MP 2013-02

The UAF School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station have been working for the last decade on a long-term project exploring the potential for the cut flower market in the 49th state—which looks to have significant potential

Experimental Study of Various Techniques to Protect Ice-Rich Cut Slopes

INE/AUTC 15.08 and INE/AUTC 13.07 (2013) Construction Repor

Stabilization of Erodible Slopes with Geofibers and Nontraditional Liquid Additives

INE/AUTC 13.1

Denali Alfalfa as a High-Quality Forage Crop: Creating Sustainable Food Sources for Alaska Reindeer

Research Poste

Harvest and Nitrogen Management of Three Perennial Grasses as Biomass Feedstock in Subarctic Alaska

High energy costs in high-latitude regions have generated interest in the feasibility of bioenergy cropping. The goal of this study was to determine the N response and best harvest regime for biomass production of three perennial, cool-season grass species—tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.), slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachy­caulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners), and smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss)—at two locations in central Alaska. Maximum dry matter yields were 11.3 Mg ha-1 for smooth bromegrass, 8.1 Mg ha-1 for tufted hairgrass, and 8.0 Mg ha-1 for slender wheatgrass, but yields varied greatly among years. We found a linear N response in most cases, with highest yields at the 100 kg N ha-1 application rate. Yields for the double-harvest regime usually did not vary significantly from those of the fall harvest, but spring harvest sometimes reduced yields dramatically. Biomass in the spring harvest was usually dry enough not to require additional drying for storage. Results of this study indicate it may be possible to produce grass biomass yields high enough for use as bioenergy feedstocks in central Alaska, but questions remain about the best management practices and the economics of growing bioenergy crops in Alaska.Les coûts élevés de l’énergie en haute latitude incitent les gens à se pencher sur la faisabilité d’entreprendre des cultures bioénergétiques. L’objectif de cette étude consistait à déterminer la réponse à l’azote et le meilleur régime d’exploitation pour la bioproduction de trois espèces de graminées vivaces en saison fraîche, soit la deschampsie cespiteuse (Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.), l’élyme à chaumes rudes (Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners) et le brome inerme (Bromus inermis Leyss), à deux endroits du centre de l’Alaska. Le rendement maximum de matière sèche était de 11,3 tm ha-1 dans le cas du brome inerme, de 8,1 tm ha-1 dans le cas de la deschampsie cespiteuse et de 8,0 tm ha-1 dans le cas de l’élyme à chaumes rudes, bien que les rendements aient connu d’importantes variations d’une année à l’autre. Nous avons trouvé une réponse linéaire à l’azote dans la plupart des cas, les rendements les plus élevés étant ceux de la dose d’application de 100 kg N ha-1. Le rendement du régime à double récolte ne variait généralement pas beaucoup du régime à récolte d’automne, bien que les récoltes du printemps donnaient parfois un rendement considérablement réduit. De manière générale, la biomasse de la récolte du printemps était suffisamment sèche pour ne pas avoir besoin d’être asséchée davantage avant d’être stockée. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent qu’il peut être possible de produire des rendements en biomasse suffisamment élevés à partir de graminées pour être utilisés comme charge bioénergétique dans le centre de l’Alaska, mais cela dit, il y a toujours lieu de répondre aux questions portant sur les pratiques de gestion exemplaires et le caractère économique des productions bioéner­gétiques en Alaska

Varieties and Pre Harvesting Treatment for Growing Polish Canola (Brassica rapa L.) in Interior Alaska

Abstract Barley has been a mono cereal crop grown in the Delta Junction area of Alaska since 1970s. A rotational crop is needed for weed control and conservation tillage for sustainable crop production. Due to short growing season constrains, canola when used as a rotational crop currently resulted low marketability because of high green seed content (>2%). The objective of this research is to determine if glyphosate when used as a desiccating chemical could promote early maturity and reduce green seed content of canola. Four Polish canola cultivars were treated with direct combine (as a control), pushing (to stop growth) and desiccating in two locations in Alaska USA in a randomized complete block design with four replicates from 2007 to 2009. Glyphosate was sprayed, and pushing was conducted around August 15 each year. Results showed that 'Hysin 110' treated by glyphosate consistently had ≤ 2% green seed content in three years in contrast with 'Reward' despite a wide variation of weather conditions. The growing degree days were dramatically different among the three years, with 2009 close to the 29-year norm, 2008 was lower and 2007 was higher than the norm. No residual glyphosate was found in the seeds from the desiccating treatment. In conclusion, desiccating treatment together with a good short growing season Polish canola cultivar can make canola grown as a rotational crop in Alaska's short growing season conditions

Utilizing Grassland Resources for Sub-Arctic Agriculture: Sustainable Muskox Farming in Alaska

The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment broadly classifies Alaska as a Polar Ecosystem, characterized as being frozen most of the year and underlain by permafrost. Despite this bleak portrayal, some of the largest herds of grazing ungulates are indigenous to Alaska - and thriving. This is both a testament to the resilience of grazing systems in general as well as a statement to the suitability of grazing systems specifically for Alaska. In a state economy dominated by nonrenewable resource extraction, agricultural production has remained largely undeveloped (Fried 2013). However, today there is increasing interest in local agricultural production with the goal of developing an economically diverse, sustainable agricultural model for Alaska. Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are uniquely adapted to the arctic. They thrive on local forages, do not require protection from the cold and adapt well to many traditional husbandry practices. Muskoxen have been farmed since the 1960’s for their fiber, known as qiviut, a luxurious and highly valued underwool that is their primary insulation during the arctic winter. Adult muskoxen annually shed 1.5-2.5 kg of qiviut throughout their life. While muskoxen can be farmed for qiviut, the question remains whether this endeavor is a sustainable enterprise for northern farms? What impact will grazing practices have on pasture and soil health in sub-arctic environments? In this research, we investigated two aspects of the sustainability triad with respect to farming a non-traditional species, musk oxen, in Alaska: i) economic feasibility ii) potential impact of managed grazing on sub-arctic pasture ecology

The cientificWorldJOURNAL Research Article Exergetic Assessment for Resources Input and Environmental Emissions by Chinese Industry during 1997-2006

This paper presents an overview of the resources use and environmental impact of the Chinese industry during [1997][1998][1999][2000][2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006]. For the purpose of this analysis the thermodynamic concept of exergy has been employed both to quantify and aggregate the resources input and the environmental emissions arising from the sector. The resources input and environmental emissions show an increasing trend in this period. Compared with 47568.7 PJ in 1997, resources input in 2006 increased by 75.4% and reached 83437.9 PJ, of which 82.5% came from nonrenewable resources, mainly from coal and other energy minerals. Furthermore, the total exergy of environmental emissions was estimated to be 3499.3 PJ in 2006, 1.7 times of that in 1997, of which 93.4% was from GHG emissions and only 6.6% from "three wastes" emissions. A rapid increment of the nonrenewable resources input and GHG emissions over 2002-2006 can be found, owing to the excessive expansion of resource-and energy-intensive subsectors. Exergy intensities in terms of resource input intensity and environmental emission intensity time-series are also calculated, and the trends are influenced by the macroeconomic situation evidently, particularly by the investment-derived economic development in recent years. Corresponding policy implications to guide a more sustainable industry system are addressed

Evapotranspiration in Northern Agro-Ecosystems: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Comparison

Evapotranspiration and near-surface soil moisture dynamics are key-entangled variables regulating flux at the surface-atmosphere interface. Both are central in improving mass and energy balances in agro ecosystems. However, under the extreme conditions of high-latitude soils and weather pattern variability, the implementation of such coupled liquid and vapor phase numerical simulation remain to be tested. We consider the nonisothermal solution of the vapor flux equation that accounts for the thermally driven water vapor transport and phase changes. Fully coupled flux model outputs are compared and contrasted against field measurements of soil temperature, heat flux, water content, and evaporation in a subarctic agroecosystem in Alaska. Two well-defined hydro-meteorological situations were selected: dry and wet periods. Numerical simulation was forced by time series of incoming global solar radiation and atmospheric surface layer thermodynamic parameters: surface wind speed, ambient temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and soil temperature and soil moisture. In this simulation, soil parameters changing in depth and time are considered as dynamically adjusted boundary conditions for solving the set of coupled differential equations. Results from this evaluation give good correlation of modeled and observed data in net radiation (Rnet) (R2 of 0.92, root mean square error (RMSE) of 45 W m−2), latent heat (0.70, RMSE of 53 W m−2), and sensible heat (R2 = 0.63, RMSE = 32 W m−2) during the dry period. On the other hand, a poor agreement was obtained in the radiative fluxes and turbulent fluxes during the wet period due to the lack of representation in the radiation field and differences in soil dynamics across the landscape