Soil quality in a pecan agroforestry system is improved with intercropped kura clover

Paper presented at the 11th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held May 31-June 3, 2009 in Columbia, Missouri.In Gold, M.A. and M.M. Hall, eds. Agroforestry Comes of Age: Putting Science into Practice. Proceedings, 11th North American Agroforestry Conference, Columbia, Mo., May 31-June 3, 2009.Intercropping alleys of agroforestry systems provides an income source until the tree crop produces harvestable yields. However, cultivation of annual crops soil organic matter and increases soil erosion, especially on sloping landscapes. Perennial crops maintain a continuous soil cover, maximize water infiltration, minimize soil erosion, and improve overall soil quality. The objective of this on-farm study was to assess the effects of a perennial legume, kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum), on various soil quality parameters in a recently established pecan (Carya illinoinensis) orchard. The pecan-kura clover agroforestry system was established on deep loess soils of the Missouri River hills. These silt loams are on 3 to 10 [percent] slopes and can be highly erosive. Kura clover, intercropped eight years after pecan planting, was selected based on its perennial growth habit, nitrogen-fixing ability, winter hardiness, high forage quality, and soil conservation properties. Kura clover was seeded in 2002 and harvested for hay annually beginning 2003. During this period soil organic matter and activities of selected soil enzymes have steadily increased compared with cultivated and grass pasture control soils. Water-stable aggregation improved by 50 [percent]. Results illustrate that kura clover as the interplanted component improved soil fertility and biological activity through increased organic matter and improved soil structure, and yielded high quality forage valuable for the cattle-feeding operation. Pecan trees thrive in this system partly because soil quality is maintained or improved and, unlike other "living mulch" systems in which cover crops may suppress the main crop, kura clover does not compete with tree growth.Robert J. Kremer (1) and Robert Kussman (2) ; 1. USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Cropping Systems & Water Quality Research Unit, 302 Natural Resources Bldg., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. 2. Kussman Pecan & Cattle Farm, Dalton, MO 65246.Includes bibliographical references

Soil quality improvement under an ecologically based farming system in northwest Missouri

Ecologically based farming conserves and improves the soil resource and protects environmental quality by using organic or natural resources without the application of synthetic chemicals. Soil quality assessment indicates the ability of management systems to optimize soil productivity and to maintain its structural and biological integrity. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of ecologically based management on biochemical characteristics of soil [soil quality indicators (SQI)] as an assessment of soil quality. The study was conducted on an ecologically based farming enterprise established on gently sloping soils of Sharpsburg silt loam (fine montmorillonitic, mesic Typic Argiudolls) in Clay County, Missouri, which was previously under conventional corn and soybean production. The transition to organic farming began in 1995, which included a primary management strategy to restore soil organic matter consisting of the establishment of native prairie plants and the application of composted vegetative residues and litter from horse and laying hen operations. Soils were collected at 0–10cm depths from sites under organic production (orchard and vegetable), managed prairie/pasture and from adjacent unmanaged fields during 2003–2008 for soil quality assessment. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and waterstable soil aggregates were considerably increased by up to 60 and 72%, respectively, in organic production sites compared with tilled cropland by the fifth year of assessment. Organically managed systems and restored prairie sites significantly increased (P\u3c0.05) soil enzyme activities compared with unmanaged grass and tilled cropland. For example, dehydrogenase and glucosaminidase activities increased by 60 and 73%, respectively, under organic vegetables compared with tilled cropland. Soil enzyme activities were significantly correlated with SOC content (r values up to 0.90, P\u3c0.001). The results of the soil quality assessment suggest that ecologically based management successfully restored biological activity of silt loam soils previously under intensive conventional agriculture. The system practiced at the study sites illustrates how resources internal to the farm (i.e., composts) can be used to manage soil productivity

Melting down: Systemic financial instability and the macroeconomy

We integrate systemic financial instability in an empirical macroeconomic model for the euro area. We find that at times of widespread financial instability the macroeconomy functions fundamentally differently from tranquil times. We employ a richly specified Markov-Switching Vectorautoregression model to capture the dynamic relationships between a set of core macroeconomic variables and a novel indicator of systemic financial stress. Both the parameters that capture the transmission of shocks through the economy and the variances of the shocks change at times of high stress in the financial system. In particular, the negative output effects of sizeable increases in financial stress are much larger after such a regime change than during tranquil times. Macroprudential and monetary policy makers are well advised to take these nonlinearities into account

Influence of Deleterious Rhizobacteria on Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) Roots

Rhizobacteria have been shown to be phytotoxic to leafy spurge in laboratory assays. This field study investigated the influence of two strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens [Trevisan, (Migula)], deleterious rhizobacteria (DRB), on root weight, root bud number, and root carbohydrate content of leafy spurge at three sites located in northeast and north-central South Dakota. Soils were inoculated with 2 g of starch-based granules containing no bacteria or starch granules containing 108colony-forming units (cfu)/g of either bacterial strain LS102 (Montana origin) or LS174 (South Dakota origin). Bacterial strains were detected on root samples from treated areas. Root weight and root carbohydrate content were reduced about 20% compared to roots from control plots

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-centered OER creation: A collaboration across six public higher education institutions

This panel will speak to the unique structure of the multi-year, multi-institutional Textbook Success Pilot program in Massachusetts: Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL): Culturally Relevant Open Textbooks for High Enrollment General Education Courses and Career and Professional Courses at Six Public Massachusetts Colleges. Panelists with multiple perspectives will discuss the many moving parts to achieve an ambitious goal of adapting and creating 72 open textbooks within three years. OER users of all levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) are welcome. We will begin by giving a brief overview of the grant project, our infrastructure, and our process for establishing cultural and marketplace relevance as a core component of our content creation. Panelists will speak to the professional development partnerships we have made with Rebus, acquisition of the Pressbooks Content Management System (CMS), construction of an Industry Advisory Board, and our goals in alignment with the COUP framework (Cost, Outcomes, Usage, Perceptions). Panelists will also take a deep dive into the uniqueness of this grant work: centering equity, diversity, and inclusion; building support teams across six institutions; and prioritizing accessibility. We will share the Key Performance Indicators developed for this project and their importance to assessing impact using a COUP Framework (i.e., Cost, Outcome, Usage, and Perceptions). Attendees will participate in an interactive activity to reflect on potential opportunities for OER at each individual institution

Environmental Implications of Increased Bioenergy Production on Midwest Soil Landscapes [abstract]

Only abstract of poster available.Track III: Energy InfrastructurePrairie soil landscapes encompass over 16 million acres in Missouri and surrounding states. Much of this area has been degraded by erosion but is still used for grain production. Erosion has caused variable topsoil depth within fields which in turn has resulted in greater within-field variability of crop yield, magnified the drought-prone nature of these soils, and lowered the overall soil productivity and ecosystem function. In recent years, pressure on these sensitive soils has risen due to higher demand for grain production, in part for ethanol and biodiesel. In some areas, highly erodible fields which were historically managed as CRP and pasture are being turned into grain crop acres. Thus as new and fluctuating feed and bioenergy markets develop, land management practices will also shift, resulting in changes in soil and water quality of watersheds. This presentation will explore the likely environmental implications of different types of bioenergy production on the soil resource. Further, the positive benefits of potential changes in land use will be in explored. For example, one alternative for sensitive soils is production of perennial grass as a feedstock for coal co-burning plants and for potential future use in cellulosic ethanol production. Perennial grass yields are likely to be less variable than grain yields, both year-to-year and within fields, primarily because of greater resistance to drought. Grass production systems also provide environmental services not obtained from annual grain crops. We will also discuss our work on developing ways to target the most appropriate places in the landscape for grain or perennial production so as to enhance ecosystem services and improve soil and water quality

Screening and isolating eastern redcedar phytochemicals for creating economic opportunities in Missouri [abstract]

Eastern Redcedar (ERC) is one of the most widely distributed tree species in Missouri. The ERC is an important source of bioactive secondary metabolites, but very few of these biologically active compounds have been identified, purified or commercialized. An interdisciplinary collaboration between MU scientists was initiated in 2007 to identify and isolate biologically active phytochemicals from ERC tissues for possible commercial application. Our team has identified and purified biologically active compounds from leaves (needles) and fruit of the ERC. Many of these isolated diterpenoids not only have shown strong anti-microbial activities against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, but also strong inhibitory activities against melanin biosynthesis. Recently, the isolated tricyclic diterpenoids have been recognized as promising anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and skin whitening agents by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The objectives of the proposed study are to: 1) isolate and characterize the biologically active phytochemicals, and 2) elucidate chemical structures of active compounds and their associated mode of actions. The first of these compounds to be characterized is the purified bioactive diterpenoid. The purified bioactive diterpenoid was found to have a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of all Gram positive pathogens tested. This inhibition of Gram positive bacteria is likely due to action on the cell division machinery, for affected cells elongate without proper separation. Additional compounds have activity on fungal agents, as well as potential anti-melanin activities. The knowledge generated from our research will provide the opportunities to turn abundant, low-value, renewable materials from the ERC into a lucrative, high technology industry in Missouri. INVENTOR(S): Chun-Ho Lin; Brian M. Thompson; Hsin-Yeh Hsieh; Robert J. Kremer; Robert N. Lerch; Michael A. Gold and Harold E. Garrett CONTACT INFO: Harriet F. Francis, MS; J.D.; [email protected]; 573.884.0374 Per Stromhaug, Ph.D., MBA; [email protected]; 573.884.355

EmbR2, a structural homologue of EmbR, inhibits the Mycobacterium tuberculosis kinase/substrate pair PknH/EmbR

International audienceEmbR is a transcriptional regulator that is phosphorylated by the cognate mycobacterial STPK (serine/threonine protein kinase) PknH. Recent studies demonstrated that PknH-dependent phosphorylation of EmbR enhances its DNA-binding activity and activates the transcription of the embCAB genes encoding arabinosyltransferases, which participate in arabinan biosynthesis. In the present study, we identified a genomic region of 4425 bp, which is present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis CDC1551, but absent from M. tuberculosis H37Rv, comprising the MT3428 gene, which is homologous with embR. Homology modelling of the MT3428 gene product illustrated its close relationship (56% identity) to EmbR, and it was hence termed EmbR2. In marked contrast with EmbR, EmbR2 was not phosphorylated by PknH, although it is a substrate of other M. tuberculosis kinases, including PknE and PknF. Tryptophan fluorescence emission of EmbR2 was monitored in the presence of three different PknH-derived phosphopeptides and demonstrated that EmbR2 binds to at least two of the threonine sites known to undergo autophosphorylation in PknH. We observed that the capacity of EmbR2 to interact physically with PknH without being phosphorylated was a result of EmbR2-mediated inhibition of kinase activity: incubation of PknH with increasing concentrations of EmbR2 led to a dose-response inhibition of the autokinase activity, similarly to O6-cyclohexylmethylguanine, a known inhibitor of eukaryotic cyclin-dependent kinases. Moreover, EmbR2 inhibited PknH-dependent phosphorylation of EmbR in a dose-dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that EmbR2 is a regulator of PknH activation, thus directly participating in the control of the PknH/EmbR pair and potentially in mycobacterial physiology/virulence of M. tuberculosis CDC1551

Real-World Comparative Effectiveness of Tofacitinib and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors as Monotherapy and Combination Therapy for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

INTRODUCTION: No published studies exist comparing the effectiveness of tofacitinib with other advanced therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in real-world clinical practice. Here, we report differences in effectiveness of tofacitinib compared with standard of care, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), with or without concomitant methotrexate (MTX), using US Corrona registry data. METHODS: This observational cohort study included RA patients receiving tofacitinib (from 6 November 2012; N = 558) or TNFi (from 1 November 2001; N = 8014) with or without MTX until 31 July 2016. Efficacy outcomes at 6 months included modified American College of Rheumatology 20% responses, Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Pain. Outcomes were compared between patients receiving TNFi and tofacitinib with or without MTX and by line of therapy. Outcomes within therapy lines were compared using propensity-score matching; between-group differences were estimated using mixed-effects regression models. RESULTS: Patients receiving tofacitinib had longer RA duration and a greater proportion had previously received biologics than those receiving TNFi; other baseline characteristics were comparable. In patients receiving second- and third-line TNFi therapy, CDAI low disease activity/remission response rates were significantly better with concomitant MTX. Too few patients received tofacitinib as second line for meaningful assessment. No significant differences were observed in outcomes between tofacitinib as monotherapy and tofacitinib with concomitant MTX. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, TNFi efficacy is improved with concomitant MTX in the second and third line. In the third/fourth line, patients are likely to achieve similar efficacy with tofacitinib monotherapy, or TNFi or tofacitinib in combination with MTX. FUNDING: Pfizer Inc