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2008 Graduate Student Projects Southern SARE recieved 46 Graduate Student proposals in 2008. After review of the proposals, the Administrative Council chose 13 projects for funding with a funding total of $128,375. There's no magic formula for a winning proposal. Reviewers are peers of the applicants, knowledgeable about sustainable agriculture as well as the current problems growers face in the different sectors of agriculture. Reviewers compare the proposals to the guidelines set forth in the CFP. Many factors go into the rankings, but in general a competitive proposal is one that clearly explains how it will evaluate a sustainable solution to an agricultural problem. One way to get the attention of SARE reviewers is to scientifically test how agricultural practices actually affect the environment and natural resources. GS08-065 takes a hard scientific look at how some common organic amendments affect the mocrobial community in soils and GS08-076 examines the agricultural and ecological significance of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in diverse farming systems. GS08-066 looks at predator/prey relationships of carabid beetles. Reviewers also noted that GS08-066 had a very reasonable budget and was an extremely professional technically designed experiment. Building on a previously successful SARE project prevents duplication of effort and shows that an applicant is familiar with SARE. GS08-067, which will develop an integrated direct marketing local foods system in southeastern North Carolina similar to on-going SARE work in western North Carolina. Reviewers respond to proposals that clearly show a need for the research. This year they noted that results from GS08-068could have an immediate impact on production practices of 1,500 Fir tree producers in NC alone. They went on to comment that the research pursues a modest, low-cost and environmentally sound remedy to a significant production risk. Another one that was noted for impacting a large number of growers was GS08-075. It also scored points for being technically solid and appropriately budgeted. The results of GS08-077, which is looking at native pollinators, will impact all farmers who depend on the dwindling population of honeybees. Projects that connect the farm to the table exemplify what sustainable ag is all about. That's one reason GS08-069 stood out for comparing the quality of beef produced from cool season forages to the quality produced from warm season forages. In other words, another exammination of how what goes on in the field impacts taste, tenderness and shelf life. As for GS08-070 besides being a well-organized proposal, reviewers noted that it addresses sociological concerns, an underserved area in sustainable agricultured. Reviewers also pointed out that the applicant presented a clear grasp of the theoretical discussion regarding development, modernization, and small scale agricultural production. They also pointed out that the budget was modest but adequate. GS08-072 was noted for addressing a crop that hasn't received a lot of attention: organic grapes in the South. Reviewers noted that successful pest management strategies would make it possible for many more farmers to grow this lucrative crop. On the other hand, GS08-073 looks at new ways to manage weeds in one of the South's most common crops: soybean. Just the sheer number of farmers that could benefit from fewer soybean herbicides made reviewers notice it. Sometimes a proposal will hit on all cylinders, as was the case with GS08-071, which reviewers pointed out fits well with SARE's existing line of research, the qualifications of student/professor combo are excellent, the proposal is well-written, applicants did a good job of relating the experiments to the needs of those who raise small ruminants and they also describe the established methods of outreach to farmers. Another one that scored high with reviewers was GS08-074. Both the professor and the graduate student have prominent reputations in the field of agricultural anthropology; the proposal builds on the foundation of a very successful SARE project: The Southern Seed Legacy; the proposal addresses the often-overlooked social aspect of agriculture; and it is timely since concerns over agrobiodiversity are becoming more pronounced The following abstracts introduce the new projects. The project investigators will be entering their new projects into the data base and following up with annual reports throughout the life of the project. Keep up with the reports at www.sare.org
GS08-065 Effects of organic amendments on aggregation and microbial community dynamics in soils This project will evaluate the effects of soil amendments on aggregate formation, microbial residue accumulation, and microbial community dynamics in soils with different textures. Experimental soils will have their aggregate structure destroyed by being forced through a 250µm sieve. They will then be amended with either rye, rye-vetch, farmyard manure, composted manure, or no-amendment and incubated over 60 days. Soils will be destructively sampled on days 5, 10, 15, 25, 40, and 60 and analyzed for macroaggregate formation and accumulation of the amino sugars glucosamine and muramic acid. These amino sugars are microbial residues that will be used to characterize the relative contributions of fungi and bacteria to aggregation processes. Changes in microbial community structure will also be assessed through analysis of microbial fatty acids on days 0, 15, and 60. Relationships between amendment type, soil type, microbial parameters, and aggregate formation through time will be investigated. The hypothesis being tested is that, relative to other amendments, amendments that stimulate greater fungal activity will also promote greater macroaggregate formation. Anticipated outcomes of this work will provide information on soil management practices that stimulate soil structural enhancement by promoting a favorable microbial community. This information would be useful to those interested in maximizing the agronomic benefits associated with building and sustaining good soil structure. Elisa D'Angelo Shawn Lucas
GS08-066 Conservation of Predatory Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in agroecosystems of the Southern Great Plains Continuous monocultures, soil cultivation, and overuse of pesticides decrease the presence of natural enemies of pests in agricultural systems. Natural enemies have a regulating effect on pest populations in winter wheat, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum in the Southern Great Plains. In Oklahoma and Texas, aphid damage results in increased pesticide applications and yield losses. Greenbugs cause heavy losses which can range from $3.8 to $135 million in grain wheat grown in Oklahoma. Regulation of pest populations by natural enemies is an essential element of integrated pest management plans (IPM). Carabid beetles are an important component of natural enemy assemblages that reduce populations of agricultural pests and consume weed seeds. Carabids react to environmental changes quickly and measurably, are relatively easy to trap, are persistent in disturbed systems, and are identified as biological control agents in scientific literature. Producers lack the necessary information regarding carabid feeding behavior and its impact on pest populations. Additionally, producers need a better understanding of carabid dispersal and colonization abilities as it relates to tillage. Sustainable agricultural practices such as diversification of agroecosystems and reduced tillage will ultimately conserve carabids that consume insect pests and weed seeds and will result in reduced pesticide applications while increasing net profits. Through the use of pitfall trapping and stable carbon isotope analyses the relationship of carabid dispersal, habitat use, and prey consumption will be evaluated. Results from this study will be presented to producers and IPM professionals via extension publications, research journals, field days, and presentations at professional meetings. Dr. Kristopher Giles Sarah L. Donelson
GS08-067 Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Project Integrated local food systems are able to bridge institutional buyers with small and medium sized farmers creating vibrant, sustainable economies. In order to develop and coordinate a local and regional food system in Southeastern North Carolina, significant research is needed to determine market opportunities and production capacity to fulfill these opportunities. Assessment of direct markets including: the public school system in the six county region, independently owned restaurants and grocers, UNC system universities and regional hospitals, will allow the interests and needs of these institutions concerning participation in local food systems to be identified and documented. Only through the identification of these needs can local food purchasing be approached systematically. Furthermore, the capacity of regional growers must be assessed concerning their growing interest and ability. This, combined with the market assessment, will enable farmers to maximize their profits through accumulated information about available markets and demanded products. This will enable farmers and institutional buyers to be optimally paired through product and quantity demand and/or supply. Local food systems are able to address many problems associated with our current food system and provide alternatives that contributes to the local economy and the health of a community without depleting natural resources. In order to implement such a system, a strong foundation must be secured through research identifying the specific needs of the region that must be addressed. Researching and assessing the market opportunities and production capabilities will significantly inform the development of the Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Project. Leslie Hossfeld
H. Raven Bruno
GS08-068 Elucidating the role of cellulases involved in biological control of Phytophthora root rot Phytophthora root rot (PRR), caused by P. cinnamomi and other soilborne Phytophthora species, impairs production in a wide variety of food and ornamental crops worldwide. In some cropping systems, organic mulches have proven to be a valuable tool in suppressing this disease. Suppression has been linked to biological activity within the mulch, and is correlated with total and cellulase enzyme activity. The production of cellulases by mulch microflora has been suggested as a primary mechanism of PRR suppression, but it has not been shown that the levels of cellulase produced in mulch are sufficient to inhibit Phytophthora growth or infectivity. The goal of this research is to elucidate the role of cellulases in PRR suppression within mulching systems, with the aim of improving current mulch applications to provide greater disease control. In vitro assays will allow us to identify concentrations of cellulase with activity similar to levels observed in mulches from ongoing field trials, and to determine the effects of those levels on Phytophthora growth and infection. Bench and container studies will be used to ascertain the effects of cellulases on the density of viable Phytophthora propagules in soil and mulch and on PRR development in Fraser fir seedlings, and to examine the potential use of several known cellulase-producing fungi as biocontrol agents in mulching systems. Results are expected to identify threshold levels of cellulase activity which should facilitate disease suppression, and may provide an organic, sustainable means of improving mulches for use in biological and cultural disease control efforts. Kelly Ivors Brantlee Richter
GS08-069 Effects of Cool- or Warm-Season Forages on Forage-finished Beef Fall-born steers, (n = 60) will graze both cool- and warm- season forages in succession to examine differences in forage type and age at harvest. At the start of grazing, the first group (n = 12, 12 to 13 months of age) of steers are to be harvested at the Lambert-Powell Meats Laboratory at Auburn University. Carcass characteristics are to be taken 24 h postmortem, and loins are to be aged for 21 d. Loins will then be cut into steaks and placed in simulated retail display or vacuum packaged and frozen until analyses. After steaks come out of simulated retail display, they are to be vacuum packaged and frozen until analysis. The same procedures will be followed for each harvest group of steers. Every sixty days, a group of steers will be harvested until all steers have been harvested. Analysis to be performed are: sensory taste panel, retail shelf-life, Warner-Bratzler shear force, oxidation analysis, occurrence of myosin crosslinks, fiber typing, total soluble and insoluble collagen content, perimysial and endomysial thickness, myofibrillar fragmentation index and fatty acid analysis. This experiment will examine differences between both cool- and warm-season forages and between age at harvest. Chris Kerth Clinton Rowe
GS08-070 The fate of the finca: Smallholders in the Hispanic Caribbean
Gregory Knapp Katia R. Aviles-Vazquez
GS08-071 Effect of sericea lespedeza leaf meal pellet supplementation on Haemonchus contortus infection in grazing ewes Infection with gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites, particularly Haemonchus contortus, a blood-feeder, is the most important constraint to profitable small ruminant production in the southeastern US and worldwide. Weanlings are especially susceptible to infection during their first grazing season. Infection with H. contortus can rapidly lead to lost production and even death. Over use of anthelmintics (dewormers) has resulted in high levels of dewormer resistance in GIN throughout the southeast and other regions where H. contortus is a problem. The problem has become so severe that it is threatening viability of small-scale and limited-resource small ruminant farm operations in this region despite continued high demand for sheep and goat products. A more sustainable approach to parasite control involves integrating targeted, limited use of anthelmintics with non-chemical alternative control methods that reduce GIN numbers in the host animal and lower pasture contamination with eggs and larvae. Grazing sericea lespedeza [a condensed tannin (CT) containing forage] and feeding whole plant hay and pellets has been shown to effectively control GIN in sheep and goats. In the proposed study, sericea lespedeza leaf meal pellets which have a higher concentration of CT, will be evaluated for affect on naturally acquired H. contortus infection. Results will be disseminated to scientific and producer groups via producer workshops, the Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control web page (SCSRPC.org), and various scientific and extension publications. James Miller Dana Pollard
GS08-072 Sustainable Management for Scarab Pests Impacting Grape Production in the Southern Region Grape growers in the southeastern United States contend with two major pests, Japanese beetle (JB), Popillia japonica Newman, and green June beetle (GJB), Cotinis nitida L., that are absent or less troublesome in other grape-growing regions. JB severely defoliates vines, whereas both beetles feed upon and contaminate ripe fruits and are key pests close to harvest when spray restrictions limit management options. Grape cultivars adapted to the southern region vary in foliar characteristics and phenology of ripening in ways that likely affect resistance to both scarabs. Establishing vineyards with resistant cultivars would reduce vine loss and production costs, providing a quality crop with reduced chemical inputs. This project will quantify the costs of JB defoliation to growth, winter cold-hardiness, berry development, and yield of vines of representative American, European, and hybrid cultivars maintained under conventional and reduced insecticidal regimes. In addition, phenological resistance, the use of cultivars that ripen before or after peak beetle flight, will also be evaluated as a strategy to reduce need for cover sprays close to harvest. This project will help guide growers who favor organic or sustainable growing practices to cultivars that produce quality crops with minimal loss from the aforementioned scarab pests. Daniel Potter Derrick Hammons
GS08-073 Traits of Interest For Improving Weed Suppressability In Soybean Soybean weed management systems in the Southeastern U.S. rely almost exclusively on conventional herbicide practices. Concerns of genetically modified food and the expansion of some organic soybean markets have led some producers to explore alternative weed management systems that utilize a variety of tactics to reduce weed competitiveness. The use of more competitive soybean varieties could be one such tactic in a more diverse weed management program. We will investigate over 30 soybean genotypes in 2009 at Plymouth and Kinston agricultural research stations in North Carolina. A strip split plot design will be used with weedy and weed free treatments stripped across tests with soybean genotype subplots. Two potential genotype screening tactics, early percent ground cover and percent canopy light interception will be evaluated in effectiveness to estimate the competitiveness of soybean genotypes. Measurements of soybean traits potentially related to weed competitiveness such as early and late height, leaf length and width, leaflet length and width, and petiolule length will be made from 2 weeks after emergence (WAE) through 7 WAE. Soybean and weed biomass at 7 WAE in weedy and weed free plots will be measured to quantify the ability of genotypes to reduce weed biomass. Tests will be conducted to reveal correlations of weed suppressiveness with: early percent ground cover, percent canopy light interception and measured soybean traits. Chris Reberg-Horton George Place
GS08-074 Seeds of Persistence: The Ethnoecology of Crop Agrobiodiversity Maintenance in the American Mountain South This research project is a comparative investigation of why folk crop varieties continue to persist despite overwhelming economic and social pressures that continually threaten their very existence. Much has been said about the increasing loss of agricultural biodiversity across the globe and the application of conservation strategies to this problem, but fewer agricultural studies have made in-depth inquiries into the reasons why those individuals, communities, or cultures who continue to nurture folk crop biodiversity do so. This study will investigate two main complementary motivations that contribute to the continued use and conservation of folk crop varieties: 1) utilitarian salience—which includes selection and maintenance for agronomic, economic, and environmental reasons; and 2) cultural salience—which includes selection and maintenance because of culturally defined preferences and influences such as heritage and memory, culinary traditions, spiritual beliefs and rituals, and values that are learned and shared. The primary research sites will be the southern Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina and the Ozark-Quachita Highlands of Arkansas. Robert Rhoades James Veteto
GS08-075 Comprehensive evaluation of windbreaks of fast-growing trees Microclimate modification and pathogen control are two major benefits of windbreaks. Effective windbreaks significantly reduce windspeed in the protected area and at the same time control the movement of some pathogens. Based on the evidence and performance of windbreak in other countries, vegetable and citrus growers are committed to establish windbreaks. As canker incidences are increasing everyday, efforts are underway to establish windbreaks of evergreen fast-growing species for year-round and early protection. However, there is limited information on the performance of windbreaks composed of fast-growing species. Rooting habit of windbreak species need to be evaluated to assess its competitive strength. This project will 1) Evaluate various aged fast-growing tree windbreaks for microclimate modification, 2) study the chronosequence of root development and distribution, and 3) estimate biomass in windbreak trees. Results of the project will help to understand changes in effectiveness of fast-growing tree windbreaks over time. Information on root development and distribution will be useful to assess the competitive strength of windbreak species and in competition management at the interface. Results of this study can be used to design effective windbreaks which can significantly reduce production costs and at the same time increase crop quality and yield leading to sustainable agriculture production. Donald L Rockwood Bijay Tamang
GS08-076 Chemistry and Biodegradability of Dissolved Soil Organic Matter in Diverse Farming Systems Soil quality has become a focal point for sustaining agricultural productivity in intensive and extensive agricultural practices. While microbial biomass and mineralization of soil organic carbon and nitrogen are often-used biological parameters to evaluate soil quality, they are unlikely comprehensive to diagnose soil organic matter and microbially-mediated soil functions. Additionally, the parameter measurements are time consuming and labor intensive. Mounting evidence supports that dissolved soil organic matter (DOM) contributes to numerous soil chemical, physical, and biological processes and, thus, may present a holistic picture on soil quality. To date, there has been little information on the agricultural and ecological significance of DOM in diverse farming systems. In this project we will: (1) assess the impacts of agricultural management on the quantity and chemical properties of DOM and (2) examine the relationships of DOM with other soil chemical and biological properties in a well-designed farming-systems unit that includes five systems: conventional farming, organic farming, integrated crop and livestock, plantation forestry, and agricultural field succession. We anticipate that our investigation will lead to an enhanced appreciation of roles of DOM in critical soil processes that has practical ramifications on soil quality and agricultural production. Wei Shi Lei Tian
GS08-077 Providing habitat for native pollinators and determination of native pollinator contribution to pollination of cucurbits and blueberries at farm sites Pollination of blueberry and cucurbit (watermelon, squash, and pumpkin) plantings will be studied to determine the contribution of unmanaged, native pollinators towards pollination of these crops as compared to European honey bees. Pollination contribution will be measured by flower visitation rates and pollen deposition. Habitat in the form of flowering plants and shelter will be provided for pollinators at some sites to determine if farmers can easily supplement habitat. We will determine if supplemented habitat is utilized by native pollinators and if this increases visits by native pollinators, as compared to sites without supplemented habitat. John Skinner Michael Wilson
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