State Department Of Agriculture Research Articles

Productive potential of superior genotypes of Paspalum notatum Flügge in response to nitrogen fertilization

SUMMARY The Paspalum genus forms the natural pastures of the tropical and subtropical regions of America and includes several species of recognized forage potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different levels of nitrogen fertilization on the agronomic traits and nitrogen use efficiency in superior genotypes of Paspalum notatum Flügge. Four nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 60, 180 and 360 kg N ha-1) and nine genotypes were evaluated, six from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (30N, 36N, 48N, 70N, 83N and 95N), collected in South America, two native genotypes of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (André da Rocha and Bagual) and cv. Pensacola. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a 4 x 9 factorial, with four field replications. From the variability of the responses found for the agronomic traits, the genotypes 48N, André da Rocha and Bagual are indicated to continue in the breeding program because they reach the maximum productive efficiencies according to the doses of N tested. The genotype 36N obtained the highest efficiency of nitrogen utilization, being biologically viable with the lowest N dose, equivalent of 60 kg of N ha-1.

Optimum Feature Subset for Optimizing Crop Yield Prediction Using Filter and Wrapper Approaches

Abstract. In agriculture, crop yield prediction is critical. Crop yield depends on various features which can be categorized as geographical, climatic, and biological. Geographical features consist of cultivable land in hectares, canal length to cover the cultivable land, number of tanks and tube wells available for irrigation. Climatic features consist of rainfall, temperature, and radiation. Biological features consist of seeds, minerals, and nutrients. In total, 15 features were considered for this study to understand features impact on paddy crop yield for all seasons of each year. For selecting vital features, five filter and wrapper approaches were applied. For predicting accuracy of features selection algorithm, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model was used. The RMSE, MAE, R, and RRMSE metrics were used to evaluate the performance of feature selection algorithms. Data used for the analysis was drawn from secondary sources of state Agriculture Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, India, for over 30 years. Seventy-five percent of data was used for training and 25% was used for testing. Low computational time was also considered for the selection of best feature subset. Outcome of all feature selection algorithms have given similar results in the RMSE, RRMSE, R, and MAE values. The adjusted R2 value was used to find the optimum feature subset despite all the deviations. The evaluation of the dataset used in this work shows that total area of cultivation, number of tanks and open wells used for irrigation, length of canals used for irrigation, and average maximum temperature during the season of the crop are the best features for better crop yield prediction on the study area. The MLR gives 85% of model accuracy for the selected features with low computational time. Keywords: Feature selection algorithm, Model validation, Multiple linear regression, Performance metrics.

Wish you were here? The prevalence of farmers markets in food deserts: an examination of the United States

ABSTRACTFood deserts have received considerable attention in recent years. Research has shown that individuals living in these areas have less nutritional diets and experience worse health outcomes compared with those not living in food deserts. Though the ramifications of living in food deserts are well known, less is known about efforts to alleviate these effects. One proposal for increasing food access while improving nutrition is the farmers market. While the farmers market has been championed as a potential solution and celebrated when it succeeds, little work has explored how often farmers markets are in food deserts nationally. This article explores this by using data from the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Community Survey. Results suggest that though much praise is given toward the promise of farmers markets in food deserts they are infrequently found there. This research contributes to illuminating the present state of US food deserts and proposes several questions about the efficacy of farmers markets as a tool to alleviate the impacts within food deserts.

Influence of tillage on soil physical properties and three varieties of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Ogbomoso, southwestern Nigeria

Influence of tillage on soil physical properties and three varieties of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Ogbomoso, southwestern Nigeria

Attitude of extension personals towards services provided by them for climate change mitigation: A case study of Haryana, India

Climate change is the burning issue all over the world and it affects almost every sector directly or indirectly. Agriculture is highly sensitive to climatic variability and weather extremes.The impacts of climate on agriculture are already seen, yet sizable gaps remain between scientific agriculture knowledge and its implication at farm level to tackle with current issue. A study was conducted to explore the services provided by extension personal specially agriculture development officers and horticulture development officers (A.D.O, H.D.O) working state agriculture department regarding to mitigate the climate change effect in agriculture, because they are main stack holder and work at grass root level with farmers. Results showed that maximum extension personnel’s suggests adoption of suitable agronomic practices such as growing crop according local climatic condition, crop rotations, growing of soil nature based crop and best weed management. Whereas, advise for lowering CO 2 emission from agriculture and introduction of new cultivation methods were poor. It implies that extension personals must be well acquainted with knowledge on climate change to effectively transfer knowledge to the farmers and field functionaries. Government should organize trainings which needs to be imparted by leading institutes working on climate change to the extension personnel working in SAD.

Short- and medium-term in vitro conservation and management of germplasm within the USDA’s National Plant Germplasm System

Seed banking remains the primary strategy for germplasm conservation. However, for selected species, in vitro shoot cultures constitute an important tool in the preservation of germplasm. Although cryopreservation is the preferred method of long-term conservation, short- and medium-term preservation with in vitro shoot cultures remains a workable and flexible option. In addition, rapid in vitro multiplication of plants collected in the wild prior to seed set can provide bulked material for seed production in common garden settings. Here I describe the approaches used for preservation and management of selected germplasm using shoot culture techniques within the National Plant Germplasm System of the United States Department of Agriculture. Specific example will be made of the work at the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center on the development of tissue culture preservation systems for herbaceous ornamental genera, such as Phlox and Begonia.

Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Outbreak Linked to Puppy Exposure - United States, 2016-2018.

Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.3 million diarrheal illnesses in the United States annually (1). In August 2017, the Florida Department of Health notified CDC of six Campylobacter jejuni infections linked to company A, a national pet store chain based in Ohio. CDC examined whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and identified six isolates from company A puppies in Florida that were highly related to an isolate from a company A customer in Ohio. This information prompted a multistate investigation by local and state health and agriculture departments and CDC to identify the outbreak source and prevent additional illness. Health officials from six states visited pet stores to collect puppy fecal samples, antibiotic records, and traceback information. Nationally, 118 persons, including 29 pet store employees, in 18 states were identified with illness onset during January 5, 2016-February 4, 2018. In total, six pet store companies were linked to the outbreak. Outbreak isolates were resistant by antibiotic susceptibility testing to all antibiotics commonly used to treat Campylobacter infections, including macrolides and quinolones. Store record reviews revealed that among 149 investigated puppies, 142 (95%) received one or more courses of antibiotics, raising concern that antibiotic use might have led to development of resistance. Public health authorities issued infection prevention recommendations to affected pet stores and recommendations for testing puppies to veterinarians. This outbreak demonstrates that puppies can be a source of multidrug-resistant Campylobacter infections in humans, warranting a closer look at antimicrobial use in the commercial dog industry.

Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of plant-based treatments in milk and plasma of USDA organic dairy cattle with and without mastitis

ABSTRACTOrganic dairy products are the second largest sector of the organic food market. Organic dairy products come from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic dairy cattle that meet USDA organic standards. Organic dairy cattle in the US cannot be treated with antibiotics for mastitis, one of the costliest diseases of dairy cattle, and thus effective alternatives are needed. When any compound (medication or other non-food product) is used in a food producing animal, a withhold time for that compound that meets US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for food safety must be applied to the animal and its products (like milk). However, there are no US FDA products approved for mastitis that maintain USDA certified organic dairy cattle’s organic status. Thus, we studied the pharmacokinetics of 3 compounds (garlic, thymol and carvacrol) used on organic both healthy and mastitic organic dairy cattle. We also used this information to estimate a milk withhold time using methods consistent with US FDA requirements. For thymol intra-mammary and carvacrol intra-mammary or topical administration, all compounds were partially absorbed into the body from the milk or skin. Thymol and carvacrol are measurable in plasma (at 0.0183 and 0.0202 µg/mL, respectively) after intramammary administration with similar elimination half lives of 1.7 h. Milk concentrations of thymol and carvacrol are much higher at 2.958 and 4.487 µg/mL in healthy cattle, respectively. Concentrations are not significantly different in cows with mastitis as compared to those in healthy cows. Despite these compounds being natural products, they should have a withhold time for milk of at least 24 h after administration. For garlic, levels remained below the limit of detection in milk and plasma and thus no withdrawal time appears to be needed for milk.

When life gives you lemons: Frank Meyer, authority, and credit in early twentieth-century plant hunting.

In the early twentieth century, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded international expeditions with the aim of finding plant specimens for introduction into the agricultural landscape and the new experimental projects in hybridization. One such agricultural explorer, noted for his eponymous lemon, was Frank Nicholas Meyer, an immigrant from the Netherlands whose expeditions in Asia have brought to the United States celebrated fruit and toxic weeds. Neither professional botanists nor farmers, plant hunters like Meyer worked by taking advantage of historical allegiances to academic programs, while leaning on the authority of their newer national institutions. In addition to plants, through photographs that transposed Chinese landscapes to U.S. environmental counterparts, Meyer contributed to the imagination of the agricultural promise of the American West. The era of these plant explorers has ended but their material trace remains in a variety of spaces and modes of existence that have hitherto been disregarded. Reading Meyer's letters shows the authority and discipline behind his transformation from gardener's apprentice to professional plant collector. I argue that photographs and plants are understudied material traces that enable historians to re-examine the means by which credit was received, given, and exchanged. By drawing together these traces, I chart the continued importance of exploration and collection in the twentieth century and show the epistemic continuity between nineteenth-century natural history and twentieth-century experimental science.

This Old Herbarium: APHIS Compliance and Renovation Planning

With the continuous evolution of permitting regulations the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington D.C., invited an agent from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to discuss requirements for obtaining import permits for plant specimens. This meeting lead to the planning of restructuring existing procedures, workflows and modifications to the physical workspaces within our facilities. It also prompted the collection management staff to be well versed in the current regulations. APHIS requires individuals applying for a permit to submit a Standard Operational Procedure document (SOP) of their facilities. The APHIS agent will review the sterile entry procedures in the SOP and determine if the facility qualifies. Before we drafted our final SOP, we researched SOPs from other APHIS compliant herbaria. Most of the facilities at NMNH, constructed in 1910 and 1965, predates climate control and pest management best practice standards. After meeting with the APHIS agent, we reevaluated our packing and unpacking procedures. It was apparent that the frontline to combat pests should be as close to the shipping office entry point as possible. The ideal room is our drying room located next to the shipping office. Other room renovations where specimen processing occurs will be discussed in detail. PowerPoint is a major tool that helped with the visualization of the renovations. However, modifying and renovating spaces within the museum is not an easy feat because of the large scale coordinating efforts within the institution. Beyond the physical changes, there has been unexpected changes as to the role of collection staff in the permitting process. The APHIS requirements have created new challenges. Collection management staff are now sources of information about what collectors need to know before applying for a permit. Collection staff must also know about the various tools available for answering collectors’ questions, such as being well versed in the USDA Phytosanitary export database (PExD). Overall, new restrictions and guild lines create unexpected changes for the overall form and function of collection management.

Abstract C87: Spatial accessibility to mammography services in the Lower Mississippi Delta states

Abstract Introduction: The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a federally designated region that includes 252 counties across 8 Lower Mississippi Delta Region states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee) and contains nearly 10 million residents. The DRA has a high proportion of African American residents, high levels of poverty, and is largely rural. As such, the region has limited access to health care services, which likely leads to underutilization of mammography services and the higher breast cancer mortality of the region compared to the non-DRA counties within these eight states. Limited spatial access to mammography has been shown, in some studies, to be associated with more advanced stage at diagnosis, which may contribute to greater mortality risk. Objective: To assess spatial accessibility to mammography facilities in the DRA and non-DRA counties within the Lower Mississippi Delta Region states. Methods: We obtained the locations of all mammography facilities within the Lower Mississippi Delta Region states from the Food and Drug Administration. We used data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey to estimate the number women of recommended screening age (i.e., 45-74, the available data most congruent with recommendations) in each census tract in these states. We implemented the enhanced two-step floating catchment area method to calculate census-tract level spatial accessibility scores (SAS). This method considers both supply of and demand for mammography services within a specified catchment area, such as 60-minute travel time, with weights applied to account for distance decay (i.e., people are less likely to access services that are further away). We calculated Global Moran's I and Local Moran's I to determine if these SAS were spatially clustered and where they were clustered, respectively, within the DRA. We also calculated univariate statistics to compare SAS in the DRA and non-DRA designations of the Lower Mississippi Delta Region states and by rural-urban status using the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. Because SAS were skewed (i.e., not normally distributed), the nonparametric, Wilcoxon Sum Rank Test was used to compared scores. Results: Global Moran's I indicated limited, but statistically significant, spatial autocorrelation within the DRA (Moran's I=0.17, Z-score=47.67, p<0.001). Local Moran's I showed clusters of high SAS in the DRA designation of Illinois and the westernmost part of the Kentucky DRA designation. Low spatial access was clustered in much of the Arkansas DRA designation and parts of Tennessee and Mississippi (i.e., a cluster of low spatial access around Memphis). Smaller clusters of low spatial access were seen in southern Louisiana as well. There was no statistically significant difference in SAS by DRA designation, with median scores of 0.000175 and 0.000161 in the DRA and non-DRA designations, respectively (p=0.69). There were no differences in SAS scores stratified by state except for Illinois where median SAS were higher in the DRA compared to the non-DRA part of the state (0.000243 and 0.000156, respectively, p<0.001). There were no differences in SAS between the rural and urban DRA and between the urban DRA and non-DRA. However, median spatial access was slightly higher in the rural DRA vs. the non-DRA (0.000171 vs. 0.000170, p=0.03). Discussion: Despite disparities in mammography utilization and breast cancer mortality in the DRA, we found no differences in spatial access to mammography compared to the non-DRA designation of the 8 Lower Mississippi Delta states. However, we identified clusters of low spatial access to mammography in specific parts of the DRA. These areas may be appropriate areas to target with mobile mammography initiatives or construction of free-standing mammography facilities. Citation Format: Whitney E. Zahnd, Sara McLafferty, Recinda Sherman, Susan Farner, Hillary Klonoff-Cohen, Karin Rosenblatt. Spatial accessibility to mammography services in the Lower Mississippi Delta states [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C87.

Unmounted Doesn’t Mean Unprocessed: A Case Study of Exporting Australian Herbarium Specimens

In 2017, two incoming international herbarium loans were confiscated and destroyed by the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR). Following these regrettable incidents, communication has improved between Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC) and Plant Import Operations Branch of DAWR. The outcome is that new protocols now exist for shipment of plant material between herbaria based on the recognition by DAWR that all herbarium specimens are in fact processed (pressed, dried and frozen) even if they are not fully mounted (Brown et al, this conference). Simultaneously, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had been reported to be destroying incoming unmounted specimens, thus making it difficult to send unmounted exchange material overseas, and particularly to the USA. Using the documentation developed for incoming overseas loans by MAHC and, encouraging the receiving institution in the USA to acquire a USDA 588 Importing Permit for unprocessed plant specimens (non-loan, unmounted herbarium specimens), it was possible to export unmounted herbarium specimens and dried DNA samples into the USA. Excluding the USA specific requirements, we were also able to export exchange material and dried DNA samples to Singapore and Sweden.

Exploring Skeletal Preparation Techniques: Recuration of Botswana Mammals from a 1969 Expedition Using TergazymeTM

We explored the efficiency of TergazymeTM bone cleaning techniques to recurate mammalian skeletal material from a 1969 expedition to Botswana, in Southern Africa. Mr. J.D. Putnam and colleagues shot and killed over 400 specimens during this expedition, bringing them back as trophies. These skeletal materials and skins of these specimens have remained in the collections at Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), after haphazard preparation with pesticides such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and negligent soft tissue removal. Many of the skulls and post-cranial materials are coated with dessicated muscle and other connective tissues, including cartilage around the turbinate bones, and most of the soft tissue remains on the surface of the hard palate. These materials continue to emit noxious fumes permeating even the protective archival plastic and cardboard within which they had been temporarily stored. Recuration of these specimens needs to consider the safety of the preparator and other volunteers, and the fragile state of skull and post-cranial materials in DDT for nearly five decades. TergazymeTM is a concentrated detergent used to remove protein and other biological tissues from medical instruments (Alconox, Inc. 2006). This detergent isauthorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), biodegradable, and uses a protease enzyme from the bacterial organism Bacillus licheniformis, which produces enzymes commonly used for industrial purposes. Though TergazymeTM is widely used at a dilution of 1:100, for cleaning medical instruments, we found that an aqueous solution with smaller dilution factors combined with heat and manual agitation (using a stirring rod or other circulating tool) was able to soften the tough dessicated tissues from skulls and post-cranial materials of many different specimens. We removed elements from the macerating solution approximately every two to five days (depending on size) and used dental tools and brushes, rinsing with water, to complete the cleaning of the bones. Throughout the summer of 2017, we cleaned and recurated osteological materials from a dozen specimens, including the groups Acinonyx, Crocuta, Genetta, Hyaena, Ichneumia, Lycaon, Panthera, and Proteles. Besides the benefit of making these materials available and safe for researchers to use, this project revealed pre-mortem bone pathologies in a lion Panthera leo that were previously invisible under dessicated flesh. In addition to their physical availability, digital before and after images will be made available via collection management information system, Arctos. Discoveries such as these can also be compared to more recent specimens for longitudinal pathological studies.

“A banquet for all the world”: democracy and consumerism in Disney’s Food Will Win the War

ABSTRACTThis essay considers Food Will Win the War, an animated short made early in World War II by Disney Studios for the United States Department of Agriculture. Through a fantastical catalogue of hyperbolic images, the film shows how the mass production of American agriculture becomes the first wave of a new American-style consumerism of plenty that will transform the social order. The analysis blends contemporary theories of affective politics to show Food Will Win the War as a threshold text, revealing the post-war economy at its formation. Using food as a symbolic field, this film ultimately links the endless expansion of consumer desire to national identity and global colonization.

Protracted Outbreak of Salmonella Newport Infections Linked to Ground Beef: Possible Role of Dairy Cows — 21 States, 2016–2017

In January 2017, CDC identified a cluster of Salmonella enterica serotype Newport infections with isolates sharing an indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern, JJPX01.0010 (pattern 10), through PulseNet, the national molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance. This report summarizes the investigation by CDC, state and local health and agriculture departments, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) and discusses the possible role of dairy cows as a reservoir for strains of Salmonella that persistently cause human illness. This investigation combined epidemiologic and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data to link the outbreak to contaminated ground beef; dairy cows were hypothesized to be the ultimate source of Salmonella contamination.

Should macroeconomic information be released during trading breaks in futures markets?

This study examines the impact of releasing macroeconomic information during trading breaks versus during continuous trading in futures markets. Recently, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange changed its trading hours, while the United States Department of Agriculture changed the release time of its monthly report. These changes provide a natural experiment for assessing the role of trading breaks in futures markets. In this study, price volatility and bid‐ask spreads are found to be abnormally elevated and market depth abnormally low for a longer period during the continuous trading period. Therefore, releasing macroeconomic information during trading breaks in futures markets improves market quality.

Detection of Pantoea agglomerans in Germplasm Rice Accessions (Oryza sativa) in Brazil

The cultivated area devoted to rice crops (Oryza sativa) in Brazil has expanded in recent years, along with improvements in yield. This has prompted the continuous exchange of material from Active Germplasm Banks between government breeding programs. When placed in a greenhouse for multiplication purposes, rice accessions resulting from exchanges between ARS/USDA (Agricultural Research Service/United States Department of Agriculture) showed little or no germination. The accessions were sent to the tissue culture laboratory of BAG-CNPAF (Embrapa National Rice and Bean Research Center) with a view to recovering embryos by aseptically removing the seed coat of ten seeds from each accession. Bacterial colony growth concomitant to germination inhibition was observed in some accessions, from which four bacterial isolates were obtained. The isolates and their respective associated rice accessions are: Bac 1887 from accession Chikanari 2 (CIor 12454), Bac 2821 from Fujisaka 2 (PI 184496), Bac 2926 from Ehime Suit...

Peach Consumption: A Profile of Purchasers and Non-Purchasers

Peaches are among the most commonly produced fruits in the United States, with production levels around 806,600 tons (United States Department of Agriculture, 2016). That’s the weight of seven jumbo jets. New cultivars have been developed in recent decades to allow for the fruit to be grown in Florida (United States Department of Agriculture, 2010). While peach production has increased in Florida, overall consumer demand has not increased at the same rate (Bradley & House, 2017). For the Florida peach industry to remain viable, producers and marketers must understand what consumers value and desire when purchasing peaches. Understanding consumer awareness, perceptions, and preferences regarding Florida peaches is important to the future of the industry. If consumer demand for Florida peaches improves, the opportunities for growers to market their Florida peach crop will also improve.
 
 This document addresses consumers’ perceptions of Florida’s peaches, purchasing motivations and barriers, preferred packaging options and opportunities, purchasing locations, and knowledge of peach health benefits. Recommendations for peach growers and marketers are provided at the end of this document.

State space modelling and forecasting of sugarcane yield in Haryana, India

Box and Jenkins’ Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models are widely used for analyzing and forecasting the time-series data. In this approach, the underlying parameters are assumed to be constant however the data in agriculture are generally collected over time and thus have the time-dependency in parameters. Such data can be analyzed using state space (SS) procedures by the application of Kalman filtering technique. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the usefulness of state space models in sugarcane yield forecasting and to pro-vide some empirical evidence for its superiority over the classical time-series analysis. ARIMA and state space models individually could provide the suitable relationship(s) to reliably forecast the sugarcane yield in Karnal, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Panipat districts of Haryana (India). However, the state space models with lower error metrics showed the superiority over ARIMA models for this empirical study. The sugarcane yield forecasts based on SS models in the districts under consideration showed good agreement with State Department of Agriculture (DOA) yields by showing 3-6 percent average absolute deviations.

Sugarcane Cultivars Descriptive Fact Sheet: CPCL 97-2730 and CPCL 00-4111

CPCL 97-2730 (Milligan et al. 2009) and CPCL 00-4111 (Glynn et al. 2011) are developed through the cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Canal Point, the university of Florida, Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade and Florida Sugar Cane League. Prefix ‘CPCL’ in the name of these cultivars indicate that their crosses were made at the US Sugar Corporation, Clewiston (CL) and selection at different stages was carried through the cooperative breeding and selection program based at Canal Point (CP). Both are emerging sugarcane cultivars in Florida with their rapid expansion in last couple of years. CPCL 97-2730 and CPCL 00-4111 were ranked among the top 10 sugarcane cultivars in Florida in 2015 sugarcane variety census (VanWeelden et al. 2016) based on their total acreage. High biomass yield and better rust resistance than most commercial cultivars greatly improves the chances of their adoption by the growers. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide basic information (Table 1) and yield and disease information (Table 2) about CPCL 97-2730 and CPCL 00-4111 to assist growers in decision making on further expansion of these cultivars.