Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Cover Crop Influence On Arthropod Biodiversity And Soil–Water Dynamics In A Semi-Arid Maize–Soybean Sequence Of The Nebraska High Plains, Carlos Eduardo De Oliveira Martins

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

With the expansion of cover crop (CC) use in semi-arid regions, producers in the Nebraska High Plains are increasingly interested in understanding how CCs influence both beneficial arthropods and soil-water within maize-soybean (Zea mays L., Glycine max [L.] Merr.) rotations. Integrating CCs in these systems can enhance soil water availability and beneficial insect activity, but potential trade-offs include higher early-season water use by CCs and the risk of increasing potential pest populations. This thesis addresses these questions through two complementary studies conducted under field conditions near Brule, Nebraska. The first study evaluated the effects of a multi-species CC mixture …

Establishment Of Native Warm-Season Forages Using Organic Practices, Kolten Ray Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Grassland agriculture is seen as a particularly sustainable form of agriculture. Many opportunities are known to use organic production methods or incorporate native warm-season grasses (NWSG) to accomplish both production goals and environmental or social outcomes. Environmental concerns have led some practitioners to question the use of organic methods to establish NWSG. As limited work has been accomplished in the northern bermudagrass belt, this project sought to compare organic establishment strategies for common NWSG species. A field trial conducted at the USDA ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, AR found that NWSG establishment success in the …

Assessing Crop Rotation Productivity, Soil Health, And Fertility, And Economic Performance, To Enhance Semi-Arid High Plains Cropping Systems Sustainability, Ezequiel Maria Villamil

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Sustainable crop production in the semi-arid High Plains of Nebraska faces challenges from limited precipitation, high interannual variability, and economic risk. This dissertation investigates the long-term productivity, water use, soil health, and economic sustainability of dryland crop rotations, with emphasis on the role of pulses as alternatives to fallow.

Chapter 1 analyzes nearly three decades (1995–2023) of on-farm data from the High Plains Agricultural Laboratory (Sidney, Nebraska) to compare seven crop rotations, including wheat, corn, millet, sunflower, and field peas. Results showed that wheat–corn–fallow (W–C–F) consistently outperformed traditional wheat–fallow (W–F) and more intensified four-year rotations, providing the highest grain yields, …

Nutrient Utilization Efficiency And Antioxidant Profile Of Bc2 Abaca (Musa Textilis Née) Hybrids, Roberto Barba Jr, Antonio Lalusin

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Abaca (Musa textilis Née) is an important fiber crop widely recognized for its superior tensile strength, yet its productivity remains constrained by nutrient inefficiency, poor cropping management, and climatic stresses under manual production systems. Efficient nutrient utilization and an understanding of antioxidant compositions are practically relevant to the productivity of the abaca fiber crop. However, despite the crop’s economic importance, limited studies have examined nutrient uptake dynamics and internal utilization efficiency related to fiber synthesis. This study aimed to demonstrate the nutrient utilization efficiency and antioxidant profiles of BC₂ abaca hybrids in relation to fiber yield and quality. Fiber …

Evaluating Metamitron Efficacy For Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri) Management In Sugarbeet Across The Central High Plains, Abraham Akuoko

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

Herbicide-resistant (HR) Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) is regarded as one of the most prominent weeds within sugarbeet fields across the Central High Plains, with limited chemical control options. Although a few herbicides are available, their use is restrictive due to crop injury concerns and can only be applied at or after the 2–4 true leaf (TL) growth stage, which will provide no control for already emerged weeds. However, Palmer amaranth often emerges between sugarbeet planting and the 2 TL sugarbeet growth stage. Consequently, as of 2023, there were no herbicide options to control Palmer amaranth in sugarbeet …

Proso Millet In Us High Plains Dryland Agriculture: Systems Resilience, Phenology, And Consumer Preferences For Alternative Grains, Pratiksha Baishya

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Dryland crop production in Nebraska's semi-arid High Plains faces challenges from fluctuating weather impacts of climate change, including extreme temperatures, short growing seasons, and recurring droughts. Proso millet is an alternative crop used to build a more robust three-year rotation in the region, rather than the traditional two-year wheat-fallow cycle. This dissertation provides a systems-level assessment of proso millet, a climate-resilient crop with great potential to support sustainable cropping systems in the US High Plains. Using a field-to-consumer approach, it highlights its agronomic and environmental advantages in dryland rotations, develops a phenological framework to aid future research on production, crop …

Evaluation Of The Suitability Of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) Accessions Grown In A Vertical Container System, Darel Kenth S. Antesco, Lourdes Edano Ma., Renerio Gentallan Jr, Roselyn F. Paelmo, Annalissa L. Aquino

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Growing tomatoes in vertical container systems such as hanging pots presents a promising production system for urban gardening. However, horticultural selections of tomato with traits suited for this system are still limited. The success of different genotypes grown in this system depends on the combination of morphological characters, including plant form, vegetative growth, and root development, as well as yield. This study assessed the morphological characters of 10 tomato accessions to identify those with ideal traits for this system. Results showed that some accessions possess unique traits that enhance their performance in hanging pots. Among the 10 accessions, T2 from …

Breeding For Disease Resistance In Melon And Watermelon, Venkata Rao Ganaparthi

All Dissertations

Watermelon and cantaloupe are two widely consumed cucurbits, but their acreage in the United States reduced by nearly 50% in last two decades. Fusarium wilt caused by a soil borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum(Fon) race 2 is a major limiting factor in watermelon production as it reduces yields by 80%. Grafting watermelon plants onto the root stock of wild, disease-resistant varieties like ‘Carolina Strongback’ is the best strategy to manage Fon race 2. Though effective, this approach increases production costs.

Part of this dissertation focused on finding more sustainable, cost-effective solutions to control Fusarium wilt …

Effect Of Planting Date, Insecticide Efficacy, And Hail Injury On Soybean Gall Midge (Resseliella Maxima Gagné) Infestation In Soybean, Natasha Hiromi Umezu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Resseliella maxima Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a recently described and economically significant pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the Midwestern United States. Since its identification in 2019, this species has become widespread and is now associated with substantial yield losses in parts of the region. Prior to its formal description, orange larvae were observed in soybean associated with plants damaged by hail, suggesting that plant injury may influence infestation. Given the pest’s economic importance, understanding the role of hail injury and developing effective, integrated management strategies are critical for mitigating its impact.

Field studies were conducted to …

Evaluating Fall And Spring Planted Cover Crops For Integrated Management Of Herbicide Resistant Palmer Amaranth And Effect On Soil Health, Vipin Kumar

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) pose a severe threat to agronomic crop productivity in the United States, including corn and soybean production in Nebraska. Therefore, there is an urgent need for diversified and sustainable management approaches. Integrating cover crops (CCs) with herbicide programs represents a promising strategy to achieve Palmer amaranth suppression, sustain crop yields, and contribute to long-term soil health in irrigated corn–soybean production systems in Nebraska.

A meta-analysis of 41 studies and 595 paired observations demonstrated that CCs reduced Amaranthus spp. density and biomass by 37–59% depending on the growing season, with grasses and mixtures …

An Integrated Modeling Framework To Evaluate Circularity Of The Corn–Water–Ethanol–Beef Nexus, Heydi Han

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the transition from conventional linear agricultural and food bioenergy systems toward more circular, resilient, and resource-efficient configurations. Prior research indicates that spatial and temporal variability in soil, weather, animal biological responses, and management decisions strongly influences productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and profitability. Studies have also shown that a diversified circular system can buffer these sources of variability, improving stability and adaptive capacity. Building on these insights, the central focus of this work is to develop an integrated modeling framework to evaluate circularity within the Corn-Water-Ethanol-Beef (CWEB) nexus and explore how climate variability and management choices shape system-wide performance. …

Season-Long Time-Series Analysis Of Soil Respiration In Furrow-Irrigated Corn With And Without Cover Crop In The Lower Mississippi River Basin, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor Brye, Michael J. Mulvaney, Mike Daniels, Tabata De Oliveira, Beth Baker, Timothy Bradford, Chandler Arel

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Temporal resolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) release from the soil at the field scale is not completely understood. The objectives of this study were to identify trends, repetitive cycles, and residual patterns and structures with a time-series analysis from a furrow-irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) field with and without cover crops (i.e., CC and No-CC, respectively) over the course of one growing season in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. Carbon dioxide fluxes were measured from 5 May to 18 August 2024, four times a day (i.e., 0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 h) from each of the two CC treatments. Linear …

Integration Of Marker-Assisted And Field Selection In Developing Tgms Lines For Hybrid Rice In The Southern United States, Ehsan Shakiba, Dustin G. North

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hybrid rice adoption in the southern United States, especially Arkansas, requires thermo-sensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) lines that combine stable sterility with glabrous foliage and grain quality preferred in U.S. markets. Over seven years (2014–2021), three TGMS lines—UAS3023, UAS20, and UAS4208—were developed through integration of marker-assisted and field-based selection targeting blast resistance (Pi-ta, Pi-b), semi-dwarf stature (sd1), amylose content, and gelatinization temperature. UAS3023 and UAS20 expressed ≥ 99% sterility at ~ 29 °C, while UAS4208 was sterile at ~ 32 °C, thresholds consistent with controlled-environment studies. All lines showed semi-dwarf stature, lodging resistance, glabrous leaves, and ~ …

Comparing Characteristics Of Southern Illinois And Western Kentucky Soils, Jenna Grab, Jodi Terhorst, Madelyn G. Hughes, Kaitlynn R. Burrus

Scholars Week

Comparing Characteristics

of Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky Soils

Jenna Grab, Kaitlynn Burrus, Madelyn Hughes & Jodi Terhorst

Mentor: Dr. Iin Handayani, Ph.D.

Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Kentucky, USA

ABSTRACT

Assessing soil quality indicators is essential to determining soil health for plant growth. The objective of this study was to determine and compare various physical and chemical characteristics of soils in Western Kentucky (KY) and Southern Illinois (IL). Twenty-seven undisturbed and twenty-seven disturbed soil samples were collected from September 5th-27th from fields in Mascoutah and Metropolis, Illinois, along with fields in Schochoh and Benton, Kentucky. All soil …

Evaluating Soil Responses To Three Different Tillage Practices, Robert L. Burchett, Cordale L. Straub Senior, Logan D. Renfrow Sophomore

Scholars Week

Evaluating Soil Responses to Three Different Tillage Practices

Luke Burchett, Logan Renfrow, and Cordale Straub

Mentor: Dr. Iin Handayani Ph.D

Hutson School of Agriculture, Murray State University, Kentucky, USA

ABSTRACT

Tillage systems can greatly affect soil health by changing its structure, chemistry, and biological activity. This study examined how soil organic carbon (SOC), soil pH, soil moisture, soil organic matter (SOM) responds under three tillage systems: no-till, biannual tillage, and conventional tillage. Soil samples were taken from a 1–7.6 cm depth during September 2025 across three locations. The no-till site was located in Caldwell County, Kentucky, on an irrigated double-crop …

Assessing Soil Quality Indicators In Leguminous And Non-Leguminous Cropping Systems, Kabita Budthapa, Kranthi Vinukonda, Ramya Sree Teeguri

Scholars Week

It is crucial to understand how different cropping systems influence soil health to boost the efficiency of resources and sustainable agricultural outputs. This study examined the effects of leguminous (soybean and pea) and non-leguminous (sunflower and maize) cropping systems on selected soil characteristics. On September 16th, 2025, soil samples (24 disturbed and 24 undisturbed) were collected from the 0-7.5 cm depth of West Farm, Murray, Kentucky. Disturbed samples were analyzed for pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and soil organic carbon (SOC), while undisturbed samples were used to determine bulk density, porosity, soil water holding capacity (SWHC), and soil water field …

Evaluating Fungicide Efficacy In One And Two-Pass Fungicide Programs, Carson Buchanan

Scholars Week

Evaluating Fungicide Efficacy in One and Two-Pass Fungicide Programs

Carson Buchanan

Mentors: Dr. Megan Taylor, Dr. Iin Handayani

Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA Abstract

Plant diseases continually threaten corn yields year after year. This study compared regionally important corn hybrids in a one-pass and two-pass application system. Eight rows of sixteen hybrids were planted in a field in Bargersville, Indiana. These hybrids consisted mostly of regionally important Dekalb hybrids, along with some competitive Pioneer hybrids. The entire field then got a V8 application of Stratego YLD. The field was then split in half and one half of the field …

Integrating Cereal Rye Cover Crop And Herbicide Programs To Manage Glyphosate-Resistant Italian Ryegrass In The Midsouth, Bhupesh K. Dhaka

LSU Master's Theses

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum) has become an economically significant weed management challenge in Louisiana row crop production systems. The problem is further exacerbated by the occurrence of biotypes with resistance to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors—herbicide sites of action (SOAs) commonly used for ryegrass control in soybean (Glycine max) and cotton (Gossypium). Field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments were conducted during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 growing seasons at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph, LA, and at the LSU AgCenter Weed Science facilities in Baton …

Uav Remote Sensing For Assessment Of Conservative Management Practices In Maize-Soybean Cropping System, Aakriti Poudel

LSU Master's Theses

Sustainable agriculture practices promote cover cropping, which enhances nutrient management and impacts subsequent crop productivity in field crop rotations. Precision agriculture technology, particularly Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) remote sensing, enables a detailed evaluation of crop management. The studies were conducted in a maize-soybean rotation system with winter cover cropping and fallow management. The maize experiment investigated the effect of nitrogen application rates and cover cropping, using UAV-derived Normalized Difference Red-Edge (NDRE) to monitor crop performance. NDRE effectively captured the N response and the effect of cover cropping across growth stages, particularly during mid-season (55-81 DAP), where it showed a strong …

Management Of Herbicide-Resistant Italian Ryegrass Using Cover Crop And Fall Residual Herbicide, Connor T. Mckoin

LSU Master's Theses

A field study was initiated in the fall of 2023 and repeated in 2024 at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joeseph, LA, to determine the impact of fall-applied soil residual herbicide at different growth stages (spike and one-leaf stage) on grass cover crop species, cereal rye and black oats. In most instances, clomazone (631 g ai ha^-1) and treatments containing the higher rates of metribuzin (263 g ai ha^-1)resulted in the greatest amount of cover crop injury both years, with biomass impacted by clomazone both years and in one of two years with …