Agriculture Commons^™

Evaluating The Environmental Impacts Of U.S. Historical Oil Spill Incidents, Yiming Liu, Hua Cai

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Exposure to risks associated with the production and usage of products, particularly oil, poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. Notable examples include the Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010). However, numerous smaller-scale oil spills, which collectively contribute to substantial oil releases, often remain overlooked. To fill this gap, our study first developed a detailed oil spill incidents database, covering 1967 to 2023. We quantified the released amount (RA) of oil spills recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Subsequently, we utilized life cycle impact indicators in ReCiPe to …

Autonomous Roadside Mower Testing And Evaluation In Digital Twin Environments, Michael Mardikes, Ethan Brown, Timothy Wiegman, Nathan Sprague, Shreyas Supe, J. T. Evans

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Modern day roadside mowing operations in Indiana are performed by contractors operating tractors that pull flex-wing mowers. These mowing operations span over 11,000 miles of road across the state and create serious risk for human operators. Autonomous mowers can provide a safer alternative, but a replacement system must demonstrate an acceptable level of trust before large-scale deployment. A high-fidelity digital-twin environment can facilitate the capability to rapidly test and evaluate platforms in their desired application, while enabling zero real-world risk, a wide range of test variables, and repeatability of a test setup. The simulation environment must be at a level …

Modelling The "Bottom-Up" Development Pattern Of Tar Spot Disease In Corn, Brenden Lane, Joaquín Guillermo Ramírez-Gil, Carlos Góngora-Canul, Mariela Sofia Fernandez Campos, Andres Cruz-Sancan, Fidel E. Jiménez-Beitia, Alex G. Acosta-Guatemal, Wily Sic, C. D. Cruz

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

In 2015, the corn-infecting pathogen Phyllachora maydis (causal agent of tar spot disease) was reported for the first time in the United States. The disease has since spread across the US, causing major yield losses. In 2021 alone, 5.88 million metric tons (231.3 million bushels) of US corn yield were lost to this disease, costing an estimated US$1.25 billion. Though fungicides can protect against these agroeconomic losses, application timing can be difficult to optimize because our understanding of tar spot dynamics is still evolving. The current view is that tar spot typically develops bottom-up through a repeating infection cycle. Because …

Does Sin Tax On The Legal Market Facilitate The Illicit Market? An Ex-Ante Assessment On The Us Cannabis Market, Yoohun Han, Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb, John N. Ng'ombe, Alvaro Durand-Morat

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sin tax is essential to reduce the harm caused by products like cannabis. However, excessive taxation may facilitate illicit markets. We examine sin tax policies' impact on legal and illicit cannabis markets in the selected US states. Using a Constant Elasticity of Substitution utility framework, we assess scenarios like sin tax increase and anti-illicit cannabis policies. Our findings indicate high sin taxes may drive consumers to illicit markets, but anti-illicit market policies could control its extent. However, there is a trade-off between market size, tax revenue, consumers' utility, and illicit market control. Thus, optimizing sin tax policies is challenging, necessitating …

Anti- Transpirants Impact On Pepper Cultivated Under Different Drought Stress Levels, Ola Alnaddaf, Elien Abo Saeb, Ayman Abo Assi

Jerash for Research and Studies Journal مجلة جرش للبحوث والدراسات

Drought is one of the most limiting factors for agricultural productivity worldwide (Hamdi et al., 2020). Drought stress can be simply defined as a shortage of water that causes significant changes in plant morphology, physiology, and biochemistry (Liang et al., 2020), and the most environmental stress that affect both crop production and quality (Biareh et al., 2022). Approximately, 95-98% of the water absorbed by the plant is lost via transpiration (Singh et al., 2021), so that reducing the transpiration rate could be considered as an important strategy for combating with drought conditions. This could be achieved by using compounds called …

Effect Of Adding Different Levels Of Oregano Leaves Extract (Origanum Vulgare) In Drinking Water On The Quality Characteristics Of The Carcass Of Broiler Chickens, Nihad Ali, Motasem Al Massad

Jerash for Research and Studies Journal مجلة جرش للبحوث والدراسات

The field Animal Production Department (College of Agriculture / Al-Qasim Green University) was chosen to conduct the project from 18/9/2019 to 23/10/2019. In it 240 chicks of Ross 308 were used. The chicks were randomly divided into four experimental trials. The leaves extracted suspension was added at 0, 3, 5 and 7 ml/liter to drinking water, and the following characteristics were studied: live body weight before slaughter and the weight of the carcass , dressing rate, the relative weights of the main and secondary carcass parts, and the relative weights of the eating giblets.

The results showed that the fourth …

Envisioning Transition From Open Landscapes To Forested Landscapes In The Routt National Forest, Colorado, United States, Brice B. Hanberry, Jacob M. Seidel

Aspen Bibliography

Globally, in remaining wildlands, tree densities and forested cover have increased in grasslands and open forests since European settlement. In the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States, we determined tree composition and tree cover from historical (years 1875 to 1896) surveys and compared them to current (2002 to 2011) tree composition and current (year 2016) forested land cover for 500,000 ha of the Routt National Forest. Additionally, we examined whether changes in precipitation occurred. Regarding composition, pine (primarily lodgepole pine; Pinus contorta) decreased from 65% to 32% of all trees, with increased subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) …

Value Of Gain In The Lamb Feeding Industry, Jay Parsons

Cornhusker Economics

Value of gain (VOG) is a term in the livestock feeding industry that refers to the average value of a pound of gain. It is the most appropriate revenue value to use in comparison to the cost of gain to determine profit margin.

Different Levels Of Single-Strain Probiotic (Bacillus Subtilis) With Proteolytic Enzyme (Serratiopeptidase) Can Be Used As An Alternative To Antibiotic Growth Promoters In Broiler, Muhammad Mushtaq, Baseerat Ali, Majid Ali, Neelam Bibi, Rabin Raut, Gamaleldin M. Suliman, Ayman A. Swelum

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

In the current study, the proteolytic enzyme (serratiopeptidase) was used to enhance the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) probiotic as a growth promotor in broiler chicken. The effects of serratiopeptidase on the efficacy of different levels of B. subtilis as a growth promotor in broiler chicks were evaluated regarding growth performance traits, villus histomorphometric characterization, and intestinal microbiota count. Day-old broiler chicks (n = 120) were allocated into 4 groups having 3 replicates/group. In the control group (C), the basal diet was kept without supplementation. In treatment groups (P100, P150, and P200), the basal diet was supplemented with 100, …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 3, Edition 3, March 2024, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this edition:

K-12 curriculum and resources

CASNR Ag Tech Day, April 23

2024 Summer Soybean Institute, May 29-30 and July 16-18

Youth Energy Leadership Camp July 22-26

Other upcoming events

Analytic investigators spotlight: UNL Statstics, Forensic Science, Ag Economics

Educators workshops

Student opportunities including NAYI, Native American Coalition, Cultivando Caminos, Big Red Camps, and more

Teacher opportunities including Economic tidbits from …

Extending Irrigation Reservoir Histories For Improved Groundwater Modeling And Conjunctive Water Management In Two Arkansas Critical Groundwater Areas, Daniel D. Shults, Michele L. Reba, John W. Nowlin, Joseph Massey, Quentin Read

Faculty Publications

Agricultural land managers in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain rely on the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer for the majority of the water used for irrigation in the region. Pumping that outpaces recharge has resulted in significant cones of depression in the region, increasing pumping costs and forcing producers to use more surface water, often in the form of constructing on-farm storage reservoirs. At the same time, efforts are underway to improve groundwater models to run scenarios of conjunctive water management in the region. The improved models require accurate depiction of how the system is being managed including the use of …

Field Research Report: Results From The Enreec Vri Field For The 2021, 2022, And 2023 Crop Seasons, Derek M. Heeren, Ali T. Mohammed, Eric Wilkening, Christopher M. U. Neale, Alan L. Boldt, Ankit Chandra, Precious Nneka Amori, Ivo Z. Goncalves, Yeyin Shi, Guillermo R. Balboa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Long-term irrigation management research has been conducted from 2014 to 2023 for corn and soybean at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC) Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) Field located in subhumid east-central Nebraska (in the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District). The objective of this report was to present the overall results from the VRI Field for 2021 to 2023. Across the three growing seasons, there were the following irrigation treatments: Best Management Practice (BMP), 50% BMP, 125% BMP, rainfed, Spatial ET Modeling Interface (SETMI), SDD1, SDD2, machine-learning-based Cyber-Physical System (CPS), a student team recommended rate, and industry …

Effects Of Redrying Methods On The Milling Potential, Crude Protein And Total Phenolic Content, And Antioxidant Activity Of Stored Inorganic And Organically-Grown Paddy, Mary Ann Baradi, Jessica Solero, Clarence Dangcil, Gerome Corpuz, Marissa Romero

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study sought to determine the effects of redrying techniques (no redrying or Control, 2-h, 4-h, and 6-h redrying with stirring every 30 min, Farmer's Practice or 6-h redrying with one stirring) on grain quality of stored inorganic and organic paddy rice as well as the redrying method that gives the best quality rice. PSB Rc82 rice harvested in October 2016 was used in the experiment conducted in February 2017. Quality parameters evaluated were moisture content, brown rice, total milled rice, crude protein content in percent, total phenolic content, and 2-2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. PSB Rc82 paddy exposed …

Nebline, March/April 2024

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Seven Garden Gaffes to Avoid This Year by Sarah Browning

Youth Advance Health Equity with Community-Based Research by Emily Gratopp

Recipe of the Month: Crunchy Kohlrabi Salad by Emily Gratopp

GROBigRed Virtual Learning Series

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

2024 Lincoln Early Childhood Conference

2024 Chemigation Training

Corn Yield Challenge for 4-H and FFA Members

Lancaster County Ag VIP Awards

4-H Teens Work Together to Lead the Lock-In

4-H Horse/Livestock Judging Teams at Nationals

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Sheridan Swotek and Kim Bowen

4-H Club Gives Youth With Disabilities Opportunity to Show Lambs

4-H Rabbit Show, March …

Method For Calibrating An Arduino-Based Soil Moisture Sensor Using Van Genuchten’S Equation, Victorino A. Bato, John Osbert Alindogan

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Instructions on building a do-it-yourself soil moisture sensor using Arduino microcontrollers abound on the Internet. These do-it-yourself soil moisture sensors are favorite projects by both plant and microcontroller enthusiasts because the parts are affordable and the end product is functional. In the absence of proper calibration, these soil moisture sensors cannot generate usable information on the status of plant-available-water in the soil. This research demonstrates the calibration of an Arduino-based soil moisture sensor using the soil moisture characteristic curve of a clay loam soil. Van Genuchten’s model was used to generate an equation and various parameters specific to the soil. …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Tests 2023, F. Bourland, J. Gann, B. Milano, B. Guest, L. Martin, J. Mcalee

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Tests is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. These annual evaluations will then facilitate the inclusion of new, improved genetic material in Arkansas cotton production. Adaptation of varieties is determined by evaluating the lines at five University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research sites (Manila, Keiser, Judd Hill, Marianna, and Rohwer). The 2023 tests at Keiser were adversely affected …

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO₃^-), nitrite (NO₂^-), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

Evaluation Of The Aquacrop Model For Simulating Cotton Yield Under A Semi-Arid Environment And Different Field Management Practices, Ghorban Ghorbani Nasrabad, Meysam Abedinpour, Abotaleb Hazarjaribi

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Cotton plays an important role in increasing productivity in the agricultural sector and related industries in the province of Golestan, Iran. However, the cultivation areas decreased considerably in the last couple of decades due to the high costs of production, water scarcity, and climate change. To encourage sustainable increase in production, crop simulation models are parameterized for each region using observed field data. In this study, the AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated for cotton under different field management scenarios using data from a 3-yr field experiment, which was conducted at the research farm of the National Cotton Research Institute, …

An Examination Of Thematic Research, Development, And Trends In Remote Sensing Applied To Conservation Agriculture, Zobaer Ahmed, Aaron Shew, Lawton Nalley, Michael Popp, V. Steven Green, Kristofor Brye

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies Publications and Presentations

Conservation agriculture seeks to reduce environmental degradation through sustainable management of agricultural land. Since the 1990s, agricultural research has been conducted using remote sensing technologies; however, few previous reviews have been conducted focused on different conservation management practices. Most of the previous literature has focused on the application of remote sensing in agriculture without focusing exclusively on conservation practices, with some only providing a narrative review, others using biophysical remote sensing for quantitative estimates of the bio-geo-chemical-physical properties of soils and crops, and few others focused on single agricultural management practices. This paper used the preferred reporting items for systematic …

Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2023, J. F. Carlin, R. D. Bond, R. B. Mulloy, J. C. Mccoy

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Soybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and/ or marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers.

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2023, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Inducing Experimental Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broiler Chickens Using Aerosol Transmission Model, Andi Asnayanti, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Khawla Alharbi, Adnan Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lameness disease attributed to bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis in broilers affects production, animal welfare, and food safety in the poultry industry. The disease is characterized by necrotic degeneration of the rapidly growing femora and tibiae due to bacterial translocation from the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts into the blood circulation, eventually colonizing the growth plate of the long bones. To investigate the etiology, pathogenesis, and intervention measures for BCO, developing an experimental model that reliably induces BCO lameness is of the utmost importance. In the past, we have employed a wire -flooring model and a litter -flooring model administered with a …

Variation In Leaf Chlorophyll Concentration In Response To Nitrogen Application Across Maize Hybrids In Contrasting Environments, Kyle M. Linders, Dipak K. Santra, James C. Schnable, Brandi Sigmon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Leaf chlorophyll concentration was measured for 84 publicly available maize hybrids grown under three nitrogen fertilizer treatments in two contrasting environments in Nebraska. The effect of nitrogen treatment on chlorophyll response was found to be significant (p < 0.05) for both locations. In Scottsbluff, chlorophyll concentrations increased significantly with increasing nitrogen rate, while no significant difference was found between medium and high nitrogen in Lincoln. Within equivalent nitrogen treatments, chlorophyll was more abundant in Lincoln than Scottsbluff for nearly every hybrid. Hybrid response was not consistent between environments, with approximately 11% of variance explained by genotype by environment interaction.

Procedures For Rangeland Condition Assessment In The Kimberley 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

This report defines the procedures used in 2022 by DPIRD to complete rangeland condition assessment (RCA) in the Kimberley region which has grass-based pastures. For the rest of the pastoral estate, DPIRD uses the Procedures for RCA in the Pilbara and southern rangelands which have predominantly shrub pastures.

RCA is the process DPIRD uses to make systematic, lease-level assessment of rangeland. Rangeland condition considers both the condition of pastures (as defined in the 'Pasture condition guide for the Kimberley') and soils as determined by erosion, using the erosion assessment method on pastoral lands in Western Australia (WA). The methods have …

Knowledge Gaps About Micronutrient Deficiencies In Tanzania And The Effect Of Information Interventions, Pius Kilasy, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Kelly A. Davidson, Leah H. Palm-Forster

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reducing micronutrient malnutrition (“hidden hunger”) in low-income countries is a global challenge, particularly among women, children, and high-poverty households. Countries like Tanzania have developed diverse strategies to combat malnutrition, including the biofortification of staple foods. However, broad awareness and knowledge of micronutrient deficiencies and beneficial foods are needed for these strategies to be effective. The objectives of this study were to (i) examine Tanzanian consumers' initial awareness and knowledge of deficiencies for four micronutrients and associated biofortified foods, and (ii) to examine the effectiveness of targeted communication approaches (i.e., information and branding) to improve knowledge. Data were collected from 1029 …

Understanding Demand For Broken Rice And Its Potential Food Security Implications In Colombia, Juliann Phillips, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Lawton L. Nalley, Eduardo Graterol, Michelle Bonatti, Katerine Loaiza De La Pava, Sergio Urioste, Wei Yang

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rice is a crucial contributor to global food security and is an important staple for over half the world's population. Irrigated paddy rice is a water-intensive crop, and an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, improving the efficiency of using rice as food rather than non-food uses is paramount to sustainably feeding a growing global population. One source of inefficiency in the rice market is using broken rice for non-food purposes. This study focuses on consumer preferences for rice with different broken percentages in Colombia. We used a mixed-method approach to ascertain the stated (experimental setting) and revealed (using …

Interrelationships Among The Rice Export Prices Of Major Exporting Countries: In Search Of The Leader And Followers, Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb, Alvaro Durand-Morat

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

By examining the econometric interrelationships of rice export prices of India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, this study examines the most influential rice-exporting countries in the international rice export market. The sampled countries are the source of more than 80% of the global rice exports. In the process, this study relies on online data portals of the United Nations and country-level sources for aromatic and non-aromatic rice export price information from India, Pakistan, and Thailand. This study employed the Prais-Winsten and Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) estimation processes with the error correction procedure. Combining the findings from …

The Role Of The Social Network In Adopting New Turfgrass Varieties: An Analysis Of Twitter Data, Joohun Han, Chanjin Chung, Yanqi Wu

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the effect of social learning on new turfgrass variety adoption decisions using data from 231 turfgrass professionals’ Twitter accounts between 1 Jun 2018 and 31 Dec 2019. To determine the social learning effect, we decompose networking effects into social learning, individual-level and group-level similarities, herd behavior, and clustering effects. Our study estimates a spatial autoregressive probit model that directly incorporates the social network structure to account for unobservable networking effects and potential reflection problem. A Bayesian estimation procedure is used to alleviate the convergence problem caused by the complexity of model specification. Empirical results show that the …

Water Regime And Fertilizer-Phosphorus Source Effects On Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Rice, Diego Della Lunga, Kris R. Brye, Trenton L. Roberts, Jonathan Brye, Michelle Evans-White, Daniel J. Lessner, Christopher G. Henry

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice (Oryza sativa) systems have been correlated to water management practice, but to date, no study has directly evaluated three main GHGs (i.e., methane [CH₄], nitrous oxide [N₂O], and carbon dioxide [CO₂]) under flood- and furrow-irrigated conditions at the same time as affected by various fertilizer-phosphorus (P) sources, in particular the reportedly slow-release struvite-P source. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water regime (flooded and furrow-irrigated) and fertilizer-P source (diammonium phosphate, chemically precipitated struvite, electrochemically precipitated struvite [ECST], triple superphosphate, and …

Evaluation Of Fall And Winter Trinexapac-Ethyl Applications On Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Putting Green Color, Quality, And Green Cover, J. C. Booth, W. J. Hutchens, S. D. Askew, J. M. Goatley, X. Zhang, D. S. Mccall

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ultradwarf bermudagrass (UDB) putting greens grown in subtropical and temperate climates can face elevated risk of winter injury from cold temperatures. Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) inhibits UDB growth potentially reducing spring green-up and overexertion of carbohydrate reserves for UDB during the cold de-acclimation period. A field study was conducted to determine the effect of fall and winter TE applications on the visual quality and color of UDB putting greens in Virginia from the cold acclimation phase through the cold de-acclimation phase. A second controlled-environment study was conducted to determine how TE applications to UDB during cold acclimation affected UDB cold tolerance. In …