Agricultural Science Commons^™

Agricultural Systems For Saline Soil: The Potential Role Of Livestock, David G. Masters, H C. Norman, E G. Barrett-Lennard

Natural Resources Research Articles

Human-induced soil salinity is becoming a major threat to agriculture across the world. This salinisation occurs in both irrigated and rain-fed agricultural zones with the highest proportions in the arid and semi-arid environments. Livestock can play an important role in the management and rehabilitation of this land. There are a range of plants that grow in saline soils and these have been used as animal feed. In many situations, animal production has been poor as a result of low edible biomass production, low nutritive value, depressed appetite, or a reduction in efficiency of energy use. Feeding systems are proposed that …

Field Evaluation Of Herbicides On Rice 2004, Brian V. Ottis, Ronald E. Talbert, Andrew T. Ellis

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Herbicide evaluation studies on rice were conducted in 2004 at the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart, AR, in an effort to evaluate new herbicides, herbicide mixtures, and their application timings for weed control and crop tolerance. Results of these studies, in part, provide useful information to producers, fellow researchers, and the Crop Protection Industry for the potential use of new herbicide programs for successful rice production in Arkansas.

Big Bluestem Pasture In The Great Plains: An Alternative For Dryland Corn, Kenneth P. Vogel, Gary E. Varvel, Robert B. Mitchell, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Richard T. Clark, Bruce Anderson

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

Big bluestem pasture can earn more than twice as much per acre as dryland corn.

Corn production and perennial grass pastures provide the foundation for the agricultural industry in the central and eastern Great Plains. Typically, many producers grow both corn and perennial grass pastures to meet livestock feed demands and to diversify the operation. For example, corn was produced on more than 37% of the total cropland, and perennial pasture comprised 49% of the land in farms in Nebraska.1 Corn was produced on an average of 7.8 million acres in Nebraska from 2000 to 2002, with 40% being dryland …

Penicillin-Binding Proteins In The Pathogenic Intestinal Spirochete Brachyspira Pilosicoli, Rohana P. Dassanayake, Gautam Sarath, Gerald E. Duhamel

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

Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) of slightly different molecular masses (94, 62 or 68, 42 or 50, 25, and 22 kDa) were identified in one human and two porcine Brachyspira pilosicoli strains. Identification of PBPs of B. pilosicoli provides a basis for characterization of the genes encoding these proteins among pathogenic intestinal spirochetes of humans and animals.

Dynamic Response Indicators Of Heat Stress In Shaded And Non-Shaded Feedlot Cattle, Part 1: Analyses Of Indicators, T. M. Brown-Brandl, R. A. Eigenberg, J. A. Nienaber, G. Leroy Hahn

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

Heat stress in feedlot cattle can cause decreases in feed intake and growth, and in extreme cases may result in death. Providing shade during hot weather has shown inconsistent results, reducing direct and indirect losses in some areas of the United States, but not in others. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the dynamic responses of feedlot cattle to environmental conditions with and without access to shade, and to determine the most appropriate physiological measurement for monitoring feedlot cattle during hot weather as a guide for improved management. Eight crossbred steers (initially weighing 294.7±10.8 kg) were randomly assigned …

Soil Surveys: A Window To The Subsurface, Douglas A. Wysocki, P. J. Schoeneberger, H. E. Lagarry

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

Soils and underlying parent materials form a continuous system we must understand and manage in total. Numerous concerns (e.g., water quality, on-site waste disposal, landfill placement, and nutrient or pesticide movement) require an integrated knowledge and understanding of soil, the soil-to-substratum transition, and the deeper substratum. Soil C-horizons can exceed the thickness of the overlying A and B-horizons and contain unique morphological properties. The subsolum including C-horizons receives less descriptive emphasis than upper soil horizons. Soil scientists map and classify soils mainly on A and B-horizon properties. Soil forming and hydrologic processes that impart morphological features, however, extend considerably below …

Why Is Maize A Sacred Plant? Social History And Agrarian Change On Sumba, Cynthia Twyford Fowler

Faculty Scholarship

Why has maize, a plant with origins in the New World, become ritually important in an indigenous Southeast Asian religion? While environmental conditions and agricultural economics are key determinants of everyday resource management practices in insular Southeast Asia, it is necessary to consider ethnic identity, political economy, and social structure in order to understand the religious significance of natural resources in contemporary society. Linguistic, cosmological, and horticultural data are combined with an analysis of local perceptions of culture and environment. This information is used to explain the transformation of an introduced plant into an indigenous sacrament. Ethnographic data, including a …

Proceedings Of The 32nd Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 2-3, 2005, Scottsdale, Arizona), Ray Schneider, Boyd Padgett, Michael Schmidt, Jason Bond, Stephen R. Koenning

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

Southern Soybean Disease Workers 2004 treasury report

Southern United States Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for 2004. Compiled by SR Koenning

Initial Discovery of Asian Soybean Rust in Louisiana in 2004 and Lessons for 2005. RW Schneider, CA Hollier, and HK Wbitam

Efficacy of myclobutanil for control of Asian soybean rust in Brazil (2004). MT Iarnauti, NA Alvarenga, JA Rosseto, GR Tofoli, BD Olson, DG Ouimette, and DC Ruen.

Flutriafol - a triazole fungicide giving strong curative action and persistence of effect against Asian soybean rust. T Baker and R Noon Cherninova

Experience in Use of Syngenta Fungicides for Controlling …

Excavated Tanks And Hillside Dams, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

An excavated tank is an earth structure on near level land used to impound water, in which a percentage of the storage capacity is below ground level. It includes similar structures constructed on sloping land, referred to as 'hillside dams'. These are specific types of the group of water-impounding structures known as 'farm dams'.

Impact Of Reduced Lignin On Plant Fitness, J. F, Pedersen, K. P. Vogel, D. L. Funnell

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

Lignin content of crop plants has been reduced by traditional plant breeding, natural and induced mutations, and insertion of transgenes. The effects of these genes and associated lower lignin content have been examined in terms of agricultural fitness or with regard to economically harvestable yields of useful plant products, or, in the case of some perennial species, survivability over multiple years. In general, crop yields are depressed by significant reductions in lignin content. Other negative effects observed in plants with lowered lignin contents include lodging and reduction of long-term survival of some perennial species. However, the interactions of genes involved …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2004, Fred M. Bourland, B. S. Brown, J. M. Hornbeck, R. C. Doherty, 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.

Site Assessments, Martyn Keen

Natural resources published reports

The processes of collecting and recording site data as part of the preliminary tasks leading to a landscape or project design.

This standard applies to landscape and project designs for catchments of any size. Designs include: the installation of conservation earthworks; revegetation; land use planning; or implementation of erosion and sediment control practices. The design may also include any combination of the above

Silvopasture And Eastern Wild Turkey, Jim Robinson

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Trees and livestock account for much of the income production on lands throughout the southern United States. Today many landowners are combining these two operations into one system called silvopasture, where both timber and livestock are produced on the same field.

While economic gain is most often the primary goal of a silvopasture system, wildlife habitat enhancement is commonly seen as an added benefit. This Agroforestry Note discusses the habitat requirements of Eastern wild turkey with respect to management considerations for the production of timber and livestock forage within silvopasture systems.

Silvopasture systems typically are laid out by either planting …

Silvopasture Water And Fencing Systems For Cattle, Sid Brantly

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Silvopasture is an agroforestry system that combines grazing livestock with growing trees for a timber product. Creating small, fenced paddocks and rotating cattle builds in "recovery periods" for the forage and protects the soil and trees. In a silvopastoral system, grazing recovery periods can only be achieved when well-designed livestock water supplies and cross fences are used. Fortunately, technological advances in livestock water system design and fence materials have helped to create a feasible working environment where rotating livestock from one silvopasture paddock to another can be both convenient and affordable. However, some special considerations must be given to water …

Colonization Of Gnotobiotic Piglets By A Luxs Mutant Strain Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7, Dianna M. Jordan, Vanessa Sperandio, James B. Kaper, Evelyn A. Dean-Nystrom, Harley W. Moon

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

Gnotobiotic piglets inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7, its luxS mutant derivative, or nonpathogenic E. coli were evaluated for attaching and effacing lesions. Although no differences in clinical symptoms were seen between pigs inoculated with the parent and those inoculated with the luxS mutant, the luxS mutant-inoculated pigs had a lower frequency of attaching and effacing lesions in the spiral colon than parent strain-inoculated pigs.

Comparative Performance Of The Mbita Trap, Cdc Light Trap And The Human Landing Catch In The Sampling Of Anopheles Arabiensis, An. Funestus And Culicine Species In A Rice Irrigation In Western Kenya, Evan M. Mathenge, Gedion O. Misiani, David O. Oulo, Lucy W. Irungu, Paul N. Ndegwa, Tom A. Smith, Gerry F. Killeen, Bart G.J. Knols

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Mosquitoes sampling is an important component in malaria control. However, most of the methods used have several shortcomings and hence there is a need to develop and calibrate new methods. The Mbita trap for capturing host-seeking mosquitoes was recently developed and successfully tested in Kenya. However, the Mbita trap is less effective at catching outdoor-biting Anopheles funestus and Anopheles arabiensis in Madagascar and, thus, there is need to further evaluate this trap in diverse epidemiological settings. This study reports a field evaluation of the Mbita trap in a rice irrigation scheme in Kenya. Methods: The mosquito sampling efficiency of …

Intsormil 2005 Annual Report, John M. Yohe, Kimberly Christiansen, Joan Frederick

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The 2005 INTSORMIL Annual Report presents the progress and notable achievements by the SorghumiMillet CRSP during the period of July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005. These results are an outcome of partnerships between scientists at six U.S. Land Grant Universities (Kansas State University, Mississippi State University, University of Nebraska, Purdue University, Texas A&M University and West Texas A&M University) and scientists of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Tifton, Georgia and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and National Universities in nineteen countries in Central America, West Africa, East Africa and Southern Afflca.

Agricultural research …

Perennial Grasses - Are They For Me? Workshop Manual For Participants, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Wa, Grains Research And Development Corporation

Agriculture reports

This workshop is part of a series of workshops looking at dryland salinity and options to manage it. These ‘Million hectares’ workshops have the common themes of environmental improvement. They provide information to help participants identify the risks within the catchment and at a farm level, assess both the likelihood of the risk occurring and consequences if the risk is not managed and determine the best course of action for individuals. This perennial grass workshop builds on information and understanding developed from other Million hectares workshops. Participants will determine their course of action based on their specific circumstances and goals. …

An Inventory Of Rangelands In Part Of The Broome Shire, Western Australia, W E. Cotching

Technical Bulletins

The inventory of rangelands in part of the Broome Shire in Western Australia was undertaken by DAFWA between 1989 and 1990. It describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the natural area’s resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The survey of part of the Broome Shire …

Science-Based Organic Farming 2005: Toward Local And Secure Food Systems, Charles A. Francis, Twyla Hansen, Peter Skelton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming includes growing food and fiber — animals, agronomic crops, horticultural fruits and vegetables, related products — as one dynamic and rapidly evolving component of our complex U.S. food system. Even as more farmers are moving toward organic certification and participation in an environmentally sound and economically lucrative market, questions arise about the long-term social impacts and sustainability of a set of practices that has gone from a movement to an industry. Consolidations in the organic trade have brought multinational corporations to the table, as they have observed a grassroots activity that has grown by 20% per year for …

Ec05-185 Grazing Winter Wheat In Nebraska, Tom Holman, Drew J. Lyon, David D. Baltensperger, Ivan G. Rush, Ray E. Weed

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Grazing cattle on winter wheat, often prior to grain harvest, is common throughout the southern Great Plains. Grazing generates about $50 million in income for Texas wheat producers and reduces the risk of growing wheat by providing a substantial income source other than grain. Benefits can be realized by grazing prior to the primary environmental risk period for drought, heat stress, and hail, all of which frequently reduce grain yield while having limited impact on forage production. Cattle also are grazed on winter wheat fields in western Nebraska and the surrounding region. Typically in Nebraska, fall forage would be used …

Seasonal Acceptance Of Fourwing Saltbush By Sheep When Crested Wheatgrass Is The Alternative, Christine W. Royer, R. D. Horrocks, Val J. Anderson, Stephen B. Monsen

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

Many sagebrush-grass ranges have been seeded to crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fischer ex Link) Shultes]. These ranges are generally nutritionally inadequate for sheep (Ovis aries L.), except for short grazing periods in the spring and fall. To increase production and diversity, particularly crude protein for late-season grazing, fourwing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursch.) Nutt.] was planted in an existing stand of crested wheatgrass. Quantification of sheep forage preferences on these improved ranges aids in determining the length of the grazing season and the extent to which shrubs provide the supplemental nutrition required. This seasonal grazing study was conducted …

Herbivory Alters Resource Allocation And Compensation In The Invasive Tree Melaleuca Quinquenervia, P. D. Pratt, M. B. Rayamajhi, T. K. Van, T. D. Center, P. W. Tipping

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

The Australian native Melaleuca quinquenervia is highly invasive in the Florida Everglades, U.S.A., where it experiences limited competition or herbivory from native species, making it a likely candidate for compensation. The introduced biological control agent Oxyops vitiosa feeds exclusively on the seasonal flushes of developing foliage at branch apices, which represents ~ 15% of the total foliar biomass.

Plant Functional Group Diversity As A Mechanism For Invasion Resistance, Monica L. Pokorny, Roger L. Sheley, Catherine A. Zabinski, Richard E. Engel, Tony J. Svejcar, John J. Borkowski

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

A commonly cited mechanism for invasion resistance is more complete resource use by diverse plant assemblages with maximum niche complementarity. We investigated the invasion resistance of several plant functional groups against the nonindigenous forb Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa). The study consisted of a factorial combination of seven functional group removals (groups singularly or in combination) and two C. maculosa treatments (addition vs. no addition) applied in a randomized complete block design replicated four times at each of two sites.

Phosphorus Dynamics In Broiler Litter-Amended Soils, A. Adeli, K. R. Sistani, M. F. Bal'a, D. E. Rowe

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

Because land application of broiler litter is commonly made in the spring before cropping season and in the fall, it is essential to understand how environmental variations, such as temperature, affect the phosphorus (P) dynamics. A laboratory incubation study was conducted at Waste Management and Forage Research Unit, USDAARS with the objective of determining the effects of temperature and soil properties on water-soluble P (WSP), Mehlich 3 P, and P fractions in broiler litter-amended soils. Broiler litter was mixed with three soils (Leeper silty clay, Grenada silt loam, and Ruston sandy loam) at the rate of 10 Mg ha^{-1 …}

Molecular Evolution Of Herbicide Resistance To Phytoene Desaturase Inhibitors In Hydrilla Verticillata And Its Potential Use To Generate Herbicide-Resistant Crops, R. S. Arias, Michael D. Netherland, Brian E. Scheffler, Atul Puri, Franck E. Dayan

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

Hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (Lf) Royle] is one of the most serious invasive aquatic weed problems in the USA. This plant possesses numerous mechanisms of vegetative reproduction that enable it to spread very rapidly. Management of this weed has been achieved by the systemic treatment of water bodies with the herbicide fluridone. At least three dioecious fluridone-resistant biotypes of hydrilla with two- to fivefold higher resistance to the herbicide than the wild-type have been identified. Resistance is the result of one of three independent somatic mutations at the arginine 304 codon of the gene encoding phytoene desaturase, the molecular target …

Registration Of ‘Arrowsmith’ Hard White Winter Wheat, Robert A. Graybosch, C.J. Peterson, P. Stephen Baenziger, Lenis Alton Nelson, B.B. Beecher, D. D. Baltensperger, J.M. Krall

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

‘Arrowsmith’ (Reg. no. CV-969, PI 633911) hard white winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed cooperatively by USDA-ARS, the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. Arrowsmith is adapted to dryland environments in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. It was released on the basis of its white grain color, medium-long coleoptile length, and tall plant height, all desirable features for wheat grown on dryland sites in the Nebraska Panhandle and eastern Wyoming.

Arrowsmith was derived from the cross KS87809-10/‘Arapahoe’, made in 1993. KS87809-10 is an experimental hard winter wheat from Kansas State University with the pedigree …

Effect Of Oxygen Management On Culture Performance Of Channel Catfish In Earthen Ponds, Eugene L. Torrans

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

Aeration allows for higher feeding rates and increased production of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in intensive and semi-intensive aquaculture systems. However, the effect of specific dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations on various production parameters remains unknown. The purpose of this 2-year study was to determine the effect of daily minimum DO concentration on channel catfish production. Six 0.1-ha ponds were each equipped with three 0.37-kW (0.5-hp) aerators and one 0.37-kW circulator. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were monitored and recorded with a commercial oxygen monitor that also controlled aeration. During both years, aeration in the high-oxygen treatment was initiated when the DO concentration …

Abundance Of Plodia Interpunctella (Hubner) And Cadra Cautella (Walker) Infesting Maize Stored On South Carolina Farms: Seasonal And Non-Seasonal Variation, Richard T. Arbogast, Shahpar R. Chini

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

Seasonal trends and short-term fluctuations in abundance of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) and Cadra cautella (Walker) infesting maize stored on two South Carolina farms were studied during three storage seasons (September 1990–June 1993). Coils of corrugated paper placed on the grain surface were used to trap mature larvae seeking pupation sites. Temperatures in the grain (18-cm-deep) and in the bin headspace were recorded hourly, and grain moisture content was measured weekly. Weekly mean numbers of moth larvae, and adults of two natural enemies, trapped in the coils were used for tracking changes in their abundance over time. The most significant findings …

Cryptic Plasmid Psku146 From The Wall-Less Plant Pathogen Spiroplasma Kunkelii Encodes An Adhesin And Components Of A Type Iv Translocation-Related Conjugation System, Robert E. Davis, Ellen L. Dally, Rasa Jomantiene, Yan Zhao, Bruce Roe, Shaoping Lin, Jonathan Shao

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

A cryptic plasmid of the wall-less plant pathogenic mollicute, Spiroplasma kunkelii CR2-3X, was cloned and its sequence analyzed. The 14,615 bp plasmid, designated pSKU146, has a nucleotide content of 28 mol% G + C, and contains 18 potential protein-coding regions (open reading frames, ORFs), of which six encode proteins that exhibit similarity to virulence-associated proteins involved in cell-to-cell adhesion or conjugal DNA transfer. One ORF encodes a 96 kDa protein, SkARP1, that is highly similar to SARP1 adhesin involved in attachment of Spiroplasma citri to insect vector gut membrane. Five ORFs encode proteins similar to TraE and Mob in walled …