North Dakota State University Research Articles

Seed yield improvements in slow‐darkening pinto bean: Registration of ‘ND Rodeo’

Abstract‘ND Rodeo’ (PVP no. 202300270; Reg. no. CV‐356, PI 703020) is a new slow‐darkening (SD) pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar developed by the Dry Edible Bean Breeding Program at North Dakota State University and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Pinto bean is the largest market class grown in the United States, representing over 47% of the total US production for dry beans, and more than 70% is produced in North Dakota. SD pinto beans offer a good alternative to commercial cultivars of regular darkening (RD) pinto beans, which are typically subject to the risk of economic losses due to seed coat darkening. However, reaching seed yields comparable to RD pintos has been challenging. Between 2017 and 2022, ND Rodeo was tested across 25 environments in North Dakota, where seed yield was significantly higher than the SD pinto cultivars ‘ND Palomino’ and ‘Vibrant’ (18% and 22%, respectively), and comparable with RD pinto cultivars ‘La Paz’ and ‘Monterrey’. ND Rodeo is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus and has intermediate resistance to common bacterial blight, but similar to the commercial checks, it is susceptible to local races/strains of white mold, anthracnose, and rust pathogens. ND Rodeo has an average height of 56 cm which is significantly higher than the average of ND Palomino, Vibrant, and La Paz, and exhibits a desirable upright architecture to facilitate direct harvest. It has a 100‐seed weight of 36.2 g and matures in 102 days. Canning quality was rated as acceptable.

Improved disease tolerance, higher seed yield and shape in dark red kidney bean: Registration of ‘ND Redbarn’

Abstract‘ND Redbarn’ (PVP. no. 202300271; Reg. no. CV‐357, PI 703021) is a new dark red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar developed by the Dry Edible Bean Breeding Program at North Dakota State University and released in 2023 by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Compared to other market classes, kidney beans usually command higher prices. However, kidney beans are less productive than other market classes. Minnesota is the largest dark red kidney bean producer in the United States, accounting for ∼90% of the total production in 2022. ND Redbarn was released based on its good adaptation to this region, higher seed yield, large seed size, and desirable seed shape characteristics. Between 2012 and 2021, ND Redbarn was tested across 16 environments in Minnesota, where seed yield was significantly higher than commercial checks ‘Montcalm’, ‘Red Hawk’, and ‘Talon’ (14%, 27%, and 9%, respectively) and comparable with ‘Dynasty’. ND Redbarn is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus and has intermediate resistance to common bacterial blight. ND Redbarn exhibits higher field tolerance to the root rot fungal complex infection compared to Montcalm, Red Hawk, and Talon, and is similar to Dynasty. ND Redbarn has shown higher levels of tolerance to white mold than Montcalm and Red Hawk. Under Minnesota environments, ND Redbarn shows an average plant height of 51 cm, has a 100‐seed weight of 50.4 g, and matures in approximately 99 days. The canning quality for Redbarn is within acceptable commercial ranges.

Curious minds to aspiring pharmacists: Impact of high school outreach on pharmacy knowledge and interest

ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of a pharmacy student delivered presentation on prospective rural high school students' interest toward the pharmacy profession and knowledge regarding a career in pharmacy. MethodsPresentations about applying to pharmacy school, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and pharmacist careers were given at ten high schools across North Dakota and Minnesota by third year pharmacy students attending North Dakota State University. Each pharmacy student presenter received training to ensure that all high school students received clear and consistent information. A pre-post survey was used to understand the impact of the presentation on high school student interest and knowledge regarding a career in pharmacy. Data was analyzed using a chi-square test and McNemar's test. ResultsFive hundred and eight students consented to the study and completed the pre-post surveys. Of these students, the largest group was high school juniors (number (n) = 239, 47%), followed by sophomores (n = 161, 32%), seniors (n = 104, 20%) and freshmen (n = 3, 1%). The majority of students attended school in North Dakota (n = 469, 92%). Similarly, most students planned to attend a four-year college (n = 451, 89%) and were interested in a medical/healthcare related career (n = 310, 61%). All interest and knowledge questions showed a statistically significant increase in score pre-post. ConclusionPresentations delivered by pharmacy students to prospective rural high school students improved overall interest and knowledge regarding pharmacy school and the profession. Presentations are a useful tool for pharmacy programs to help promote their school and the profession of pharmacy.

Fresh and frozen storage on meat quality and sensory attributes of lamb loins and legs

The objective of this study was to evaluate fresh and frozen storage of lamb longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM). Wether lambs (n=12) were raised and harvested at North Dakota State University. After a 24-h chill, loins and legs were split in half and randomly assigned to fresh (FRSH) or frozen (FRZN) treatments. FRSH halves were stored at 3°C for 14 d while FRZN halves were stored at −18°C for 13 d+1 d to thaw at 3°C. Samples were collected to evaluate sensory attributes, Warner-Bratzler shear force, cook loss, drip loss, troponin-T (TnT) degradation, and lipid oxidation. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS Studio®. Experimental units were loin or leg with means being separated with the PDIFF option and were considered significant when P<0.05. In FRSH-LL, sensory samples scored higher in overall like, tenderness, and juiciness (P≤0.03) compared with FRZN-LL samples. No differences in overall like,flavor, tenderness, or juiciness scores (P≥0.77) were observed between FRSH-SM and FRZN-SM. FRSH-LL and FRSH-SM had less drip loss compared with FRZN-LL and FRZN-SM (P<0.0001, P=0.0003, respectively). FRSH lamb LL and SM had greater degradation of TnT (P≤0.0008) compared with FRZN lamb. Malondialdehyde levels were not different (P>0.05) between treatments within each muscle. However, no other meat quality differences were observed (P≥0.10). Our results demonstrate that lamb legs may be frozen for 13 d without negative effects on palatability whereas lamb loins should be kept fresh to offer the greatest opportunity for consumer satisfaction.

Registration of WGC002 spring wheat containing wild grass‐derived Fusarium head blight resistance gene Fhb7The2

AbstractThe USDA‐ARS and North Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station jointly released the Fusarium head blight (FHB)‐resistant spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm WGC002 (Reg. no. GP‐1089, PI 702949) in May 2023. WGC002 is a wheat‐Thinopyrum elongatum 7B‐7E translocation line, designated 7BS·7BL‐7EL, with the wheat chromosome 7BL terminal region replaced by the homoeologous counterpart of the Th. elongatum chromosome 7EL that contains the novel FHB resistance gene Fhb7The2. WGC002 was developed from the Chinese Spring (CS) wheat‐Th. elongatum disomic substitution line DS 7E(7B) using our genomics‐enabled chromosome engineering pipeline. The pedigree of WGC002 is DS 7E(7B)/2*CS ph1b mutant//DS 7E(7B). WGC002 has consistently exhibited resistance to FHB in inoculations of greenhouse grown plants. WGC002 does not contain the yellow flour pigment gene in the Fhb7The2 haplotype present on the terminal 7EL segment of the 7BS·7BL‐7EL translocation and has not exhibited any obvious linkage drag on the 7EL segment. Therefore, WGC002 is ready for immediate use in wheat breeding. One sequence‐tagged site (STS) and two polymerase chain reaction allelic competitive extension markers were developed specifically for Fhb7The2 and validated in different wheat genotypes. They are highly diagnostic for Fhb7The2 and extremely useful in marker‐assisted introgression of Fhb7The2 in wheat breeding. In summary, WGC002 is a new wild grass‐derived FHB‐resistant spring wheat germplasm with diagnostic DNA markers available to conduct marker‐assisted selection of Fhb7The2, that will enhance and diversify FHB resistance of wheat.

Using Partnerships and Multiple Data Sources to Surveil Agricultural Injuries: Considerations and Recommendations

ABSTRACT This article describes an interprofessional collaboration between Sanford Health and North Dakota State University that strengthens agricultural injury surveillance in the upper Midwest by using multiple sources of health data and geographic information systems (GIS) technology. We provide methodological insights and considerations for using and combining facility-level trauma registry (FLTR) data, national data sets, and GIS to identify areas with disproportionate agricultural injury prevalence. Additionally, we discuss the benefits of FLTR data, how and why it is collected, the data it contains, and how it can be combined with national datasets to fill-in surveillance gaps. Lastly, we offer recommendations for building cross-institutional and interprofessional partnerships.

Evaluation of an online modular eating disorders training (PreparED) to prepare healthcare trainees: a survey study

BackgroundEating disorders (EDs) are serious, complex disorders for which broad-based clinical training is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a free, brief, web-based curriculum, PreparED, in increasing comfort and confidence with, and knowledge about EDs in healthcare trainees, and to obtain program feedback from key stakeholders (i.e., learners).MethodsThis programmatic evaluation study was designed as a quantitative, repeated measures (i.e., pre- and post-test intervention) investigation. A convenience sample of two groups of healthcare trainees across geographically diverse training sites completed an anonymous survey pre- and post- engagement with PreparED. The survey included items to assess prior exposure to EDs, as well as program feasibility. The main educational outcomes included (1) Confidence and Comfort with EDs and (2) Knowledge of EDs. User experience variables of interest were likeability, usability, and engagement with the training modules. Mixed effects linear regression was used to assess the association between PreparED and educational outcome variables.ResultsParticipants (N = 67) included 41 nutrition graduate students and 26 nurse practitioner students recruited from Teacher’s College/Columbia University in New York, NY, USA, Columbia University School of Nursing in New York, NY, USA and North Dakota State University School of Nursing in Fargo, ND, USA. Confidence/Comfort scores and Knowledge scores significantly improved following engagement with PreparED (β = for effect of intervention = 1.23, p < 0.001, and 1.69, p < 0.001, respectively). Neither training group nor prior exposure to EDs moderated the effect on outcomes. All learners agreed the program was easy to follow; the overwhelming majority (89.4%) felt the length of the modules was “just right.” All participants perceived that PreparED had increased their knowledge of EDs, and the majority (94.0%) reported greater confidence in and comfort with caring for people with these disorders, including assessment of symptoms, awareness of associated medical complications, and likelihood of future screening.ConclusionsFindings suggest that brief, user-friendly, online courses can improve knowledge and attitudes about EDs, filling a critical gap in healthcare training.

PSI-29 Effects of Dietary Intake on Amino Acid Composition of Histotroph (Uterine Luminal fluid) in Nonpregnant Cows: Implications for Pregnancy

Abstract When the developing embryo enters the uterus, before the placenta develops, the embryo receives nourishment from endometrially derived histotroph produced by the uterine glands that remain functional throughout gestation. Throughout pregnancy, this histotroph remains necessary for proper embryonic development. Maternal nutrition may affect histotroph composition resulting in altered embryo development. The objectives were to determine the effects of dietary intake on histotroph amino acid (AA) concentrations. Eighteen multiparous nonpregnant cows (initial BW = 597 kg) were housed at the North Dakota State University Animal Nutrition and Physiology Center (n = 6 cows/pen). Cows were individually fed a TMR once daily via a Calan feeding system and had ad libitum access to fresh water. Cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments (n = 9/treatment): dietary intake designed to maintain body weight (CON) or dietary intake designed to lose body weight at a moderate rate (-0.7 kg/d; NEG), for 63 days. Slaughter group 1 contained 4 CON and 5 NEG cows, and group 2 contained 5 CON and 4 NEG cows. Cows were estrus-synchronized with the Co-Synch + CIDR protocol to ensure a common day of the estrous cycle at the time of slaughter (3 d after completion of the Co-Synch + CIDR protocol). When total uterine histotroph AA was calculated (luteal + non-luteal horns) and analyzed by treatment with group in the model, the differences were: CON &amp;gt; NEG for 1) Trp as % of essential AA, and 2) Ser as % of total AA (P = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). Tendencies for total tract histotroph were observed for Phe and Trp as a % of total AA (P = 0.07 and 0.06, respectively) for CON &amp;gt; NEG. Luteal histotroph Ser as a % of total AA was greater (P = 0.05) for CON vs. NEG. When evaluating non-luteal histotroph, CON had greater (P &amp;lt; 0.05) Cys as a % of total AA compared with NEG cows. Non-luteal histotroph Arg concentration tended (P = 0.10) to be greater for NEG vs. CON. These results demonstrate that feed intake affects cow AA supply in the uterine histotroph, and these AA (Trp, Ser, Phe, Cys and Arg) may function in critical nutrient pathways, reproductive tract vascularization, and antioxidant production, which are necessary for optimal fetal development.

4 Identifying the immunoglobulin G transporter in equine tissues: A look at the neonatal Fc receptor

The importance of immunoglobulin G (IgG) is well established regarding its contribution to maintaining health status. However, the mechanism for controlling IgG movement through tissues is less known. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) has been identified as the receptor responsible for bidirectional transport of IgG across cells, maintenance of IgG levels in serum, and assisting with antigen presentation. Unfortunately, little is known about the FcRn in livestock. Therefore, the objective of this study was to provide critical fundamental information regarding the location of the FcRn in equine tissues, focusing on those with key health importance. It was our hypothesis that FcRn abundance would be highest in respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) tissues. Tissues were collected from 6 horses of mixed breed, age (3–22yr), and sex (male n = 4; female n = 2) immediately following euthanasia for various chronic health conditions at North Dakota State University (n = 2) or Texas A&M University (n = 4). Sampling locations and procedures were standardized across universities to minimize variation. Tissue locations included the respiratory tract, GI tract, other visceral organs, the cornea, and the synovial membrane of the stifle and carpal joints. Tissues collected were fixed in 10% NBF before embedding in paraffin and cross sectioning at 5μm. Tissue cross sections were mounted on glass slides, stained for the FcRn, and counterstained with DAPI. Areas of interest were captured using the tiling module of Zeiss ZEN software and the Plan-Apochromat 20x/0.8 NA lens. Images were analyzed using Image Pro software with data represented as relative fluorescence (RF) within areas of interest to represent FcRn abundance. Data were analyzed using the general linear model procedure of SAS.Relative fluorescence differed between tissue types (P < 0.01). The highest RF was seen in joint synovium and the respiratory tract. Moderate RF was seen in GI tissues and the lowest RF was seen in other visceral organs. These data lay the foundation for all future studies regarding the FcRn and IgG and their role in disease prevention and treatment.

Registration of ‘ND Frohberg’ hard red spring wheat

Abstract‘ND Frohberg’ (Reg. no. CV‐1200, PI 698310) is a hard‐red spring wheat (HRSW; Triticum aestivum L.) developed at North Dakota State University (NDSU) and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (NDAES) in 2020. ND Frohberg was selected from the cross ND709‐9/ND2902. ND709‐9 was an experimental line with the pedigree (ND 2709/3/’Grandin’*3//’Ramsey’/ND 622). ND2902 was an experimental line with the pedigree (ND674//ND2710/ND688). It was tested as experimental line NDHRS16‐13‐97 and released because of improved straw strength, yield potential, strong disease resistance and end‐use quality. ND Frohberg is highly resistant to stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici), and moderately resistant to leaf rust (caused by Puccinia triticina), bacterial leaf streak (caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa), and Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum). The name ND Frohberg was chosen to honor Dr. Richard Frohberg, hard red spring wheat breeder at NDSU for 37 years. During his tenure at NDSU, Dr. Frohberg's varieties were widely cultivated, reaching as much as 65% of the acreage in North Dakota in 2003. He was responsible for the cross that resulted in this variety.

Seed yield improvement in navy bean: Registration of ‘ND Polar’

Abstract‘ND Polar’ (Reg. no. CV‐349, PI 700767) is a new navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar developed by the Dry Edible Bean Breeding Program at North Dakota State University and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. ND Polar was developed using a modified pedigree method (F1–F5), followed by pure line selection based on agronomic performance, disease resistance, and seed quality characteristics. With ∼16% of the total dry bean production in the United States, navy bean is the third most important market class after pinto and black. Accounting for 35% of the total production, North Dakota is the largest producer of dry bean in the United States. Between 2015 and 2021, ND Polar was tested across 23 environments in North Dakota, where seed yield was significantly higher than ‘HMS Medalist’, ‘Blizzard’, and ‘Ensign’ and similar to ‘T9905’. ND Polar is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus and has intermediate resistance to common bacterial blight. ND Polar has desirable upright architecture to facilitate direct harvest. Under North Dakota environments, ND Polar shows an average plant height of 52 cm, has a 100‐seed weight of 18.3 g, and matures in 102 days. Canning quality was rated as acceptable. Similar to the commercial checks, ND Polar is susceptible to local races/strains of the bean rust pathogen, anthracnose, and white mold. Other traits of agronomic and economic importance are within acceptable ranges.

Registration of ‘ND Victory’ green field pea

Abstract‘ND Victory’ (Reg. no. CV‐31, PI 701908) is the first semi‐leafless, green cotyledon field pea cultivar (Pisum sativum L.) developed by the North Dakota State University Pulse Crops Breeding Program and approved for release by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. It has white flowers, opaque seed coat, and smooth, round seed. It is semi‐dwarf, with lodging score of 3.3/9 and canopy height of 57 cm. Based on 30 environments (location‐year) of replicated yield trials in North Dakota, seed yield of ND Victory (2847 kg ha−1) was similar to commercial cultivar ‘CDC Striker’ (2819 kg ha−1) but significantly greater than ‘Cruiser’ (2653 kg ha−1) and ‘Aragorn’ (2639 kg ha−1) by 7.3 and 7.9%, respectively. ND Victory was also tested across 14 environments in Montana, where it had an average seed yield of 3264 kg ha−1, which was similar to ‘Hampton’ (3355 kg ha−1) but significantly greater than Aragorn (3110 kg ha−1) by 4.9%. ND Victory matures in approximately 90 days. ND Victory is a high protein cultivar, with protein content of 25.2%, exceeding the premium protein threshold of 24%. ND Victory (20%) is resistant to powdery mildew and performed similarly with resistant check ‘Spider’ (15%) and had significantly lower disease severity than ‘Salamanca’ (97%, susceptible check) and CDC Striker (82%). In irrigated field trials conducted under high Ascochyta blight pressure, ND Victory (5%) had lower disease severity than ‘AC Agassiz’ (10%) and CDC Striker (14%). ND Victory and CDC Striker exhibited similar response but significantly lower severity than AC Agassiz to Fusarium root rot inoculated with multiple Fusarium species pathogenic to pea.

A greenhouse‐based high‐throughput phenotyping platform for identification and genetic dissection of resistance to Aphanomyces root rot in field pea

AbstractAphanomyces root rot (ARR) is a devastating disease in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) that can cause up to 100% crop failure. Assessment of ARR resistance can be a rigorous, costly, time‐demanding activity that is relatively low‐throughput and prone to human errors. These limits the ability to effectively and efficiently phenotype the disease symptoms arising from ARR infection which remains a perennial bottleneck to the successful evaluation and incorporation of disease resistance into new cultivars. In this study, we developed a greenhouse‐based high‐throughput phenotyping (HTP) platform that moves along the rails above the greenhouse benches and captures the visual symptoms caused by Aphanomyces euteiches in field pea. We pilot tested this platform alongside with conventional visual scoring in five experimental trials under greenhouse conditions, assaying over 12,600 single plants of advanced breeding lines developed by the North Dakota State University Pulse Breeding Program. Precision estimated through broad‐sense heritability (H2) was consistently higher for RGB‐derived indices (H2, Exg = 0.86) than the conventional visual scores (H2, disease severity index = 0.59). Prediction of disease severity using a random forest modeling of RGB‐derived indices achieved 0.69 accuracy on the test sets, with inaccurate classification partly attributed to the presence of tolerant lines (displaying root rot but no foliar symptoms) and within‐line genetic heterogeneity. We genetically dissected variation for ARR resistance from the population using RGB‐derived indices and visual scores through genome‐wide association mapping and identified a total of 260 associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The number of associated SNP for RGB‐derived indices was consistently higher than the number of associated SNP identified using visual scores, with the most significant SNP explaining about 5%–9% of variance per index. We identified previously mapped genes known to be involved in the biological pathways that trigger immunity against ARR and a few novel QTLs with small‐effect sizes that may be worthy of validation in the future. The newly identified QTLs and underlying genes, along with genotypes with promising resistance identified in this study, can be useful for improving a long‐term and durable resistance to ARR.

An Exploratory Analysis of Yield, Fruit Composition, and Single Vine Wines of Interspecific Cold-hardy White Grapevine Breeding Lines

Grapevine production in North Dakota is limited by extreme weather events such as freeze events in late spring, early fall, and winter. The North Dakota State University Grape Germplasm Enhancement Project was established to screen, identify, and develop grapevines with potential for long-term success within North Dakota’s environmental constraints. To increase understanding of production and enological trait relationships, single vine fermentations were conducted in the fall of 2018. Grapevine harvest metrics, fruit composition, and wines were analyzed using principal components analysis to reduce dimensionality. Multiple relationships identified in principal component analysis were explored for trends within breeding material; among them, negative linear relationships were observed between berry mass and total soluble solids. A similar negative linear relationship was noted between cluster mass and total soluble solids. These results are likely driven by the diverse grapevine backgrounds utilized in various crosses and warrant further consideration as part of breeding goals and selection criteria for North Dakota. This work captures a snapshot of hybrid grapevine breeding populations undergoing selection in the 2018 season and provides an exploratory overview of seedling trait variation through descriptive statistics and factor analytics. Continued selection and intercrossing among promising lines are anticipated to give rise to more consistent grapevine growing options for North Dakota farmers; extended and improved phenotyping and screening methods will enhance the effectiveness of selection.

Genetic association of wool quality characteristics in United States Rambouillet sheep.

Introduction: Fine wool production is an important source of revenue, accounting for up to 13% of total revenue in extensively managed wool sheep production systems of the United States. The Rambouillet are a predominant breed that excels in wool quality characteristics. Understanding the genetic basis of wool quality characteristics would aid in the development of genomic breeding strategies to facilitate genetic improvement. Methods: Wool characteristics and DNA were collected for rams enrolled in the North Dakota State University and University of Wyoming annual central performance ram tests over a three-year period (2019-2021, N = 313). The relationships of wool quality characteristics including grease fleece weight adjusted 365days (wt. 365 adj.), clean fleece wt. 365 adj., staple length 365 adj., average fiber diameter, face wool cover, amount of skin wrinkles and belly wool were evaluated through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), Pearson correlation and ANOVA. Results: The GWAS identified four genome-wide significant genetic markers (p-value <1.19e-06) and five chromosome-wide significant markers (p-value <1.13e-05) on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 15, and 19. Significant markers were associated with genes notable for relevant wool biological functions, including the gene ABCC8 which codes for SUR1, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel known to affect hair growth and 60S ribosomal protein L17-like, previously found to be expressed during follicle formation. The strongest Pearson correlation coefficients were identified between clean fleece wt. 365 adj. and grease fleece wt. 365 adj. (r = 0.83) and between clean fleece wt. 365 adj. and staple length 365 adj. (r = 0.53). Additionally, clean fleece wt. 365 adj. was correlated with final body weight (r = 0.35) and scrotal circumference (r = 0.16). Staple length 365 adj. (p-value = 5e-04), average fiber diameter (p-value = .0053) and clean fleece wt. 365 adj. (p-value = .014) were significantly associated with belly wool score. Discussion: The results of this study provide important insight into the relationships between wool quality characteristics and report specific markers that Rambouillet sheep producers may use to help inform selection and breeding decisions for improved wool quality.

Proposed Nonparametric Tests for the Umbrella Alternative in a Mixed Design for Location and Scale

Aims: To develop and compare tests for a mixed design of a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with k populations in testing for the umbrella alternative with known peak, p, for both location and scale parameters. These tests were combinations of the Mack-Wolfe test, the Kim-Kim test, and both the Mack-Wolfe test, and the Kim-Kim test using the Moses technique.&#x0D; Study Design: Monte Carlo Simulation Study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: North Dakota State University, Department of Statistics, August 2020-December 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: A simulation study was conducted to see how well the proposed tests maintained their significant levels. Powers were also estimated for different ratios of sample size in the CRD to the number of blocks in the RCBD; we assumed equal variance ratios between the CRD and the RCBD. Different parameter changes were considered to see if they would impact which test statistics had greater power. In all cases, it was assumed three observations per treatment, per block in the RCBD portion.&#x0D; Conclusion: All proposed tests maintained their significance levels. An overall test is recommended if both location and scale parameters change.

Stochastic, individual animal systems simulation model of beef cow-calf production: development and validation.

A stochastic, individual animal systems simulation model describing U.S. beef cow-calf production was developed and parameterized to match typical U.S. Angus genetics under cow-calf production conditions in the Kansas Flint Hills. Model simulation results were compared to available actual, multivariate U.S. cow-calf production data reported according to beef cow-calf standardized performance analysis (SPA) methodology through North Dakota State University's CHAPS program to assess model validity. Individual animal nutrition, reproduction, growth, and health characteristics, as well as production state are determined on a daily time step. Any number of days can be simulated. These capabilities allow for decision analysis and assessment of long-run outcomes of various genetic, management, and economic scenarios regarding multiple metrics simultaneously. Parameterizing the model to match Kansas Flint Hills production conditions for the years 1995 through 2018, 32 different genetic combinations for mature cow weight and peak lactation potential were simulated with 100 iterations each. Sire mature cow weight genetics ranged from 454 to 771 kg in 45 to 46 kg increments. Sire peak lactation genetics were considered at 6.8, 9, 11.3, and 13.6 kg/d for all eight mature cow weights. Utilizing model results for the years 2000 to 2018, raw model results were assessed against actual historical cow-calf production data. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to interpret the underlying factor scores of model output relative to actual cow-calf production data. Comparing modeled herd output with CHAPS herd data, median average calf weaning age, average cow age, percent pregnant per cow exposed, and percent calf mortality per calf born of model output was 3.4 d greater, 0.2 yr greater, 1 percentage point less, and 1.7 percentage points greater, respectively. Subtracting the median CHAPS pre-weaning average daily gain from the median modeled pre-weaning average daily gain for each of the eight respective mature cow weight genetics categories, and then calculating the median of the eight values, the median difference was -0.21 kg/d. Performing the same calculation for birth weight and adjusted 205 d weaning weight, the modeled data was 4.9 and 48.6 kg lighter than the CHAPS data, respectively. Management and genetic details underlying the CHAPS data were unknown.

A Simulation Study Using a Mixed Model Framework to Analyze the Impact of Sample Size and Variability on Type I Error

Aims: This simulation study was conducted to check the validity of a MIXED model’s statistical inference when violating the underlying assumptions – normality of random errors when there are unbalanced group sizes and inequality of variance of errors [Scheffe, 1959].&#x0D; Study Design: Monte Carlo Simulation Study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: North Dakota State University 2020-2021.&#x0D; Methodology: Repeated measures designs (or longitudinal studies) are commonly seen in many research fields, especially in pharmaceutical clinical trials, agricultural research, and psychology. PROC MIXED (SAS Inc.) is a well-known standard tool for analyzing repeated measures data nowadays. The MIXED procedure is based on the standard linear MIXED model, which estimates parameters by maximizing the restricted likelihood. The usual assumption for a standard linear MIXED model is normality. However, the character of data in the real world may be non- smoothed, or non-symmetric, or having heavy tails. We estimate the Type I error rates in different combinations of settings and compare them with the stated Type I error.&#x0D; Conclusion: The main results in this study show us that the MIXED model is reasonably robust to modest violations of the normal distribution. However, when a small sample size associated with a treatment was combined with the effects of that treatment having a large variance, a severe inflation problem on Type I error rates could occur when using the MIXED model procedure. When the Type I errors were found to be inflated, the Group= option was found to often help with this problem. A Sub-Sampling procedure was also found to help with this problem.

Multi-trait genomic prediction improves selection accuracy for enhancing seed mineral concentrations in pea.

Multi-trait genomic selection (MT-GS) has the potential to improve predictive ability by maximizing the use of information across related genotypes and genetically correlated traits. In this study, we extended the use of sparse phenotyping method into the MT-GS framework by split testing of entries to maximize borrowing of information across genotypes and predict missing phenotypes for targeted traits without additional phenotyping expenditure. Using 300 advanced breeding lines from North Dakota State University (NDSU) pulse breeding program and ∼200 USDA accessions that were evaluated for 10 nutritional traits, our results show that the proposed sparse phenotyping aided MT-GS can further improve predictive ability by >12% across traits compared with univariate (UNI) genomic selection. The proposed strategy departed from the previous reports that weak genetic correlation is a limitation to the advantage of MT-GS over UNI genomic selection, which was evident in the partially balanced phenotyping-enabled MT-GS. Our results point to heritability and genetic correlation between traits as possible metrics to optimize and further improve the estimation of model parameters, and ultimately, prediction performance. Overall, our study offers a new approach to optimize the prediction performance using the MT-GS and further highlight strategy to maximize the efficiency of GS in a plant breeding program. The sparse-testing-aided MT-GS proposed in this study can be further extended to multi-environment, multi-trait GS to improve prediction performance and further reduce the cost of phenotyping and time-consuming data collection process.

Describing North Dakota Small Farmers and Their Connection with Extension

Small farms and small farmers are a growing sector of the agricultural economy nationwide. Notably, small farms are influenced by similar antagonists to the success of their business as large, concentrated operations, but they experience it differently. The purpose of this study was to describe small farms and farmers in North Dakota to assist North Dakota State University Extension in defining their needs for programming development. We found that nearly 45% of small farmer respondents are women. Small farmers prefer to access information for their operations in a variety of ways but like to engage with Extension through more direct and personal means. Recommendations include developing programming targeted at female farmers and organizing Extension information resources targeted at small farm needs, specifically.