 2008 after one of the worst droughts in the area. There was little to no vegetation, brown or green, across the farm and all of the water from a 25 mm rain event ran …

American Burying Beetle, Plant Richness, And Soil Property Responses To Collapse Of Juniperus Virginiana Woodlands With Fire, Alison Ludwig

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

Grasslands are declining in the Great Plains due to land use changes, woody plant encroachment, and loss of historic fire cycles. Prescribed burn associations have utilized prescribed fire to collapse invading woodlands and allow the restoration of grasslands. This fire is considered “extreme” because it is capable of changing the structure and function of an ecosystem. Our study site is the Loess Canyons Experimental Landscape, a long-term, ecoregion-scale experiment to apply prescribed fire across the region to restore grasslands. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project established the Loess Canyons ecoregion as a Biologically-Unique Landscape in 2005 with the state’s wildlife action …

A Method For Visualizing Water Flow Through Modified Root Zones, Dallas M. Williams

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

As the number of impervious surfaces in urban environments increases, the ability of modified root zones to infiltrate water is becoming more important. Current methods of tracing water flow through soil profiles include excavating large pits in situ or analyzing soil cores in the laboratory with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. While useful, these methods may not be suitable for urban settings or practical in every laboratory. We propose a new method that is less invasive, does not require extensive technical equipment and can reliably trace water movement through the soil profile in order to calculate flow rate based …

Livestock Grazing Impacts On Crop And Soil Responses For Two Cropping Systems, Alyssa Kuhn

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

Diversified crop, forage, and livestock systems are assumed to be more sustainable and economically competitive than traditional cropping systems. Objectives of this study were to determine effects of integrating grazing livestock into corn (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) (C-S) and corn-soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (C-S-W) cropping systems on plant population, grain yield, soil nutrients and soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux following winter grazing corn residue (both systems) and an oat (Avena sativa) cover crop (C-S-W only) planted after wheat. For the 2019 and 2020 production seasons, neither corn nor soybean plant …

A Proposal For Insurance To Address Offsite Injuries Accompanying Dicamba Usage, Terence J. Centner

Cornhusker Economics

Soybean producers are familiar with the special dicamba products first sold in 2017 for use on Xtend soybeans to control glyphosate-resistant weeds. Dicamba can be applied as a post-emergent spray to kill weeds that germinate after soybeans have been planted. With the control of these weeds, producers reap increased yields. However, the use of dicamba products led to significant offsite injury to vegetation including non-dicamba-resistant soybeans. Damages to neighbors’ properties from dicamba usage strained the social relations of people living in many rural communities.

Comparative Study Of Sensory Attributes Of Leafy Green Vegetables Grown Under Organic And Conventional Management, Kripa Dhakal, Ramasamy Ravi, Dilip Nandwani

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

This study was carried out to compare the sensory qualities of leafy green vegetables (collard, kale, lettuce and swiss chard) grown under organic and conventional production systems. Four leafy greens were produced on an organically and conventionally managed research farm of Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN in Spring 2019 and 2020. Crops in a conventional field were grown in the open field, whereas in organic field crops were grown in the open and under three different row covers (agribon cloth, insect net and plastic). Row covers in organic systems were used to protect crops from insect damage. Plant samples were …

Seeding Rate Effects On Forage Mass And Vegetation Dynamics Of Cool-Season Grass Sod Interseeded With Sorghum-Sudangrass, John A. Guretzky, D. D. Redfearn

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Interseeding annual warm-season grasses into perennial cool-season grasses has the potential to increase summer forage mass and nutritive value. Knowledge of how seeding rate affects annual warm-season grass establishment, forage mass, and vegetation dynamics remains limited. From 2016–2017, we conducted a field experiment evaluating the effects of seeding rates on sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var. sudanense) density and forage mass and on the frequency of occurrence of plant species in cool-season grass sod in Lincoln, NE. The experiment had a completely randomized design consisting of six replicates of four seeding rates [0, 14, 28, and 35 …

Impact Of Urbanization Trends On Production Of Key Staple Crops, José F. Andrade, Kenneth G. Cassman, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Fahmuddin Agus, Abdullahi Bala, Nanyan Deng, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Urbanization has appropriated millions of hectares of cropland, and this trend will persist as cities continue to expand. We estimate the impact of this conversion as the amount of land needed elsewhere to give the same yield potential as determined by differences in climate and soil properties. Robust spatial upscaling techniques, well-validated crop simulation models, and soil, climate, and cropping system databases are employed with a focus on populous countries with high rates of land conversion. We find that converted cropland is 30–40% more productive than new cropland, which means that projection of food production potential must account for expected …

The Effects Of Omega-3 Pufa Infusions During Late Gestation On Developmental Pathologies In The Intrauterine Growth Restricted Fetus, Taylor Lacey

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Low birthweight due to intrauterine growth restriction is associated with metabolic disorders after birth. Our 1^st study assessed deficits in skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and pancreatic β cell function in IUGR fetal sheep. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of daily intravenous infusions of the anti-inflammatory ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), as a means of improving deficits previously observed in the IUGR fetus by targeting fetal systemic inflammation. The presence of systemic inflammation in IUGR fetuses was evident by increased total circulating populations of total leukocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes. However, these were …