Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Feed The Future Releases Two New Sorghum Varieties In Nicaragua, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA), the Collaborative Research Support Program for Sorghum, Millet and Other Grains (INTSORMIL) has released two new varieties of sorghum in Nicaragua that will be used for forage (plant material eaten by grazing livestock).

These new varieties exhibit the “brown midrib” trait (bmr), which has been used for many years by sorghum producers in the United States. The bmr trait increases the digestibility of sorghum by reducing the amount of lignin, a chemical compound found in the cell walls of plants. The more digestible sorghum is for the livestock that consume it, the higher the quality of …

Effects Of Thiamethoxam Seed Treatments On Bean Leaf Beetles, Chelsea L. Piitz

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The increased use of thiamethoxam seed treatments for controlling target pests such as the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster), suggests the need for methods to measure and monitor the development of resistance to these insecticides. Overwintering and F1 bean leaf beetles were collected from alfalfa and soybean fields and used in early growth stage soybean studies to measure toxicity of thiamethoxam both in greenhouse experiments and laboratory bioassays involving exposure to treated foliage. Lethal and sub-lethal effects were detected in both greenhouse and lab bioassays. Lethal concentrations determined from laboratory assays were compared with residues determined from field grown …

Susceptibility Of The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), At Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, To Different Insecticides, Difabachew K. Belay, Randy M. Huckaba, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is a polyphagous migratory pest, which is endemic to the Western Hemisphere and attacks more than 80 plant species including maize, sorghum, cotton, rice, millet, peanut, alfalfa, and other cultivated and wild plant species. Presence of multiple generations and the ability to migrate and feed on a wide range of host plants makes FAW one of the most severe economic pests throughout the Western Hemisphere. In corn, yield losses due to FAW damage can reach up to 32% in the United States and 45–60% in Nicaragua. Insecticides are used as major …

Composting Manure And Other Organic Materials, Charles S. Wortmann, Charles A. Shapiro

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The Composting Process

Composting is the aerobic decomposition of manure or other organic materials in the thermophilic temperature range (104-149oF). Composted material is odorless, fine-textured, and low-moisture. It can be bagged and sold for use in gardens or nurseries, or used as fertilizer on cropland with little odor or fly breeding potential. Composting improves the handling characteristics of any organic residue by reducing its volume and weight. Composting can kill pathogens and weed seeds.

Disadvantages of composting organic residues include loss of nitrogen and other nutrients, time for processing, cost for handling equipment, available land for composting, odors, marketing, diversion …

Crop Management Technologies Approved/Recommended To Farmers By Intsormil Supported Nars Programs 2006-2012, Elvis A. Heinrichs

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Table listing year, crop (sorghum or pearl millet), country, technology approved/ recommended for release to farmers (sowing rate, spacing, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, tied ridges etc.), and comments regarding crop management technologies approved/recommended to farmers by INTSORMIL-supported NARS programs, 2006-2012. Countries included are: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Uganda, Zambia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Escape From Preferential Retention Following Repeated Whole Genome Duplications In Plants, James C. Schnable, Xiaowu Wang, J. Chris Pires, Michael Freeling

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The well supported gene dosage hypothesis predicts that genes encoding proteins engaged in dose–sensitive interactions cannot be reduced back to single copies once all interacting partners are simultaneously duplicated in a whole genome duplication. The genomes of extant flowering plants are the result of many sequential rounds of whole genome duplication, yet the fraction of genomes devoted to encoding complex molecular machines does not increase as fast as expected through multiple rounds of whole genome duplications. Using parallel interspecies genomic comparisons in the grasses and crucifers, we demonstrate that genes retained as duplicates following a whole genome duplication have only …

Returns To The Introduction Of New Sorghum Cultivars Into The Dairy Industry Of El Salvador, Alexis Homero Villacís Aveiga

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The returns to the introduction of new photo-insensitive sorghum varieties into the dairy industry were analyzed to determine changes in the welfare of consumers, processors, producers and the society. The economic surplus method was used along with a survey data of a stratified sample of 150 farms conducted in 2011 in El Salvador. Results indicate that there are large returns per dollar spent and substantial benefits to consumers, processors and producers. Results also show that the adoption of these new technologies represents advantages in production costs of milk in each farm size. These cost savings per bottle are very small …

Establishment Method And Cultural Practice Effects On Sports Turf, Josh Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones for the establishment of sports fields and golf courses is a common occurrence. Furthermore, the use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones can lead to potential problems associated with decreased water infiltration, gas exchange, rooting, and turfgrass quality caused by soil layering. Core-aerification and sand topdressing may help alleviate the problems associated with soil layering from the use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to evaluate the effects of sod establishment methods and post- establishment cultural practices on the infiltration rate, moisture content, divot resistance, …

The Evolution Of Rural Farming In The Scottish Highlands And The Arkansas Delta: Investments And Inequalities, Madalyn Watkins

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The development and evolution of an agricultural system is influenced by many factors including binding constraints (limiting factors), choice of investments, and historic presence of land and income inequality. This study analyzed the development of two farming systems: mechanized, “economies of scale” farming in the Arkansas Delta and crofting in the Scottish Highlands. The study hypothesized that the current farm size in each region can be partially attributed to the binding constraints of either land or labor. In Scotland, it was found that the continuous binding constraint was the availability of arable land. In Arkansas, the binding constraint began as …

Identification And Confirmation Of Ssr Markers And Qtl For Seed Calcium Content And Hardness Of Soybean, Moldir Orazaly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The health benefits and the nutritional values of soyfood products have expanded the demand for food-grade soybean varieties. For whole soyfood products such as natto, small seeded varieties with proper texture are essential. Seed calcium content and hardness are main factors in determining the seed texture. Utilizing molecular markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for marker assisted selection (MAS) has been an efficient technique for breeders. To find molecular markers associated with a trait is an initial step. The confirmation of QTL in different environments and in different genetic backgrounds is important for MAS. The objectives of this research …

Modifying The Fatty Acid Profile Of Soybean Oil For Nutritional And Industrial Applications, Hyunwoo Park

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

The objectives of this study are: 1. To develop of soybean oil low in palmitic acid and elevated in stearic and oleic acids for margarine source. 2. To produce the high omega-3 fatty acid and astaxanthin in soybean seed as a feedstock for aquaculture. Over expression of mangosteen stearoyl-ACP thioesterase gene increased stearic acid content up to 10% to 15%. The identified elevated stearic acid events were crossed with our high oleic acid/low palmitic acid event. Average stearic and oleic acid content ranged 14 to 19% and 68 to 73% respectively. Stearic acid content of elevated stearic acid soybean event …

Ecology And Integrated Pest Management Of Western Bean Cutworm Striacosta Albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In Field Corn, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a native pest of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and corn (Zea mays L.), and historically distributed in the western United States. The insect’s recent expansion eastward is documented since 1999. The species is univoltine, the adults typically emerge in the middle of July, lay eggs on corn leaves, and the larvae feed on different corn tissues. In the fourth instar, larvae start colonization of the ear where they feed on kernels. There is a narrow window for management and early detection of the pest in the field is …

Insecticidal Control Of Bemisia Tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Transmitting Carlavirus On Soybeans And Detection Of The Virus In Alternate Hosts, Difabachew K. Belay, Randy M. Huckaba, Axel M. Ramirez, Jose C. V. Rodrigues, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A Carlavirus transmitted by Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an important disease of soybean nurseries in Puerto Rico causing substantial germplasm losses. Insecticide bioassay experiments were conducted at Dow AgroSciences (DAS) Research Station, Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, either by spraying insecticides on B. tabaci infested soybean leaves or introducing B. tabaci adults onto insecticide-sprayed soybean leaves. Moreover, host plants were surveyed to detect the virus in overwintering hosts that serve as a source of inoculums. The direct spray experiment showed that Nuprid 2F (Imidacloprid), Capture 2 EC (Bifenthrin), Thionex (Endosulfan), Lannate LV (Methomyl), and Dimethoate gave good level ( …

Cotton Response To High Temperature Stress During Reproductive Development, Justin B. Phillips

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Temperature is a primary controller of the rate of plant growth, developmental events, and fruit maturation. Increased temperatures from global climate change are projected to cause substantial losses in crop productivity by the end of the twenty-first century. Elevated temperatures affect all stages of cotton development, but the crop seems to be particularly sensitive to adverse temperatures during reproductive development. In Arkansas, temperature stress is considered to be one of the main factors affecting cotton yield. Environmental stress during floral development is a major reason for the disparity between actual and potential yields. Field and growth chamber studies were conducted …

Weed Science Research Summaries 2011, K. L. Smith, J. A. Bullington, R. C. Doherty, J. R. Meier

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Multifunctionality In U.S. Rice Production: A Logit Analysis In Farmers Participation, Juan Tur Cardona

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctional agriculture is particularly fundamental to some working lands conservation policies and programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), Conservation Security Program (CSP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). Farmers can also be engaged in providing recreational and agri-tourism services such as hunting, fishing, bird-watching, farm tours, petting zoos and hospitality services. Using the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) we analyze factors associated with participation in conservation, recreation and agri-tourism activities as a function of farm structure, farm financial measures, production practices, and socio-demographic characteristics of the farm operator. To estimate the functional relationships we estimate a binary …

Effect Of Water-Deficit Stress On Cotton During Reproductive Development, Dimitra Loka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water deficit is a major abiotic factor limiting plant growth and crop productivity around the world. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is considered to be relatively tolerant to drought and the effects of water stress on leaf physiology and metabolism have been extensively documented. However, information is lacking on the effect of water-deficit stress on the cotton flower. It was hypothesized that water-deficit stress would impair gas exchange functions which consequently would result in perturbation of carbohydrates of cotton reproductive units. To investigate this hypothesis growth room studies and field studies were conducted with the objectives being to document the physiological …

Herbicide Resistance Mechanism(S) In Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne Ssp. Multiflorum) Populations In The Southern United States, Reiofeli Algodon Salas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Italian ryegrass is a principal weed problem in wheat production fields in the Southern US. Resistance to herbicides diclofop, mesosulfuron, and pinoxaden among ryegrass populations has been reported. Glyphosate-resistant Italian ryegrass populations were identified in Desha County, Arkansas. This research aimed to 1) determine resistance patterns to ACCase (diclofop and pinoxaden) and ALS (imazamox, mesosulfuron, and pyroxsulam) herbicides among Italian ryegrass populations from the southern US; 2) determine if cytochrome P450-mediated enhanced herbicide metabolism contributed to resistance; and 3) elucidate the resistance mechanism to glyphosate in four Arkansas populations (Des03, Des05, Des14, and D8). For objective 1, 30 accessions from …

Determining Compost Carryover For Optimal Use In An Organic Corn Squash Rotation, Davey J.R. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 2008–2011 a graduate project was undertaken by Davey Olsen under the supervision of Utah State University (USU) Plant, Soils and Climate professors, Drs. Jennifer Reeve, Dan Drost, and Astrid Jacobson. The project investigated a new way of measuring the benefits of applying compost to organically certified horticultural crops. In particular, the carryover of these benefits in the three years following a one-time application was studied. A field trial at the USU Organic Farm modeled the carryover of nitrogen and phosphorus in a corn and squash rotation, while laboratory analysis investigated aspects of nitrogen availability and compost decomposition over time. …

Uso De Molinos Cti Para La Producción Y Uso De Harina De Sorgo, Lily Lopez, Kris Duville, Carla Bermudez, Vilma Ruth Calderón, Lloyd Rooney

INTSORMIL Presentations

El aprovechamiento del sorgo para la alimentación humana permite agregar valor al cultivo y aumentar su rentabilidad, especialmente para pequeños y medianos productores, contribuyendo a la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional del país.

CENTA esta promoviendo el cultivo del sorgo como una alternativa para la produccion de alimentos en las areas rurales.

Desde 2010 cuando el trigo bajo de precio nuevamente, dejo de ser una alternativa para la sustitucion del trigo, pero se le han buscado mercados mas estables, personas alergicas al gluten, personas diabéticas, y productos nutritivos para corregir deficiencias nutricionales como la anemia por falta de hierro, productos artesanales …

Use Of Cti Grinders For Sorghum Flour Production And Utilization: Final Report, Vilma Ruth Calderón De Zacatares, Lily Marisol López, Kris Emillee Duville, Carla Elizabeth Bermúdez

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The use of sorghum for human consumption to add value to the crop and increase its profitability, especially for small and medium producers, has contributed to food security and nutrition in El Salvador. CENTA is promoting the cultivation of sorghum as an alternative to food production in rural and urban areas. Since 2010 when wheat prices lower again, sorghum was no more an alternative to replace wheat in certain types of food, but is being used in more stable markets, as people allergic to gluten, people with diabetes and to correct nutritional deficiencies such as iron deficiency anemia because of …

Sorghum Flour Production Manual For Compatible Technology International (Cti) Burr Grinders, Kris Emillee Duville

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The importance of sorghum in human nutrition and food security

The grinders of Compatible Technology International (CTI) were brought to El Salvador in 2009, for a project of CENTA-INTSORMIL/USAID to promote the grinding of sorghum for human nutrition. In 2011, ten of these grinders had been installed in small bakers associations, individual bakers, or persons producing ethnic drinks based on roasted and ground cereals. These people had been trained in sorghum use for human nutrition at the food technology laboratory of CENTA. The grinders are being used in areas were the access to other foods is limited and were sorghum …

Utilizacion De Molinos Cti Para La Produccion Artesanal De Harina De Sorgo, Vilma Ruth Calderón De Zacatares, Lily Marisol López, Kris Emillee Duville, Carla Elizabeth Bermúdez

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

El aprovechamiento del sorgo para la alimentación humana permite agregar valor al cultivo y aumentar su rentabilidad, especialmente para pequeños y medianos productores, contribuyendo a la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional en El Salvador. El CENTA esta promoviendo el cultivo del sorgo como una alternativa para la produccion de alimentos en las areas rurales y urbanas. Desde 2010 cuando el trigo bajo de precio nuevamente, dejo de ser una alternativa para la sustitucion por sorgo en ciertos tipos de alimentos, pero se esta utilizando en mercados mas estables, como personas alergicas al gluten, personas diabéticas y para corregir deficiencias nutricionales como …

Arkansas Turfgrass Report 2010, Douglas Karcher, Aaron Patton, Michael Richardson

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Strawberry Growth, Yield, Fruit Nutrition, And Control Of Verticillium Wilt With Pre-Plant Soil Fumigants, Ozone, And Biological Control, Justin J. Scurich

Master's Theses

Verticillium wilt is a widespread soilborne disease of strawberry historically controlled by soil fumigation with methyl bromide (MB). MB was banned by the United Nations in 1995 and will be completely phased out by 2015. Research has concentrated on alternative methods of disease control without finding a single alternative able to replace MB in widespread disease control and yield increase. For the current study, strawberries were greenhouse grown in container pots filled with soil from both infested and non-infested areas of a commercial strawberry field in Watsonville, CA. Treatments included pre-plant soil fumigation with commercially available formulations of methyl bromide, …

Potential For Barn Owl As Rodent Biological Control In Central California Vineyards, Hannah Tillmann

Biological Sciences

The pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) and voles (Microtus spp.) cause significant economic damage to vineyards. In response, many growers have taken steps to attract Barn Owls (Tyto alba) to their properties to help keep these rodent populations in check. This research project investigated Barn Owl consumption of pocket gophers and voles in Central California vineyards in order to assess the efficiency of this integrated pest management strategy. I collected a total of 715 owl pellets from five vineyard locations in Templeton and Paso Robles, California over an eight-month period during nesting and post-fledging seasons. I …

Spatial Genetic Variation Among Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Sampled From The United States, Puerto Rico, Panama, And Argentina, Difabachew K. Belay, Pete L. Clark, Steven R. Skoda, David J. Isenhour, Jaime Molina-Ochoa, Claudia Gianni, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spatial genetic variability of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was studied by collecting samples from 31 locations in the United States, Argentina, Panama, and Puerto Rico, and then using amplified fragment length polymorphism to detect genetic variation. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant genetic variation in fall armyworm among all (28%) sample locations and individuals within (71%) sample locations; genetic variation of fall armyworm was minimal between sample locations grouped into regions. The pairwise fixation index (F_ST) comparisons showed significant genetic differentiation (0.288) among the 31 locations. However, dendrograms of results from cluster …

Genetic Differentiation Of Western Corn Rootworm Populations (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Relative To Insecticide Resistance, Hong Chen, Haichuan Wang, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

As the single most important pest of field corn, Zea mays L., throughout most of the Corn Belt, the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has undergone repeated selection for resistance to a variety of insecticides that persist widely among Nebraska populations. In this study, we used 11 microsatellite markers to genotype two populations with high levels of resistance to methyl-parathion and aldrin (Polk and Stromsburg), two populations with low and intermediate levels of resistance (Mead and Clay Center) from Nebraska, and one population from outside the Corn Belt (Safford, Arizona). The genetic diversity measured by …

Wheat Variety Guide For Wa 2012, Brenda Shackley, Sarah Ellis, Christine Zaicou, Harmohinder Dhammu, Manisha Shankar, Mohammad Amjad

Bulletins 4000 -

The wheat variety guide summarises performance characteristics of commercially available wheats which have undergone testing in the National Variety Testing Project (NVT), and Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) wheat agronomy project.

This information includes variety summaries, agronomic, disease and herbicide tolerance characteristics and medium to long-term yield performance. There is a review of regional NVT performance, time of sowing experiments and observed flowering dates in 2011. By combining agronomy research outcomes with other related wheat research this document provides current information to assist with variety choice and management for 2012.

The Hormonal Characterization And Mapping Of A New Jasmonate Hypersensitive Mutant (Jah2) In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Hsin-Ho Wei

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

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a phytohormone that plays important roles in growth, development, and defense in plants. Although many functions and mechanisms of JA are known, some pathways are still unclear. One of the simplest approaches to understanding JA signal transduction is isolating mutants that respond abnormally to JA. From the defects of such mutants we can determine the regulatory functions of JA. jasmonate hypersensitive 2 (jah2) is a JA hypersensitive mutant. JA normally inhibits the root growth of plants and the jah2 mutant has an even shorter root compared with wild-type Col-0 (wild type) under the same …