Agricultural Science Commons^™

Organic Maize And Bean Farming Enhances Free-Living Nematode Dynamics In Sub-Saharan Africa, Janet G. Atandi, Noah Adamtey, Agnes W. Kiriga, Edward N. Karanja, Martha W. Musyoka, Felix M. Matheri, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Danny L. Coyne, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, David Bautze, Solveig Haukeland

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Despite their important ecological roles for soil health and soil fertility, free-living nematodes (FLN) have received relatively limited research attention. The present study evaluated the community structure and diversity of FLN in a field setting. The experiments were conducted in on-farm and on-station field plots sown to maize (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) under four cropping practices. These farming systems included organic (compost and biopesticide use), conventional (synthetic fertilizer and pesticide applications), farmer practice (organic and synthetic amendments) and a control (non-amended plots). Nineteen genera of free living nematodes, belonging to bacterivores, fungivores, omnivores and predators were recorded. Among …

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

Management Strategies And Distribution Of Aphanomyces Root Rot Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa), A Continuing Threat To Forage Production In The United States, Jennifer M. Giles, Conner L. Tordsen, Travis R. Rebstock, Bruna Bucciarelli, Deborah A. Samac, Andrew E. Sathoff

Research & Publications

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of several legumes that is affected by Aphanomyces root rot (ARR) caused by Aphanomyces euteiches. Symptoms of ARR on alfalfa seedlings include a yellow-grey discolouration of roots, rotting and loss of lateral roots, stunted growth, chlorotic foliage and reduction of nitrogen-producing nodules on roots. Infection can also occur on adult plants leading to loss of lateral roots and nodules. At the seedling stage, ARR decreases alfalfa stand establishment, and field longevity is reduced when adult plants are infected. A. euteiches is an oomycete pathogen that has motile zoospores and thick-walled oospores that …

Extreme Development Of Dragon Fruit Agriculture With Nighttime Lighting In Southern Vietnam, Shenyue Jia, Son V. Nghiem, Seung-Hee Kim, Laura Krauser, Andrea E. Gaughan, Forest R. Stevens, Menas Kafatos, Khanh D. Ngo

Institute for ECHO Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Dragon fruit is widely grown in Southeast Asia and other tropical or subtropical regions. As a high-value cash crop ideal for exportation, dragon fruit cultivation has boomed during the past decade in southern Vietnam. Light supplementing during the winter months using artificial lighting sources is a widely adopted cultivation technique to boost productivity in the major dragon fruit planting regions of Vietnam. The application of electric lighting at night leads to a significant increase of nighttime light (NTL) observable by satellite sensors. The strong seasonality signal of NTL in dragon fruit cultivation enables identifying dragon fruit plantations using NTL images. …

Seabem: An Artificial Intelligence Powered Web Application To Predict Cover Crop Biomass, Aime Christian Tuyishime, Andrea Basche

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

SEABEM, the Stacked Ensemble Algorithms Biomass Estimator Model, is a web application with a stacked ensemble of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms running on the backend to predict cover crop biomass for locations in Sub-Saharan. The SEABEM model was developed using a previously developed database of crop growth and yield that included site characteristics such as latitude, longitude, soil texture (sand, silt, and clay percentages), temperature, and precipitation. The goal of SEABEM is to provide global farmers, mainly small-scale African farmers, the knowledge they need before practicing and benefiting from cover crops while avoiding the expensive and time-consuming operations that come …

A Global Soil Spectral Calibration Library And Estimation Service, Keith D. Sheperd, Rich Ferguson, David Hoover, Fenny Van Egmond, Jonathan Sanderman, Yufeng Ge

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is growing global interest in the potential for soil reflectance spectroscopy to fill an urgent need for more data on soil properties for improved decision-making on soil security at local to global scales. This is driven by the capability of soil spectroscopy to estimate a wide range of soil properties from a rapid, inexpensive, and highly reproducible measurement using only light. However, several obstacles are preventing wider adoption of soil spectroscopy. The biggest obstacles are the large variation in the soil analytical methods and operating procedures used in different laboratories, poor reproducibility of analyses within and amongst laboratories and …

Southeast Asia Must Narrow Down The Yield Gap To Continue To Be A Major Rice Bowl, Shen Yuan, Alexander M. Stuart, Alice G. Laborte, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Achim Dobermann, Le Vu Ngoc Kien, Lưu Thị Thúy, Kritkamol Paothong, Prachya Traesang, Khin Myo Tint, Su Su San, Marcelino Q. Villafuerte Ii, Emma D. Quicho, Anny Ruth P. Pame, Rathmuny Then, Rica Joy Flor, Neak Thon, Fahmuddin Agus, Nurwulan Agustiani, Nanyan Deng, Tao Li, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Southeast Asia is a major rice-producing region with a high level of internal consumption and accounting for 40% of global rice exports. Limited land resources, climate change and yield stagnation during recent years have once again raised concerns about the capacity of the region to remain as a large net exporter. Here we use a modelling approach to map rice yield gaps and assess production potential and net exports by 2040. We find that the average yield gap represents 48% of the yield potential estimate for the region, but there are substantial differences among countries. Exploitable yield gaps are relatively …

Editorial: Genomics-Enabled Triticeae Improvement, Xue-Feng Ma, Xianchun Xia, Shuyu Liu, P. Stephen Baenziger, Hakan Özkan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Building Sustainable Rangeland Management Systems Through A One System Innovative Approach, Benedict C. Irwin, T. A. Ameha, M. Mangano, B. W. Solomon, T. Wood

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Working through a collaborative working partnership between the USAID Feed the Future Resilience in Pastoralist Areas (RiPA)1 program and Land Governance Activity (LGA)2 and selected technical partners, these new rangeland programs aim to build on significant breakthrough successes in rangeland management from their previous lowland programs3. These new lowlands pastoralist development programs have been purposely positioned by USAID to coordinate, collaborate and combine working activities focused on the continued improvement and strengthening of rangeland management systems in the lowlands of Ethiopia. In light of this positioning, it is proposed that the programs work together to build a comprehensive sustainable rangeland …

Sustainable Development And The Transformation Of Female Rural Labor: The Case Of Woman Cattle Ranchers In Uruguay, Virginia Courdin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Internationally, rural women are considered key to sustainable development. However, in the Uruguayan livestock sector, women’s work is largely unrecognized by public policy makers, causing younger women to migrate, and resulting in the "masculinization" of livestock husbandry. In Uruguay, extensive livestock production (range livestock) analysis has historically ignored the genuinely productive role that women play in rangelands, limiting the visibility of their action to reproductive activities while ignoring their importance in terms of income generation, herd management, networking, strategic planning, etc. Although family production integrates women, their work is often invisible, subsumed within domestic chores or seen as "helping" the …

Ruminant Livestock Production Systems And Imperatives For Sustainable Development, J. W. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Biodiversity Conservation And Sustainable Livelihoods In Rangelands: Trends, Challenges And Opportunities, J. Waithaka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands cover about 54% of the earth’s surface and are essential for agricultural and livestock production, environmental protection and the in-situ conservation of genetic resources. Despite providing services that support life on earth, rangelands have been neglected to a large extent when compared to other types of ecosystems. This paper provides an overview of the importance of rangelands in conserving biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people globally. Rangelands have lost ecological integrity due to unsustainable anthropogenic land-use changes and impacts. It is estimated that over 80% of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are either not adequately protected or …

Feasibility Of Organic Certification Of Sheep And Goats Produced In Pastoral Systems In Northern Kenya, F. Von Steimker, H. T. Wario, B. Kaufmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In pastoral systems of Kenya, sale of small ruminants is the main regular income source for most households. Although the meat of small ruminants produced in Marsabit county is preferred in the domestic market, no mechanisms are in place that allow for a respective price differentiation. Establishing value chains for labelled sheep and goat meat would be an option to allow pastoralists to profit from their high process and product quality. The aim of the current study is to assess the requirements and feasibility to establish a value chain for labelled products (e.g. origin labelled, organic certified) together with the …

Uses Of Native Plant Species Of A Communal Rangeland Within ‘Sierra De Huautla’ Protected Area, México, E. Cortés-Díaz, T. González-Bonilla, L. López-Aguilar, Pedro A. Martínez-Hernández, A. Hernández-Tapia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sustainability of communal rangelands has become a major concern at national and international levels because land use conflicts and associated social conflicts allows for over-utilization of selected species making a high pressure on them and given away their places to species with no use at all becoming lands degraded and unproductive. The objective of the study was to determine floristic composition and native plant uses by local peasants. The range surface is of 4262 ha, belongs to the communal land ‘El Limon’, in Tepalcingo, Morelos, Mexico, and it is within the Natural Reserve Area “Sierra de Huautla”. Native vegetation is …

Beta Macrophyta Diversity Analysis In The Temporary Pond Habitats Of Vettangudi Birds Sanctuary, Kannan Dorai Pandian, Mahesh Mony

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Three temporary ponds of Vettangudi birds sanctuary situate in very close proximity, located in Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu state of India. However similar eco-climatic conditions prevailing at these pond habitat, those ponds experience the varying nature of biotic interactions. Since the habitat conditions and their land-use pattern have the major role on the vegetation diversity. Temporary ponds of Vettangudi Birds Sanctuary has the characteristic alternate drying and inundation at varying levels and this environmental condition in addition to the biotic influence over the habitat ecology and its vegetation diversity. Understanding this specific relationship is pivotal in the development of management …

Sustainable Intensification In Crop-Livestock Systems, P. Rovira, Paulo C. De F. Carvalho, J. Terra, F. Lattanzi, R. Pizzio, W. Ayala

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Extensive livestock production is the main animal source food system in the Pampas and Campos sub-regions in South America. Beef cattle and sheep convert forage biomass that humans cannot eat into nutrient-dense human-edible foods (meat and milk) and valuable co-products (wool). However, diverse global pressures are acting on Pampas systems including increasing demand for protein sources (food security), climate change, environmental footprint, and competition for land. The integration of small areas of pasture-crop rotations is an alternative for increasing efficiency and sustainable intensification of agroecosystems based on natural grasslands. Rotations led by improved pastures increase the carrying capacity and productivity …

Nutritional Sensitivity Per Morphological Component In Urochloa Hybrid Under Tropical Environments, Bernal-Flores Alvaro, E. A. Pizarro, Adrián R. Quero-Carrillo, Paulino Pérez-Rodríguez, Ramon Rodolfo Ruíz, Thiago Da Cruz Madeira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Camello^® (GP 3025) is a tolerant to drought Urochloa hybrid grass showing good forage production, early flowering with high regrowth rates. The objective was to define nutrient concentration changes by morphological component and, their differences for two tropical contrasting environments. Nutrient concentrations differences (P≤0.05) were observed among morphological components over time. In environments (Aw₁) the morphological components showed higher average protein content in comparison to that from hostile conditions (Aw₀); lamina (12.2% vs 10.4%), pseudostem (9.5% vs 6.6%) and sheath (9.8% vs 6.8%). Hostile environments (Aw0) promoted increases for FAD (47.9%, 46.9%, pseudostem …

The Comparative Effects Of Short Duration, High Density And Conventional, Rotational Grazing On Different Soil, Vegetation And Animal Parameters In Dry And Mesic Grasslands Of South Africa, Jamie Paulse, Paul Malan, Nico Smit

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Short duration, high density grazing is a grazing management strategy that incorporates the rotation of large livestock herds, often at double or triple the normal prescribed stocking densities of the specific area. It is claimed that this type of grazing management can improve rangeland health by improving soil and vegetation condition, and subsequently influencing animal performance. Regardless of the scarcity of scientific evidence validating these claims, the change from conventional rotational grazing systems to short duration, high density grazing systems is on the increase in South Africa. This study aims to assess these claims, through the quantification of various rangeland …

Sustainable Management Of Rangelands: An Assessment Of Invasion Cover Trajectories And Their Contribution To Invasion Management In Marigat Sub-County, Kenya, Beatrice Adoyo, Albrecht Ehrensperger, Mikalitsa S. Mukhovi, Boniface Kiteme, Purity Mbaabu Rima, Sandra Eckert, Simon Choge, Urs Schaffner

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Invasive alien species have complex spatiotemporal patterns of spread beyond geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. This calls for a coordinated management approach that is spatially explicit, extends beyond individual plot levels, and incorporates land users’ perceptions and decisions. This study, therefore, aims at assessing spatiotemporal invasion trajectories of the invasive tree Prosopis juliflora in Baringo County, Kenya, and evaluating their possible relation to land users’ management decisions. Pre-classified land cover data over a seven-year time period (1988–2016) were reclassified based on the presence or absence of P. juliflora and integrated into ArcGIS to produce P. juliflora cover trajectories for analysis. The …

Enhancing Grassland Biodiversity And Its Consequences For Grassland Management And Utilisation, Johannes Isselstein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grasslands make an important contribution to the biodiversity of rural landscapes.

2. Biodiversity has the potential to support the production function of grassland. The conditions for this are largely unexplored.

3. The enhancement of biodiversity on agriculturally improved, species-poor grasslands is difficult to achieve due to seed limitation and high residual soil fertility.

4. Measures to overcome constraints are addition of propagules, depletion of soil nutrients, and the use of specific sward treatments.

5. Agri-environmental schemes will play an increasing role in achieving the biodiversity targets in the future, however, the efficiency of such schemes needs improvement.

Plants Used By Nyamwezi Traditional Health Practitioners To Remedy Sexually Transmitted Infections In Sikonge, Tanzania, David S. Kacholi, Halima Amir

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study aims to document medicinal plants used by Nyamwezi traditional health practitioners (NTHPs) in managing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Sikonge District. The data on medicinal plants were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 23 NTHPs were interviewed. The findings revealed that 28 medicinal plants, belonging to 16 families and 25 genera, are used for the management of STIs in Sikonge. Most species belonged to family Fabaceae (17.9%), Apocynaceae, Combretaceae and Euphorbiaceae (10.7% each), and Olacaceae and Rutaceae (7.1% each). Out of the recorded plants, 45.7% are used to manage gonorrhoea, 25.7% syphilis, 17.1% vaginal candidiasis, 8.6% …

Understanding Common Perceptions Of The Drylands, C. Bedelian, D. Pertaub, F. Ngarachu, C. Hesse, S. Krätli, J. Obando, C. Shisanya, J. Maraigua

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Drylands occupy over 40% of the earth’s surface and are home to more than 2 billion people. Drylands are key to the food and nutritional security of the planet and vital to the economies and livelihoods of dryland inhabitants. Yet, drylands are commonly perceived as unproductive, economically inefficient and marginal lands where small-scale farmers and pastoralists practice environmentally degrading activities. Driven by inadequate understanding and misconceptions of the drylands, policy-makers devise inappropriate policies and interventions. The BRECcIA project developed an online Drylands Perceptions Survey to understand the perceptions of researchers, practitioners and policy makers working in the drylands of Kenya, …

Relationships Between Biodiversity And Production In Grasslands At Local And Regional Scales, A. Hector, M. Loreau

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Experimental manipulations of plant species diversity in unfertilised prairies and meadows has revealed that increasing diversity often leads to increased productivity (range of observed relationships varies from flat to log-linearly positive); driven by a combination of facilitation, niche-partitioning and sampling/selection effects.

2. The longer-term effects of diversity on ecosystem stability are not as clear and in need of further work.

3. Recent applied work, and a new review of the grassland literature, both show the potential for biodiversity to increase productivity under realistic field conditions.

4. The longer-term feedback of grazers on biodiversity gradients is unknown, and …

Methane And Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Grazed Grasslands, Harry Clark, C. Pinares-Patiño, C. De Klein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from grasslands make a substantial contribution to total agricultural emissions of these two gases.

2. At present practical mitigation options that relate to grazing ruminants and grazed pastures are limited.

3. Research into agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is of low priority in most developed countries.

4. Direct manipulation of the rumen ecosystem provides the best opportunity for large reductions in CH₄ in the long term.

5. Reducing the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted by grazing animals is a priority in N₂O research, …

Phenotypic Evaluation Of Energycane Varieties For Bioenergy, Wyatt Eason, D. M. Hollowell, Anna Hale, Jesse Ira Morrison, Brian Baldwin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The need for renewable and carbon-neutral energy is growing as fossil fuel supplies decrease and concerns of climate change increase. C₄ grasses are among the most efficient carbon accumulators. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is a renewable bioenergy crop with low inputs and high yields, but it is limited to tropical and sub-tropical climates. A close relative, Saccharum spontaneum, readily hybridizes with S. officinarum. S. spontaneum lends cold tolerance and higher yields to the hybrid progeny, called energycane. The Sugarcane Breeding Unit (USDA, Houma, Louisiana, USA) selected twenty-six genotypes for testing at Mississippi State University to determine production …

Grazing Land Contributions To Carbon Sequestration, Ronald F. Follett, G. E. Schuman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grazing management can be used to increase soil organic carbon sequestration.

2. Grazing land soils contain large amounts of carbon with depth, and can store it for centuries.

3. Policies to encourage terrestrial carbon sequestration through conservation and good management of grazing lands are critical for many countries and the world.

Global Atmospheric Change And Its Effect On Managed Grassland Systems, Andreas Lüscher, J. Fuhrer, P. C. D. Newton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and a trend to warmer mean temperatures are the most reliable aspects of global atmospheric change. Projections of the extent of climate change and the frequency of extreme weather conditions remain uncertain.

2. Research has considerably reduced the uncertainty about effects of global atmospheric change on physiology of plants, productivity and species composition of plant communities.

3. Other factors (e.g. nutrient availability, soil type) and long-term adaptation of the ecosystem (e.g. nutrient cycling and sequestration) influence the response of plant communities to global atmospheric change. Generalisation is not possible with respect to the …

Grassland Productivity And Water Quality: A 21St Century Issue, David M. Nash, P. M. Haygarth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Irrigation and other changes to the hydrological cycle can increase soil and water salinity.

2. Primary salinisation is a natural process that affects much of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia. Secondary salinisation is caused by human activities such as irrigation and land clearing that mobilise salt stored in the soil.

3. The critical water contaminants exported from grasslands are nitrogen, phosphorus, potential pathogens and sediment.

4. The mechanisms responsible for diffuse pollution from grasslands and mitigation strategies are most effectively investigated using a ‘source-mobilisation-transport’ framework.

5. There is a lack of coherent interaction across discipline …

Soil Quality Assessment And Management, M. G. Kibblewhite

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Soil quality is related to the capacity of soil to deliver ecosystem services on a sustainable basis.

2. Effective management of soil within grasslands can deliver many benefits to mankind but poor management may cause loss of soil quality from erosion, loss of organic matter, physical deterioration etc.

3. Services are delivered from soil by biological processes. Soil quality depends on the form and condition of the soil habitat. Fixed factors (e.g. texture) are useful for assigning soil to types. Variable factors (e.g. organic carbon) can then be used to assess quality within soil types, by reference …