Organic Spring Wheat Variety Trial

In 2017, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program evaluated twenty-two hard red spring wheat varieties to determine which would thrive in organic production systems in the Northeast. The trial was stablished at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. Varieties that did not perform well in previous years were eliminated from the 2017 trial and new varieties were added

Oat Variety Trial

Oats (Avena sativa L.) have a long history of production in the Northeast. Although most oats are planted for a cover crop or forage, grain oats are a potential revenue source for farmers. According to the 2007 census, about 200 acres of land in Vermont is cultivated for oat grain production, with an average yield of 1747 lbs ac-1. With the exception of hull-less varieties, oats need to be de-hulled before being used for human consumption and further processing is required to make oatmeal, steel cut oats, or oat flour. Since 2009, the University of Vermont Extension Program has conducted oat variety trials to provide yield comparisons in Vermont’s climate. Varietal selection is one of the most important aspects of crop production and significantly influences yield potential. It is important to remember, however, that the data presented are from replicated research trials from only one location in Vermont and represent only one season. The goal of this project was to evaluate yields and protein of thirteen oat varieties

The Positive and Negative Framing of Affirmative Action: A Group Dominance Perspective

Using a sample of 328 While, Latino, and Black Los Angeles County adults, the authors examined the tendency to employ various affirmative action 'frames" (e.g., affirmative action as a "tie-breaking" device or as a quota-based policy). All three groups agreed about which frames cast affirmative action in a positive light and which cast it in a negative light. Although minorities had a tendency to frame affirmative action in terms that most people find morally acceptable, Whites had a tendency to frame affirmative action in terms most people find unacceptable. In addition, compared to minorities, Whites were less supportive of affirmative action regardless of how it was framed. LISREL modeling also was employed to test two competing models regarding predictors of the tendency to use frames that one personally finds to be relatively negative versus positive. Consistent with the expectations of social dominance theory and a motivated cognition perspective, the authors found that social dominance orientation (SDO) had significant net direct and indirect effects on one's framing of affirmative action.African and African American StudiesPsycholog

Person-Organization Congruence and the Maintenance of Group-Based Social Hierarchy: A Social Dominance Perspective

Using vocational choice theory and social dominance theory as guiding frameworks, this paper examines the interrelationships between the types of social institutions that a person occupies, on the one hand, and the sociopolitical attitudes and behavioral predispositions that a person displays, on the other. Beginning with Holland (1959, 1966), numerous researchers have documented the fact that people’s work-related values tend to match the values of their work environments. Researchers have also found, as we might expect, that this value match yields superior job performance and greater employee satisfaction. Social dominance theory has proposed an important expansion of this research: people’s sociopolitical attitudes (e.g. anti-egalitarianism) should also be compatible, or congruent, with their institutional environments (e.g. schools, workplaces). A growing body of research supports this claim. Specifically, recent research has shown that hierarchy-enhancing (HE) organizations (e.g. police forces) tend to be occupied by those with anti-egalitarian beliefs, while hierarchy-attenuating (HA) organizations (e.g. civil liberties organizations) tend to be occupied by those with relatively democratic beliefs. This research has also provided evidence for five (non-mutually exclusive) processes underlying this institutional assortment: self-selection, institutional selection, institutional socialization, differential reward, and differential attrition. This paper reviews the literature bearing on each of these processes, and suggests key paths for future research

The Efficacy of Spraying Organic Fungicides to Control Fusarium Head Blight Infection in Spring Wheat

Locally grown grains, such as wheat and barley, are in high demand in the Northeast for both livestock feed and human consumption. Many bakeries feature loaves baked with locally grown wheat. Hard red spring wheat is most commonly used for bread flour. One major challenge that grain growers encounter is infection by disease-causing fungi, such as the fungus Fusarium graminearum, whose spores can infect plants from flowering until grain fill. Fusarium head blight (FHB) can shrivel grain, decrease seed germination, decrease yields, and contaminate grains with mycotoxins. The primary mycotoxin associated with FHB is deoxynivalenol (DON), a vomitoxin. If DON concentrations are above 1 ppm, they may pose health risks to humans and livestock. While humans should not eat grains with DON concentrations above 1 ppm, some livestock can consume grain with up to 10 ppm DON, depending on the species and proportion of their diet which includes DON contaminated grain. Fungicide applications have proven to be relatively effective at controlling FHB in spring wheat in other growing regions. Limited work has been done in this region on the optimum timing for fungicide application on spring wheat to minimize DON. There are few studies evaluating organic-approved biofungicides, biochemicals, or biostimulants for the management of FHB. In 2019, the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils (NWCS) Program conducted a spring wheat fungicide trial to determine the efficacy and timing of fungicide application (organic approved and conventional) to reduce FHB infection and subsequent mycotoxin production on hard red spring wheat cultivars with varying degrees of disease susceptibility

Winter Barley Planting Date and Nitrogen Amendment Trial

With the revival of the small grains industry in the Northeast and the strength of the locavore movement, craft breweries and distilleries have expressed an interest in sourcing local barley for malting. Malting barley must meet specific quality characteristics such as low protein content and high germination. Many farmers are also interested in barley as a concentrated, high-energy feed source for livestock. Depending on the variety, barley can be planted in either the spring or fall, and both two- and six-row barley can be used for malting and livestock feed. Winter barley has not been traditionally grown in the Northeast due to severe winterkill. However, newly developed varieties and a changing climate have encouraged our team to investigate this crop for the area. In 2017/2018, we undertook this project to evaluate the effects of winter barley planting date and quantity of fall and spring nitrogen (N) amendments on barley yields and quality

Root Endophyte Community Response to Increased Resource Availability

As climate changes, resource availability has the potential to influence plant-fungal symbiotic interactions. To understand how resource availability can influence these interactions, this research focuses specifically on how varying nitrogen levels affects root fungal endophyte communities found in American Beachgrass and Little Bluestem species of dune grasses. Fungal endophytes are intercellular symbionts living throughout the tissue of host plants and can be anywhere on the mutualistic to parasitic continuum. Previous research found in the literature focused on the effect nitrogen deposition has on plant species richness and determined that increased nitrogen led to a loss in species diversity. Using this previous data as a guide, it can be hypothesized that increased nitrogen will lead to decreased species diversity of the root fungal endophytes in both American Beachgrass and Little Bluestem species. Plants of both grass species were collected from plots containing different nitrogen levels at a long term resource addition field experiment located on the Great Lakes dunes. Roots from the plants were plated in media, and fungal communities emerged. Each morphospecies was isolated and sorted into 138 different morphotype characterizations. This preliminary data indicates a lot of species diversity in the root fungal endophytes and differentiation of species richness by abiotic treatment. By looking at the ways varying nitrogen levels can affect species diversity of fungi, this research can contribute to larger discussion of global change and its effect on species diversity.https://ir.library.louisville.edu/uars/1053/thumbnail.jp

Organic Winter Wheat Variety Trial

In 2018, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program evaluated 26 winter wheat varieties to determine those that perform best in organic production systems in northern Vermont. The trial was established at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont

Organic Winter Malting Barley Variety Trial

The revival of the small grains industry in the Northeast and the strength of the locavore movement, craft breweries and distilleries have expressed an interest in sourcing local barley for malting. Malting barley must meet specific quality characteristics such as low protein content and high germination. Depending on the variety, barley can be planted in either the spring or fall, and both two- and six-row barley can be used for malting. In the fall of 2017, a winter malting barley trial was conducted to evaluate yield and quality of 27 varieties. This same malting barley variety trial was conducted in 2018 with 27 varieties. Varieties that have not performed well in previous years of this trial have been excluded from the 2018 trial and new varieties have been tested

Oat Variety Trial

Oats (Avena sativa L.) have a long history of production in the Northeast. Although most oats are planted for a cover crop or forage, grain oats may be a potential revenue source for farmers. According to the 2007 census, about 200 acres of land in Vermont is cultivated for oat grain production, with an average yield of 1747 lbs ac-1. With the exception of hull-less varieties, oats need to be de-hulled before being used for human consumption and further processing is required to make oatmeal, steel cut oats, or oat flour. Since 2009, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program has conducted oat variety trials to provide yield comparisons in Vermont’s climate. Varietal selection is one of the most important aspects of crop production and significantly influences yield potential. It is important to remember, however, that the data presented are from replicated research trials from only one location in Vermont and represent only one season. The goal of this project was to evaluate yields and protein of seventeen oat varieties