Determinate semi-dwarf and semi-determinate soybean varieties

"Several environmental factors affect the productivity of soybeans. Among them are water, nutrients and light. When water and nutrients are deficient, they can be supplied artificially by using irrigation and fertilization. Plants don't always intercept and use all of the available light. The efficiency with which the plant intercepts light is influenced by such features as leaf area and how the leaves are displayed. Lodging is one factor influencing efficient light interception and use. It can be controlled by genetic manipulation."--First page.Zane R. Helsel and Harry C. Minor (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)Revised 2/87/8

Determinate semi-dwarf and semideterminate soybean varieties

"Several environmental factors affect the productivity of soybeans. Among them are water, nutrients and light. When water and nutrients are deficient, they can be supplied artificially by using irrigation and fertilization. Plants don't always intercept and use all of the available light. The efficiency with which the plant intercepts light is influences by such features as leaf area and how the leaves are displayed. Lodging is one factor influencing efficient light interception and use. It can be controlled by genetic manipulation."--First page.Zane R. Helsel and Harry C. Minor (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)New 6/82/8

Soybean variety selection

"One of the most perplexing production decisions a farmer faces is, "What variety should I plant?" You receive information on soybean varieties from mass media advertising, from friends or relatives, from seed dealers, from University and extension variety trials, and perhaps from your own strip trials. New varieties from both public and private organizations are abundant. Yields are increasing about one-third of a bushel per acre per year due to genetic improvement. While some new varieties show this response, other new varieties may not yield better than those you use now. Given all this information and the new influx of varieties, how do you choose the best variety to grow? No one has yet developed a simple answer to this question, but it is the intent of this publication to present guidelines for choosing a variety for a given set of conditions."--First page.Zane R. Helsel and Harry C. Minor (Department of Agronomy College of Agriculture)New 11/84/10

Evidence for precession of the isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125

The XMM-Newton spectra of the isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125 obtained over 4.5 years can be described by sinusoidal variations in the inferred blackbody temperature, the size of the emitting area and the depth of the absorption line with a period of 7.1 +/- 0.5 years, which we suggest to be the precession period of the neutron star. Precession of a neutron star with two hot spots of different temperature and size, probably not located exactly in antipodal positions, may account for the variations in the X-ray spectra, changes in the pulsed fraction, shape of the light curve and the phase-lag between soft and hard energy bands observed from RX J0720.4-3125. An independent sinusoidal fit to published and new pulse timing residuals from a coherent analysis covering ~12 years yields a consistent period of 7.7 +/- 0.6 years supporting the precession model.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters, 5 pages, 5 figure

VLT/FORS2 observations of the optical counterpart of the isolated neutron star RBS 1774

X-ray observations performed with ROSAT led to the discovery of a group (seven to date) of X-ray dim and radio-silent middle-aged isolated neutron stars (a.k.a. XDINSs), which are characterised by pure blackbody spectra (kT~40-100 eV), long X-ray pulsations (P=3-12 s), and appear to be endowed with relatively high magnetic fields, (B~10d13-14 G). RBS 1774 is one of the few XDINSs with a candidate optical counterpart, which we discovered with the VLT. We performed deep observations of RBS 1774 in the R band with the VLT to disentangle a non-thermal power-law spectrum from a Rayleigh-Jeans, whose contributions are expected to be very much different in the red part of the spectrum. We did not detect the RBS 1774 candidate counterpart down to a 3 sigma limiting magnitude of R~27. The constraint on its colour, (B-R)<0.6, rules out that it is a background object, positionally coincident with the X-ray source. Our R-band upper limit is consistent with the extrapolation of the B-band flux (assuming a 3 sigma uncertainty) for a set of power-laws F_nu ~nu^alpha with spectral indeces alpha<0.07. If the optical spectrum of RBS 1774 were non-thermal, its power-law slope would be very much unlike those of all isolated neutron stars with non-thermal optical emission, suggesting that it is most likely thermal. For instance, a Rayleigh-Jeans with temperature T_O = 11 eV, for an optically emitting radius r_O=15 km and a source distance d=150 pc, would be consistent with the optical measurements. The implied low distance is compatible with the 0.04 X-ray pulsed fraction if either the star spin axis is nearly aligned with the magnetic axis or with the line of sight, or it is slightly misaligned with respect to both the magnetic axis and the line of sight by 5-10 degreesComment: 8 pages, 8 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Soybean production in Missouri (1993)

In recent years, farmers in Missouri have grown soybeans on more than five million acres. Soybeans were the most economically successful crop for Missouri farmers in the 1970s and early 1980s. Although weather conditions in Missouri can greatly affect the productivity and economics of soybean production, many production practices can be managed to produce more favorable yields and better economical returns. This guide provides a brief overview of recommended production practices for soybeans in Missouri

Soybean variety selection (1993)

One of the most perplexing production decisions a farmer faces is, 'What variety should I plant?' Information on soybean varieties is received from mass media advertising, friends or relatives, seed dealers, University and extension variety trials, and perhaps from your own strip trials. New varieties from public and private organizations are abundant. Yields are increasing about one-third of a bushel per acre per year due to genetic improvement. While some new varieties show this response, other new varieties may not yield better than those now used. Given all this information and the new influx of varieties, how do you choose the best variety to grow? No one has yet developed a simple answer to this question, but it is the intent of this publication to present guidelines for choosing a variety for a given set of conditions

Recyclable Magnetite Nanoparticle Catalyst for One-Pot Conversion of Cellobiose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Water

Environmentally benign and easily recoverable magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were demonstrated to catalyze the one-pot conversion of cellobiose, a glucose disaccharide, to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). The conversion was achieved in water under hydrothermal conditions. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4 NPs surpassed those of iron (II) and iron (III) chlorides in this reaction. Optimized cellobiose conversion reactions catalyzed with Fe3O4 NPs gave the highest 5-HMF yields of 23.4 ± 0.6% at 160°C for 24 hours. After three reuses, the Fe3O4 NP catalyst retained its catalytic activity with similar 5-HMF yields, demonstrating the recyclability of this eco-friendly catalyst in water

Wheat-soybean double crop management in Missouri

"Double cropping soybeans after winter wheat has grown in popularity and feasibility in much of Missouri. This cropping system has several advantages. A crop, growing on the land all year, provides control of soil erosion. If you spread annual fixed costs such as land, taxes, and machinery over two crops instead of one, you increase gross returns per acre with relatively low increases in production costs. Thus, you can increase profits per acre. A successful wheat-soybean double crop depends on management and weather conditions. Establishing an adequate soybean stand and effective weed control are critical. In north Missouri, there are few days left in the season after wheat harvest for planting soybeans, and that's a constraint. So knowing the conditions to which doublecropping is best adapted will provide for a successful second crop. Also, it will enable you to avoid those years of high risk."--First page.Harry C. Minor, Zane R. Helsel, and Sean McCrate (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)New 10/83/10