Winegrapes are an important crop for Oregon agriculture, ranking amongst the top ten agricultural commodities based on farmgate value. The most widely planted winegrape cultivar in the state is ‘Pinot noir’ (Vitis vinifera L.), and the majority of acreage is produced in the Willamette Valley. Production of quality ‘Pinot noir’...
The goal of the study was to collect data on the ecology and
reproduction of Sophora leachiana in order to help explain the rarity
and restricted range of this species. There are 13 known populations
of S. leachiana, occurring in a 29 by 6.4 km area in the Siskiyou
Mountains...
Canopy management is critical to successful winegrape production. Canopy management begins with vineyard design and includes decisions about soil, water, cover cropping, fertilization and weed control. Shoot thinning, leaf removal, hedging and crop thinning are also part of canopy management.
Aquatic ecological investigation is expanding to encompass considerations of
multiple scales across large landscapes. Much of the analysis included in this work
focuses specifically on coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in multiple subbasins on
the Oregon coast. Coho salmon were chosen for an investigation of spatial scales,
network connections, and life...
In resource constrained settings, missing markets and unregulated externalities can have a significant impact on human capital outcomes. High out of pocket expenditure due to the inaccessibility of insurance markets limits the use of healthcare, just as the inability to borrow in the face of a cash constraint may lead...
The Afghan public higher education (HE) system absorbs less than one-fifth of government education spending and per student spending declines, while the student annual enrollment is rising. This contrast may trigger challenges and inevitable tradeoffs for the public universities to
encounter. Policies concerning the diversification of financing stream need attention;...
The 2010 U.S. health reforms expanded health insurance access to millions of Americans, mainly through an unprecedented expansion of Medicaid eligibility to those with low incomes. Not all states chose to expand their programs, resulting in disparate health-benefit access nationally. This study uses quantitative and qualitative analyses to explore the...
Improving access to and uptake of antenatal care remains a persistent challenge for India. It is a far greater challenge for an underdeveloped, poorer and mostly rural state like Bihar. The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-IV) of India reported that only 3% pregnant women in rural Bihar utilized full...
American students are graduating from college averaging tens of thousands of dollars in debt, leading to substantial repayment burdens and potentially inefficient shifts in spending patterns and career choices. A political trend towards austerity coupled with the rising student debt make effective allocation of federal higher education resources a high...
Deforestation and loss of soil fertility are two forms of environmental degradation with global importance. Theories of environmental degradation commonly cited in public and academic discourse have historically emphasized the role of human populations and national economic development as being the primary drivers of environmental damage. This thesis utilizes quantitative...