Agriculture Commons^™

Urban Or Rural? Does It Matter To Bumble Bees An Analysis In Kalamazoo, Mi, Elizabeth M. Silber

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Bumble bee species are declining in vast geographical areas due to many factors, including reductions in suitable nest site locations and floral resources, as land uses shift toward urbanization and agricultural intensification. The potential for urban areas to support bumble bees is understudied. The purpose of this study was to see how environment type impacts bumble bee species richness, abundance, and diversity in both urban and rural environments. Data from private and public spaces was gathered through the usage of citizen science. Observations were solicited under a previously established iNaturalist citizen science project, Southwest Michigan Bee Watch, and past data …

Phosphours Trasnport In Soil: Locating And Identifying A Limiting Element, Jeremy Giannone

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The phosphorus (P) cycle is not well understood. While carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) have gas phases, P does not. Phosphorus runoff in waterways and its shortage are both understood since their causes are due to agricultural demands. Fertilizers increase the rate of phosphorus in the soil leading to greater runoff which then accumulates in the surrounding bodies of water.¹ From an economic perspective the phosphorus availability and food prices have a direct correlation. The instability of phosphate prices may have direct causation to the instability of the food and agriculture markets.²In order to deal with these …

Efficacy Of Biocontrol Against Chrysomelid Pests In Lab Vs Field Studies: Potential Biases Of Setting And Phylogenetic Subgroups, Blake Hudson

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The beetle family Chrysomelidae is a speciose group of voracious herbivores with a wide number of ecological implications. While some Chrysomelid species have been introduced or augmented as biological control agents of invasive plants, many other species have found success as economically important pests of field crops and stored grains, leading to severe yield losses in cucurbits, legumes, and other systems. Controlling such pests, especially in the field, is particularly difficult due to the timing of their complex life cycles, the fossorial nature of many species’ larvae, and ability to produce multiple generations in a single growing season. This study …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 4, April 2023, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

Contents

K-12 curriculum and resources

Career exploration: pathways for students who like animals and insects

CASNR six interest areas: analytical investigators, health systems innovators, food systems futurists, environmental stewards, entrepreneurial designers, community leaders

Analytical investigators careers spotlight: UNL statistics, forensic science, agricultural economics

Teacher and student opportunities: applied science program for flexible schooling, student summer opportunities, young Nebraska scientists summer camps

2023 Little International Agricultural Exposition Catalog, Little International Agricultural Exposition South Dakota State University

Little International "Little I" Agricultural Exposition Catalogs

This is the catalog for the 100th Little International 'Little I' Agricultural Exposition, held on March 31 & April 1, 2023.

Ecological Living In Nepali Food Systems: A Synthesis Of Circular Nutrient And Knowledge Flows In The Kathmandu Valley, Kaitlyn Feely

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Researching food-systems in Nepal can feel like drinking from a fire hydrant. Sixty-six percent of the population is directly involved in agriculture and a diverse set of ecocultural understandings influence the practice across the country’s landscapes, ranging from the Himalayas to urban centers to southern plains. In the Kathmandu Valley and peripheral hills where I conducted my research, seemingly any spare land was under cultivation, enabled by fertile ground, optimal climate, and market potential. But despite the prevalence of farming in daily life throughout the country, Nepal’s food system is not domestically self-sufficient. A complex web of imports and exports …

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2023

Louisiana Agriculture

In this issue of Louisiana Agriculture, Carl Motsenbocker, the executive director of Seeds to Success, and Crystal Besse, the program director, explain how local food systems are seeing a resurgence. The Seeds to Success team details how the farm to school movement is assisting this growth. They also profile the people who work to make it possible — a teacher, farmers and an AgCenter Extension agent. In additional articles, researchers examine the economic benefits of farm to school programs as well as soil mixes for home gardeners and the media used by our consumer horticulture industry.

Experimentation On Nebraska Farms For Sustaining Soil Health Management, Fernanda Souza Krupek

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

Soil health management practices have increasingly been promoted across US agroecosystems to address many interrelated environmental and economic food system challenges. Sustaining conservation behavior – through farmer’s adoption and continued use of practices – is key for achieving many soil health-related intended social-ecological benefits. Using a range of scientific methods, from lab-based experiments to on-farm research to farmer interviews, the overall objective of this dissertation research was to explore soil and human dimension considerations to design farming and knowledge transfer systems for sustaining soil health management in the US Midwest. In a multivariate analysis of ten on-farm research sites, we …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2022, F. Bourland, A. Beach, B. Milano, B. Guest, C. Kennedy, L. Martin, B. Robertson

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. These annual evaluations will then facilitate the inclusion of new, improved genetic material in Arkansas cotton production. Adaptation of varieties is determined by evaluating the lines at five University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research sites (Manila, Keiser, Judd Hill, Marianna, and Rohwer). The 2022 tests at Rohwer were adversely affected …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2023), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 3 Developing Climate-Smart Beef and Bison Commodities
[Page] 5 Joseph Cassady Leads CAFES as New Dean
[Page] 7 Inaugural Class of Klingbeil Scholars
[Page] 9 Jackrabbits to Future Veterinarians
[Page] 11 Protecting South Dakota’s Grasslands
[Page] 13 Growing Youth Programs
[Page] 15 Partnerships for Positive Growth
[Page] 17 Building Highly Effective Boards
[Page] 19 SDSU Extension Podcasts
[Page] 21 Providing Good Food for All
[Page] 23 Improving Seed Varieties
[Page] 25 CAFES Endowed Positions
[Page] 29 Jackrabbits Now and Then

Regenerative Farming Practices: How Much Carbon Do They Sequester?, Andrew M. Havens

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

Along with the recent rise of voluntary carbon markets comes potential carbon credit producers seeking reliable information on how much carbon they can expect to sequester. In this thesis a distribution of expected sequestration outcomes is constructed using cost-benefit analysis and data gathered from agronomic experiments and land-grant university crop budgets for cover crops and no-till practices. The inverse cumulative distribution of carbon sequestration outcomes from adopting a regenerative agricultural practice is visualized and the net social benefit of paying farmers to produce carbon credits is estimated. Results show that on average there is between $29.02 and $37.20 of social …

Agroforestry For The Future: Motivations Behind Tasmanian Farmers Planting Trees, Josh Lipp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Agroforestry is the act of combining farming and tree planting, and many Tasmanian farmers are starting to plant trees on their properties for multiple reasons. Through conducting 9 interviews with farmers and researchers and visiting field sites, 3 main themes were identified to answer the question: why are Tasmanian farmers planting trees, and what are the benefits and downsides to agroforestry? Interviews help us understand farmers’ perceptions of agroforestry, and field data collection will prove the benefits of agroforestry in the future. Tasmania was chosen as the location of study as it is a state in Australia that largely focuses …

A Comparative Plague Study Of Cacao Fungal Disease In Cacao Pods Within Monocultures And Indigenous Agroforests In Ecuador’S Napo Province, Seamus Mccarthy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study analyzes the composition of three major fungal diseases in Theobroma cacao fruits compared between monocultures and chakra agroforests in the Napo province of Ecuador with the goal of noting similarities and differences in the disease composition between the two systems, as well as investigate possible variation within this poorly understood category of agroforest to better structure future studies. Cacao pods on sampled trees were counted and fungal infections identified visually and by touch. Chakra systems were selected in the communities of Cinco de Enero and Seis de Marzo to the Southwest of Tena, Ecuador. Monoculture data was collected …

Temperature Effects On Yield Of Ideal Wheat Cultivars, Jeffrey Jiang

Senior Theses

North American wheat growing areas show variation in many different factors, one of the most varied and important being temperature. Temperature is well established to correlate with yield. Given data from the Uniform Soft Red Winter Wheat Nursery and independently gathered data from government-owned weather stations, I explored possible correlations between temperature and wheat yield that can be extrapolated to areas that are not covered by the Uniform Soft Red Winter Wheat Nursery database. My analysis did not reveal strong correlations between temperature and growth, and in some cases, the sample size was too small. From this study, it was …

Consultation For Proposed 2023/24 Declared Pest Rates Statistical Summary - 14 April To 15 May 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Before determining a rate, the Minister for Agriculture and Food is required to consult with owners of the land to be rated, as described in the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (Declared Pest Account) Regulations 2014 (the Regulations).

The annual process for consultation enables the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to gauge landholder perception on the Declared Pest Rate (DPR). This information is used to inform decisions regarding the DPR and associated biosecurity objectives.

Aloe Barbadensis Rinds Employ Physical And Chemical Defense Mechanisms Against Insect Herbivores With Varying Success, Zachary Johnson, Ishveen Kaur, Fernando Castillo, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Plants deter herbivory through a suite of physical and chemical defenses. While most studies have focused on understanding one or the other, efficient plant defense against herbivory is often cumulative. To examine this, we used Aloe barbadensis (Asphodelaceae) as a model, since in natural settings, the species is found to be well-defended against insect herbivores. To start with, we hypothesized that the epicuticular wax potentially plays an important role in herbivore defense as the major physical defense. To test our hypothesis, we conducted bioactivity-guided extraction and polarity-based fractionation of A. barbadensis rinds. We then mixed them into an artificial diet, …

Morphological And Physiological Responses Of A Halophyte (Atriplex Halimus) To The Effect Of Heavy Metal Case Of Cadmium, Abderrezzeq Chebout, Hana Souahi, Zahia Kadi, Rania Gacem

Journal of Bioresource Management

Today, cadmium (Cd) contamination challenges the environmental quality and food security. This experiment was realized to study the morphological and physiological response of the halophyte species Atriplex halimus L to cadmium toxicity by applying different concentrations of Cd (0, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 ppm) on the plant A.halimus for two weeks after 60 days of seeding. The morphological parameters and physiological wish evaluated the stem length (SL), root length (RL), leaf area (LA), chlorophylls (a, b, t and carotenoids), and the relative water content (RWC). The results show a decrease in stem elongation, (11.333 ± 3.512 cm in Cd treatments …

Rearing Of Trilocha Varians (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) On Ficus Benjamina And Its Parasitization With Trichogramma Chilonis, Hafiz Muhammad Sajid Ali, Amna Batool, Zeeshan Javed, Abdul Ghaffar, Usama Saleem, Mubshar Saleem, Muhammad Kashif, Sajid Abbas Khan, Muhammad Ramzan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Ficus benjamina commonly known as weeping fig is an ornamental that planted alongside the road to increase the aesthetic value. Leaf eating caterpillar, Trilocha varians was observed on Ficus benjamina and many other ornamental plants in the surrounding area of Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University. Large larval population was recorded on fig plants with 100 % defoliation. The rearing of Trilocha varians on F. benjamina was carried out under controlled conditions and parasitism of Trichogramma chilonis on eggs were checked. Incubation period was 5-6 days while single female laid 150-210 eggs in her whole life period. With five larval instars, duration …

Phenotypic Diversity Among Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) Germplasm Of Pakistan, Shumaila Khalil, Shazia Erum, Mahrine Rashid, Arifa Khan, Asif Javaid, Areej Abbasi, Irum Raza

Journal of Bioresource Management

Fennel is facing continuous challenge with reference to biotic and abiotic stresses that can be solved with the knowledge of available germplasm of fennel in the country or worldwide. Selection of fennel genotype on the basis of research interest can never been accomplished without gene pool. The aim of the present study was to explore the phenotypic diversity among selective fennel accession and identify lines having high yielding potential. In the present study thirty fennel accessions were sown in PGRI, NARC. Irrigation practice was carried out during the growing period. Data was recorded during different growth stages and after harvesting. …

Effects Of Fertilizers On Copper And Nickel Accumulation And Human Health Risk Assessment Of Vegetables And Food Crops, Kafeel Ahmad, Sana Rani, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Shahzad Akhtar, Asma Ashfaq, Iqra Anwar, Hafsa Memona, Aima Iram Batool, Muhammad Nadeem, Javed Shoukat, Ijaz Rasool Noorka, Shahzadi Mahpara, Mumtaz Akhtar, Muhammad Ameer Hamza, Ilker Ugulu, Hamid Raza, Iram Saba, Abrar Hussain, Shamayem Aslam, Mobeen Fatima, Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan, Anum Bashir

Journal of Bioresource Management

Despite the fact that fertilizers have been used for millennia for sustainable crop production, this high and considerable dependence on fertilizers heightens environmental concerns with the indirect human exposure due to accumulation of toxins in food chain via soil contamination. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the application of fertilizers to the soil and their effect on the accumulation of copper and nickel in spinach (Spinacia oleracea), garlic (Allium sativum), wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), and barley (Hordeum vulgare); as well as potential health concerns associated with …