Agricultural Science Commons^™

Isolation, Phylogeny And Evolution Of The Symrk Gene In The Legume Genus Lupinus L., Frédéric Mahé, Dragomira Markova, Rémy Pasquet, Marie Thérèse Misset, Abdelkader Aïnouche

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

SymRK is one of the key genes involved in initial steps of legume symbiotic association with fungi (mycorrhization) and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (nodulation). A large portion of the sequence encoding the extracellular domain of SYMRK was obtained for 38 lupine accessions and 2 outgroups in order to characterize this region, to evaluate its phylogenetic utility, and to examine whether its molecular evolutionary pattern is correlated with rhizobial diversity and specificity in Lupinus. The data suggested that, in Lupinus, SymRK is a single copy gene that shows good phylogenetic potential. Accordingly, SymRK provided additional support to previous molecular phylogenies, and shed additional …

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 …

Relationship Of Cooked-Rice Nutritionally Important Starch Fractions With Other Physicochemical Properties, James Patindol, Harmeet Guraya, Elaine Champagne, Ming-Hsuan Chen, Anna Mcclung

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

Sixteen rice cultivars representing five cytosine-thymine repeat (CT_n) microsatellite genetic marker groups were analyzed for their cooked rice nutritionally important starch fractions (NISFs, which include rapidly digestible (RDS), slowly digestible (SDS), and resistant starch (RS)), basic grain quality indices (apparent amylose (AM), crude protein (CP), alkali spreading value (AS), and gel consistency (GC)), pasting characteristics, and thermal properties. Chemometric tools (bivariate correlation, principal component analysis, multiple linear regression, and partial least squares regression) were used to establish the association of NISF with other milled rice physicochemical properties. CT₁₁ was generally associated with high percentages of RS and …

Regulatory Control Of High Levels Of Carotenoid Accumulation In Potato Tubers, Xiangjun Zhou, Ryan Mcquinn, Zhangjun Fei, Anne-Marie A. Wolters, Joyce Van Eck, Charles Brown, James J. Giovannoni, Li Li

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

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers contain a wide range of carotenoid contents. To decipher the key factors controlling carotenoid levels in tubers, four potato lines (Atlantic, Désirée, 91E22 and POR03) were examined by a combination of biochemical, molecular and genomics approaches. These lines contained incremental levels of carotenoids, which were found to be associated with enhanced capacity of carotenoid biosynthesis as evident from norflurazon treatment. Microarray analysis of high and low carotenoid lines (POR03 versus Atlantic) revealed 381 genes that showed significantly differential expression. The carotenoid metabolic pathway genes b-carotene hydroxylase 2 (BCH2) and b-carotene hydroxylase 1 (BCH1), along …

Invited Commentary: Dietary Pattern Analysis, Fumiaki Imamura, Paul F. Jaques

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

The analytic approaches used in nutritional epidemiology for dietary pattern analyses share common characteristics with those of genetic epidemiology. In this issue of the Journal, Gorst-Rasmussen et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;173(10):1097–1104) discuss one such approach. Application of methods used in genetic pattern analyses to nutritional epidemiology could prove valuable but raises important issues that need to be considered because dietary and genetic studies often address different types of questions in analyzing interrelated variables. These different aims require statistical methods that assume different characteristics of the underlying patterns. The authors briefly describe such differences to facilitate interpretation and …

Physiology And Endocrinology Symposium: Role Of The Oviduct In Maintaining Sustained Fertility In Hens, M. R. Bakst

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

In poultry, sperm transferred by natural mating or AI into the distal end of the vagina immediately begin their ascent to the uterovaginal junction (UVJ) at the anterior end of the vagina. However, due to an intense selection process in the vagina, less than 1% of the sperm transferred actually reach the UVJ. Those sperm that do reach the UVJ enter numerous tubular invaginations of the surface epithelium of the vagina located in the UVJ mucosa, collectively referred to as the sperm-storage tubules (SST). Sperm residing in the SST lumen are capable of surviving up to several weeks while retaining …

The Rural Growth Trifecta: Outdoor Amenities, Creative Class And Entrepreneurial Context, David A. Mcgranahan, Timothy R. Wojan, Dayton M. Lambert

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

Recent work challenges the notion that attracting creative workers to a place is sufficient for generating local economic growth. In this article, we examine the problem of sustaining robust growth in the periphery of the USA, demonstrating the contingent nature of talent as an engine for economic growth. We test the hypothesis that rural growth in the knowledge economy is dependent on the ability to utilize new knowledge, perhaps generated elsewhere, in addressing local economic challenges. Tests confirm that the interaction of entrepreneurial context with the share of the workforce employed in the creative class is strongly associated with growth …

Upland Contribution Of Sediment And Runoff During Extreme Drought: A Study Of The 1947–1956 Drought In The Blackland Prairie, Texas, P.M. Allen, R.D. Harmel, J.A. Dunbar, J. G. Arnold

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

The 1950s drought severely impacted a 1.1 million km² area in the central US. This drought, along with the famous 1930s drought, was among the most severe of the 20th century for large areas and is the drought of record for water supply planning in Texas. At the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds during the drought, average annual rainfall was reduced 27%, which produced 75% less runoff and 35% less sediment yield. Rainfall intensity during the drought was, however, typically greater than for the non-drought period. Based on long-term data from the Riesel Watersheds, the mean, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentile …

26th Hohenheim Consensus Conference, September 11, 2010 Scientific Substantiation Of Health Claims: Evidence-Based Nutrition, Hans Konrad Biesalski, Peter J. Aggett, Robert Anton, Paul S. Bernstein, Jeffrey Blumberg, Robert P. Heaney, Jeya Henry, John M. Nolan, David P. Richardson, Ben Van Ommen, Renger F. Witkamp, Ger T. Rijkers, Iris Zöllner

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

Objective: The objective was to define the term evidence based nutrition on the basis of expert discussions and scientific evidence.

Methods and procedures: The method used is the established Hohenheim Consensus Conference. The term “Hohenheim Consensus Conference” defines conferences dealing with nutrition-related topics. The major aim of the conference is to review the state of the art of a given topic with experts from different areas (basic science, clinicians, epidemiologists, etc.). Based on eight to 12 questions, the experts discuss short answers and try to come to a consensus. A scientifically based text is formulated that justifies the …

Response Of Tribolium Castaneum And Tribolium Confusum Adults To Vertical Black Shapes And Its Potential To Improve Trap Capture, Altair A. Semeao, James F. Campbell, R. Jeff Whitworth, Phillip E. Sloderbeck

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

Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum can be monitored in food processing facilities using traps baited with pheromones and kairomones, but beetle response to traps might be enhanced by adding visual cues. Against a white background, T. castaneum adults were more likely to visit black pillars than white pillars when presented with a choice (e.g., 73% of beetles visited black and 17% visiting white pillar), and visits to black pillars increased with pillar height. When tested against a black background, beetles did not show a significant preference for either color pillar regardless of height. When comparing beetle’s captures in pheromone/kairomone baited …

Effect Of Maternal Restraint Stress During Gestation On Temporal Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroendocrine And Immune Responses Of Progeny, C.T. Collier, P.N. Williams, J.A. Carroll, T.H. Welsh Jr, J.C. Laurenz

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

The impact of gestational dam restraint stress on progeny immune and neuroendocrine temporal hormone responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was assessed. Maternal stress (5-min snout snare restraint stress during days 84 to 112 of gestation) increased (P < 0.05) the magnitude of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6, epinephrine (E), norepinephrine, and serum amyloid A (SAA) production following LPS infusion in the offspring. Moreover, these effects appear to be dependent on gender for TNF-α, E, and cortisol production. However, maternal stress did not affect (P < 0.05) the normalization of proinflammatory cytokines or neuroendocrine hormones produced following LPS. Collectively, these results indicate that maternal stress impacts aspects of the proinflammatory cytokine and stress hormone response in their progeny following LPS dosing of the offspring. This response is potentially responsible in part for the resultant changes to SAA production. Because several of the changes observed here are dependent on pig gender, these results are also the first evidence that inherent epigenetic factors coupled with maternal stress impact the cumulative response to stress and LPS in young pigs.

Influence Of Ensiling Time And Inoculation On Alteration Of The Starch-Protein Matrix In High-Moisture Corn, P. C. Hoffman, N. M. Esser, R. D. Shaver, W. K. Coblentz, M. P. Scott, A. L. Bodnar, R. J. Schmidt, R. C. Charley

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

The fates of hydrophobic zein proteins, which encapsulate corn starch to create vitreous endosperm, have not been investigated in high-moisture corn (HMC). To assess influences of ensiling time and inoculation on zein proteins in HMC, quadruplicate samples of 2 random corn hybrids (A and B), containing 25.7 and 29.3% moisture, were ground, inoculated with (I) or without 600,000 cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 (Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Milwaukee, WI), and ensiled for 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 d. Nutrient composition [crude protein (CP), starch, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber], fermentation (pH, lactate, and acetate), and protein degradation …

Changes In Mineral Concentrations And Phosphorus Profile During Dry-Grind Processing Of Corn Into Ethanol, Keshun Liu, Jianchun Han

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

For determining variation in mineral composition and phosphorus (P) profile among streams of dry-grind ethanol production, samples of ground corn, intermediate streams, and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) were obtained from three commercial plants. Most attributes (dry matter concentrations) increased significantly from corn to cooked slurry but fermentation caused most significant increase in all attributes. During centrifugation, more minerals went into thin stillage than wet grains, making minerals most concentrated in the former. Mineral increase in DDGS over corn was about 3 fold, except for Na, S, Ca, and Fe. The first three had much higher fold of increase, …

Phenologymms: A Program To Simulate Crop Phenological Responses To Water Stress, Gregory S. Mcmaster, Da Edmunds, W.W. Wilhelm, D.C. Nielsen, P.V.V. Prasad, J.C. Ascough Ii

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

Crop phenology is fundamental for understanding crop growth and development, and increasingly influences many agricultural management practices. Water deficits are one environmental factor that can influence crop phenology through shortening or lengthening the developmental phase, yet the phenological responses to water deficits have rarely been quantified. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of a decision support technology software tool, PhenologyMMS Vl.2, developed to simulate the phenology of various crops for varying levels of soil water. The program is intended to be simple to use, requires minimal information for calibration, and can be incorporated into other crop …

Determination Of Representative Elementary Areas For Soil Redoximorphic Features Identified By Digital Image Processing, T. Kevin O'Donnell, Keith W. Goyne, Randall J. Miles, Claire Baffaut, Stephen H. Anderson, Kenneth A. Sudduth

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

Photography has been a welcome tool in documenting and conveying qualitative soil information. When coupled with image analysis software, the usefulness of digital cameras can be increased to advance the field of micropedology. The determination of a representative elementary area (REA) still remains a critical information need for soil scientists so that field measurements are independent of sample size and account for spatial heterogeneity. An objective of this study was to define and determine an REA for Low Chroma and High Chroma soil redoximorphic features (SRFs) present in claypan soils of northeastern Missouri, USA using a digital camera and image …