Hot Pepper Cultivar Evaluation Using Extension Master Gardeners

This is a compilation of 21 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included

Collaborating with Extension Master Gardeners to Evaluate Tomato Cultivars

This is a compilation of 30 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included

Prevalence and associated factors of Enterobius vermicularis infection in children from a poor urban community in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study

Background: Enterobiasis (pin worm infection) is caused byEnterobius vermicularis(E. vermicularis). According to World Health Organization, over a billion people are infected worldwide. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and factors associated withthe transmission ofE. vermicularis infection in children from a poor urban community in Sri Lanka.Methods:This study was conducted in the Hantana Tea Estate (HTE) in Kandy district of Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2013. After obtaining informed consent, data (socio economic data, educational level, deworming history, conditions and availability of the sanitary and housing facilities) were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Clean rectangular (2x3 cm) transparent adhesive cellulose tapes (scotch tape) were distributed among all participants to collect samples.Results: Out of the 204 children 65 (31.9%) were positive forE. vermiculariseggs.Children aged 1-3 years showed the highest prevalence rate (37.5%). The risk factors significantly associated withE. vermicularisinfection were, a lack of parental knowledge about pinworm infection (p0.05). Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of enterobiasis in children in Hantana Tea Estate indicating a high level of transmission. A lack of parental knowledge and poor personal hygiene were significantly associated with the transmission of E. vermicularis. Furthermore, the present study recommends mass medication of residents and their contacts to reduce the transmission of pin worm infection could be suggested. Further, it seems that singledose treatment may not be effective against enterobiasis. Therefore, treatment should be repeated 2 to 3 times at 3 weeks intervals.

Evaluating nutritional and behavioral health and vegetable cultivars as part of a Native American gardening project

Master of ScienceDepartment of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation ResourcesCharles J. BardenDue to health and nutritional disparities, prevalence of obesity and related diseases among American Indians is found to be higher than the U.S. general population. To promote a healthy lifestyle, the long term goal of this project is to increase fresh fruit and vegetable availability through gardening for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN) tribe in Kansas. In achieving this ultimate goal, two studies were conducted with the objectives of: 1) Evaluate the nutritional and behavioral health indicators for the residential population of the tribe and identify key constraints of gardening activity in the reservation; and 2) Conduct vegetable cultivar trials comparing different open pollinated (OP) and hybrid cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum), pepper (Capsicum annum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena var. esculentum) to identify best yielding cultivars. Three surveys were conducted to assess the residential population with respect to gardening activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, health status, physical activity and socioeconomic status, using convenience samples. Cultivar trials comparing 6 pepper, 3 eggplant, and 5 tomato cultivars were conducted in 2012 and 2013 growing seasons. PBPN respondent group revealed significant health disparities compared to the general U.S. and Kansas populations. A higher proportion of this group was in poverty which had strong correlations with land ownership, gardening experience, and attendance to gardening workshops. “No knowledge” and “no space” were identified as key gardening constraints. Hybrid Jetstar was the best tomato cultivar identified, while Cherokee Purple was the best yielding OP cultivar. No difference in performance was observed among the three eggplant cultivars tested. Sweet pepper hybrids Flamingo and Alliance outperformed OP California Wonder which was moderate in production. OP chili pepper cultivars Anaheim 118 and hybrid Chili G76 outperformed hybrid Charger. Identified best yielding cultivars could be distributed among tribal members to support in-place gardening initiatives. Gardening limitations of “no land” and “no knowledge” could be mitigated by increasing participation at the community garden and attendance for gardening workshops. Strategic approaches should be implemented to attract people in poverty to engage in gardening and increase gardening activity in the reservation for nutritional, health and economic benefits

Ecological restoration of an oak woodland in Kansas informed with remote sensing of vegetation dynamics

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation ResourcesCharles J. BardenRecurrent, landscape-level fires played an integral part in the development and persistence of eastern oak (Quercus spp.) forests of the United States. These periodic surface fires helped secure a competitive position for oaks in the regeneration pool by maintaining a desirable species composition and forest structure. This historical fire regime was altered with the European settlement of North America, and fire suppression within forestlands became a standard practice since 1930s. With decades of fire suppression, mature oak-dominated woodlands have widely converted to shade-tolerant tree species. Prescribed fire has successfully been used to enhance oak regeneration in eastern forests. However, oak woodland restoration within the forest-prairie ecotone of the Central plains has not been systematically studied. Fuel beds under shade-tolerant species are often less conducive to fire. Therefore, monitoring fuel loading (FL) and its changes are essential to inform management decisions in an oak regeneration project. Rapid expansion of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana/ERC) is another ecological issue faced by land managers throughout North America’s midcontinent forest-prairie ecotone. Hence, it is worthy to monitor ERC expansion and effects on deciduous forests, to inform oak ecosystem restoration interventions within this region. Therefore, the main objectives of this dissertation were three-fold: (1) understand the effects of prescribed burning and mechanical thinning to encourage oak regeneration; (2) investigate the initial effects of an oak regeneration effort with prescribed fire and mechanical thinning on FL; and (3) monitor the spatio-temporal dynamics of ERC expansion in the forest-prairie ecotone of Kansas, and understand its effects on deciduous forests. The first two studies were conducted on a 90-acre oak dominated woodland, north of Manhattan, Kansas. The experimental design was a 2 (burn) x 2 (thin) factorial in a repeated measures design. The design structure allowed four treatment combinations: burn only (B), thin only (T), burn and thin combined (BT), and a control (C). Burning and thinning treatments were administered in spring 2015. Changes in the FL estimates after the burn treatment revealed that the BT treatment combination consumed more fuel and burned more intensely compared to the B treatment. This observation was reflected in vegetation responses. The thinning reduced the canopy cover significantly, but under enhanced light environments, both oaks and competitive species thrived when no burn was incorporated. In contrast, burn treatments controlled the competitive vegetation. Hence, the most promising results were obtained when both fire and thinning were utilized. The remote sensing study documented the expansion of ERC in three areas of eastern Kansas over 30 years. The use of multi-seasonal layer-stacks with a Support Vector Machines (SVM) supervised classification was found to be the most effective approach to map ERC distribution. Total ERC cover increased by more than 6000 acres in all three study areas investigated in this study between 1986 and 2017. Much of the ERC expansion was into deciduous woodlands. Therefore, ERC control measures should be incorporated into oak woodland restoration efforts within the forest-prairie ecotone of Kansas

Lifestyle and occupation risk factors for poor semen quality: a cross sectional study in Sri Lanka

Background: Infertility is a major problem all around the world. According to WHO, the rate of infertility is approximately 15% worldwide and it differ from geographical location, ethnicity and social status. Lifestyle habits, environmental and occupational hazards, physical parameters can be recognized as major risk factors which may affect male infertility. The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with male infertility in Sri Lankan context.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 individuals participated for an infertility clinic at Castle Street Teaching Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Socio-demographic, occupational and environmental characteristics were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Semen samples were collected from each participant for laboratory investigations. Sperm concentration and motility were measured.Results: Out of total participants, 30.1% of participants had a sperm concentration of <15×10⁶ and the sperm motility was <32% in 34.7% participants.  Older age, tobacco smokers, using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were identified as risk groups with low sperm concentration and low semen volume. In addition, older age, individuals using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were significantly associated with low or abnormal sperm mortality. Individuals having diabetes showed a significantly higher non-motility rate of sperms. Alcohol usage, betel chewing, mumps, special radiation exposure, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with semen parameters in study population.Conclusions: Older age, tobacco smoking, wearing tight underwear, occupational exposures, and diabetes mellitus has shown a risk for the generation of poor semen parameters, which can lead to male infertility. Furthermore, it is very important to carry out extended studies regarding this problem to establish the effect of above factors

Spondylodiscitis Caused by Enterobacter agglomerans

All over the globe, the incidence of vertebral infection is rising. Nowadays, compared to tuberculous variety, pyogenic spondylodiscitis incidence is high. The increase in the susceptible population and improved diagnostics summatively contributed to this. In clinical grounds, differentiation of pyogenic and tuberculous spondylodiscitis is well defined. Enterobacter agglomerans is a hospital contaminant and associated with infections in immunocompromised individuals and intravenous lines. It causes a wide array of infections. Enterobacter agglomerans spondylodiscitis is unusual and there are, around the globe, only less than 31 suspected cases that have been previously reported. Enterobacter agglomerans histology mimics tuberculous rather than pyogenic spondylodiscitis. A 65-year-old farming lady, while being in hospital, developed sudden onset spastic paraparesis with hyperreflexia. Later blood culture revealed Enterobacter agglomerans with 41-hour incubation in 99.9% probability from Ramel identification system. Her initial ESR was 120 mm/first hour. Isolate was susceptible to ciprofloxacin and intravenous followed with oral therapy shows a drastic ESR fall and improved clinical response. Differentiation of tuberculous and pyogenic spondylodiscitis is very much important in management point of view. Therefore, blood culture has a role in diagnosis of spondylodiscitis. ESR can be used as important inflammatory marker in monitoring the response to treatment. Retrospectively, ESR would aid in reaching a definitive diagnosis