Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Origin, Rise And Development Of American Upland Cotton And Their Status At Present. Second Edition, Ed. By F.M. Bourland, J. O. Ware

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

American Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is a Dixie product. Although the stocks of the species were brought from elsewhere, new types (through series of adaptational changes) formed this distinctive group—the final characteristics of which are a product of the Cotton Belt of the United States. These biological processes were considerably aided by man and the steps of development possibly were about as follows: (a) natural selection took place in the earlier introductions, (b) seed were saved from the more choice stocks, (c) series of subsequent introductions were obtained from the better sources, (d) these were acclimatized and the superior ones …

Winter-Time Cover Crop Identification: A Remote Sensing-Based Methodological Framework For New And Rapid Data Generation, Zobaer Ahmed, Lawton L. Nalley, Kristofor R. Brye, V. Steven Green, Michael P. Popp, Aaron Michael Shew, Lawson Connor

Environmental Dynamics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accurately identifying and systematically mapping winter-time cover crops and their phenological characteristics offer significant benefits to agricultural producers and policymakers, as cover crops are one of several potential solutions to climate change mitigation. We present a methodological framework for identifying and mapping the presence of winter-time cover crops at the field level and aggregated to county scales from 2013 to 2019 by using the Google Earth Engine (GEE), a random forest classifier with time series data from Landsat 8, and yearly cover crop training data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The methodology was …

Economic Analysis Of Sod-Seeded Summer Annuals For Forage And Grazing, Ivanelle Meyer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Forage and pasture trials were conducted over the summers of 2021 and 2022 to assess how forage production and nutritive value of sorghum sudangrass, cowpea, and sorghum sudangrass-cowpea mixtures, sod-seeded to bermudagrass pasture would impact stocker cattle performance. The forage trials compared forage production and quality when poultry litter was surface or sub-surface applied biennially in comparison to a no poultry litter control. Poultry litter is a nutrient dense fertilizer utilized on pastures in the mid-southern United States to increase forage nutritive value and yield. Broadcasting poultry litter results in more nutrient losses due to runoff and nitrogen volatilization compared …

Effect Of Implementing Best Management Practices (Bmps) On Productivity, Water Quality, Soil Health And Economic Return On Louisiana’S Sugarcane Production System, Krizzia L. Guardado

LSU Master's Theses

The constant soil cultivation alongside adverse weather in Louisiana has declined soil and water quality in sugarcane fields. Therefore, the integration of an effective conservation program must be assessed to sustain crop production. Best management practices (BMPs) promote soil health and improve water quality while achieving optimal crop development and cost-effective production system. A study was conducted at two different locations to document the benefits of BMPs (sweeping residue, variable N rate, and cover cropping) implemented collectively and individually compared to the standard farmer’s practices (FP) on sugarcane productivity, nutrient cycling, soil and water quality, and economic return . At …

Two Essays In Agriculture Trade And Food Security: 1. Decomposing The Impact Of Gmo Regulation On Bilateral Trade: An Application To Corn Trade; 2. Can Food-Security Policies In Tunisia Be Better Targeted?, Mohamed Amine Hedoui

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation is composed of two essays on agricultural trade and food security. The first chapter is entitled “Decomposing the GMO regulation impact on bilateral trade.” The essay analyses the complex impact of GMO regulations among countries on bilateral trade with a focus on GMO approvals. Three effects impact bilateral trade flows between trade partners: productivity enhancements in the source country, sorting cost from bilateral dissimilarity in regulations, and stringency impact on import demand. We estimate the model using a panel dataset of corn trade and two econometric approaches (PPML, Heckman sample-selection). We find that GMO laxity in production of …

Economic And Environmental Performance Of Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems: Resilience To Uncertainties And An Opportunity For Sustainable Intensification, Maroua Afi

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Integrated crop-livestock systems are promoted as an alternative for sustainable intensification of food production. They have the potential to offer enhanced input efficiency and maintain a diversified livelihood which plays an important role in building resilience of agricultural systems. This work aims to evaluate the technical efficiency of “Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems” (ICLS), “Specialized Livestock Systems” (SLS) and “Specialized Cropping Systems” (SCS) and to identify the determinants behind inefficiencies in these systems. It also aims to assess the resilience against climate variability and market fluctuations. The first chapter provides a comparative analysis and an overview of technical efficiency assessment of farming …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2022, Fred Bourland

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The current economic environment continues to drive the need to produce record or near-record yields to be profitable. Price volatility in 2022 added another level of difficulty in the quest for being profitable. The cotton market saw significant movement after reaching a $1.5802 per pound high in May 2022, cotton prices corrected and more than halved in value at the October 2022 low, and then consolidated around the 80 cents per pound level in December 2022 (Cotton is Consolidating). Great uncertainties still exist for the upcoming season, most of which are outside of our control. These include, but are not …

Crop-Livestock Diversification And Efficiency In Agriculture, Jay Parsons, Maroua Afi

Cornhusker Economics

Diversification is a familiar strategy for managing risk in agriculture. It can take several forms including growing more than one crop or operating a farm with both crop and livestock enterprises. As with other strategies for managing risk, diversification comes with a unique set of costs. Managing a farm with multiple enterprises creates additional overhead as well as additional demands on management, labor, land, capital, and other resources. Diversification adds complexity to an operation and too much complexity can lead to inefficiencies.

Protecting Wa Crops Issue 31 - July 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Protecting WA Crops

Protecting WA Crops Issue 31 - July 2023 contents:

• New project to reduce Rhizoctonia impact in low and medium rainfall zones
• Meet Crop Protection team member – Dr Ahmed Saad

Study Of Production And Adaptation Characters Of Some Newly Obtained Genotypes Of Durum Wheat (Triticum Durum Desf.) In Sub-Humid Region (El Harrouch North-Eastern Of Algeria), Lamia Bourouh, Nabila Souilah, Boulacel Mouad, Ghania Chaib, Tahar Hazmoune, Bendif Hamdi

Journal of Bioresource Management

The experiment was carried out at DAOUDI Larbi pilot farm in El Harrouch, during the 2021/2022 crop year, under sub-humid weather conditions. The main objective of this research is based on the study of production and adaptation characters of seven durum wheat newly obtained genotypes (Triticum durum Desf.). The results of descriptive sheets according to UPOV recommendations (2014-2017), showed diversity between the varieties studied, such as: plant height, straw section, awns (presence, disposition, anthocyanin pigmentation, color, and length), ear (density, color, shape, length and glaucescence), lower glume (shape, color, weight and shape of shoulder, length and curvature of beak), …

Economic Analysis Of Western Corn Rootworm Injury To Continuous Corn In Northeast Nebraska, Isadora Vercesi Bethlem

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The most economically significant corn pest in the US Corn Belt is the Western Corn Rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. This study compares a field experiment outcome of 4 different treatments against WCR, which consist of a rootworm Bt corn pyramid (SmartStax®) and non-rootworm Bt trait hybrid (VT2P), with or without the addition of the rootworm soil insecticide (Aztec®) to identify the risk-reward trade-off for each one of them. Observed prices were used for the years in the study (2020, 2021, and 2022), and low and high price scenarios were simulated for the period, to incorporate different dynamic relations …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2021, Leah English, Jennie Popp

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the sixteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and labor …

Protecting Wa Crops Issue 30 - May 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Protecting WA Crops

Protecting WA Crops Issue 30 - May 2023 contents:

• GRDC Perth Research Updates – Pathology – Part 2
• Impact of fungicide product, rotation and timing on Net form net blotch in Planet barley in southern WA
• Economical management of Spot form net blotch in low rainfall environments
• Meet crop protection team member – Jason Bradley

Irrigation-As-A-Service For Smallholder Farmers, Ishani Lal

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Irrigation is a crucial management practice that can help increase food security among smallholders globally while mitigating climate change impacts. High-efficiency irrigation technologies such as drip kits and sprinkler systems are relatively expensive and smallholder farmers cannot afford them to buffer crop yields against low precipitation. In many developing countries, farmers participate in robust informal markets for renting and sharing of irrigation equipment. Such services may be operated by farmers or via a third party such as irrigation start-ups, water user associations, non-governmental organizations, or even government agencies. These services are referred to collectively as Irrigation-as-a-Service (IaaS).

The objective of …

Corn Grain Marketing Strategy Unbiasing For 2023, Matthew Stockton, Shannon Sand

Cornhusker Economics

Discusses cognitive biasing errors that may be employed--in the context of corn market strategizing--such as the Dunning-Krueger effect, availability or distancing bias, gambler's fallacy, and anchoring bias.

Deficit Irrigation Management For Irrigated Corn In Nebraska: Economically Viable?, Lia Nogueira, Cory Walters, Emily O'Donnell, E. Wesley F. Peterson, Suat Irmak

Cornhusker Economics

In this study we determine the economic value of deficit irrigation management using both technological and methodological advancements. The use of soil moisture probes represents the technological improvement. We provide improvements in the methodology as follows. Regarding data, we employ a field-size study, instead of plots, where the irrigation decision is determined by the moisture level in the soil measured through a soil moisture probe. Regarding the understanding of the yield response to water, although we examine the commonly used quadratic function, we improve upon this specification by also examining an alternative response function, the linear response stochastic plateau. Our …

Carbon Farming: A Preliminary Economic Analysis Of Carbon Credits For No-Till And Cover Crops, Drew Havens, Richard K. Perrin, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Cornhusker Economics

Summary Based on experimental data about the amount of carbon sequestered and estimated implementation costs, our preliminary results show that the average cost of sequestering carbon via no-till (about $22 per ton of CO₂e) appears to be much lower than the $51 per ton social value of sequestering that ton. In contrast, our preliminary results show that the average costs of sequestration via adoption of cover crops is much higher, about $60 per ton. Depending on how accurate soil carbon models are in predicting sequestration on individual fields to qualify them for enrollment, reimbursement costs for planting cover …

2023 Nebraska Crop Production Budgets Higher Costs And Risks, Glennis Mcmclure

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska crop budgets are available for the 2023 production season. The 84 budgets indicate cost of production increases. Estimated average economic or total costs per bushel for 2023 corn production are expected to be at least 23% to 25% greater than last year. Soybeans are estimated to be 13% to 19% more in economic costs per bushel, with wheat production costs having jumped over 20% compared to last year and running as high as 63% higher over the last two years combined. Cost scenarios for individual producers can vary based on their timing of input purchases and price variabilities.

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2022, Nathan A. Slaton, Mike Daniels

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Hedging Your Average Crop Price Using Seasonals, Cory Walters, Richard K. Preston

Cornhusker Economics

In this article, we connect what the industry says and what producers say to improve the disconnect and the decision-making environment associated with hedging. We accomplish this by inspecting the distribution of producer prices with and without hedging in the fall as the distribution contains both yearly outcomes (producer concern) as well as the average outcome (another point of view). Computer models are used to lift the mystery surrounding the role of hedging. Computer models help understand complex processes, allowing for a better decision environment, leading to improved financial standing and stability. Our model reproduces the risk profile that individual …

Role Of Social Network On Technology Adoption: Application To Nebraska Producers In The Face Of Undesirable Vegetation Transitions, Sabrina Gulab, Holly K. Nesbitt, Simanti Banerjee, Theresa Floyd, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Conclusion

Producers need to have access to information regarding new conservation practices and technologies to ensure land management in the face of ecological threats in general and vegetation transitions (VTs) in the context of our study. This study investigates the role of an individual producer's social network on the willingness to seek information about technologies and management practices and the likelihood of new technology adoption with special attention to risk attitudes and producer spillover effects. Our results provide evidence that network composition and information obtained through a producer's social network don't influence an individual's willingness to seek information about new …

Letter From The Dean, Jean-Francois Meullenet

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 24 2023, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Time-Restricted Feeding And Whey Protein Isolate Supplementation On Dietary Intake, Mood, And Sleep In A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial, Sydney E. Boudrey, Aubree L. Hawley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Obesity affects adults in the United States, leading to chronic diseases and reduced well-being. Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF) is a type of dietary intervention lacking current data regarding the effectiveness on facets of well-being. This study’s objective was to determine the effect of time-restricted feeding supplemented with whey protein isolate on food intake, sleep, and mood in overweight or obese adults. Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to the control or experimental group: 1) control, TRF, and 2) experimental, TRF with whey protein supplementation. Participants followed the assigned dietary intervention for 12 weeks. Every 4 weeks (baseline, week 4, week 8, and …

Rice Biomass Response To Various Phosphorus Fertilizers In A Phosphorus-Deficient Soil Under Simulated Furrow-Irrigation, Jonathan B. Brye, Kristofor R. Brye, Diego Della Lunga

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Wastewater-recovered phosphorus (P), in the form of the mineral struvite (MgNH4PO4∙6H2O), may provide a sustainable alternative to decreasing rock-phosphate reserves. Struvite can be generated via precipitation methods, potentially reducing the amount of P runoff to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this greenhouse tub study was to evaluate the effects of chemically and electrochemically precipitated struvite (CPST and ECST, respectively) on aboveground plant response in a hybrid rice cultivar grown using furrow-irrigation compared to other common fertilizer-P sources [i.e., triple super phosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)] using three replications of fertilizer treatment in a P-deficient silt loam (Typic Glossaqualfs). Aboveground …

Fostering Infant And Toddler Music Competence At The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center, Ellen Mathews, Laura Herold, Shelley Mcnally, Donia Timby

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This paper presents a creative research project that introduced musical instruments in an outdoor setting to infants and toddlers ages 0-to-3 years old. It was grounded in research suggesting that music plays a vital component in expanding development in the early childhood years, helping to promote learning across many domains. This project began with a survey distributed to 7 infant and toddler classroom educators, after which responses were analyzed for themes regarding perceived infant interests. Subsequent observations were conducted to evaluate the best fit for the implementation of an outdoor experiential music space. Based on the findings, a developmentally appropriate …

Effects Of Cyclic Heat Stress On The Acute Inflammatory Response In Broilers, Alessandro J. Rocchi, Chrysta N. Beck, Jossie M. Santamaria, Gisela F. Erf

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Heat stress (HS) is a growing concern in broiler production. Little is known regarding the effect of HS on immune function. To examine the effects of HS on innate immunity, the local- and systemic-inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were examined in Cobb 500 male broiler chicks reared under thermoneutral (TN) or cyclic HS conditions. Beginning at four days of age, HS birds were subjected to 35 °C from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and TN temperatures from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. At 37 days of age, four groups of broilers were formed: LPS-TN (8 broilers), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-TN (4 …