Agricultural Science Commons^™

Bulletin 4247 - Introduction To Commercial Mushroom Growing, Margaret Graham

Bulletins 4000 -

Mushroom cultivation began in Australia in the 1930s in the then incomplete and unused Circular Quay railway tunnel in Sydney. In the 1950s most mushrooms were grown in heaped or 'ridge-beds' of compost in disused railway tunnels.

In the last 15 to 20 years there has been considerable technical change in the method and degree of sophistication of mushroom cultivation techniques. Most growers have invested large sums of capital in specially designed and insulated buildings that control temperature, humidity and ventilation and where pest and disease prevention and control is less difficult.

The bag method also helps to alleviate pest …

Influence Of Improvement Practices On Big Bluestem And Indiangrass Seed Production In Tallgrass Prairies, Robert A. Masters, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Steven Waller

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

Taligrass prairies provide a valuable source of diverse native plant germplasm. Seed harvested from native prairies can be used to revegetate highly erodible or marginal cropland and degraded rangeland if adequate quantities of seed can be produced. The effect of spring burning, fertilization, and atrazine [6-chloro-Nethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] on big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman var. gerardii Vitman) and indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash] reproductive stem density and seed production was determined in 9 tallgrass prairie environments (each year by site was considered a unique environment). Studies were conducted at tallgrass prairies near Bloomfield, Lincoln, and Virginia, Nebr., from 1987 through …

Future Developments In Artificial Insemination Technology, Murray R. Bakst

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

The development of artificial insemination (AI) technology over the past decade has resulted in some significant advances in poultry breeding.  However, because there are few poultry scientists performing fundamental research to advance AI technology, alternative approaches must be examined in an effort to expand AI technology.  This paper suggests that the technology available for cell and tissue culture propagation should be evaluated and the applicability of this technology to poultry AI technology assessed.  Instrumentation and clinical testing procedures used for the evaluation of somatic cells in culture could provide objective data before and after semen storage on large numbers of …

Developmental Morphology Of Tropical Sorghum And Sorghum X Sudangrass, R. B. Mitchell, K. J. Moore, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, T. A. Peterson, L. E. Moser, D. D. Redfearn

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass are known to be efficient scavengers of soil nitrogen and are important forage crops in the U.S. Nitrate contamination of groundwater due to disposal of organic wastes and excessive fertilization is a major concern in the Central Great Plains. A common disposal method of municipal wastes is application to fallow cropland. Quantification of the developmental morphology of tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass is important to developing management strategies that allow multiple applications of organic wastes to optimize nitrogen removal and dry matter production. The objective of this study was to quantify the developmental …

Jerramungup "Moort Type" Soils - Soil Description, Analyses And Discussion, Tim Overheu Mr

All other publications

Hard Setting Grey Clays, colloquially termed Moort Clays by the Central South Coast farmers of Western Australia, fall into the typical class of Sunday soils (i.e. too dry to sow a crop on Saturday and too wet on Monday) - acknowledgment that these soils can be difficult to manage. The local soil name derives from the dominant endemic vegetation growing on this soil (Eucalyptus platypus ssp) usually with no competing understory vegetation. Moort clays are most often found on mid to upper valley slopes and depending on parent material and pedogenesis are often alkaline (sometimes acidic), hard setting, sometimes cracking, …

Genetic Manipulation Of Tall Fescue, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, D. A. Sleper

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Genetic manipulation of tall fescue (Festuca arnndinacea Schreb.) has not been altered by the discovery of the Acremonium coenophialum (Morgan-Jones and Gams) / grass interaction. However, tall fescue breeding programs have been affected greatly. The basic methods for genetically manipulating the grass have remained static. Tall fescue is an obligate out-crossing species, and most improvements are, therefore, captured in the form of an improved population developed through some form of mass or recurrent selection. What has changed is the breeder's ability to recognize genetic differences in the grass because of the confounding effect of A. coenophialum on plant phenotype. It …

Comparison Of Sorghum And Indiangrass Chloroplast Genomes Using Rflps, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, R. D. Lee, D. J. Lee, K. P. Vogel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash) appear closely related based on morphological and chemotaxonomic characters. Each species could potentially provide desirable traits to the other. However, traditional breeding techniques have been unsuccessful in hybridizing these two species. The objective of this study was to determine the relatedness of sorghum and indiangrass chloroplast DNA using RFLPs. Eleven sorghum lines in several cytoplasms, two indiangrass popu1ations, and a corn line were studied using 60 proberestriction enzyme combinations. Principal component analysis of the results showed sorghum to be as closely related to corn as to indiangrass, with no …

Bulletin 4256 - Pecan Nut Cultivation, Aldo Labrosciano

Bulletins 4000 -

Pecans Carya illinoensis, an indigenous species to Northern America, are successfully grown between the latitudes of 25° and 35°. There is considerable variation in size and flavour of the 1000 or more varieties of the nuts.

Large scale production is concentrated in north America, Israel and South Africa. Plantings in Australia are in Victoria and New South Wales, and are developing slowly in Western Australia.

Pecans are well suited to Western Australian conditions where the soil is well drained. Though the trees are deciduous, they have no chill requirement and will flourish if water is not limiting.

Bulletin 4274 - Tree Planting On The High Rainfall Coastal Plain, Don Bennett, Richard George

Bulletins 4000 -

Careful planning can mean the difference between the success or failure of a tree planting program . Healthy , well-e stablished trees stand a better chance of survival, grow faster and are more resistant to insect attack. The need for time-consuming watering in summer is also eliminated.

The high rainfall coastal plain extends from Perth to Busselton and inland to the Darling Scarp. It receives about 800 to 1000 mm annual rainfall.

Site preparation is ideally started in summer. For a winter planting, decide before March where to plant, which varieties and how many trees to plant. Early planning allows …

The Sticky Card: Device For Studying The Distribution Of Adult House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Populations In Closed Poultry Houses, Jerome Hogsette, Roger Jacobs, Richard Miller

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

A commercially available sticky card was evaluated for use in adult fly distribution studies in large, closed poultry houses in Florida and Maryland. Results showed that house flies, Musca domestica L., preferred the interior parts of the houses, away from the walls. No vertical stratification was observed in Maryland, but flies in Florida stayed closer to the floor. In-house dispersal studies using fluorescent dust showed that flies would move =50 m, or one-third the length of the house, in Hydrotaea aenescens (Wiedemann) (formerly Ophyra aenescens) were recovered in both states.

Biology And Control Of Cattle Grubs, Philip J. Scholl

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

PERSPECTIVES AND OVERVIEW

Two species of cattle grubs (Diptera: Oestridae) affect cattle in the Northern Hemisphere: Hypoderma iineatum, the common cattle grub or lesser cattle warble fly, and Hypoderma bovis, the northern cattle grub or larger cattle warble fly. The word warble is Anglo-Saxon for boil.

Adults of the cattle grub are commonly known as heel flies, warble flies, bomb flies, or gad flies. This parasite has been observed and recorded for centuries (159), and Bracy Clark (50) cited and discussed references from Biblical times to Shakespeare. Scientific observations on the biology were first recorded in the 1700s …

Modeling Of Carbon Dioxide Transport And Production In Soil 2. Parameter Selection, Sensitivity Analysis, And Comparison Of Model Predictions To Field Data, Donald L. Suarez, Jiří Šimůnek

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

In paper 1 of this two-paper series (Šimůnek and Suarez, this issue) we presented a description of the numerical model, SOILCO2, for CO₂ transport and production in the unsaturated zone.  In paper 2 the model sensitivity to various parameters is evaluated by both steady state and trasient simulations, with a range in the parameter values typically found under field conditions.  We also select parameter values for optimal plant and microbial CO₂ production and production dependence on temperature, water content, osmotic potential and gas composition for plant and microbial respiration, all based on literature review.  The predictive capabilities of …

Breeding Systems For Cross-Pollinated Perennial Grasses, K. P. Vogel, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

I. Introduction

II. Reproductive and Breeding Characteristics

III. Breeding Systems

A. Ecotype Selection

B. Recurrent, RestricteclPhenotypic Selection

C. Half-sib Progeny Test

D. Between and Within Family Selection

E. Recurrent Multistep Family Selection

IV. Gains From Selection

A. Time Interval per Cycle

B. Potential Gain per Cycle .

C. Potential Inbreeding per Cycle

V. Polycrossing

VI. Hybrid Cultivars

VII. Conclusions

Literature Cited

Modeling Of Carbon Dioxide Transport And Production In Soil 1. Model Development, Jiří Šimůnek, Donald L. Suarez

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

Knowledge of the CO₂ concentration in the unsaturated zone is essential for prediction of solution chemistry in the vadose zone and groundwater recharge as well as for quantifying carbon source/sink terms as as part of the global CO₂ mass balance.  In this paper we present a predictive simulation model, SOILCO2, based on process-oriented relationships.  The model includes one-dimensional water flow and multiphase transport of CO₂ utilizing the Richards and the convection-dispersion equations, respectively, as well as heat flow and a CO₂ production model.  The transport of CO₂ in the unsaturated zone can occur in both …

Identification Of Plasmid And Chromosomal Copies Of 987p Pilus Genes In Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli 987, Thomas A. Casey, Robert A. Schneider, Evelyn A. Dean-Nystrom

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

A DNA probe derived from the subunit gene of a cloned 987P determinant was used to characterize the locations of the 987P genes in several Escherichia coli strains. We examined E. coli 987, a nonpiliated mutant of strain 987 (136) that does not express 987P in vitro, and a variant of I36 that expressed 987P following growth in vivo. We found that plasmid and chromosomal copies of the 987P subunit gene could be differentiated in strain 987 by restriction endonuclease analysis and Southern blot hybridization. The nonpiliated mutant 136 had lost the plasmid copy but retained the chromosomal copy of …

Effectiveness Of The Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria Bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. For Control Of The Stem Borer Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) In Maize In Kenya, Nguya K. Maniania

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. and insecticide trichlorfon were compared for the control of stem borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) in field experiments at different times of infestation. Egg masses of C. partellus at the blackhead stage were pinned to the undersurface of the maize leaves. Two fungal formulations, conidial aqueous suspensions and a granular formulation, were applied. Compared with the untreated checks, the numbers of surviving C. partellus larvae were significantly reduced in treatments where B. bassiana was applied at a concentration of 1013 conidia ha-1 as granules and as two aqueous spray formulations. No significant difference in numbers …

Striga Hermonthica Resistance In Upland Rice, Z. Harahap, K. Ampong-Nyarko, J. C. Olela

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Upland rice breeding lines were evaluated in field trials for resistance to the obligate hemi-root parasite Striga hermonthica at two sites in Kenya in 1990 and 1991. The lines differed in their reaction to S. hermonthica ranging from highly resistant to extremely susceptible. IR 49255-B-B-5-2, IR 38547-B-B-B-7-2-2, IR 47255-B-B-5-4 and Ble Chai were confirmed resistant to S. hermonthica. The indication is that the gene for resistance to S. hermonthica is widespread in rice. © 1993.

Nitrogen Source And Application Method: Does It Matter?, Gilbert D. Miller, Jay C. Andersen

Archived Natural Resources Publications

Irrigation management has a greater effect on the amount of nitrate that is leached out of the root one than does the type of nitrogen applied.

Comparison Of The Phosphate Requirements Of Burr Medic And Yellow Serradella With Subterranean Clover In The Low Rainfall Wheatbelt Of Western Australia, Blakely Paynter

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Burr medic (Medicago polymorpha) and yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus) were compared with subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) in their response to freshly topdressed phosphate in the low rainfall wheatbelt of Western Australia. Species were compared on the amount of applied phosphorus (P) required for 90% maximum yield and the ratio of their curvature coefficients from the Mitscherlich relationship between P applied and absolute yield. On marginally acidic, medium-textured soils, burr medic had a higher external shoot requirement for applied P than subterranean clover. Relative differences between the species were affected by season, initial concentration of bicarbonate-extractable P in the soil (0-10 …

Landman Development And Evaluation In The Wallatin Creek Catchment - Final Report, Alan Hawkins

Natural resources published reports

The aim of the project was to evaluate and further develop the Landman farm planning procedure. The Wallatin creek catchment in the Kellerberrin shire of Western Australia was selected. This catchment is typical of a large area of the wheatbelt of Western Australia.

The landman farm planning procedure has a goal of sustainable farming. The outcome of the procedure is farm layout and farm management plans. The procedure however has components of personal development, technology transfer and development of problem solving skills at both individual and group levels. The process steps are; definition of objectives, collection of information, problem or …

Low Pressure Center Pivot And Soil Management Effects On Runoff, L. N. Mielke, J. R. Gilley, Wallace Wilhelm

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

The objective of this research was to determine the influence center-pivot sprinkler irrigation methods in combination with tillage practices for corn (Zea mays L.) have on surface runoff of irrigation and rainfall. A center pivot irrigation machine was redesigned to apply water by high-pressure-impact (HPI), low-pressure-impact (LPI), and low-pressure-spray (LPS) nozzles. The center-pivot was a standard 10-tower machine, 395 meters in length and 38.4 meters tower spacing. Three tillage systems were used -- till-plant (T), disk (D), and subtill (S) which was till-plant with subsoiling between rows with straight single shanks, 360 mm deep, after last cultivation. The soil …

Simulating Winter Wheat Spike Development And Growth, Gregory S. Mcmaster, Jack A. Morgan, Wallace Wilhelm

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

Mechanistic crop simulation models can aid in integrating and directing research, and in improving farm management strategies. Information derived from recent research on spike development and growth of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was incorporated into a submodel, SPIKEGRO, and added to an existing model called SHOOTGRO. This manuscript discusses the SPIKEGRO submodel.

SPIKEGRO emphasizes the reproductive functioning of the shoot apex. The complete developmental sequence of the shoot apex is outlined and quantified. All developmental events and growth stages are predicted, most using the phyllochron approach. Spikelet and floret primordium initiation, growth, and abortion; ovule fertilization and growth; …

Simulating Winter Wheat Shoot Apex Phenology , G. S. Mcmaster, Wallace Wilhelm, J. A. Morgan

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

Simulation models are heuristic tools for integrating diverse processes and help to increase our understanding of complex processes and systems. Models that predict crop development can serve as decision-support tools in crop management. This paper describes a phenology simulation model for the winter wheat shoot apex and reports validation and sensitivity analysis results.

The complete developmental sequence of the winter wheat shoot apex is quantitatively outlined and correlated with commonly recognized phenological growth stages. The phyllochron is used to measure the thermal time between most phenological growth stages, thereby increasing the flexibility over the growing degree-day (GDD) and photothermal approaches. …

Visions For Agriculture, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

This workshop grew out of a conversation between Maurice Barnes, a Trayning farmer and member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Dryland Research Institute, and Steve Porritt, the officer in charge of the Dryland Research Institute at Merredin. Maurice was interested in the idea of posing the question 'What would agriculture be like if we had known as much about this landscape in 1829 as we know now?', to a group of farmers and others interested in the central wheatbelt and its future. Maurice saw this question as a first step toward achieving some shared vision for the future …

Worm Control In Sheep In Western Australia. Crack Down On Worms: An Information Guide For Advisers, Consultants, Livestock Personnel And Farmers, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

In Western Australia’s winter rainfall areas, the control of gastro-intestinal sheep worms is based on the strategic timing of drenches.

Sheep are drenched at a time that reduces the contamination of pastures with worm eggs and larvae in late summer and autumn. The timing of the drenches is particularly important for the control ofbrown stomach worms (Ostertagia species) and black scour worms (Trichostrongylus species)

Drenches given in late spring, when pasture is starting to dry off, and again in summer, successfully reduce pasture contamination in mid summer and autumn. A faecal egg count will determine the need and timing of …

American Ginseng Production In Woodlots, Robert L. Beyfuss

Agroforestry Notes (USDA-NAC)

For the past 3,000 years or more the roots of a perennial plant called ginseng have been an important component of traditional Chinese medicine. The roots of wild American ginseng have been harvested, dried, and exported from the United States and Canada to China, since the mid 1700’s. Today, American ginseng is also a very important part of traditional Chinese medicine. It is used as an “adaptogen” that allows the body to adjust to various types of stress. It is not used as a specific cure or remedy for any particular ailment but as a component of many medicinal herbal …

Proceedings Of The Workshop Social Science Research And The Crsps, C. Milton Coughenour, John M. Yohe, Anne E. Ferguson, Jere L. Gilles, Jo Purcell

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Contents

Executive Summary: A New Agenda for CRSP Social Science Research - C. Milton Coughenour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Session 1

Developing a Strategic Research Agenda David G. Cummins, Chair

Framing a Strategic Research Agenda.-John Yohe ................ 3

Social Sciences and Collaborative Research: Toward an Agenda for the Social Sciences in Agriculture -Jere Lee Gilles ............... 7

Session 2

Technology Development and Sustaining Household Food Security Kathleen DeWalt, Chair

Technology Development and Household Food Security - …

Arkansas Rice Research Studies 1991, B. R. Wells

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The research reports in this publication represent one year of results; therefore, these results should not be used as a basis for longterm recommendations. Several research reports in this publication dealing with soil fertility also appear in Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 1991, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series 421. This duplication is the result of the overlap in research coverage between the two series and our effort to inform Arkansas rice producers of all the research being conducted with funds from the rice check-off.

Post-Shearing Losses Of Sheep Following Cyclonic Rains, M. Holm Glass, R. Jacob

Animal production and livestock published reports

Sudden unpredicted rainfall during summer has caused high mortality rates in newly shorn sheep on at least two previous occasions. These occurred at Darkan, Western Australia, in 1982 (Buckman 1982) and at Kybylolite in the south-east of South Australia in 1960 (Geytenbeek 1982).

Geytenbeek (1982) reported an average mortality of 8.3%, which was highest for sheep within five days of shearing. The mortality declined for animals shorn more than seven days before the rain.

Buckman (1982) reported an average mortality of 27.9% which was highest within 12 days of shearing. The losses related directly to the amount of rain received. …

Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 1991, Wayne E. Sabbe

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Contained within this publication are progress reports on the specific aspects of the soil fertility program at the University of Arkansas in 1991. In most instances, the reports are not final reports, but they may contain data from several years. Further details on each report can be obtained from the respective project leaders.