Agricultural Science Commons^™

Arkansas Wheat Cultivar Performance Tests 2013-2014, R. E. Mason, R. G. Miller, J. P. Kelley, E. A. Milus

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat 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 small-grain producers.

Selection On Crop-Derived Traits And Qtl In Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Crop-Wild Hybrids Under Water Stress, Birkin R. Owart, Jonathan Corbi, John M. Burke, Jennifer M. Dechaine

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Locally relevant conditions, such as water stress in irrigated agricultural regions, should be considered when assessing the risk of crop allele introgression into wild populations following hybridization. Although research in cultivars has suggested that domestication traits may reduce fecundity under water stress as compared to wild-like phenotypes, this has not been investigated in crop-wild hybrids. In this study, we examine phenotypic selection acting on, as well as the genetic architecture of vegetative, reproductive, and physiological characteristics in an experimental population of sunflower crop-wild hybrids grown under wild-like low water conditions. Crop-derived petiole length and head diameter were favored in low …

A Genetic Algorithm-Based Feature Selection, Oluleye Babatunde, Leisa Armstrong, Jinsong Leng, Dean Diepeveen

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

This article details the exploration and application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) for feature selection. Particularly a binary GA was used for dimensionality reduction to enhance the performance of the concerned classifiers. In this work, hundred (100) features were extracted from set of images found in the Flavia dataset (a publicly available dataset). The extracted features are Zernike Moments (ZM), Fourier Descriptors (FD), Lengendre Moments (LM), Hu 7 Moments (Hu7M), Texture Properties (TP) and Geometrical Properties (GP). The main contributions of this article are (1) detailed documentation of the GA Toolbox in MATLAB and (2) the development of a GA-based feature …

Coordinated And Distinct Functions Of Velvet Proteins In Fusarium Verticillioides, Nan Lan, Hanxing Zhang, Chengcheng Hu, Wenzhao Wang, Ana M. Calvo, Steven D. Harris, She Chen, Shaojie Li

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Velvet-domain-containing proteins are broadly distributed within the fungal kingdom. In the corn pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, previous studies showed that the velvet protein F. verticillioides VE1 (FvVE1) is critical for morphological development, colony hydrophobicity, toxin production, and pathogenicity. In this study, tandem affinity purification of FvVE1 revealed that FvVE1 can form a complex with the velvet proteins F. verticillioides VelB (FvVelB) and FvVelC. Phenotypic characterization of gene knockout mutants showed that, as in the case of FvVE1, FvVelB regulated conidial size, hyphal hydrophobicity, fumonisin production, and oxidant resistance, while FvVelC was dispensable for these biological processes. Comparative transcriptional analysis of …

A Systematic Revision Of North American Tolypella A. Braun (Charophyceae, Charophyta), William Perez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Charophyta comprises the algal classes Mesostigmatophyceae, Chlorokybophyceae, Klebsormidiophyceae, Coleochaetophyceae and Zygnematophyceae and the land plants. However, the precise phylogenetic position of these algal classes with respect to land plants is unresolved as are the phylogenetic relationships among genera in Charophyceae (Characeae). Characeae contains two tribes with six genera: tribe Chareae (Chara, Lamprothamnium, Lychnothamnus and Nitellopsis) and tribe Nitelleae (Nitella and Tolypella). Tolypella was considered the third most species-rich genus but, in the most comprehensive taxonomic treatment of Characeae, 16 Tolypella species were consolidated into two species, T. nidifica and T. intricata in sections Rothia …

The Effect Of Increasing Rates Of Biochar On Corn Grown In Salinas Clay Loam, Joshua Fridlund

Agricultural Education and Communication

In order to sustain the ever growing global population, agriculture needs to not only increase yields but to increase yields in a way that is sustainable and is either environmentally neutral or has a positive effect on the environment. Biochar offers a solution to this challenge with numerous environmental benefits, as well as agricultural benefits (Lehman and Joseph 2009). The agricultural benefits of biochar have been well documented in tropical climates, with the benefits of biochar for other climates, such as temperate climates and Mediterranean climates, relatively unknown (Blackwell et. al. 2009). To determine the effect of biochar on agricultural …

Veggielution Community Farm Workday Leader And Farm Intern Training Manual, Sarah Wool

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to write an updated and complete Workday Leader and Farm Intern training manual that could be used at Veggielution Community Farm. It could be presented as reference materials while participants are in the Workday Leader class or could be presented to Farm Interns to orient them on different jobs they might face while working on the farm. This manual provides general overview of many organic farming practices, as well as specific guidelines that Veggielution uses. It also focuses on leading volunteers to have effective workdays. It is hoped that this manual will be actively …

Soil Sampling In The City: Growing Green Infrastructure On Chicago's South Side

DePaul Magazine

Thanks to funding from a competitive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) $15,000 grant, DePaul students, professors and members of the Green Teen community group gathered to work on their yearlong soil testing project in a vacant lot on Chicago's South Side. The genesis of the project dated to a year earlier, when environmental science and studies faculty members Christie Klimas, assistant professor, and James Montgomery, associate professor, submitted their grant application outlining their vision to test the soil characteristics of several vacant lots, with the goal of determining what types of green infrastructure could thrive …

Grazing Method Effects On Forage Production, Utilization, And Animal Performance On Nebraska Sandhills Meadow, Miles D. Redden

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mob grazing using ultrahigh stocking densities is promoted as a tool to increase the health and productivity of grasslands by increasing nutrient cycling and soil organic matter. Mob grazing can be defined as a strategy in which area available to grazing animals is restricted to achieve stocking densities of 200,000 kg/ha or greater. Objectives were to determine herbage production, utilization, and cattle weight gains among ultrahigh stocking density grazing and more conventional grazing methods on a Sandhills subirrigated meadow. Treatments included two replications of each of the following: four-pasture rotational grazing with two occupations per pasture in an 80-day grazing …

Synthesis Of The Effect Of Fire On Lesser Prairie‐Chickens, Eric Thacker, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In this synthesis, we reviewed the scientific literature pertaining to the effects of fire on lesser prairie‐chickens and their habitat. Overall, research is generally lacking that directly assesses relationships among fire, both as a regime and a discrete event, to its effect on lesser prairie‐chicken behavior and habitat value. Yet, research has quantified the effects of fire on vegetation throughout the distribution of the lesser prairie‐chicken, which has been linked to known metrics of habitat value and broad landscape‐level habitat requirements.

To summarize the literature, lesser prairie‐chickens require broad landscapes of fire‐dependent grass‐shrub vegetation. Changes in the eco‐evolutionary fire regime …

Farming: It's Not Just For Farmers Anymore, Jennifer Schmidt

Pomona Senior Theses

Agricultural education, originally the province of land grant institutions, has recently entered the liberal arts curriculum. This represents a profound shift from the origins of agricultural education, when it was intended primarily as vocational training for future farmers, and has important implications for the future of the American food system. The first chapter of this thesis addresses the history of agricultural education: what was it originally like, and why did it come to be heavily criticized in the late twentieth century? Formal agricultural education changed significantly in response to these criticisms, making it more environmentally sustainable and bringing it into …

Garlic Variety Trial 2014, Rebecca Brown, Noah Leclaire-Conway

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

Based on the 2012-13 results, soft neck garlic is a viable crop for southern New England. The best varieties did as well as the best hard neck varieties. For both types of garlic approximately ¼ of the bulbs were culled because of insufficient size. The cause of the small bulbs is unclear; they may have been due to competition from the oats that failed to winter kill, or they may have been because the planting stock had not adapted to our conditions. Bulb rot is more of a problem with soft neck garlic, but appears to be controllable with careful …

Effect Of Sulfur Amendments On Yield And Quality In Alliums, Rebecca Brown, Noah Leclaire-Conway

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

In conclusion, sulfur fertilization appears to offer little or no benefit for allium vegetables in Rhode Island. Variety differences were much greater than the fertility effects, and growers who are experiencing issues with yield and storage life are encouraged to consider switching to better varieties.

Leek Variety Trial 2014, Rebecca Brown, Noah Leclaire-Conway

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

Megaton was an excellent performer for yield both years, with strong establishment and uniformly large leeks. DP-12-02 and Tadorna also did well both years; moderate yields are due to the smaller size of these leeks relative to Megaton. DP-12-02 is a very tall, thin, green leek that is well suited to bunching sales in late summer and early fall, but loses quality when harvested late. Tadorna and Autumn Giant were the most winter hardy, and were generally good performers except for a tendency to variable size and a high percentage of unmarketably small leeks. Rally was only tested in 2013 …

Onion Variety Trial 2014, Rebecca Brown, Noah Leclaire-Conway

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

In 2012 we trialed 18 yellow storage onion varieties, three red onion varieties, and one sweet onion. The 2013 trial included 17 yellow storage onion varieties, 3 sweet yellow onion varieties, one sweet white variety, and 7 red onion varieties. The onion varieties were evaluated for yield, quality, storability, and suitability to plasticulture. All of the onions were started from seed in the greenhouse and transplanted into raised beds covered with plastic mulch. In 2012 transplanting took place on April 13 and beds were covered with conventional plastic mulch. In 2013 transplanting took place on April 30 and beds were …

An Overview Of Agroforestry, Andy Mason, Douglas Wallace, Richard Straight

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Agroforestry is a management system that combines agriculture and trees to address conservation needs and build more profitable and weather-resilient farms, ranches and communities. Agroforestry practices provide opportunities to integrate productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship resulting in healthy and sustainable agricultural systems that can be passed on to future generations.

Improving Cocoa Production Through Lean: A Case Study Of The Ghanaian Cocoa Industry, Kwasi Boateng

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cocoa has been useful in several ways, especially to countries that produce it and consumers all over the world. Its benefits range from improving economies to satisfying millions all over the world who desire one cocoa product or the other. The production of cocoa however is not without its own attendant problems. Aging tree stock, spread of diseases, and production capacity problems are, but a few of many challenges that seed gardens that produce cocoa face. This study investigated the pollination process on selected seed gardens in Ghana, the second largest world producer of cocoa. The purpose of this study …

Drivers Of Spatial And Temporal Variation In Soybean Yield And Irrigation Requirements In The Western Us Corn Belt, Patricio Grassini, Jessica A. Torrion, Kenneth Cassman, Haishun Yang, James Specht

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Both rainfed and irrigated soybean production are important in Nebraska (western US Corn Belt), accounting for a respective 48 and 52% of the state’s soybean production of 7 Mt on a respective 55 and 45% share of the state soybean area of 1.9 Mha. To date, no assessment of factors that may account for regional and inter-annual variation in yield and irrigation amount has been performed. To accomplish that objective, we evaluated a database containing on-farm field yields and total irrigation amount used in those fields. These data have been collected annually from ca. 1000 soybean fields in six regions …

Restoring The Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Forests Using Pineywoods Cattle Grazing In Conjunction With Prescribed Burning, L. Tyler Albin

Honors Theses

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is major forest constituent of the Southern Coastal Plains of the United States. Ecologically, a virgin longleaf pine forests supports increased species richness. Since the 1800s, longleaf pine forests have been exploited as a massive source of commercial products (e.g., lumber, pulp, and naval stores). A decrease in species richness has been recorded following this vast decrease in longleaf pine presence. Rebuilding the longleaf pine ecosystem is essential for restoring species richness and maintaining the ecological health of many Costal Plains habitats. Presently, the most popular restoration and management method utilized is prescribed burning. Prescribed …

Spreading The Char: The Importance Of Local Compatibility In The Diffusion Of Biochar Systems To The Smallholder Agriculture Community Context, Laura C. V. Munoz

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis enters the context of smallholder agriculture communities in the developing world. It explores the potentials of biochar and what biochar systems could bring to the smallholder communities while simultaneously bringing environmental benefits. It then acknowledges the challenges of diffusion –the spreading of an unfamiliar innovation. It seeks to answer the question of what will make diffusion of biochar systems more successful in the smallholder context, fixating on the characteristic of compatibility as well as the role local community members can play in making a new biochar system more visible to the rest of the communities.

Stacking Of A Stearoyl-Acp Thioesterase With A Dual-Silenced Palmitoyl-Acp Thioesterase And Δ12 Fatty Acid Desaturase In Transgenic Soybean, Hyunwoo Park, George L. Graef, Yixiang Xu, Patrick Tenopir, Thomas E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) is valued for both its protein and oil, whose seed is composed of 40% and 20% of each component, respectively. Given its high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, soybean oil oxidative stability is relatively poor. Historically food processors have employed a partial hydrogenation process to soybean oil as a means to improve both the oxidative stability and functionality in end-use applications. However, the hydrogenation process leads to the formation of trans-fats, which are associated with negative cardiovascular health. As a means to circumvent the need for the hydrogenation process, genetic …

Effects Of The Invasive Tomato Red Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) On Growth And Leaf Yield Of African Nightshades, Lucy K. Murungi, Daisy Salifu, Peter Masinde, John Wesonga, Aggrey Nyende, Markus Knapp

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard, is one of the most serious pests of solanaceous crops in Africa. Field experiments were conducted to investigate its effects on the growth and leaf yield of five African nightshade species viz. Solanum americanum, S. sarrachoides, S. scabrum, S.tarderemotum and S. villosum during the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. Plants were infested with 2-4 day-old female spider mites which were allowed to multiply. The number of mite motiles increased throughout the growing season in unsprayed plots and this number varied significantly between the African nightshade species. Except for S.sarrachoides, leaf …

A Case Study Analysis Of A Regional Food System: The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium For Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program, Tasha M. Hargrove, Walter A. Hill, John Brown, Miles Robinson, Iris Cole-Crosby, Elizabeth Myles, Billy Lawton, Karla Martin

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program (SACH) was designed to carry out an experiment by five 1890 Land-Grant Universities in partnership with five farmer based cooperatives in five states to assess marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart from a regional perspective. Using the Consortium as a case study, this study assessed the Consortium within the framework of implementation evaluation; data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study answered questions such as, what did the Consortium do, and what were some of the accomplishments of the Consortium? The farmers were able to: negotiate price points; …

Effects Of Landscape Complexity And Habitat Management On Stemborer Colonization, Parasitism And Damage To Maize, Charles A.O. Midega, Mattias Jonsson, Zeyaur R. Khan, Barbara Ekbom

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lepidopteran stemborers are a serious constraint to efficient production of maize in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the most effective ways of managing these pests is through a habitat management system called push-pull. Landscape complexity has been shown to enhance biological control of insect pests, and therefore may influence effectiveness of habitat management systems designed to control pests. We studied the relative importance of the push-pull cropping system as a local effect and proportional cover of grassland as a landscape effect on (i) stemborer population density and damage to maize, and (ii) parasitism and mortality of stemborer life stages in western …

Perceptions Of The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program: A Survey Of Superintendents On University-Affiliated Golf Courses In The U.S., Jacob Joseph Kuban

Theses and Dissertations

This project assessed U.S. university-affiliated golf courses on their certification level in regards to the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for golf courses and the amount of college or university student involvement with the certification process. Certification through the ACSP is designed to recognize environmental stewardship and sustainable golf course management practices. A cross-sectional, self-administered online questionnaire was administered to U.S. university golf course superintendents via an online link to the survey in an e-mail message. The population of 120 university golf course superintendents was asked to participate. Data was analyzed using Qualtrics, SPSS, SAS, and Microsoft Excel. Questions were …

Nitrogen Rate Optimization For Grain Yield Within Fall And Spring Applications, Justin Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comprehensive analysis of research, investigating the impact of fall and spring applied nitrogen at various rates on the vulnerability of fall applied nitrogen, nitrogen uptake, and corn yields. In addition, optimal nitrogen rates and timing were evaluated across East Central Illinois.

Mn-Euvering Manganese: The Role Of Transporter Gene Family Members In Manganese Uptake And Mobilization In Plants, Amanda L. Socha, Mary Lou Guerinot

Dartmouth Scholarship

Manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, is important for plant health. In plants, Mn serves as a cofactor in essential processes such as photosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Mn deficient plants exhibit decreased growth and yield and are more susceptible to pathogens and damage at freezing temperatures. Mn deficiency is most prominent on alkaline soils with approximately one third of the world’s soils being too alkaline for optimal crop production. Despite the importance of Mn in plant development, relatively little is known about how it traffics between plant tissues and into and out of organelles. Several gene transporter families …

Push-Pull Farming Systems, John A. Pickett, Christine M. Woodcock, Charles A.O. Midega, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Farming systems for pest control, based on the stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy or push-pull system, have become an important target for sustainable intensification of food production. A prominent example is push-pull developed in sub-Saharan Africa using a combination of companion plants delivering semiochemicals, as plant secondary metabolites, for smallholder farming cereal production, initially against lepidopterous stem borers. Opportunities are being developed for other regions and farming ecosystems. New semiochemical tools and delivery systems, including GM, are being incorporated to exploit further opportunities for mainstream arable farming systems. By delivering the push and pull effects as secondary metabolites, for example, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene repelling …

Pengaruh Jarak Tanam Berbeda Pada Berbagai Dosis Pupuk Organik Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Jagung Hibrida P-12 Di Jatinangor, Agus Wahyudin, Ruminta, D. C. Bachtiar

Jurnal Kultivasi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperoleh jarak tanam dan dosis pupuk organik kandang domba yang memberikan pengaruh terbaik terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman jagung Hibrida P-12. Percobaan dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Ciparanje, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Kabupaten Sumedang, dengan ketinggian tempat ±750 meter di atas permukaan laut, dari bulan Maret sampai Juli 2013. Metode percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Kelompok yang terdiri dari 9 perlakuan dan diulang tiga kali. Perlakuannya adalah sebagai berikut: Jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm + 2t/ha pupuk kandang, jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm + 1t/ha pupuk kandang, jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm …

Qtl Architecture Of Reproductive Fitness Characters In Brassica Rapa, Jennifer M. Dechaine, Marcus T. Brock, Cynthia Weinig

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Background

Reproductive output is critical to both agronomists seeking to increase seed yield and to evolutionary biologists interested in understanding natural selection. We examine the genetic architecture of diverse reproductive fitness traits in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from a crop (seed oil) × wild-like (rapid cycling) genotype of Brassica rapa in field and greenhouse environments.

Results

Several fitness traits showed strong correlations and QTL-colocalization across environments (days to bolting, fruit length and seed color). Total fruit number was uncorrelated across environments and most QTL affecting this trait were correspondingly environment-specific. Most fitness components were positively correlated, consistent with life-history …