Agricultural Science Commons^™

Information On Pastoral Businesses In The Rangelands Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Edited by William Dalton and Francis Bright

The rangelands make up 87 per cent of Western Australia's landmass and include all but the south-west of the State. Livestock grazing on pastoral leasehold is the dominant commercial land use across 42 per cent (910,000 km*) of the WA rangelands and unallocated Crown lands comprise another 37 per cent.

The rangelands:

• Produce most of the State's mineral and energy wealth.

• Support important segments of the livestock industry.

• Are of special significance to the Aboriginal population.

• Offer major tourism potential.

• Contain essential elements of the State's biological diversity.

• Offer opportunities to produce horticultural …

  ---

  Go to article

Chlorine Inactivation Of Adenovirus Type 40 And Feline Calicivirus, Jeanette A. Thurston-Enriquez, Charles N. Haas, Joseph Jacangelo, Charles P. Gerba

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

Ct values, the concentration of free chlorine multiplied by time of contact with virus, were determined for free-chlorine inactivation experiments carried out with chloroform-extracted (dispersed) and non-chloroformextracted (aggregated) feline calicivirus (FCV), adenovirus type 40 (AD40), and polio virus type 1 (PV-1). Experiments were carried out with high and low pH and temperature conditions. Ct values were calculated directly from bench-scale free-chlorine inactivation experiments and from application of the efficiency factor Hom model. For each experimental condition, Ct values were higher at pH 8 than at pH 6, higher at 5°C than at 15°C, and higher for dispersed AD40 (dAD40) than …

Arkansas Small-Grain Cultivar Performance Tests 2002-2003, J. T. Kelly, C. E. Parsons, R. K. Bacon

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Small-grain cultivar performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide information to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating cultivar recommendations for smallgrain producers.

Functional Properties Of Waxy Wheat Flours: Genotypic And Environmental Effects, Robert A. Graybosch, Edward Sousa, William Berzonsky, P. Stephen Baenziger, Okkyung Chung

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

A set of waxy (amylose-free) experimental spring wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) of diverse parentage were grown, along with two nonwaxy and two partial waxy check cultivars, at diverse North American cultural environments. Grain yield and functional attributes of derived flours were determined. Average grain yield of the waxy lines did not differ significantly from the average yield of the check cultivars, but significant differences were observed amongst the waxy lines. Grain hardness varied significantly amongst the waxy lines, and both hard and soft textured waxy lines were identified. Analysis of flour quality traits showed few differences between waxy lines …

Crop Damage By Nematodes In Improved-Fallow Fields In Western Kenya, Serigne T. Kandji, Callistus K.P.O. Ogol, Alain Albrecht

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The rotation of leguminous shrubs and crops is being tested on farms and recommended as a means of improving soil fertility and increasing crop yield in eastern and southern Africa, including western Kenya. However, this improved fallow practice may also increase the nematode population in the soil. An experiment was conducted to monitor the effects of plant-parasitic nematodes on crops after improved fallow. Soil was collected from a maize (Zea mays L.)/bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) field, a natural fallow, a Crotalaria (Crotalaria grahamiana Wight & Am.) fallow, a Tephrosia (Tephrosia vogelii Hook. f.) fallow and a Crotalaria - Tephrosia mixed …

Sustainability Issues For Agriculture In Western Australia, Anne Bennett, Ross Kingwell, Ross George

Agriculture reports

This paper describes briefly the main challenges to the sustainability of agriculture in Western Australia and outlines some means of responding the the challenges: market-based approaches; agricultural and environmental research and development; accelerated adjustment; and global and national policy initiatives. Challenges include: land resource quality (salinity, soil acidity), biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, water availability, food safety, and pests and diseases.

Agroecosystems Analysis From The Grass Roots: A Multidimensional Experiential Learning Course, Mary Wiedenhoeft, Steve Simmons, Ricardo Salvador, Gina Mcandrews, Charles A. Francis, James W. King, David Hole

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

An intensive, experiential travel course in Agroecosystems Analysis was conducted in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska (United States) during summers of 1998 and 1999. The intended student audience was advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Pretravel readings and a week-long series of farm visits, which consisted of in-depth interviews with the farmers and their families, prepared student teams to analyze and evaluate the production, economic, environmental, and social sustainability of 10 farms. Students shared their analyses both orally and in written reports. Based on a multifaceted student evaluation process, we found that participants were highly motivated, strongly engaged with the course …

Proceedings Of The 30th Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 3, 2003, Little Rock, Arkansas), Patrick Fenn, Kathy S. Mclean, Boyd Padgett, Jason Bond, Steve R. Koenning

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

Southern Soybean Disease Workers 2002 treasury report. James Bond

United States Soybean Disease Loss Estimate for 2002. Compiled by Stephen R. Koenning

Evaluation of Reduced Rates and Timing of Azoxystrobin on Frogeye Leaf Spot Cliff M Coker

Effect of Fungicides on Soybean Disease, Yield and Seed Quality. RW Schneider, JD Siebert, CA Jones, and JL Griffin

Effect of Fungicide Seed Treatment on Soybean Establishment. ML Rosso, C Boger, G Bates, C Rothrock, T Kirkpatrick, and J Rupe

Influence of Soybean Cyst Nematode on Sudden Death Syndrome Development in Field Microplots in Arkansas. SL Giammaria, CB Boger, and JC Rupe …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2002, E. M. Bourland, J. T. Johnson, S. B. Jackson, M. W. Duren, J. M. Hornbeck, F. E. Groves, W. C. Robertson

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary aim of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 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 dealers establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. In this way, the annual test facilitates the inclusion of new, improved genetic material into Arkansas cotton production. Variety adaptation is determined by evaluation of the varieties and lines at four University of Arkansas research stations located near Keiser, Clarkedale, Marianna, and Rohwer. Tests are duplicated in irrigated and non-irrigated culture at …

Effects Of Molasses Grass, Melinis Minutiflora Volatiles On The Foraging Behavior Of The Cereal Stemborer Parasitoid, Cotesia Sesamiae, Linnet S. Gohole, William A. Overholt, Zeyaur R. Khan, John A. Pickett, Louise E.M. Vet

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Olfactory responses of the cereal stemborer parasitoid Cotesia sesamiae to volatiles emitted by gramineous host and nonhost plants of the stemborers were studied in a Y-tube olfactometer. The host plants were maize (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), while the nonhost plant was molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora). In single-choice tests, females of C. sesamiae chose volatiles from infested and uninfested host plants and molasses grass over volatiles from the control (soil). In dual-choice tests, the wasp preferred volatiles from infested host plants to those from uninfested host plants. There was no discrimination between molasses grass volatiles and those of uninfested …

Aepat: Software For Assessing Agronomic And Environmental Performance Of Management Practices In Long-Term Agroecosystem Experiments, Mark A. Liebig, Martin E. Miller, Gary E. Varvel, John W. Doran, Jon D. Hanson

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

Approaches to assess the effects of management practices on agro-ecosystem functions are needed. This paper describes a computer program designed to assess the relative sustainability of management practices using agronomic and environmental data. The program, entitled AgroEcosystem Performance Assessment Tool (AEPAT), utilizes performance-based index methodology to derive a relative ranking of agroecosystem performance among management practices for functions and indicators included in the procedure. The program is organized into eight major steps: Introduction, Input Files, Assign Indicators to Functions, Describe Indicators, Assign Weights, Select Output File, Calculate Agroecosystem Performance Scores, and Save Agro-ecosystem Project. Help windows as well as a …

Mapping The Fas Locus Controlling Stearic Acid Content In Soybean, M. M. Spencer, V. R. Pantalone, E. J. Meyer, D. Landau-Ellis, D. L. Hyten Jr.

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Increasing the stearic acid content to improve soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr] oil quality is a desirable breeding objective for food-processing applications. Although a saturated fatty acid, stearic acid has been shown to reduce total levels of blood cholesterol and offers the potential for the production of solid fat products (such as margarine) without hydrogenation. This would result in the reduction of the level of trans fat in food products and alleviate some current health concerns. A segregating F₂ population was developed from the cross between Dare, a normal stearic acid content cultivar, and FAM94-41, a high stearic …

Intsormil 2003 Annual Report, John M. Yohe, Thomas Crawford Jr., Kimberly Christiansen, Joan Frederick

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

From 1980 to 1999, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the number of food-insecure people in developing countries fell from 920 million to about 800 million, yet in 2003, the International Food Policy Research Institute declared that "without significant changes in policies, public investments, and institutions, we simply will not achieve the 1996 World Food Summit goal-reaffirmed at the 2000 Millennium Summit and again last year at the World Food Summit: five years later of reducing the number of our fellow human beings who are food insecure by at least half by no later …

Fiber Quality Response Of Pima Cotton To Nitrogen And Phosphorus Deficiency, Haile Tewolde, C. J. Fernandez

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

Imposing a moderate level of nutrient deficiency may be an effective management strategy to limit vegetative growth and enhance maturity of Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.). Whether such deficiency affects fiber quality of American Pima cotton, however, is not well known. A field study was conducted in 1991 and 1992 to determine the fiber quality responses of Pima cotton to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization ranging between deficient and excess. Pima cotton cv. ‘‘S-7’’ was treated with nitrogen rates ranging between 0 and 269 kg ha^-1 in a factorial combination with phosphorus rates ranging between 0 and 44 kg …

Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Feeding And Reproduction As Functions Of Cotton Square Availability, S. M. Greenberg, T. W. Sappington, M. Sétamou

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

The influence of food item availability on boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, feeding and reproduction was determined by providing different numbers of cotton squares (flower buds) to individual weevils. Squares were replaced daily after a 5-d feeding and mating conditioning period. The number of lifetime punctures produced by boll weevil females and males increased with square availability. The total number of punctures caused by boll weevil females was 2.7-fold higher than that caused by males. Fecundity was significantly higher in the 10:1, 15:1, and 20:1 (squares:female) treatments than in the 1:1 treatment. The relationship between eggs laid per day …

Olfactometric Evaluation Of Spatial Repellents For Aedes Aegypti, Daniel L. Kline, Ulrich R. Bernier, Kenneth H. Posey, Donald R. Barnard

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

The spatial repellency responses of Aedes aegypti (L.) to deet, dehydrolinalool and linalool were evaluated using a dual port olfactometer. In the absence of human attractant mixture, each of the three chemicals resulted in activation and/or orientation of mosquitoes to the chemical source. Linalool was the most attractive compound. In the presence of human attractant mixture, activation and/or orientation of mosquitoes to each of the three chemicals was reduced. We compared reductions in mosquito responses to each of the three chemicals, in the presence of human attractant mixture, to estimate spatial repellency. As expected, lowest spatial repellency (7.3%) was observed …

Synergistic Attraction Of Aedes Aegypti (L.) To Binary Blends Of L-Lactic Acid And Acetone, Dichloromethane, Or Dimethyl Disulfide, Ulrich R. Bernier, Daniel L. Kline, Kenneth H. Posey, Matthew M. Booth, Richard A. Yost, Donald R. Barnard

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

Kairomones produced by humans provide female anthropophilic mosquitoes with vital cues used in host-seeking for a blood meal. These chemicals are emanated primarily by the skin and provide the mosquitoes a means to orient themselves to humans at a relatively close range. Chemical studies of these emanations have provided new ideas for the formulation of attractant blends. We report mosquito attraction responses for three binary blends and their separate components. The blends are comprised of L-lactic acid plus either acetone, dichloromethane, or dimethyl disulfide. At the emission rates used in our bioassays, these blends synergistically attract laboratory-reared female Aedes aegypti …

Description And Analysis Of Two Internet-Based Databases Of Insect Pathogens: Edwip And Vidil, S. M. Braxton, D. W. Onstad, D. E. Docktor, R. Giordano, R. Larsson, R. A. Humber

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

In 1996, two searchable databases covering insect pathogens were posted on the World Wide Web: the Ecological Database of the World's Insect Pathogens (EDWIP) and the Viral Diseases of Insects in the Literature database (VIDIL). In this paper, we describe the format and contents of EDWIP and VIDIL on the World Wide Web. EDWIP contains over 9400 pathogen–host association records, 677 negative test result or ‘‘no association’’ records, 4454 host species, 2285 pathogen species records, and 2057 bibliographical references. Species of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera are the best represented groups in EDWIP. Lepidopteran species account for the most associations of any …

Above- And Below-Ground Responses Of C3-C4 Species Mixtures To Elevated Co2 And Soil Water Availability, Justin D. Derner, Hyrum B. Johnson, Bruce A. Kimball, Paul J. Pinter Jr., H. Wayne Polley, Charles R. Tischler, Thomas W. Boutton, Robert L. Lamorte, Gerald W. Wall, Neil R. Adam, Steven W. Leavitt, Michael J. Ottman, Allan D. Matthias, Talbot J. Brooks

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

We evaluated the influences of CO₂ and soil water on above- and below-ground responses of C₃ and C₄ plants in monocultures and two density mixtures.

Registration Of Rn582 Sorghum Germplasm Line, J. F. Pedersen, J. J. Toy

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

RN582 sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.)Moench] germplasm line (Reg. no. GP-591, PI 628277) was developed jointly by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, and was released in September 2001.

RN582 is an S₆ selection from the cross (RTx430 ms₃ms₃X E 35-1) X E 35-1. RTx430 was developed and released by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (Miller, 1984) and was provided to this project containing the nuclear male sterility gene ms₃ by A.B. Maunder in 1988. E 35-1 is an Ethiopian land race with white …

The Black Dump Fly: A Larval Predator Of House Flies, J.A. Hogsette, R.D. Jacobs

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

The black dump fly ( Figure 1 ) is a shiny, black fly similar in size and appearance to the house fly. It is currently regaining popularity as a biological control agent for controlling house flies on poultry farms without the use of pesticides. The fly is native to the U.S., and Central and South America. The current scientific name of the fly is Hydrotaea aenescens, however it is sometimes referred to by its former name, Ophyra aenescens. The purpose of this document is to provide some general information about this fly, its biology and behavior, and how …

Increasing Co2 From Subambient To Superambient Concentrations Alters Species Composition And Increases Above-Ground Biomass In A C3/C4 Grassland, H. W. Polley, Hyrum B. Johnson, Justin D. Derner

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

The glacial-to-present increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration is likely to have stimulated plant production, but experimental tests in natural ecosystems are lacking.

Growth Of Forage Legumes And Grasses In Acidic Soil Amended With Flue Gas Desulfurization Products, R. B. Clark, V. C. Baligar

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

Large amounts of flue gas desulfurization products (FGDs) are produced when SO₂ emissions are trapped in the coal burning process for generation of electricity. FGDs are normally discarded instead of being reused, and reuse on soils could be important in overall management of these products. Glasshouse experiments were conducted to determine effects of various levels of three FGDs (a FGD gypsum, an oxidized FGD + Mg, and a stabilized FGD) and the control compounds CaCO₃, CaSO₃, and CaSO₄ on growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), orchardgrass ( …

Genotypic Differences In Concentration And Bioavailability Of Kernel-Iron In Tropical Maize Varieties Grown Under Field Conditions, Sylvester O. Oikeh, Abebe Menkir, Bussie Maziya-Dixon, Ross Welch, Raymond P. Glahn

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

Iron deficiency is estimated to affect over one-half the world population. Improving the nutritional quality of staple food crops through breeding for high bioavailable iron represents a sustainable and cost effective approach to alleviating iron malnutrition. Forty-nine late maturing tropical elite maize varieties were grown in a lattice design with two replications in three locations representing three agroecologies in West and Central Africa to identify varieties with high levels of kernel-Fe. Bioavailable iron was assessed for some varieties selected for high Fe concentration in kernel and improved agronomic traits using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. Significant differences in kernel-Fe …

Potential Relationships Between Physical Traits And Male Broiler Breeder Fertility, S. Mcgary, I. Estevez, M. R. Bakst

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

Genetic selection in primary broiler breeders may modify skeletal structure, possibly impeding semen transfer, and could alter the size and degree of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of bilateral traits associated with fertility. Hence, we hypothesized specific morphometric traits could predict differential fertility. Sixty primary broiler breeder males from Strains A and B (n = 30/strain) were individually housed with an average of 10 females per male. Male fertility and sperm penetration (SP) through the perivitelline layer were estimated on fresh eggs. At 50 wk, BW, keel length (KL), posterior pelvic width and length (PPW, PPL), dorsal pelvic width and length (DPW, …

Differential Amplification Of Sequence Heterogeneous Ribosomal Rna Genes And Classification Of The ‘Fragaria Multicipita’ Phytoplasma, Robert E. Davis, Rasa Jomantiene, Audrone Kalvelyte, Ellen L. Dally

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

Ribosomal (r) RNA interoperon sequence heterogeneity in the ‘Fragaria multicipita’ phytoplasma, a member of group 16SrVI, was initially observed in RFLP patterns of rDNA amplified in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and was confirmed through sequence analysis of cloned rDNA. Sequences from operons rrnA and rrnB were amplified in PCR primed by primer pair P1/P7 but from only rrnA in PCR primed by primer pair R16mF2/R16mR1. Preferential amplification of DNAfrom operon rrnA was explained by base mismatches between the R16mF2/R16mR1 primers and primer annealing sites in rrnB. The results revealed potential for classification of a phytoplasma into two …

To Be Or Not To Be A Locust? A Comparative Analysis Of Behavioral Phase Change In Nymphs Of Schistocerca Americana And S. Gregaria, Gregory A. Sword

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

Phenotypic plasticity in behavior induced by high rearing density is often part of a migratory syndrome in insects called phase polyphenism. Among locust species, swarming and the expression of phase polyphenism are highly correlated. The american grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, rarely swarms even though it is closely related to the swarming Old World desert locust, S. gregaria, as well as two swarming New World locusts. Anecdotal field observations of locust-like behavior in S. americana indicate that it may express behavioral phase polyphenism, but empirical investigations are lacking. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that S. americana expresses locust-like …

Table & Seed Potatoes From Western Australia At A Glance, Dr I Mcpharlin, Peter Dawson, Rachel Lancaster

Bulletins 4000 -

Western Australia is a leading national exporter of table potatoes, accounting for almost 40 per cent of Australian exports. The high quality of Western Australian potatoes commands premium prices on both national and international markets. Opportunities to export Certified potato seed, particularly to south east Asian markets are growing and varieties suited to export markets are being developed.

Impact Of Egg Storage On Carbonic Anhydrase Activity During Early Embryogenesis In The Turkey, M. R. Bakst, L. Holm

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

Carbonic anhydrase is an enzyme that plays important roles in the conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate, acid-base balance, and in subembryonic fluid formation in the early Japanese quail embryo. While turkey egg storage longer than 10 d is known to increase the rate of embryo mortality, little is known of the biological mechanisms that contribute to this phenomenon. In this study, we examined the impact of turkey egg storage on carbonic anhydrase activity in the freshly laid egg through 72 h of incubation. Carbonic anhydrase activity, which was not affected by egg storage for 21 d at 18°C, was …

Understanding The Effect Of Rye Chromatin In Bread Wheat, A. M. Kumlay, P. Stephen Baenziger, K. S. Gill, D. R. Shelton, Robert A. Graybosch, A. J. Lukaszewski, D. M. Wesenberg

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

Most experiments on 1RS translocations in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cannot separate the effects of introgressions of rye (Secale cereale L.) chromosome armfromthe absence of corresponding wheat chromosome arms. The objective of this research was to determine the contribution of individual wheat and rye group 1 chromosome arms. Five group 1 ditelosomics, six substitutions, and 16 translocations of 1R in wheat were compared with appropriate controls. All ditelosomics were significantly different from controls for 100-kernel weight (100-KW), flour protein content (FP), Mixograph peak time (MT) and tolerance (MTO), and sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDSS) volume. Among the long …