Perloline, the Forgotten Plant Alkaloid

Perloline, a biologically active plant alkaloid, accumulated in vegetative tissue of tall fescue during the summer months. Perloline content increased with increased available nitrogen and light. Total perloline accumulation was greatest with NO3-N fertilizer, but greatest perloline content per unit of dry wt was measured with NH4-N. In mature plants greatest perloline accumulation occurred in the leaves and immature inflorescences, but was not detected in the seed. Leaves of meadow fescue contained the greatest amounts of perloline, tall fescue was intermediate and giant fescue, and ryegrasses and yellow foxtail had low amounts of the alkaloid. Tryptophan and ornithine were efficient precursors of perloline biosynthesis

Ergovaline and Ergovalinine and Tall Fescue Content of Pastures in Central Kentucky

Kentucky has \u3e 2Mha of tall fescue (Festuca arundianacea Schreb.) grown mainly for livestock consumption. Many alkaloids in tall fescue are produced in a mutualistic association between tall fescue and an endophytic fungus (Neotyphodium coenophialum) (Long et al., 2002). Ingestion of tall fescue by livestock may depress reproduction and growth (Schultz & Bush, 2002). Not all Kentucky fields of tall fescue are thought to be infected with endophyte, but forage samples from all surveyed pastures had measurable ergopeptine alkaloids. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that some of the tall fescue plants in these fields were infected. We estimated tall fescue content and evaluated ergopeptine alkaloids in tall fescue monocultures and composite pastures of several central Kentucky horse farms

Root Growth and Development of Float Tobacco Transplants Before and After Transplanting

In the production of float tobacco transplants, the seedling produces at least two different kinds of roots. The “media” roots are those that grow in the soilless medium within the float tray cell. They have a normal branched appearance similar to roots produced on soil-bed grown transplants. The “water” roots grow through the soilless medium in tray cells and into the nutrient solution below the float tray. They tend to be very fragile and less branched than roots growing in the soilless medium. In removal of seedlings from tray cells during transplanting, “water” roots are usually badly damaged or destroyed, which could affect establishment of transplants in the field since the most critical period in the development of tobacco plants occurs immediately after transplanting. When these young plants are removed from the protective environment of the float bed system and are subjected to radically different and sometimes adverse field conditions, stress on the juvenile plants is created. Field establishment of these young plants is dependent upon growth or new formation of the “media” and “water” roots. To maximize establishment of transplants, it is important to know how the \u27\u27water roots and the media roots develop in the float system and their contribution to transplant establishment during the first few weeks after transplanting. The objectives of this study were: 1) to characterize the growth of media and \u27\u27water roots on tobacco seedlings in the float system, and 2) to assess tobacco transplant growth with or without \u27\u27water\u27\u27 roots, at two and four weeks after transplanting

Salvage along the Red River: The Red Cox (3LA18) Site and its Place on the Caddo Landscape

The Red Cox (3LA18) site is located in Lafayette County, Arkansas along the Red River. As recounted in his weekly report of April 9, 1975, Dr. Frank Schambach received word that the site was being directly impacted by land leveling machinery. Salvage efforts collected the remains from the floor of a burned Caddo farmstead structure. Remains include ceramic sherds, carbonized corn kernels, acorn nutmeat and nutshells, burned wood fragments, and bits of daub. In this paper, we present the results of a recent analysis of the materials and situate the farmstead within the Red River landscape during a period shortly after Haley (ca. A.D. 1200 - 1400) phase and into the early part of the Belcher (ca. A.D. 1400 - 1700) phase

Effect of Seed Pellet Modification on Spiral Root Formation of Tobacco Seedlings

Tobacco seeds are often pelleted to facilitate precision seeding into float trays. Pelleting consists of the application of solid particles, such as clay, to seeds with a binder in a coating pan or tumbling drum to form spherically shaped dispersal units. One of the several advantages of pelleting is to provide seeds with a vastly enlarged bulk size to ensure proper placement of the seed at the surface of the growing medium

The Effects of Exposure to Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed on Faecal and Urine Concentrations of Ergovaline and Lysergic Acid in Mature Gelding Horses

Despite the good nutritive value of endophyte-infected tall fescue, consumption by livestock results in a decrease in both reproductive and growth performance due to ergot alkaloids produced by an endophytic fungus (Cross et al., 1995). Little research has investigated the metabolic fate of ergot alkaloids and/or their metabolites in grazing horses. Thus, the objectives of this experiment were: a) to determine concentrations of ergovaline (EV) and lysergic acid (LA) in the faeces and urine of geldings exposed to tall fescue seed over a time course experiment and b) to measure the effects of alkaloid-containing tall fescue on nutrient digestibility and serum clinical enzyme profiles

Exploring the Applicability of the Science Communication Research Agenda to Agricultural Communications Scholarship

Agricultural communications scholars do not use a national research agenda to guide their research, which could be limiting the impact and rigor of the discipline. In this commentary, we argue that agricultural communications scholars should adopt the science communication research agenda published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2017 because the goals of science communication, outlined in the agenda, are relevant to agriculture. Members of the committee who developed the agenda study science communication in contexts of food, agriculture, life sciences, the environment, political science, health, nutrition, and psychology, among others. They developed the agenda with the intent for it to inform and guide research in all science communication sub-disciplines or areas involving contentious public issues. We provide examples of studies that have used the agenda to inform research in agricultural and natural resources communications. We also explain how research priorities outlined in the science communication research agenda align with agricultural communications scholarship. Recognizing there are challenges unique to agriculture, we recommend agricultural communications scholars use the science communication research agenda as a research guide and adapt the relevant research recommendations for agricultural communications

Impact of Brown Midrib Trait on the Decomposition Rate of Sorghum-Sudangrass Residue in Pastures

Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor var. bicolor x bicolor var. sudanense) can provide high quality summer grazing. Some varieties possess the brown midrib (BMR) trait which results in reduced lignin resulting in higher digestibility and animal performance. If microbes in the rumen can digest BMR sorghum-sudangrass more completely, then soil macro/micro flora and fauna may do so as well. This could result in nutrients being returned to the soil faster from plants containing the BMR trait. The objective of this study was to determine the decomposition rate of BMR and non-BMR sorghumsudangrass. The experimental design was a random complete with four replications. Sorghum-sudangrass with and without the BMR trait was placed in litter decomposition bags as whole plants or divided into leaves and stems. A composite sample was taken when bags were loaded to determine initial dry matter. Loaded bags were then placed on the soil surface in a pasture and collected at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 weeks after placement. Upon collection plant material was dried for 3-days at 55°C in a forced air oven. Dry weights at each collection date were subtracted from the initial dry weight to determine total DM loss. The BMR trait did not impact dry matter loss in the leaves. Stems possessing the BMR trait lost dry matter at a greater rate resulting in dry matter losses at 14 weeks of 78 and 68% and 59 and 47% for the BMR and non-BMR varieties in trials 1 and 2, respectively. Whole plants showed limited differences in dry matter loss at 14 weeks after placement