Agriculture Commons^™

Arthropod Resistant Tomatoes: Screening Tools, Yield And Nutritional Quality Of Interspecific Hybrids, Mohammad Hasan Salman Ali Dawood

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most economically important vegetable crops grown around globe but is a host for numerous pests and pathogens. In the future, tomato breeders will have to focus on increasing fruit quantity and on enhancing pest resistance. Many accessions of the wild relative of tomato, S. habrochaites display high levels of resistance towards arthropods such as spider mites. The presence of the sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, 7-epi-zingiberene, found in S. habrochaites type IV trichomes has been associated with arthropod resistance. However, the presence of other compounds in its trichome secretions may also be related …

A Financial Analysis Of Alternative Levels Of Facility Investment Associated With Installing An Automatic Milking System, Dillon M. Feuz, Ryan Feuz, Allen Young

All Current Publications

This fact sheet models some of the key variables impacting profitability of AMS and explicitly considers three different levels of capital investment in facilities in addition to the capital cost of the AMS. The specific objective is to determine how the level of capital investment in additional facilities impacts the profitability of an AMS.

Validation Of Predictive Empirical Weed Emergence Models Of Abutilon Theophrasti Medik Based On Intercontinental Data, Valle Egea-Cobrero, Kevin Bradley, Isabel M. Calha, Adam S. Davis, Jose Dorado, Frank Forcella, John L. Lindquist, Christy L. Sprague, Jose L. Gonzalez-Andujar

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Good weed management relies on the proper timing of weed control practices in relation to weed emergence dynamics. Therefore, the development of models that predict the timing of emergence may help provide growers with tools to make better weed management decisions. The aim of this study was to validate and compare two previously published predictive empirical thermal time models of the emergence of Abutilon theophrasti growing in maize with data sets from the USA and Europe, and test the hypothesis that a robust and general weed emergence model can be developed for this species. Previously developed Weibull and Logistic models …

Land-Use Type As A Driver Of Large Wildfire Occurrence In The U.S. Great Plains, Victoria M. Donovan, Carissa L. Wonkka, David A. Wedin, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Wildfire activity has surged in North America’s temperate grassland biome. Like many biomes, this system has undergone drastic land-use change over the last century; however, how various land-use types contribute to wildfire patterns in grassland systems is unclear. We determine if certain land-use types have a greater propensity for large wildfire in the U.S. Great Plains and how this changes given the percentage of land covered by a given land-use type. Almost 90% of the area burned in the Great Plains occurred in woody and grassland land-use types. Although grassland comprised the greatest area burned by large wildfires, woody vegetation …

Allelic Variation In Rice Fertilization Independent Endosperm 1 Contributes To Grain Width Under High Night Temperature Stress, Balpreet K. Dhatt, Puneet Paul, Jaspreet Sandhu, Waseem Hussain, Larissa Irvin, Feiyu Zhu, Maria Arlene Adviento-Borbe, Argelia Lorence, Paul Staswick, Hongfeng Yu, Gota Morota, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A higher minimum (night-time) temperature is considered a greater limiting factor for reduced rice yield than a similar increase in maximum (daytime) temperature. While the physiological impact of high night temperature (HNT) has been studied, the genetic and molecular basis of HNT stress response remains unexplored.

We examined the phenotypic variation for mature grain size (length and width) in a diverse set of rice accessions under HNT stress. Genome-wide association analysis identified several HNT-specific loci regulating grain size as well as loci that are common for optimal and HNT stress conditions.

A novel locus contributing to grain width under HNT …

Leveraging Genome-Enabled Growth Models To Study Shoot Growth Responses To Water Deficit In Rice, Malachy T. Campbell, Alexandre Grondin, Harkamal Walia, Gota Morota

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

lucidating genotype-by-environment interactions and partitioning its contribution to phenotypic variation remains a challenge for plant scientists. We propose a framework that utilizes genome-wide markers to model genotype-specific shoot growth trajectories as a function of time and soil water availability. A rice diversity panel was phenotyped daily for 21 d using an automated, high-throughput image-based, phenotyping platform that enabled estimation of daily shoot biomass and soil water content. Using these data, we modeled shoot growth as a function of time and soil water content, and were able to determine the time point where an inflection in the growth trajectory occurred. We …

Voxel Carving-Based 3d Reconstruction Of Sorghum Identifies Genetic Determinants Of Light Interception Efficiency, Mathieu Gaillard, Chenyong Miao, James Schnable, Bedrich Benes

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Changes in canopy architecture traits have been shown to contribute to yield increases. Optimizing both light interception and light interception efficiency of agricultural crop canopies will be essential to meeting the growing food needs. Canopy architecture is inherently three-dimensional (3D), but many approaches to measuring canopy architecture component traits treat the canopy as a two-dimensional (2D) structure to make large scale measurement, selective breeding, and gene identification logistically feasible. We develop a high throughput voxel carving strategy to reconstruct 3D representations of sorghum from a small number of RGB photos. Our approach builds on the voxel carving algorithm to allow …

Continuous Cropping Alters Multiple Biotic And Abiotic Indicators Of Soil Health, Pervaiz Ahmad, Javed Iqbal, Qingming Zhang, Dima Chen, Hui Wei, Muhammad Saleem

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The continuous cropping (CC) of major agricultural, horticultural, and industrial crops is an established practice worldwide, though it has significant soil health-related concerns. However, a combined review of the effects of CC on soil health indicators, in particular omics ones, remains missing. The CC may negatively impact multiple biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health, fertility, and crop yield. It could potentially alter the soil biotic indicators, which include but are not limited to the composition, abundance, diversity, and functioning of soil micro- and macro-organisms, microbial networks, enzyme activities, and soil food web interactions. Moreover, it could also alter various …

Isoseq Transcriptome Assembly Of C3 Panicoid Grasses Provides Tools To Study Evolutionary Change In The Panicoideae, Daniel S. Carvalho, Aime Nishimwe, James Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The number of plant species with genomic and transcriptomic data has been increasing rapidly. The grasses—Poaceae—have been well represented among species with published reference genomes. However, as a result the genomes of wild grasses are less frequently targeted by sequencing efforts. Sequence data from wild relatives of crop species in the grasses can aid the study of domestication, gene discovery for breeding and crop improvement, and improve our understanding of the evolution of C₄ photosynthesis. Here, we used long-read sequencing technology to characterize the transcriptomes of three C₃ panicoid grass species: Dichanthelium oligosanthes, Chasmanthium laxum, and …

Rhizosphere Microbiome Of Arid Land Medicinal Plants And Extra Cellular Enzymes Contribute To Their Abundance, Abdul Latif Khan, Sajjad Asaf, Raeid M. M. Abed, Yen Ning Chai, Ahmed N. Al-Rawahi, Tupan Kumar Mohanta, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Daniel P. Schachtman, Ahmed Al-Harrasi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Revealing the unexplored rhizosphere microbiome of plants in arid environments can help in understanding their interactions between microbial communities and plants during harsh growth conditions. Here, we report the first investigation of rhizospheric fungal and bacterial communities of Adenium obesum, Aloe dhufarensis and Cleome austroarabica using next-generation sequencing approaches. A. obesum and A. dhufarensis grows in dry tropical and C. austroarabica in arid conditions of Arabian Peninsula. The results indicated the presence of 121 fungal and 3662 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) whilst microbial diversity was significantly high in the rhizosphere of A. obesum and A. dhufarensis and low …

Genome-Wide Identification And Analysis Of Heterotic Loci In Three Maize Hybrids, Hongjun Liu, Qin Wang, Mengjiao Chen, Yahui Ding, Xuerong Yang, Jie Liu, Xiaohan Li, Congcong Zhou, Qilin Tian, Yiqi Lu, Danlin Fan, Junpeng Shi, Lin Zhang, Congbin Kang, Mingfei Mingfei Sun, Fangyuan Li, Yujian Wu, Yongzhong Zhang, Baoshen Liu, Xiang Yu Zhao, Qi Feng, Jinliang Yang, Bin Han, Jinsheng Lai, Xian Sheng Zhang, Xuehui Huang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Heterosis, or hybrid vigour, is a predominant phenomenon in plant genetics, serving as the basis of crop hybrid breeding, but the causative loci and genes underlying heterosis remain unclear in many crops. Here, we present a large-scale genetic analysis using 5360 offsprings from three elite maize hybrids, which identifies 628 loci underlying 19 yield-related traits with relatively high mapping resolutions. Heterotic pattern investigations of the 628 loci show that numerous loci, mostly with complete–incomplete dominance (the major one) or overdominance effects (the secondary one) for heterozygous genotypes and nearly equal proportion of advantageous alleles from both parental lines, are the …

Using Bioenergetics And Radar-Derived Bird Abundance To Assess The Impact Of A Blackbird Roost On Seasonal Sunflower Damage, Bonne A. Clark, Page E. Klug, Phillip M. Stepanian, Jeffrey F. Kelly

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Methods aimed at reducing avian damage to agricultural crops are routinely implemented in situations where efficacy can be assessed by quantifying blackbird (Icteridae) abundance relative to environmental variables and extrapolating to ensuing crop damage. Concomitantly, Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR) data may have potential to enhance crop damage mitigation through improved monitoring of nuisance wildlife populations. We used WSR to derive daily abundance estimates of blackbirds at a fall roost in North Dakota, USA from 2012 to 2019. We integrated these estimates with previously developed bioenergetics-economic models to estimate local sunflower (Helianthus annuus) damage. The greatest losses usually occurred …

Cover Crops And Cover Crop Mixes: Stratification Of Biological Effects, Landon M. Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The potential nutrient cycling benefits from legumes (e.g. N₂-fixation) and the high biomass potential of cereal rye are well known. Further studies are warranted to evaluate bi-culture mixtures and their effects on soil nutrient stratification and microbial enzyme activity because these two properties may be differently expressed (enhanced) by legume/grass mixes. The objectives of this study were: (1) show different cover crops and cover crop mixes containing grasses and legumes differentially stratify carbon and N; (2) show the change in microbial enzyme activity in soils planted with individual cover crops relative to cover crop mixes; 3) determine the …

Using Biology To Better Inform Marestail [Conyza Canadensis (L.) Cronq.] Management, Ryan James Collins

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The importance of sustainable weed management practices continues to grow as farmers are increasingly faced with herbicide resistant weed populations. Marestail (Conyza canadensis), also known as horseweed, is a problematic weed in soybean cropping systems that has developed resistance to multiple herbicide modes of action. A two year study was conducted in Lexington, KY, examining timing patterns of marestail emergence and different integrated weed management strategies for marestail prior to no-till soybean. Treatments contained fall and spring applied herbicides with different levels of residual activities, cover crops and combinations of the two. Additionally, yields and partial budget net …

In Pursuit Of Understanding Barrel Variation: Surveying The Lignocellulose Composition And Content Changes In Quercus Alba Barrel Staves During Cooperage And Bourbon Whiskey Maturation, Jarrad Wade Gollihue

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Bourbon whiskey is a distilled spirit which is a uniquely American with several legal requirements including 1) the major grain in the mash is corn, 2) must be aged in a new charred white oak barrel, and 3) made in the United States of America. Kentucky is the whiskey historical home, producing most of the bourbon in the United States. Interest in whiskey has developed a need to understand more about the underlying chemistry of bourbon. The charred white oak barrel used in bourbon production is of substantial interest because the barrel has been implicated in giving American whiskey its …

Induction Of Seed Coat Darkening In Common Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) And The Association With Cooking Time After Storage, Renata C. Alvares, Helton S. Pereira, Leonardo C. Melo, Phillip N. Miklas, Patrícia G.S. Melo

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

Carioca is the most important edible dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grown in Brazil. It represents the largest dry bean market class in the world. The seed coat of carioca beans will darken under adverse harvest conditions and with the increasing of storage time. In general, darkened seeds are associated with older seeds that suffer from prolonged cooking times. A relatively new ‘slow darkening’ trait is available in carioca that delays seed coat darkening under storage. However, its effect on cooking time is unknown. The objective of this work was to evaluate two induction methods of seed coat darkening and …

Forage Systems For The Temperate Subhumid And Semiarid Areas, John R. Hendrickson, Corey Moffet

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

No abstract provided.

Cropping System And Landscape Characteristics Influence Long-Term Grain Crop Profitability, L. S. Conway, M. A. Yost, Newell Kitchen, K. A. Sudduth, R. E. Massey, E. J. Sadler

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

Converting from standard tillage or no-tillage cropping systems to more conservation-based cropping systems that include no-tillage, cover crops, and reduced agrichemical inputs must be profitable for large-scale adoption. Therefore, research was conducted at the central Mississippi River Basin site of the USDA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network from 1996 to 2009 to determine how cropping systems, landscape position, and depth to claypan affected net economic return. Treatments consisted of three cropping systems {mulch-till corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], MTCS; no-till corn–soybean, NTCS; no-till corn–soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (NTCSW)–cover crop} and three landscape positions (summit, backslope, and footslope). Within …

Aphid-Responsive Defense Networks In Hybrid Switchgrass, Kyle Koch, Nathan A. Palmer, Teresa Donze-Reiner, Erin D. Scully, Javier Seravalli, Keenan Amundsen, Paul Twigg, Joe Louis, Jeffery D. Bradshaw, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Gautam Sarath

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

Aphid herbivory elicits plant defense-related networks that are influenced by host genetics. Plants of the upland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivar Summer can be a suitable host for greenbug aphids (Schizaphis graminum; GB), and yellow sugarcane aphids (Sipha flava, YSA), whereas the lowland cultivar Kanlow exhibited multi-species resistance that curtails aphid reproduction. However, stabilized hybrids of Summer (♀) x Kanlow (♂) (SxK) with improved agronomics can be damaged by both aphids. Here, hormone and metabolite analyses, coupled with RNA-Seq analysis of plant transcriptomes, were utilized to delineate defense networks induced by aphid feeding in SxK switchgrass and pinpoint plant transcription factors …

Genome-Wide Transcriptome And Physiological Analyses Provide New Insights Into Peanut Drought Response Mechanisms, Sailaja Bhogireddy, Abishek Xavier, International Crops Research Institute For The Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), Hyderabad, India, Nancy Layland, Renee Arias, Paxton Payton, Spurthi N. Nayak, Manish K. Pandey, Naveen Puppala, Rajeev K. Varshney

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

Drought is one of the main constraints in peanut production in West Texas and eastern New Mexico regions due to the depletion of groundwater. A multi-seasonal phenotypic analysis of 10 peanut genotypes revealed C76-16 (C-76) and Valencia-C (Val-C) as the best and poor performers under deficit irrigation (DI) in West Texas, respectively. In order to decipher transcriptome changes under DI, RNAseq was performed in C-76 and Val-C. Approximately 369 million raw reads were generated from 12 different libraries of two genotypes subjected to fully irrigated (FI) and DI conditions, of which ~329 million (90.2%) filtered reads were mapped to the …

Burning With Potential: Understanding The Relationship Between Biochar And Agriculture Of The Northern Glaciated Plains Ecoregion, Kaitlyn Abrahamson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Achieving global sustainable agriculture is one of the most incredible challenges of this century, yet many continue to try to solve this problem through the development of precision technologies. Biotechnologies, such as biochar, can perform like a precision technology while protecting agricultural land from soil erosion and fertility loss. The Northern Glaciated Plains ecoregion of the United States is little researched in the benefits from the use of biochar through improved soil nutrient capture and water retention, crop health improvements, and yield increases. The study plot has four sections of corn stover biochar and eight sections of control sections. This …

Wind Power Forecasting Methods Based On Deep Learning: A Survey, Xing Deng, Haijian Shao, Chunlong Hu, Dengbiao Jiang, Yingtao Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Accurate wind power forecasting in wind farm can effectively reduce the enormous impact on grid operation safety when high permeability intermittent power supply is connected to the power grid. Aiming to provide reference strategies for relevant researchers as well as practical applications, this paper attempts to provide the literature investigation and methods analysis of deep learning, enforcement learning and transfer learning in wind speed and wind power forecasting modeling. Usually, wind speed and wind power forecasting around a wind farm requires the calculation of the next moment of the definite state, which is usually achieved based on the state of …

Toward A Holistic Agricultural Student Recruitment Model: A National Analysis Of The Factors Affecting Students’ Decision To Pursue An Agricultural Related Degree, Antoine J. Alston, Richie Roberts, Chastity W. English

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Currently, the agricultural industry struggles to fill positions with qualified agricultural workers. Therefore, it is critical to attract high caliber individuals to agricultural degree programs that are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills needed to navigate complex issues and problems. The purpose of this national study was to identify key factors that influence the recruitment of agriculture students at land-grant and non-land-grant universities. Using Chapman’s model of student success as our conceptual lens, we tested 66 factors identified in the literature as successful recruitment strategies for colleges of agriculture based on students’ personal characteristics as well as key …

Addressing The Gender Gap: Women’S Perceived Barriers To Pursuing Stem Careers, Marshall Swafford, Ryan Anderson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This national study used the Delphi method to identify perceived barriers women face in the pursuit of STEM careers. The study used a series of three web-based questionnaires. The first round of the study used a questionnaire with an open-ended question to facilitate the generation of a wide array of response categories. In round two, respondents were asked to rate the 24 perceived barriers from round one on a Likert-type scale and to make changes as necessary. In round three, respondents were asked to provide a dichotomous indication of whether they agreed or disagreed with each of the items. Consensus …

Biophysical And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration In Burkina Faso, Basnewende Brice Fulgence Zoungrana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human actions such as overgrazing, the development of cities at the expense of forests, high intensity and poor agricultural management, and so forth, reduce the resources available for future generations. Because Earth has limited resources, it is important to judiciously use and manage natural resources. Human actions towards nature are the focus of my research in Africa. Increased demands for grazing, agriculture, and ecosystem services led some farmers in developing countries to use unsustainable practices, which may lead to low incomes and poor food nutrition for households. Farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) may be a solution to these issues. FMNR …

Perceived Effects Of Bush Burning On Agriculture And Wildlife Resources In Ghana, Caitlin A. Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peace Corps was started in the 1960s by President John F. Kennedy. Ghana was one of the first established host countries that received Peace Corps Volunteers. There are five different sectors that volunteers can work in education, health, agriculture, environment, or community and economic development. Peace Corps service begins with ten weeks of pre-service training before volunteers swear in and are placed in communities throughout the country. Training covers topics such as global Peace Corps policy, health and security concerns, local language, and technical skills. I was placed in a small, rural community in the Northern Region of Ghana. My …

Review Of Major Crop And Animal Arthropod Pests Of South Texas, Holly N. Davis, John A. Goolsby, Donald B. Thomas, Ismael Badillo, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Christopher Vitek, Danielle Sekula

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The Lower Rio Grande Valley is an area in Texas that consists of the four southern-most counties. This area contains a diverse range of agriculture and land-use including vegetable, row-crop and livestock production. The year-around cool to hot subtropical climate means that green vegetation is continually present, including many crops. Geographically, it shares an international border, making it a region vulnerable to new invasive species and the re-introduction of pests that have been previously eliminated in the United States. These combined factors lead to an array of arthropod pests that may have serious impacts on the crops, animals, and people …

Hydrogen Peroxide: A Grower’S Best Friend?, Mitchell Eicher-Sodo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is an oxidizing agent used to disinfect irrigation systems (e.g. nutrient solution and equipment) used in controlled environment plant production and produces no harmful by-products. The action of H₂O₂ is non-selective, and therefor H₂O₂ will oxidize all components of the irrigation water as well as tissues from the greenhouse crops being irrigated. The phytotoxic effect H₂O₂ has on common greenhouse crops is not well understood, requiring detailed characterization and determination of threshold concentrations. Thresholds within the thesis were based on applied H₂O …

Weather Information Needs Of Displaced Artisanal Fishermen In Bakassi Pennisula Nigeria, Friday O. Idiku, Kalu Iroha Ogbonna, Patrick Ogar Ogar, Goodness Mosiokpahe David

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Information on weather forecast is necessary to guide fishermen on their fishing adventure. The purpose of this study was assessed the weather information needs of displaced fishermen in Bakassi Pennisula, Nigeria. This study was conducted in Bakassi which is a peninsula on the Gulf of Guinea that lies between latitudes 4°25′ and 5°10′N and longitudes 8°20′ and 9°08′E. It has an area of 665 km² (257 sq mi) with displaced Fishermen settling in the area who were the main respondents. It was a descriptive study. One hundred and five (105) displaced fishermen were randomly selected as respondents using snowball …

High Tensile Permanent Electric Fence, Electrifying The Fence, Matthew Palmer, Eric Thacker, Shannon Cromwell, Kevin Heaton, Kohl Carter

All Current Publications

This fact sheet discusses the proper way to energize or power the high tensile fence so livestock will respect its boundaries.