Agricultural production in the Sahelian region of Africa is
among the lowest in the world. Cyclical infestations of locusts and
grasshoppers have contributed to this low productivity. The infestations
appear to be triggered by heavy rainfall at the beginning of a crop season
after extended drought. Because locusts and grasshoppers...
Habitat for pollinating insects is declining, which is a concern for agricultural communities that rely on pollination services. Meanwhile, solar energy development is increasing as communities seek to source energy renewably. Land under solar panels is traditionally unused, so some communities are planting pollinator habitat under solar panel canopies to...
The objective of this study was to determine if supplementing linoleic or α-linolenic acids, and timing of supplementation around AI will alter supplemental intake, ADG, and serum progesterone (P4), cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations in replacement Angus crossbred heifers. In yr 1, 54 heifers, stratified by age, were assigned to: barley...
Lower atmospheric flux measurements are a difficult subset of atmospheric data to accurately collect. The interplay of cost, precision, specialty, resolution and repeatability compound an already difficult experimental problem. In response to this, a new, novel instrumentation approach to measuring within the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is introduced.
The combination...
Strawberry is one of four crops included in the USDA-NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative-funded RosBREED project along with apple, peach, and cherry. Phenotyping strawberry for specific horticultural and commercial traits is important to identify associations with genotypic marker(s). This process is the first step in translating genomic knowledge into enhanced...
Nuclear DNA flow cytometry was used to differentiate ploidy level and determine nuclear DNA content in Rubus. Nuclei suspensions were prepared from leaf discs of young leaves following published protocols with modifications that included: increasing the stain concentration, adding the stain after the RN ase treatment instead of adding it...
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) breeding. This has been spurred by an increase in black raspberry consumption due to studies that have shown them to be particularly high in anthocyanin content indicating high levels of antioxidants. Present cultivars are ill adapted...
Agrivoltaic systems promote dual use of land by combining solar energy and agricultural production. Grazing sheep in these systems is popular but research on intentionally designed pastures to increase production is lacking. This study seeks to compare the herbage growth and lamb production in simple, diverse, and legume pasture mixes...
This thesis pursues a flexible understanding and definition of
dis/ability as a broadly and liberally applied mark of stigma. It asks questions that develop a deeper understanding of how disability influences mētis, a knowledge or cunning use of the body. Through this framework of mētis, this thesis explores technologies as...
Feeding conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) improves reproductive performance in dairy cows; however, the molecular mechanisms by which CLA improves reproduction are not well understood. Therefore, we evaluated whether the CLA isomers, trans-10, cis-12 CLA and cis-9, trans-11 CLA altered synthesis of steroidogenic hormones in bovine luteal cells by measuring concentrations...