Agriculture Commons^™

Impacts Of Harvest Date And Concurrent Alkali Pretreatment And Ensiling On Anaerobic Digestion Of Pennycress Biomass, Liangcheng Yang, Tuba Yasmin Lubna, Michael A. Moklak, Barsanti Gautum, Nicholas J. Heller, Robert L. Rhykerd, David E. Kopsell, John C. Sedbrook

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an annual cover crop known for its exceptional cold tolerance and high oil and protein yields. Pennycress can be integrated into a corn–soybean rotation in the U.S. However, the utilization of pennycress biomass remains largely unexplored, including assessing compositional changes through its growth and organic matter digestibility. This study harvested pennycress at three growth stages, characterized the biomass for anaerobic digestion (AD), and tested the effects of concurrent alkali pretreatment and ensiling on the biomass methane yield. Results showed that the biomass harvested when the plants were undergoing senescence (“third-harvest”) had higher contents of …

Can The Impact Of Gravel Roads On Organic Layer Thickness Explain The Distribution Of Populus Tremuloides Along Road Networks In The Boreal Forest Of Eastern Canada?, Mathilde Marchais, Dominique Arseneault, Yves Bergeron

Aspen Bibliography

Roads are known to alter environmental conditions and the composition of road edge plant communities, particularly when exogenous materials are used as road surfacing. In this study, we evaluate the impact of gravel roads on the organic layer thickness (OLT) and aspen distribution in a boreal forest landscape of Eastern Canada. The OLT and aspen distribution were compared at different distances from the roads (0 m, 10 m, and >10 m) to determine whether a reduction in the OLT along the roads could explain the distribution of aspen along the road network, and in particular the role of the roads …

Oystershell Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Population Growth, Spread, And Phenology On Aspen In Arizona, Usa, Connor D. Crouch, Richard W. Hofstetter, Amanda M. Grady, Nylah N.S. Edwards, Kristen M. Waring

Aspen Bibliography

Oystershell scale (OSS; Lepidosaphes ulmi L.) is an invasive insect that threatens sustainability of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in the southwestern United States. OSS invasions have created challenges for land managers tasked with maintaining healthy aspen ecosystems for the ecological, economic, and aesthetic benefits they provide. Active management is required to suppress OSS populations and mitigate damage to aspen ecosystems, but before management strategies can be implemented, critical knowledge gaps about OSS biology and ecology must be filled. This study sought to fill these gaps by addressing 3 questions: (i) What is the short-term rate of aspen mortality in …

Impacts Of Climate Change And Agricultural Practices On Nitrogen Processes, Genes, And Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions: A Quantitative Review Of Meta-Analyses, Dafeng Hui, Avedananda Ray, Lovish Kasrija, Jaekedah Christian

Biology Faculty Research

Microbial-driven processes, including nitrification and denitrification closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) production, are orchestrated by a network of enzymes and genes such as amoA genes from ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), narG (nitrate reductase), nirS and nirK (nitrite reductase), and nosZ (N2O reductase). However, how climatic factors and agricultural practices could influence these genes and processes and, consequently, soil N2O emissions remain unclear. In this comprehensive review, we quantitatively assessed the effects of these factors on nitrogen processes and soil N2O emissions using mega-analysis (i.e., meta-meta-analysis). The results showed that global warming increased soil nitrification and denitrification …

Determination Of Heating Load Requirement Of Greenhouses In Türkiye By Dynamic Modeling Of Micro-Climate Conditions, Sinan Dölek, Gökhan Arslan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

A dynamic model is developed to compute the greenhouse’s heating load and microclimatic conditions (temperature, humidity). An analysis is carried out for the provinces of Türkiye (Adana, Mersin, Antalya, Muğla), where greenhouse cultivation is essential and widespread. The annual heating load of the greenhouse is determined as 95.52 kWh/m2, 92.58 kWh/m2, 74.79 kWh/m2, and 189.04 kWh/m2 for Adana, Mersin, Antalya, and Muğla, respectively. Maximum daily heating loads are computed as 1.87 kWh/m2, 2.06 kWh/m2, 1.4 kWh/m2, and 2.91 kWh/m2 for Adana, Mersin, Antalya, and Muğla. According to the results of the design day, condensation in the greenhouse is observed in …

Effect Of Nanoparticles On Sugar Beet Cultured In Vitro And Its Betalain And Betaine Production, Nour Alawad, Ömer Can Ünüvar, Songül Gürel, Meli̇h Okcu, Ekrem Gürel

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is considered one of the most important crops in terms of economics and food. With the widespread applications of nanoparticles (NPs) in plant science that have received great interest due to their amazing results and promising capabilities, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of TiO2 and ZnO NPs on sugar beet plants cultured in vitro in several respects: seed germination, morphology, chlorophyll a and b contents, carotenoids, and the most important sugar beet metabolites, betaine and betalains. To investigate the effects, four different concentrations of NPs (0, 5, 15, and 25 …

Bioassay-Guided Purification And Identification Of Antimicrobial Compound From Corn Silk Extract And Postharvest Application Against Fusarium Verticillioides On Cherry Tomato, Ummara Khan, Rita-Cindy Aye-Ayire Sedjoah, Yuting Shao, Dyaaaldin Abdalmegeed, Zichao Wu, Zhihong Xin

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Corn silk (Stigma maydis), the silky hairs on top of maize, is commonly discarded as waste. Despite its traditional medicinal use in countries like China, the United States, France, and Turkey, its phytochemical and pharmacological attributes have received limited study. In this study, the agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of free and bound crude extracts from cornsilk obtained using different solvents. Compared to the free crude extract, the bound crude extract exhibited greater efficacy against the tested microorganisms. Consequently, sequential fractionation was performed on the bound crude extract, and it was found that the …

Perspective Of Us Farmers On Collaborative On-Farm Agronomic Research, Carlos B. Pires, Fernanda S. Krupek, Gabriela I. Carmona, Osler A. Ortez, Laura Thompson, Daniel J. Quinn, Andre F. B. Reis, Rodrigo Werle, Péter Kovács, Maninder P. Singh, J. M. Shawn Hutchinson, Dorivar Ruiz Diaz, Charles W. Rice, Ignacio A. Ciampitti

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

On-farm research has emerged in recent years as a unique approach to involve farmers and other agricultural stakeholders as active participants in knowledge development and as an effective method of technology and innovation transfer across farms. This study assessed the perspective and knowledge of US farmers regarding on-farm research via the implementation of a 24-question survey distributed across most of the US Midwest and South-Central regions.We found that farmers generally are willing to engage with universities to conduct on-farm research and were 40% more likely to adopt practices supported by on-farm research findings than research not conducted on-farm. Notably, a …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 3, Edition 2, February 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 and upcoming events

Career explorations: pathways for students

Teacher and student opportunities

CASNR Ag Tech Day

Data Driven 4-H statistics field day

2024 Summer Soybean Institute

UNL CASNER six interest areas

School of Natural Resources

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

Environmental stewards spotlight

Seed Your Future Green Career Week

Cultivando Caminos

Kudos to our partners …

The Impact Of Adding Hops To Alfalfa At Different Rates On Silage Quality And Methane Emissions In Vitro, Erdem Gülümser, Hani̇fe Mut, Eki̇n Sucu, Uğur Başaran, Medi̇ne Çopur Doğrusöz

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Legumes are typically challenging to ensile due to their low concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates and high capacity for buffering. If legumes and medicinal plants are ensiled together, the silage quality increases, which benefits the digestive system of ruminates. The aim of this study was to research the effects of different alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and hops (Humulus lupulus L.) ratios on silage quality and in vitro rumen fermentation traits. The plant materials were chopped to a particle size of <2 cm; then alfalfa (A) and hops (H) were ensiled in ratios of 100A + 0H, 75A + 25H, 50A + 50H, 25A + 75H and 0A + 100H by weight with 4 replicates. Fresh silage samples were left to ferment for 45 days at 25 ± 2 °C. Subsequently, it was observed that hops added to alfalfa improved the silage’s fermentation qualities. At a 75A + 25H ratio, the silage quality increased due to having a lower pH and dry matter ratio as well as increased values for Flieg score, crude protein, relative feed, and condensed tannin concentration. A higher proportion of alfalfa in the silage mixture increased methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and decreased lactic acid (LA). Comparing 50A + 50H and 25A + 75H silages to 100A + 0H, the CH4 production was 26.19% and 27.80% lower, respectively, and the CO2 production decreased by 25.61% and 28.15%, respectively. Consequently, the 50A + 50H and 25A + 75H silage ratios are advised for feeding ruminants. Furthermore, more research with different forage combinations is required to understand how hops influence rumen fermentation.

Pile Burning After Conifer Removal From Aspen Stands Affects Tree Mortality, Regeneration, And Understory Recovery, John-Pascal Berrill, Christa M. Dagley, Yoon G. Kim, J. Morgan Varner

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands throughout the western United States provide valuable ecosystem services but can be lost via succession from aspen to conifer. Forest managers are cutting conifers, but disposal of cut wood can be challenging in remote or sensitive areas. Piling and burning is being tested within aspen stands but ecosystem responses to this treatment are understudied. We assessed aspen tree mortality, tree regeneration, and understory vegetation after forest restoration thinning followed by pile burning in seven aspen-conifer stands around Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, USA. Pile burning was conducted after cut wood had dried (1.5–7.5 …

Classification Of Hybrid Chestnut Cultivars (Castanea Sativa) Registered In Türkiye With Artificial Neural Networks, Based On Some Physical Properties Of Their Nuts, Taner Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Understanding how the classification and identification of biological species can evaluate improvements in newly developed cultivars, including chestnuts (Castanea sativa), is crucial for product processing and equipment design. To evaluate this, in the present study artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used to characterize four hybrid chestnut cultivars (Macit 55, Akyüz, and Ali Nihat registered in Türkiye and Bouche de Betizac registered in France). A backpropagation neural networks algorithm was used in the ANN approach based on nine physical properties. These properties included shelled nut weight and volume, sphericity, geometric mean diameter, bulk density, surface area, true density, porosity, and length, …

Zinc And Manganese Effect Seed Quality And Germination In Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Mehrdad Yarnia, Masoud Soltani̇ Bouljak, Parisa Bolouri, İnci̇ Tolay

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) are important micronutrients in plant growth and development. In this study, the effect of Zn and Mn sulfate treatments at different growth stages of mother plants in common bean on seed production and germination potential was carried out. Results showed that zinc sulfate (ZnSo4) treatments significantly affected yield and pod number per plant compared to manganese sulfate tetrahydrate (MnSO4) treatments. Treatment in any form or at any stage of growth increased yield and its components in common bean. The highest efficiency of ZnSO4 was obtained in the pod production stage; MnSO4 enjoyed greater efficiency in …

Oxyfluorfen-Resistant Rice Tolerance And Weed Control When Using Oxyfluorfen, Casey H. Arnold, Jason K. Norsworthy, Thomas R. Butts, Trenton L. Roberts, Nicholas R. Bateman, Chad W. Shelton

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass and weedy rice control, without crop injury, is a challenge for rice producers in the United States. Herbicides not initially labeled for rice, such as oxyfluorfen, are now being evaluated as new tools for weed control. The ROXY® trait allows for the use of oxyfluorfen in rice for weed control preemergence and postemergence. Experiments were initiated in 2021 and 2022 to evaluate (1) the effectiveness of preemergence- and postemergence-applied oxyfluorfen on barnyardgrass and weedy rice, (2) the sensitivity of oxyfluorfen-resistant rice to oxyfluorfen as a function of application timing, and (3) the influence of soil moisture on oxyfluorfen-resistant …

Different Irrigation Rates Effect On The Yield And Quality Of Greenhouse Cultivated Platycodon Grandiflorum Crops Considering Transpiration, Jia Liu, Xuecan Li, Yuanyuan Sui, Haiye Yu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract: The consumption of agricultural water resources is enormous, and in the face of water scarcity, optimizing the utilization rate of water resources is urgent. As a common medicinal plant, the planting area of platycodon grandiflorus crops has increased. Therefore, in order to maximize the yield and quality of platycodon crops, different irrigation treatment methods are developed based on their evaporation capacity, and the impact of different irrigation amounts on platycodon crops is explored. Different irrigation amounts affect multiple indicators of the platycodon plant. The experimental results indicated that for the daily transpiration of the platycodon plant, 120% irrigation was …

The Flow Field Simulation And Suction Structure Optimal Design Of The Dual-Airway Pneumatic Fallen Jujube Fruit Pickup Device​, Huizhe Ding, Jingbin Li, Huting Wang, Jing Nie, Longpeng Ding, Abdullah Kirmizibi̇ber

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In order to explore the characteristics of the flow field in the cavity of the dual-airway pneumatic fallen jujube fruit pickup device key components under the action of negative pressure air flow and optimize the structural parameters of the device, a numerical simulation model of the flow field in the body of the dual-airway pickup mouth of the key components of the dual-airway pickup device was constructed based on computational fluid dynamics. First of all, the influence of the center partition on the flow field in the pickup suction mouth was analyzed. Secondly, taking the velocity unevenness coefficient as the …

Forecast Model Of Agricultural Circular Economy Development Trend Based On Gp Algorithm, Yue Yin, Weidong Ning

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In order to comprehensively and objectively analyze the development level of agricultural circular economy and accurately predict the development trend of agricultural circular economy, a prediction model for the growth trend of agricultural circular economy based on GP algorithm was studied. On this basis, an evaluation system for the development of agricultural circular economy has been established from the perspectives of economic and social development, resource reduction and investment, resource recycling, resource environment and security, and population system. The kernel principal component analysis method was used to reduce the dimensionality of the indicator system for the development of agricultural circular …

Influence Of High Tunnel Conditions And Cultivars On The Growth, Yield, And Fruit Qualityof Strawberry In Northern Türkiye, Leyla Demi̇rsoy, Derya Misir, Ayşenur Bektaş, Di̇lek Soysal, Adi̇s Li̇zalo, Hüsnü Demi̇rsoy

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was carried out in Samsun, in the northern part of Türkiye. Short-day cultivars Amiga, Fortuna, Rubygem, Festival, and Camarosa and day-neutral cultivars Albion, Monterey, Sweet Ann, and San Andreas were evaluated for harvest period, fruit yield and quality, and vegetative growth under open field and high tunnel conditions. Fortuna, Festival, and Rubygem were the earliest cultivars and Sweet Ann the latest cultivar under both conditions. Harvest started about 1 month earlier under high tunnel conditions due to the higher air and soil temperatures than the open field. The harvest period lasted 16 to 21 weeks in the open …

Influence Of Storage Technology And 1-Methylcyclopropene On Postharvest Behaviorof ‘Ankara’ Pear, Özge Horzum, Nurdan Tuna Güneş

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was carried out in order to gain a better understanding of the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage on the quality of ‘Ankara’ pears after 210 days of cold storage at 0 °C plus 14 days of shelf life at 20 °C. Fruits were harvested at commercial harvest time (flesh firmness of 75–80 N, soluble solids content of 14%–16%) and stored in regular air (RA) or CA storage (3% O2 + 1.5% CO2) after treatment with or without 1-MCP (300 nL L–1). Ripening was delayed by 1-MCP treatment and CA storage as evidenced by lower …

The Effect Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi On The Growth Of Cyclocarya Paliurus Cutting Seedlings, Wanxia Yang, Jiaqi Zhuang, Yuan Tian, Shiying Wan, Siyu Ding, Mei Zhang

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

To increase the yield of secondary metabolites, Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi were used to improve cyclocarya paliurus. The experiment measured growth indicators, biomass, mineral nutrients, etc. The results showed that after inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi the nitrogen content in the leaves of the experimental group was 27.87 mg/g, K content was 7.48 mg/g, Ca content was 26.63 mg/g, and Mg content was 2.82 mg/g. Compared with the control group (Cg), mycorrhizal fungi can promote the absorption of mineral nutrients by C. paliurus seedlings. A. mycorrhizal fungi had a certain influence on the proportion of root, stem, leaf, and total biomass of …

The Effect Of Organic And Chemical Fertilizers On The Activity Of Soil Enzymes In Soils Of Different Compositions, Elif Yağanoğlu, Adi̇l Aydin

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In this study, the effects of chemical (20:20:0 compound) and organic (barnyard) fertilizers applied to different textured soils on several soil enzyme (urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and dehydrogenase) activities were investigated. The research was conducted under greenhouse conditions with (beans and corn) and without crops. Considering the results of the preexperiment analysis of the soils, a 40-g pot–1 of farmyard manure was placed into the pots in which organic fertilizer would be applied in clay and silty loam soils, and a 50-g pot–1 of farmyard manure was added to sandy loam soil; in addition, a 0.25-g pot–1 of 20:20:0 …

Development Of A Standardized Soybean Cyst Nematode Screening Assay In Pennycress And Identification Of Resistant Germplasm, Pawan Basnet, Clinton G. Meinhardt, Bishnu Dhital, Alice Nguyen, Jason D. Gillman, Trupti Joshi, Melissa G. Mitchum, Andrew M. Scaboo

Biomedical Sciences

The prospect of incorporating pennycress as an oilseed cover crop in the Midwest’s corn-soybean rotation system has drawn researcher and farmer attention. The inclusion of pennycress will be beneficial as it provides an excellent soil cover to reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching while serving as an additional source for oilseed production and income. However, pennycress is an alternative host for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), which is a major biological threat to soybean that needs to be addressed for sustainable pennycress adoption into our current production systems. To develop a standardized SCN resistance screening strategy in pennycress, we tested and …

An Evaluation Of Bacterial Wilt (Ralstonia Solanacearum) Resistance In A Set Of Tomato Germplasm From The United States Department Of Agriculture, Theresa M. Phiri, Gehendra Bhattarai, Kenani Edward Chiwina, Qiurong Fan, Haizheng Xiong, Ibtisam Alatawi, Ryan Dickson, Neelendra K. Joshi, Alejandro Rojas, Kai-Shu Ling, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial wilt (BW), caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, is one of the devastating diseases in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The use of resistant cultivars and breeding for genetic resistance is the most effective, economical, and environmentally friendly management strategy for this disease. It is necessary to screen diverse germplasm and cultivated genotypes to identify resistant resources and to develop resistant cultivars in tomatoes to combat the changing pathogen isolates. This study evaluated 40 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tomato accessions for their BW resistance to the R. solanacearum isolate P822 under greenhouse conditions. The tomato plants were inoculated …

Evaluation Of Drought Tolerance In Usda Tomato Germplasm At Seedling Stage, Kenani E. Chiwina, Gehendra Bhattarai, Haizheng Xiong, Neelendra K. Joshi, Ryan W. Dickson, Theresa M. Phiri, Ibtisam Alatawi, Yilin Chen, Zachary Stansell, Kai-Shu Ling, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drought, a crucial abiotic stressor, markedly reduces the growth and yield of tomato crops (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Consequently, adopting drought-resistant cultivars and implementing breeding programs to enhance drought tolerance have emerged as enduring solutions to alleviate the adverse effects of drought in various tomato cultivation regions. In this study, 68 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tomato accessions were assessed in a controlled greenhouse experiment, encompassing both water deficit treatment and a control group subjected to standard watering conditions. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results of this study pinpointed four …

Effect Of Chloropicrin And Metam Sodium On Soil Nitrogen Dynamics In California Strawberry Production, Colin Timothy Koubek

Plant Sciences

California strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) bring in ~3 billion yearly for the state's economy. Strawberry growers use fumigants like chloropicrin and metam sodium to manage a variety of soilborne diseases in conventional production. The yield-boosting effects of fumigation on strawberries are often attributed to disease management, but the ‘fertilizer effect’ from mineralization may play an equally significant role. This experiment conducted in a grower field sought to find out the influence that fumigation had on the mineralization of soil organic nitrogen and if preplant fertilizer application affected early season nitrogen (N). There were six treatments: control, control with controlled …

Agricultural Groundcover Update January 2024, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 94% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in January 2024.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area has 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over the coming months.
• Just under 6% of the grainbelt (855,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. West Midlands Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 14.5% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind …

Antimicrobial Tolerance In Salmonella: Contributions To Survival And Persistence In Processing Environments, Tomi Obe, Aaron S. Kiess, Ramakrishna Nannapaneni

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Salmonella remains a top bacterial pathogen implicated in several food-borne outbreaks, despite the use of antimicrobials and sanitizers during production and processing. While these chemicals have been effective, Salmonella has shown the ability to survive and persist in poultry processing environments. This can be credited to its microbial ability to adapt and develop/acquire tolerance and/or resistance to different antimicrobial agents including oxidizers, acids (organic and inorganic), phenols, and surfactants. Moreover, there are several factors in processing environments that can limit the efficacy of these antimicrobials, thus allowing survival and persistence. This mini-review examines the antimicrobial activity of common disinfectants/sanitizers used …

Effects Of Environmental Enrichments On Welfare And Hepatic Metabolic Regulation Of Broiler Chickens, Seong W. Kang, Karen D. Christensen, Michael T. Kidd, Sara K. Orlowski

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aims of this study were to find suitable environmental enrichment (EE) and evaluate the combined effect of two EEs, variable light intensity (VL) lighting program and EH, on mental health and hepatic metabolic regulation in commercial broilers. To find the advantageous EEs for broilers, three different EEs (board, hut, and ramp) were tested in trial 1. EEs were placed and the engagement of birds to EEs, dustbathing behavior, and daily physical activity were observed. Birds treated with huts showed higher engagement than the board- or ramp-treated birds (p < 0.05). The results of dustbathing behavior and daily physical activity indicated that the environmental hut (EH) is the most favorable enrichment for broilers. In the second trial, to test the effect of EHs on mental health and hepatic metabolic conditions, the brain and liver were sampled from the four treatment birds (20 lx_Con, 20 lx_Hut, VL_Con and VL_Hut) on day 42. The lower expression of TPH2 (tryptophan hydroxylase 2) of VL_Hut birds than those of VL_Con and 20 lx_Hut treated birds suggests the combining effect of EHs with the VL lighting program on the central serotonergic homeostasis of broilers. Reduced expressions of TH (tyrosine hydroxylase), GR (glucocorticoid receptor), BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) of VL_Hut treated birds compared to those of VL_Con and 20 lx_Hut birds suggest lower stress, stress susceptibility, and chronic social stress in VL_Hut treated birds. The expression of CPT1A (carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1) increased over three-fold in the liver of VL_Con birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds (p < 0.05). EHs treatment in VL birds (VL_Hut) significantly decreased CPT1A but not in 20 lx birds (20 lx_Hut). The expression of ACCα (acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha) was significantly decreased in VL_Con birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds. There was no significant difference in the hepatic FBPase (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase), GR, and 11β-HSD1 (11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenease-1) expression between 20 lx_Con and VL_Con birds, but EHs significantly stimulated GR in 20 lx_Hut birds, and stimulated FBPase and 11β-HSD1 expression in the VL_Hut birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds, suggesting that the VL lighting program reduced fatty acid synthesis and increased fatty acid β-oxidation in the broilers’ liver and VL_Hut improved the hepatic de novo glucose production. Taken together, the results suggest that the stimulated voluntary activity by EHs in the light-enriched broiler house improved mental health and hepatic metabolic function of broilers and may indicate that the improved hepatic metabolic function contributes to efficient nutritional support for broilers.

Studying The Genes And Conditions That Influence Root Development, Tessa Holtkamp, Hannah Ordonez Webb

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Root development in plants is essential for their survival and understanding how hormones influence their development can explain how plants grow under different circumstances. Researching how Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), a hormone that induces root production, affects the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana helps explain the hormone's effect in agricultural crop systems. To understand root pathways, we performed assays on mutant lines of Arabidopsis by growing plants on varying concentrations of IBA. For wild-type and mutant lines, phenotyping experiments like branching of roots, lengths of stems, and root length were conducted along with PCR and restriction digest genotyping experiments to compare their …

Slight Cost Of Production Changes Noted In The 2024 Nebraska Crop Enterprise Budgets, Glennis Mcmclure

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska crop budgets are available for the 2024 production season. The 84 enterprise budgets prepared in the October 2023 timeframe use input prices collected as of that time. Overall, estimates reflect slight cost of production decreases in the budgets when compared to the 2023 cost estimates. For 2024, the main drivers of cost decreases are due to decreased fuel and fertilizer costs. In some cases, pesticide costs decreased, yet for some of those products, prices increased. Seed and interest costs have increased for 2024 adding to cash expenses, while land opportunity costs and depreciation costs have continued to rise …