Seeding Rate Effects on Forage Mass and Vegetation Dynamics of Cool-Season Grass Sod Interseeded with Sorghum-Sudangrass

Interseeding annual warm-season grasses into perennial cool-season grasses has the potential to increase summer forage mass and nutritive value. Knowledge of how seeding rate affects annual warm-season grass establishment, forage mass, and vegetation dynamics remains limited. From 2016–2017, we conducted a field experiment evaluating the effects of seeding rates on sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var. sudanense) density and forage mass and on the frequency of occurrence of plant species in cool-season grass sod in Lincoln, NE. The experiment had a completely randomized design consisting of six replicates of four seeding rates [0, 14, 28, and 35 kg pure live seed (PLS) ha-1] in sod mowed at a 2.5-cm height and one unseeded, non-mowed control treatment. Sorghum-sudangrass establishment increased with seeding rate from an average of 20 to 45 plants m-2 as the seeding rate increased from 14 to 35 kg PLS ha-1. Forage mass depended on a seeding rate x harvest interaction, showing positive linear and cubic responses to seeding rate in consecutive harvests at 45 and 90 d after interseeding. To increase forage mass in perennial cool-season grass sod, producers should interseed sorghum-sudangrass with at least 28 kg PLS ha-1. One-time seedings into cool-season, perennial grass sod have no residual effects on subsequent forage mass and vegetation dynamics

WICS Conference 2024: Creating Connections Together: Agenda and Abstracts

WICS Conference 2024: Creating Connections Together Agenda and Abstracts Water Security (Quantity/Quality) Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse; Augustine Adjei, Martha Rhoades, and Kent Eskridge Assessing the AquaCrop model’s accuracy for soybean under variable irrigation; Anmol Singh Yield response of irrigated maize hybrids to water availability; Thais Murias Jardi, Saleh Taghvaeian, Chris Proctor, Daran Rudnick, and Chuck Burr Using the DSSAT CERES-Maize model to evaluate farmers\u27 irrigation decisions; Rintu Sen Nutrient Management and Cycling Effect of cover crop mixtures and crop rotation on nitrogen dynamics and crop yield in southeast Nebraska; Madhusudhan Adhikaari Nitrogen inhibitors reduce nitrogen losses via ammonia volatilization, nitrous oxide emissions, and nitrate leaching in a loamy sand soil; Dipesh Giri Digital Solutions Can generative AI farm? Nipuna Chamara, Saleh Taghvaeian, and Yufeng Ge Regenerative Agriculture Does grazing affect soil health in integrated crop-livestock systems? Alyssa Hall Almost two decades building healthy soils: A nine-year crop rotation in an organic farm; Ingrids Mata Crop Protection and Resistance Management Twenty years of subsurface drip irrigation in the Nebraska Panhandle; William E. Spurgeon, Xin Qiao, Gary Stone, and John Westra Biological control by entomopathogenic nematodes and predatory arthropods targeting western corn rootworm in continuous corn; Ana Lima Mortality of western bean cutworm after exposure to leaves treated by aerial application and chemigation; Emile Dayara Rabelo Santana Improving the efficacy and efficiency of insecticide applications is an integral part of Integrated Pest Management, with potential positive consequences of delaying the evolution of resistance, reducing non-target impacts, improving human and environmental health, and decreasing costs to farmers; Andrea Rilakovic Field trials to evaluate the effects of foliar insecticides for the control of western bean cutworm in field corn: A report on 9 years of data; Priscila M C da Luz, Robert King, Randy Lloyd, and Julie Peterson Extension Instructor Introduction WICS Extension Instructor: Talon Mues; UNL Department of Plant Pathology Harvest loss in corn; Vipin Kumar Modelling the potential global geographic distribution of Striacosta albicosta using MaxEnt; Kayo Heberth de Brito Reis, Poliana S. Pereira, Julie A. Peterson, Rodrigo S. Ramos, Katharine A. Swoboda Bhattarai, Renato A. Sarmento, and Marcelo C. Picanço Assessing fumonisin risk in corn from Nebraska and insight into the sssociated Fusarium spp. populations; Ram Kumar Shrestha, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Jayne Stratton, Heather Hallen-Adams, and Andreia Bianchini Pathogens associated with crown rot of corn in the U. S. Corn Belt; C. Mukuma, C. Termunde, and Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems In field data from three Nebraska fields with histories of crown rot; Christopher Termunde Plant Pathology Survival of an ear-feeding caterpillar, western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta) in integrated vs. structured refuge of Vip3A-expressing Bt maize; Alisson Santana Evaluating the impact of blended refuges and the Vip3A Bacillus thuringiensis toxin on western bean cutworm survival; Aleksandra Lepovic, Alisson Da Silva Santana, Yasmin Farhan, Jocelyn Smith, Natasha Weppler, and Julie A. Peterson Exploring a technological toolkit for potential weed control solutions; Mandeep Singh and Amit J. Jhala Climate Smart Practices Post-fire soil health: The wooded and semi-arid grasslands of Halsey, Nebraska; Stephanie Lugo Crop Protection and Resistance Management Evaluating the effects of nitrogen source, placement, and timing on corn yield and nitrogen losses in the sandy soils of northeast Nebraska; Anmol Singh, Christopher Misar, and Javed Iqba

A Leptin Fragment Mirrors the Cognitive Enhancing and Neuroprotective Actions of Leptin

J.H. is funded by The Anonymous Trust and Cunningham Trust. GD is funded by ARUK, DR received a University of St Andrews Research Internship. JAA is funded by the Carnegie Trust.A key pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is amyloid β (Aβ) accumulation which triggers synaptic impairments and neuronal death. Metabolic disruption is common in AD and recent evidence implicates impaired leptin function in AD. Thus the leptin system may be a novel therapeutic target in AD. Indeed, leptin has cognitive enhancing properties and it prevents the aberrant effects of Aβ on hippocampal synaptic function and neuronal viability. However as leptin is a large peptide, development of smaller leptin-mimetics may be the best therapeutic approach. Thus, we have examined the cognitive enhancing and neuroprotective properties of known bioactive leptin fragments. Here we show that the leptin (116-130) fragment, but not leptin (22-56), mirrored the ability of leptin to promote AMPA receptor trafficking to synapses and facilitate activity-dependent hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Administration of leptin (116-130) also mirrored the cognitive enhancing effects of leptin as it enhanced performance in episodic-like memory tests. Moreover, leptin (116-130) prevented hippocampal synaptic disruption and neuronal cell death in models of amyloid toxicity. These findings establish further the importance of the leptin system as a therapeutic target in AD.PostprintPeer reviewe

Developmental Morphology Of Tropical Sorghum And Sorghum X Sudangrass

Tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass are known to be efficient scavengers of soil nitrogen and are important forage crops in the U.S. Nitrate contamination of groundwater due to disposal of organic wastes and excessive fertilization is a major concern in the Central Great Plains. A common disposal method of municipal wastes is application to fallow cropland. Quantification of the developmental morphology of tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass is important to developing management strategies that allow multiple applications of organic wastes to optimize nitrogen removal and dry matter production. The objective of this study was to quantify the developmental morphology of tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass irrigated at levels approximating transpiration and evaporative demand. Tropical sorghum mean stage by count (MSC) was 33% lower than MSC for sorghum x sudangrass in September. Leaf-to-stem ratio was greater for tropical sorghum than sorghum x sudangrass throughout most of the growing season. Dry matter per plant was as much as 30% greater for sorghum x sudangrass, although values were nearly equal at the end of the growing season

Developmental Morphology Of Tropical Sorghum And Sorghum X Sudangrass

Tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass are known to be efficient scavengers of soil nitrogen and are important forage crops in the U.S. Nitrate contamination of groundwater due to disposal of organic wastes and excessive fertilization is a major concern in the Central Great Plains. A common disposal method of municipal wastes is application to fallow cropland. Quantification of the developmental morphology of tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass is important to developing management strategies that allow multiple applications of organic wastes to optimize nitrogen removal and dry matter production. The objective of this study was to quantify the developmental morphology of tropical sorghum and sorghum x sudangrass irrigated at levels approximating transpiration and evaporative demand. Tropical sorghum mean stage by count (MSC) was 33% lower than MSC for sorghum x sudangrass in September. Leaf-to-stem ratio was greater for tropical sorghum than sorghum x sudangrass throughout most of the growing season. Dry matter per plant was as much as 30% greater for sorghum x sudangrass, although values were nearly equal at the end of the growing season

Experimental and Computational Investigation of the IDDSI Flow Test of Liquids Used in Dysphagia Management

© 2019, The Author(s). The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) flow test, using a standard 10-mL syringe, is being adopted in many countries for clinical measurement of the consistency of drinks. The working hypothesis is that thickening drinks to retard flow can be advantageous for individuals who struggle to cope with thin drinks. This study assesses how the IDDSI test relates to rheology and clinical knowledge of physiological flows during swallowing. With no pre-existing analytical solution for internal flow through the syringe, a computational model was designed, incorporating rheometry data from a variety of Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids. The computational model was validated experimentally across the range of liquids but the technique showed limitations in simulating dripping and cohesiveness. Gum-based liquids which were strongly shear-thinning (0.12 60 times higher than the barrel) and reached 7400/s for the thinnest gum-based liquid. Shear rheology data alone was unable to describe the flow of these drinks. The flow conditions in the test varied according to the type and consistency of liquid, relating to the desired clinical effect

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.