Agricultural Science Commons^™

Design And Application Of A Polyclonal Peptide Antiserum For The Universal Detection Of Leptin Protein, Mark P. Richards, Thomas J. Caperna, Theodore H. Elasser, Christopher M. Ashwell, John P. Mcmurtry

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

An epitope-specific polyclonal antiserum was produced in rabbits immunized against a synthetic 15 amino acid peptide (QRVTGLDFIPGLHPV) derived from the coding sequence reported for the porcine leptin gene (GenBank Accession No. U59894). This peptide contains a core sequence comprised of eight amino acids (GLDFIPGL) that is totally conserved in all leptin proteins studied to date. Purified recombinant human, mouse, rat, pig, and chicken leptin proteins were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and electro-blotted onto PVDF membranes. Western blots were developed employing the leptin-specific peptide antiserum with an alkaline-phosphatase-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG second antibody chromogenic system. The peptide antiserum was found …

Feeding Fitness And Quality Of Domesticated And Feral Predators: Effects Of Long-Term Rearing On Artificial Diet, Allen Carson Cohen

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

Predatory geocorids, Geocoris punctipes Say (Geocoridae: Hemiptera), that had been reared (domesticated) for over 6 years (60 continuous generations) on an artificial diet were compared with feral (F1) counterparts to determine possible domestication-associated losses in predatory capabilities. Using adult female predators provided with either tobacco budworm larvae, Heliothis uirescens F., or pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, as prey, I measured predator weights, handling time with a single prey, amount extracted, consumption rate, and feeding (gut) capacity. Domesticated females were significantly smaller than ferals, weighing 4.53 mg versus 5.09 mg, respectively. Domestication did not significantly influence handling times, which averaged 131 …

Kernel Morphology Variation In A Population Derived From A Soft By Hard Wheat Cross And Associations With End-Use Quality Traits, Christine J. Bergman, Daisy G. Gualberto, Kimberly A. Garland-Campbell, Mark E. Sorrells, Patrick L. Finney

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

Physical attributes, including kernel morphology, are used to grade wheat, and indicate wheat milling and baking quality (MBQ). Using a recombinant inbred population derived from a soft by hard wheat cross, this study quantified kernel traits' sources of variation, studied their heritability, and relationships between morphological and MBQ traits. Transgressive segregation occurred for all traits. Thousand-kernel weight (TKW) and kernel texture (NIR-T) were primarily influenced by genotype and test weight (TW) mainly by year. NIR-T had the highest heritability. Low genetic correlation (GCOR) between kernel length (LEN) and width WID) suggest independent inheritance. NIR-T and LEN, or WID, showed low …

Elongated Chambers For Field Studies Across Atmospheric Co2 Gradients, H. B. Johnson, H. W. Polley, R. P. Whitis

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

We describe a field facility that controls CO₂ along continuous gradients from superambient to subambient concentrations. The facility consists of two transparent, tunnel-shaped chambers, each 1-m wide and tall and 60-m long. Pure CO₂ is injected into one chamber during daylight to initiate a superambient CO₂ gradient (550–350 µmol mol^–1). Ambient air is introduced to the second chamber to initiate a subambient CO₂ gradient (350–200 µmol mol^–1). CO₂ concentrations at night are regulated at 150 µmol mol^–1 above daytime values along each gradient. The CO₂ gradients are maintained by …

Crop Quality And Utilization: A Twelve-Hour In Vitro Procedure For Sorghum Grain Feed Quality Assessment, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Todd Milton, R. A. Mass

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Improvedmethods for assessing cereal crop feed value are a prerequisite for the genetic improvement of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] feed value. Rate of starch digestion is now commonly believed to be the limiting factor in sorghum utilization by cattle (Bos taurus). However, techniques to assess this trait are not useful to sorghum breeders because of high labor inputs, lab error associated with starch measurement, and need for high numbers of replications. The objective of this study was to develop a simple technique capable of identifying differences in digestion between sorghum and corn (Zea mays L.) …

Ethylene Production, Cluster Root Formation, And Localization Of Iron(Iii) Reducing Capacity In Fe Deficient Squash Roots, Brian M. Waters, Dale G. Blevins

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dicots and non-graminaceous monocots have the ability to increase root iron(III) reducing capacity in response to iron (Fe) deficiency stress. In squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) seedlings, Fe(III) reducing capacity was quantified during early vegetative growth. When plants were grown in Fe-free solution, the Fe(III) reducing capacity was greatly elevated, reached peak activity on day 4, then declined through day 6. Root ethylene production exhibited a temporal pattern that closely matched that of Fe(III) reducing capacity through day 6. On the 7th day of Fe deficiency, cluster root morphology developed, which coincided with a sharp increase in the root Fe(III) …

Variation In Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Captures In Pheromone Traps Arising From Wind Speed Moderation By Brush Lines, Thomas W. Sappington, Dale W. Spurgeon

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

Paired trap lines of Þve boll weevil pheromone traps each were placed on opposite sides of a brush line at six different sites on a plantation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Temperature, wind speed, and wind direction were monitored with a nearby weather station. We observed a strong negative relationship between mean daily wind speed and total daily capture of boll weevils. About half of the day-to-day variation in weevil captures was explained by wind speed alone. In addition, our data indicate that much of the variation between traps within days may arise from differences in local …

Analysis Of Human Skin Emanations By Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. 2. Identification Of Volatile Compounds That Are Candidate Attractants For The Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes Aegypti), Ulrich R. Bernier, Daniel L. Kline, Donald Barnard, Carl Schreck, Richard A. Yost

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

Volatile compounds emanated from human skin were studied by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/ MS). The purpose of this study was to identify compounds that may be human-produced kairomones which are used for host location by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.). The procedure used to collect volatiles was chosen because of prior knowledge that attractive substances can be transferred from skin to glass by handling. Laboratory bioassays have shown that the residuum on the glass remains attractive to mosquitoes until the compounds of importance evaporate. The sampling and analytical procedures modeled the above-cited process as closely as possible except that the …

Oxygen Metabolism In Plantlbacteria Interactions: Characterization Of The Oxygen Uptake Response Of Plant Suspension Cells, C. Jacyn Baker, E. W. Orlandi, Kenneth L. Deahl

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

In recent years the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been studied in plant cell suspension systems treated with bacterial pathogens. However, the associated utilization of molecular oxygen has not been well characterized. Using a multi-electrode oxygen analyser, the rates of oxygen consumption by tobacco cells during bacterial interactions were monitored. Heat-killed (HK) bacteria, which initiate an immediate ROS response in plant cells, were used as an elicitor to avoid complications of oxygen consumption by viable bacteria. An increase in oxygen uptake by the tobacco cells occurred within 4 min after addition of HK-bacteria and lasted for about 10 …

Inhibition Of Cysteine And Aspartyl Proteinases In The Alfalfa Weevil Midgut With Biochemical And Plant-Derived Proteinase Inhibitors, Stephen E. Wilhite, Thomas C. Elden, Joze Brzin, Ann C. Smigocki

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

Proteolytic activities in alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) larval midguts have been characterized. Effects of pH, thiol activators, low-molecular weight inhibitors, and proteinase inhibitors (PIs) on general substrate hydrolysis by midgut extracts were determined. Hemoglobinolytic activity was highest in the acidic to mildly acidic pH range, but was maximal at pH 3.5. Addition of thiolactivators dithiothreitol (DTT), 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), or l-cysteine had little effect on hemoglobin hydrolysis at pH 3.5, but enhanced azocaseinolytic activity two to three-fold at pH 5.0. The broad cysteine PI E-64 reduced azocaseinolytic activity by 64% or 42% at pH 5 in the presence or …

Bovine Blastocyst-Derived Trophectoderm And Endoderm Cell Cultures: Interferon Tau And Transferrin Expression As Respective In Vitro Markers, Neil C. Talbot, Thomas J. Caperna, J. Lannett Edwards, Wes Garrett, Kevin D. Wells, Alan D. Ealy

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

Continuous cultures of bovine trophectoderm (CT-1 and CT- 5) and bovine endoderm (CE-1 and CE-2) were initiated and maintained on STO feeder cells. CT-1 and CT-5 were derived from the culture of intact, 10- to 11-day in vitro-produced blastocysts. CE-1 and CE-2 were derived from the culture of immunodissected inner cell masses of 7- to 8-day in vitro-produced blastocysts. The cultures were routinely passaged by physical dissociation. Although morphologically distinct, the trophectoderm and endoderm both grew as cell sheets of polarized epithelium (dome formations) composed of approximately cuboidal cells. Both cell types, particularly the endoderm, grew on top …

Similarity And Divergence Among Viruses In The Genus Furovirus, Yukio Shirako, Nobuhiro Suzuki, Roy C. French

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

Nucleotide sequences of RNAs 1 and 2 of a Japanese strain of soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV), the type species of the genus Furovirus, and sorghum chlorotic spot virus (SCSV) were determined from cloned cDNA. The relationship among the Japanese and US strains of SBWMV, SCSV, oat golden stripe virus (OGSV), and recently proposed Chinese wheat mosaic and European wheat mosaic viruses (CWMV and EWMV) were examined at the nucleotide and amino acid levels. Pairwise comparisons of genome-encoded proteins among the six viruses showed that the US strains of SBWMV and CWMV were the most closely related pair in RNA …

Farming Exotic Mushrooms In The Forest, Deborah B. Hill

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

One income opportunity derived from forest farming is the production of exotic mushrooms. Many of these edible mushrooms, such as shiitake (Lentinula edodes), maitake (Grifola frondosa), lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus, and oyster (Pleurotus spp. feed on the cellulose and lignin in wood. Although a significant volume of these mushrooms is produced under artificial conditions on a substance of sawdust, grains and other supplements, production on logs results in firmer texture and more flavor.

Production of high-value mushrooms on small diameter logs of almost any hardwood species enables a private forest landowner to utilize …

Forest Production Of Goldenseal, Jeanine M. Davis

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is a valued medicinal herb which has been collected from hardwood forests in eastern North America for hundreds of years. The historical range for goldenseal is north into Canada, south to Alabama, and west to Kansas. Overharvesting of goldenseal has caused serious reductions in populations reported in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and eastern Kentucky. In 1997, goldenseal was listed on Appendix II of the Convention for International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty monitoring trade in threatened and endangered species. Designed to protect the species, this listing imposed controls on goldenseal trade. This …

Economics And Marketing Of Ginseng, Robert L. Beyfuss

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

It is extremely important to learn about the economic potential of the various types of ginseng and how to market the product prior to growing it. Raising ginseng is something that a patient person who enjoys growing things can find interesting and potentially profitable but, it requires hard work, at least a small capital investment, and it certainly is not a sure thing. This Agroforestry Note will familiarize readers with some economic considerations and marketing tips. For specific information about growing ginseng refer to AF Note Forest Farming -3, American Ginseng Production in Woodlots.

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Female Reproductive Traits In A Multigeneration Meishan-White Composite Swine Population, G. A. Rohrer, J. J. Ford, T. H. Wise, J. L. Vallet, R. K. Christenson

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

A multigeneration crossbred Meishan- White composite resource population was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for age at first estrus (AP) and the components of litter size: ovulation rate (OR; number of ova released in an estrous period) and uterine capacity (UC). The population was established by reciprocally mating Meishan (ME) and White composite (WC) pigs. Resultant F1 females were mated to either ME or WC boars to produce backcross progeny (BC) of either ¾ WC ¼ ME or ¼ WC ¾ ME. To produce the next generation (F₃) , ¾ WC ¼ ME animals were mated …

Real-Time Monitoring Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Adherence To Beef Carcass Surface Tissues With A Bioluminescent Reporter, Gregory R. Siragusa, Kevin Nawotka, Stanley D. Spilman, Pamela R. Contag, Christopher H. Contag

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

A method for studying bacteria that are attached to carcass surfaces would eliminate the need for exogenous sampling and would facilitate understanding the interaction of potential human food-borne pathogens with food animal tissue surfaces. We describe such a method in which we used a bioluminescent reporter strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 that was constructed by transformation with plasmid pCGLS1, an expression vector that contains a complete bacterial luciferase (lux) operon. Beef carcass surface tissues were inoculated with the bioluminescent strain, and adherent bacteria were visualized in real time by using a sensitive photon-counting camera to obtain in situ …

Proceedings Of The 26th Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 20-22, 1999, Robinson, Mississippi), Stephen R. Koenning, John Russin, Peggy S. King

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for the Southern United States during 1998. Phillip W Pratt

Treasurer report. Peggy S King

Contributed paper session

Resistance Ratings for 288 soybean Cultivars to the Reniform Nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis. RT Robbins, L Rakes, and L Jackson

Evaluation of Azoxystrobin on Two Foliar Soybean Diseases in Arkansas. CM Coker

Early Soybean Production System in Missouri: Progress and Potential. JA Wrather, and DA Sleper

A New Phomopsis Disease of Soybeans in Mississippi. GL Sciumbato and BL Keeling

Reaction of Soybean Genotypes to Sudden Death Syndrome. JH Klein, ME Schmidt, RE Whelan, JS Russin, RJ Suttner, …

Intsormil 1999 Annual Report, John M. Yohe, Thomas Crawford Jr., Joan Frederick, Dorothy Stoner

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Presently, worldwide, more than 800 million people do not get enough to eat or have access to a balanced diet to be healthy. At the World Food Summit in 1996, the United States of America (USA) and 185 other countries pledged to reduce the number of malnourished people by one half by 2015. It is shocking that about 33% of preschool children in developing countries will be stunted due to malnutrition by the year 2000. The number of stunted children in Africa alone has increased significantly from 35 million in 1980 to 45 million in 1995 and is predicted to …

Alley Cropping: An Agroforestry Practice, Sandra Hodge, H. E. Garrett, Jerry Bratton

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Alley cropping is an agroforestry practice intended to place trees within agricultural cropland systems. The purpose is to enhance or add income diversity (both long and short range), reduce wind and water erosion, improve crop production, improve utilization of nutrients, improve wildlife habitat or aesthetics, and/or convert cropland to forest. The practice is especially attractive to landowners wishing to add economic stability to their farming system while protecting soil from erosion, water from contamination, and improving wildlife habitat.

Notes: Evaluation Of A Filter Bag System For Ndf, Adf, And Ivdmd Forage Analysis, Kenneth P. Vogel, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Steven D. Masterson, John J. Toy

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A new method of determining in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) as recently developed in which the digestion is conducted with the forage samples in filter bags. Our objective was to compare the filter bag and conventional IVDMD analysis methods using smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] samples. In addition, the filter bag analysis systems for determining non-sequential neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF and ADF), respectively, were compared with the non-sequential conventional analysis systems. In the filter bag systems, the forage samples are sealed in filter bags and the …

Weed Management: Implications Of Herbicide Resistant Crops, Stephen Duke

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

Crops made resistant to herbicides by biotechnology are being widely adopted in North America and entering other parts of the world. Those containing transgenes that impart resistance to post-emergence, non-selective herbicides such as glyphosate and glufosinate will have the major impact. These products allow the farmer to more effectively use reduced- or no-tillage cultural practices, eliminate use of some of the more environmentally suspect herbicides, and use fewer herbicides to manage nearly the entire spectrum of weed species. In some cases, non-selective herbicides used with herbicide resistant crops reduce plant pathogen problems because of the chemicals’ toxicity to certain microbes. …

Runoff And Erosion From Interrill Areas As Affected By The Application Of Manure, John E. Gilley, Bahman Eghball, Jurg M. Blumenthal, David D. Baltensperger

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

This study was conducted to measure runoff and erosion from interrill areas as affected by the long-term application of manure and fertilizer to a Tripp sandy loam soil located near Mitchell, Nebraska. Soil which had been removed from the top 0.1 m of the soil profile was placed in a 1 m² soil pan. Rainfall was then applied to the soil pan during initial and wet simulation events. Total runoff was similar on the manure and no-manure treatments. The long-term application of manure (55 years) at a rate of 27 Mg ha^-1 (wet basis) per year did not …

Relationship Between Spectral Data From An Aerial Image And Soil Organic Matter And Phosphorus Levels, Gary E. Varvel, Michael R. Schlemmer, James S. Schepers

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

Early ventures into site-specific management involved fertilizer management decisions based on soil chemical properties characterized by some form of grid sampling. This is both labor and capital intensive and practitioners quickly began investigating other methods to get a measure of spatial variability. Aerial photographs, which were mainly used to evaluate and assess crop status, allow for the collection of whole-field data at relatively low cost. Our objective is to determine what relationships exist between aerial spectral data and intensive grid soil test results and whether this information can be used to improve future soil sampling strategies. Soil-test organic matter (OM) …

Effect Of Leaf Phosphorus And Potassium Concentration On Chlorophyll Meter Reading In Rice, Shaobing Peng, Arnel L. Sanico, Felipe V. Garcia, Rebecca C. Laza, Romeo M. Visperas, Josue P. Descalsota, Kenneth G. Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Chlorophyll meter (SPAD) is a convenient tool to estimate leaf nitrogen (N) concentration of rice plants. There is no information on the effects of leaf phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentration on SP AD readings and on the relationship between SPAD values and leaf N concentration in the literature. In 1996 dry season, cv IR72 was grown at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) under various N, P and K fertilizer combinations. SPAD measurements were made on the topmost fully expanded leaves at mid-tillering and panicle initiation. The leaves were then detached, dried …

Loci Controlling Resistance To High Plains Virus And Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus In A B73 × Mo17 Population Of Maize, A. Marçon, S. M. Kaeppler, S. G. Jensen, L. Senior, C. Stuber

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

High Plains disease has the potential to cause significant yield loss in susceptible corn (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes, especially in the central and western USA. The primary causal agent, High Plains virus (HPV), is vectored by wheat curl mite (WCM; Aceria tossicheila Keifer), which is also the vector of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV). In general, the two diseases occur together as a mixed infection in the field. The objective of this research was to characterize the inheritance of HPV and WSMV resistance using B73 (resistant to HPV and WSMV) × Mo17 (moderately …

Isolation Of Sperm Storage Tubules From The Uterovaginal Junction Mucosa Of The Turkey, L. M. King, J. P. Brillard, M. R. Bakst, A. M. Donoghue

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

This study was performed to determine whether intact sperm storage tubules (SST) could be successfully isolated from the uterovaginal junction (UVJ) mucosa of the turkey. Large White BUTA hens were inseminated and euthanatized 24 to 48 h later. Oviducts were excised, UVJ tissue removed, and SST were procured by enzymatic digestion. Recovered SST were intact and contained motile sperm. The sperm were oriented with their acrosomes pointed towards the distal end of the SST, and their long axes in parallel with the long axis of the tubule’s lumen. This method for the isolation of intact SST can be readily applied …

Cytogenetic Assignment Of 53 Microsatellites From The Usda-Marc Porcine Genetic Map, N. L. Lopez-Corrales, C. W. Beattie, G. A. Rohrer

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

This study provides 53 new fluorescent in situ hybridization cytogenetic assignments for microsatellite markers linked to the swine genetic map. Forty microsatellites are physically assigned for the first time. The chromosomal locations of eight markers were either confirmed or refined, while five loci were assigned to locations different from those given in previous reports. Markers were selected to provide physical anchors based on their presumed proximity to centromeres or telomeres and at approximately 30 cM invervals across the genetic map. The number of physical anchors for pig (SSC) chromosomes 8, 15, and 18 linkage groups was significantly improved. Centromeric regions …

Economic And Environmental Benefits Of Soil/Water Nitrogen Testing: The Case Of Central Nebraska, C. S. Kim, Harold Taylor, Carmen Sandretto

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

This research presents a competitive dynamic model to evaluate the economic and groundwater quality benefits resulting from the adoption of soil/water nitrogen testing. The model is applied to an irrigated corn production county in the Nebraska Mid-State area where the groundwater contamination level from nitrates is reported to be, on average 18.7 parts per million (ppm). Adoption of nutrient management practices would result in increased economic benefits to farmers and reduced nitrate stocks in groundwater.

Effect Of Airflow On House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Distribution In Poultry Houses, Christopher Geden, Jerome Hogsette, Roger Jacobs

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

Numbers of fecal and vomit spots deposited by house flies, Musca domestica L., on spot cards were about twice as high on cards placed on the downwind sides as on the upwind sides of building support posts in caged-layer poultry houses with tunnel ventilation in Brooksville, FL. This trend was stronger at the ends of the houses where airflow is faster than in the relatively still-air center of the houses. A similar evaluation conducted in a pullet house (Zephyrhills, FL) with an evaporative cooling ventilation system revealed significantly higher fly counts on spot cards and sticky cards in downwind compared …