Indiana Counties Research Articles

154 Indiana CropMAP and New Crop Compendium: New Developments from Purdue's Center for New Crops and Plant Products

NewCROP (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop) is a crop resource online program that serves Indiana, the United States, and the world. This crop information system provides useful resources to encourage and assist new rural-based industries and to enhance agricultural sustainability and competitiveness. The NewCROP site currently averages 150,000 hits per month. Indiana CropMAP is the first module in a proposed nationwide, site-specific, retrievable system that will serve the crop information needs of individual growers, marketers, processors, government agencies, cooperative extension personnel, and industry. For each county in Indiana, users can access the most recent US agriculture statistics, county extension offices, lists of crops that are currently grown, recommended alternate crops, and experimental crops. Detailed crop information, much of it specific to Indiana, can be accessed directly or through a crop search. The New Crop Compendium CD-ROM was produced by the Purdue University Center for New Crops and Plant Products in cooperation with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The New Crop Compendium CD-ROM, a searchable resource of new crop information, was edited by Jules Janick and Anna Whipkey and contains the entire text and figures from the proceedings of the three National New Crop Symposia: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.). 1990. Advances in New Crops. Timber Press, Portland, Ore.; J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.). 1993. New Crops. Wiley, New York; and J. Janick (ed.). 1996. Progress in New Crops. ASHS Press, Alexandria, Va. The New Crop Compendium provides a valuable source of information on new, specialty, neglected, and underutilized crops for scientists, growers, marketers, processors, and extension personnel. It employs an intuitive, easy to use interface. Purchase information can be found at the following url: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/compendium/order.html.

Free Flight of Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to Corn and Soybean Plants in a Walk-In Wind Tunnel

Oviposition in soybean fields by western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is threatening the effectiveness of crop rotation in east-central Illinois and adjoining counties in northwestern Indiana. Attraction to soybean, Glycine max L., plants has been hypothesized as a mechanism underlying rootworm oviposition in soybean fields. In this study, female western corn rootworms were allowed to fly freely for 0.5 h within a wind tunnel array of potted soybean and corn, Zea mays L., plants before rootworm distribution patterns on corn and soybeans were determined. Test insects were collected in corn and soybean plantings from both within and outside of areas where adults oviposit in soybean fields. We found no evidence of an increased tendency for rootworms from various populations to be associated with soybeans regardless of collection location, cropping history at the collection site, or the area’s status with respect to western corn rootworm oviposition in soybean fields. The difference between corn and soybean plant height influenced postflight distribution of adults in the wind tunnel. More rootworms accumulated on plants whose foliage projected above the height of the insect release platform. Distance moved during a 0.5-h period of free flight was greatest when the foliage of nearby plants did not extend above the level of the insect release platform. Regardless of how corn and soybean plants were configured in the wind tunnel, a significantly greater proportion of rootworms was recovered on corn plants. We found no evidence for attraction to soybeans based on postflight plant association.

Production characteristics and reservoir analysis of coalbed methane reservoirs

Six Appalachian coalbed methane (CBM) projects are reviewed and evaluated in terms of reservoir engineering techniques and CBM recoverability. These include three non-mine-related projects in the northern Appalachian basin, one non-mine-related, and two mine-related projects in the central Appalachian basin of southwestern Virginia. Generally, low production rates and low CBM reserves are characteristic of the central and northern Appalachian basin; therefore, minimizing production costs is fundamental to the economic success of a CBM project in these regions. Well deliverability is determined through permeability testing and through production data analysis using a reservoir simulator to history match historic production data. All of the non-mine-related projects utilize vertical wells with well spacings of 60 to 100 acre (0.23–0.40 km 2) that produce from multiple coalbeds at depths as much as 762 m. The targets are coalbeds of the Pocahontas and New River Formations and correlative Lee Formation. In the Nora Field of Virginia (Equitable Resources, developer), well spacing is 60 acre (0.23 m 2), and recoverability is high (30–60% of initial gas in place). Well stimulation is by foam or water as the fracture medium. The average gas in place is 675 MMscf well −1, and the expected lifetime of the wells is 30 years. Cost of water disposal is a major economic factor in CBM development in the Appalachian basin. Water disposal is accomplished by using water disposal holes (injection wells) rather than surface water discharged, which is generally not permitted. Water disposal in the central Appalachian basin involves relatively low volumes of water (30 STB day −1, declining to 1 to 2 STB day −1). In the northern Appalachian basin in Indiana County, PA (Belden and Blake, developer), vertical CBM holes penetrate six to eight Allegheny Formation coalbeds. Water and a sand proppant are used for stimulation. Production levels are low (<100 Mcf day −1 well −1). The life of a vertical CBM hole drilled in advance of mining is 3 to 5 years. This type of hole may be converted to a gob hole after mining is completed. Gob gas is recovered mainly from coalbeds above the mined coalbed and has high recoverability of as much as 10 MMscf day −1 well −1. Horizontal CBM holes produce almost pure methane and typically have 1 year of production.

Minimum infection rate of Ambylomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) by Ehrlichia chaffeensis (Rickettsiales: Ehrlichieae) in southern Indiana.

In 1994 and 1995, 8 cases of human monocytic ehrlichiosis were confirmed. These cases originated from southern counties where the putative tick vector Ambylomma americanum (L.) is well established. To confirm the presence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis in ticks in southern Indiana and to determine the minimum infection rate, specimens of A. americanum were collected from 5 counties (7 sites). Nucleic acid was isolated from 88 pools of ticks (430 individuals) using an optimized phenol/CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) extraction procedure and subjected to polymerase chain reaction analysis using species-specific 16S rRNA gene bacterial primers. Twenty-one of 88 pools (a minimum of 21 of 430 individuals) were positive for the presence of E. Chaffeensis, yielding an average minimum infection rate of 4.9%. Minimum infection rates at individual sites ranged from 0 to 9.4%. These data extend the known distribution of the bacterium to 3 southern counties of Indiana and suggest a higher prevalence of E. chaffeensis than previously reported for Missouri, North Carolina, or Kentucky.

Annual Average Daily Traffic Prediction Model for County Roads

A traffic prediction model that incorporates relevant demographic variables for county roads was developed. Field traffic data were collected from 40 out of 92 counties in Indiana. The selection of a county was based on population, state highway mileage, per capita income, and the presence of interstate highways. Three to four automatic traffic counters were installed in each selected county. Most counters installed on the selected road sections were based on the standard 48-hour traffic counts. Then, the obtained average daily traffic was converted to annual average daily traffic by means of adjustment factors. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to develop the model. There were quantitative and qualitative predictor variables used in the model development. To validate the developed model, additional field traffic data were collected from eight randomly selected counties. The accuracy measures of the validation showed the high accuracy of the model. The statistical analyses also found that the independent variables employed in the model were statistically significant. The number of independent variables included in the model was kept to a minimum.

Use of Rotational Tillage for Corn and Soybean Production in the Eastern Corn Belt

Farmers often rotate or alternate tillage systems to correct management problems associated with crop production. This study estimated the percentage of cropland fields in corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotations that were managed using some form of rotational tillage. The data set consisted of 14 748 corn and soybean fields that were surveyed by conservation personnel in 33 Illinois and 17 Indiana counties in 1994 and 1995. Estimates for continuous and rotational tillage and continuous no-till were generated by tracking fields over time. Continuous tillage, rotational tillage, and continuous no-till were used on 54.3, 29.8, and 16.1% of all fields surveyed, respectively. Due to a higher percentage of cropland managed in no-till soybeans (NTS), Indiana exhibited higher use of rotational tillage and continuous no-till than Illinois. In general, farmers more frequently rotated no-till soybeans with conventional tillage corn (CTC) than no-till corn (NTC) with conventional tillage soybeans (CTS). Based on 1995 planted corn-soybean rotation acreage, use of rotational tillage in Illinois and Indiana is estimated at 6.1 million acres. Research Question Farmers often rotate tillage systems to correct management problems associated with crop production. Examples include (i) improving yields associated with continuous no-till or continuous tillage systems, (ii) improving drying and warming of soils prior to planting, and (iii) eliminating field ruts caused by conducting field operations during wet soil conditions. While use of rotational tillage may eliminate these problems, it can increase soil erosion rates and prevent long-term improvements in soil physical and chemical properties. The objective of this study is to estimate the percentage of cropland in corn-soybean rotations in the eastern Corn Belt that is prepared using some form of rotational tillage. Literature Summary Use of no-till practices in the USA has increased by nearly 26 million acres since 1990. Adoption of no-till soybean production has been significantly greater than no-till corn production. In 1996, no-till soybeans accounted for nearly 28% of all planted soybeans while no-till corn accounted for less than 17%. In the eastern Corn Belt, over half of corn and soybeans are grown in rotation with each other. Consequently, the difference in no-till use suggests that conventional or full-width tillage is used more often for corn production than soybean production in corn and soybean rotations. No estimates exist on the use of rotational tillage and few studies exist that have examined the effects of rotational tillage on crop production systems. Rotating tillage systems has been shown to improve yields in certain environments compared with continuous no-till or continuous plow systems. Some soil physical properties (bulk density and total porosity) were also improved with use of the moldboard plow after 6 yr of continuous no-till. Study Description Statistically reliable cropland survey data were collected by county-level conservation personnel in Illinois and Indiana in 1994 and 1995. Cropland fields were located along county road routes that were not rerandomized each year, thus allowing the same fields to be tracked over time. Data on 14 748 corn and soybean fields from 33 Illinois and 17 Indiana counties were analyzed for the following cropping sequences: (i) no-till soybeans followed by conventional tillage corn, (ii) conventional tillage soybeans followed by no-till corn, (iii) no-till corn followed by conventional tillage soybeans, (iv) conventional tillage corn followed by no-till soybeans. Percentages were also calculated for continuous no-till and continuous tillage. Applied Questions How much rotational tillage is used in the eastern Corn Belt? Rotational tillage was used on nearly 30% of all fields surveyed, or approximately 6.1 million acres. By state, rotational tillage was used on 12.8% more of the fields in Indiana than in Illinois. This difference is probably due to the higher percentage of Indiana's cropland that is farmed using no-till systems. Overall, 16.1% of fields were continuously no-tilled for the 2-yr rotation. For a corn-soybean rotation, which tillage rotation is used most often? For both states, no-till soybeans in rotation with conventional tillage corn was the most commonly used tillage rotation. Specifically, use of conventional tillage corn followed by no-till soybeans accounted for 46% of all rotational tillage acreage while use of no-till soybeans followed by conventional tillage corn accounted for 34%. In contrast, use of conventional tillage soybeans in rotation with no-till corn was low, accounting for less than 7% of all fields.

Effect of Pre-Trial Diversion on Recidivism Among Misdemeanants in an Indiana County

ABSTRACT Misdemeanor offenders who participated in a pretrial diversion program were studied. Successful completion of pre-trial diversion in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, significantly reduced recidivism among first time offenders. It was found that 22 of the 243 offenders who completed the pre-trial diversion program (9%) had further contact with the court system during the follow-up period. During the same period, 53 of the 135 offenders who failed to complete the program (39%) had further arrests.

New Races of Phytophthora sojae with Rps1-d Virulence.

Hypocotyl inoculations of differential soybean (Glycine max) cultivars were used to identify seven new physiologic races of Phytophthora sojae (syn. P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea). Five of the new races were virulent on soybeans with the Rps1-d allele, while four of the new races were virulent on soybeans with the Rps1-k allele. The Rps1-k and Rps1-d alleles provide resistance to a majority of the previously described races that cause Phytophthora root and stem rot. The seven new races were assigned race numbers 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 since race numbers 35 through 40 were assigned to other new races recently identified in Ohio, California, Arkansas, and Iowa. The new races identified in this study constituted 14% of the 1993 isolates evaluated from 27 counties in central and northern Indiana. Races 1 and 3 were the most prevalent, representing 31 and 26% of the P. sojae isolates identified in 1993. Races 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 28, and 29 each constituted 2 to 6% of the 1993 isolates. Other races identified among the 1993 isolates included races 19, 21, 25, and 30.

Spread of Ixodes scapularis (Acari:Ixodidae) in Indiana: collections of adults in 1991-1994 and description of a Borrelia burgdorferi-infected population.

Collection records for the adult black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, in Indiana for the period 1991-1994 are presented and a new, established population of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis is described. The number of I. scapularis adults collected in Indiana increased progressively from 19 in 1991 to > 200 in 1994, and the number of Indiana counties reporting at least 1 adult increased from 13 to 29. Also, during this period, 4 countries in northwestern Indiana yielded > 10 specimens each, and B. burgdorferi-infected ticks were collected in 2 of these counties. An established population of I. scapularis, as evidenced by the presence of questing larvae, nymphs, and adults, was discovered in Jasper County in 1993. Twelve of 39 adults (31%) and 4 of 44 nymphs (9%) collected with cloth drags were infected with B. burgdorferi. Three of 49 (6%) white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, collected from the site were also infected with B. burgdorferi. We believe that this focus was established at least 8 yr ago, and that a tick originating from this focus was responsible for a case of Lyme disease reported from this county in 1985.

Application Of Geographic Information System (GIS) To Analyze Metropolitan And Non-Metropolitan Distribution Patterns Of Nutrition Risk In A Survey Of 11891 Older Persons

The national Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) promotes screening of older people to assess potential nutrition risk and resulting intervention needs. When large numbers of people are screened in many geographically distinct areas, interpretation of data and recommended needs for each of the several areas becomes a challenge. Geographic information system (GIS) is a computer mapping system which graphically places data on a map, pinpointing where specific conditions or variables exist geographically. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of utilizing GIS as a tool to analyze and compare, through a visual mapping system, the prevalence of risk factors associated with malnutrition among older people participating in either congregate meal programs or home delivered meal programs in the 9 metropolitan and 83 non-metropolitan counties of Indiana. The sixteen planning and service areas (PSAs). providers of nutrition services (including congregate/community and home-delivered programs), surveyed their participants during National Nutrition Month 1993. Registered dietitians, cooperative extension specialists, meal site managers and meal delivery employees assisted participants in completing the survey containing the NSI DETERMINE Your Nutritional Health Checklist. Data were analyzed to show frequencies of responses for the entire state and for each of the 16 PSAs. GIS was utilized to present visually the nutrition risk data for all 92 counties, identified as either metropolitan or non-metropolitan, and to interface with selected 1990 US Census Bureau data. Of the entire 11891 respondents, 33.4% were identified as having characteristics which were indicators of high nutrition risk. Those receiving home delivered meals had a greater nutrition risk level than the congregate meal participants. GIS analysis provided visual information about each of the 92 counties and revealed distinct differences between metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties had a greater proportion of all participants in the high nutrition risk category, with similar distribution in both the homebound and congregate meal categories. In contrast, non-metropolitan counties had a proportionately greater number of homebound meal participants in the high nutrition risk category. In conclusion. GIS provides a technologically advanced tool for interpreting extensive data of people dispersed over finite geographic areas GIS provides a method to graphically comprehend and present small and large scale data and analyze needs of various areas such as metropolitan and non-metropolitan communities. This analysis provides a method to determine needs for nutrition-related services. Further. GIS is a powerful tool which can be used for interfacing nutrition and health data with other data bases such as U.S Census Bureau data

Lacustrine carbonate deposition in Middle Pennsylvanian cyclothems ? the Upper Freeport Formation, Appalachian Basin, USA

The Upper Freeport Formation (Upper Allegheny Group, Middle Pennsylvanian) is one of the earliest non-marine cyclothems in the Appalachian Basin and contains carbonates, siliciclastics, and coal. A detailed facies analyses of 25 cores from the Upper Freeport Limestone in western Pennsylvania (Armstrong and Indiana Counties) identified four facies associations containing thirteen separate facies: rudstone-limestone (Association A), rudstone-laminated limestone (Association B), laminated limestone (Association C), and coal — siliciclastics (Association D). We interpreted them, respectively, as shallow, high energy lacustrine margin (A); littoral to sublittoral lacustrine (B); offshore lake (C); and vegetated swamp and marsh (D). The depositional environment is envisaged as an anastomosed channel system surrounded by extensive wetlands containing adjacent densely vegetated swamp and marsh areas and freshwater, carbonate-producing lakes.

Management of Pine Needle Midge on Scotch Pine with Biorational and Conventional Formulations in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 1992

Abstract Eight treatments were applied to evaluate control of pine needle midge on heavily infested 6-8 ft Scotch pine Christmas trees. Treatments were completed on 10 Jun and 25 Jun, and replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Foliar treatments were completed by using a C02 compressed air sprayer with one 8004VS Teejet nozzle mounted on a 24 inch boom operating at 28 psi. Treatments were applied at the rate of 124 gal/acre (375 ml/tree), and applications were confined to the terminal. The following conditions existed on 10 Jun: air temperature 80°F; water pH, 7.0; 52% RH; and skies were partly cloudy. The following conditions existed on 25 Jun: air temperature, 68°F; water pH, 7.0; 80% RH. At 52 DAT (1 Sep), each treatment was evaluated by determining the percentage of missing needles from each terminal.

Reduction in the Eastern Limit of the Range of the Franklin's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii)

-The eastern range limit of the Franklin's ground squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii) in North America extends into northwest Indiana. We determined the species' current range in Indiana using live traps at 370 survey sites in 20 counties from July 1984 to August 1990. We captured 120 Franklin's ground squirrels in 5161 trap days at 36 (9.7%) sites. Its current distribution is limited to nine of the westernmost counties in northwest Indiana. No squirrels were found in eight counties at the eastern periphery of the species' previously known range. Mean capture rate and frequency of squirrel occurrence relative to trapping effort did not differ among four land use types. Franklin's ground squirrels were not found in many seemingly suitable areas. Research is needed to identify preferred habitat and to aid in managing this species. Urban development, agricultural expansion, and conversion to row crops may have reduced the amount of grassland habitat available to support Franklin's ground squirrels.

Early Paleoindian Land Use, Mobility, and Lithic Exploitation Patterns: An Updated Distribution of Fluted Points in Indiana

This article documents 583 fluted projectile points from seventy-two Indiana counties. While fluted points occur in virtually all microtopographic settings, the highest frequency were recovered from riparian settings or overlooks of those areas. The largest concentrations of these artifacts are located on the terraces of major streams. More than half of the fluted points documented were found in the unglaciated portion of the state along the Ohio River and in the bedrock source areas of high-quality lithic material. Most of the fluted points are manufactured from high-quality lithic materials that occur as abundant, large, unflawed masses that outcrop within a 250 km radius of the artifact's findspot. Ten percent of the fluted points documented were manufactured from exotic lithic materials (&gt; 250 km between the fluted point findspot and lithic raw material source area). A number of typological-geographical patterns are also evident: (1) Clovis points occur throughout Indiana; (2) Cumberland points are more abundant in the unglaciated region, especially along the Ohio River; and (3) Gainey, Barnes, Crowfield, and Holcombe points are restricted to the glaciated landscape of the northern half of the state.

Geochemistry of Metastable Carbonate Minerals from the Brush Creek Marine Interval (Missourian), Indiana County, Pennsylvania

Many marine fossils from the Missourian Brush Creek interval of western Pennsylvania display partial preservation of metastable aragonite and high-magnesium calcite shell material. Bivalve mollusks have been shown by x-ray diffraction to contain as much as 96% aragonite, with lesser amounts of both high-magnesium and low-magnesium calcite. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios from these bivalves suggest they precipitated in equilibrium with Pennsylvanian ocean water. The bellerophontid Pharkidonotus, which exhibits partial recrystallization textures under scanning electron microscopy, consists of 45% aragonite and 55% low-magnesium calcite, and has slightly more depleted isotopic values than bivalves. Crinoids also appear to have been partially recrystallized, resulting in a mixture of primary high-magnesium calcite and secondary low-magnesium calcite and microdolomite, with much of the original shell structure still preserved. The degree of preservation of metastable carbonate minerals varies both stratigraphically and spatially within the Brush Creek interval. Maximum preservation occurs in organic-rich shales deposited in low-lying areas of the Brush Creek sea floor. The preservation of aragonite and high-magnesium calcite in such units may have resulted from a lack of circulating porewater during early diagenesis.

Estimating the demand for backyard satellite dishes: The U.S. experience

Backyard TV receive-only antennas (TVROs) developed as an offshoot of cable technology and permitted households to act as miniature cable systems. This technology is the forerunner to a new era of medium- and high-powered direct broadcast satellite experiments that are stretching throughout the world. This study examines the demand for household TVROs by comparing a survey sample of 125 TVRO households to 250 non-TVRO households—all located in 121 rural counties in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Data were collected regarding the reasons for purchasing dishes by the TVRO households and the sources of important information in the purchase decision. These data were contrasted with reasons given for not yet purchasing a dish by non-TVRO households and their sources of information about the technology. A discriminant model further identified those explanatory variables that successfully predicted whether a household would purchase a TVRO.

Use of soil survey reports by secondary school educators in Indiana

Soil survey reports are readily available and an importnt source of soils information for each Indiana county. This information has great potential value to both rural and urban young men and women and could easily be taught in the secondary schools. Awareness, use, and attitude of Indiana secondary school agriculture and social science educators toward soil survey reports were determined using a mailed questionnaire. Results were analyzed based on teaching discipline and geographic location (urban and rural). In general, social science respondents were not aware of and did not use soil survey reports as a teaching aid, whereas agriculture respondents did. The majority of educators responded positively to statements regarding usefulness of soil surveys. No significant differences were found between urban and rural areas. Results indicated that teaching discipline was the critical factor determining educator use of soil surveys.

DO HIGH INTEREST RATES ENCOURAGE PROPERTY TAX DELINQUENCY?

When the interest rate rises above the penalty rate on delinquent property taxes, taxpayers have an incentive to delay their property tax payments, using their local governments as cheap credit sources. Property tax delinquency as a percent of the tax levy should rise with increases in the interest rate. We test this proposition using delinquency data for 12 large Indiana counties during 1969-86, and find that a rise in the interest rate causes a significant rise in the delinquency rate. We also find that higher unemployment increases delinquency while higher inflation reduces it.

Rose Rosette Disease on Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) in Indiana and Kentucky

Multiflora roses showing symptoms of rose rosette were found in nine counties in southern Indiana and two counties in northern Kentucky. The eriophyid mite, Phyllocoptes fructiphilus Kiefer (Acari: Eriophyidae), implicated as the vector of the rose rosette agent, occurred on most symptomatic material. Another eriophyid mite, P. rosarum Liro, was found on symptomatic material collected in Kentucky. Transmission of the causal agent into multiflora rose by shield budding and by P. fructiphilus was successful. The rose rosette agent appears to be spreading east and is established on multiflora rose in the Ohio Valley.

Rural Property Tax Delinquency and Recession in Agriculture

AbstractAgricultural recession causes the property tax delinquency rate to increase in rural counties. The annual volume of unpaid property taxes as a percent of the tax levy is regressed on the farm debt‐asset ratio, farm and nonfarm income, and the ratio of the interest rate to the delinquency penalty rate. Data from thirteen agriculturally‐dependent Indiana counties are used. Increases in the debt‐asset ratio and decreases in farm and nonfarm income are found to increase delinquency. Delinquency is also used as a source of capital when interest rates exceed the penalty rate.