Agricultural Science Commons^™

Characterization Of Biological Types Of Cattle (Cycle Vii): Influence Of Postpartum Interval And Estrous Cycle Length On Fertility, R. A. Cushman, M. F. Allan, R. M. Thallman, L. V. Cundiff

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

Genetic improvement in reproductive efficiency through selection is difficult because many reproductive traits are binomial and have low heritabilities. Before genetic markers can be generated for fertility in cows, greater characterization of reproductive phenotypes is needed to understand the components of the trait. The current study tested the hypotheses that: 1) breeds vary in postpartum interval to estrus (PPIE) and estrous cycle length, 2) a longer estrous cycle immediately before breeding increased pregnancy rates, and 3) a greater number of cycles before breeding increased conception rates. The postpartum interval to estrus, estrous cycle length, and number of cycles before breeding …

Effects Of Graded Levels Of Sorghum Wet Distiller’S Grains And Degraded Intake Protein Supply On Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Feedlot Cattle Fed Steam-Flaked Corn-Based Diets, J. T. Vasconcelos, L. M. Shaw, K. A. Lemon, N. A. Cole, M. L. Galyean

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

Two experiments evaluated different levels of sorghum wet distiller’s grains plus solubles (SWDG) and effects of increasing the degraded intake protein (DIP) concentration in diets containing SWDG on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle. In Exp. 1, 200 beef steers (average BW = 404 kg) were fed increasing levels of SWDG (0, 5, 10, and 15% of DM) and one level of corn wet distiller’s grains plus solubles (10% of DM), which replaced steamflaked corn in a high-concentrate diet. Final BW (P = 0.04) and overall ADG (P = 0.01) decreased linearly with increasing levels of SWDG. Increasing SWDG …

Livestock Management During Drought In The Northern Great Plains. I. A Practical Predictor Of Annual Forage Production, R. E. Kruse, M. W. Tess, R. K. Heitschmidt

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

This research addressed the hypothesis that spring precipitation data can be used to detect agricultural drought early in the growing season. The Rangetek range model was used to simulate yearly forage data based on historical precipitation and temperature records from the USDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (Miles City, MT) and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Manyberries Substation (Lethbridge, AB, Canada). Monthly total precipitation and monthly average maximum and minimum temperatures were used to develop regression equations predicting growing season forage production at the Fort Keogh Laboratory and Manyberries Substation. At Fort Keogh Laboratory, a combination of fall …

Identification Of Compounds From Etonia Rosemary (Conradina Etonia), Brian P. Quinn, Ulrich R. Bernier, Matthew M. Booth

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

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that result in diseases harmful to human, livestock, and wildlife hosts. Numerous measures can be used to reduce insect-borne disease risk to humans, and one approach is the use of topical repellents to prevent host-seeking arthropods from taking a blood meal. A current emphasis in the development of new repellents is that they be safe. Therefore, natural products sources are increasingly being explored. Compounds from plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae) have been demonstrated to be insect repellents. This study examines compounds from Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia) to identify compounds for examination as insect repellents. …

Using Comparative Genomics To Reorder The Human Genome Sequence Into A Virtual Sheep Genome, Brian Dalrymple, Ewen Kirkness, Mikhail Nefedov, Sean Mcwilliam, Abhirami Ratnakumar, Wes Barris, Shaying Zhao, Jyoti Shetty, Jillian Maddox, Margaret O'Grady, Frank Nicholas, Allan Crawford, Tim Smith, Pieter De Jong, John Mcewan, V. Hutton Oddy, Noelle Cockett

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

Background: Is it possible to construct an accurate and detailed subgene-level map of a genome using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) end sequences, a sparse marker map, and the sequences of other genomes?
Results: A sheep BAC library, CHORI-243, was constructed and the BAC end sequences were determined and mapped with high sensitivity and low specificity onto the frameworks of the human, dog, and cow genomes. To maximize genome coverage, the coordinates of all BAC end sequence hits to the cow and dog genomes were also converted to the equivalent human genome coordinates. The 84,624 sheep BACs (about 5.4-fold genome coverage) …

Construction And Characterization Of A Full-Length Cdna Library For The Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen, Peng Ling, Meinan Wang, Xianming Chen, Kimberly A. Garland-Campbell

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

Puccinia striiformis is a plant pathogenic fungus causing stripe rust, one of the most important diseases on cereal crops and grasses worldwide. However, little is know about its genome and genes involved in the biology and pathogenicity of the pathogen. We initiated the functional genomic research of the fungus by constructing a full-length cDNA and determined functions of the first group of genes by sequence comparison of cDNA clones to genes reported in other fungi.

Growth And Carcass Characteristics In Goat Kids Fed Grass- And Alfalfa-Hay-Based Diets With Limited Concentrate Supplementation, S. Wildeus, J.-M. Luginbuhl, K. E. Turner, Y. L. Nutall, J. R. Collins

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

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding legume hay (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) or mixed-grass hay on ADG and carcass characteristics of growing goats.

Dominant Species Constrain Effects Of Species Diversity On Temporal Variability In Biomass Production Of Tallgrass Prairie, H. Wayne Polley, Brian J. Wilsey, Justin D. Derner

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

Species diversity is thought to stabilize functioning of plant communities. An alternative view is that stability depends more on dynamics of dominant species than on diversity. We compared inter-annual variability (inverse of stability) of aboveground biomass in paired restored and remnant tallgrass prairies at two locations in central Texas, USA. Data from these two locations were used to test the hypothesis that greater richness and evenness in remnant than restored prairies would reduce variability in aboveground biomass in response to natural variation in rainfall. Restored prairies were chosen to be similar to paired remnant prairies in characteristics other than species …

Storm Event And Continuous Hydrologic Modeling For Comprehensive And Efficient Watershed Simulations, Deva K. Borah, Jeffrey G. Arnold, Maitreyee Bara, Edward C. Krug, Xin-Zhong Liang

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

Based on recent reviews of 11 physically based watershed models, the long-term continuous model soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) and the storm event dynamic watershed simulation model (DWSM) were selected to examine their hydrologic formulations, calibrate, and validate them on the 620 km² watershed of the upper Little Wabash River at Effingham, Ill., and examine their compatibility and benefits of combining them into a more comprehensive and efficient model. Calibration and validation of the SWAT by comparing monthly simulated and observed flows and adjusting the model-assigned resulted in coefficients of determination and Nash–Sutcliffe coefficients for individual years and …

High Water Regime Can Reduce Ammonia Volatilization From Soils Under Potato Production, Guodong Liu, Yuncong Li, A. K. Alva

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

This research was conducted with Biscayne marl soil and Krome gravelly loam from Florida and Quincy fine sand and Warden silt loam from Washington to determine ammonia (NH₃) volatilization at various temperature and soil water regimes. Potassium nitrate (KNO₃), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄], or urea were applied to the soil at a rate of 75 kg N ha^-1. Soil water regime was maintained at either 20% or 80% of field capacity (FC) and incubated at 11, 20, or 29 °C, which represented …

Nitrogen Contribution Of Peanut Residue To Cotton In A Conservation Tillage System, B. Meso, K. S. Balkcom, C. W. Wood, J. F. Adams

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

Leguminous crops, particularly winter annuals, have been utilized in conservation systems to partially meet nitrogen (N) requirements of succeeding summer cash crops. Previous research also highlights the benefits of utilizing summer annual legumes in rotation with non-leguminous crops. This study assessed the N contribution of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) residues to a subsequent cotton (Gossypium hirsitum L.) crop in a conservation system on a Dothan sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Plinthic Kandiudults) at Headland, AL during the 2003–2005 growing seasons. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design, with main plots of peanut residue retained or removed from …

Influence Of Soil Moisture On Root Colonization Of Glyphosate-Treated Soybean By Fusarium Species, Nathan E. Means, Robert J. Kremer

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

The widespread use of glyphosate-resistant (GR) cropping systems may impact rhizosphere microbial associations and crop productivity. It was previously reported that glyphosate accumulation in the rhizosphere may stimulate colonization of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] roots by soilborne Fusarium. Field studies often reveal inconsistent root colonization by Fusarium, especially during growing seasons characterized by contrasting rainfall patterns. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the impact of different soil moisture contents on root colonization of glyphosate-treated soybean by Fusarium species. Glyphosate (0.84 kg ae ha^-1) was applied to greenhouse-grown glyphosate-resistant (GR) soybean at the two to …

Distribution And Relative Importance Of Lepidopteran Cereal Stemborers And Their Parasitoids In Uganda, T. Matama-Kauma, F. Schulthess, J. A. Ogwang, J. M. Mueke, C. O. Omwega

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Infestation levels and parasitism of lepidopteran stemborers on maize were assessed in four agroecological zones (AEZ) in Uganda. The indigenous noctuid Busseola fusca Fuller (Noctuidae) and the invasive Chilo partellus Swinhoe (Crambidae) were the most important stemborers recorded. C. partellus represented 77% of the stemborers in the Eastern AEZ while B. fusca was dominant in the other AEZs, accounting for 60-79%. The proportion of infested plants was between 16% and 45% and borer density between 0.2 and 1.0 borers per plant. There was no clear relationship between damage and stem tunneling, which is often used to estimate yield loss. Telenomus …

Nutrient Use Efficiency: Measurement And Management, Achim Dobermann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Mineral fertilizers have sustained world agriculture and thus global population and wealth growth for more than 100 years (Smil, 2001; Stewart et al., 2005). Their contribution to increasing crop yields has spared millions of hectares of natural ecosystems that otherwise would have been converted to agriculture (Balmford et al., 2005). However, lacking, imbalanced, inappropriate or excessive use of nutrients in agricultural systems remains a concern. Nutrient mining is a major cause for low crop yields in parts of the developing world, particularly Africa. In other situations, nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) often move beyond the bounds of …

Orchard Pollination In Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Usa. Honey Bees Or Native Bees?, Vincent J. Tepedino, Terry L. Griswold, Diane Gail Alston, Trent R. Toler, Brosi A. Bradley

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

Capitol Reef National Park in central Utah, USA surrounds 22 managed fruit orchards started over a century ago by Mormon pioneers. Honey bees are imported for pollination, although the area in which the Park is embedded has over 700 species of native bees, many of which are potential orchard pollinators. We studied the visitation of native bees to apple, pear, apricot, and sweet cherry over 2 years. Thirty species of bees visited the flowers but, except for pear flowers, most were uncommon compared to honey bees. Evidence that honey bees prevented native bees from foraging on orchard crop flowers was …

A Look At The Engineering Challenges Of The Usda Small Watershed Program, G. J. Hanson, L. Caldwell, M. Lobrecht, D. Mccook, S. L. Hunt, D. Temple

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

The Small Watershed Program, administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service), originated in the 1940s and 1950s through the following statutes: the Flood Control Act of 1944, the pilot watershed program (1953-1954), and the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954. The Small Watershed Program has been recognized by ASABE as one of the outstanding achievements of agricultural engineering in the 20th century in soil and water. With a $15 billion infrastructure investment, more than 11,000 flood-control dams were constructed, and thousands of acres of farms and ranches are protected by conservation practices. …

Suitability Of Swat For The Conservation Effects Assessment Project: Comparison On Usda Agricultural Research Service Watersheds, Michael W. Van Liew, Tamie L. Veith, David D. Bosch, Jeffrey G. Arnold

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

Recent interest in tracking environmental benefits of conservation practices on agricultural watersheds throughout the United States has led to the development of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The purpose of CEAP is to assess environmental benefits derived from implementing various USDA conservation programs for cultivated, range, and irrigated lands. Watershed scale, hydrologic simulation models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) will be used to relate principal source areas of contaminants to transport paths and processes under a range in climatic, soils, topographic, and land use conditions on agricultural watersheds. To …

Effects Of Cropland Conservation Practices On Fish And Wildlife Habitat, Stephen J. Brady

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

A literature review of commonly applied cropland soil and water conservation practices and their impact on fish and wildlife habitat is presented. Agriculture has had the most extensive effect on wildlife habitat of any human-induced factor in the United States. Any practice that improves runoff water quality and/or reduces sediment delivery will have beneficial effects to aquatic ecosystems. Many soil and water conservation practices have additional benefits to wildlife when applied in a habitat-friendly manner, but may have little or no benefit when applied otherwise. Wildlife and agriculture can coexist if land is managed to conserve sufficient biological integrity in …

Effects Of Conservation Practices On Aquatic Habitats And Fauna, Scott Knight, Kathryn Boyer

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

A major goal of both state and federal agricultural and environmental agencies in the United States is sustainable management of watersheds where agriculture is a dominant land use. Because watershed processes and conditions directly and indirectly affect soil, water, air, plants, animals, and humans, USDA NRCS encourages a watershed approach to management of agricultural operations in the United States. This requires a suite of approaches or practices that address natural resource concerns in uplands and stream corridors. Land clearing, leveling, draining, tilling, fertilizing, and harvesting together create prolonged perturbations manifested in the ecological and physical conditions of streams and rivers. …

Construction And Testing Of A Simple And Economical Soil Greenhouse Gas Automatic Sampler, Daniel Ginting, Spemcer L. Arnold, Nicholas S. Arnold, Ronald S. Tubbs

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

Quantification of soil greenhouse gas emissions requires considerable sampling to account for spatial and/or temporal variation.With manual sampling, additional personnel are often not available to sample multiple sites within a narrow time interval. The objectives were to construct an automatic gas sampler and to compare the accuracy and precision of automatic versus manual sampling. The automatic sampler was tested with carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes that mimicked the range of CO₂ fluxes during a typical corn-growing season in eastern Nebraska. Gas samples were drawn from the chamber at 0, 5, and 10 min manually and with the automatic …

Long-Term Application Of Biosolids On Apricot Production, Gary S. Ban˜Uelos, Sajeemas Pasakdee, Sharon E. Benes, Craig R. Ledbetter

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

The use and disposal of biosolids, or wastewater treatment sludge, as a fertilizer and soil amendment is becoming increasingly widespread. We evaluated the multiyear use of biosolids in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production, grown on productive agricultural soils. Class A biosolids were initially applied annually at rates of 0, 1.9, 5.8, and 11.7 Mg · ha^-1 (dry basis) to a 2-year-old apricot orchard on the USDAARS research site on the eastern side of the San Joaquin Valley, CA. These application rates provided estimated rates of 0 (control), 57, 170, and 340 kg total N · ha^-1 yr …

Estimates Of Gross Transformation Rates Of Dairy Manure N Using 15N Pool Dilution, T. S. Griffin

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

Most measurements of dairy manure nitrogen (N) availability depend on net
changes in soil inorganic N concentration over time, which overlooks the cycling of manure N in the soil. Gross transformations of manure N, including mineralization (m), immobilization (i), and nitrification (n), can be quantified using ¹⁵N pool dilution methods. This research measures gross m, n, and i resulting from application of four freeze-dried dairy manures that had distinctly different patterns of N availability. A sandy loam soil (coarse-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Haplorthod) was amended with four different freeze-dried dairy manures and …

A Comparison Of Pollen Counts: Light Versus Scanning Electron Microscopy, Gretchen D. Jones, Vaughn M. Bryant Jr.

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

Palynologists use compound light microscopy (LM) for pollen identification and interpretation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphological comparisons and taxonomy. As we are unaware of any published reports comparing LM and SEM pollen counts and identifications of the same sample, we decided to examine a surface soil sample using both microscopes. Standard palynological extraction techniques were used. Two, 300 grain counts were made using LM, and two, 300 counts with SEM. Pollen grains viewed with SEM were also divided into three categories, ‘‘identifiable,’’ ‘‘obscured,’’ and ‘‘virtually impossible to identify’’. Eighty-six (86) percent of the pollen grains counted with SEM …

Compost And Manure Effects On Fertilized Corn Silage Yield And Nitrogen Uptake Under Irrigation, Gary A. Lehrsch, D. C. Kincaid

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

Dairy manure increases the yields of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from eroded, furrow-irrigated soils and may increase corn (Zea mays L.) silage yield from steeper eroded areas under sprinkler irrigation. In a 2-year field study in southern Idaho on Portneuf silt loam (coarse silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid), the effects of a one-time, fall application of 29 or 72 Mg ha^-1 of dry manure or 22 or 47 Mg ha^-1 of dry compost on subsequent silage yield and nitrogen (N) uptake from previously eroded, sprinkler-irrigated hill …

Spectral Analysis Of Coastal Vegetation And Land Cover Using Aisa+ Hyperspectral Data, R. Jensen, P. Mausel, N. Dias, R. Gonser, C. Yang, J. Everitt, R. Fletcher

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

This paper describes a spectral analysis of several coastal land cover types in
South Padre Island, Texas using AISA₊ hyperspectral remote sensing data.
AISA₊ hyperspectral data (1.5 metre) were acquired throughout the area on 9
March 2005. Data over mangrove areas were converted to percent reflectance
using four 8 ×8 metre reflectance tarps (4%, 16%, 32% and 48%) and empirical
line calibration. These data were then compared to percent reflectance values of
other terrestrial features to determine the ability of AISA₊ data to distinguish
features in coastal environments. Results suggest that these data may be
appropriate to …

Morphological And Histochemical Characterization Of The Seminiferous Epithelial And Leydig Cells Of The Turkey, M. R. Bakst, V. Akuffo, P. Trefil, J. P. Brillard

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

Unlike mammals, there is little fundamental information about spermatogenesis in birds. This study was undertaken to clarify the morphology, histochemistry, and lectin affinity of the seminiferous epithelial cells and Leydig cells in pre-pubertal (8- to 15-week old) and adult (40- to 44-week old) domestic turkeys. In adult turkeys, three types of spermatogonia were defined based on their chromatin distribution and nuclear morphology: the dark type A(A_d); the pale type A(A_p); and the type B. The A_d is the least numerous and least conspicuous and consequently difficult to locate. Based on its spatial distribution and overall …

Effect Of Age And Mating Status On Adult European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Dispersal From Small-Grain Aggregation Plots, Brendon J. Reardon, Thomas W. Sappington

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

The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is often controlled with genetically modified corn, Zea mays L., hybrids (Bacillus thuringiensis [Bt] corn) in the United States. If Bt-resistant insects are detected in the field, mitigation-remediation tactics must be implemented to sustain the efficacy of insecticidal, transgenic corn. Mass releasing laboratory reared, susceptible adults near aggregation sites to mate with locally emerging resistant adults is a possible remediation tactic, but it is imperative that the former remain in or near the release site long enough to mate. Understanding adult dispersal behavior relative to the timing of mating is …

2007 Census Of Agriculture

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

Introduction .......... VII

State Map .......... 1

Figures .......... 2-6

Tables

Chapter 1. State Data .......... 7-236

Chapter 2. County Data .......... 249-617

Appendices

Census of Agriculture Methodology .......... A-1

General Explanation and Census of Agriculture Report Form .......... B-1

Index .......... Index 1

Publication Program .......... Inside Back Cover

Occurrence Of The Waxy Alleles Wxa And Wxb In Waxy Sorghum Plant Introductions And Their Effect On Starch Thermal Properties, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Robert A. Graybosch, D. L. Funnell

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

The existence of two waxy alleles, wx^a associated with no detectable granule bound starch synthase (GBSS) and wx^b associated with apparently inactive GBSS, was recently reported in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. In this paper, the occurrence of the wx^a and wx^b alleles in the USDA-ARS photoperiod-insensitive sorghum collection was determined, and the effects of the wx^a and wx^balleles on thermal properties of sorghum starch (gelatinization temperatures and energy requirements) measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Of the 51 purported waxy accessions examined, 14 tested positive for presence of amylose by iodine staining and …

Laboratory Comparison Of Aedes Aegypti Attraction To Human Odors And To Synthetic Human Odor Compounds And Blends, Ulrich R. Bernier, Daniel L. Kline, Sandra A. Allan, Donald R. Barnard

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

Chemical lures can enhance the ability of traps to collect mosquitoes, selectively target species for capture, and provide a realistic assessment of the species and host-equivalent numbers of mosquitoes present in the local area. One approach to the development of chemical lures is to manufacture blends that comprise odors released in human emanations. These blends need to be safe for use in the environment, desirable from an economic standpoint, and transportable to the field for use in traps. In this report, we compared the attraction of mosquitoes to various chemicals, blends, and odors from humans. Noncompetitive (single-treatment) bioassays established that …