The University Fruit Farm at Union, Nebraska

The University Fruit Farm may be considered as a substation or detached portion of the Nebraska Experiment Station. It was established to assist in answering questions pertaining to fruit production, and only experiments of this sort are carried on. Supervision of this property rests with the Department of Horticulture of the Nebraska College of Agriculture. This circular has been prepared with the view of furnishing visitors to the farm with a brief outline of the experimental projects. Further information is available from either the local foreman or from the Department. Visitors are always welcome and helpful suggestions are solicited

Strawberries in Nebraska

The strawberry is probably the most important small fruit grown in Nebraska. It thrives well in all sections of the State where the moisture supply is not too limited, being found almost universally in home plantings. It is also produced commercially in certain favored localities but this acreage is limited

The Relationship of Total Nitrogen Percentage to Yield, Test Weight and Groat Percentage of Oats Grown at Different Locations

With increased interest in crop quality, the effect of environmental factors on various species is becoming of major importance. One criterion of quality in the oat grain is nitrogen content. Frey found that the average protein content of the oat grain varied as much as 25 percent from year to year, and that environmental effects on the protein fractions seemed to be additive. Teply et al. and Hunt et al. concluded that environmental factors materially influenced the niacin and pantothenic acid contents of wheat and corn, respectively. Wiggans and Frey showed that some varieties of oats were able to utilize limited amounts of soil nitrogen better than others. They also showed a marked increase in grain nitrogen with an increasing nitrogen level in the soil. Leong found, however, that fertilizer had little effect on the thiamine content of wheat. The present study was initiated to determine the effect of location on the nitrogen content of various strains of oats grown in the Uniform North Central States Oat Nursery

Total Protein in Several Oat Varieties Grown in Iowa

The percentages of total protein in 14 varieties of hulled and dehulled (groats) oat kernels grown at Ames, Iowa, in 1957 were determined by the Kjeldahl method. The average total protein percentage was approximately 5 percent higher in the groats than in hulled oat kernels

The Relationship of Photoperiod to Growth and Flowering of Melilotus Species

Sweetclover is used extensively in Iowa as a soil-improving crop and forage legume. The two species utilized are Melilotus officinalis, the yellow-flowered type, and M. alba, the white-flowered type. Although both annual and biennial forms of M. alba are available, the biennial form is grown more extensively. Only biennial forms of M. officinalis are grown. Since Garner and Allard (1920) first demonstrated that relative length of day was an important factor in the sexual reproduction of plants, numerous studies have been conducted on the effect of photoperiod on plant growth. Extensive literature reviews have been published by Murneek and Whyte (1948), Leopold (1951), and others. Few investigators, however, have reported studies concerning the effect of light and other environmental factors on the growth and flowering of sweetclover. Pieters (1925) noted that annual species exhibited longer internodes than biennial species under normal day lengths. This phenomenon was especially noticeable with seedlings grown out of doors in the late summer. Roberts and Struckmeyer (1938) obtained Melilotus dentata plants with a greater height when grown under long day conditions. Smith (1942) observed an increase in plant height of M. alba and M. officinalis when these species were subjected to long day periods. He also noted an increase in dry weight for plants grown in long days, although a greater proportion of the total weight was found in the roots of plants grown under short day conditions. The primary purpose of the present investigation was to study the effect of various day lengths on the growth rate and flowering of the commonly grown species of Melilotus

Investigation of the rest period of seeds

"Approved, W.L. Howard, J.C. Whitten."Typescript.In all plants, including fungi and algae, as well as higher forms, this periodicity of growth, due to season, nutrition, environment, etc., is seen. Practically all temperate zone plants exhibit a yearly periodicity. The change in season causes a period of activity in summer and a corresponding one of rest in winter. Seeds also show this same phenomenon of periodicity of growth. The fact that nearly all plants exhibit a periodical rest period, during which - under normal conditions - there is no growth, has long been known, and the general problem of discovering the causes and factors influencing this dormant period has interested investigators for many years. However, it is only within the last few years that any definite knowledge has been secured in answer to some of the many interesting questions arising from a consideration of this fundamental plant-growth problem. Much work must still be done before the final explanation of some of the phenomena accompanying the dormant period can be satisfactorily made. The following report, dealing with an investigation of the rest period of seeds, is only one specific part of a problem dealing with the rest period of plants in general.Includes bibliographical reference

Some factors favoring or opposing fruitfulness in apples

Includes bibliographical references (pages 54-60)

Your Oat Seeding - How Early - What Rate?

It\u27s important to plant oats early. But research at Iowa State College shows that you can generally afford to wait until you can prepare a good seedbed. In central Iowa, you\u27re safe until about the middle of April

Vegetative and Floral Development of the Oat Plant as Influenced by Clipping and Nitrogen Fertilization

Grazing small grains at early stages of growth is a common practice throughout much of the United States. In the South grazing of small grains is a means of providing both high quality forage and grain from the same plantings. Mechanical clipping has been practiced in some areas for its secondary effect of reduced lodging by decreasing the plant height. Although clipping oats in Iowa is not common, there is interest in the practice as a possible means of reducing lodging

New Chemicals May Help Trefoil Seed Harvest

Though birdsfoot trefoil sets between 200 and 300 pounds of seed per acre in Iowa, harvested yields are commonly only 40 to 60 pounds. Use of chemical desicants followed by direct combining offers a possible solution