Agriculture Commons^™

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2019, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and value-added processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the fourteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and …

Climate Adaptation And Water Conservation Decision-Making In Paso Robles, California Vineyards, Christopher Klier

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

This paper examines vineyard perceptions and adoption of climate change adaptation and water conservation measures in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA). A survey was distributed to all 220 vineyards and vineyard management companies that operate in the AVA, with a 53.64% response rate. The objective of the survey was to determine vineyard manager and owner attitudes towards climate change and adaptation, as well as their perceptions of how these threats would impact their operation. A second objective was to document the current level of water conservation and climate adaptation while identifying the barriers and opportunities for further adoption …

Plastic In Agricultural Soils And Its Biological Impacts, Olivia Mckay

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Agricultural plastic mulch reduces weeds, yields higher crop quality and quantity, and increases soil temperature, but it can also become a soil pollutant. The impact of agricultural plastic contamination on soil microbial activity remains poorly documented. To better understand how plastic pollution influences soil microbial decomposers, we sampled three farms in Watsonville, CA. Each site is characterized by large amounts of plastic contamination in the form of polyethylene mulch and polyvinyl chloride dripline. The fields contain marked amounts of macro- (and presumably micro-) plastic fragments primarily derived from PVC dripline and polyethylene mulch. We haphazardly collected 6" deep soil samples …

Long-Term Crop Rotation Diversification Enhances Maize Drought Resistance Through Soil Organic Matter, Leah L.R. Renwick, William Deen, Lucas Silva, Matthew E. Gilbert, Toby Maxwell, Timothy M. Bowles, Amélie C.M. Gaudin

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change adaptation requires building agricultural system resilience to warmer, drier climates. Increasing temporal plant diversity through crop rotation diversification increases yields of some crops under drought, but its potential to enhance crop drought resistance and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We conducted a drought manipulation experiment using rainout shelters embedded within a 36-year crop rotation diversity and no-till experiment in a temperate climate and measured a suite of soil and crop developmental and eco-physiological traits in the field and laboratory. We show that diversifying maize-soybean rotations with small grain cereals and cover crops mitigated maize water stress at the …

Understanding The Impact Of Covid-19 On Agriculture And Food Supply Chains: System Dynamics Modeling For The Resilience Of Smallholder Farmers, Busra Atamer Balkan, Andreas Nicolaidis Lindqvist, Kelechi Odoemena, Robert Lamb, Monique Ann Tiongco, Stueti Gupta, Arpitha Peteru, Hector Manuel Menendez Iii

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

COVID-19 has caused severe agriculture and food supply chain disruptions; significantly affecting smallholder farmers who supply most of the world’s food; specifically their changes in vulnerability; resilience; and food loss and waste. Therefore; the objective of this study was to understand the complex causal and feedback relationships for this system by developing a dynamic hypothesis and causal loop diagrams utilizing the System Dynamics methodology. Results provide a roadmap for dialogue and a framework for case-specific model development and help to guide policy decisions for smallholder farmers’ survival during health crises.

Nebline, August 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

The Myths & Facts of Head Lice

Coping with Picky Eating

Recipes of the Month

6 Common Composting Questions

Garden Guide: Things to do this Month

Tips for a Fun and Educational Day at the Fair

Kissing Bugs in Nebraska

Lancaster County Super Fair, July 29-Aug. 7, 2021

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award

4-H Teen Council Invites New Members

4-H Gold Tournament Fundraiser, Oct. 3

4-H’ers Test Family and Consumer Science Skills at Life Challenge

4-H Clover College: 48 Workshops of Hands-on Learning!

4-H’ers Test Their Knowledge of Animals and Decision-Making Skills at PASE

4-H District Horse Results

4-H Announcements …

Identification Of Qtls For Berry Acids And Sugar In A Vitis Aestivalis-Derived 'Norton'-Based Population, Karlene Louise Negus

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Acidity and sugar content are among the grape berry quality traits that influence wine quality. Despite advantageous environmental tolerances of Vitis aestivalis-derived ‘Norton’, its acid and sugar concentrations often deviate from expectations set for V. vinifera. Identification of the genetic determinants of malic acid, tartaric acid, pH, and total soluble solids (TSS) can assist in the improvement of new hybrid cultivars. For this purpose, a ‘Norton’ and V. vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ hybrid mapping population containing 223 individuals was used to construct a linkage map containing 384 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and 2084 genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)-derived single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) …

Development Of High Value Oil Traits Using The Model Oilseed Crop Camelina Sativa, Evan Updike

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Plant oils are an important source of food, fuel, and feed in our society today. The oil found in the seeds of plants is composed almost entirely of triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules, which consist of three fatty acids esterified to a glycerol backbone. As crude oil supplies decline, vegetable oils are gaining traction as a renewable substitute to petroleum-based materials in fuels, lubricants, and specialty oleochemicals. However, as it currently stands vegetable oils do not possess the properties necessary to fill the void of a petroleum free world.

To address this problem, plant biotechnologists have done extensive work on genetic engineering …

Intercropping And Denisity Impacts In A Lettuce And Chard Agroecosystem, Sophia Moser

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Conventional agriculture that uses machinery management, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides, is a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, reduction of biodiversity and soil health. Agroecological methods, such as intercropping, have the potential to make farming more sustainable, financially feasible and to be implemented on a large scale. Gaps in agricultural research have led to limited information as to how intercropped arrangements can be adapted to be as productive as conventional systems. This research evaluates the ecological and economic performance of a lettuce and chard agroecosystem, specifically investigating the impact that density and intercropping has on plant productivity and profitability. Both species …

Quantifying The Combined Effect Of Abiotic Factors On The Decomposition Of Organic Matter In Semiarid Grassland Soils, Elnazsadat Hosseiniaghdam

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

Grassland ecosystems play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and their cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions can be affected by animal grazing where litter (i.e., dead plant material) is trampled into the soil. However, the subsequent effects of trampling on litter decomposition are not well understood. Meanwhile, abiotic factors, especially temperature and soil moisture, are known to strongly affect litter decomposition. Due to the very small number of published studies that have considered litter placement, either litter on top of soil or litter mixed with soil as a factor in litter decomposition under different temperature and …

Impacts Of Crop Insurance And Intra-Season Hedging On Long-Run Net Income Risk, Kara Zimmerman

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

Each year producers must make risk management decisions early in the growing season when many variables are unknown. In this thesis we create an empirical model utilizing thirty years (1989-2018) of historical yield, cost, and daily price series data, to determine the optimal risk management strategy of crop insurance and an intra-season marketing plan that will both minimize net income risk and maximize average net income. The empirical model is taken a step further to include an out-of-sample year in order to test the robustness of empirical results to financially devastating events that have never been seen. We test the …

Variation In Trichome Types And Density Mediates Plant-Herbivore Interactions In Two Cucurbitaceae Members, Ishveen Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Plant structural defenses such as trichomes and spines exert a significant selection pressure on insect herbivores. However, how species variation affects structural defense trait expression in closely related species is less understood. Through our studies, we tried to dissect the role of trichomes in mediating plant-insect interactions, in two non-model cultivated species in Cucurbitaceae: Lageneria siceraria, and Cucumis sativa family, and Trichoplusia ni as our major herbivore of interest. We observed that species differed in their attractiveness to different herbivores and their feeding behavior in common garden experiment. To tease apart structural and chemical defenses and their independent roles …

Climate Adaptation And Water Conservation Decision-Making In Paso Robles, California Vineyards, Christopher R. Klier

Master's Theses

This paper examines vineyard perceptions and adoption of climate change adaptation and water conservation measures in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA). A survey was distributed to all 220 vineyards and vineyard management companies that operate in the AVA, with a 53.64% response rate. The objective of the survey was to determine vineyard manager and owner attitudes towards climate change and adaptation, as well as their perceptions of how these threats would impact their operation. A second objective was to document the current level of water conservation and climate adaptation while identifying the barriers and opportunities for further adoption …

The Role Of Fatty Acids In Ruminant Diets And Novel Feed Ingredients High In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fed In Feedlot Diets, Mitchell M. Norman

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

A finishing study evaluated the performance, carcass characteristics and fatty acid profiles of steers fed four inclusions of a novel feedstuff Green Grass. Green Grass is a product comprised of sesame meal, giant kelp, cassava, and sorghum containing high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids. No differences were observed in initial BW, final BW, BW gain, HCW, LM area, 12^th rib fat depth, calculated YG, or liver abscess %. Dry matter intake linearly increased as Green Grass inclusion increased in the diet. Steers fed Green Grass had lower G:F than control cattle, and steers fed 30% Green Grass had a …

Estimation Of Breed Effects And Genetic Parameters For Age At Slaughter And Days To Finish In A Multibreed Beef Cattle Population, Lindsay Rae Upperman

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

Cattle efficiency during the finishing phase is a crucial factor in determining profit in the beef cattle industry. Economically relevant traits associated with efficient production include age at slaughter (AAS) and days to finish (DtF). Selection to reduce the number of days an animal takes to reach a finish endpoint would ultimately reduce production costs, increase net profits, and result in a more sustainable production system. However, most harvested animals are from commercial herds, necessitating the use of indicator traits from seedstock animals for selection. Potential indicator traits include ultrasound measurements that could be genetically correlated to DtF traits. The …

Evaluating Evapotranspiration And Management Of Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri S. Watson), Jasmine M. Mausbach

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

Palmer amaranth (PA) is the most problematic weed in agronomic cropping systems in the United States. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor-/glyphosate-resistant (GR) PA has been confirmed in Nebraska and is widespread in several counties. Soybean resistant to isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate has been developed to provide additional herbicide sites of action for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. The objectives of this study were to evaluate herbicide programs for control of ALS inhibitor/GR PA and their effect on PA density and biomass, as well as soybean injury and yield in isoxaflutole/glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant soybean. A PRE herbicide fb glufosinate controlled PA 80%–99% 21 d after late-POST in 2018 …

Studies On Milling And Baking Quality And In Vitro Protein Digestibility Of Historical And Modern Wheats, Sujun Liu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is considerable controversy among the public and the scientific community about whether modern wheats are harmful for human health and responsible for the increase of Celiac disease compared with historical varieties. Therefore, the milling and baking quality, protein digestibility, and protein composition of historical and modern wheats adapted to the Great Plains of the US were evaluated in this thesis. One objective of this thesis was to determine how end-use quality of wheat changed with wheat cultivar release year. Kernel physical characteristics, milling yield, whole-wheat flour quality, flour protein content, mixing quality and baking quality of 23 hard winter …

The Determinants Of Food Insecurity In The United States: A State Level Analysis, Zhuoya Li

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of food insecurity at the state level with the goal of providing policy guidance to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity in the United States. Data for the study was collected from various governmental and non-governmental sources. Linear regression models and sensitivity analyses were conducted. The study found that increase in household income is likely to significantly reduce the prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security. While poverty alleviation is more important than level of education for food insecure households, level of education is more important than poverty …

Marker-Assisted Selection To Determine The Introgression Of Rpv-3 Mediated Downy Mildew Resistance In 'Chambourcin' X 'Caberenet Sauvignon' Grapevine Population, Kavya Sri Tummala

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Downy mildew caused by the fungus, Plasmopara viticola in the grapes is one of the major diseases affecting crop yield throughout the world. Breeding grapes via conventional methods for the downy mildew resistance will take approximately 25-30 years to fully evaluate and release new cultivars. Because of the long breeding cycle in woody plant species like grape, developing DNA markers linked to genes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for horticultural traits can greatly accelerate the breeding process and allow a much more accurate selection of progeny. This study aims to determine the presence of resistance in the 267 F1 genotypes …

Meat Quality Traits And Blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear Characteristics Of Broiler Breast Fillets Affected By Woody Breast Condition And Post-Cooking Meat Temperature, Xiao Sun, Aline Giampietro-Ganeco, Ashleigh Mueller, Clay J. Maynard, Juan P. Caldas-Cueva, Casey M. Owens

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study aimed to investigate meat quality attributes, cooking performance, and water properties of woody breast (WB). A total of 48 broiler breast fillets (7 wk, 3 h debone) of 24 normal (NORM) and 24 severe WB (SEV) were collected. Raw meat characteristics (L*, a*, b*, pH, compression force and energy and) along with the blunt blade of the Meullenet-Owens razor shear (BMORS) properties were determined. Cooking time and internal meat temperature were recorded for each fillet every 5 min on each fillet during cooking. Water/moisture properties and shear values of BMORS …