Agriculture Commons^™

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

Monitoring The Immune Status Of Calves At The Agricultural Education Center, Jared Wallen

Honors Theses

Each year at the Andrews University Agriculture Education Center calves born to the resident cows and calves that are purchased are raised by the students in the animal science program. In each of the previous two years that calves have been raised, morbidities and mortalities have been observed. In order to prevent any calves from dying and reduce the rate of illness this research project was designed to monitor the calves’ immune status. By doing weekly blood draws, the total serum protein levels were determined and used as a standard for their health. Body temperature, food and water intake, and …

The Role Of Agricultural Social Enterprise To Smallholder Farmers’ Adaptive Capacity To Climatic Stresses In Tanzania, Stanley G Kulanga, Noah M Pauline

Tanzania Journal of Science

This paper intended to ascertain the implications of agricultural social enterprise on the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to climatic stresses in the Kilolo District, Tanzania. The study used a sample of 90 households. Household questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGD), and key informant interviews were used to collect primary data for this study. Secondary data were collected through a review of literature relevant to this study. The content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data, whereas quantitative data were subjected to Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to analyse rainfall and …

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

The Effect Of The Water Harvesting Projects On Some Of The Economic Indicators Population In Some Mountain Villages In Latakia (Syria), تأثير مشاريع حصاد المياه في بعض المؤشرات الاقتصادية للسكان في بعض القرى الجبلية في محافظة اللاذقية (سورية), Mahmaud Yasin, Ayham Said

Arab Journal of Arid Environments المجلة العربية للبيئات الجافة

The research aims to study the effect of water harvesting projects by mountain lakes on production cost and economic efficiency for each studied crop for a sample of beneficiaries in mountainous areas in Latakia(Syria). The research sample included all farmers who use water harvesting techniques in the surveyed random selected mountain villages in Latakia, which numbered 20 villages, distributed on four areas (Latakia, Al-haffeh, Jableh and Al-Querdaha). After using Morgens Low, the sample sized 241 farmers. The data was collected by a questionnairedesigned for this purpose, but 32 questionnaires were excluded due to the lack of clarity and accuracy of …

Knowledge Of Greenhouse Tomato Growers About Integrated Pest Management In Jableh District (Latakia Governorate/ Syria) المستوى المعرفي لمزارعي البندورة المحمية بتقانات الإدارة المتكاملة للآفات في منطقة جبلة (محافظة اللاذقية) في الجمهورية العربية السورية, Mohammad Abdullah

Arab Journal of Arid Environments المجلة العربية للبيئات الجافة

This research was conducted in Jableh district from Latakia governorate/ Syria in 2107, due to the importance of greenhouse tomato in this area. Five villages that grow Greenhouse tomato and 25 farmers from each village were randomly selected. The data were collected by using a specially designed questioner after traying and adjusting it, so that the final size of sample was 110 farmers after discarding the uncompleted questioners. The research aimed to study some personal and socio – economic characteristics of tomato farmers and to determine their knowledge level about Integrated pest Management (IPM) of greenhouse tomato.

The result showed …

Emulating Succession Of Boreal Mixedwood Forests In Alberta Using Understory Protection Harvesting, Ivan Bjelnanovic, Philip G. Comeau, Sharon Meredith, Brian Roth

Aspen Bibliography

Understory protection harvesting is a form of partial cutting that can be used in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)-dominated stands that have understories of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). This practice involves removing 75% to 85% of the merchantable aspen while minimizing damage to the advance spruce regeneration, in addition to leaving 15% to 25% of the aspen standing to reduce potential windthrow of the spruce understory. In this paper, we summarize results from 18 stands measured 10 to 12 years after understory protection harvest. Diameter growth of spruce increased during the first five years after harvest while …

Nebraska Women In Agriculture “Together Again”, Jessica J. Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

A crowd of over 200 gathered Feb. 24 and 25 in Kearney, Nebraska for the 37^th Annual Nebraska Women in Agriculture conference. The conference is one of the longest-running women's conferences of its kind in the country. The goal of the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference is for women to build relationships with each other while gaining valuable knowledge about managing risk on their farms and ranches. The event featured four general session speakers and 28 workshop sessions.

This year’s conference was supported in part by USDA-NIFA under award number 2020-70028-32728.

Agritourism As An Alternative On-Farm Enterprise For Small U.S. Farms: Examining Factors Influencing The Agritourism Decisions Of Small Farms, Reginald Holland, Aditya R. Khanal, Purushottam Dhungana

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

This study examines the adoption of agritourism by small farms in the U.S. Using primary survey data collected from small farms in Tennessee in 2020, we assessed adopter characteristics and investigated the factors influencing the farmers’ decision to adopt or add agritourism-related activities, including recreational, educational, and touristic attractions in the farm. We found that factors such as social media marketing, smartphone use in farm activities, and having farm insurance significantly increased the likelihood of agritourism adoption in addition to other demographic factors. Additionally, we found that a farmer’s perceived survival risk positively influences small farms to adopt agritourism. Small …

Extreme Development Of Dragon Fruit Agriculture With Nighttime Lighting In Southern Vietnam, Shenyue Jia, Son V. Nghiem, Seung-Hee Kim, Laura Krauser, Andrea E. Gaughan, Forest R. Stevens, Menas Kafatos, Khanh D. Ngo

Institute for ECHO Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Dragon fruit is widely grown in Southeast Asia and other tropical or subtropical regions. As a high-value cash crop ideal for exportation, dragon fruit cultivation has boomed during the past decade in southern Vietnam. Light supplementing during the winter months using artificial lighting sources is a widely adopted cultivation technique to boost productivity in the major dragon fruit planting regions of Vietnam. The application of electric lighting at night leads to a significant increase of nighttime light (NTL) observable by satellite sensors. The strong seasonality signal of NTL in dragon fruit cultivation enables identifying dragon fruit plantations using NTL images. …

Centering Community Voices In Mining Governance, Anna Erwin, Zhao Ma, Emma Patricia Salas O’Brien, Jonathan Bauchet, Nelly Ramírez Calderón, Eliseo Zeballos Zeballos, Glenn Roberto Arce Larrea, Ruxandra Popovici, Laura Zanotti, Chelsea A. Silva

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Peru has shifted away from centralized mining management to governance among government, companies, and communities. Various mechanisms facilitate community participation, including the mining canon, dialogues, and corporate social responsibility programs. Even with these laws and mechanisms, mining pollution and conflicts continue. In this study, we ask: how do communities perceive and participate in mining governance? And what are some alternative ways, driven by community priorities, to address governance in mining contexts? We collected 53 semi-structured with agricultural actors in two Peruvian districts with mining activity and analyzed those perspectives through the lens of community-centered governance. Our analyses revealed how centering …

Physicochemical And Pasting Properties Of Flour And Starch From Two New Cassava Accessions, Raphael Aidoo, Ibok Nsa Oduro, Jacob K. Agbenorhevi, William Otoo Ellis, Nana Baah Pepra-Ameyaw

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Some new cassava accessions have been developed and released because of their high yield, resistance to disease, adaptability to wider ecological environment, and less cost of production. However, their flour and starch properties have not been characterized for potential food applications. In the present study, starch and flour were produced from two new cassava accessions (Sika Bankye and Bankye Hemaa) and evaluated for their physicochemical and pasting properties. The flour samples recorded higher values for the various functional parameters compared to their starch counterparts. Both flour samples had a similar water absorption capacity (WAC) of ~263% but the associated …

A Global Soil Spectral Calibration Library And Estimation Service, Keith D. Sheperd, Rich Ferguson, David Hoover, Fenny Van Egmond, Jonathan Sanderman, Yufeng Ge

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is growing global interest in the potential for soil reflectance spectroscopy to fill an urgent need for more data on soil properties for improved decision-making on soil security at local to global scales. This is driven by the capability of soil spectroscopy to estimate a wide range of soil properties from a rapid, inexpensive, and highly reproducible measurement using only light. However, several obstacles are preventing wider adoption of soil spectroscopy. The biggest obstacles are the large variation in the soil analytical methods and operating procedures used in different laboratories, poor reproducibility of analyses within and amongst laboratories and …

Southeast Asia Must Narrow Down The Yield Gap To Continue To Be A Major Rice Bowl, Shen Yuan, Alexander M. Stuart, Alice G. Laborte, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Achim Dobermann, Le Vu Ngoc Kien, Lưu Thị Thúy, Kritkamol Paothong, Prachya Traesang, Khin Myo Tint, Su Su San, Marcelino Q. Villafuerte Ii, Emma D. Quicho, Anny Ruth P. Pame, Rathmuny Then, Rica Joy Flor, Neak Thon, Fahmuddin Agus, Nurwulan Agustiani, Nanyan Deng, Tao Li, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Southeast Asia is a major rice-producing region with a high level of internal consumption and accounting for 40% of global rice exports. Limited land resources, climate change and yield stagnation during recent years have once again raised concerns about the capacity of the region to remain as a large net exporter. Here we use a modelling approach to map rice yield gaps and assess production potential and net exports by 2040. We find that the average yield gap represents 48% of the yield potential estimate for the region, but there are substantial differences among countries. Exploitable yield gaps are relatively …

A Review On Overcoming Dual Challenges For Maize Cropping Under High Plant Density: Stalk Lodging And Kernel Abortion, Alam Sher, Javed Iqbal, Wajid Nazeer, Muhammad Mudassar Maqbool, Muhammad Nadeem, Sajid Faiz, Shahbaz Khan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Increased optimal plant density is necessary in ensuring future food security by increasing crop productivity. However, maintaining relatively high plant density has to overcome two challenges i.e. kernel abortion and stalk lodging. The response of maize to increased plant density and the effects of increased plant density on maize productivity were discussed in this research. Increased plant density induces increased plant height, causes low photosynthetic capacity, limits the carbohydrate supply and increases kernel abortion. Also, increased plant density incurs a high risk of stalk lodging due to increased ear height and diminished stem diameter associated with reduced vascular bundles that …

Bombycid Species, Trilocha Varians (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) An Emerging Insect Pest Of Ornamental Plants In Pakistan, Muhammad Mansoor, Waheed Ahmad, Roshan Zada, Hafiz Muhammad Faisal Ayub, Imtiaz Khan, Musaddiq Israr, Awais Rasool, Muhammad Shehzad Khan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Weeping fig, Ficus benjamina, belongs to Moraceae family is planted alongside the roads as decorative plant and landscape purposes. Fig plants were seen infested with Trilocha varians for three years ago in University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan. The complete defoliation, even death of whole plant was observed caused by larvae. The complete metamorphosis was recorded with five larval instars. The fecundity of female was recorded very high (180-300) during its whole life period. The results showed that male was long lived than female. Further studies on current pest biology, host range, biological fauna and management associated with it are …

Estimation Of Chromium In Soil-Plant-Animal Continuum: A Case Study In Ruminants Of Punjab, Pakistan, Kafeel Ahmad, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Saman Nazar, Ifra Saleem Malik, Asma Ashfaq, Mudasra Munir, Humayun Bashir, Fatima Ghulam Muhammad, Shahzad Akhtar, Muhammad Nadeem, Shahid Mehmoud, Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan, Mumtaz Akhtar, Shahzadi Mahpara

Journal of Bioresource Management

The increased use of waste water for agriculture purposes has increased around the globe. There are toxic metals present in waste water which affect plants, animals and human health. But at the same time it also contains useful nutrients which increase growth of plants. Different indices were applied to evaluate the metals present in water soil plant and milk. Various and correlation were determined with the help of SPSS, mean significance was found at the probability levels of 0.05, 0.001 and 0.01. The highest value of Cr was found in Avena sativa (0.7872 mg/kg) collected from site 5 while lower …

Application Of Vibration Technique For The Control Of Physical Properties Of Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Sprouts During Storage In Funaab, Nigeria Environment, Kifilideen Lekan Osanyinpeju, Adewole A. Aderinlewo, Olawale U. Dairo, Olayide R. Adetunji, Emmanuel S.A. Ajisegiri

Journal of Bioresource Management

Early sprouting of yam tuber is a typical problem during storage resulting into weight losses, deterioration, shrinkage and reduction in quality. This research work therefore carried out investigation on the application of vibration technique for the control of physical properties of yam (Dioscorea spp.) sprouts during storage in FUNAAB, Nigeria environment. The physical properties (length, number and weight of sprout, number of leaves and weight of roots) of the yam sprouts were determined for 140 white yam tubers. The yam tubers were divided into 108 experiment and 32 as control. The factors of the experimental design examined were frequency, …

Commodity Prices, Climate And The High Plains Aquifer, Richard K. Perrin, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, Felipe Silva, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Crop prices and energy prices can affect the water level in an aquifer? Absolutely, yes, because over time, they affect the amount withdrawn for irrigation. Our recent research confirms that effect and provides estimates of the size of the effect on the High Plains Aquifer (HPA). The HPA underlies parts of eight states and 208 counties in the west-central United States (see Figure 1). This region produces more than 9% of US crop sales and relies on the aquifer for irrigation. These withdrawals for irrigation have contributed to a diminished stock of water in the aquifer that varies considerably across …

Variability In Rice Returns Using A Representative Farm Approach, Adriana Dimas

LSU Master's Theses

Agriculture is a major contributor to the U.S. economy and vital to the continued availability of a safe and inexpensive food supply. Representative farms are virtual farms that represent the production practices of a specific crop and region. Annually, growers face critical management decisions on what crop enterprise selection and combinations will maximize the net returns. Risk for growers comes from the variation in different factors such as yield, market price, production input costs, among others that are required to produce each enterprise. Nine representative farms were established within Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas to evaluate net return variability among different …