Agricultural Science Commons^™

Insights On The Behavior Of Nano-Copper In The Agroecosystem: Mycorrhizal Associations With Spearmint (Mentha Spicata), Suzanne Annette Apodaca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nanotechnology offers significant potential benefits to our society, including the agriculture sector. With the advancement of nano-enabled agrochemicals towards sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, it is essential to address environmental issues associated with the use of nanoscale materials. The same properties that give promise to applications of nanotechnology in modern agriculture could have unintended consequences on ecosystem dynamics. A point of concern for risk management is the impact of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to beneficial microbial communities, which support a variety of ecosystem services.

Use of copper (Cu) products in agriculture are based on their abundance, role as a micronutrient, and ...

A Glass Bead Semi-Hydroponic System For Intact Maize Root Exudate Analysis And Phenotyping, Martha G. Lopez-Guerrero, Peng Wang, Felicia Phares, Daniel P. Schachtman, Sophie Alvarez, Karin V. Van Dijk

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Background: Although there have been numerous studies describing plant growth systems for root exudate collection, a common limitation is that these systems require disruption of the plant root system to facilitate exudate collection. Here, we present a newly designed semi-hydroponic system that uses glass beads as solid support to simulate soil impedance, which combined with drip irrigation, facilitates growth of healthy maize plants, collection and analysis of root exudates, and phenotyping of the roots with minimal growth disturbance or root damage. Results: This system was used to collect root exudates from seven maize genotypes using water or 1 mM CaCl2 ...

Comparative Genome Analysis Of Plant Ascomycete Fungal Pathogens With Different Lifestyles Reveals Distinctive Virulence Strategies, Yansu Wang, Jie Wu, Jiacheng Yan, Ming Guo, Lei Xu, Liping Hou, Quan Zou

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Background: Pathogens have evolved diverse lifestyles and adopted pivotal new roles in both natural ecosystems and human environments. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their adaptation to new lifestyles are obscure. Comparative genomics was adopted to determine distinct strategies of plant ascomycete fungal pathogens with different lifestyles and to elucidate their distinctive virulence strategies. Results: We found that plant ascomycete biotrophs exhibited lower gene gain and loss events and loss of CAZyme-encoding genes involved in plant cell wall degradation and biosynthesis gene clusters for the production of secondary metabolites in the genome. Comparison with the candidate effectome detected distinctive variations between ...

Effects Of Sowing Date And Phosphorus Fertiliser Application On Winter Survival Of Lucerne Cv. Aohan In The Northern Semi-Arid Region Of China, Z. L. Wang, Q. Zh. Sun, Y. W. Wang, Zh. Y. Li, Sh. F. Zhao

International Grassland Congress Proceedings

In the northern semi-arid region of China, winter survival is always a limiting factor for lucerne production, because low temperatures and a dry climate in winter (Zhou et al., 1993; Ma, 2000; Sun & Gui, 2001; Sun et al., 2003). An experiment was conducted to find an appropriate sowing date and P application rate in order to improve lucerne winter survival.

Ear Emergence Of Different Grass Species Under Finnish Growing Conditions, M. Niskanen, O. Niemeläinen, L. Jauhiainen

International Grassland Congress Proceedings

Timothy is the most commonly cultivated grass species in Finland. Swards cultivated for silage of hay are of pure timothy or timothy is the dominant species of the mixture. Successful timing of harvesting of the primary growth is very critical in Northern latitudes where the stand develops very rapidly at daylengths of above 18 hours with a daily mean temperature close to 20 °C. The primary growth has to be harvested within a very short period to obtain a yield of high and uniform quality. Short harvesting periods require high capacity harvest machinery which lead to high costs. If it ...

Reasons For The Premature Decline In Astragalus Adsurgens Stands In Kerqin Sandy Land, Q. Zh. Sun, Z. L. Wang, J. G. Han, Y. W. Wang, G. R. Liu

International Grassland Congress Proceedings

Diseases partly account for reductions in Astragalus adsurgens, stand longevity. The effect of some cultural practices on the control of pests and diseases have been reported (Hou, 1986; Nan, 1996), but few reports have detailed the relationship among soil fertiliser status, diseases and premature stand decline. This study was conducted to investigate these relationships in order to extend the longevity of Astragalus adsurgens stands.

Range-Based Livestock Production In Turkmenistan, R. H. Behnke, G. Davidson

International Grassland Congress Proceedings

Turkmenistan retains a centralized system of livestock production in which many critical assets are owned by the state. Though technically in the temperate zone, the country's climate is harsh and unstable. Groundwater resources are unevenly distributed, leaving many potential grazing areas seasonally inaccessible due to lack of drinking water for livestock. This paper summarizes the results of a three-year study of rangelands, livestock production, flock economics and land tenure at two study sites, one in central and the other in eastern Turkmenistan. The results of this study suggest that pastoral communities in Turkmenistan have coped remarkably well with the ...

The Influence Of Fertiliser Application To Strip-Sown Grasslands On Herbage Production And Quality, A. Kohoutek, P. Komárek, V. Odstrčilová, P. Nerušil

International Grassland Congress Proceedings

To increase the productivity of dairy cattle in the Czech Republic requires an improvement in herbage quality and an increase in the net energy of herbage. The decrease in cattle numbers by 50 % and the expansion of the grassland area both result in a surplus of feedstuffs of low quality. Introduction of strip-seeding of legumes and grasses into grasslands in interaction with fertilisation provides a possible solution to this problem.

Assessing Warm-Season Annual Grasses To Increase Forage Inventory, Andrea Marroquin

Masters Theses

Summers are expected to continue to increase in heat/dryness in the Northeast, causing issues pertaining to forage production during the summer to worsen. Many pastures grow cool season grasses, even during the summer. These grasses enter a dormant period and slowdown in production during the months of July and August, leading to what is referred to as “summer slump”. Some farms grow corn silage during the summer, and while corn silage is a valuable crop, its cultivation often does not support soil biology. This research addresses solutions for both summer slump foraging and more sustainable silage. Summer annuals grow ...

Evaluation Of Semiochemicals For Attractiveness To Multiple Tortricid (Lepidoptera) Pests In Apple Orchards, Ajay P. Giri

Masters Theses

Tortricid moths (Lepidoptera) are known for their outstanding olfaction capabilities that allow them to detect, process, and respond to chemical information emitted by host or non-host plants. Such an ability to filter out odors from the complex mixture to locate their host has allowed researchers and integrated pest management (IPM) practitioners to develop and implement semiochemically-based pest control strategies. The major goal of this study was to evaluate, under field conditions, the response of male and female oriental fruit moth (OFM), codling moth (CM), redbanded leafroller (RBLR) and three lined leafroller (TLLR) to experimental kairomone lures in commercial apple orchards ...

Cyclic Adp Ribose Isomers: Production, Chemical Structures, And Immune Signaling, Mohammad K. Manik, Yun Shi, Sulin Li, Mark A. Zaydman, Neha Damaraju, Samuel Eastman, Thomas G. Smith, Weixi Gu, Veronika Masic, Tamim Mosaiab, James S. Weagley, Steven J. Hancock, Eduardo Vasquez, Lauren Hartley-Tassell, Nestoras Kargios, Natsumi Maruta, Bryan Y.J. Lim, Hayden Burdett, Michael J. Landsberg, Mark A. Schembri, Ivan Prokes, Lijiang Song, Murray Grant, Aaron Diantonio, Jeffrey D. Nanson, Ming Guo, Jeffrey Milbrandt, Thomas Ve, Bostjan Kobe

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Cyclic adenosine diphosphate (ADP)–ribose (cADPR) isomers are signaling molecules produced by bacterial and plant Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized form) (NAD+) hydrolysis. We show that v-cADPR (2′cADPR) and v2-cADPR (3′cADPR) isomers are cyclized by O-glycosidic bond formation between the ribose moieties in ADPR. Structures of 2′cADPR-producing TIR domains reveal conformational changes that lead to an active assembly that resembles those of Toll-like receptor adaptor TIR domains. Mutagenesis reveals a conserved tryptophan that is essential for cyclization. We show that 3′cADPR is an activator of ThsA effector proteins from the bacterial ...

Spatial Patterns Of Woody Plant Encroachment In A Temperate Grassland, Dillon T. Fogarty, Robert B. Peterson, Dirac Twidwell

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Context Woody encroachment is the process whereby grasslands transition to a woody-dominated state. This process is a global driver of grassland decline and is ultimately the outcome of increased woody plant recruitment in grasslands. Yet, little is known about how recruitment distances structure spatial patterns of encroachment.

Objectives Here, we develop a recruitment curve to describe the scatter of woody plant recruitment around seed sources and examine how this structures spatial patterns of encroachment.

Methods We developed a recruitment curve for Juniperus virginiana using an encroachment dataset that captures spread from tree plantings into treeless grassland sites in the Nebraska ...

Cropland Reference Ecological Unit: A Land Classification Unit For Comparative Soil Studies, Saurav Das, Bijesh Maharjan

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

There is a growing consensus on a need for measuring the dynamic soil properties of croplands and even comparisons with a reference state or native land. These measurements and paired comparisons will create the capacity to determine soil health management effects and targets. However, the complex soil heterogeneity and climate variations make soil health potential variable and confound the effects of land-use and management practices and comparisons between soils from different sites. Identifying a discrete landmass unit where all soils have similar health potential will be critical in conducting meaningful comparative studies and measuring the impact of conservation practices. This ...

A Brief Review Of The Impact Of Silver Nanoparticles On Agriculture And Certain Biological Properties: A Case Study, Sushmashree Krishnappa, Shankramma Kalikeri, Raj Kumar H. Garampalli, Lingaraju H G, Charan Kumar Kachintaya

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Nanotechnology is progressively becoming a popular field of research because it has been successful in changing our agricultural and food systems. According to research published by the UNFAO, agriculture as well as its derivatives would be in high demand sooner or later, owing to nutritional changes. Nanoparticles have been reported to be used in an agricultural sector, because of its capacity to encourage crop growth and yield. Among metal nanoparticles, Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) are attracting a lot of attention. We have highlighted some of the agricultural uses of AgNPs, which include pest management, plant disease detection, crop enhancement, and crop ...

Cell-Type-Specific Profiling Of The Arabidopsis Thaliana Membrane Protein-Encoding Genes, Sergio Alan Cervantes-Pérez, Marc Libault

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Membrane proteins work in large complexes to perceive and transduce external signals and to trigger a cellular response leading to the adaptation of the cells to their environment. Biochemical assays have been extensively used to reveal the interaction between membrane proteins. However, such analyses do not reveal the unique and complex composition of the membrane proteins of the different plant cell types. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression of Arabidopsis membrane proteins in the different cell types composing the root. Specifically, we analyzed the expression of genes encoding membrane proteins interacting in large complexes. We found that ...

Cell-Type-Specific Profiling Of The Arabidopsis Thaliana Membrane Protein-Encoding Genes, Sergio Alan Cervantes-Pérez, Marc Libault

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Membrane proteins work in large complexes to perceive and transduce external signals and to trigger a cellular response leading to the adaptation of the cells to their environment. Biochemical assays have been extensively used to reveal the interaction between membrane proteins. However, such analyses do not reveal the unique and complex composition of the membrane proteins of the different plant cell types. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression of Arabidopsis membrane proteins in the different cell types composing the root. Specifically, we analyzed the expression of genes encoding membrane proteins interacting in large complexes. We found that ...

Arkansas Wheat Performance Tests 2021-2022, J. F. Carlin, R. B. Morgan, R. D. Bond, D. E. Moon

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat variety performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for small-grain producers. The tests are conducted at the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, the Vegetable Substation near Kibler, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station near Marianna, the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt, and the Rohwer Research Station near Rohwer. Specific ...

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2021, Fred Bourland

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

While the basic growth and development of the cotton plant have not changed significantly in recent history, the business of cotton production is ever-changing. The last two years have seen us plant a crop just about as late as we thought possible, yet extended favorable conditions at season's end have been our salvation, helping to lead us to record yields. The economic environment over the last few years has been such that farmers need to produce record or near-record yields to advance. Unfortunately, production levels at the state yield average barely cover out-of-pocket expenses.

Great uncertainties exist for the ...

From Free-Energy Profiles To Activation Free Energies, Johannes C. Dietschreit, Dennis J. Diestler, Andreas Hulm, Christian Ochsenfeld, Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Given a chemical reaction going from reactant (R) to the product (P) on a potential energy surface (PES) and a collective variable (CV) discriminating between R and P, we define the free-energy profile (FEP) as the logarithm of the marginal Boltzmann distribution of the CV. This FEP is not a true free energy. Nevertheless, it is common to treat the FEP as the “free-energy” analog of the minimum potential energy path and to take the activation free energy, ΔF‡ _RP, as the difference between the maximum at the transition state and the minimum at R. We show that this approximation ...

A Yield Comparison Between Small-Plot And On-Farm Foliar Fungicide Trials In Soybean And Maize, Anabelle Laurent, Emily Heaton, Peter Kyveryga, David Makowski, Laila A. Puntel, Alison E. Robertson, Laura J. Thompson, Fernando Miguez

Agronomy & Horticulture -- Faculty Publications

Agronomic research provides management recommendations based on small-plot trials (SPTs) and on-farm trials (OFTs) with very different characteristics. SPTs are traditionally conducted at agricultural experiment stations by research institutes or universities, while OFTs are conducted under commercial-scale conditions and managed by farmers using their own equipment. Several researchers claimed that discrepancies could occur between these two types of trials, which can make the extrapolation of results from SPTs to the farm level difficult. In our study, we conducted an extensive comparison of small-plot and on-farm trials to analyze the effect of foliar fungicide application on maize and soybean yields. We ...