Spring 2018
Download Full Schedule FlyerPast Seminars
DANIEL SCHACHTMAN
Professor, Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Changes in the root, soil and rhizosphere microbiomes due to abiotic stress and crop varieties may play important roles in drought tolerance and nitrogen use efficiency. In this talk the results of experiments completed in different parts of Nebraska with sorghum and corn will be described.
ERIC NORTH
Assistant Professor of Practice, Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Trees witness and record environmental events from climate to chemical damage to human activity. Tree rings give clues to events and how those events influence annual growth. Explore the practical use of tree rings in urban environments and consulting arboriculture.
JONATHAN LARSON
Assistant Extension Educator, Entomology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Turfgrass is an important cropping system covering more than 16 million hectares in the United States. Insecticides used by managers to maintain turf have been implicated in the decline of managed and wild pollinators. This seminar will discuss best management practices so we maintain functional and aesthetically acceptable landscapes but minimize hazard to our pollinator.
MICHELLE WANDER
Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This seminar will consider whether we have the data, knowledge and ability to use soil organic matter as an index of soil health and review the status of key indicators, inventories and assessment frameworks being used to relate management practices to changes in soil organic matter and associated soil function.
CHUCK RICE
University Distinguished Professor, Mary L. Vanier University Professorship, Agronomy, Kansas State University
Agriculture is set for a transformational change. Breakthroughs in sensors, root dynamics and the plant-soil microbiome will increase efficiency and resiliency. Cropping system designs will include efficiency and resiliency goals for the field and the landscape. Data and artificial intelligence will increase support for decision-making. The big question is who will fund these advancements and are land-grant universities set to lead?
LOWELL SANDELL
Field Market Development, Valent USA
PPO herbicide resistance in weedy Amaranth species is a less publicized, yet important topic in soybean weed control. PPO herbicides are a foundational mode of action for residual weed control in soybeans, and widely used in postemergence tank mixtures. This presentation provides an update on the status of PPO resistance in the Midwest and research on resistant Amaranth populations.
BRIAN KRIENKE
Assistant Extension Educator, Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The elevated levels of nitrate in groundwater in Nebraska are considered a direct result of Nitrogen management in corn production. Decades of research have attempted to develop methods that increase the use efficiency of applied N, while also optimizing profit for growers. A new approach to N management will be discussed that utilizes a combination of crop canopy sensors with and without the use of a crop model to aid in decision making. Results are promising.
PAUL TWIGG
Professor, Biology, University of Nebraska at Kearney
A scientific journey adapting to changes in facilities, technology, funding, new organisms, and other challenges, but always ending up with good collaborators, students, and lots of transcription factors.
MEAGAN SCHIPANSKI
Assistant Professor, Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University
Crop and non-crop plants provide carbon inputs that can fuel belowground communities, mediate soil processes, and influence resource-use efficiency. Using examples from rhizosphere, on-farm, and landscape scale research, Schipanski will discuss potential benefits and limitations of leveraging crop and cover crop diversity to improve agricultural sustainability.
BRIAN WATERS
Associate Professor, Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Brian Waters will discuss examples of using writing-to-learn in Agronomy and Horticulture classes to build student communication skills while also covering discipline-specific knowledge and improving science literacy. He will also discuss how students and faculty can use the Scientific Writing Help Desk.
GARY HEIN
Director, Doctor of Plant Health Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A myriad of issues challenge the economic and environmental sustainability of plant production systems. The Doctor of Plant Health program provides a comprehensive education across disciplines to enable effective systems management and implementation of technology advances. These plant doctors provide knowledge intensive leadership required for future sustainable plant production systems.
DAVID WEDIN
Director, Nine-Mile Prairie & Agroforestry Research Farm, Professor, Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Since 2016, University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and students have been assessing plant and pollinator diversity in grasslands totaling thousands of acres in the Prairie Corridor project. In this seminar the results from experiments on how diversity responds to management approaches will be presented.