Agricultural Science Commons^™

Opportunities And Roadblocks In Utilizing Forages And Small Grains For Liquid Fuels, Gautam Sarath, Robert B. Mitchell, S. E. Sattler, Deanna L. Funnell, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Robert A. Graybosch, Kenneth P. Vogel

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

This review focuses on the potential advantages and disadvantages of forages such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and two small grains: sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and wheat (Triticum aesitvum), as feedstocks for biofuels. It highlights the synergy provided by applying what is known from forage digestibility and wheat and sorghum starch properties studies to the biofuels sector. Opportunities therefore, exist to improve biofuel qualities in these crops via genetics and agronomics. In contrast to cereal crops, switchgrass still retains tremendous exploitable genetic diversity, and can be specifically improved to Wt a particular agronomic, management, and conversion …

Sorghum Lager And Stout Beer: A Boost To The African Economy, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

For millennia, sorghum has been the basis of traditional African beers such as the clear beers of West Africa (dolo and pito) and the opaque beers of southern Africa. These beers are part of the African tradition and remain very popular but today Africans also enjoy lager and stout beers. These beers, of European origin, use barley as their major ingredient. This presents a major problem as barley is a temperate cereal and the African climate is unsuitable for cultivation. Thus, barley grain or barley malt must be imported which requires the use of valuable foreign exchange and increases the …

K-State Agronomists Help West African Farmers Increase Sorghum And Pearl Millet Production, Katie Starzec

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum is an important crop not only to farmers in Kansas, but to farmers in many countries in Africa.

Some of the production challenges are the same, but many challenges are different or more severe in West African countries, said Vara Prasad, assistant professor of agronomy at K-State. West African farmers battle against drought, soil infertility and parasitic weeds.

INTSORMIL Regional Project Sites in Africa

The purpose of INTSORMIL is to find ways to improve production practices in those countries. West African farmers face serious problems of a localized and volatile market, the agronomists said.

My Biomass, Your Biomass, Our Solution, Wallace Wilhelm

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

The USA is pursuing an array of renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biomass energy and biomass ethanol are key components in this pursuit. Vast amounts of biomass feedstock will be needed to produce sufficient ethanol to meet any of the numerous target production goals. The Billion Ton Vision suggests one billion tons of biomass is needed annually to meet the ‘30x30’ goal (to replace 30% of 2004 levels of fossil transportation fuel use with ethanol by the year 2030). Great advances in technology will be required to produce this …

Small Pasture Management Guide, James Barnhill, Scott Mckendrick

All Archived Publications

As more people select rural settings for their homes, traditional farms are being divided into small acreage home lots. Many small acreage owners would like to have lush green pastures where they can raise horses, cattle, or sheep. The purpose of this booklet is to provide the educational guidance these owners need to successfully establish and maintain a healthy grazing system.

Wheat Invest. A Compelling Business Case For Investment In The Western Australian Wheat Industry, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

Western Australia (WA) is an ideal location for wheat production. It has competitive advantages including:

• A proven track record in wheat production accounting for approximately 50 per cent of Australia's production. Based on a five year average from 2003/04 to 2007/08*, WA produces around 7.7 million tonnes of wheat per year.

• Over the past five years, the top 25 per cent of farmers averaged 10 per cent return on capital excluding changes in land value.

• Export focussed due to WA's small population. 90 per cent of WA's wheat is exported

• Abundant land at competitive prices and …

Mullewa Research Annexe Spring Field Day Future Farming Systems For North-Eastern Districts 21 August 2008, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Grain and other field crops research reports

Papers:

• Mullewa Research Annexe activities 2008

• Wheat for today and the future

• Consequences of strongly acidic and alkaline soils

• Break crop influence on low rainfall heavy soil

• Chemical fallow options for the north-east agricultural region

• Herbicide tolerance of new wheat varieties

• Lowrainfall oilseed crops for food and biofuel

• Utilising stock to reduce business risk in Binnu! A case study

Case Study Of Multiyear Precipitation Variations And The Hydrology Of Fort Cobb Reservoir, Jurgen D. Garbrecht, Jeanne M. Schneider

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

Impacts of decadal precipitation variations on reservoir inflow, flood releases, and pool elevation were investigated for the Fort Cobb Reservoir, which controls runoff from a 787 km² agricultural watershed in central Oklahoma. The difference in mean annual precipitation between multiyear dry and wet periods was 33% of the long-term mean and led to a corresponding 100% change in mean reservoir inflow, 170% change in mean annual flood releases from the reservoir, and a maximum drop in conservation pool elevation of 2 m. From a reservoir operations perspective, only the frequency of controlled flood releases was impacted by decadal precipitation …

Codling Moth Areawide Integrated Pest Management, Alan L. Knight

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

Codling moth (CM) is an insidious pest, tunnelling to the core of valuable commodities that are typically marketed with exceptional quality standards for appearance, firmness and sweetness. While there is no mention in the Bible of whether the apple that Eve gave to Adam graded 'Extra fancy', it is likely that if this fruit had been infested with CM, the human race would not be as anxious about returning to a pest-ridden garden of paradise. Nevertheless, since Noah allowed two adult CM to disembark from his boat, the distribution of this pest has closely followed man's cultivation of its hosts …

Stored-Grain Insect Areawide Pest Management, David W. Hagstrum, Paul W. Flinn, Carl R. Reed, Thomas W. Phillips

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

Wheat is harvested in the USA from June in the southern part of the wheat-growing region until August in the northern part (Ragstrum and Reid, 1988). Grain temperature, grain moisture and storage time are the main factors determining the risk of economic losses from insect infestation. Wheat harvested in June in southern regions is generally at higher risk because grain temperature is suitable for insect movement and reproduction for a longer time than is wheat harvested in August in northern regions. Currently, management of insect pests in the wheat marketing system is usually sufficiently effective to slow insect population growth …

Impact Of Solar Ultraviolet-B On The Proteome In Soybean Lines Differing In Flavonoid Contents, Chenping Xu, Joe H. Sullivan, Wesley M. Garrett, Thomas J. Caperna, Savithiry Natarajan

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

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) was used to systematically investigate the impact of solar ultraviolet- B (UV-B) radiation on the soybean leaf proteome. In order to investigate the protective role of flavonoids against UV-B, two isolines of the Clark cultivar (the standard line with moderate levels of flavonoids and the magenta line with reduced flavonoids) were grown in the field with or without natural levels of UV-B. The 12-day-old first trifoliates were harvested for proteomic analysis. More than 300 protein spots were reproducibly resolved and detected on each gel. Statistical analysis showed that 67 protein spots were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by solar UV-B. Many more spots were altered by UV-B in the magenta line than in the standard line. Another 12 protein spots were not altered by UV-B but showed significantly (P < 0.05) different accumulations between the two lines, and for most spots the line-specific differences were also observed under UV-B exclusion. Most of the differentially accumulated spots were identified by mass spectrometry. The proteins were quite diverse, and were involved in metabolism, energy, protein destination/storage, protein synthesis, disease/defense, transcription, and secondary metabolism. The results suggest that high levels of flavonoids lead to a reduction in UV-B sensitivity at the proteomic level.

Phylogenetic Relationships And Genetic Diversity Of The Usda Vigna Germplasm Collection Revealed By Gene-Derived Markers And Sequencing, Ming Li Wang, Noelle Barkley, Graves Gillaspie, Gary A. Pederson

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

Phylogenetic relationships in the USDA Vigna germplasm collection are somewhat unclear and their genetic diversity has not been measured empirically. To reveal interspecific phylogenetic relationships and assess their genetic diversity, 48 accessions representing 12 Vigna species were selected, and 30 gene-derived markers from legumes were employed. Some high-quality amplicons were sequenced. Indels (insertion/deletions) were discovered from the sequence alignments that were specific identifiers for some Vigna species. With regard to revealing polymorphisms, intron-spanning markers were more effective than exon-derived markers. These gene-derived markers were more successful in revealing interspecific polymorphisms than intraspecific polymorphisms at both the DNA fragment and sequence …

Pollen From The Exoskeletons Of Stable Flies, Stomoxys Calcitrans (Linnaeus 1758), In Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A., David M. Jarzen, Jerome Hogsette

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

Stable flies are an important pest of humans and livestock. Despite being blood feeders, they also visit flowers to eat nectar. Stable flies with pollen adhering to their exoskeletons were collected at the University of Florida Horse Teaching Unit and taken to the Paleobotany and Palynology Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural History for processing and identification. The pollen on all the specimens was identified as Carolina willow, Salix caroliniana Michaux 1803. This small shrub or tree is found throughout Florida in wetland areas. This study demonstrates the utility of pollen analysis in interdisciplinary studies.

Biotinyl-Methyl 4-(Amidomethyl)Benzoate Is A Competitive Inhibitor Of Human Biotinidase, Keyna Kobza, Kittichai Chaiseeda, Gautam Sarath, James M. Takacs, Janos Zempleni

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

Posttranslational modification of histones by biotinylation can be catalyzed by both biotinidase (BTD) and holocarboxylase synthetase. Biotinylation of histones is an important epigenetic mechanism to regulate gene expression, DNA repair, and chromatin remodeling. The role of BTD in histone biotinylation is somewhat ambiguous, given that BTD also catalyzes removal of the biotin tag from histones. Here, we sought to develop BTD inhibitors for future studies of the role of BTD in altering chromatin structure. We adopted an existing colorimetric BTD assay for use in a novel 96-well plate format to permit high-throughput screening of potential inhibitors. Biotin analogs were chemically …

Comparison Of Corn And Switchgrass On Marginal Soils For Bioenergy, Gary E. Varvel, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell, R. F. Follett, J. M. Kimble

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

Crop residues such as corn (Zea mays L.) stover are viewed as an abundant and inexpensive source of biomass that can be removed from fields to produce bioenergy. Assumptions revised form include that with minimum or no-tillage farming methods, there will be no deleterious production or environmental effects. A long-term field study was established in eastern Nebraska, USA, to compare the switchgrass managed as a biomass energy crop versus no-till corn on a non-irrigated site, marginal for row-crop production, in the western Corn Belt. Our objective in this paper is to report on corn stover removal effects on corn …

Chapter 19. Remediation Of Drinking Water For Rural Populations, W. J. Hunter

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

Nitrate is the most common nitrogen contaminant in raw water supplies. In rural areas agricultural activities that involve the use of fertilizers and animal manures are major sources of nitrate contamination. Several processes are currently available that can effectively remove nitrate from raw water. Systems that are suitable for small rural communities include reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrodialysis. However, all of these systems move nitrate from raw water and concentrate it in a reject water or brine. Disposal of the reject water can be a major expense as well as an environmental issue. Several emerging systems are under development …

Auditing And Assessing Air Quality In Concentrated Feeding Operations, N. A. Cole, R. Todd, B. Auvermann, D. B. Parker

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

The potential adverse effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) on the environment are a growing concern. The air quality issues of most concern to CAFO vary but generally include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, and odors. Air pollutants may be regulated by federal and state laws or by nuisance complaints. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, and poultry, swine, and dairy industries recently agreed to the National Air Emissions Monitoring System to fund research on atmospheric emissions from production farms in the United States. Air quality regulations may be based on actual emissions, atmospheric …

Evaluation Of Beef Cattle Operations Utilizing Different Seasons Of Calving, Weaning Strategies, Postweaning Management, And Retained Ownership, R. E. Kruse, M. W. Tess, E. E. Grings, R. E. Short, R. K. Heitschmidt, W. A. Phillips, H. S. Mayeux

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

Data from a 3-yr study in Montana were utilized to evaluate impacts of season of calving, weaning strategy, and retained ownership of steer calves on enterprise profitability. Calving seasons were late winter (LW), early spring (ES), or late spring (LS). Each season had 2 weaning times: 190 (LW190, ES190) or 240 (LW240, ES240) d for LW and ES, and 140 (LS140) or 190 (LS190) d for LS. Backgrounding options included shipping steers to Oklahoma (OK1), or backgrounding in Montana to a constant age (MT2) or weight (MT3). Steers from OK1 and MT2 were finished in Oklahoma in confinement or via …

Ethylene Production As An Indicator Of Stress Conditions In Hydroponically-Grown Strawberries, Justin Donald Hogan

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With the worldwide phaseout of methyl bromide, the use of hydroponic systems has increased as an economic alternative for the growth of many horticulturally-important crops, including strawberries. In this study, the effect of hydroponics on strawberry plant physiology was examined by first measuring ethylene levels, a plant hormone known to increase due to stressful conditions, and plant growth and yield. Using a gas chromatograph, ethylene was measured from plants which showed that light and temperature have minimal effects, but placement of plants could have an effect on plant growth and yield. Next, the mechanism of ethylene production was examined by …

Evaluation Of Different Insecticides And Fabric Types For Development Of Treated Targets For Stable Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Control, Jerome Hogsette, Alyce Nalli, Lane Foil

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

Stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), once only a pest of pastured cattle, has become a serious pest of range cattle in the United States. Because of the difficulties associated with stable fly management under range conditions, a pesticide-impregnated cloth target is being developed as a management tool. We conducted studies to determine the influence of weather, time, fabric type, insecticide type, and insecticide concentration on the mortality of stable flies from a susceptible laboratory colony exposed for 30 s to treated cloth targets. We found that 100% of the flies exposed to trigger (Trigger-Royal Box, 65% polyester and …

Ultraviolet Light Traps: Design Affects Attraction And Capture, Jerome Hogsette

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

Traps that use ultraviolet light as an attractant for flies are widely used in urban situations. To determine the differences in trap efficacy from design and lighting, pairs of traps were compared under laboratory conditions. Comparisons were made between traps with open fronts and with traps with restricted open fronts, black light bulbs, and black light blue bulbs, and glue boards with and without z-9-tricosene pheromone. In a windowless laboratory, pairs of traps were placed approximately 90 cm above the floor and 3 m apart. Fifty mixed-sex, 3- to 5-day-old house flies (Musca domestica) were released and …

Effect Of Lures And Trap Placement On Sand Fly And Mosquito Traps, Ulrich R. Bernier, David F. Hoel, Jerome Hogsette, Hanafi A. Hanafi, Daniel Kline

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

Catches of mosquitoes and sand flies in CO₂ traps baited with three different lures and an unbaited control were compared. The lures examined were carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide plus l-octen-3-ol, and carbon dioxide plus human hair in ethanol. Studies using a 4 x 4 Latin square design, with 3 sets of 4 consecutive trap nights, were conducted between August 6 and September 10, 2007. The study site was the Bahrif Village, Aswan, Egypt. This location had high percentage of Phlebotomus papatasi in sand fly populations, and the low incidence of human cases of leishmaniasis. There were 2,152 sand flies …

Managing And Enhancing Switchgrass As A Bioenergy Feedstock, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth Vogel

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

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has identified switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as a viable perennial herbaceous feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. Although switchgrass bioenergy research was initiated by USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE, USA in 1990, switchgrass research has been conducted at this location since the 1930s. Consequently, a significant amount of genetic and agronomic research on switchgrass has been conducted for the Corn Belt and Central Great Plains of the USA that is directly applicable to its use as a biomass energy crop. Similar research must be conducted in other major agroecoregions to verify or modify switchgrass management …

Effects Of Agricultural Conservation Practices On Fish And Wildlife Volume 2, Stuart R. Gagnon, Joseph R. Makuch, Cassandra Y. Harper

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

This bibliography, in two volumes, is part of a multi-volume set developed by the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library in support of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The bibliography is a guide to recent scientific literature covering effects of agricultural conservation practices on fish and wildlife. The citations listed here provide information on how conservation programs and practices designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, as well as those intended for other purposes, e.g., water quality improvement, affect various aquatic and terrestrial fauna.

Interannual Variability In Carbon Dioxide Fluxes And Flux–Climate Relationships On Grazed And Ungrazed Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie, H. Wayne Polley, Albert B. Frank, Joaquin Sanabria, Rebecca L. Phillips

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

The annual carbon (C) budget of grasslands is highly dynamic, dependent on grazing history and on effects of interannual variability (IAV) in climate on carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes. Variability in climatic drivers may directly affect fluxes, but also may indirectly affect fluxes by altering the response of the biota to the environment, an effect termed ‘functional change’.

Effects Of Agricultural Conservation Practices On Fish And Wildlife, Stuart R. Gagnon, Joseph R. Makuch, Cassandra Y. Harper

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

This bibliography, in two volumes, is part of a multi-volume set developed by the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The bibliography is a guide to recent scientific literature covering effects of agricultural conservation practices on fish and wildlife. The citations listed here provide information on how conservation programs and practices designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, as well as those intended for other purposes, e.g., water quality improvement, affect various aquatic and terrestrial fauna.

Environmental Management Of Grazing Lands Final Report, Kevin Wagner, Larry Redmon, Terry Gentry, Darren Harmel, Allan Jones

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

Bacteria levels are the number one cause of water quality impairment in Texas. Several recent Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) in Texas, such as those implemented in the Peach Creek and Leon River watersheds, have identified grazing cattle as a contributor to bacterial water quality impairments in those watersheds through both direct deposition and runoff of their fecal matter to streams. To address this issue, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funded this project to assist with development and delivery of technical information and support to ranchers on protection and …

Tillage Effects On Soil Quality Indicators And Nematode Abundance In Loessial Soil Under Long- Term No-Till Production, R. B. Mendoza, T. G. Franti, John W. Doran, Thomas O. Powers, C. W. Zanner

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

Soil quality indicators and nematode abundance were characterized in a loessial soil under long-term conservation tillage to evaluate the effects of no-till, double-disk, chisel, and moldboard plow treatments. Indicators included soil electrical conductivity (EC), soil texture, soil organic matter (SOM), and total particulate organic matter (tPOM). Nematode abundance was positively correlated with EC, silt content, and total POM and negatively correlated with clay content. Clay content was the main source of variation among soil quality indicators and was negatively correlated with nematode abundance and most indicators. The gain in SOM in the no-till system amounted to 10887 kg over the …

Characterization Of Biological Types Of Cattle: Indicator Traits Offertility In Beef Cows, R. A. Cushman, M. F. Allan, L. A. Kuehn

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

Genetic diversity among breeds of cattle allows producers to select animals for specific environments or market conditions. Reproductive efficiency is a multi-component trait that is largely influenced by environmental influences such as health and nutritional status; however, there are clearly genetic components to reproductive efficiency, and breed differences in a number of indicator traits associated with fertility and cow productivity have been identified. Historical indicators of fertility include scrotal circumference, age at puberty, and postpartum interval. Both age at puberty and postpartum interval are laborious traits to collect in heifers and cows because they require many days of detection of …

Yield And Agronomic Traits Of Waxy Proso In The Central Great Plains, R. F. Heyduck, D. D. Baltensperger, Lenis Alton Nelson, Robert A. Graybosch

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

Proso (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a summer annual grass capable of producing seed in 60 to 90 d. This characteristic, and its efficient use of water, makes it well suited to the short, and often hot and dry, growing season in the high plains of the central Great Plains. The introduction of novel end-use characteristics such as waxy starch can stimulate an increased market for proso. We evaluated 18 experimental F₅ waxy lines derived from a cross of ‘Huntsman’ and PI436626 across seven locations. Genotype × environment variation in waxy proso was mostly a matter of changes in …