Agriculture Commons^™

Interdisciplinary Team Addresses Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus In Alabama, Kassie N. Conner, Edward Sikora, Jenny Koebernick, Marcio Zaccaron

Journal of Extension

A multi-state and interdisciplinary team was formed to address the Extension and research needs of CLRDV, an emerging cotton disease with high potential impact for U.S. cotton production. In 2017, CLRDV was identified in AL and Auburn University immediately formed an interdisciplinary working group composed of plant breeders, plant pathologists, entomologists, and agronomists. Since then, scientists from ten other states have joined the CLRDV group. Thus, allowing research to be coordinated efficiently and best deploy limited resources to attend the stakeholder’s needs. The CLRDV group produces and shares new and relevant information with the scientific community and cotton producers alike.

Perceptions And Management Of Ventenata By Producers In The Inland Pacific Northwest, Lisa Jones, John Wallace, Kathleen Painter, Pamela Pavek, Timothy S. Prather

Journal of Extension

Ventenata is an annual grass that has invaded agricultural and wildland settings in the Inland Pacific Northwest, causing economic and ecological losses. We know little about producers’ perceived risks and management of ventenata. We present results of surveys in 2011 and 2014 targeting producers across affected counties in Idaho and Washington. Awareness of ventenata and costs to producers increased across that time interval. Respondents attending ventenata Extension events adopted recommended management strategies more than those who did not attend. Our study documents the importance of continued integrated pest management research in concert with stakeholder engagement and education.

Expanding Effective Behavioral Health Literacy Programs To Address Farm Stress, Cheryl L. Eschbach, Courtney Cuthbertson, Gwyn Shelle, Ronald O. Bates

Journal of Extension

Attention to stress and mental health among agricultural producers has increased over recent years, and Cooperative Extension has been active in offering educational workshops and resources to agricultural audiences. This article describes the process and effectiveness of expanding two (university) Extension farm stress management programs to Cooperative Extension in other states through a national Farm Stress Management Summit. The two-day training Summit provided deeper knowledge about farm stress issues and prepared Extension professionals to offer behavioral health programs in their own communities and respective states. Evaluation findings highlight effective aspects of the Summit and next steps.

The Adoption Of Food Safety Practices And The Implications Of Regulation For Small Scale Farms, Elizabeth Canales, Juan Silva, Joy Anderson

Journal of Extension

In this article we examine the adoption of food safety practices among produce growers in the south and discuss implications of food safety regulations in the U.S. Produce growers have adopted standard food safety practices to varying degrees, but there is still an adoption gap, particularly among small scale operations. Market-driven and regulatory food safety enforcement continues to tighten, and this can further hinder market access for small scale producers.

Identification Of Putative Snp Markers Associated With Resistance To Egyptian Loose Smut Race(S) In Spring Barley, Kamal A.M. Abo-Elyousr, Amira M.I. Mourad, P. Stephen Baenziger, Abdelaal H.A. Shehata, Peter E. Eckstein, Aaron D. Beattie, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Loose smut (LS) disease is a serious problem that affects barley yield. Breeding of resistant cultivars and identifying new genes controlling LS has received very little attention. Therefore, it is important to understand the genetic basis of LS control in order to genetically improve LS resistance. To address this challenge, a set of 57 highly diverse barley genotypes were inoculated with Egyptian loose smut race(s) and the infected seeds/plants were evaluated in two growing seasons. Loose smut resistance (%) was scored on each genotype. High genetic variation was found among all tested genotypes indicating considerable differences in LS resistance that …

Toxicity Of Four New Chemistry Insecticides Against Spodoptera Litura (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions, Ali Ahmad, Nawwal Kaleem Butt, Muhammad Aqib Idrees, Najmul Hassan, Muhammad Raheel Saleem, Muhammad Umair Ali, Muhammad Ramzan, Ali Asnan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Leaf worm, Spodoptera litura is one of the most destructive insect pests of several agricultural and horticultural crops all over the world including Pakistan. Insecticides have been widely used against different instar larvae of S. litura to minimize the pest population on various crops. New chemistry insecticides were tested to check their toxicity against S. litura on cabbage under laboratory conditions during 2019. Emamectin benzoate was highly toxic followed by chlorantraniliprole, flubendiamide and fipronil. LC₅₀ and LC ₉₀ values of emamectin benzoate were 30.54, 19.73 ppm and 459.07 and 275.65ppm after 24 and 48 h, respectively. 100% mortality of …

An Investigation Of Weeds In The Wheat Crops In Tehsil Paharpur District Dera Ismail Khan, Nazish Akhtar, Samreen Afzal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Weed infestation is a serious problem for crop yield. It causes a huge yield loss. A comprehensive study to investigate the main wheat weeds within Tehsil Pharpur (Dhakki, Headbilot, Dhupsari, Malakheil, Kalapani, Laar, Rakh Bandkura) in the Dera Ismail Khan region was conducted during the 2020-21 harvest. About 21 species were collected and the weeds competed with the wheat crop for nutrients, water, and light and disrupted the wheat crop. Data was collected in a weed growth phase and a quadratic method was used. Homophobic (RD), relative frequency (RF), relative coefficient (RCC), and value index (IVI) were recorded. It was …

Comparative Efficacy Of Insecticides Against Cabbage Aphid Brevicoryne Brassicae, A Pest Of Oilseed Rape, Brassica Napus (L.) Under Controlled Conditions, Hassoba Hira, Habib Ali, Arbab Ihsan, Zunnu Raen Akhtar, Salma Ameer, Muhammad Yasin, Asim Ali, Shanzay Nawaz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Rapeseed and mustard is the same group of oilseed crops (Brassica sp.) as well as a significant source of edible oil in Pakistan. The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae is considered a major insect pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. and causes significant yield loss. An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of four insecticidal treatments i.e. Confidor 200 SL (imidacloprid), Mospilan 20 SP (acetamiprid), Arrivo (cypermethrin), Triazophos 40 EC (triazophos) at low to high concentrations along with control treatment to estimate the efficacy of canola leaves against aphid population. Among all insecticide applications …

Grocery Store Transitions To Multi-Ownership: Opportunities And Challenges, Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

Independent grocery stores, stores whose owners operate fewer than four outlets, play a vital role in Nebraska communities. These stores help ensure food access for residents, particularly in rural areas. The recent decline in Nebraska’s total number of rural grocery stores is attributed to the closure of these independent stores, which are often owned by individuals or small groups. Finding qualified, motivated owners to purchase and operate independent grocery stores presents pressing challenges for many rural communities. Despite challenges, research shows that rural Nebraska communities perceive their independent grocery store to be an important community amenity. This suggests rural communities …

Efficacy Of Botanical Plant Extracts On The Population Dynamics Of Cotton Aphid, Aphis Gossypii Glover (Hemiptera; Aphididae), Habib Ali, Salma Ameer, Muhammad Qasim, Sajid Fiaz, Shahbaz Ali, Adnan Noor Shah, Saqlain Zaheer, Basharat Ali, Muhaamad Nawaz, Yasir Ali, Nazir Ahmad

Journal of Bioresource Management

Synthetic pesticides are excessively consumed to control crop pests but abundant use of chemicals may implicate the whole ecosystem badly in the end. Despite the growing concern, few natural products are commercialized for pest control whilst on-farm use of existing botanically-based pesticides remains a small, but growing, component of crop protection practice. The experiment was conducted to assess the potential trade-offs of using botanical extracts (Neem leaf extract, NLE, and Moringa leaf extract, MLE) along with synthetic insecticide, Confidor 200 SL, against Aphis gossypii Glover. Meanwhile, impact of these insecticides on natural enemies were also determined in the field experiment. …

Clearing The Air Between Methane And Commercial Beef Cattle In Ireland, Clodagh V. Ryan

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background

Rumen methanogenesis is the single most significant source of anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions. This research aimed to analyse CH₄ data recorded by GreenFeed systems by assessing the repeatability of such phenotypic measures, estimating the heritability of CH₄, and generating CH₄ estimated breeding values (EBVs) for inclusion in the national breeding index_.

Methods

CH₄ measurements were recorded on 979 cattle for 20 to 83 days using GreenFeed machines, resulting in 211,136 individual CH₄ observations. The phenotypic repeatability of CH₄ was estimated for six different averaging periods using a linear mixed …

Validation Of The Irish National Sheep Genetic Evaluations, Niamh Barry

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background: In Ireland, national sheep genetic evaluations have been implemented since 2009, however, to date no large scale study has been undertaken to investigate the accuracy of genetic evaluations in a large multi-breed population. The aim of this study was to validate the estimated breeding values (EBV) on a range of traits, using national data comprising 203,469 records across a range of phenotypic traits from 9,377 flocks.

Methods: The association between direct and maternal EBV on a range of lamb growth traits was quantified using a fixed effects model. For the lambing traits the association between direct and maternal EBV …

An Investigation Of The Novel Use Of Bacteriophages To Diagnose And Treat Johne's Disease In Cattle, Max Kevane-Campbell

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Johne’s disease is a scourge to dairy farmers all over the world. It is an infectious disease that causes chronic inflammation and lesions along the inside of the small intestine of, primarily, ruminant animals (i.e., cattle and sheep). It is an incurable disease and urgently requires new and radical intervention strategies. Apart from careful on-site farm management practices, little can be offered to farmers to reduce the risk of infection, and nothing short of livestock culling is effective once an animal becomes infected. Currently, there are no vaccines licensed in Ireland or antibiotic treatment strategies available for Johne’s disease. This …

Compensatory Phenolic Induction Dynamics In Aspen After Aphid Infestation, Rajarshi Kumar Gaur, Ilka Nacif De Abreu, Benedicte Riber Albrectsen

Aspen Bibliography

Condensed tannins (CTs) are polyphenolics and part of the total phenolic (TP) pool that shape resistance in aspen (Populus tremula). CTs are negatively associated with pathogens, but their resistance properties against herbivores are less understood. CTs shape resistance to pathogens and chewing herbivores and could also shape resistance to aphids. Being chemical pools that are highly variable it can further be questioned whether CT-shaped resistance is better described by constitutive levels, by the induced response potential, or by both. Here, aspen genotypes were propagated and selected to represent a range of inherent abilities to produce and store foliar …

The Coming Global Food Crisis, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

Inflation driven by rising prices for food, energy, and other consumer goods has become a major concern in the United States and other high-income countries. A far more serious issue is the effect of rising food prices on low-income households in many developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Global food prices had been rising in 2020 and 2021 as a result of supply shortages caused by adverse weather conditions exacerbated by climate change, war and civil strife in various countries, and economic shocks in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent disruption of global supply chains …

Sorghum Association Panel Whole-Genome Sequencing Establishes Cornerstone Resource For Dissecting Genomic Diversity, J. Lucas Boatwright, Sirjan Sapkota, Hongyu Jin, James C. Schnable, Zachary Brenton, Richard Boyles, Stephen Kresovich

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Association mapping panels represent foundational resources for understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic diversity and serve to advance plant breeding by exploring genetic variation across diverse accessions. We report the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 400 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) accessions from the Sorghum Association Panel (SAP) at an average coverage of 38× (25–72×), enabling the development of a high-density genomic marker set of 43 983 694 variants including single-nucleotide polymorphisms (approximately 38 million), insertions/deletions (indels) (approximately 5 million), and copy number variants (CNVs) (approximately 170 000). We observe slightly more deletions among indels and a much higher prevalence …

Nutrient Management For Recirculating Hydroponics, Noah J. Langenfeld, Lauren E. Payne, Bruce Bugbee

Hydroponics/Soilless Media

Steady-state nutrient management is essential in hydroponic culture. Determination of an appropriate refill solution is attained using the principle of mass balance. Optimizing the ratio of nutrient elements and refill solution concentrations requires an understanding of the ratio of nutrients in tissue to water, which is measured as water use efficiency (WUE). This ratio is then multiplied by the desired concentration of nutrients in leaf tissue to determine the refill solution composition. Deep-flow hydroponics enables constant monitoring of solution parameters and root health. We have achieved a steady-state nitrogen concentration in solution by using an automated pH control system that …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Edition 5, May/June 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:

Scientist Spotlights initiative

Eye on curriculum and resources

Teacher opportunities

Link to list of partnerships

Ask an expert

Eye on CASNR research: Sara Roberts

Student experiences

Sned your students to campus

Success stories

Narrating Agricultural Resilience After Hurricane María: How Smallholder Farmers In Puerto Rico Leverage Self-Sufficiency And Collaborative Agency In A Climate-Vulnerable Food System, Abrania Marrero, Andrea Lόpez-Cepero, Ramón Borges-Méndez, Josiemer Mattei

Sustainability and Social Justice

Climate change is a threat to food system stability, with small islands particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events. In Puerto Rico, a diminished agricultural sector and resulting food import dependence have been implicated in reduced diet quality, rural impoverishment, and periodic food insecurity during natural disasters. In contrast, smallholder farmers in Puerto Rico serve as cultural emblems of self-sufficient food production, providing fresh foods to local communities in an informal economy and leveraging traditional knowledge systems to manage varying ecological and climatic constraints. The current mixed methods study sought to document this expertise and employed a questionnaire and narrative interviewing …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 07 - June 2022, Alan Lord, Dusty Severtson, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Kithsiri Jayasena, Geoff J. Thomas, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Jean Galloway

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 07 - June 2022 contents:

• Native budworm moths and caterpillars are being found early
• 2022 winter spring insecticide spray guide is now available
• Monitor barley crops for net blotches
• Powdery mildew in barley and wheat
• Sclerotinia apothecia
• Spartacus leaf tipping