Agricultural Science Commons^™

Heat Stress Risk Factors Of Feedlot Heifers, T. M. Brown-Brandl, Roger A. Eigenberg, J. A. Nienaber

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

Heat stress in cattle results in millions of dollars in lost revenue each year due to production losses, and in extreme cases, death. Death losses are more likely to result from animals vulnerable to heat stress. A study was conducted to determine risk factors for heat stress in feedlot heifers. Over two consecutive summers, a total of 256 feedlot heifers (32/ breed/ year) of four breeds were observed. As a measure of stress, respiration rates and panting scores were taken twice daily (morning and afternoon) on a random sample of 10 heifers/ breed. Weights, condition scores, and temperament scores were …

A Grid-Based Infrastructure For Ecological Forecasting Of Rice Land Anopheles Arabiensis Aquatic Larval Habitats, Benjamin G. Jacob, Ephantus J. Muturi, Jose E. Funes, Josephat I. Shililu, John I. Githure, Ibulaimu I. Kakoma, Robert J. Novak

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: For remote identification of mosquito habitats the first step is often to construct a discrete tessellation of the region. In applications where complex geometries do not need to be represented such as urban habitats, regular orthogonal grids are constructed in GIS and overlaid on satellite images. However, rice land vector mosquito aquatic habitats are rarely uniform in space or character. An orthogonal grid overlaid on satellite data of rice-land areas may fail to capture physical or man-made structures, i.e paddies, canals, berms at these habitats. Unlike an orthogonal grid, digitizing each habitat converts a polygon into a grid cell, …

Panadería “Pan Rey,” El Salvador Prueba Harina De Sorgo, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Pan Rey, una panadería grande y comercializada en Quezaltepeque, El Salvador C. A. viene experimentando con la harina de sorgo como substituto de la harina de trigo, y en colaboración con el Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos del CENTA (Centro Nacional de Tecnología agropecuaria) con el fín de promover el uso de la harina de sorgo en las panaderías grandes. Muchas de las panaderías pequeñas del sector rural, como la panadería de Clemencia Barrera en San Rafael Cedros, El Salvador (ver Reporte No.5 de INTSORMIL), han substituido la harina de trigo por la de sorgo durante muchos años. Sin embargo, …

Pan Rey Bakery, El Salvador Tests Sorghum Flour, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Pan Rey, the “Bread King,” a large commercial bakery located at Quezaltepeque, El Salvador is testing sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat. The Pan Rey Bakery collaborates with the CENTA Food Technology Laboratory in a project to promote the use of sorghum flour in large bakeries. Many small, village level bakeries, such as the bakery of Clemencia Barrera in San Rafael Cedro, El Salvador (see INTSORMIL Report No. 5), have been using sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat for many years. However, use of sorghum flour on a large scale in the big commercial bakeries, such as Pan …

Intsormil Crsp: Sorghum, Millet And Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program: Leader With Associates Cooperative Agreement No. Eep-A-00-06-0016-00; Award From The U.S. Agency For International Development To The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Joseph Schmidt

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Pursuant to the authority contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hereby awards to University of Nebraska - Lincoln (hereinafter referred to as the "Recipient"), the sum of $9,000,000.00 to provide support for a program in Sorghum, Millet, and Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program as described in the Schedule of this award and in Attachment B, entitled "Program Description."

This Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement is effective and obligation is made as of 09-30-2006 and shall apply to expenditures made by the Recipient in furtherance of program objectives during …

Harina De Sorgo Como Sustituto Del Trigo En Panaderías Rurales De El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

El grano de sorgo está generando mucho interés en el escenario de la comida sana. Por que? La respuesta es muy sencilla: la harina de grano de sorgo, NO CONTIENE GLUTEN. Esto es muy importante para aquellas personas intolerantes al gluten (padecimiento celíaco). El sorgo contiene un alto contenido de antioxidantes (que ayudan a prevenir el cáncer) y fibra insoluble (lenta digestibilidad), con cantidades relativamente pequeñas de fibra soluble. La proteína y el almidón del endospermo del sorgo son digeridos más lentamente si se les compara con otros cereales. El bajo porcentaje de digestibilidad en los productos preparados a base …

Sorghum Flour As A Substitute For Wheat In El Salvador Village Bakeries, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum is generating new excitement on the health food scene. Why? For one reason, flour milled from grain sorghum has NO GLUTEN! That’s important to those people with an intolerance to gluten-containing products (Celiac disease). Sorghum is high in antioxidants (cancer prevention) and insoluble fiber (slowly digested), with relatively small amounts of soluble fiber. The protein and starch in sorghum endosperm are more slowly digested than other cereals. The slower rate of digestibility of sorghum products may be beneficial to diabetics.

So how is sorghum flour used in baking? It can be substituted for wheat, rice or soybean flour …

Combined Control Of Striga Hermonthica And Stemborers By Maize-Desmodium Spp. Intercrops, Zeyaur R. Khan, John A. Pickett, Lester J. Wadhams, Ahmed Hassanali, Charles A.O. Midega

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The African witchweed (Striga spp.) and lepidopteran stemborers are two major biotic constraints to the efficient production of maize in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies had shown the value of intercropping maize with Desmodium uncinatum in the control of both pests. The current study was conducted to assess the potential role of other Desmodium spp., adapted to different agro-ecologies, in combined control of both pests in Kenya. Treatments consisted of intercropped plots of a Striga hermonthica- and stemborer-susceptible maize variety and one Desmodium sp. or cowpea, with a maize monocrop plot included as a control. S. hermonthica counts and stemborer damage …

Agroforestry: Sustaining Native Bee Habitat For Crop Pollination, Mace Vaughan, Scott Hoffman Black

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

Over one hundred crop species in North America require a visit from an insect pollinator to be most productive. In the past, native bees and feral honey bees could meet the pollination needs of small orchards, tomato and pumpkin fields, and berry patches, because these farms were typically adjacent to areas of habitat that harbored important pollinators. Today, many farms are large and, at the same time, have less nearby habitat to support native pollinators. To ensure adequate pollination services, producers now rely on European honey bees. Research, however, shows that native bees can be important pollinators in agricultural fields …

Intsormil: International Expertise Benefits U.S. Sorghum And Pearl Millet Producers, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

While USAID is focused on international assistance and outreach, the Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSPs) also benefit farmers in the United States. By establishing strong relationships with national agricultural research systems in other nations, U.S. research collaborators gain access to knowledge and expertise in crops native to these countries. Thus, the CRSPs effectively operate as a two way street, extending U.S. scientific and research expertise to collaborating nations while receiving valuable insight and access to germplasm from other production environments for U.S. agricultural deployment.

INTSORMIL CRSP principal investigators, located at leading U.S. universities (Kansas State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas …

Isolation Of An Active Lv1 Gene From Cattle Indicates That Tripartite Motif Protein-Mediated Innate Immunity To Retroviral Infection Is Widespread Among Mammals, Laura M.J. Ylinen, Zuzana Keckesova, Benjamin L.J. Webb, Robert J.M. Gifford, Timothy P.L. Smith, Greg J. Towers

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

Lv1/TRIM5α (tripartite motif 5α) has recently emerged as an important factor influencing species-specific permissivity to retroviral infection in a range of primates, including humans. Old World monkey TRIM5α blocks human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infectivity, and the human and New World monkey TRIM5α proteins are inactive against HIV-1 but active against divergent murine (N-tropic murine leukemia virus [MLV-N]) and simian (simian immunodeficiency virus from rhesus macaque [SIVmac]) retroviruses, respectively. Here we demonstrate antiviral activity of the first nonprimate TRIM protein, from cattle, active against divergent retroviruses, including HIV-1. The number of closely related human TRIM sequences makes assignment of …

Population Models For Threshold-Based Control Of Tetranychus Urticae In Small-Scale Kenyan Tomato Fields And For Evaluating Weather And Host Plant Species Effects, Markus Knapp, Ibrahima Sarr, Gianni Gilioli, Johann Baumgärtner

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The spatial distribution of motile life stages of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch in Kenyan small-scale tomato fields was described by Taylor's power law and an enumerative sampling plan was designed for research purposes. The exponential increase of T. urticae populations during three growing seasons permits the development and use of a simple exponential model for the design of a threshold-based chemical control system. For this purpose, a critical threshold of 440 motile mites per sample unit at the end of the growing season (12 weeks after transplanting) was translated into a proportion of 0.83 infested units in …

Estimating The Cost Of Invasive Species On U.S. Agriculture: The U.S. Soybean Market, D. J. Lee, C.S. Kim, G Schaible

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

Soybean production ranks among the largest agricultural cash crops in the U.S., second only to corn. U.S. soybean production topped 3 billion bushels in 2005 with sales of $17 billion. Approximately 58% of U.S. soybeans are grown in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Nebraska. A small percentage of the U.S. soybean crop, 2%, goes to human consumption in the form of whole beans, soybean oil, and soybean meal products. A third of the crop, 1 billion bushels per year is exported annually to China, EU, Mexico, Japan, and Taiwan, and other countries. Most of the crop, 2 billion bushels, goes …

Creating New Markets For African Sorghum Farmers, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Lack of international markets for locally grown cereals such as sorghum is a major constraint to economic development for West African farmers. Lack of international markets has traditionally resulted in price declines in normal and good weather years since consumers can only eat so much of a staple. Once consumers have enough of the staple, prices collapse, as there are no other markets. These price declines discourage farmers from using higher input levels and therefore achieving productivity gains. Hence, facilitating the growth of the food and feed processing industries for the basic staples is critical for the rapid economic growth …

A Matter Of Balance: Conservation And Renewable Energy, Jane M.F. Johnson, Don Reicosky, Ray Allmaras, Dave Archer, Wallace Wilhelm

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

As communities and a country, we have a monumental task to solve the energy and global climate change problems, while maintaining our capacity to produce food, feed, and fiber for an ever increasing world population. The severity of these problems is exacerbated by the universal desire for an increased standard of living, which invariably translates to more energy use, greater demand for products, and higher quality diets (usually in the form of more fresh fruits and vegetables and more animal protein). Agriculture and forestry are in a unique position as we attempt solve these opposing problems in the most beneficial …

Field Evaluation Of Herbicides On Rice 2005, Drew T. Ellis, Ronald E. Talbert, Marilyn R. Mcclelland

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Field studies to evaluate herbicides in rice weed management systems were conducted in 2005 at the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart, Arkansas. New herbicides, herbicide mixtures, and application timings were evaluated for weed control efficacy and rice tolerance. Results of these studies, in part, provide useful information to producers, fellow researchers, and the crop protection industry for the most effective, economical herbicide programs for successful rice production in Arkansas.

Slides: The Cdm Carbon Market And The Upcoming U.S. Market, Evan A. Evans

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Evan A. Evans, P.E., Vice President and Director of Engineering, Econergy International, Boulder, CO.

15 slides.

Comparing Climate-Change Mitigating Potentials Of Alternative Synthetic Liquid Fuel Technologies Using Biomass And Coal, Robert H. Williams, Eric D. Larson, Haiming Jin

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Robert H. Williams, Senior Research Scientist, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

19 pages (includes color illustrations).

Contains references.

Slides: Getting Onto A Path For Stabilizing Atmospheric Co2 At 450 Ppmv With “Near-At-Hand” Energy Technologies, Robert H. Williams

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Robert H. Williams, Senior Research Scientist, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

35 slides.

Slides: In The Nick Of Time: Pathways To A Post-2012 Climate Treaty Framework, Annie Petsonk

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Annie Petsonk, Environmental Defense, Washington, DC.

22 slides.

Slides: Climate Change & The Ecological Resources Of The West, Chris Field

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Chris Field, Director, Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC.

39 slides.

Contains references.

Agenda: Climate Change And The Future Of The American West: Exploring The Legal And Policy Dimensions, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Sponsors: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; BP America; Holland & Hart; Patrick, Miller & Krope, P.C.; The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Western Water Assessment.

Exploring the legal and political dimensions that climate change will bring to the American West will be the focus of the CU-Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's 27th Annual Summer Conference.

Titled "Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions," the conference will be held June 7-9 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at …

Slides: The Real Biofuel Cycles And The Earth, Biofuels, And Reality, Tad W. Patzek

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Tad W. Patzek, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

2 pages and 29 slides.

Contains footnotes.

The Earth, Energy, And Agriculture, Tad W. Patzek

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Tad W. Patzek, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

13 pages (includes some color illustrations).

Contains references.

Slides: Agriculture: Climate Change Problem, Solution, Or Both? And U.S. Agriculture And Climate Change: Challenge And Opportunity, David L. Carlson

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: David L. Carlson, President, Resource Analysis, Inc., Denver, CO.

1 page and 19 slides.

Contains footnotes.

Intsormil Marketing Strategies Increase Farm Income And Promote Technology Introduction In West Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The World Bank’s 2006 Human Development Report ranks Niger as the world’s second-poorest nation. Most of its 11 million citizens live in semi-arid grasslands and survive on subsistence cultivation of millet, sorghum, and other drought-resistant crops. Producers sell their crops in September and October, the peak months of the harvest season, when local markets can be flooded with grain and prices are low. These farmers often must then purchase additional food supplies in the “hungry months” of June and July when food grains reach much higher prices.

INTSORMIL’s West Africa Marketing-Processing Project, funded by USAID/WARP, is accelerating the adoption of …

Book Review: Agriculture As A Producer And Consumer Of Energy, Wally Wilhelm

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

As the title of this book suggests, agriculture resides on both sides of the nation’s energy balance equation. Throughout history, agriculture has used and produced energy. Early agriculture relied on human and animal traction; much of the produce was consumed to power the enterprise. From the end of World War II through the present, a unique period in agricultural production has existed. Energy used on farms has come from sources beyond the farm gate—oil wells in the Middle East and Alaska’s North Slope, coal mines in Wyoming, and natural gas fields in Gulf States and the Gulf of Mexico. As …

Spatially Targeting Culex Quinquefasciatus Aquatic Habitats On Modified Land Cover For Implementing An Integrated Vector Management (Ivm) Program In Three Villages Within The Mwea Rice Scheme, Kenya, Benjamin G. Jacob, Josephat Shililu, Ephantus J. Muturi, Joseph M. Mwangangi, Simon M. Muriu, Jose Funes, John Githure, James L. Regens, Robert J. Novak

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Continuous land cover modification is an important part of spatial epidemiology because it can help identify environmental factors and Culex mosquitoes associated with arbovirus transmission and thus guide control intervention. The aim of this study was to determine whether remotely sensed data could be used to identify rice-related Culex quinquefasciatus breeding habitats in three rice-villages within the Mwea Rice Scheme, Kenya. We examined whether a land use land cover (LULC) classification based on two scenes, IKONOS at 4 m and Landsat Thematic Mapper at 30 m could be used to map different land uses and rice planted at different …

Nitric Oxide Accelerates Seed Germination In Warm-Season Grasses, Gautam Sarath, Paul C. Bethke, Russell Jones, Lisa M. Baird, Guichuan Hou, Robert B. Mitchell

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

The nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) significantly promoted germination of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L. cv Kanlow) in the light and in the dark at 25°C, across a broad range of concentrations. SNP also promoted seed germination in two other warm-season grasses. A chemical scavenger of NO inhibited germination and blocked SNP stimulation of seed germination. The phenolic (+)-catechin acted synergistically with SNP and nitrite in promoting seed germination. Acidified nitrite, an alternate NO donor also significantly stimulated seed germination. Interestingly, sodium cyanide, potassium ferricyanide and potassium ferrocyanide at 200 lM strongly enhanced seed germination as well, whereas …

Intsormil Responds To Emerging Grain Markets In West Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

According to Lloyd Rooney, Distinguished Professor of Food Science at Texas A&M, “A consistent, high quality grain supply is the first prerequisite for the development of the food processing industry in West Africa.” The International Sorghum and Millet (INTSORMIL) Collaborative Research Support Program in West Africa is helping farmers produce a consistent supply of high quality sorghum and millet that meets the requirements of industry.

INTSORMIL’s Marketing-Processing Project, funded by USAID/WARP and directed by Botorou Ouendeba, Nigerien millet breeder and former Coordinator of the West and Central African Millet Research Network is responding to the emerging market demand by promoting …