Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Chemical Components And Effects On Soil Quality In Temperate Grazed Pasture Systems, M. H. Beare, D. Curtin, S. Thomas, P. M. Fraser, G. S. Francis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Legume/grass pastures retain feedbacks on N supply that may help to reduce losses of N to the wider environment.

2. Intensive use of N fertilisers tends to increase SOM turnover and increase losses of N to the environment.

3. Increased use of fertilisers has contributed little to soil organic matter storage in grazed pastoral systems.

Physical Constraints In Grassland Ecosystems, I. M. Young, K. Ritz, C. S. Sturrock, R. Heck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grassland system management must account adequately for biophysical and biochemical processes.

2. Amenity turf, especially sports turf, provides an excellent case study on how biology and physics interact to impact on the functioning of a grass ecosystem.

3. Microorganisms produce hydrophobic compounds that act to decrease water ingress and alter the function of the soil-grass ecosystem.

Adoption Of Brachiaria Grasses In Mexico And Central America: A Successful Story, F. Holmann, Pedro Argel, C. E. Lascano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) there has been a major effort to develop new pastures technologies, to increase livestock productivity for the extensive systems prevailing in the tropical lowlands. This multi-national and inter-institutional effort was initiated through the International Network for the Evaluation of Tropical Pastures (RIEPT, by its name in Spanish), which operated from 1976 to 1996 under CIAT leadership. This network became a platform for institutions to train technicians, share forage material from existing gene banks, study the behaviour of new germplasm under different environments, and established the exchange of scientific information to extrapolate research results …

Improved Livelihoods From Grasslands; The Case Of Napier Grass In Smallholder Dairy Farms In Kenya, David Miano Mwangi, D. Romney, S. Staal, I. Baltenweck, S. Mwendia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Kenya, smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the marketed milk. The farming systems vary from mixed farms with up to 10 ha of land and < 10 dairy cows (Gitau et al., 1994; Anon., 1985), to intensive smallholder dairy producers in the high human population central Kenya region with 0.9 to 2 ha of land and 3-4 dairy cows (Staal et al., 2001a). Milk production depends heavily on the cultivation of forages, with Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass) by far the most important. An estimated 350,000 of the 600,000 smallholder farms in Kenya grow and utilize P. purpureum on their farms.

There are …

Role Of Information And Information Providers In Technology Transfer, D. Undersander

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Technology transfer is an essential component of economic change in society. Developers of new technology often fail to realize that there is a science to technology transfer. This lack of appreciation for the skills involved in information dissemination and in activities necessary to affect a change of action in an audience often severely limits the rate and amount of technology transfer that occurs. Significant differences exist between doing a news release or writing a publication and causing audience acceptance of a new technology. The old standards of expecting adoption of a new technology simply because it “will profit farmers” or …

The Contribution Of Participatory Research: On-Farm Research, P. F. Fennessy, N. J. Daniels, S. A. Chadwick, P. A. Speck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Participatory research in agriculture may range from research and technology development (R&D), carried out on a research station with some involvement of farmers, through to genuine participatory research involving researchers and farmers working together. The latter involves the end-user in actually carrying out aspects of the research and/or in the development and evaluation of technology that is appropriate to commercial enterprises. Researchers often question the validity of the ‘findings of on-farm participatory research’ as they are more comfortable with the ‘controlled’ environment of the research station. However if research is to be applied appropriately on farms, it must go through …

Participatory Research For Smallholder Livestock Systems: Applying Common Sense To Complex Problems, P. M. Horne, Werner Stür

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key Points:

1. Participatory approaches to research (PAR) bring researchers closer to farmers, the intended users of research outputs.

2. Active, functional participation of farmers in the evaluation and development of new technologies requires researchers to make an important commitment: respecting the knowledge, skills and opinions of farmers while maintaining confidence in their own scientific knowledge.

3. Farmer experimentation is not usually suitable to provide quantitative biophysical data (this can be achieved more effectively in researcher controlled experiments), but to provide qualitative information and improve understanding. This type of information can be collected systematically to enable rigorous analysis.

4. While …

Soil Biology And The Emergence Of Adventive Grassland Ecosystems, T. R. Seastedt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The last few years have seen an explosion of information on the responses and feedbacks of soil biota to species and environmental changes. Soil biologists, plant ecologists, and biogeochemists have been searching for patterns, generality and predictability in these relationships. A few brave souls have had the courage to assemble comprehensive assessments of soil biology in our rapidly changing world. Several years ago, I reviewed Wardle’s (2002) book emphasising the links between above- and belowground components of ecosystems. That activity – as well as the present one – provided me with the opportunity to survey recent findings in soil biology. …

Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, D. F. Chapman, B. B. Baker, A. S. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the …

Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

“Models in grassland science have come to stay, and so they must be made to pay for their keep. To do that, it will be necessary to improve their scientific sophistication and their management relevance...” (Seligman, 1993).

Decision support (DS) tools in grassland agriculture have also come to stay. This review will examine the ways and means by which DS tools are being made to pay for their keep, with a focus upon DS efforts from the last decade and on the lessons that arise for those who develop DS tools for grasslands. A survey of the present state of …

Decision Support For Grassland Systems In Developing Countries, P. K. Thornton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Information flows in complex systems are often themselves highly complex, and decision support approaches based on linear input-output processes may have only limited impact.

2. How decisions are made, and how they can be appropriately supported, is often incompletely understood, in part because of inadequate understanding of the objectives and attitudes of all the decision makers involved.

3. Much of the developing world faces daunting problems in the coming 30 years, and appropriate information could play a critical role in dealing with these.

4. System complexity, household variability, and institutional intricacies have to be embraced rather than …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtls) For Resistance To Bacterial Leaf Streak: Xanthomonas Translucens Using Qtl And Association Mapping In Three Populations Of Soft Red Winter Wheat, Benjamin Tyler Meritt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and black chaff, caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu), can be a very destructive disease of wheat, especially in the warmer, wetter areas of the Southeastern U.S. Yield losses of up to 40 percent have been recorded in some cases in southern wheat growing regions. With no effective agronomic or chemical method of disease control, identification of genetic resistance is seen as a promising solution. Three soft red winter wheat populations (GAWN, ARK-SNP, and AGS 2060- AGS 2035 DH) representative of soft red winter wheat germplasm in the southeastern U.S. developed by …

Key Issues Generated From The Xi International Rangeland Congress 2021: Summary And Way Forward, D. L. Coppock, A. J. Ash, B. Irving

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The important issues, knowledge gaps, and evolving research approaches for the global rangelands are summarised in this review of submissions to the Joint XXIV International Grasslands and XI International Rangelands Congress (IGC/IRC). In the big picture, it is concluded that stand-alone studies of livestock production are becoming rare compared to that of the past International Rangelands Congresses (IRC). Rather, added effort is now being directed at understanding the fuller context of social-ecological systems (SESs) on rangelands in a quest to improve the prospects for sustainable resource management as well as the enhancement of human welfare. Although climate change is upon …

Joint International Grassland And International Rangeland Congress Kenya 2021: Grasslands Summary, James L. Klotz, J. H. Bouton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This summary used as its main sources the plenary and keynote papers and talks in Sub-theme 2: Forage Production and Utilization and Sub-theme 3: Livestock Production Systems as well as a sampling of oral talks presented at the XXIV International Grassland Congress (IGC). This IGC was held virtually and jointly with the International Rangeland Congress and hosted in Nairobi, Kenya during 23-29 October 2021. The XXIV IGC was also the first to be held on the African continent in Congress' 94-year history. The summary is further focused on that information presented under the concept "cultivated grasslands" (e.g., a small number …

Arkansas Wheat Performance Tests 2021-2022, J. F. Carlin, R. B. Morgan, R. D. Bond, D. E. Moon

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat variety performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for small-grain producers. The tests are conducted at the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, the Vegetable Substation near Kibler, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station near Marianna, the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt, and the Rohwer Research Station near Rohwer. Specific location …

Pengendalian Penyakit Busuk Buah Kakao Menggunakan Trichoderma Dan Pupuk Kalium, Sunjaya Putra, Yulius Ferry, Rita Harni

Jurnal Kultivasi

Kerugian akibat serangan penyakit busuk buah kakao (BBK) mencapai 40-100%, produktivitas hanya 669,9 kg/ha/tahun. Upaya pengendalian dapat dilakukan melalui penggunaan cendawan antagonis Trichoderma dan peningkatan dosis pupuk Kalium. Penelitian bertujuan menguji efektivitas Trichoderma viride dan pupuk K dalam mengendalikan penyakit BBK. Penelitian dilakukan pada Januari sampai Desember 2019 di kebun kakao rakyat (Klon CSA 6) berumur 10 tahun dengan tanaman pelindung Gliricidia sp. Desa Suka Bandung, Kecamatan Natar, Kabupaten Lampung Selatan. Penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok dengan 12 perlakuan dan 3 ulangan. Macam perlakuan yaitu fungisida Trichoderma viride, fungisida kimia (mancozeb), pupuk KCl 100 g/phn, dosis KCl 110 g/phn, dosis …

B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2021, J. Hardke, X. Sha, N. Bateman

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading rice producer in the United States. The state represents 47.5% of total U.S. rice production and 47.8% of the total acres planted to rice in 2021. Rice cultural practices vary across the state and across the U.S. However, these practices are also dynamic and continue to evolve in response to changing political, environmental, and economic times. This survey was initiated in 2002 to monitor and record changes in the way Arkansas rice producers approach their livelihood. The survey was conducted by polling county extension agents in each of the counties in Arkansas that produce rice. Questions …

Evaluation Of Factors That Contribute To Injury To Quizalofop-Resistant Rice From Quizalofop Applied Postemergence, Navdeep Godara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quizalofop-resistant rice technology allows for over-the-top applications of quizalofop, an acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-inhibiting herbicide. However, quizalofop caused significant injury to quizalofop-resistant rice in some Arkansas fields during the first year of commercialization. Experiments evaluated the effect of early-season soil moisture and nitrogen availability; pre-exposure to low rates of glyphosate and imazethapyr; planting date; and environmental conditions including, soil moisture content, air temperature, and light intensity on quizalofop-resistant rice tolerance to quizalofop applications. All experiments assessed sequential quizalofop applications made to 2-leaf followed by 5-leaf stage of rice. Sequential quizalofop applications alone and with surface irrigation or nitrogen application at the …

Helping Utah Landowners Reduce Pesticide Use Through A Statewide Ipm Program, Nick Volesky, Mair Murray

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

The Utah Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program provides outreach and education to Utahns to reduce pesticide use and ultimately protect human and environmental health. In 2022, the IPM program responded to stakeholders’ needs by partnering with county Extension offices to deliver eight (8) in-person workshops across the state. The workshops connected Extension specialists and county faculty with managers of home landscapes and farms. The objective of the workshops was to provide participants with IPM skills to identify, monitor, and manage pest problems in preparation for the upcoming growing season.

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2021, Victor Ford, Jason Kelley, Nathan Mckinney Ii

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2021 edition of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series includes research results on topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production, including weed, disease, and insect management; economics; sustainability; irrigation; post-harvest drying; soil fertility; mycotoxins; cover crop management; and research verification program results. Our objective is to capture and broadly distribute the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series serves as a citable archive of research results.

Site-Specific Pest Management In Nebraska Corn And Soybean Production Systems, Zachary D. Rystrom

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Site-specific management (SSM) is widely used by farm producers to fertilize their fields. However, whole field management is currently practiced in integrated pest management (IPM). Site-specific management and agricultural technology can improve IPM especially when precision application of inputs can reduce selection pressure on pest populations, benefit the environment, or save costs of inputs. There is potential for site-specific pest management (SSPM) where pests, or environments vary spatially, and recommended management practices can be applied with precision. Three case studies are evaluated for SSPM to be applied in Nebraska corn and soybean production systems including corn rootworm, preemergence herbicides, and …

Evaluation Of Fenclorim Safener For Use In Rice With Group 15 Herbicides, Tristen Heath Avent

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of herbicide resistance and the lack of effective herbicides to control problematic weeds has caused Arkansas rice (Oryza sativa L.) production to pursue alternative sites of action. Currently, very long-chain fatty acid elongase inhibitors are not labeled for U.S. rice production but have been widely used for Asian rice production systems. Previous research has demonstrated the utility of acetochlor and pyroxasulfone to provide in-season weed control for Arkansas rice production, but variable crop tolerance has been observed. Additionally, acetochlor at 1,260 g ai ha-1 elicited less rice injury when seeds were treated with a herbicide safener seed treatment …

Marker-Trait Association Mapping Of Sorghum Mosaic Virus Resistance In Sugarcane, Chenie Zamora

LSU Master's Theses

Mosaic is a potentially devastating disease of sugarcane that had severe economic impact on Louisiana’s sugarcane industry in the 1920’s and has caused periodic problems ever since. The disease is vectored by migrating aphids that transmit Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) in a non-persistent manner. Mosaic in Louisiana is currently caused by strains of SrMV. Mosaic has been controlled primarily by developing resistant cultivars. Recently, mosaic was detected in some near-commercial clones in the cultivar selection program. This prompted extensive screening of breeding program parent populations that detected infiltration of susceptibility and revealed the need for …

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 …

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 …