Methane hydrates and biohydrogen are two disparate subjects that are of interest in the growing field of alternative energy research. However, before commercial use becomes a viable option, each has challenges that need to be overcome. Methane hydrates require large investments of time and capital to locate. In this thesis,...
This study represents an internship, as a requirement of the Professional Science Masters program at Oregon State University, performed with Western Ag Innovations Inc. The study consisted of two aspects -- one business and one science oriented. The two objectives of this internship were to: 1) qualitatively evaluate how two...
It is becoming increasingly important to understand fundamental hillslope-scale hydrological processes. Most hillslope-sale transport experiments have generally focused on conceptual findings or other aspect of flow behavior, rather than the quantification of the mass transport mechanisms of advection and dispersion. When the velocities have been quantified, dispersion has been mentioned...
Peppermint residue consists of the cooked leaves and stems of the peppermint plant after high-temperature distillation to extract oil. This residue has value as a soil amendment. It is often applied to fallow fields in the fall or sold as a soil amendment to gardeners. Research was conducted to determine...
As part of a participatory research project, where farmers and Oregon State University researchers collaborated, aspects of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) growing systems were studied. It was determined through conversations with the farmers that quantification of certain growth parameters of potato was lacking, including dry matter accumulation, crop nitrogen (N)...
Compost maturity is an important determinant of end use for composted municipal yard debris, and generally refers to the effect the compost has on plants. The rate of microbial respiration is an indicator of compost stability. The objectives of this research were to: i) determine whether continuous aeration resulted in...
Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is adapted to soils with high organic matter and acidic pH. Composts provide organic matter and nutrients for growing blueberry in mineral soils, but many composts are high in pH and soluble salts. Acidification with elemental sulfur (S°) can remedy high pH, but the process...
In order to properly utilize organic amendments as nitrogen sources, reliable methods
to estimate plant-available nitrogen (PAN) are needed. The objectives of this study
were to (1) evaluate the use of crop and soil responses in fertilizer N equivalence
(FNE) calculations, (2) examine the relationships between the C/N ratio, total...
Estimates of nitrogen (N) available from long-term application of organic
amendments are required to balance N inputs with crop N requirements. Two studies
were conducted to (1) determine N mineralized from organic amendments (manures
and composts) during year 2 after application, and (2) compare plant-available N
(PAN) determined via in...
Southeast Alaska is located on the traditional territory of the Lingít, Haida, and Tsimshian People. It is comprised of the largest temperate rainforest in the world, with subregions receiving over 500 cm of rain annually. Climate change is predicted to alter the region's timing, type, and magnitude of precipitation and...
Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soilborne pathogen that causes root rot disease of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). When new installations of susceptible blueberry cultivars are infected with P. cinnamomi, plants often fail to grow significant new tissue, greatly reducing yields over the life of the planting. Chemical fungicides are available...
Quantifying labile phosphorus (P) pools in biosolids is needed to manage biosolids for both agronomic and environmental purposes. Phosphorus indices originated in an effort to protect surface water quality from-non-point-agricultural P inputs. The objectives of this research were to: (1) evaluate soil test components of the western Oregon P index...
The decline of many Pacific salmon stocks has stimulated interest in the early life history and habitat requirements of juvenile salmon. Although estuarine habitat associations of juvenile salmon have been investigated in many coastal areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean, until recently, little was known about juvenile salmonid ecology within...
The rhetorical significance of Mormonism stems from its history and its success—this success being measured by its consistent increase in membership. The total membership of the Mormon Church has grown from 6 members in 1830 to just over 14 million in just over 180 years. A consistently high rate of...
A major constraint to the production of self-rooted wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) in eastern Washington is plant-parasitic nematodes. Plant-parasitic nematodes can impact grape productivity by limiting water and nutrient uptake, educing physiological changes, and extracting plant nutrients from roots, thereby reducing root biomass, plant vigor, and yield. The most commonly...
Understanding the magnitude and longevity of wildfire effects in forested watersheds and subsequent impacts to downstream aquatic ecosystems and communities requires congruent investigation into post-fire aquatic and terrestrial processes. However, results from wildfire studies are often confounded by pre- and post-fire land management actions and based on either hydrologic or...
Ammonia (NH₃) volatilization and loss from nitrogen (N) fertilizer in agriculture negatively impacts crops, farm profitability, human health and surrounding ecosystems where it is deposited. A significant source of NH₃ volatilization occurs from surface application of urea on sandy soils with low pH buffering capacity such as those in the...
Although the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a global crop, few growing regions rival the high yields of the Columbia Basin of Eastern Oregon and Washington. Two research projects were conducted in Hermiston, OR to contribute to best management practices for the region. The first project evaluated the efficacy of...
Ammonia (NH₃) volatilization can result in a substantial amount of surface applied nitrogen (N) being lost into the atmosphere, making it an environmental pollutant as well as reducing plant-available N. However, N can also be easily lost from the soil through leaching,
and nitrous oxide (NO₂). Enhanced efficiency N fertilizers...
Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco] bark (DFB),
sphagnum peat moss, and pumice are the most common substrate components used
in the Oregon nursery industry. Despite the widespread use of these three
components, little information is available on the effect of physical and hydraulic
properties of peat moss and pumice on...
Floodplain forests play many important roles in the fluvial processes and environments of large alluvial rivers, including acting as geomorphological influences and habitat for native fish during high flows. Many large, gravel-bed river systems have undergone substantial change in recent centuries, resulting in loss of forested area to agriculture, reduction...
Computer simulation models provide insight into ammonia loss processes and the sensitivity of ammonia loss predictions to environmental and management variables.
As an example of how a simple computer simulation model can inform the Extension guideline development process, the ALFAM (Ammonia Volatilization from Field-Applied Animal Slurry) model was used to...
A 0.4 ha planting of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) was established in Oct. 2006 to evaluate the effects of cultivar (Duke and Liberty), planting method (flat versus raised beds), weed management (sawdust mulch and hand-weed control; compost plus sawdust mulch with acetic acid, flaming, and hand-weeding used as needed; and...
The use of cover crops in young vineyards is not widely accepted in the Pacific Northwest due to concerns of water and nutrient competition between the cover crop and vines. The last 2 years of a 4-year study started in 2009 are reported here. The study evaluated the use of...
Interest in measuring soil quality continues to increase worldwide in view of demands on land productivity and the necessity to preserve soil resources, yet identification of suitable indicators for soil quality assessment is still evolving. This study adapted 10 biological, physical, and chemical indicators of soil quality identified by the...
The worksheet is designed to show a municipal biosolids manager how many acres are needed for land application of biosolids at an agronomic rate, based on crop nitrogen (N) requirements.
The worksheet is based on a peer-reviewed Extension publication: PNW 511, Worksheet for Calculating Biosolids Application Rates in Agriculture authored...
Various soil tests are routinely used in the United States to predict soil lime requirement. New non-hazardous methods have recently been proposed for adoption in Oregon, however the accuracy of these methods for Oregon soils has not been established. The objectives of this investigation were: (a) to document and describe...
This manual is designed to serve as a resource for those who organize and conduct training programs in biosolids management. It describes the process of organizing and conducting effective training sessions as well as the technical topics that should be covered.
The goal of this project is to contribute to the development of design values for cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragms in the seismic load-resisting system for buildings. Monotonic and cyclic tests to determine strength and stiffness characteristics of 2.44 m (8 ft) long shear connections with common self-tapping screws were performed....
Geospatial technology is a rapidly growing and changing field. The term geospatial technology (GST) refers to geographical information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing (RS), all emerging technologies that assist the user in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data. The speed at which new fields...
Stream temperature response of first and second order streams to the Blue River Landscape
Study (BRLS), an alternative land management strategy based on historic fire regimes, was
analyzed in the central Oregon Cascades. The BRLS treatment prescription of a 50% canopy
reduction and low intensity burn was applied with a...
Preplant compost application increased plant growth and visual appearance of a wide variety of perennial landscape plants. The positive plant growth response to compost was similar for com-post left on the soil surface or compost incorporated via rototilling. Compost application did not alleviate soil compaction. Plant growth response to compost...
Human actions are pushing natural systems into states that have no historical precedent. In response, empirical and theoretical researchers are increasingly focused on developing ways to predict the responses of ecological systems to change. However, significant knowledge gaps remain, often leading to “ecological surprises” where observed impacts of global change...
Population genetic techniques are now preeminent in differentiating wild populations. Natural resource managers rely on them in their efforts to restore viable populations of fish and wildlife. Overfishing adversely impacted Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) on the U.S. West Coast in the late 20th century. Management actions included shutting down the...
Many research projects suffer from limited data causing poor statistical analysis or limited results. The movement to high throughput methods has been building for many years and cross many different disciplines. Lots of these methods start out using pathways that generate large amounts of data but have limited methods to...
PURPOSE: To compare glenohumeral joint position sense (JPS), concentric internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength, functional ability, and level of satisfaction in patients who underwent three types of glenohumeral capsulorrhaphy with age-matched controls. RESEARCH DESIGN: Four 4x2 and two 4x3 ANOVAs were used to identify differences in JPS and...
The proteolytic enzymes in the visceral organs of albacore tuna
fish (Thunnus alalunga) were studied, initially as an extract of the
whole viscera, then as extracts of the individual organs. Preliminary
studies indicated three pH optima of activity in the whole viscera
extracts pH 1.7, 3.1-3.5 and 9.5. Analysis of...
The desire to understand the spatial and temporal drivers of animal behavior and distribution relative to scale is central to movement ecology. Optimal foraging theory states that a predator should continue exploiting a patch until it is no longer profitable to do so. As human developments increasingly encroach on the...
Research has been completed which identifies qualitatively and
quantitatively the deposition, persistence and fate of polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAH) on burned clear-cut sites in Oregon.
Eight PNAH were identified and quantified in post-burn litter samples
taken from four slash-burned sites. Deposition of lower
molecular weight, 3-4 ring compounds was considerably...
This paper examines the recent evolution of aggrieved entitlement and social fragility in young white American males and the subsequent violent backlash that certain individuals in this group have unleashed upon women, the LGBTQ community, Jewish people, Black people, and other socially vulnerable populations. Throughout the past decade, America at...
The purpose of this study was to compare the proposed women's college styles for day and evening in selected magazines to the documented apparel of college women from Oregon State College in the 1949-1957 time period. The historic method and visual analysis methods were used to complete this study. An...
The Capacitive Touch Children’s Guitar is a fully functional electronic toy demonstrating
an application of Cypress Semiconductor’s CapSense touch sensing technology. It was
developed as a senior design project by myself and two other engineering students. I was
responsible for the guitar’s LED lights, main microcontroller and sound storage and...
A nutrition education program for employed women on maintaining a
healthy weight was developed and evaluated. Delivery of eight messages (two
per week for four weeks) by electronic mail was tested for effectiveness.
The subjects were 243 members of the Oregon State University Office
and Personnel Association who were randomly...
As screen resolution and video decoding capability have increased, high-definition (HD) video in resolutions as high as 1920 x 1080 is rapidly becoming the standard. Ad-hoc streaming of HD video over 802.11 wireless networks, e.g., streaming from a mobile device to a television, is convenient for users, but is hampered...
Since the inception of white settlement, Oregon man-forest
relationships have progressively matured. The 1971 Forest Practices
Act is the culmination to date of increasing societal concern for the
protection of the forest environment and the conservation of its
resources. The Act has resulted in an increased employment of forest
practices...
This thesis presents two related studies on the methodology for creating, and
subsequently analyzing, an inverse food web model of an intertidal seagrass bed. The first study (Chapter 2) describes, for the first time in the literature, a method for incorporating isotopic information gained from Bayesian mixing models into an...
Producers in the Willamette Valley of Oregon are interested in growing canola as a rotational crop in grass seed and cereal rotations. Many other Brassicaceae seed crops also are produced within the valley. Concerns of seed persistence and volunteer contamination of Brassicaceae seed crops prompted the investigation of seed persistence...
Legume cover crops can serve as important sources of nitrogen (N) in sustainable agriculture and can be economically beneficial when fertilizer inputs are reduced without a yield reduction. Synchronizing N mineralization from organic materials with the needs of the subsequent crop is a challenge for organic growers.
Predicting plant available...
Hydrogeologic systems in the southern Cascade Range develop in volcanic rocks where volcanic morphology, stratigraphy, extensional structures and attendant basin geometry play a central role in groundwater-flow paths, groundwater/surface-water interactions, and spring discharge locations. High-volume springs (> 3 m3/s) flow from young (< 1 Ma) volcanic rocks in the Hat...
Abstract: Tide-topography interactions dominate the transfer of tidal energy from large to small scales. At present, it is poorly understood how low-mode internal tides reflect and scatter along the continental margins. Here, the coupling equations for linear tides model (CELT) are derived to determine the independent modal solutions to Laplace's...
Accurate estimates of soil nitrogen (N) mineralization rate and timing are needed for refining N management practices. This paper describes a buried bag method that has been successfully included within agronomic field trials in the Pacific Northwest, USA. We have found this method to be technically simple and reproducible, and...
Scouringrushes (Equisetum hyemale L.; E. xferrissii Clute; E. laevigatum L.) are ancient perennial seedless vascular plants historically associated with wetlands, low-lying roadsides or field margins with more plant available water. There has been little research conducted on scouringrush species in the context of agricultural production because traditional farming practices confined...
Seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) is an important warm-season perennial turfgrass, known for its tolerance to salinity. Turfgrass is used for homes, municipalities, sod farms, resorts, and sports fields. Seashore paspalum has historically been planted in sub-tropical and tropical climates because of its heat tolerance. Seashore paspalum could become an...
The study was conducted in an organic trailing blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus, Watson) planting established at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, OR on 26 May 2010. Three weed management systems were compared for 'Marion' and 'Black Diamond': 1) non-weeded; 2) hand-hoed two to three times...
Cover crop establishment in late-season crops, like sweet corn, may be difficult due to the relatively short operational window following crop harvest. In regions like western Oregon, where fall-precipitation can occur when the crop is still in the field, cover crops may not be able to be planted, due to...
Across the globe, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established to protect biodiversity, sustain fisheries, and preserve cultural resources. However, there exist broad differences among MPAs with respect to their establishment stage and protective regulations, making it difficult to quantify how much ocean protection is actually occurring. This thesis utilizes...
Response of agricultural crops to irrigation water deficit is well-understood at the field scale. Broader scale (watershed and county levels) studies have been less frequently performed. Data collection at the field level for extensive areas is time consuming and expensive. The importance of studies at a broader scale for evaluating...
Root rot of sweet corn in western Oregon and Washington is a significant disease that
can reduce yield of intolerant cultivars of processed sweet corn by fifty percent. Root rot
is caused by a complex of soilborne organisms, including Drechslera sp., Phoma
terrestris, and Pythium arrhenomanes. Processors have adopted tolerant...
The effect of serial (multiple-year) organic matter (OM) amendment on soil properties has been described in some cropping systems, although less is known about the effect of serially amended field soils on soil-borne plant diseases. The objectives of this study were to describe the effects of the third and fourth...
Survival of ecological systems pivot on critical moments. In the arid John Day Basin of Eastern Oregon, extensive restoration of the stream and floodplain focused on supporting salmon has been ongoing for the past 20 years, but recurring short periods of extreme temperature increase and low flows result in mortality...
Following the surface application of urea to soil, there is the potential for nitrogen (N) loss from ammonia (NH3) volatilization until sufficient rain or irrigation has moved it into the soil. Many studies measuring NH3 loss have used laboratory and microplot field studies. The limitation of these techniques is that...
Several new powdered limestone products that are more finely ground (smaller particle size distribution) than products historically used have become commercially available. A major factor influencing the effectiveness of a liming material is its particle size distribution, with smaller particles reacting more quickly. Because lime efficiency estimates for various particle...
Prices paid for sweet corn are low relative to the cost of producing the crop, and every strategy possible must be used to maximize net return. Two strategies used to enhance profitability but that have received little research attention under Western Oregon conditions are the use of pop-up fertilizers and...
Following the surface application of urea to soil, there is the potential for nitrogen (N) loss from ammonia (NH3) volatilization until sufficient rain or irrigation has moved it into the soil. Many studies measuring NH3 loss have used laboratory and microplot field studies. The limitation of these techniques is that...
Prices paid for sweet corn are low relative to the cost of producing the crop, and every strategy possible must be used to maximize net return. Two strategies used to enhance profitability but that have received little research attention under Western Oregon conditions are the use of pop-up fertilizers and...
Oregon's ocean waters are a potential source of wind, wave, and tidal energy; of interest to renewable energy entrepreneurs and to the U.S. government as it seeks to bolster energy security. In order to install technology to capture this energy, however, it may be necessary to mitigate conflict with existing...
The market for organic vegetables is increasing. As conventional farmers transition fields to organics to meet this demand, there is a need for better organic nutrient management guidance, especially for nitrogen (N). Organic N management is more challenging than conventional N management due to a higher level of uncertainty surrounding...
Published March 1990. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Since its inception in 1985, the Tri‐State variety development program has primarily focused on the development of processing and dual‐purpose (process and fresh) russets. Recent breeding efforts have focused more on improving genetic resistance to various pests and diseases as a means of lowering production costs. During the past decade,...
Methods for obtaining accurate, spatially explicit estimates of biomass density in tropical forests are required to reduce uncertainties in the global carbon cycle, and to support international climate agreements and emerging carbon markets. Three-dimensional (3-D) remote sensing techniques sensitive to the vertical structure of vegetation provide a unique opportunity for...
Specialty organic fertilizers used in organic vegetable production are expensive. So, from environmental and economic perspectives, growers want to maximize nitrogen (N) fertilizer use efficiency by the crop. This research was conducted to (1) determine sufficient N fertilizer rates for organic broccoli, (2) evaluate the efficacy of a specialty organic...
Specialty organic fertilizers used in organic vegetable production are expensive. So, from environmental and economic perspectives, growers want to maximize nitrogen (N) fertilizer use efficiency by the crop. This research was conducted to (1) determine sufficient N fertilizer rates for organic broccoli, (2) evaluate the efficacy of a specialty organic...
The fertilizer value of anaerobically-digested, dewatered biosolids in dryland cereal cropping systems was evaluated at six locations in central and eastern Washington (25 to 35 cm annual precipitation zone). Biosolids were applied at rates of 3 to 20 Mg/ha (approximately 150 to 900 kg N/ha). We measured increases in soil...
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...
The work presented in this dissertation examines possible
modes of action for growth inhibition by anthropogenic endocrine
disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as well as endogenous hormones
associated with growth in fish. Using the sheepshead minnow (SHM)
(Cyprinodon variegatus) as a model, I developed methods to examine
perturbations in the endocrine axis...
Parallel programming is the major stumbling block preventing the parallel processing industry from quickly satisfying the demand for parallel computer software. This research is aimed at solving some of the problems of software development for parallel computers. ELGDF is a graphical language for designing parallel programs. The goal of ELGDF...
Relative to other systems in the PNW, the rain-dominated, coastal watersheds of western Oregon have shallow aquifers. Given the seasonality of streamflow and storage limitations in coastal, rain-dominated watersheds, changes in the temporal patterns of precipitation have the potential to magnify the risk of extreme streamflow conditions during both high-...
Regression testing is an expensive software engineering activity intended to provide confidence that modifications to a software system have not introduced faults. Test case prioritization techniques help to reduce regression testing cost by ordering test cases in a way that better achieves testing objectives. In this thesis, we are interested...
Striga, a genus of obligate parasitic weeds in the family Orobanchaceae, has been
identified as the most important biological factor limiting agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Germination of Striga seeds is triggered by strigolactone root exudates
from host plants. Strigolactones also induce hyphal branching in arbuscular mycorrhizal
(AM) fungi, which...
Northern highbush blueberry is a long-lived perennial crop that is well adapted to low soil pH conditions. The plants are often shallow rooted and absorb primarily the ammonium (NH₄) form of nitrogen (N) rather than nitrate-N (NO₃-N). Traditionally, commercial blueberry fields have been irrigated with overhead sprinklers and fertilized using...
Emissions largely associated with the combustion of fossil fuels and agriculture has caused elevated atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) throughout much of the developed world. Increased atmospheric deposition of N and S can lead to soil and surface water acidification and affect forest soil nutrient supply. The...
Hyporheic zones are important regions that reside below and along the sides of streams. Within this region, several ecosystem services are provided including stream temperature regulation, habitats for a large variety of species, pollutant removal, and nutrient cycling. Exchange between the hyporheic zone and stream occurs across multiple scales, but...
Our objectives were to determine 1) the concentration of prostaglandin
F2α (PGF2α) in whole and extended bovine semen, 2) if concentrations of
prostaglandins in extended bovine semen are correlated to fertility, and 3) if PGF2α
administered at the time of artificial insemination would improve conception rate.
Concentration of PGF2α tended...
The purpose of this study was to learn about the experiences of Generation 1.5 Hispanics in developmental English in community college. A qualitative comparative case study design was used for this social critical study. The key findings fell into three categories: road blocks, motivators, and actions. The road blocks included:...
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Appendix D Developmental English Participant Survey ................................. 272
This is a bibliography of the work of T. L. Jackson, who conducted research at the North Willamette Research and Experiment Center. It is limited to those Extension publications and research reports that addressed the nutrient needs of fresh market and processed vegetables.
Organic vegetable growers rely on legume cover crops as an economical source of plant-available N. This research evaluated N contributions to summer vegetable crops by cover crops (CC) residues by monitoring soil nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations during the summer crop growing season. Replicated field plots were established with three CC mixes:...
This chapter addresses compost quality specifications, chemical and physical properties of compost, evaluation of compost maturity and stability, and variability in compost analytical data.
Monotonic and cyclic tests were carried out to determine strength and stiffness characteristics of 2.44 m (8 ft) long shear connections with 8 mm and 10 mm diameter self-tapping screws. The goal of this research is to compare test values of cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragm connections in seismic force-resisting systems...