Agricultural Science Commons^™

Dietary Wheat Germ Oil Influences Gene Expression In Larvae And Eggs Of The Oriental Fruit Fly, Thomas A. Coudron, Chiou Ling Chang, Cynthia L. Goodman, David Stanley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Changes in animal nutrition, particularly essential dietary components, alter global gene expression patterns. Our goal is to identify molecular markers that serve as early indicators of the quality of insect culture media. Markers of deficient culture media will increase the efficiency of developing optimal systems for mass rearing beneficial insects and some pest species because decisions on culture media quality can be made without waiting through one or several life cycles. The objective of our current study is to discover molecular markers of essential dietary lipid deficiency in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. We reared groups of fruit …

Uncertainty In Modelling Of Faecal Coliform Overland Transport Associated With Manure Application In Maryland, A. K. Guber, Y. A. Pachepsky, A. M. Yakirevich, D. R. Shelton, A. M. Sadeghi, D. C. Goodrich, C. L. Unkrich

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Concerns for microbial safety of surface water facilitate development of predictive models that estimate concentrations and total numbers of pathogen and indicator organisms leaving manure-fertilized fields in overland flow during runoff events. Spatial variability of bacterial concentrations in applied manure introduces high uncertainty in the model predictions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the uncertainty in model predictions of the manure-borne bacteria overland transport caused by limited information on the spatial distribution of bacteria in surface-applied manure. Experiments were carried out at the ARS Beltsville experimental watershed site (OPE3) in Maryland. Dairy bovine manure was applied at a …

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Nebraska Platte-Republican Resources Area

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Overview

Benefits

Goals

Program Cost

Eligible Areas and Eligibility Requirements

Approved Conservation Practices

Acreage Limitations

Sign-up and Contract Duration

CREP Payments

CREP and CRP

For More Information

Outcrossing And Crossbreeding Recovers Deteriorated Traits In Laboratory Cultured Steinernema Carpocapsae Nematodes, John M. Chaston, Adler R. Dillman, David I. Shapiro-Ilan, Anwar L. Bilgrami, Randy Gaugler, Keith R. Hopper, Byron J. Adams

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The nematode Steinernema carpocapsae infects and kills many pest insects in agro-ecosystems and is commonly used in biocontrol of these pests. Growth of the nematodes prior to distribution for biocontrol commonly results in deterioration of traits that are essential for nematode persistence in field applications. To better understand the mechanisms underlying trait deterioration of the efficacy of natural parasitism in entomopathogenic nematodes, we explored the maintenance of fitness related traits including reproductive capacity, heat tolerance, virulence to insects and ‘tail standing’ (formerly called nictation) among laboratory-cultured lines derived from natural, randomly mating populations of S. carpocapsae. Laboratory cultured nematode …

Carbon Dioxide Fluxes In Corn–Soybean Rotation In The Midwestern U.S.: Inter- And Intra-Annual Variations, And Biophysical Controls, Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez, Jerry L. Hatfield, Timothy B. Parkin, Thomas J. Sauer, John H. Prueger

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Quantifying carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems is critical for better understanding of global carbon cycling and observed changes in climate. This study examined year-round temporal variations of CO₂ fluxes in two biennial crop rotations during 4 year of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production. We monitored CO₂ fluxes using eddy-covariance (EC) and soil chambers in adjacent production fields near Ames, Iowa. Under the non-limiting soil water availability conditions predominant in these fields, diel and seasonal variations of CO₂ fluxes were mostly controlled by ambient temperature and …

Forage Soybean Yield And Quality Response To Water Use, David C. Nielsen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Forages could be used to diversify reduced and no-till dryland cropping systems from the traditional wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow system in the semiarid central Great Plains. Forages present an attractive alternative to grain and seed crops because of greater water use efficiency and less susceptibility to potentially devastating yield reductions due to severe water stress during critical growth stages. However, farmers need a simple tool to evaluate forage productivity under widely varying precipitation conditions. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the relationship between crop water use and dry matter (DM) yield for soybean (Glycine max …

Evaluating Decision Rules For Dryland Rotation Crop Selection, David C. Nielsen, Merle F. Vigil, Joseph G. Benjamin

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

No-till dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow systems in the central Great Plains have more water available for crop production than the traditional conventionally tilled winter wheat-fallow systems because of greater precipitation storage efficiency. That additional water is used most efficiently when a crop is present to transpire the water, and crop yields respond positively to increases in available soil water. The objective of this study was to evaluate yield, water use efficiency (WUE), precipitation use efficiency (PUE), and net returns of cropping systems where crop choice was based on established crop responses to water use while incorporating a …

Towards Estimation Of Canopy Foliar Biomass With Spectral Reflectance Measurements, Lingli Wang, E. Raymond Hunt Jr., John J. Qu, Xianjun Hao, Craig S.T. Daughtry

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Canopy foliar biomass, defined as the product of leaf dry matter content and leaf area index, is an important measurement for global biogeochemical cycles. This study explores the potential for retrieving foliar biomass in green canopies using a spectral index, the Normalized Dry Matter Index (NDMI). This narrow-band index is based on absorption at the C–H bond stretch overtone and is correlated with leaf dry matter content in fresh green leaves. PROSPECT and SAIL model simulations suggest that the NDMI at the canopy scale is able to minimize the effects of leaf thickness and leaf water content and to maximize …

Development Of Simple Sequence Repeat Markers For Chionanthus Retusus (Oleaceae) And Effective Discrimination Of Closely Related Taxa, R. S. Arias, Timothy A. Rinehart, Richard T. Olsen, Joseph H. Kirkbride Jr., Brian E. Scheffler

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The genus Chionanthus (Oleaceae Hoffmans. & Link) includes deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs distributed widely in tropical and sub-tropical areas, including a few temperate species. Although Chionanthus species are planted as ornamental garden plants and commercialized for natural products, genetic information for Chionanthus spp. is lacking. We created micro satellite-enriched libraries of Chionanthus retusus Lindl. & Paxton, assembled 1072 contigs, and detected 1010 repeats. The frequency of the repeats decreased with the increase in repeat length, and the most abundant motifs were: AG, AC, AAG, ACC, AT, and ACTC. We screened 384 markers on 12 accessions of four related …

Identification Of Wild Apple Germplasm (Malus Spp.) Accessions With Resistance To The Postharvest Decay Pathogens Penicillium Expansum And Colletotrichum Acutatum, W. M. Jurick Ii, W. J. Janisiewicz, R. A. Saftner, I. Vico, V. L. Gaskins, E. Park, P. L. Forsline, G. Fazio, W. S. Conway

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Penicillium expansum and Colletotrichum acutatum cause blue mould and bitter rot of apples during storage which results in significant economic losses. Resistance to these pathogens in commercial apple cultivars has not been documented in the literature. An apple germplasm collection, from the centre of origin in Kazakhstan, is maintained in Geneva, New York. This collection represents a more diverse apple gene pool than commercial cultivars and was evaluated for resistance to the pathogens that cause blue mould and bitter rot. Resistance reactions were skewed towards susceptibility for both fungi and comprised the majority of accessions examined. However, resistance to P. …

Spatial Ramifications Of Crop Selection: Water Quality And Biomass Energy, M. P. Russelle, D. W. Kelley, A. S. Birr, D. C. Tiffany

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The use of GIS in concert with simple or complex simulation modeling provides an unparalleled way to generate new data and to help a variety of audiences understand spatial patterns of data. From improved understanding, policy incentives can be crafted to reduce adverse environmental impacts of agricultural production at lower costs than would be necessary otherwise. In this chapter, two case studies demonstrate how GIS and modeling can be used to understand how crop selection and soils interact to effect environmental outcomes across an agricultural landscape. We addressed the needs of two distinctly different audiences: (1) a public drinking water …

Nutritional Plane And Selenium Supply During Gestation Affect Yield And Nutrient Composition Of Colostrum And Milk In Primiparous Ewes, A. M. Meyer, J. J. Reed, T. L. Neville, J. F. Thorson, K. R. Maddock-Carlin, J. B. Taylor, L. P. Reynolds, D. A. Redmer, J. S. Luther, C. J. Hammer, K. A. Vonnahme, J. S. Caton

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The objectives were to investigate effects of nutritional plane and Se supply during gestation on yield and nutrient composition of colostrum and milk in first parity ewes. Rambouillet ewe lambs (n = 84, age = 240 ± 17 d, BW = 52.1 ± 6.2 kg) were allocated to 6 treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial array. Factors included Se [adequate Se (ASe, 11.5 µg/ kg of BW) or high Se (HSe, 77.0 µg/kg of BW)] initiated at breeding, and nutritional plane [60 (RES), 100 (CON), or 140% (HIH) of requirements] initiated at d 40 of gestation. Ewes were fed …

Putting The Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated With Whole Grains—Summary Of American Society For Nutrition 2010 Satellite Symposium, Satya S. Jonnalagadda, Lisa Harnack, Rui Hai Liu, Nicola Mckeown, Chris Seal, Simin Liu, George C. Fahey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The symposium “Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated with Whole Grains” sponsored by the ASN brought together researchers to review the evidence regarding the health benefits associated with whole grains. Current scientific evidence indicates that whole grains play an important role in lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health. The essential macro- and micronutrients, along with the phytonutrients present in whole grains, synergistically contribute to their beneficial effects. Current evidence lends credence to the recommendations to incorporate whole grain foods …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2010, Fred M. Bourland, A. B. Beach, D. P. Roberts Jr.

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant.

Estimation Of Surface Soil Organic Matter Using A Ground-Based Active Sensor And Aerial Imagery, D. F. Roberts, V. I. Adamchuk, J. F. Shanahan, R. B. Ferguson, J. S. Schepers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Active canopy sensors are currently being studied as a tool to assess crop N status and direct in-season N applications. The objective of this study was to use a variety of strategies to evaluate the capability of an active sensor and a wide-band aerial image to estimate surface soil organic matter (OM). Grid soil samples, active sensor reflectance and bare soil aerial images were obtained from six fields in central Nebraska before the 2007 and 2008 growing seasons. Six different strategies to predict OM were developed and tested by dividing samples randomly into calibration and validation datasets. Strategies included uniform, …

Soil Fertility And Crop Yields In Long-Term Organic And Conventional Cropping Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Samuel E. Wortman, Tomie D. Galusha, Stephen C. Mason, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Organic agriculture aims to build soil quality and provide long-term benefits to people and the environment; however, organic practices may reduce crop yields. This long-term study near Mead, NE was conducted to determine differences in soil fertility and crop yields among conventional and organic cropping systems between 1996 and 2007. The conventional system (CR) consisted of corn (Zea mays L.) or sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)–sorghum or corn–soybean, whereas the diversified conventional system (DIR) consisted of corn or sorghum– sorghum or corn–soybean–winter wheat (wheat, Triticum aestivum L.). The animal manure-based organic system (OAM) …

Stacking Resistance Alleles From Wild And Domestic Soybean Sources Improves Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance, Myungsik Kim, D. L. Hyten, Terry L. Niblack, Brian W. Diers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) is the most economically important soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] pathogen in the United States. Field SCN populations are adapting to the narrowly based SCN resistance currently deployed in soybean cultivars. The objective of our research was to measure the effects of combinations of SCN resistance genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL) from the wild soybean (Glycine soja Siebold & Zucc.) PI 468916 and the domesticated soybean accessions PI 88788 and PI 437654. Two populations were developed to test the combinations of QTL and genes. Both populations segregated for the …

Moving Micronutrients From The Soil To The Seeds: Genes And Physiological Processes From A Biofortification Perspective, Brian M. Waters, Renuka P. Sankaran

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The micronutrients iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) are essential for plants and the humans and animals that consume plants. Increasing the micronutrient density of staple crops, or biofortification, will greatly improve human nutrition on a global scale. This review discusses the processes and genes needed to translocate micronutrients through the plant to the developing seeds, and potential strategies for developing biofortified crops.

Past And Projected Future Changes In Snowpack And Soil Frost At The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, Usa, John L. Campbell, Scott V. Ollinger, Gerald N. Flerchinger, Haley Wicklein, Katharine Hayhoe, Amey S. Bailey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Long-term data from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire show that air temperature has increased by about 1°C over the last half century. The warmer climate has caused significant declines in snow depth, snow water equivalent and snow cover duration. Paradoxically, it has been suggested that warmer air temperatures may result in colder soils and more soil frost, as warming leads to a reduction in snow cover insulating soils during winter. Hubbard Brook has one of the longest records of direct field measurements of soil frost in the United States. Historical records show no long-term trends in maximum …

Molecular Mapping Of Greenbug Resistance Genes Gb2 And Gb6 In T1al.1rs Wheat-Rye Translocations, H. Lu, Jackie C. Rudd, J. D. Burd, Y. Weng

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Two greenbug resistance genes Gb2 and Gb6 derived from the same donor rye line 'Insave', are present in wheat germplasm lines 'Amigo' and 'GRS1201', respectively as 1AL.1RS wheat-rye translocations. The allelic relationship between the two genes has not been determined, and no molecular markers for Gb6 are available. In this study, molecular mapping of Gb2 and Gb6 was performed in a mapping population derived from a cross between 'N96L9970' (Gb6Gb6) and 'TAM 107' (Gb2Gb2). Segregation among F_2:3 families of host responses to infestation of greenbug biotypes E and KS-1 revealed that Gb2 and Gb6 were …