Agricultural Science Commons^™

Coal Char Effects On Soil Chemical Properties And Maize Yields In Semi-Arid Region, Dinesh Panday, Maysoon M. Mikha, Xiaocun Sun, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil amendments with high carbon (C) content can be effective in semi-arid regions where soils are characterized by low C. A field study was conducted in 2016–2018 to evaluate the effect of char on soil chemical properties and irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) yields in sandy loam fertilized with urea or composted manure. Carbon-rich char used was a product of coal combustion residue from a local factory in western Nebraska. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot randomized complete block design in four replications with char (0, 6.7, 13.4, 20.1, and 26.8Mg C ha⁻¹) as main and …

A Comparison Of Media To Determine Optimal Growth In Aquaponics: Prg Virtual Showcase January 2021, Rachel L. Fogle, Andrea Nagy, Claribel Asare, Steven Berry, Jordan Brown, Aquila Durham-Lewis

Harrisburg University Presidential Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Soil Organic Carbon, Hydro-Physical Properties, Pore Structure And Greenhouse Gas Fluxes Under Integrated Crop-Livestock System, Jashanjeet Kaur Dhaliwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) can improve soil organic carbon (SOC), enhance soil hydro-physical properties, and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objectives of this study were to: (i) investigate the influence of grazing, cover crop (CC), and a combination of grazing and CC on labile soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions and soil enzyme activity, (ii) assess the impacts of short-term (3-4 years) and long-term (>30 years) ICLS on SOC, bulk density, structural quality and water infiltration, (iii) evaluate soil pore structural properties such as porosity, number of pores, pore size, pore shape, fractal dimension, anisotropy and tortuosity …

The Role Of The Auxin Biosynthesis And Signaling In Soybean Root Nodule Development, Mucahid Bozkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen(N) is one of the most important plant nutrients for plant growth and yield, however, its abundance in the soil is not sufficient for profitable crop production. The use of chemical fertilizers helps address soil N deficiency in agriculture. However, due to the environmental pollution resulting from excessive use of fertilizers, alternative forms of N for agriculture are a necessity. Leguminous plants such as soybean (Glycine max) form a symbiotic association with N-fixing rhizobia to meet their N demands. Legume-rhizobia symbiosis results in the formation of unique structures called nodules where rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant usable forms, thus …

Estimating Food Waste Due To Food Safety Recalls And Investigating Ways To Minimize Negative Impacts, Mykayla Latronica

Master's Theses

For years the issue of food waste has been recognized and quantified; however, food safety issues often go unrecognized as a source of food waste. One objective of this research is to estimate quantities and monetary value of fruits and vegetables implicated in food safety recalls, and thus wasted. Using publicly available data we identified all recalls involving vegetable or fruit commodities contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic E. coli, or Salmonella during 2015-2018. When quantities were provided, monetary value of recalled product was calculated using USDA ERS 2016 average retail prices. Although data limitations only allowed analysis of …

Influence Of Cover Crops On Water And Nutrient Cycles In South Dakota, Sam Ireland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major concern of farmers implementing cover crops into a crop rotation is a potential reduction in soil moisture and nutrients available for the following cash crop. If soil moisture or nutrients are limited, the following cash crop yield suffers. One option to conserve soil moisture is to terminate cover crops with herbicides prior to a killing freeze. The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of the impact of cover crops and termination timing to the water and nutrient cycles and furthermore, the agronomic impact to the following cash crop (corn). Field experiments were conducted in …

James B Beard: The Father Of Contemporary Turfgrass Science, G.K. Stahnke, P.E. Rieke, Robert C. Shearman, Roch E. Gaussoin, David Kopec

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

James B Beard (24 Sept 1935 to 8 May 2018) can rightly be considered the “Father” of contemporary turfgrass science. During his career, he was known for setting a standard that provided the foundation for turfgrass science through his thorough approach to research, teaching, mentoring and communications. The books he published outlined a vision for an evolving scientific discipline. He trained and mentored >45 domestic and international doctoral and master students and numerous post-doctoral trainees, who in turn continued to raise the quality of contemporary turfgrass science in the USA and internationally. He led the effort to change the name …

Seeing Double With Cannabis: Heteroploid Populations In Bipolaris Gigantea, Causal Agent Of Bipolaris Leaf Spot, Desiree Szarka

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Bipolaris leaf spot (BLS) disease emerged with the reintroduction of hemp as a crop in the United States following more than 60 years of prohibition. The causal agent was identified as Bipolaris gigantea (=Drechslera gigantea), a known minor pathogen of monocots which causes devastating disease on hemp. BLS has been confirmed throughout Kentucky and reported in 15 states. Morphology and growth characteristics of isolates from eight counties across Kentucky were similar with the exception of some isolates producing protoperithecial-like structures. Phylogenetic and whole genome analysis indicated that some isolates were haploid, containing a single allele at each gene …

Characteristics Of Cercospora Nicotianae With Reduced Sensitvity To Azoxystrobin, William Barrett Barlow

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Burley and dark tobacco production are important to agriculture in Kentucky, worth $145.1 and $94.4 million in 2020, respectively. The price received for a tobacco crop is influenced by leaf quality, determined by multiple characteristics including leaf damage. Frogeye leaf spot (FLS), caused by Cercospora nicotianae, has historically been a minor disease of tobacco. However, when FLS infections reach the upper canopy of tobacco, lesions are seen as damage that negatively influence leaf quality. Fungicides are regularly used to manage foliar diseases of tobacco, and the only systemic fungicide active ingredient labeled for tobacco is azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin belongs to the …

Cold Climate Grape Cultivar`S Physiological And Gene Expression Responses To Low And Freezing Temperatures, Turhan Yilmaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grapevine (Vitis Vinifera), widely cultivated in the world and USA, is a significant and valuable fruit crop. After cold climate grapevine cultivars were released by breeding programs in the 1990s, the production of grapes expanded in the Northern cold climate region of the US. The objectives of this study were to test 1) freezing tolerance and chilling fulfillment, 2) the effect of pruning methods on yield and winter survival, and 3) transcriptomic changes in natural and controlled chilling conditions during chilling requirement fulfillment in cold climate grapevine cultivars. Pruning methods, spur (SP), short cane (SC), and spur plus short cane …

Restoration Through Regeneration: An Analysis Of Agriculture In The United States, Rebecca Norine Graham

Capstone Showcase

The industrialization of agriculture in the mid-twentieth century has revolutionized global food systems, with enough food produced annually to sustain 10 billion people on a planet of only 7.8 billion people. Such a high-yielding agricultural system comes at a great cost to the Earth’s ecosystem, as industrialized farming has taken on factory-like production methods. Particularly harmful is the livestock sector, with ruminating animals such as cattle contributing to rising global temperatures and environmental degradation. The environmental destruction caused by industrialized animal agriculture can be halted and ultimately reversed through regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is a restorative farming practice that promotes …

Continuous In Situ Soil Nitrate Sensors: The Importance Of High-Resolution Measurements Across Time And A Comparison With Salt Extraction-Based Methods, Yunjiao Zhu, Yuncong Chen, Md. Azahar Ali, Liang Dong, Xinran Wang, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, James Schnable, Michael J. Castellano

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil NO₃^– affects microbial processes, plant productivity, and environmental N losses. However, the ability to measure soil NO₃^– is limited by labor-intensive sampling and laboratory analyses. Hence, temporal variation in soil solution NO₃^– concentration is poorly understood. We evaluated a new potentiometric sensor that continuously measures soil solution NO₃^– concentration with unprecedented specificity due to a novel membrane that serves as a barrier to interfering anions. First, we compared sensor and salt extraction-based measurements of soil NO₃^– in well-controlled laboratory conditions. Second, using 60 d of in situ soil NO …

Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Soils in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) are acidic due to sandstone parent material, acid deposition, uptake of base cations by vegetation, and release of organic acids by organic matter (OM) decomposition. Increases in soil acidity have caused declines in forest health and changed species composition and nutrient status. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but no large-scale liming projects have been done on acid forest soils in the USA. In anticipation of acquiring funding for a proposed liming project in the MNF, in 2007 and 2009 10 sites were selected to sample and analyze soils before lime was applied. In …

Abrasive Weeding As A Vehicle For Precision Fertilizer Management In Organic Vegetable Production, Tran Kim Ngan Luong, Frank Forcella, Sharon Clay, Michael S. Douglass, Samuel E. Wortman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Abrasive weeding is a nonchemical weed control tactic that uses small, gritty materials propelled with compressed air to destroy weed seedlings. Organic fertilizers have been used successfully as abrasive grits to control weeds, but the goal for this study was to explore the effects of fertilizer grit, application rates, and background soil fertility on weeds, plant available nitrogen (N) uptake, and crop yield. Field trials were conducted in organic ‘Carmen’ sweet red pepper (Capsicum annuum) and organic ‘Gypsy’ broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and treatments included organic fertilizer grit (8N–0.9P–3.3K vs. 3N–3.1P–3.3K), grit application rates (low …

Development Of Mping-Based Activation Tags For Crop Insertional Mutagenesis, Alexander Johnson, Edward Mcassey, Stephanie Diaz, Jacod Reagin, Priscilla S. Redd, Daymond R. Parrilla, Hanh Nguyen, Adrian Stec, Lauren A.L. Mcdaniel, Thomas E. Clemente, Robert M. Stupar, Wayne A. Parrott, C. Nathan Hancock

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Modern plant breeding increasingly relies on genomic information to guide crop im- provement. Although some genes are characterized, additional tools are needed to effectively identify and characterize genes associated with crop traits. To address this need, the mPing element from rice was modified to serve as an activation tag to in- duce expression of nearby genes. Embedding promoter sequences in mPing resulted in a decrease in overall transposition rate; however, this effect was negated by using a hyperactive version of mPing called mmPing20. Transgenic soybean events carrying mPing-based activation tags and the appropriate transposase expression cassettes showed evidence of transposition. …

Identification And Utilization Of Genetic Determinants Of Trait Measurement Errors In Image-Based, High-Throughput Phenotyping, Yan Zhou, Aaron Kusmec, Seyed Vahid Mirnezami, Lakshmi Attigala, Srikant Srinivasan, Talukder Zaki Jubery, James Schnable, Maria G. Salas Fernandez, Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, Patrick S. Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The accuracy of trait measurements greatly affects the quality of genetic analyses. During automated phenotyping, trait measurement errors, i.e., differences between automatically extracted trait values and ground truth, are often treated as random effects that can be controlled by increasing population sizes and/or replication number. By contrast, there is some evidence that trait measurement errors may be partially under genetic control. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observed substantial non-random, genetic contributions to trait measurement errors for five maize (Zea mays) tassel traits collected using an image-based phenotyping platform. The phenotyping accuracy varied according to whether a tassel exhibited …

Evaluation Of Corn Agronomic Management Practices Following A Rye Cover Crop, Daniel John Quinn

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Fall implementation of a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop (RCC) prior to spring corn (Zea mays L.) planting is a management practice used to improve soil conservation, water quality, and limit herbicide dependence. However, corn growth and yield following a RCC is often reduced due to early-season nitrogen (N) stress and decreased plant emergence, which can limit RCC adoption. The objective(s) of this research were to evaluate corn agronomic management practices (e.g., N and seeding rate management, in-furrow (IF) starter use) following a RCC and determine which management practices can be used to limit corn stress following …

Enhancing Agroecosystem Phosphorus Management: Root Phenotyping And Decomposition For Improved Phosphorus Cycling, Rebecca Kay Mcgrail

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Plant roots are often overlooked when making nutrient management decisions. Evaluating differences in P acquisition strategies and cycling resulting from years of shoot-specific plant breeding will aid in reducing fertilizer inputs, with the ultimate goal of improving economic sustainability of crop production and preservation of ecosystem services. To achieve this goal, this research screened a diverse panel of winter wheat cultivars that included old and modern, dwarfed and wild type varieties for physical and chemical root phenotypes related to P acquisition. Old cultivars had larger root systems with more roots that grew two times faster than intermediate/modern cultivars. Wild type …

Skeleton Weed Program 2020/21: Annual Report To Grain Growers, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

No abstract provided.

Black Soldier Fly Larval Meal In Feed Enhances Growth Performance, Carcass Yield And Meat Quality Of Finishing Pigs, S. Y. Chia, C. M. Tanga, I. M. Osuga, A. O. Alaru, D. M. Mwangi, M. Githinji, T. Dubois, S. Ekesi, J. J.A. Van Loon, M. Dicke

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Using black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) larvae as a novel protein source substituting fishmeal (FM) in animal feeds is globally gaining momentum. BSF can be reared on agro-industrial residues. However, incorporating BSF larval meal (BSFLM) into finisher pig diets has received inadequate attention. This study evaluated the effects of replacing dietary FM with BSFLM on growth, carcass traits and meat quality of finisher pigs. A control diet (including FM: 0% BSFLM) was compared with four dietary levels of replacement of FM with BSFLM at 25, 50, 75 or 100%. Forty hybrid pigs (crossbreeds of purebred Large White and Landrace) …

The Importance Of Store Hygiene For Reducing Post-Harvest Losses In Smallholder Farmers’ Stores: Evidence From A Maize-Based Farming System In Kenya, Kobia J. Makinya, John M. Wagacha, Judith A. Odhiambo, Paddy Likhayo, Kukom Edoh-Ognakossan, Tadele Tefera, Adebayo Abass, Christopher M. Mutungi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Knowledge of the role of hygiene in reducing food loss in farm stores is limited among extensionists, researchers, and farmers. Store hygiene practices during post-harvest handling and storage of maize were assessed using a cross-sectional survey of 342 farmers, with regular follow-up of 40 farmers’ stores over seven months to measure losses caused by insects, and to score the hygiene levels using a standard checklist. Fractional Response Model was used to evaluate the associations between hygiene practices and the losses. Farmers stored their produce in sacks (98.2%) kept in outside granaries (60.1%), or rooms in dwelling houses (39.9%). Co-storage with …

Assessing And Understanding Non-Responsiveness Of Maize And Soybean To Fertilizer Applications In African Smallholder Farms, Dries Roobroeck, Cheryl A. Palm, Generose Nziguheba, Ray Weil, Bernard Vanlauwe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Use of mineral fertilizers is essential to enhance crop productivity in smallholder farming systems of Sub-Saharan Africa, but various studies have reported ‘non-responsiveness’ where application of inorganic fertilizers does not lead to satisfactory yield gains. This phenomenon is not well defined nor are its extent and causes well understood. In order to close these knowledge gaps, we assessed the effects of commonly recommended nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and/or potassium (K) fertilizer inputs on maize grain and soybean production on farmer fields across prevalent land slope and/or soil texture gradients (2 × 2 matrix) in four agroecosystems over two growing seasons. …

The Ethiopian Staple Food Crop Enset (Ensete Ventricosum) Assessed For The First Time For Resistance Against The Root-Lesion Nematode Pratylenchus Goodeyi, Selamawit A. Kidane, Beira H. Meressa, Solveig Haukeland, Anne Kathrine Hvoslef-Eide, Danny L. Coyne

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Summary – Pratylenchus goodeyi appears to be the most prevalent nematode pest of enset in Ethiopia, where it can occur in extremely high densities. However, the damage to yield or how different enset cultivars react to the nematode has yet to be determined. The current study therefore sought to establish a first assessment of these reactions by enset to P. goodeyi infection. Determining pest-resistant cultivars is an important task in developing management strategies. Our study evaluated nine enset cultivars to establish host response and identify potential sources of resistance. In addition, the pathogenicity of P. goodeyi was assessed on three …

Effects Of Rhizobia And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi On Yield, Size Distribution And Fatty Acid Of Soybean Seeds Grown Under Drought Stress, Nicholas O. Igiehon, Olubukola O. Babalola, Xavier Cheseto, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is among the most economically important legumes that provide more than 1/4 of food (for man) and animal feed. However, its yield is comparatively low, most especially under drought stress. The aim of this study therefore was to assess the ability of Rhizobium spp. and mycorrhizal fungi to enhance the yield, seed size and fatty acid content of soybean grown under semi-arid environment. Rhizobium sp. strain R1 was found to possess nitrogen-fixing gene coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase function while Rhizobium cellulosilyticum strain R3 was found to have nitrogen-fixing genes cysteine desulfurase SufS and cysteine desulfurase IscS activity. …

Low-Cost Technology For Recycling Agro-Industrial Waste Into Nutrient-Rich Organic Fertilizer Using Black Soldier Fly, Dennis Beesigamukama, Benson Mochoge, Nicholas K. Korir, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Fathiya M. Khamis, Sevgan Subramanian, Musyoka M. Wangu, Thomas Dubois, Sunday Ekesi, Chrysantus M. Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Efforts to recycle organic waste using black soldier fly (BSF) larvae into high-quality alternative protein ingredients in animal feeds and organic fertilizers have gained momentum worldwide. However, there is limited information on waste manipulation to increase nutrient retention for enhanced larval performance and frass fertilizer quality. In the present study, brewer's spent grain with a carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 11 (control) was amended with sawdust to obtain substrates with C/N ratios of 15, 20, 25 and 30. The effects of substrate C/N ratios on BSF larval yield, waste degradation, biomass conversion efficiency, compost maturity and nutrient levels of …

Household Smoke-Exposure Risks Associated With Cooking Fuels And Cooking Places In Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Demographic And Health Survey Data, Mazbahul G. Ahamad, Fahian Tanin, Nawaraji Shrestha

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Household smoke-exposure risk (SER) can be defined through the assessment of cooking fuels (smoke and no smoke-producing) and cooking places (indoor and outdoor) related information, which represent different levels of household air pollution. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and geographical variations in smoke-exposure risks (SERs) associated with indoor and outdoor cooking practices and use of smoke-producing and non-smoke-producing cooking fuels in Tanzania. We further investigated the social and spatial features associated with household SERs. We defined an indicator variable, the household SER, using country-level, cross-sectional data on cooking fuels and cooking places obtained from the 2015–2016 Tanzania Demographic …

Officially Confirmed Covid-19 And Unreported Covid-19–Like Illness Death Counts: An Assessment Of Reporting Discrepancy In Bangladesh, Mazbahul G. Ahamad, Fahian Tanin, Byomkesh Talukder, Monir Ahmed

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Reporting discrepancies between officially confirmed COVID-19 death counts and unreported COVID- 19–like illness (CLI) death counts have been evident across the world, including Bangladesh. Publicly available data were used to explore the differences between confirmed COVID-19 death counts and deaths with possible COVID-19 symptoms between March 2, 2020 and August 22, 2020. Unreported CLI death counts totaled more than half of the confirmed COVID-19 death counts during the study period. However, the reporting authority did not consider CLI deaths, which might produce incomplete and unreliable COVID-19 data and respective mortality rates. All deaths with possible COVID-19 symptoms need to be …

Nitrogen Response Functions Targeted To Technology Extrapolation Domains In Ethiopia Using Ceres-Maize, Feyera Merga Liben, Charles S. Wortmann, Haishun Yang, Tsegaue Tadesse, Z. P. Stewart, D. Wegary, W. Mupangwa

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The profitability of fertilizer-N use can be optimized using N response functions specific to climate-based technology extrapolation domains (TED). Crop growth simulation can complement field research for targeting of response functions. The objective of this study was to target maize (Zea mays L.) N response functions to seven TED in Ethiopia through CERES-Maize simulation of continuous maize over 30 yr. The complete factorial set of treatments included seven levels of N in 25 kg ha⁻¹ increments under no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems. The CERES-Maize simulated experiments were done for two or three sites per TED. Nitrogen …

Wild Emmer Introgression Alters Root-To-Shoot Growth Dynamics In Durum Wheat In Response To Water Stress, Harel Bacher, Feiyu Zhu, Tian Gao, Kan Liu, Balpreet Dhatt, Tala Awada, Chi Zhang, Assaf Distelfeld, Hongfeng Yu, Zvi Peleg, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Water deficit during the early vegetative growth stages of wheat (Triticum) can limit shoot growth and ultimately impact grain productivity. Introducing diversity in wheat cultivars to enhance the range of phenotypic responses to water limitations during vegetative growth can provide potential avenues for mitigating subsequent yield losses. We tested this hypothesis in an elite durum wheat background by introducing a series of introgressions from a wild emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) wheat. Wild emmer populations harbor rich phenotypic diversity for drought-adaptive traits. To determine the effect of these introgressions on vegetative growth under water-limited conditions, we used image-based phenotyping to …

Loss Of Comt Activity Reduces Lateral Root Formation And Alters The Response To Water Limitation In Sorghum Brown Midrib (Bmr) 12 Mutant, Manny Saluja, Feiyu Zhu, Hongfeng Yu, Harkamal Walia, Scott E. Sattler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Lignin is a key target for modifying lignocellulosic biomass for efficient biofuel production. Brown midrib 12 (bmr12) encodes the sorghum caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) and is one of the key enzymes in monolignol biosynthesis. Loss of function mutations in COMT reduces syringyl (S) lignin subunits and improves biofuel conversion rate. Although lignin plays an important role in maintaining cell wall integrity of xylem vessels, physiological and molecular consequences due to loss of COMT on root growth and adaptation to water deficit remain unexplored.

We addressed this gap by evaluating the root morphology, anatomy and transcriptome of bmr12 mutant. The mutant …