Agricultural Science Commons^™

Spreading The Char: The Importance Of Local Compatibility In The Diffusion Of Biochar Systems To The Smallholder Agriculture Community Context, Laura C. V. Munoz

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis enters the context of smallholder agriculture communities in the developing world. It explores the potentials of biochar and what biochar systems could bring to the smallholder communities while simultaneously bringing environmental benefits. It then acknowledges the challenges of diffusion –the spreading of an unfamiliar innovation. It seeks to answer the question of what will make diffusion of biochar systems more successful in the smallholder context, fixating on the characteristic of compatibility as well as the role local community members can play in making a new biochar system more visible to the rest of the communities.

Effects Of The Invasive Tomato Red Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) On Growth And Leaf Yield Of African Nightshades, Lucy K. Murungi, Daisy Salifu, Peter Masinde, John Wesonga, Aggrey Nyende, Markus Knapp

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard, is one of the most serious pests of solanaceous crops in Africa. Field experiments were conducted to investigate its effects on the growth and leaf yield of five African nightshade species viz. Solanum americanum, S. sarrachoides, S. scabrum, S.tarderemotum and S. villosum during the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. Plants were infested with 2-4 day-old female spider mites which were allowed to multiply. The number of mite motiles increased throughout the growing season in unsprayed plots and this number varied significantly between the African nightshade species. Except for S.sarrachoides, leaf …

Stacking Of A Stearoyl-Acp Thioesterase With A Dual-Silenced Palmitoyl-Acp Thioesterase And Δ12 Fatty Acid Desaturase In Transgenic Soybean, Hyunwoo Park, George L. Graef, Yixiang Xu, Patrick Tenopir, Thomas E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) is valued for both its protein and oil, whose seed is composed of 40% and 20% of each component, respectively. Given its high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, soybean oil oxidative stability is relatively poor. Historically food processors have employed a partial hydrogenation process to soybean oil as a means to improve both the oxidative stability and functionality in end-use applications. However, the hydrogenation process leads to the formation of trans-fats, which are associated with negative cardiovascular health. As a means to circumvent the need for the hydrogenation process, genetic …

Drivers Of Spatial And Temporal Variation In Soybean Yield And Irrigation Requirements In The Western Us Corn Belt, Patricio Grassini, Jessica A. Torrion, Kenneth Cassman, Haishun Yang, James Specht

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Both rainfed and irrigated soybean production are important in Nebraska (western US Corn Belt), accounting for a respective 48 and 52% of the state’s soybean production of 7 Mt on a respective 55 and 45% share of the state soybean area of 1.9 Mha. To date, no assessment of factors that may account for regional and inter-annual variation in yield and irrigation amount has been performed. To accomplish that objective, we evaluated a database containing on-farm field yields and total irrigation amount used in those fields. These data have been collected annually from ca. 1000 soybean fields in six regions …

A Case Study Analysis Of A Regional Food System: The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium For Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program, Tasha M. Hargrove, Walter A. Hill, John Brown, Miles Robinson, Iris Cole-Crosby, Elizabeth Myles, Billy Lawton, Karla Martin

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program (SACH) was designed to carry out an experiment by five 1890 Land-Grant Universities in partnership with five farmer based cooperatives in five states to assess marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart from a regional perspective. Using the Consortium as a case study, this study assessed the Consortium within the framework of implementation evaluation; data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study answered questions such as, what did the Consortium do, and what were some of the accomplishments of the Consortium? The farmers were able to: negotiate price points; …

Effects Of Landscape Complexity And Habitat Management On Stemborer Colonization, Parasitism And Damage To Maize, Charles A.O. Midega, Mattias Jonsson, Zeyaur R. Khan, Barbara Ekbom

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lepidopteran stemborers are a serious constraint to efficient production of maize in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the most effective ways of managing these pests is through a habitat management system called push-pull. Landscape complexity has been shown to enhance biological control of insect pests, and therefore may influence effectiveness of habitat management systems designed to control pests. We studied the relative importance of the push-pull cropping system as a local effect and proportional cover of grassland as a landscape effect on (i) stemborer population density and damage to maize, and (ii) parasitism and mortality of stemborer life stages in western …

Perceptions Of The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program: A Survey Of Superintendents On University-Affiliated Golf Courses In The U.S., Jacob Joseph Kuban

Theses and Dissertations

This project assessed U.S. university-affiliated golf courses on their certification level in regards to the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for golf courses and the amount of college or university student involvement with the certification process. Certification through the ACSP is designed to recognize environmental stewardship and sustainable golf course management practices. A cross-sectional, self-administered online questionnaire was administered to U.S. university golf course superintendents via an online link to the survey in an e-mail message. The population of 120 university golf course superintendents was asked to participate. Data was analyzed using Qualtrics, SPSS, SAS, and Microsoft Excel. Questions were …

Nitrogen Rate Optimization For Grain Yield Within Fall And Spring Applications, Justin Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comprehensive analysis of research, investigating the impact of fall and spring applied nitrogen at various rates on the vulnerability of fall applied nitrogen, nitrogen uptake, and corn yields. In addition, optimal nitrogen rates and timing were evaluated across East Central Illinois.

Push-Pull Farming Systems, John A. Pickett, Christine M. Woodcock, Charles A.O. Midega, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Farming systems for pest control, based on the stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy or push-pull system, have become an important target for sustainable intensification of food production. A prominent example is push-pull developed in sub-Saharan Africa using a combination of companion plants delivering semiochemicals, as plant secondary metabolites, for smallholder farming cereal production, initially against lepidopterous stem borers. Opportunities are being developed for other regions and farming ecosystems. New semiochemical tools and delivery systems, including GM, are being incorporated to exploit further opportunities for mainstream arable farming systems. By delivering the push and pull effects as secondary metabolites, for example, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene repelling …

Mn-Euvering Manganese: The Role Of Transporter Gene Family Members In Manganese Uptake And Mobilization In Plants, Amanda L. Socha, Mary Lou Guerinot

Dartmouth Scholarship

Manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, is important for plant health. In plants, Mn serves as a cofactor in essential processes such as photosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Mn deficient plants exhibit decreased growth and yield and are more susceptible to pathogens and damage at freezing temperatures. Mn deficiency is most prominent on alkaline soils with approximately one third of the world’s soils being too alkaline for optimal crop production. Despite the importance of Mn in plant development, relatively little is known about how it traffics between plant tissues and into and out of organelles. Several gene transporter families …

Pengaruh Jarak Tanam Berbeda Pada Berbagai Dosis Pupuk Organik Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Jagung Hibrida P-12 Di Jatinangor, Agus Wahyudin, Ruminta, D. C. Bachtiar

Jurnal Kultivasi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperoleh jarak tanam dan dosis pupuk organik kandang domba yang memberikan pengaruh terbaik terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman jagung Hibrida P-12. Percobaan dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Ciparanje, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Kabupaten Sumedang, dengan ketinggian tempat ±750 meter di atas permukaan laut, dari bulan Maret sampai Juli 2013. Metode percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Kelompok yang terdiri dari 9 perlakuan dan diulang tiga kali. Perlakuannya adalah sebagai berikut: Jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm + 2t/ha pupuk kandang, jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm + 1t/ha pupuk kandang, jarak tanam 75 x 25 cm …

Qtl Architecture Of Reproductive Fitness Characters In Brassica Rapa, Jennifer M. Dechaine, Marcus T. Brock, Cynthia Weinig

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Background

Reproductive output is critical to both agronomists seeking to increase seed yield and to evolutionary biologists interested in understanding natural selection. We examine the genetic architecture of diverse reproductive fitness traits in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from a crop (seed oil) × wild-like (rapid cycling) genotype of Brassica rapa in field and greenhouse environments.

Results

Several fitness traits showed strong correlations and QTL-colocalization across environments (days to bolting, fruit length and seed color). Total fruit number was uncorrelated across environments and most QTL affecting this trait were correspondingly environment-specific. Most fitness components were positively correlated, consistent with life-history …

Updated Ethography For European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris) In Central Coast Vineyards, Vic A. Guerrero

Wine and Viticulture

No abstract provided.

An Index Of California Regulations Affecting Rice Growers, Maddie Dunlap

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purposed of this project was to identify and compile California regulations that affect rice growers. The final product was an index designed for rice growers and their representatives to be used lobbying efforts with regulators and elected officials. The index serves to illustrate the intensive regulations that rice growers face in California. Areas of focus include water quality, air quality, labor and pesticides indirectly.

Proceedings Of The 41st Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 5-6, 2014, Pensacola Beach, Florida), Edward Sikora, Clayton A. Hollier, Craig Rothrock, Myra Purvis, Danise Beadle, Stephen R. Koenning

Southern Soybean Disease Workers: Conference Proceedings

Contents

Schedule

Southern United Station Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for 2013. Compiled by SR Koenning

Graduate student paper competition (Ed Sikora, moderator)

Association of Phomopsis longicolla and Macrophomina phaseolina with zone lines in soybean roots at maturity. ML Zaccaron, JC Rupe, and RT Holland

Molecular Phylogenetic Redefinition of Cercospora kikuchii. S Albu, P Price, V Doyle, and R Schneider

The effects of salinity on Pythium rot of soybean. TJ Stetina, CS Rothrock, and JC Rupe

Distribution of Cercospora sojina and sensitivity to Qol fungicides in Mississippi soybean fields. J Standish, M Tomaso-Peterson, TW Allen, S Sabanadzovic, N Aboughanem-Sabanadzovic

Effect …

2014 Barley Variety Sowing Guide For Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Andrea Hills, Sanjiv Gupta, Sarah J. Collins, Harmohinder Dhammu, Raj Malik

Bulletins 4000 -

This sowing variety guide is designed as a reference to help determine which barley variety to grow in your region. It provides market feedback, relative grain yield comparisons, disease ratings, agronomic information and herbicide tolerance ratings for all malting and food barley varieties segregated in Western Australia and selected feed varieties (Tables 1 to 10; Figures 1 to 10).

Broome Sandstone Aquifer, La Grange Groundwater Area: A Preliminary Report On The Hydrochemistry And Groundwater Recharge Rates, With Recommendations For Future Drilling And Environmental Tracer Sampling, Glenn A. Harrington

Natural resources commissioned reports

Innovative Groundwater Solutions has been engaged by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) to assist with the initial planning and design of the drilling and groundwater sampling program for the Broome Sandstone aquifer in the La Grange groundwater area.

There are multiple objectives of the drilling program, including defining aquifer stratigraphy and position of the salt-water interface; assessing groundwater recharge, residence time, lateral flow velocity and the source of water to culturally significant sites; enabling long-term monitoring of water level and water quality; and, ultimately, developing a groundwater model for the aquifer.

The following four tasks were …

Development And Assessment Of Plant-Based Synthetic Odor Baits For Surveillance And Control Of Malaria Vectors, Vincent O. Nyasembe, David P. Tchouassi, Hillary K. Kirwa, Woodbridge A. Foster, Peter E.A. Teal, Christian Borgemeister, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Recent malaria vector control measures have considerably reduced indoor biting mosquito populations. However, reducing the outdoor biting populations remains a challenge because of the unavailability of appropriate lures to achieve this. This study sought to test the efficacy of plant-based synthetic odor baits in trapping outdoor populations of malaria vectors. Methodology and Principal Finding: Three plant-based lures ((E)-linalool oxide [LO], (E)-linalool oxide and (E)-β-ocimene [LO + OC], and a six-component blend comprising ( E)-linalool oxide, (E)-β-ocimene, hexanal, β-pinene, limonene, and ( E)-β-farnesene [Blend C]), were tested alongside an animal/human-based synthetic lure (comprising heptanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal [Blend F]) …

No 1 2013 Eggplant Variety Trial, Rebecca Brown

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

Descriptions of eggplant varieties trialed at the Gardiner Crop Research Farm of URI, Kingston, RI

No 2 2013 Pepper Variety Trial, Rebecca Brown

University of Rhode Island Vegetable Production Research Reports

Descriptions of pepper varieties trialed at the Gardiner Crop Research Farm of URI, Kingston, RI