Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Root Phenotyping Of Peptide-Treated Glycine Max, Salem Jackson, Fiona Goggin

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Plant elicitor peptides (Peps) – endogenous chains of amino acids involved in natural plant defense – have been shown to decrease damage from herbivores and pathogens by inducing an immune response, increasing the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCS), transcripts, and metabolites. Exogenous treatment of soybean seeds with plant elicitor peptide GmPep3 has been shown to induce these broad-spectrum defenses and offers a new method for increasing crop yield. However, the effects of GmPep3 on indicators of soybean health – root characteristics, growth stages, etc. – have not been fully realized. Using the root-phenotyping platform RhizoVision Explorer, several root traits …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Footprints On The Prairie: Examining The Interlocking Land Histories Of The Liberty Prairie Reserve, Illinois, Anna M. Burns

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis begins with the local history of the Liberty Prairie, the land where I conducted the ecological field-work that I later discuss in my second thesis on soil microbiome diversity (“Examining Soil Microbial Diversity in Transition Zones Between Corn Fields and Restored Prairie in the Upper Midwest"). I examine the Indigenous histories of the land, and the conflicts between the Bodwéwadmi and Euro-American settlers that resulted in the land being farmed for cattle, corn, and soy for over a hundred and fifty years. I then take a step back and analyze the broader historical contexts of Midwestern Corn Belt …

Gaia Contributions To Agroecology By James Lovelock (1919-2022), Steve Gliessman, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In writing about the history of agroecology we too often ignore the valuable contributions of British scientist James Lovelock who recently died on his 103rd birthday. A prolific inventor and influential theorist, Lovelock is best known for the Gaia hypothesis first proposed during his innovative work in the 1960s with the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He suggested that ‘the biosphere has a regulatory effect on the Earth’s environment that acts to sustain life’ as written in Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (Lovelock 1979). Lovelock further proposed that humans have strongly impacted the planet’s capacity …

Irrigation Systems Management, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Derrel L. Martin, Derek M. Heeren, Glenn J. Hoffman

Open Educational Resources: Textbooks

Like most textbooks, this book grew out of our desire to have written material that matches the educational needs of both the students and the instructor of a college course, in this case a course entitled Irrigation Systems Management. The book is the culmination of course notes which have been in development and use for nearly 30 years.

The emphasis of this book is on the management of irrigation systems that are used for agricultural crop production. There are two distinct components of the book, starting with the soil-water-plant-atmosphere system and how soil water should be managed to achieve the …

Cover Crop Effects On Near-Surface Soil Aggregate Stability In The Southern Mississippi Valley Loess (Mlra 134), Chandler M. Arel

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Intensive agricultural cultivation within major land resource area (MLRA) 134, the Southern Mississippi Valley Loess, has led to soil erosion, soil compaction, and the overall destabilization of near-surface soil aggregates. The use of cover crops during the agricultural offseason has been shown to help alleviate soil compaction and provide stabilizing effects against soil erosion, which are particularly important as the silty soils of MLRA 134 have a large erosion potential. This study evaluated the effects of cover crop and no-cover crop treatment on silt-loam soils within MLRA 134. Treatments were implemented during Fall 2018 and Fall 2019 and consisted of …

American Burying Beetle, Plant Richness, And Soil Property Responses To Collapse Of Juniperus Virginiana Woodlands With Fire, Alison K. Ludwig

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grasslands are declining in the Great Plains due to land use changes, woody plant encroachment, and loss of historic fire cycles. Prescribed burn associations have utilized prescribed fire to collapse invading woodlands and allow the restoration of grasslands. This fire is considered “extreme” because it is capable of changing the structure and function of an ecosystem. Our study site is the Loess Canyons Experimental Landscape, a long-term, ecoregion-scale experiment to apply prescribed fire across the region to restore grasslands. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project established the Loess Canyons ecoregion as a Biologically-Unique Landscape in 2005 with the state’s wildlife action …

Evaluation Of Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Furrow-Irrigated Rice On A Silt-Loam Soil In Arkansas, Jordan M. Slayden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the number one rice (Oryza sativa)-producing state in the United States, Arkansas also ranks fourth as the largest user of groundwater. Recently, due to the development of drought- resistant hybrid cultivars, the furrow-irrigated rice production system has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional flood-irrigated production with respect to conserving groundwater and maintaining yield. However, other environmental parameters, like greenhouse gas emissions, specifically nitrous oxide (N2O), have yet to be evaluated under furrow-irrigated rice. The objectives of this study were to i) evaluate the effects of site position (i.e., up-, mid-, and down-slope) and tillage treatment [i.e., conventional tillage …

Making Agriculture Carbon Neutral Amid A Changing Climate: The Case Of South-Western Australia, Ross Kingwell

Climate Science Research Articles

Making Australian agriculture carbon neutral by 2050 is a goal espoused by several agricultural organisations in Australia. How costly might it be to attain that goal, especially when adverse climate change projections apply to agriculture in southern Australia? This study uses scenario analysis to examine agricultural emissions and their abatement via reforestation in south-western Australia under projected climate change. Most scenarios include the likelihood of agricultural emissions being reduced in the coming decades. However, the impact of projected adverse climate change on tree growth and tree survival means that the cost of achieving agricultural carbon neutrality via reforestation is forecast …

2022 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide, B. Shackley, B. Paynter, J. Bucat, M. Seymour, S. Power

Bulletins 4000 -

Welcome to the 2022 edition of the Crop Sowing Guide for WA, which introduces 27 new variety releases: three wheat, nine barley (three recently accredited for malt and six currently under malt evaluation), twelve canola, two field pea and a lentil.

The Crop Sowing Guide for WA has been compiled by officers in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It provides information to support variety decisions for each of the major crops for the upcoming season.

In this edition, lupin agzones have been reduced from 8 agzones to 6 so that all varieties for each of the major …

Wildflower Pollen Quality In Roadside Habitats, With Particular Emphasis On Hedera Helix, Aoife Mcmullin, Paul Hamilton

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

The quality of air is of more significance today than ever before. Human population growth and pollutants emitted through fossil fuel consumption put pressures on air quality. It is widely acknowledged that atmospheric pollutants negatively impact human health; the same is also true for the health of wildlife and plants exposed to these pollutants (Brunekreef & Holgate, 2002; EEA, 2019; Schiavoni, et al., 2017). Pollen and seed formation of flowering plants have been affected when grown in areas of poor air quality (Azzazy, 2016; Sénéchal, et al., 2015). The purpose of this research was to assess pollen of …

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Tim Scanlon

Books & book chapters

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years.

Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State.

Explore our Research Highlights 2021.

The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia.

Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, …

Quantifying The Combined Effect Of Abiotic Factors On The Decomposition Of Organic Matter In Semiarid Grassland Soils, Elnazsadat Hosseiniaghdam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grassland ecosystems play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and their cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions can be affected by animal grazing where litter (i.e., dead plant material) is trampled into the soil. However, the subsequent effects of trampling on litter decomposition are not well understood. Meanwhile, abiotic factors, especially temperature and soil moisture, are known to strongly affect litter decomposition. Due to the very small number of published studies that have considered litter placement, either litter on top of soil or litter mixed with soil as a factor in litter decomposition under different temperature and …

Climate Adaptation And Water Conservation Decision-Making In Paso Robles, California Vineyards, Christopher R. Klier

Master's Theses

This paper examines vineyard perceptions and adoption of climate change adaptation and water conservation measures in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA). A survey was distributed to all 220 vineyards and vineyard management companies that operate in the AVA, with a 53.64% response rate. The objective of the survey was to determine vineyard manager and owner attitudes towards climate change and adaptation, as well as their perceptions of how these threats would impact their operation. A second objective was to document the current level of water conservation and climate adaptation while identifying the barriers and opportunities for further adoption …

Rhodes Grass (Chloris Gayana) For Dryland Salinity Management In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) is a subtropical/summer active perennial C4 grass. It is a tufted grass that sends out strong, above ground runners (stolons), allowing it to spread rapidly. This can be a great advantage on saltland where soil salinity often inhibits recruitment from seed. However, it has low salt tolerance, and low-moderate waterlogging tolerance.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that any dryland salinity management is part of a whole farm, and preferably a whole catchment, water management plan.

Long-Term Changes In Soil Surface Properties As Affected By Management Practices In A Wheat-Soybean, Double-Crop System, Machaela Morrison

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Long-term agricultural sustainability and productivity are controlled by the integrative effects of different management practices on the soil. Many Arkansas producers use the double-crop system to grow soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Studying combinations of different, non-traditional, alternative agricultural techniques may help producers better understand the long-term implications of various management practice options on sustainability and productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of agricultural management practices, including residue level, tillage, irrigation, and burning, and soil depth on the change in various soil properties from 2010 to 2020 in …

Industry Funding Scheme Regulations: A Review Of Operation And Effectiveness, May 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Section 147 of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 requires the Minister for Agriculture and Food to carry out a review of the operation and effectiveness of any regulations made for the purposes of establishing an Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) every five years.

In 2010, regulations establishing three IFSs commenced to address pest and disease threats relevant to Western Australia’s broadacre and pastoral cropping and livestock sectors. This report documents the second fifth-year anniversary statutory review of the following regulations:

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme (Cattle) Regulations 2010

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme …

Estimating Irrigation In Rice Fields With A Water Balance Approach, Kristen Trinh

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Global food production must increase to meet the demand associated with increased population growth, so irrigation water use will continue to rise. Therefore, it is important to monitor water usage particularly when an irrigation flowmeter is unavailable. A field water balance was created for a selection of rice fields in East-central Arkansas under observation in 2018 and 2019. From those, irrigation inputs are deduced from the water balance alone. First, each field had sensors that collected water table level (WTL) data. Next, other water inputs and outputs such as precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) were collected from two modeled sources. The …

Soil Quality Indices As Affected By Long-Term Burning, Irrigation, Tillage, And Fertility Management, Helen C.S. Amorim, Amanda Ashworth, Kristofor R. Brye, Brian J. Wienhold, Mary C. Savin, Phillip R. Owens, Sergio Silva

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the impacts of long-term agricultural practices on soil quality (SQ) is key for sustaining agroecosystem productivity. This study investigated conventional and no-tillage (NT), residue burning and no burning, residue level (high and low), and irrigation (irrigated and dryland) effects on soil properties, SQ, and crop yields following 16 yr of a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] double-crop system via the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). A field experiment was conducted in the Lower Mississippi River Delta region on a silt-loam soil. Bulk density, soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), …

Corn And Soybean Response To Wastewater-Recycled Phosphorus Fertilizers, Shane Ylagan

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The ability to recycle phosphorus (P) from wastewaters could provide a sustainable, continuous source of P that might also help protect surface water quality from P enrichment. The mineral struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) is an understudied material that can be created from Pcontaining wastewater and has been shown to have agricultural fertilizer value. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST), chemically precipitated struvite (Crystal Green; CG), diammonium phosphate (DAP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), rock phosphate (RP), and triple super phosphate (TSP) on corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) response in a 79-day greenhouse pot …

Can Soil Phosphorus Sorption Saturation Estimate Future Potential Legacy Phosphorus Sources?, A. N. Sharpley, K. R. Brye, J. M. Burke, L G. Berry, M. B. Daniels, P. Webb

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Various soil extraction methods are used to indicate plant available P in soil but do not account for soil specific sorption of subsequent applications of P. Thus, estimates of soil phosphorus sorption saturation (PSS; estimated from Mehlich-3 extractable P, Al, and Fe) have been used in conjunction with Mehlich-3 extractable soil phosphorus (M3P) to overcome these limitations. As less is known about the effect of land management on PSS than M3P under field conditions, the effect of field management on PSS was investigated for three pastures over 5 yr (2014-2018). Swine slurry was applied to two fields (Field 1 received …

Soil Management Systems To Overcome Multiple Constraints For Dryland Crops On Deep Sands In A Water Limited Environment On The South Coast Of Western Australia, David J. Hall, Stephen L. Davies, Richard W. Bell, Tom Edwards

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Deep sands on the south coast sandplain of Western Australia (WA) have multiple soil constraints including water repellence, high soil strength, low nutrient levels and subsoil acidity. The aim of the study was to test contrasting methods of managing water repellence and to assess their impacts on one or more soil constraints to crop production. These methods included seeding tyne design (knife point, winged points, paired row), soil wetting agent addition, strategic inversion tillage (rotary spading, mouldboard ploughing to 0.35 m) and clay-rich subsoil addition (170 t ha−1 with incorporation by spading to 0.20 or 0.35 m). Limesand (2 t …

Rapid Reduction Of Herbicide Susceptibility In Junglerice By Recurrent Selection With Sublethal Dose Of Herbicides And Heat Stress, Lariza Benedetti, Gulab Rangani, Vivian Ebeling Viana, Pamela Carvalho-Moore, Edinalvo Rabaioli Camargo, Luis Antonio De Avila, Nilda Roma-Burgos

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Global climate change, specifically rising temperature, can alter the molecular physiology of weedy plants. These changes affect herbicide efficacy and weed management. This research aimed to investigate the combined effect of heat stress (HS) and sublethal doses of herbicides (four active ingredients) on adaptive gene expression and efficacy of herbicide on Echinochloa colona (L.) Link (junglerice). Three factors were evaluated; factor A was E. colona generation (G0-original population from susceptible standard; G1 and G2 were progenies of recurrent selection), factor B was herbicide treatment (florpyrauxifen-benzyl, glufosinate-ammonium, imazethapyr, quinclorac and nontreated check) and factor C was HS (30 and 45 °C). …

Hu Aquaponics Monitoring And Control System : European Annual Edunet Conference 2020, Rachel L. Fogle, Glenn P. Williams, Josh R. Krug

Harrisburg University Presidential Research Grants

The functional purpose of the HU Aquaponics Monitoring and Control System Project is to develop an environmental and plant monitoring and control system for the HU Aquaponics Lab, located in the Student Union. The project involves the design and implementation of technology that will regularly take measurements from the environment (e.g., air temperature, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc). PLCnext Technology will systematically collect, store, and web-publish the measurement data for HU researchers and the public to use for scientific research.

Frost Identification Guide For Cereals, Ben Biddulph, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Frost damage reduces crop yield and grain quality. Early identification of symptoms allows timely crop salvage decisions to be made.

Physiological And Biochemical Responses Of Two Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Cultivars Differing In Thermotolerance To High Night Temperatures During Anthesis, Dimitra A. Loka, Derrick M. Oosterhuis

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Heat stress constitutes a major threat to crop production, and according to climatic projections, night temperatures are expected to increase faster and to a greater extent compared to day temperatures. While extensive research has been dedicated to the effects of higher than optimum day temperatures on cotton physiology, metabolism, and yield, and while heat-tolerant cotton cultivars have been introduced, the responses of such heat-tolerant cultivars to high night temperatures have not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of heat-tolerant cultivars to high night temperatures stress by monitoring the physiological and biochemical responses of two …

Corn And Soybean Response To Wastewater-Recovered And Other Common Phosphorus Fertilizers, Shane Ylagan, Kristofor R. Brye, Lauren Greenlee

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recycling P from wastewaters may provide a sustainable source of P that could also protect surface water quality from P enrichment. Struvite (MgNH₄PO₄·6H₂O) is a material that can be created from P-containing wastewater and has been shown to have agricultural fertilizer value. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST), chemically precipitated struvite (Crystal Green, CG), diammonium phosphate (DAP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), rock phosphate (RP), and triple superphosphate (TSP) on corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] response in a 79-d greenhouse …

Fate And Transport Of Phosphorus-Containing Land-Applied Swine Slurry In A Karst Watershed, A. N. Sharpley, M. B. Daniels, K. R. Brye, K. Vandevender, J. Burke, L G. Berry, P. Webb

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phosphorus distribution in pasture soils underlain with karst geology was determined on a 0.10-ha grid in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Two fields (Fields 1 and 12) received swine slurry from a concentrated animal feeding operation, whereas another (Field 5) received mineral fertilizer. All fields were grazed by cattle and periodically hayed. Mean Mehlich-3 extractable P in the top 10 cm increased (p ≤ .05 level) for Fields 1 (59–91 mg kg⁻¹) and 12 (63–122 mg kg⁻¹) between 2014 and 2018, with little change for Field 5 (45–47 mg kg⁻¹). Over the 5-yr monitoring …

Soybean Maturity Group And Planting Date Influence Grain Yield And Nitrogen Dynamics, Carrie C. Ortel, Trenton L. Roberts, Kyle A. Hoegenauer, Larry C. Purcell, Nathan A. Slaton, Edward E. Gbur

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Manipulation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] maturity group (MG) and planting date will increase the yield of a soybean crop while simultaneously influencing the potential soil-nitrogen (N) credits. Variations in N returned to the soil by soybean can significantly affect the amount of fertilizer-N needed for the subsequent crop. Four soybean MGs (3.5, 4.7, 5.4, and 5.6) were evaluated at optimal and late planting dates in Arkansas. Grain yield was significantly different among MGs in 2016 (P = .0012) and 2017 (P = .0004), with the 4.7 MG consistently yielding the highest at 3,232 kg ha(-1). Plant total aboveground …

Projected Surface Water For Fruit And Vegetable Irrigation Under A Changing Climate In The Us, Marty Matlock, Greg Thoma, Kieu Ngoc Le, Eric Cummings, Zach Morgan, Andrew Shaw

Water Systems

Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, resulting in climate impacts, are raising concerns over the hydrologic cycle and its effects upon agricultural productivity. If rainfall patterns change, meeting an increased demand for fruits and vegetables will pose a challenge for domestic production regions in the United States (U.S.). Information on potential water supply scarcity in the current production regions provides decision makers with critical information for risk mitigation for future production. We used a hydrologic balance-based model of historic and future water availability to evaluate risk of available irrigation water to support major fruit and vegetable production the US. …