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Articles 10051 - 10080 of 11786

Full-Text Articles in Agronomy and Crop Sciences

Winter Wheat Residue Impact On Soil Water Storage And Subsequent Corn Yield, Luana Machado Simão, Amanda Easterly, Greg Kruger, Cody Creech Jan 2020

Winter Wheat Residue Impact On Soil Water Storage And Subsequent Corn Yield, Luana Machado Simão, Amanda Easterly, Greg Kruger, Cody Creech

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Standing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residue can capture snow, reduce soil erosion and water evaporation, and increase crop yields in semi-arid environments. Solid-stemmed winter wheat (SSWW) varieties may remain standing longer in the field; however, SSWW consistently yields less than conventional hollow-stemmed winter wheat (HSWW). This research investigates if the negative economic impact of yield loss of SSWW may be overcome by increasing the subsequent corn (Zea mays L.) yield due to increased snow capture and soil moisture. The experiment covered two cycles of a wheat–corn–fallow rotation in two separate fields between 2016 and 2019 near Sidney, NE. …


Improvement Of Smallholder Farming Systems In Africa, Charles S. Wortmann, Tilahun Amede, Mateete Bekunda, Keziah Ndung’U-Magiroi, Patricia Masikati, Sieglinde S. Snapp, Zachary P. Stewart, Mark Westgate, Zacarie Zida, Charles E. Kome Jan 2020

Improvement Of Smallholder Farming Systems In Africa, Charles S. Wortmann, Tilahun Amede, Mateete Bekunda, Keziah Ndung’U-Magiroi, Patricia Masikati, Sieglinde S. Snapp, Zachary P. Stewart, Mark Westgate, Zacarie Zida, Charles E. Kome

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This forum paper provides a synthesis and discussion of 14 categories of lessons learned from experiences for achieving farm-level impact with smallholder farm- ers in Africa. These lessons were reported in a symposium hosted by the Agron- omy in Africa community of the American Society of Agronomy. The lessons, listed in order of frequency of reporting, were the need to: have adequate infras- tructure and services; enable spontaneous adoption; have multi-disciplinary and institutional collaboration; build on previous adoption of good agronomic practices (GAP); have farmer participation in research; encourage and learn from smallholder adaptations; make GAP promotion demand-driven; allow GAP …


Soil Aggregation As Affected By Application Of Diverse Organic Materials, Maman Garba, Charles S. Wortmann, Humberto Blanco-Canqui Jan 2020

Soil Aggregation As Affected By Application Of Diverse Organic Materials, Maman Garba, Charles S. Wortmann, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Application of organic materials can amend soil for improved water infiltration and reduced erodibility with effects varying with soil properties and the organic amendment type and rate. The effects of four livestock manures, three municipal biosolids, and one industrial by-product on dry and wet soil aggregate stability were evaluated at six sites in Nebraska. The amendments had similar C/N ratios but the biosolids had relatively high concentrations of lignin and cellulose. Soil organic matter (SOM) ranged from 21 to 65 g kg−1 and soils were silty clay loam, silt loam, or loamy sand. Soil was sampled for the 0- to …


Strategic Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum) Production Within Row Cropping Systems: Regional-Scale Assessment Of Soil Erosion Loss And Water Runoff Impacts, Enheng Wang, R. M. Cruse, Bharat Sharma-Acharya, Daryl E. Herzmann, Brian K. Gelder, David E. James, Dennis C. Flanagan, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Robert B. Mitchell, David Laird Jan 2020

Strategic Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum) Production Within Row Cropping Systems: Regional-Scale Assessment Of Soil Erosion Loss And Water Runoff Impacts, Enheng Wang, R. M. Cruse, Bharat Sharma-Acharya, Daryl E. Herzmann, Brian K. Gelder, David E. James, Dennis C. Flanagan, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Robert B. Mitchell, David Laird

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A strong need exists for tools to assess the efficacy of conservation practices across large regions supporting informed policy decisions that may lead to better soil and water conservation while optimizing agricultural production options. Perennial warm-season grasses (WSGs) such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), can be grown on marginally productive and/or environmentally sensitive lands to meet growing bioenergy demands while reducing water runoff and soil erosion compared to current row crop systems. Quantifying the soil and water conservation effects of WSG when strategically placed on the landscape would help support decisions favoring both economic and environmental benefits. We used the Daily …


Soybean Nodule-Associated Non-Rhizobial Bacteria Inhibit Plant Pathogens And Induce Growth Promotion In Tomato, Serkan Tokgöz, Dilip K. Lakshman, Mahmoud H. Ghozlan, Hasan Pinar, Daniel P. Roberts, Amitava Mitra Jan 2020

Soybean Nodule-Associated Non-Rhizobial Bacteria Inhibit Plant Pathogens And Induce Growth Promotion In Tomato, Serkan Tokgöz, Dilip K. Lakshman, Mahmoud H. Ghozlan, Hasan Pinar, Daniel P. Roberts, Amitava Mitra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The root nodules are a unique environment formed on legume roots through a highly specific symbiotic relationship between leguminous plants and nodule-inducing bacteria. Previously, Rhizobia were presumed to be the only group of bacteria residing within nodules. However, recent studies discovered diverse groups of bacteria within the legume nodules. In this report soybean nodule-associated bacteria were studied in an effort to identify beneficial bacteria for plant disease control and growth promotion. Analysis of surface-sterilized single nodules showed bacterial diversity of the nodule microbiome. Five hundred non-rhizobial colonies from 10 nodules, 50 colonies per nodule, were tested individually against the tomato …


Foliar Micronutrient Application For High-Yield Maize, Zachary P. Stewart, Ellen T. Paparozzi, Charles S. Wortmann, Prakash Kumar Jha, Charles A. Shapiro Jan 2020

Foliar Micronutrient Application For High-Yield Maize, Zachary P. Stewart, Ellen T. Paparozzi, Charles S. Wortmann, Prakash Kumar Jha, Charles A. Shapiro

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nebraska soils are generally micronutrient sufficient. However, critical levels for current yields have not been validated. From 2013 to 2015, 26 on-farm paired comparison strip-trials were conducted across Nebraska to test the effect of foliar-applied micronutrients on maize (Zea mays L.) yield and foliar nutrient concentrations. Treatments were applied from V6 to V14 at sites with 10.9 to 16.4 Mg ha−1 yield. Soils ranged from silty clays to fine sands. Soil micronutrient availability and tissue concentrations were all above critical levels for deficiency. Significant grain yield increases were few. Micronutrient concentrations for leaf growth that occurred after foliar applications were …


Estimating Economic Minimums Of Mowing, Fertilizing, And Irrigating Turfgrass, Douglas J. Soldat, James T. Brosnan, Ambika Chandra, Roch E. Gaussoin, Alec Kowalewski, Bernd Leinauer, Frank S. Rossi, John C. Stier, J. Bryan Unruh Jan 2020

Estimating Economic Minimums Of Mowing, Fertilizing, And Irrigating Turfgrass, Douglas J. Soldat, James T. Brosnan, Ambika Chandra, Roch E. Gaussoin, Alec Kowalewski, Bernd Leinauer, Frank S. Rossi, John C. Stier, J. Bryan Unruh

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The public health crisis and economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced turfgrass industry professionals to re-evaluate standard practices. Minimum costs required to fertilize, irrigate, and mow turfgrasses can be roughly estimated using climate data, turfgrass physiology information, and resource costs. Although the actual minimum costs vary situationally and regionally, mowing golf putting greens optimally requires about US$34 per acre per month, whereas other turfgrass areas cost less than US$11 per acre per growing month. Fertilizer applications to turfgrass cost US$22 or less per acre per growing month. Irrigation costs (water and electricity for pumping) vary widely, with …


Continuous Cropping Alters Multiple Biotic And Abiotic Indicators Of Soil Health, Pervaiz Ahmad, Javed Iqbal, Qingming Zhang, Dima Chen, Hui Wei, Muhammad Saleem Jan 2020

Continuous Cropping Alters Multiple Biotic And Abiotic Indicators Of Soil Health, Pervaiz Ahmad, Javed Iqbal, Qingming Zhang, Dima Chen, Hui Wei, Muhammad Saleem

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The continuous cropping (CC) of major agricultural, horticultural, and industrial crops is an established practice worldwide, though it has significant soil health-related concerns. However, a combined review of the effects of CC on soil health indicators, in particular omics ones, remains missing. The CC may negatively impact multiple biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health, fertility, and crop yield. It could potentially alter the soil biotic indicators, which include but are not limited to the composition, abundance, diversity, and functioning of soil micro- and macro-organisms, microbial networks, enzyme activities, and soil food web interactions. Moreover, it could also alter various …


Use Of Family Structure Information In Interaction With Environments For Leveraging Genomic Prediction Models, Reyna Persa, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Diego Jarquin Jan 2020

Use Of Family Structure Information In Interaction With Environments For Leveraging Genomic Prediction Models, Reyna Persa, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Diego Jarquin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The characterization of genomes with great detail offered by the modern genotyping platforms have opened a venue for accurately predicting the genotype-by-environment interaction (GE) effects of untested genotypes in different environmental conditions. Already developed statistical models have shown the advantages of including the GE interaction component in the prediction context using molecular markers, pedigree, or both. In order to leverage the family information of highly structured populations when pedigree data is not available, we developed a model that uses the family membership instead. The proposed model extends the reaction norm model by including the interaction between families and environments (FE). …


Coal Char Affects Soil Ph To Reduce Ammonia Volatilization From Sandy Loam Soil, Dinesh Panday, Maysoon M. Mikha, Bijesh Maharjan Jan 2020

Coal Char Affects Soil Ph To Reduce Ammonia Volatilization From Sandy Loam Soil, Dinesh Panday, Maysoon M. Mikha, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization loss adversely affects N availability in soil-plant systems, reduces crop yield, and negatively impacts environment. Char (coal combus- tion residue), which contains up to 293 g kg−1 total C by weight, has been shown to reduce NH3 volatilization due to its considerably high surface area and cation exchange capacity. The NH3 loss can be greatly affected by a shift in soil pH or urea hydrolysis. A 21-d laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effects of char on soil pH, N transformations, and subsequent NH3 volatilization in sandy loam soil. Two char rates (0 and 13.4 Mg …


Isoseq Transcriptome Assembly Of C3 Panicoid Grasses Provides Tools To Study Evolutionary Change In The Panicoideae, Daniel S. Carvalho, Aime Nishimwe, James Schnable Jan 2020

Isoseq Transcriptome Assembly Of C3 Panicoid Grasses Provides Tools To Study Evolutionary Change In The Panicoideae, Daniel S. Carvalho, Aime Nishimwe, James Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The number of plant species with genomic and transcriptomic data has been increasing rapidly. The grasses—Poaceae—have been well represented among species with published reference genomes. However, as a result the genomes of wild grasses are less frequently targeted by sequencing efforts. Sequence data from wild relatives of crop species in the grasses can aid the study of domestication, gene discovery for breeding and crop improvement, and improve our understanding of the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. Here, we used long-read sequencing technology to characterize the transcriptomes of three C3 panicoid grass species: Dichanthelium oligosanthes, Chasmanthium laxum, and …


The Lateral Root Density Gene Regulates Root Growth During Water Stress In Wheat, Dante F. Placido, Jaspreet Sandhu, Shirley Sato, Natalya Nersesian, Truyen Quach, Thomas Clemente, Paul Staswick, Harkamal Walia Jan 2020

The Lateral Root Density Gene Regulates Root Growth During Water Stress In Wheat, Dante F. Placido, Jaspreet Sandhu, Shirley Sato, Natalya Nersesian, Truyen Quach, Thomas Clemente, Paul Staswick, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drought stress is the major limiting factor in agriculture. Wheat, which is the most widely grown crop in the world, is predominantly cultivated in drought-prone rainfed environments. Since roots play a critical role in water uptake, root response to water limitations is an important component for enhancing wheat adaptation. In an effort to discover novel genetic sources for improving wheat adaptation, we characterized a wheat translocation line with a chromosomal segment from Agropyron elongatum, a wild relative of wheat, which unlike common wheat maintains root growth under limited-water conditions. By exploring the root transcriptome data, we found that reduced …


Adjusting Corn Nitrogen Management By Including A Mineralizable-Nitrogen Test With The Preplant And Presidedress Nitrate Tests, Jason Clark, Fabián G. Fernández, Kristen S. Veum, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard Ferguson, David W. Franzen, Daniel E. Kaiser, Newell R. Kitchen, C. A.M. Laboski, Emerson Nafziger, Carl J. Rosen, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan Jan 2020

Adjusting Corn Nitrogen Management By Including A Mineralizable-Nitrogen Test With The Preplant And Presidedress Nitrate Tests, Jason Clark, Fabián G. Fernández, Kristen S. Veum, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard Ferguson, David W. Franzen, Daniel E. Kaiser, Newell R. Kitchen, C. A.M. Laboski, Emerson Nafziger, Carl J. Rosen, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The anaerobic potentially mineralizable N (PMN) test combined with the preplant (PPNT) and presidedress (PSNT) nitrate tests may improve corn (Zea mays L.) N fertilization predictions. Forty-nine corn N response experiments (mostly corn following soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]) were conducted in the U.S. Midwest from 2014–2016 to evaluate the ability of the PPNT and PSNT to predict corn relative yield (RY) and N fertilizer over- and under-application rates when adjusted by PMN. Before planting and N fertilization, PPNT (0–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm) and PMN (0–30 cm) samples were obtained. In-season soil samples were obtained at the …


Relating Four-Day Soil Respiration To Corn Nitrogen Fertilizer Needs Across 49 U.S. Midwest Fields, G. M. Bean, Newell R. Kitchen, Kristen S. Veum, James J. Camberato, Richard Ferguson, Fabian G. Fernandez, David W. Franzen, Carrie A.M. Laboski, Emerson Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, Matt Yost Jan 2020

Relating Four-Day Soil Respiration To Corn Nitrogen Fertilizer Needs Across 49 U.S. Midwest Fields, G. M. Bean, Newell R. Kitchen, Kristen S. Veum, James J. Camberato, Richard Ferguson, Fabian G. Fernandez, David W. Franzen, Carrie A.M. Laboski, Emerson Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, Matt Yost

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil microbes drive biological functions thatmediate chemical and physical processes necessary for plants to sustain growth. Laboratory soil respiration has been proposed as one universal soil health indicator representing these functions, potentially informing crop and soil management decisions. Research is needed to test the premise that soil respiration is helpful for profitable in-season nitrogen (N) rate management decisions in corn (Zea mays L.). The objective of this research was two-fold: (i) determine if the amount of N applied at the time of planting effected soil respiration, and (ii) evaluate the relationship of soil respiration to corn yield response to …


Adding A Late Fall Application Of Proxy (Ethephon) Before Two Traditional Spring Applications Improves Seedhead Control Of Annual Bluegrass, Zachary Reicher, Matthew Sousek, Aaron J. Patton, Adam Van Dyke, William C. Kreuser, John C. Inguagiato, Kevin M. Miele, John Brewer, Shawn D. Askew, Aaron Hathaway, Thomas A. Nikolai, Alec Kowalewski, Brian Mcdonald Jan 2020

Adding A Late Fall Application Of Proxy (Ethephon) Before Two Traditional Spring Applications Improves Seedhead Control Of Annual Bluegrass, Zachary Reicher, Matthew Sousek, Aaron J. Patton, Adam Van Dyke, William C. Kreuser, John C. Inguagiato, Kevin M. Miele, John Brewer, Shawn D. Askew, Aaron Hathaway, Thomas A. Nikolai, Alec Kowalewski, Brian Mcdonald

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Annual bluegrass (ABG) (Poa annua L.) is a prolific seed producer in the spring on golf courses that in turn decreases aesthetic quality and trueness of ball roll on coolseason putting greens. Proxy (ethephon) applied twice in the spring after green-up is the current industry standard after the loss of Embark (mefluidide) from the turf and ornamental market. However, plant growth regulators including Proxy have been used for years to help suppressABGseedheads with inconsistent success. The primary objective of this study was to determine if ABG seedhead suppression is improved by adding a late fall application of Proxy to …


Allelic Variation In Rice Fertilization Independent Endosperm 1 Contributes To Grain Width Under High Night Temperature Stress, Balpreet K. Dhatt, Puneet Paul, Jaspreet Sandhu, Waseem Hussain, Larissa Irvin, Feiyu Zhu, Maria Arlene Adviento-Borbe, Argelia Lorence, Paul Staswick, Hongfeng Yu, Gota Morota, Harkamal Walia Jan 2020

Allelic Variation In Rice Fertilization Independent Endosperm 1 Contributes To Grain Width Under High Night Temperature Stress, Balpreet K. Dhatt, Puneet Paul, Jaspreet Sandhu, Waseem Hussain, Larissa Irvin, Feiyu Zhu, Maria Arlene Adviento-Borbe, Argelia Lorence, Paul Staswick, Hongfeng Yu, Gota Morota, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A higher minimum (night-time) temperature is considered a greater limiting factor for reduced rice yield than a similar increase in maximum (daytime) temperature. While the physiological impact of high night temperature (HNT) has been studied, the genetic and molecular basis of HNT stress response remains unexplored.

We examined the phenotypic variation for mature grain size (length and width) in a diverse set of rice accessions under HNT stress. Genome-wide association analysis identified several HNT-specific loci regulating grain size as well as loci that are common for optimal and HNT stress conditions.

A novel locus contributing to grain width under HNT …


Leveraging Genome-Enabled Growth Models To Study Shoot Growth Responses To Water Deficit In Rice, Malachy T. Campbell, Alexandre Grondin, Harkamal Walia, Gota Morota Jan 2020

Leveraging Genome-Enabled Growth Models To Study Shoot Growth Responses To Water Deficit In Rice, Malachy T. Campbell, Alexandre Grondin, Harkamal Walia, Gota Morota

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

lucidating genotype-by-environment interactions and partitioning its contribution to phenotypic variation remains a challenge for plant scientists. We propose a framework that utilizes genome-wide markers to model genotype-specific shoot growth trajectories as a function of time and soil water availability. A rice diversity panel was phenotyped daily for 21 d using an automated, high-throughput image-based, phenotyping platform that enabled estimation of daily shoot biomass and soil water content. Using these data, we modeled shoot growth as a function of time and soil water content, and were able to determine the time point where an inflection in the growth trajectory occurred. We …


Voxel Carving-Based 3d Reconstruction Of Sorghum Identifies Genetic Determinants Of Light Interception Efficiency, Mathieu Gaillard, Chenyong Miao, James Schnable, Bedrich Benes Jan 2020

Voxel Carving-Based 3d Reconstruction Of Sorghum Identifies Genetic Determinants Of Light Interception Efficiency, Mathieu Gaillard, Chenyong Miao, James Schnable, Bedrich Benes

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Changes in canopy architecture traits have been shown to contribute to yield increases. Optimizing both light interception and light interception efficiency of agricultural crop canopies will be essential to meeting the growing food needs. Canopy architecture is inherently three-dimensional (3D), but many approaches to measuring canopy architecture component traits treat the canopy as a two-dimensional (2D) structure to make large scale measurement, selective breeding, and gene identification logistically feasible. We develop a high throughput voxel carving strategy to reconstruct 3D representations of sorghum from a small number of RGB photos. Our approach builds on the voxel carving algorithm to allow …


Genome-Wide Identification And Analysis Of Heterotic Loci In Three Maize Hybrids, Hongjun Liu, Qin Wang, Mengjiao Chen, Yahui Ding, Xuerong Yang, Jie Liu, Xiaohan Li, Congcong Zhou, Qilin Tian, Yiqi Lu, Danlin Fan, Junpeng Shi, Lin Zhang, Congbin Kang, Mingfei Mingfei Sun, Fangyuan Li, Yujian Wu, Yongzhong Zhang, Baoshen Liu, Xiang Yu Zhao, Qi Feng, Jinliang Yang, Bin Han, Jinsheng Lai, Xian Sheng Zhang, Xuehui Huang Jan 2020

Genome-Wide Identification And Analysis Of Heterotic Loci In Three Maize Hybrids, Hongjun Liu, Qin Wang, Mengjiao Chen, Yahui Ding, Xuerong Yang, Jie Liu, Xiaohan Li, Congcong Zhou, Qilin Tian, Yiqi Lu, Danlin Fan, Junpeng Shi, Lin Zhang, Congbin Kang, Mingfei Mingfei Sun, Fangyuan Li, Yujian Wu, Yongzhong Zhang, Baoshen Liu, Xiang Yu Zhao, Qi Feng, Jinliang Yang, Bin Han, Jinsheng Lai, Xian Sheng Zhang, Xuehui Huang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Heterosis, or hybrid vigour, is a predominant phenomenon in plant genetics, serving as the basis of crop hybrid breeding, but the causative loci and genes underlying heterosis remain unclear in many crops. Here, we present a large-scale genetic analysis using 5360 offsprings from three elite maize hybrids, which identifies 628 loci underlying 19 yield-related traits with relatively high mapping resolutions. Heterotic pattern investigations of the 628 loci show that numerous loci, mostly with complete–incomplete dominance (the major one) or overdominance effects (the secondary one) for heterozygous genotypes and nearly equal proportion of advantageous alleles from both parental lines, are the …


Cover Crops And Cover Crop Mixes: Stratification Of Biological Effects, Landon M. Gibbs Jan 2020

Cover Crops And Cover Crop Mixes: Stratification Of Biological Effects, Landon M. Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The potential nutrient cycling benefits from legumes (e.g. N2-fixation) and the high biomass potential of cereal rye are well known. Further studies are warranted to evaluate bi-culture mixtures and their effects on soil nutrient stratification and microbial enzyme activity because these two properties may be differently expressed (enhanced) by legume/grass mixes. The objectives of this study were: (1) show different cover crops and cover crop mixes containing grasses and legumes differentially stratify carbon and N; (2) show the change in microbial enzyme activity in soils planted with individual cover crops relative to cover crop mixes; 3) determine the …


Comparing And Linking Organic Carbon And Iron In Soil And Headwater Stream In A Pasture And A Forest Catchment In A Central Appalachian Region, West Virginia, Lili Lei Jan 2020

Comparing And Linking Organic Carbon And Iron In Soil And Headwater Stream In A Pasture And A Forest Catchment In A Central Appalachian Region, West Virginia, Lili Lei

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Continued global warming and surface water brownification are two main environmental issues which have attracted attention and are related to soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling. Iron oxides differ in reducibility and thus have essential roles in regulating SOC preservation and remineralization in soil and transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from soil to surface water. In the central Appalachian region, anthropogenic disturbances are increasing, which leads to major issues of soil degradation and depletion of SOC concentrations. Cropland and pasture soils are subject to intense disturbances compared to the forest soil, which may lead to differences in SOC fractions and …


Comparing Water Quality For Aquaponics Systems With Different Solids Removal Methods And Biofilter Media, And Effluent Output To Grow Beds, John W. Cutt, Heather M. Joesting, Brigette A. Brinton Jan 2020

Comparing Water Quality For Aquaponics Systems With Different Solids Removal Methods And Biofilter Media, And Effluent Output To Grow Beds, John W. Cutt, Heather M. Joesting, Brigette A. Brinton

Honors College Theses

Aquaponics is a closed-loop, sustainable method of food production that combines fish and plant production. This method of agriculture has the potential to bring fresh, local food to food-insecure areas, but challenges remain due to high operating costs. In order to develop a strong aquaponics industry, the creation of the most efficient system designs will be critical in optimizing production. This study’s purpose was to compare water quality between two aquaponics system designs that differ in filtration and solid removal methods. System 1 used a sock filter for solid removal and Kaldnes media for biofiltration while System 2 used a …


Effect Of Organic Soil Amendment On Hemp, Mounica Talasila Jan 2020

Effect Of Organic Soil Amendment On Hemp, Mounica Talasila

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The research study is about the impact of different levels of organic soil amendment on the levels of psychoactive compounds produced in industrial hemp. Inorganic or chemical pesticides or fertilizers are not as extensively used in hemp as in other crops. Apart from this, using an organic soil amendment would be an environmentally sustainable way. A randomized block design (RBD) model was used to study the impacts of the soil amendment. The soil amendment used is called “Rehab” a product of Organilock created from the remnants of animals like fish and chicken. This research design has 3 different soil amendment …


Can Precision Farming Technologies Be Applied To Grazing Management?, S. Mark Rutter Dec 2019

Can Precision Farming Technologies Be Applied To Grazing Management?, S. Mark Rutter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In arable farming, precision is used to monitor and manage crop variability. The same precision approach can be used to manage grassland, by using crop sensing, targeted fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide application and forage yield measurement when it is harvested mechanically. An additional challenge in grassland agriculture is developing precision approaches to manage the grazing process. This requires technologies to determine where an animal is, when, what and how much it is grazing which the system then needs to use in conjunction with other sources of information to control where the animal grazes next. This paper reviews the existing technologies in these …


Manipulation Of The Spatial Grazing Behaviour Of Livestock In Extensive Grassland Systems, Derek W. Bailey, Mitch B. Stephenson, Milton G. Thomas, Juan F. Medrano, Gonzalo Rincon Dec 2019

Manipulation Of The Spatial Grazing Behaviour Of Livestock In Extensive Grassland Systems, Derek W. Bailey, Mitch B. Stephenson, Milton G. Thomas, Juan F. Medrano, Gonzalo Rincon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Spatial behaviour of livestock is a critical factor in grassland management. Recent and ongoing research suggests that new approaches can be used to manipulate where cattle graze. The combination of strategic supplement placement and low-stress herding can be used to target cattle grazing and potentially may be useful for managing fine fuels. A phenotype to genotype association study of cattle spatial behavior suggests that use of rugged terrain and areas far from water is inherited. Although more research is needed, selection for animals specifically adapted for mountainous terrain or extensive paddocks may be an alternative for managing grasslands in the …


Case Studies Which Demonstrate The Financial Viability Of Precision Dairy Farming, Ian Yule, Hayden Lawrence, Craige Mackenzie, Carolyn Hedley, Miles Grafton Dec 2019

Case Studies Which Demonstrate The Financial Viability Of Precision Dairy Farming, Ian Yule, Hayden Lawrence, Craige Mackenzie, Carolyn Hedley, Miles Grafton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A number of case studies are used to demonstrate the financial viability of precision farming methods for intensively managed pastures. Precision farming has sometimes been criticized as being technology-led where the management goals and desired outcomes are sometimes poorly defined. Case studies presented in this paper demonstrate a strong management approach where appropriate technologies are selected to contribute to the financial success of the farm. The first case study farm has increased milk production by 70% in four years, increased pasture production by 43%, reduced fertilizer costs to 43% of previous levels and has successfully predicted annual production to within …


Do Coffee Agroforestry Systems Always Improve Soil Carbon Stocks Deeper In The Soil?—A Case Study From Turrialba, Costa Rica, Nilovna Chatterjee, P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Vimala D. Nair, Abhishek Bhattacharjee, Elias De Melo Virginio Filho, Rheinhold G. Muschler, Martin R.A. Noponen Dec 2019

Do Coffee Agroforestry Systems Always Improve Soil Carbon Stocks Deeper In The Soil?—A Case Study From Turrialba, Costa Rica, Nilovna Chatterjee, P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Vimala D. Nair, Abhishek Bhattacharjee, Elias De Melo Virginio Filho, Rheinhold G. Muschler, Martin R.A. Noponen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Shaded perennial agroforestry systems (AFS) are regarded as desirable land‐use practices that improve soil carbon sequestration. However, most studies assume a positive correlation between above ground and below ground carbon without considering the effect of past and current land management, textural variations (silt and clay percentage), and such other site‐specific factors that have a major influence on the extent of soil C sequestration. We assessed SOC stock at various depths (0–10, 10–30, 30–60, and 60–100 cm) in shaded perennial coffee (Coffea arabica L.) AFS in a 17‐ year‐old experimental field at the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, (9°53′44′′ …


Opportunities For Improving Livestock Production With E-Management Systems, Dave L. Swain, Rebecca N. Handcock, Greg J. Bishop-Hurley, Don Menzies Dec 2019

Opportunities For Improving Livestock Production With E-Management Systems, Dave L. Swain, Rebecca N. Handcock, Greg J. Bishop-Hurley, Don Menzies

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is increased interest in hardware and software that can support e-Management for grassland-based livestock industries. Managers of grazing livestock were early adopters of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies automatically monitoring individual animal performance. Recent developments of remote sensing, automated individual recording and management, location based systems, improved data transfer and technologies that can be used in more extensive grazing systems are providing new opportunities for the development of e-Management systems. There is a need for better data integration and systems that can provide the best available information to enable better decision-making. For greater industry adoption of more integrated e-Management …


Growth Of Bali Bulls Fattened With Forage Tree Legumes In Eastern Indonesia: Leucaena Leucocephala In Sumbawa, Tanda Panjaitan, Muhammad Fauzan, H. Dahlanuddin, Michael J. Halliday, H. Max Shelton Dec 2019

Growth Of Bali Bulls Fattened With Forage Tree Legumes In Eastern Indonesia: Leucaena Leucocephala In Sumbawa, Tanda Panjaitan, Muhammad Fauzan, H. Dahlanuddin, Michael J. Halliday, H. Max Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The contribution of West Nusa Tenggara Province to domestic beef supply in Indonesia is relatively small, however, beef cattle are very important for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.

Bali cattle (Boss javanicus) are the predominant breed as they are adapted to harsh nutritional conditions, are highly fertile and have low calf mortality (Toelihere 2003). While genetically capable of achieving a growth rate of 0.85 kg/d (Mastika 2003), Panjaitan (2012) identified poor nutrition as a severe limitation to animal growth in traditional village systems. Improving feed quality and supply is vital to increasing growth rates and …


Effect Of High Se And Co Alfalfa Forage On Animal Production, Xiao-Lei Jie, Xiao Guo, Hua-Feng Hu Dec 2019

Effect Of High Se And Co Alfalfa Forage On Animal Production, Xiao-Lei Jie, Xiao Guo, Hua-Feng Hu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Total and available selenium (Se) and cobalt (Co) concentrations are low in Chinese soils, especially those found in mainly in temperate humid sub-humid conditions in the northeast to the southwest band across China (Tan et al. 2002). The levels of Se and Co are marginally deficit in the brown soil of the Yellow River region which causes lower production level and quality in forage and crop plants. Application of Se and Co fertilizers to arable lands is essential to produce high Se and Co forages. Henan is a Province where produce high-quality grass forages are used to support dairy …