Agronomy Articles
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Performance of an optimized nutrient management system for double-cropped wheat-maize rotations in North-Central China
Overapplication of N and P and insufficient supply of K are considered primary reasons for restriction of yield improvement in the North China Plain. Optimized nutrient management practices based on soil testing and yield targets have been developed. Other large scale field experiments have indicated that additional improvement for yield and nutrient use benefits is needed. The objective of this ...
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Stacked corn hybrids show inconsistent yield and economic responses in New York
Stacked (two to three transgenic traits) corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids represented 40% of U.S. corn in 2008, despite limited agronomic studies. Field-scale studies were conducted on four farms in New York for 2 yr to evaluate the agronomics and economics of double-stacked {glyphosate resistance and Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) European corn borer [Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)] trait} hybrids when ...
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Comparison of certified and farm-saved seed on yield and quality characteristics of Canola
Relatively high seed prices and low canola (Brassica napus L.) grain prices created a controversy over using farm-saved seed from hybrids. Agronomic implications of saving seed from a canola crop were investigated by planting certified seed and saved-seed of an open-pollinated and a hybrid canola cultivar at eight site-years in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. In one series of experiments ...
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Genetically engineered flax: potential benefits, risks, regulations, and mitigation of transgene movement
Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) has been grown for more than 6000 years, primarily for oil and fiber. Advances in plant biotechnology have resulted in flax cultivars with increased herbicides resistance and there is potential to produce transgenic flax with seed oil containing fatty acids with nutraceutical properties. Flax oil is a rich source of -linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3cis9,12,15), a precursor ...
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Improvement in grain and fodder yields of early-maturing promiscuous soybean varieties in the guinea savanna of Nigeria
Thirteen early-maturing and promiscuously nodulating soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] varieties that belonged to maturity group I developed at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) from 1980 to 1996 were evaluated at two locations in the Guinea savanna of Nigeria in 2001 and 2002 to determine genetic gain in grain yield and associated agronomic traits. The varieties were ...
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Summer drought survival strategies and sustainability of perennial temperate forage grasses in mediterranean areas
Perennial grasslands provide numerous agroenvironmental benefits due to continuous soil cover. In Mediterranean areas, chronic summer drought is expected to increase as a result of climate changes. Plant adaptations that protect meristematic tissues include dehydration delay, dehydration tolerance, and summer dormancy. Summer dormancy can only be reliably tested in plants not subjected to water ...
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Ancestral landraces of common bean from the South of Europe and their agronomical value for breeding programs
Selection among breeding lines has been widely used to identify important cultivars and favorable alleles for adaptation, and resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. The objective of this work was to study the variability among common bean breeding lines selected from ancestral landraces, to evaluate the reaction of these lines to anthracnose (ANT) rust, common bacterial blight (CBB), halo ...
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High yielding organic crop management decreases plant-available but not recalcitrant soil phosphorus
Phosphorus is a nonrenewable resource, raising concerns that agricultural practices may deplete reserves. Organic farming with low P inputs can result in deficient levels of plant-available phosphorus (available-P). The purpose of this study was to determine if common organically managed rotations are depleting P reserves or if large reserves still exist in unavailable forms. The research was ...
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Canola–Wheat intercrops for improved agronomic performance and integrated pest management
Intercropping can enhance yields and reduce pest infestations, but investigations of intercropping regimes using crop species common to the large-scale monoculture production systems of western Canada have not examined these diverse elements. Intercrops of canola (Brassica napus L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were established at three sites in Alberta, Canada in 2005 and 2006 to determine ...
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Developing a mini core collection of sorghum for diversified utilization of germplasm
The sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] germplasm collection at the ICRISAT gene bank exceeds 37,000 accessions. A core collection of 2247 accessions was developed in 2001 to enable researchers to have access to a smaller set of germplasm. However, this core collection was found to be too large. To overcome this, a sorghum mini core (10% accessions of the core or 1% of the entire collection) ...
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DNA polymorphisms of genes involved in fiber development in a selected set of cultivated tetraploid cotton
The lack of genetic diversity within cultivated upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) has hindered the construction of genomewide linkage maps and their applications in genetics and breeding. The objective of this investigation was to develop candidate gene markers for fiber quality and yield on the basis of approximately 90 genes implicated in fiber development. Polymorphisms using ...
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The associated effects of the soybean aphid resistance locus rag1 on soybean yield and other agronomic traits
The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is a new invasive soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] insect pest first identified in North America in 2000. A major aphid resistance gene Rag1 was identified and mapped from the maturity group VIII cultivar Dowling, and the gene has been introgressed into Midwest-adapted germplasm. The objective of this study was to test the associated effects of Rag1 on ...
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Transgenic breeding: Perspectives and prospects
Transgenic technology serves to introduce gene sequences for expression of a desired trait. Production of transgenic plants is reported in many crops, but commercialization is limited to a few selected crops, such as cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and canola (Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L.). This paper presents the sequential processes of ...
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Effect of advanced cycle breeding on genetic gain and phenotypic diversity in barley breeding germplasm
Plant breeding with elite parents within closed populations has proven to be a successful strategy to achieve genetic gains and conserve favorable gene complexes. To investigate the effects of advanced cycle breeding on genetic gain, phenotypic variation, and germplasm differentiation, 15 agronomic and malting quality traits were evaluated for a set 98 genotypes including ancestors, parental ...
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High yielding organic crop management decreases plant-available but not recalcitrant soil phosphorus
Phosphorus is a nonrenewable resource, raising concerns that agricultural practices may deplete reserves. Organic farming with low P inputs can result in deficient levels of plant-available phosphorus (available-P). The purpose of this study was to determine if common organically managed rotations are depleting P reserves or if large reserves still exist in unavailable forms. The research was ...
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Weed biomass and species composition as affected by an integrated crop–livestock system
Crop and livestock production are rarely integrated together in modern farming systems. Reintegrating crops with livestock production has been shown to produce many agronomic and environmental benefits. The objective of this study was to evaluate how an integrated crop–livestock system would influence weed biomass and weed species composition compared with a conventional, continuous corn (Zea ...
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Oil content and saturated fatty acids in sunflower as a function of planting date, nitrogen rate, and hybrid
The fatty acids (FA) composition of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) determines its uses and health effects on humans, while oil content determines the price paid to producers. The hypothesis of this study was that agronomic factors (genotype, planting date, and N rate) will affect total saturated fatty acid (TSFA) concentration and oil content of sunflower. Additionally, Mississippi-grown ...
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Identification and mapping of new sources of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in maize
Maize (Zea mays L.) susceptibility to ear rot and aflatoxin accumulation by Aspergillus flavus (Link:Fr) has caused significant economic losses for farmers in the U.S. over the past 30 years. Aflatoxin outbreaks are generally associated with high temperatures and low moisture levels common to the southern U.S. To identify aflatoxin accumulation resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) and linked ...
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Concordance correlation for model performance assessment: An example with reference evapotranspiration observations
The assessment procedures for agronomic model performance are often arbitrary and unhelpful. An omnibus analysis, the concordance correlation coefficient (rc), is widely used in many other sciences. This work illustrates model assessment with two rc measures accompanied with a mean-difference (MD) plot and a distribution comparison. Each rc is an adjusted value of the usual Pearson correlation ...
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Ploidy determination and agronomic characterization of small burnet germplasm
Small burnet (Sanguisorba minor Scop.) is an evergreen forb readily utilized by livestock and wildlife that lacks persistence under heavy grazing. Our objective was to characterize all available National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) small burnet germplasm for ploidy level and agronomic characteristics before initiating a breeding program. Ploidy level was determined by flow cytometry. Forage ...
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