Agriculture Commons^™

Assessing Consumer Demand, Producer Profitability, And The Environmental Impacts Of Conservation Agriculture Adoption In Sub-Saharan Africa, Willy Byamungu Mulimbi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores three aspects of conservation agriculture (CA) in the Sub-Saharan African region (SSA). The first article examines the demand side of CA and explores whether urban maize (Zea mays L.) consumers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would be willing to pay a premium for CA-produced maize flour. The second article estimates the effects CA provides to adopters and their farms in smallholder farming systems in the DRC, focusing on changes in soil properties and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) yields. The final article uses a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to monetize the environmental impacts of adopting …

Effects Of Shade Nets On Microclimatic Conditions, Growth, Fruit Yield, And Quality Of Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.): A Case Study In Carnarvon, Western Australia, Giao N. Nguyen, Neil Lantzke, Andrew Van Burgel

Horticulture Research Articles

Carnarvon has a hot, semi-arid climate with high temperatures and solar radiation during spring–summer, which damages crops and limits the production season for the local vegetable industry. Protective cultivation is one of the promising approaches to mitigate these adverse weather conditions and avoid the resulting damage to vegetable crops. This study, which is part of the protected cropping research program for vegetable crops in Western Australia, was conducted to understand how the shade nets of a protective net house modify the microenvironment affecting the growth, physiology, and fruit yield of eggplants, a model vegetable crop. The eggplant crop was grown …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Edition 7, August 2022, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

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

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this issue:

How can we support you and your students in the 2022-2023 school year?

UNL CASNR Teaching and Learning K-12 Partners website is live

Eye on curriculum and resources

Curriculum and classroom resources for all levels

Biological Systems Engineering announcement

Teacher opportunities

Link to list of new partnerships

Ask an expert

Eye on CASNR research: Erin Blankenship

Student experiences

Send …

Land Use/ Land Cover Change Patterns And Trends In Two Dryland Regions, Omar Sulaiman Belhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Development and climate change affect the environment in numerous ways and to varyingdegrees. This effect appears prominent and more influential in arid regions. Therefore, land use/ land cover in these regions experience profound changes such as plant cover decrease and extinction of some plant species. Also, land use/ land cover in these regions has critical impacts on the environment and its components, such as shrublands shrinking and losing the habitat of animal species. The degree of changes and effects reaches severe levels that become urgent to figure out the impacts and find solutions to stop or mitigate the negative consequences. …

Characterization And Selection Of Hop Cultivars Adapted To Nebraska, Kristina Alas

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

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an ingredient in the beer brewing industry that provides beer its flavor and aroma. High demand from the brewing industry has encouraged production outside of the traditional Pacific Northwest, the primary production region. Producers in the Midwest are attempting to grow cultivars adapted to the Pacific Northwest, but environmental differences have caused low yields and changes in secondary metabolite content. To aid producers, a regional breeding program was initiated to develop cultivars adapted to the Midwest. Success of any breeding program relies on the selection of genetically superior parents to generate progeny with the …

Muscadine Grapes: Identifying Unique Attributes And Postharvest Practices, John Cody Rawls

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arkansas has a long history of grape and wine production, and muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.), a native disease-resistant grape, are an important part of that industry. Muscadine grapes can be sold as a fresh-market grape or made into juice, wine, and other products. Additionally, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UA System) breeding program has a focus on creating new muscadine cultivars with commercial potential. The objectives of this research were to evaluate muscadine grape genotypes (cultivars and breeding selections) for fresh market consumption and wine production in 2020 and 2021. 33 seeded and seedless genotypes of …

Exploring Generativity In Young Adults: A Grounded Theory Study, Addison Sellon

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Generativity expresses one’s level of care and concern for the next generation (Erikson, 1950, 1963). Initially established as a middle adulthood phenomenon, generativity has long been rooted in a middle adulthood framework both conceptually and through its psychometric dimensions. However, many studies have found generativity to be present in other stages of life, particularly young adulthood. This then raised the question of whether the traditional model used for generativity’s manifestation represents young adults’ experiences. This study sought further to explore generativity’s manifestation in a way that is specific to young adults. Applying traditional grounded theory techniques, the present research reanalyzed …

Societal Sustainability: Projects To Address The Three Dimensions Of A Sustainable Future, Braden K. Bateman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is an important, commonly discussed societal goal regarding assurance of resources for the world to be able to enjoy a prosperous future. Three primary dimensions of sustainability include environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and objectives for various projects can be aimed at any of the three dimensions to pursue societal sustainability. Solar installations, which can be used to pursue environmental and economic sustainability, convert abundant sunlight to electricity, displacing fossil fuel use that contributes harmful greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The regulatory environment at the state level has a significant impact on the feasibility of solar projects. At present, …

The Genetic Basis For Panicle Trait Variation In Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum), Li Zhang, Alice Macqueen, Xiaoyu Weng, Kathrine D. Behrman, Jason Bonnette, John L. Reilley, Francis M. Rouquette, Philip A. Fay, Yanqi Wu, Felix B. Fritschi, Robert B. Mitchell, David B. Lowry, Arvid R. Boe, Thomas E. Juenger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Key message: We investigate the genetic basis of panicle architecture in switchgrass in two mapping populations across a latitudinal gradient, and find many stable, repeatable genetic effects and limited genetic interactions with the environment. Abstract: Grass species exhibit large diversity in panicle architecture influenced by genes, the environment, and their interaction. The genetic study of panicle architecture in perennial grasses is limited. In this study, we evaluate the genetic basis of panicle architecture including panicle length, primary branching number, and secondary branching number in an outcrossed switchgrass QTL population grown across ten field sites in the central USA through multi-environment …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 12 - August 2022, Alan Lord, Ciara Beard, Cindy L. Webster

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 12 - August 2022 contents:

• Native budworm activity update
• Sclerotinia update
• Oat disease webinar recording can now be viewed online
• Explainer video for new PestFacts WA Reporter app

Pestfacts Wa Issue 14 - August 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Alan Lord, Lizzy Lowe, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 14 - August 2022 contents:

• Russian wheat aphid activity update
• Native budworm moth numbers are increasing
• Beneficials insecticide toxicity table
• Late season wheat powdery mildew management

What Is The Value Of Ethanol To Nebraska Corn Producers?, Austin Harthoorn

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

In this thesis, we examine the role of local ethanol plants on net price received by Nebraskan corn growers, with net price comprised of the grain buyer’s bid onsite less the transportation cost incurred through delivery. As each farm operation is uniquely located between different sets of grain buyers, an ethanol plant impacts each grower’s net price to a different degree, depending on location. Exploring this, we use grain bid and transportation cost data based on actual ethanol plants, grain elevators, and sample farm locations in Nebraska, estimating the diversely located corn grower’s net prices received from surrounding grain buyers. …

Cecl For Financial Institutions: An Analysis Of The Scale Method, Jared Stauffer

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

Released by the Federal Reserve Bank in June of 2021, the Scaled CECL Allowance for Loss Estimator (SCALE) is meant to assist community banks implementing the new Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) accounting standard. The efficacy of this method is important to community banks and financial institutions considering the use of SCALE to estimate expected future losses. Using quarterly Call Report data, two separate analyses of the SCALE method are conducted. First for qualifying community banks and second for Farm Credit Services of America, an agricultural credit association within the Farm Credit System. For the first quarter of 2022, both …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 13 - August 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Dusty Severtson, Alan Lord, Andrea Hills

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 13 - August 2022 contents:

• Identifying caterpillars in cereal crops
• Diamondback moth update
• Native budworm
• Wheat powdery mildew fungicide resistance testing

Quantifying And Predicting Drought Performance In Woody Semi-Arid Seedlings In South Texas: Implications For Enhancing Drought Resilience In Restoration, Zarek Contreras

Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly frequent and severe droughts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge have been observed to cause large variation in species-specific mortality patterns in young seedlings, spanning 6 – 43 % mortality within the first year. To understand the underlying mechanisms behind this, we subjected seedlings of five woody semi-arid species (Celtis pallida, Forestiera angustifolia, Sideroxylon celastrinum, Phaulothalmnus spinescens, and Zanthoxylum fagara) to a point-of-no-return drought experiment in order to (1) identify potential metrics capable of predicting species wilting and mortality responses, and (2) to understand the underlying mechanisms that correspond to species drought performance …

Revealing The Effects Of Climate Change And Fungicides On Soil Microbial Communities In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Armida Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Fungicide applications are effective to prevent fungal pathogens that are known to cause crop damage and decrease yields. However, these pesticides can exert toxic or inhibitory effects on non-targeted organisms such as soil microbial communities. In addition, it is unknown to what extent shifts in temperature and soil moisture resulting from global climate change, alter the activities of non-targeted soil organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil biological parameters such as soil respiration and enzyme activities involved in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous (Beta-glucosidase, Fluorescein Diacetate (FDA) Hydrolysis, urease, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and N-acetyl-Beta-glucosaminidase) …

An Intergenerational Study Of The Entrepreneurial Nature Of Agritourism Operators, Will Culler

All Dissertations

Economic and non-economic trends have left farm operators of all ages contemplating enterprise diversification strategies to create advantages and to ensure their farms' sustainability for future generations. One such strategy is agritourism, in which a visitor to a working farm or other agricultural setting interacts with the farm landscape or participates in an agricultural process for tourism or leisure purposes. This study aims to contribute to academics, researchers, extension educators, practitioners, and farm service providers who offer training and resources to better equip current and future agritourism operators. The study tested the general hypothesis that agritourism operators' entrepreneurial goals and …

Evaluation Of The Feeding Value Of Proso Millet In Growing-Finishing Diets For Pigs And Effects Of Feed Ingredients And Medium-Chain Fatty Acids On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Survivability, Khang Nguyen

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of the project were to: 1) evaluate the feeding value of proso millet as a potential substitute for corn in corn-soybean meal-based diets for pigs; and 2) investigate the relationship between feed ingredients and virus survivability, followed by examining feed additive candidates that could mitigate the risk of transmission of viral pathogens.

In Exp. 1, 36 barrows were fed 1 of 4 dietary treatments, including: Diet 1, corn-soybean meal-based (control), and Diets 2, 3, and 4 had proso millet replacing 33%, 67%, and 100% of corn in the control diet, respectively. During Phase 3, pigs consuming the proso …

Impact Of Increasing Level Of Milk Production On Cow And Calf Behavior And Performance In The Nebraska Sandhills, Selby L. Boerman

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Selection for increased milk production across the United States has resulted in variable cow and calf production responses. Better understanding of calf nursing and grazing behaviors may provide opportunities to help estimate how milk and grazed forage intake influence variability in calf performance. In a 2-yr study, cow-calf pairs (n = 65) were equipped with neck collars containing global positioning system (GPS) units to validate the efficacy of high-frequency GPS data to accurately identify calf nursing events and grazing behavior. Data were collected during 3-wk tracking periods during early lactation (calf age 65.4 ± 10.0 d; EARLY) and late …

Using Strategic Supplementation To Enhance Cow/Calf Productivity In Summer Calving Herds In The Nebraska Sandhills, Nicole M. Woita

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Young range beef cows consuming low-quality forage may result in an imbalance of energy and metabolizable protein, which can negatively affect the nutrient status of the cow and reproductive performance. In a 2-yr study conducted at Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, NE, 2- and 3-yr-old May-calving range cows (n = 181) grazing native range were individually supplemented daily with one of four supplements: 1) mineral with a target intake of 113 g/d (MIN), 2) MIN with 200 mg per head of Rumensin to with a target intake of 113 g/d (RUM), 3) MIN with a 226 g/d of high …