Agriculture Commons^™

Spring Seed Guide 2010: Nebraska Variety And Hybrid Tests -- Soybeans, Teshome Regassa, Robert N. Klein, Bruce Anderson, Charles A. Shapiro, Jim Krall

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

NEBRASKA SOYBEAN VARIETY TESTS 2009

Crop Production Summary: The November 2009 estimated soybean yield for Nebraska was 52 bushels per acre from 4.800 million harvested acres. The total production of soybeans for the state was forecasted at 247 million bushels. These estimates are from the November National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Streamflow Prediction Using Gis For The Kentucky River Basin, Bakkiyalakshmi Palanisamy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The study was aimed at developing a simple methodology for flow prediction in ungauged basins using existing data resources. For this purpose, the streamflow measurements across the Kentucky River Basin located in Kentucky, USA were obtained from United States Geological Survey (USGS) archive. The flow transferring characteristics of the subbasins of the Kentucky River Basin were obtained by combining downstream and upstream stream gauges. The flow transferring function thus derived were related to watershed, channel and flow characteristics of the subbasins by multiple regression analysis. The gauge pairs were divided into two classes of subbasins representing Upper and Lower Kentucky, …

Characterization Of Soil Carbon Stabilization In Long-Term Row-Cropped Agro-Ecosystems, Soraya Patricia Alvarado-Ochoa

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a dynamic soil property, sensitive and responsive to many factors. The possibility of increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration by changing land use and management practices has been of great interest recently due to concerns with global changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) balance. Nonetheless, as a result of the complex dynamics of SOM, there is still the need for SOM characterization procedures capable of monitoring SOM stabilization, taking into account all the factors involved.

This study characterized SOM stabilization as affected by management practices in three long-term field experiments, considering physical, chemical …

Spiny Amaranth Control And Aminopyralid Persistence In Kentucky Pastures, Meghan Elizabeth Edwards

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Spiny amaranth is a problematic weed of heavily grazed pastures in Kentucky and surrounding states. The first objective was to evaluate spiny amaranth control when herbicides are applied before and after emergence. Spiny amaranth seed collected in 2008 were seeded in rows in the fall (November) and the following spring (March) in fields located near Lexington and Princeton, KY. Treatments consisted of five application dates and five herbicides plus an untreated control arranged in a split-split plot design. The following parameters were measured: fresh weight, plant height and percent visual control. At both locations pendimethalin applied in November, March and …

Impact Of High-Input Production Practices On Soybean Yield, Daniel L. Jordan

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

High-input management practices are often heavily marketed to producers to increase soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.] yield in already high-yielding environments. Field research was conducted in three locations within 6 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, and Minnesota) in 2009 to determine the effect of seed treatment, inoculant, foliar fungicide, additional soil fertility beyond state recommendations, foliar fertilizer, increased population over state recommendations, and narrow row spacing on yield. The high-input system (combination of the management practices) yielded higher than standard-input system (University recommended management practices) in only 8 of the 18 locations. Narrow rows, in both the high …

Implementing Deep Drainage To Reduce Salinity In The Date Creek Catchment, South West Western Australia, Derk Bakker, John P. Collins, Justin Hardy

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Toxin-Nutrient Interactions Influence Diet Selection, Usu Extension

All Current Publications

Given a choice herbivores prefer foods that are high in nutrients and low in toxins. Nevertheless, plants high in toxins are common on rangelands.

Rna Interference As A Method For Target-Site Screening In The Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera, Analiza P. Alves, Richard W. Beeman, Marce D. Lorenzen, John E. Foster, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

To test the efficacy of RNA interference (RNAi) as a method for target-site screening in Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larvae, genes were identified and tested for which clear RNAi phenotypes had been identified in the Coleopteran model, Tribolium castaneum. Here the cloning of the D. v. vergifera orthologs of laccase 2 (DvvLac2) and chitin synthase 2 (DvvCHS2) is reported. Injection of DvvLac2-specific doublestranded RNA resulted in prevention of post-molt cuticular tanning, while injection of DvvCHS2- specific dsRNA reduced chitin levels in midguts. Silencing of both DvvLac2 and DvvCHS2 was confirmed by RT-PCR and quantitative RT-PCR. As in T. …

Nitrogen And Water Stress Impacts Hard Red Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Canopy Reflectance, Cheryl L. Reese, Daniel Long, David Clay, Sharon Clay, Dwayne Beck

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Remote sensing has been proposed as a method for implementing an inseason spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) nitrogen (N) fertilization program. However, in fields where yields are influenced by both water and N stress, accurate N recommendations require that that the N and water stress signals be separated from each other. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of water and N stress on canopy reflectance and the ability of vegetation (NDVI, GNDVI, and BNDVI), and chlorophyll (CGreen and CRedEdge) indices to separate water and N stress. A split-plot experiment containing four blocks was conducted in 2002, 2003, …

Factors Affecting Adoption Of Cover Crops And Its Effect On Nitrogen Use By Producers, Gnel Gabrielyan

LSU Master's Theses

Increasing environmental concerns, population, and changing preferences of consumers towards healthier foods, and agronomic practices have all aligned to provide not only food and fiber, but also sustainable practices useful to the environment. Cover crops, a type of agricultural technology, provide private and public benefits, which are vital for organic production. The objectives of this study are: 1) Identify determinants of cover crop adoption; 2) analyze how nitrogen management varies by farm relative to adoption or non-adoption of this technology; 3) estimate the change in the probability of adoption of cover crops due to farm, regional and operator characteristics by …

Off-Farm Labor Supply By Farm Operators And Spouses: A Comparison Of Estimation Methods, Mahesh Pandit

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis studies the off-farm labor supply decision of farm operators and their spouses in the United States. The data used in this study is from the Agricultural Resource Management survey, 2006. The objective of this study is twofold. First, to identify those factors that affect off-farm labor supply of farm operators and their spouses. In particular, this study investigates the impact of human capital of farm operators and spouses, personal, family, farm and location characteristics on labor allocation for on- and off-farm work. Empirical results indicate that farm operators’ and their spouses’ human capital are positively correlated with off-farm …

Analysis Of Consumer Preferences Toward 100% Fruit Juice Packages And Labels, Tatiana Bonilla

LSU Master's Theses

A national web survey was used to collected data from 253 households in the United States. Choice-based conjoint analysis was used to investigate which packaging and labeling attributes U.S. consumers consider important when choosing 100% fruit juices, and to estimate their willingness-to-pay. The attributes were packaging material, nutritional and health claims, presence of organic ingredients and whether the product was produced locally. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and a median split technique were used to identify market segments based on consumer preferences, behavior, and lifestyles. Differences between the segments were analyzed. A conditional logit model was used to estimate relative of …

Understanding The Economic Factors That Impact The Financial Health Of Local Governments, John David Barreca

LSU Master's Theses

The state of Louisiana has been hit by several severe hurricanes in recent years, and these disaster events have placed a financial burden on parish budgets. As such, local governments have been compelled to bear various cleanup and recovery costs in the short and long term. Therefore, this research sought to evaluate the factors that drive the variation in the financial health of local governments in Louisiana. This research made two contributions. The first contribution sought to develop a comprehensive measure of economic activity at the county level, and the second contribution used econometric methods to estimate the effect of …

Stochastic Trends In Crop Yield Density Estimation, David I. Maradiaga

LSU Master's Theses

The search for improved methods of estimating crop yield density functions has been a theme of recurrent research interest in agricultural economics. Crop yield density functions are the statistical instrument that generates probability estimates of yield risk, and risk is an important decision variable in production agriculture. Recent research in crop yield density estimation suggests that yield probability estimates can be sensitive to the way yield data are filtered, and if true, then the search for an “adequate filter” is warranted. Such a quest is pursued in this study. It is proposed that unit-root tests can be used to identify …

Do The Poor Pay More For Healthy Food? An Empirical Economic Analysis, Patrick Lee Hatzenbuehler

LSU Master's Theses

The economic question this study seeks to answer is why healthier food products are less expensive in some stores than in others and in some neighborhoods than others. The analysis builds upon the precedent of past retail food pricing studies that have been conducted in Southeastern Louisiana and in other parts of the country, by further examining disparities of retail food costs across store formats and neighborhoods with different demographic compositions. It utilizes a comparison of a general market basket of food items used in past studies and a "representative" market basket that is regionally specific to Southeastern Louisiana to …

An Economic Analysis Of Cover Crops In Corn-Dominated Production Systems, Sukirti Nepal

LSU Master's Theses

A survey data by Singer et al. (2007) was used to study the factors affecting the adoption of cover crops by the producers at the Corn Belt area of the United States. Data was collected from four states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. Two binomial logit models were used for the econometric analysis. The first logit model was used to observe the factors affecting the adoption of cover crops by the producers. The second logit model was used to analyze the factors affecting the adoption of cover crops by producers in recent years, specifically, in past five years. The result …

Value Of Clearfield Rice: An Agronomic And Economic Approach, Tyler Paul Carlson

LSU Master's Theses

Field studies were conducted in Crowley, Louisiana and Stoneville, Mississippi in drill seeded rice to evaluate weed control, yield, and economical returns with imazethapyr programs. Red rice (Oryza sativa) and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) was evaluated with imazethapyr applied alone at various rates and application timings. Imazethapyr, averaged across rate, controlled red rice 89% and barnyardgrass 90% when the initial application of imazethapyr was applied at emergence followed by (fb) a second application of imazethapyr two weeks after the initial application. While imazethapyr, averaged across timing, showed no differences for red rice and barnyardgrass control. Yield and economical returns were maximized …

The Adoption Of Best Management Practices In The Louisiana Crawfish Industry, Narayan P. Nyaupane

LSU Master's Theses

Agricultural production can have result in environmental deterioration in cases where proper management practices have not been implemented. Louisiana, one of the tropical states, has a significant agricultural base with more than 1,600 farmers raising crawfish. Large volumes of waste water containing environmental pollutants result significant environmental problem in the state. Voluntary adoption of a number of best management practices (BMPs) that are considered to be environmentally and economically beneficial is encouraged in Louisiana. The major objectives of this study are to investigate farmer adoption of 18 selected Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share eligible BMPs and the reasons …

Analysis Of Media Agenda-Setting Effect On Consumer Confidence In The Safety Of The U.S. Food System Across Consumer Segments, Abhishek Bhagwat Bharad

LSU Master's Theses

Recent food recalls and food scares in the United States have increased consumers’ risk perceptions about food borne illness and decreased their confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply. Results from a continuous tracking of consumer confidence and media coverage of food safety events over a 67 week period between May 2008 and August 2009 are reported in the study. Factor analysis is performed on consumer characteristic statements to identify seven factors. Factor scores for these seven factors are used as inputs in a consumer segmentation procedure. A two step segmentation approach, hierarchical cluster analysis followed by partition …

Adoption Of Breeding Technologies In The U.S. Dairy Industry And Their Influences On Farm Profitability, Aditya Raj Khanal

LSU Master's Theses

Current trends in the U. S. dairy industry show an increase in milk cows per farm and milk production per cow, though the total number of milk cows in the industry is declining. This increase in productivity is attributed to advancements and adoption of modern dairy technologies. Breeding technologies are one of the important components of this structural change. This study analyzed the factors affecting the adoption of modern breeding technologies such as artificial insemination, embryo transplants, and sexed semen, and the impact of these technologies on farm productivity and profitability. Results of a bivariate probit model with selection showed …

Determination Of The Economic Optimal Cycle Length For Major Sugarcane (Saccharum Spp.) Varieties In Louisiana, Juan Steer Nunes

LSU Master's Theses

The general objective of the study was to determine the economically optimal crop cycle length for major sugarcane varieties currently being produced in Louisiana. The specific objectives of the project included the specification of the mathematical acreage relationships which directly impact the production of a vegetatively propagated perennial crop in a whole farm context; the development of producer decision rules to be used to determine breakeven sugar levels on third stubble sugarcane crops for major varieties in the state; the evaluation of the impact of changes in production factors on developed crop replacement rules; and the optimal cycle length for …

The Returns And Volatility Of Agribusiness Stocks: How Do They Measure Up To Non-Agribusiness Stocks?, Benjamin Michael Clark

LSU Master's Theses

Little literature exists that analyzes the historical risk and return associated with investing in the US agricultural sector. However, several observable trends have recently made investing in the US agricultural sector an area of interest among investors. Stock price indexes are a commonly used tool for summarizing the historical performance of a specific sector. A market-capitalization weighted stock price index is created to represent the largest US agribusiness firms since 1970, using the US Census Standard Industrial Classification system and the Economic Research Service’s definition of agribusiness. Geometric returns, standard deviation, Sharpe Ratio, and beta values are calculated for one, …

An Economic Analysis Of The Costs Of Alternative Sugarcane Fallow Weed Control Programs, José Rodolfo Mite Cáceres

LSU Master's Theses

Economic research was conducted to present estimates of costs per acre associated with fallow sugarcane weed control programs for Louisiana in 2010. The 2010 projected costs are associated with the various phases of sugarcane fallow using different machinery, implements, and weed control practices followed by most growers in the main sugarcane production area of Louisiana. For bermudagrass and johnsongrass weed control treatments, the herbicides applied were Roundup Original Max at 46 oz/A, generic glyphosate at 64 oz/A, DuPont K4 60DG, Trifluralin 4EC at 4 qt/A, and EPTC at 3.5 pt/A. Purple nutsedge weed control treatments included Roundup Original Max at …

Century-Old Mystery Of Puccinia Striiformis Life History Solved With The Identification Of Berberis As An Alternate Host, Yue Jin, Les J. Szabo, Martin Carson

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

The life history of Puccinia striiformis remains a mystery because the alternate host has never been identified. Inoculation of grasses using aeciospores from naturally infected Berberis chinensis and B. koreana resulted in infection on Poa pratensis, producing uredinia typical of stripe rust caused by P. striiformis. Analyses using real-time polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence confirmed the rust fungus as P. striiformis. Pycnia and aecia were produced on B. chinensis, B. holstii, B. koreana, and B. vulgaris after inoculation using germinating telia of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. Wheat inoculated with aeciospores from B. chinensis resulted in …

Genomic And Transcriptomic Studies In Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis, J. P. Bannantine, Adel M. Talaat

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

Microarray technology is an important tool in functional genomic research. It has enabled a deeper analysis of genomic diversity among bacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). In addition, the expression of thousands of genes can be studied simultaneously in a single experiment. With the complete genome sequence of a bovine isolate of M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis, and the independent construction of DNA microarrays in our laboratories, transcriptomic studies for this veterinary pathogen are now possible. Furthermore, the bovine genome sequence project is completed and bovine arrays have been developed to examine host responses to infection with M. avium …

Influences Of Wind And Sandblasting On The Endangered Blowout Penstemon, James Stubbendieck, Cheryl D. Dunn, Heidi L. Hillhouse, L. M. Landholt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Blowout penstemon Penstemon haydenii is a federally endangered species growing only in areas with active wind erosion in sand dunes of the central United States. This early seral species declines as the blowout habitat stabilizes, allowing later seral species to increase. Blowout penstemon populations and plant size declined in the 1990s when precipitation was higher than normal, resulting in reduced sand movement. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to determine whether blowing sand influenced vigor and persistence of blowout penstemon seedlings. Treatments were wind, sandblasting, wind with sandblasting, and a control. The wind treatment was a constant 14 km h^{–1 …}

Fine Mapping Of The Scn Resistance Locus Rhg1-B From Pi 88788, Myungsik Kim, David L. Hyten, Andrew F. Bent, Brian W. Diers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) is the most economically damaging soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] pest in the USA and genetic resistance is a key component for its control. Although SCN resistance is quantitative, the rhg1 locus on chromosome 18 (formerly known as Linkage Group G) confers a high level of resistance. The objective of this study was to fi ne-map the rhg1-b allele that is derived from plant introduction (PI) 88788. F₂ and F₃ plants and F_3:4 lines from crosses between SCN resistant and susceptible genotypes were tested with genetic markers to …

High-Throughput Snp Discovery And Assay Development In Common Bean, David L. Hyten, Qijian Song, Edward W. Fickus, Charles V. Quigley, Jong-Sung Lim, Ik-Young Choi, Eun-Young Hwang, Marcial Pastor-Corrales, Perry B. Cregan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Next generation sequencing has significantly increased the speed at which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be discovered and subsequently used as molecular markers for research. Unfortunately, for species such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) which do not have a whole genome sequence available, the use of next generation sequencing for SNP discovery is much more difficult and costly. To this end we developed a method which couples sequences obtained from the Roche 454-FLX system (454) with the Illumina Genome Analyzer (GA) for high-throughput SNP discovery. Results: Using a multi-tier reduced representation library we discovered a total of …

Fine Mapping Of The Soybean Aphid-Resistance Gene Rag2 In Soybean Pi 200538, Ki-Seung Kim, Curtis B. Hill, Glen L. Hartman, D. L. Hyten, Matthew E. Hudson, Brian W. Diers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The discovery of biotype diversity of soybean aphid (SA: Aphis glycines Matsumura) in North America emphasizes the necessity to identify new aphid-resistance genes. The soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plant introduction (PI) 200538 is a promising source of SA resistance because it shows a high level of resistance to a SA biotype that can overcome the SA-resistance gene Rag1 from ‘Dowling’. The SA-resistance gene Rag2 was previously mapped from PI 200538 to a 10-cM marker interval on soybean chromosome 13 [formerly linkage group (LG) F]. The objective of this study was to fine map Rag2. This fine mapping …

Three Essays On The Role Of Amenities As An Economic Development Strategy, Junpyo Hong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is well known that an amenity is a key driving engine to regional economic growth. However, the site-specific nature of an amenity can characterize them as public goods. Due to this characteristic, local governments have difficulty optimally supplying amenities. This dissertation tries to find relationships between an amenity and economic growth. Three empirical papers comprise the original research in this dissertation. The findings of the meta-analysis in the first essay suggest little methodological diversity exists among researchers linking amenities to economic growth., I do find that employment growth is more likely related to man-made amenities even in research on …