Agronomy Programs Research Articles

Effects of Genotype and Growing Year on the Nutritional Composition and Pasting Properties of Glabrous Canary Seed (Phalaris canariensis L.) Groat Flours.

Canary seed flour is a new food ingredient that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada recently granted Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status. Stability in nutritional composition and functional properties is an essential characteristic of food ingredients for consistency in nutritional quality and performance in processing. This work assessed the effect of genotypic and environmental variation on the nutritional (protein, starch, amylose, oil, dietary fiber, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins) and pasting (as measured in viscosity (peak, trough, breakdown, final, and setback), peak time, and pasting temperatures) properties of Canary seed. The samples included four Canary seed varieties grown in randomized complete block design experiments at one location for two growing seasons. In general, the nutritional composition of Canary seed flour was not affected by genotype, growing year, and their interaction except for starch content, which was significantly affected by the growing year (p < 0.0001), and iron content, which was affected by genotypic variation (p < 0.0001). The pasting properties of Canary seed flour were significantly (p < 0.001) affected by both genotypic and growing year variation but not their interaction. Our results suggest that the food industry should measure starch and iron content prior to processing to ensure consistency in nutritional labeling. Also, for those applications where starch pasting properties are essential, the manufacturer should consider measuring the RVA pasting viscosities for every batch of raw material. The results have provided the baseline knowledge of which nutritional or functional properties of Canary seed flour can be improved through breeding and agronomy programs to ensure the reliability of Canary seed as an ingredient.

Fertility islands, keys to the establishment of plant and microbial diversity in a highly alkaline hot desert

The distribution of plant communities in hot desert ecosystems is discontinuous and resembles the pattern of heterogeneous resource patches, known as “fertility islands”. Understanding the key factors that allow plants to establish in these conditions, as well as their associated microbial diversity, is crucial to the comprehension and preservation of these ecosystems. Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the driest regions in the world, with a very low water regime and low soil nutrient contents. The establishment of ecosystems in these arid desert conditions is therefore subject to numerous constraints. Understanding the biotic and abiotic factors linked to the formation of fertility islands, from the perspective of soil composition and its associated microbiome, both in the soil and in the roots of associated plant community, is therefore a fundamental issue for the preservation of these ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed the soil composition between a fertility island and bare soil. The proportions of micro- and macro-elements important for plant nutrition, namely magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and iron were higher in the fertility island. We also observed that soil bacterial and fungal diversity increased in the fertility island. Key taxa such as Rhizobia and Glomeraceae which play important roles in ecosystem functioning were identified in both the fertility island soil and in the roots of the established plant community. These results confirm that plant establishment is linked to soil conditions, in line with the fertility island hypothesis, and that the microbial community in the fertility island differs both in diversity and in composition from that of the bare soil. Fertility islands soils and the roots of established plant community harbor a microbiome potentially crucial to ecosystem functioning, and are of major interest for conservation and agronomy programs.

Development of a web application for the resource management in the course “Cycle 2: Execution of production project” at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá

The development of online tools has provided solutions to different activities, including academia. The Agronomy program at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia has updated its competency-based teaching approaches by encouraging the development and application of computational tools for analysis, modeling, and interpretation of data. A registration and follow-up system was chosen to automate tasks in the course “Cycle 2: Execution of production project” developed at the university farm (Marengo Agricultural Center), where technical, financial, and administrative variables inherent to the selected crop must be managed with monitoring and support by teachers and monitors. The aim of this research was to develop a web application for the academic-administrative management of certain components. This was mainly developed with Python and a PostgreSQL database. As an open resource, the app was hosted on GitHub and, for user access, it was hosted on PythonAnywhere. The Alpha version was validated by several students and academic staff involved in the course. The development of a web application consisting of three administrative modules was achieved and included an inventory management of supplies, machinery, and available tools; the allocation and management of the schedule of activities and list of requests, and the tracking of resource use through project costs. The web application is simple to execute, and its use will adjust the relevant processes of the productive projects of Cycle 2.

VALORES ÉTICOS EN DECISIONES DE PEQUEÑOS AGRICULTORES CONFRONTADOS CON PERCEPCIONES DE ESTUDIANTES DE AGRONOMÍA (UNIVERSIDAD DE CALDAS)

In this work, values that guide small farmers when facing production decisions, collective life and environment, in confrontation with the perceptions of the Agronomy alumni from Universidad de Caldas are determined. Using a descriptive methodology, three small farmer communities were worked with to designate their values using a semi-structured interview which results were used to apply a survey to students and agronomists. Agreement and disagreement points were identified and formative proposals in agronomic ethics rose. Small farmers identify their collective expression values: responsibility, family, tradition, work, honesty, cooperation, solidarity, education as a desired value; and as individual expression values: pride, membership, welfare, self-sufficiency. All the students from the Faculty coincide in recognizing some of the central social values stated by the agricultural producers such as: responsibility, solidarity, work, cooperation; as they progress in their professional education, they add other values but when they graduate they focus on the two first ones. Hypothetically, the Agronomy Program students are placed in post-conventional levels in Kohlberg's value scale. However, when they graduate it seems to be they back down in their conceptions while in superior levels and among the alumni conventional and pre-conventional levels appear.

Marketing and Branding the Agronomy Major at Iowa State University

The decline of enrollments in agronomy programs across the United States has been a concern for more than a decade. In an effort to reverse this trend, the Agronomy Department at Iowa State University (ISU) launched the I'm An Agronomist marketing campaign in 2006. This article reports on these efforts and the change in the undergraduate agronomy student population at Iowa State University since the campaign's inception. In the spring of 2010, 106 more students were studying agronomy than in 2005. This was an increase of 91%. Prior to implementing marketing strategies, agronomy enrollment at ISU had been on a 6‐year decline. The campaign has also had the additional benefits of generating a sense of pride and excitement among department staff, students, and alumni. The execution of the marketing campaign has been accomplished through close collaboration between staff within our department including graphic artists, communication specialists, and those passionate about the topic. In designing our marketing strategies, we observed and learned from marketing approaches in widespread use. The most important elements in the development of our marketing campaign were a simple message, artistic style, branding, and advertising in smart locations. While direct connections between marketing efforts and enrollment increases are difficult to prove, the I'm An Agronomist campaign has coincided with a time of extraordinary growth in student numbers. The campaign has halso appeared to have had additional benefits with regard to internal morale and external relations.

Farming systems education: Case study of Swedish test pilots

AbstractWe describe and analyze a pedagogical experiment that introduced a broad and holistic perspective on complete farming systems, systemic learning tools, and a participatory learning strategy at an early stage in agronomy education. The paper describes the adventure of three students, who came from a conventional agronomy program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), who were frustrated with the lack of integrated approaches to the study of agricultural systems and a strong focus on molecular-level processes in their first year of education. They encountered a narrow focus in most courses and the overall curricula of agricultural education that is a function of specialization and university organization in unique departments that concentrate on small pieces of the large puzzle, that is the production milieu. In the current educational environment, it is difficult for students to make connections, integrate information and theories, and to create relevance to the challenges they observe in the practical world of farming and food systems. The three students agreed to put on pilots' costumes and climb into an experimental vehicle calledexperiential learning, one that providesjust-in-time educationand a very high degree of self-responsibility for the learning process. The paper describes, analyzes, and evaluates the comprehensive and exhausting pedagogical process they followed in one semester in Sweden and Viet Nam, with positive and negative aspects of the program. We provide reflective recommendations from students and advisors for future agronomic education programs with the focus on developing renewable agriculture, selecting students and evaluating performance, and designing practical programs that will motivate highly committed and action-oriented students.

Hemp as a Feedstock for Biomass-to-Energy Conversion

ABSTRACT An increase in the demand for biomass for conversion to heat by combustion is likely. The potential role for hemp in supplying this demand is discussed in this article. For hemp, key characteristics such as net calorific value, ash content, and melting behavior, and the risk of corrosion or polluting emissions, are all favorable. Low bulk density and size reduction difficulties might limit its use for pellet production and in small boilers; its use in electricity generating plants and medium-to-large boilers would have better prospects. To maximize profitability, an agronomy program to achieve high yields at the lowest cost is required. In the Irish climate, this would entail early sowing (late March/early April), a low seed rate (∼30 kg/ha), and variety selection for maximum stem yield regardless of fiber content. With an optimal program, trial results suggest that a dry matter yield over 10 t/ha is attainable. Cost analysis shows that an energy price of about e6/GJ is required to achieve a prof...

Aplicação da teoria do construtivismo no ensino de fertilidade do solo

O processo de ensino-aprendizagem deve ser dinâmico, com atualização constante do conteúdo programático da disciplina, procurando adaptá-la às expectativas dos alunos. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar a abordagem que vem sendo utilizada em duas das aulas práticas da disciplina de Fertilidade do Solo, ministrada nos cursos de Agronomia e Engenharia Florestal da ESALQ/USP. Usou-se o método do estudo em grupo, para discutir os resultados de um experimento, desenvolvido em condições controladas, para avaliar a produção de matéria seca da parte aérea de plantas de milho cultivadas por trinta e cinco dias em amostras da camada de 0 a 20 cm de quinze solos da região de Piracicaba, SP. Como base nas discussões, elaborou-se um questionário, o qual é respondido por cada grupo de alunos na primeira aula. Na segunda aula, a discussão é retomada e aberta a todos os grupos. Durante a discussão das perguntas, o professor limita-se a observar o comportamento dos alunos, a redirecionar o raciocínio de alguns e, ocasionalmente, a fornecer informações gerais. Ao final das aulas, os conceitos são adquiridos de forma indireta. A maioria dos alunos aprova o método por sentir-se agente ativo dentro do processo de obtenção do conhecimento. A abordagem construtivista no ensino da Fertilidade do Solo por meio do estudo dirigido proposto tem sido utilizada, com sucesso, nos últimos três anos. Sugere-se a aplicação desta abordagem para outros temas da área de Fertilidade do Solo e mesmo para outras disciplinas dos cursos de Agronomia e Engenharia Florestal.

Genotypic Classification of Cowpea Based on Responses to Heat and Photoperiod

Heat and photoperiod influence reproductive development and yield of crop plants. In cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.), genetic variation is present for heat tolerance and responses to photoperiod during different stages of reproductive development. A genotypic classification system had been developed based on responses to high temperature under long days. Further studies were needed under short and long days and hot and moderate temperatures to characterize genotypic variation for juvenility and photoperiod response and interactions with temperature. Forty‐four contrasting cowpea genotypes were sown in the field with moderate (31.5/16.5°C day/night) and hot (38/22.5°C day/night) temperature long day environments and in glasshouses in hot (35/26°C day/night) or moderate (32/18°C day/night) temperatures under short (11 h 20 min at planting to 12 h 20 min after 30 d) and long (14 h 50 min at planting to 14 h 16 rain after 30 d) days, and these genotypes were evaluated for juvenility and photoperiod and temperature responses. The genotypes were classified into II groups based on photoperiod response (change in position of the first reproductive node or period to appearance of floral buds in long compared with short days), juvenility (minimum period for appearance of floral buds when grown under short days), and suppression of floral bud development and pod set under hot long days. This classification system will aid breeders and agronomists in their understanding of the genetic variation for these characteristics and in choosing genotypes with appropriate juvenility, photoperiod response, and heat tolerance for breeding and agronomy programs serving tropical and subtropical production environments.

Development and Implementation of a Recruiting Strategy for an Undergraduate Agronomy Program

Development and Implementation of a Recruiting Strategy for an Undergraduate Agronomy Program

Integrating agronomic principles with management experience in introductory agronomy

Many graduates of agronomy programs lack an ability to relate classroom experiences to career-related activities. Training of future agronomists can be enhanced by relating and using agronomic principles in real-life situations. In an introductory agronomy course, a cropping systems project was designed to train students to use agronomic principles in making actual cropping system management decisions and to improve their communication and organization skills. Groups of students were assigned separate farms and were asked to find and assimilate information to solve agronomic problems they encountered. When possible they used their home farms. The project was subdivided into sections and a written report was submitted at the completion of each section. A final report was also submitted. The project was effective in relating agronomic principles to real-world situations, and students felt it helped them learn and apply valuable information.

Problems of iron deficiency in different crop plants in India: Causative factors and control measures

Abstract The problem of Fe‐deficiency chlorosis in different parts of India, particularly in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu States is described. The most affected crops are sugarcane, sorghum, groundnut and legumes. The soils in these affected areas are calcareous with pH above 8. The general method for correcting chlorosis has been the application of Fe salts through the soil or as foliar sprays. In Tamil Nadu, an “organically complexed Fe”; has been tested and is found to increase Fe translocation and increase crop yield in sorghum. Several cultivars of sorghum and chickpea were tested for Fe‐deficiency stress tolerance in solution culture, in the last few years and tolerant ones have been identified. It is suggested that Fe‐deficiency stress tolerance should be included as a criterion along with traits like high yields, in plant breeding and agronomy program.

The commodity approach to extension agronomy programs

The commodity approach to extension agronomy programs

The Correlation of the Extension Agronomy Program with the Related Programs of the Soil Conservation Service, the Farm Security Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration1

The Correlation of the Extension Agronomy Program with the Related Programs of the Soil Conservation Service, the Farm Security Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration¹

1. Coordinating the Experiment Station Agronomy Program and the Extension Program1

1. Coordinating the Experiment Station Agronomy Program and the Extension Program¹