Bio-based Weed Control in Strawberries Using Sheep Wool Mulch, Canola Mulch, and Canola Green Manure

Report on University of Minnesota research conducted on the use of wool mulch and a canola cover crop/living mulch for weed suppression in the production of strawberries in Minnesota.Strawberry producers in Minnesota, and elsewhere, have lost or are soon to lose many of the chemical weed control options which they previously depended upon, i.e. Dacthal, methyl bromide, etc. Over reliance upon a small number of herbicides may be expected in the near future which could result in additional problems, both agricultural and legal, for producers. As a consequence of these actions and possibilities, producers of many horticultural crops are now desperate for management systems that include viable alternatives for weed control. Our proposed experiment with strawberries may serve as a model that has relevance to a number of other high value fruit and vegetable crops such as broccoli, cabbage, leeks, melons, tomatoes, and zucchini, to name a few. Our objective is to reduce herbicide use in strawberry production through two mechanisms. The first involves research and demonstration of combined biological, cultural, and mechanical weed control, which is itself an example of integrated weed management. The second involves the substitution of a renewable resource-based fumigant/ herbicide/mulch for weed management in strawberries, a crop directly consumed by the public

Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Vaccine preventable diseases are illnesses that can be defended against with vaccines. Vaccines are drugs that make a person immune to an illness using the body’s natural defense mechanismshttps://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/public_health_posters/1007/thumbnail.jp

Student Recital: Deanna Bush, Clarinet Christine Hoover, Clarinet Emily Nunemaker, Clarinet

Kemp Recital Hall Thursday Evening April 28, 1994 9:00p.m

The Wool Mulch System of Producing Strawberries: A Manual for Commercial Growers in Minnesota

A production manual with photographs detailing the use of wool mulch and canola as part of an alternative method of producing annual strawberries in Minnesota.This manual was developed after ten years of research on a new system of producing strawberries using a combination of wool mulch and a canola cover crop/mulch. The wool mulch – a locally produced, biodegradable and renewable product – is used in the strawberry rows, and functions as a weed deterrent while also regulating soil temperature, retaining moisture and suppressing many diseases. The canola is used before planting as a weed suppressing cover crop. Later, canola is used between the rows of strawberries where it continues its role as weed suppressant. Only two herbicide applications are used in the system, both on the canola, which is a reduction from conventional methods

Abrasive grit-weeding in apple

New forms of weed control may be useful in apple orchards. Abrasive corn cob grit applied under high air pressure was tested for the control of weeds in an established apple orchard over two years. Additionally, efficacy of abrasive grit-weeding was compared to that of hand-weeding. As expected, hand-weeding nearly eliminated all weeds. In contrast, grit-weeding achieved about 90% control of broadleaf weeds, only 15% control of grass weeds, and 70 to 80% control of all weeds. Much of the time and amount of grit used was devoted to suppressing grass weeds. Relatively soft corn cob grit easily abraded and controlled broadleaf weeds. However, harder and more angular grit materials may be needed to control annual and perennial grasses

THE EFFECTS OF AN ERGONOMIC DEVICE ON SAGITTAL PLANE LOWER EXTREMITY MOTION DURING A FULL SQUAT IN ACL-REPAIRED AND NON-INJURED FEMALES

Each year, 250,000 Americans experience injuries affecting the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), with women four to six times more likely to incur an ACL injury than their male counterparts. Knee Savers® (KS) are an ergonomic aid purported to lessen the risk of such injuries linked to deep squats. While widely used, KS have not been tested to determine their effect upon lower extremity kinematics. Female participants (n=20) with a history of ACLrepair (n=10) or non-injury (n=10) completed a deep squat with and without KS, while being filmed with 2D videography using methods increasingly available in clinical environments. Results from the study indicate no significant differences were found in sagittal plane lower extremity kinematics when squatting with and without KS. KS did not appear to influence lower extremity joint positions during the bottom phase of a deep squat as purported

FRONTAL PLANE KNEE MOTION OF ACL-REPAIRED AND NON-INJURED FEMALES WHEN USING KNEE SAVERS

Women are four to six times more likely to sustain ACL injuries compared to male counterparts. Few investigations have explored if ergonomic devices may alleviate the stress placed on the ACL during deep squatting. The purpose of the study was to determine if Knee Savers® (KS) influenced the frontal plane knee motion when previously-injured and healthy participants completed a squat. Female participants (ACLrepaired: n=10; healthy: n=10) completed a deep squat with and without KS using 2-D videography methods. Results indicated a greater medial motion of the patella in the frontal plane in the right leg of non-injured participants when compared to the ACLrepaired group (p = 0.04). When squatting with KS, the non-injured group experienced more frontal plane motion at the knee, compared to the ACL-repaired group

Day-neutral Strawberry Production in Minnesota

Day-neutral strawberries differ from traditional June-bearing types in that they flower and fruit continuously when temperatures are moderate because they are insensitive to day length. This bulletin provides an overview of day-neutral strawberry establishment and management. Includes cultivar selection, spacing and planting, nutrient management, weed management, insect and disease management, and overwintering

Northern Bobwhite Demographics and Resource Selection Are Explained by Prescribed Fire with Grazing and Woody Cover in Southwest Missouri

Understanding the effects of landscape management on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) population growth requires information about seasonal- and stage-specific demographic parameters linked across the annual cycle. We review results to date from 3 years (2016–2018) of an intensive field study evaluating drivers of bobwhite population dynamics and resource selection during the breeding and non-breeding season in southwest Missouri, USA using data from adult and juvenile bobwhite fitted with radio-transmitters. Land cover of our study sites ranged from large blocks of native grasslands maintained with prescribed fire and grazing to more traditional management resulting in small patches of grasslands interspersed with food plots, disked idle areas, and woody cover. During the breeding season, relative probability of selection by broods increased in relation to proportion of native grass managed by grazing and burning and proportion of cropland. Brood survival was also greatest on native grasslands burned and grazed within the past 2 growing seasons. During the fall and winter, relative probability of selection by adults increased as woody edge density increased. Fall and winter survival increased as distance from trees increased and decreased as distance to shrubs increased. Our integrated population model indicated that the number of young hatched per female and adult breeding season survival were greatest on sites with the most native grassland managed by prescribed fire with grazing. However, non-breeding season survival was greater on sites with more agriculture or food plots and woody cover. Abundance declined across all sites from 2016 to 2019. Our work suggests that native grasslands managed by prescribed fire with grazing can provide quail habitat superior to traditional management that strived for a mixture of agriculture, woody cover, and grassland. The combination of conservation grazing and fire in native grasslands interspersed with shrubs may provide the greatest chance for bobwhite populations to persist in southwest Missouri and similar landscapes