January 23, 2015
Irrigation challenges for crop production and water resources management
DERREL MARTINProfessor, Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Martin focuses on efficient irrigation, center pivot design, protecting groundwater quality, optimizing irrigation water use and assessing the impact of agricultural water use on watersheds. His talk will focus on water management factors affecting irrigated agricultural and some activities to enhance producer options for the changing environment.
January 30, 2015
In your own backyard: Plan(t) it to expand education
KIM TODDAssociate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Todd will talk about dynamic growing environments such as the Keim Courtyard, Backyard Farmer, and Evasco Gardens and how these can be used to educate the public about the fascinating and complex relationships between plants, soils, insects, diseases, wildlife and water. Technology will be highlighted that will further expand the reach of educators to a wider audience.
February 6, 2015
Antibiotic resistance on farms and in fields
LISA DURSOUSDA-ARS Research Microbiologist
Durso is an ARS microbiologist and will discuss her work on “microbes in manure,” including antibiotic resistant bacteria. Topics will include the human health impacts of antibiotic use in food animals, a review of current research about naturally occurring resistance in the soil, and a call to collect baseline and control samples so that the impact of agricultural best management practices can be accurately determined.
January 30, 2015
A crop consultant’s role in Nebraska production agriculture: Preparing the next generation of professionals
ORVIN BONTRAGERServi-Tech, Aurora, Nebraska
An overview of independent crop consultants’ duties with Nebraska crop production agriculture will be presented. Training interns, new employees, and the role of universities and the extension in preparing new professionals in the field of crop consulting and advising will be discussed.
February 20, 2015
University of Zagreb education and research programs address Croatian agricultural issues
ZELJKO JUKICAssociate Professor, UNIZG FAZ
The Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb has programs at the undergraduate, masters, Ph.D., and postgraduate levels. The Department of Field Crops, Forage and Grasslands is one of the largest teaching and research departments, and has outreach programs with a business sector. Scientists from this department are involved in teaching in the undergraduate and postgraduate Plant Sciences and Agricultural Sciences programs. The department’s staff conducts research on agricultural mechanization, plant physiology, seed production and marketing of grain crops, forage and grassland management, and postharvest technology/preservation/storage of grain and forage crops. Dr. Zeljko Jukic will discuss his teaching efforts and research on utilization of agriculture products in the processing industry and post-harvest technology.
February 27, 2015
The global maize project: Testing the concept of ecological intensification around the world
T. SCOTT MURRELLDirector, North American Program, International Plant Nutrition Institute
Murrell will present results from the first four years of a globally-distributed project that compares improved “ecological intensification” practices to current farmer practices. Maize grain yield and nitrogen-use efficiency will be discussed.
March 6, 2015
Revisiting phosphorus recommendations for corn
CHARLES SHAPIROProfessor, Soil Scientist – Crop Nutrition, Haskell Agricultural Laboratory, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Nebraska phosphorus recommendations for corn have not changed much in over 30 years. Dr. Charles Shapiro will present what the Soil Fertility Team has discussed changing for recommendations.
March 13, 2015
Video not available for this seminar.
Video not available for this seminar.
GrassSnap — an app to make monitoring easier
BETHANY JOHNSTONAssociate Extension Educator in the Central Sandhills Area, Panhandle Research & Extension Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Johnston will discuss the need for easy data collection methods, the basics of monitoring in a grazing system, and how to use GrassSnap to collect photo-monitoring data. A newer version of GrassSnap will be discussed for grasslands outside of Nebraska and for researchers collecting photo data in the field.
March 20, 2015
Video not available for this seminar.
Video not available for this seminar.
Global food futures through to 2050 and the role of R&D
PHILIP PARDEYProfessor of Applied Economics, Director of International Science and Technology Practice and Policy Center and Director of Global Research Strategy for the College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the Minnesota, Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Minnesota
Pardey will present the results of a new approach to assessing the production, consumption and land-use prospects for global agriculture over the coming decades, highlighting the likely consequences of recent substantive changes in the global landscape for food and agricultural R&D.
April 10, 2015
Video not available for this seminar.
Video not available for this seminar.
CASNR International Study Tours: Department of Agronomy & Horticulture leadership and participation
STEVE MASONProfessor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
NORA D'CROZ-MASON
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
During the past 15 years CASNR has developed numerous international study tours to increase global awareness and experience for undergraduate students. The Department of Agronomy & Horticulture has provided leadership for study tours to Argentina, Australia, Ethiopia and Puerto Rico. This seminar will present a brief overview of these study tours, and then a more detailed presentation on the Argentina study tour.
April 10, 2015
April 17, 2015
A 30-year partnership with Western corn rootworms: Learning from prior mistakes to protect future innovations
BLAIR SIEGFRIEDProfessor, Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The Western corn rootworm causes in excess of $1 billion in yield loss and control expenditures annually. Managing Western corn rootworms is difficult because of their ability to evolve resistance. Blair Siegfried will present an overview of his research to understand resistance evolution in rootworms and describe recent developments in rootworm management technologies.
April 24, 2015
Soil fertility research in western Nebraska — the past 40 years and what’s ahead
GARY HERGERTProfessor, Panhandle Research & Extension Center, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Hergert will discuss his current research and extension focus on soil and fertilizer management to improve crop production efficiency in western Nebraska.
May 1, 2015
Development of novel oil seed functionality for biofuel and industrial application
ED CAHOONProfessor and Director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation, Biochemistry Department, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Cahoon will describe his integrated research program to develop novel oil seeds for biofuel and industrial applications.
September 18, 2015
Dryland crop production in the Panhandle – challenges and opportunities
CODY CREECHAssistant Professor, Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Dryland crop production in the Nebraska panhandle has changed drastically over the last 50 years. The traditional wheat-fallow rotation has given way to complex rotations with diverse crops. The current status of dryland crop production and research will be shared. Future research ideas and opportunities will also be discussed.
September 25, 2015
Development of resources and research and extension programming at the UNL Water Resources Field Laboratory and Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center
DON ADAMSProfessor, District Director,Animal Science Department, West Central Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Adams will review the evolution of commercial farms to laboratories for integrated cropping systems, water conservation and water management. He will discuss opportunities for research and UNL Extension programming with limited water at the UNL Water Resources Field Laboratory and Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center.
September 18, 2015
Keep enjoying your morning coffee: Research can maintain healthy beans in times of climate change
MARCO CRISTANCHOScientific Director, Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Parque los Yarumos, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
Climate change has caused major reductions in coffee production due to increased incidence of insect pests and diseases, as well as abiotic stresses that are threatening sustainable coffee production around the world. In Latin America, the coffee leaf rust epidemic has caused more than $1 billion in losses. Coffee leaf rust between 2012 and 2014 caused over 50 percent reduction in production in Central America, affecting more than 5 million people. Recent research has focused on de novo sequencing and assembly of the coffee genome.
Marco Cristancho will discuss how they have sequenced the genome of orange rust Hemileia vastatrix in order to understand the molecular mechanisms used by this fungus to attack the coffee plant and how this pathogen adapts to a variable climate. What appropriate actions need to be taken in the near future to address the impact of climate change on coffee sustainability? These issues will be addressed in the context of the latest developments by different coffee research groups. The implications of additional research investments needed in order to save your morning cup of coffee will also be discussed.
October 9, 2015
Image-based plant phenomics approach to bridge the genotype-phenotype gap
HARKAMAL WALIAAssociate Professor, Plant Molecular Physiology, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Harkamal Walia will discuss the use of image-based approaches to dissect the physiological and genetic basis of abiotic stress tolerance in crops. He will also provide an overview of open-source image processing resources being developed as part of the phenomics effort.
October 16, 2015
Crop simulation modeling for crop irrigation scheduling and nitrogen management
HAISHUN YANGAssociate Professor, Crop Simulation Modeling, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Haishun Yang will discuss ongoing research of using simulation modeling to develop crop management decision support tools for crop irrigation and N management.
October 19, 2015
On Turkish agriculture: Self-sufficieny and yield gaps
TASKIN OZTASProfessor, Ataturk University of Turkey
Taskin Oztas is professor and Head of the Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition at Ataturk University of Turkey. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Agronomy in 1994 under the supervision of Professor Alice Jones. Oztas’ main research areas are soil erosion and conservation, soil management and spatial characterization of soil properties.
Recently he has been in charge of Modelling and Mapping Desertification Risk of Turkey on a national research team. He is currently at UNL as a visiting scientist collaborating with Haishun Yang in the Global Yield Gap Atlas project in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.
This presentation will give a brief introduction about Turkey and Turkish agriculture, with more focus on crop yields and yield gaps in comparison with European countries and the United States.
October 23, 2015
Video not available for this seminar.
Video not available for this seminar.
Internationalizing the land-grant mission—opportunities and challenges
JOSH DAVISIANR Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement
Davis will discuss trends in the globalization of higher education, describe specific IANR initiatives that are underway, and highlight tools and opportunities for those interested to become more involved.
October 30, 2015
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their role in modern agriculture
RHAE DRIJBERProfessor, Soil Microbial Ecology, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are important to plant nutrient acquisition under low input agriculture or from soils of low fertility. Most of our major agronomic crops have well-developed symbioses with AMF—particularly wheat, maize and soybean—that have adapted to modern breeding and agriculture management practices with varying impacts on AMF diversity and function. This seminar will highlight research on AMF in maize cropping systems, particularly phosphorus uptake under high yielding conditions and the impact of nitrogen fertilization on AMF biomass and diversity.
November 6, 2015
Video not available for this seminar.
Video not available for this seminar.
Improving ozone tolerance in maize and soybean
LISA AINSWORTHUSDA-ARS Scientist, Associate Professor, Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
This presentation will describe the physiological and metabolic basis for variation in ozone tolerance as well as RNA sequencing experiments that reveal genes responsive to elevated ozone in the field.
November 13, 2015
Toward a more healthful wheat crop: Zinc and cadmium in Great Plains hard winter wheat
MARY GUTTIERIPostdoctoral Research Associate – NIFA Fellow, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Zinc and cadmium are taken up and transported by plants using the same mechanisms. Zinc is essential for human health, while cadmium is toxic. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to further depress wheat grain zinc concentration, while human activity is increasing soil cadmium concentration in some regions of the world. Breeding strategies to address this paired challenge to producing more healthful wheat are needed. The presentation will review research in Great Plains hard winter wheat germplasm focused on understanding the variation for grain zinc and cadmium, the implications for human nutrition, and potential for selection of improved wheat genotypes.
September 18, 2015
Applying theory in ecology and evolution to steer community reassembly and ecosystem functioning—how grassland restoration is an “acid test”
SARA BAERProfessor, Ecosystem/Restoration/Grassland Ecology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Ecological restoration provides a unique opportunity to test how the environment and evolutionary processes interact to affect the structure of developing communities and recovery of ecosystem functioning. The filter-framework model of community assembly predicts species in a community will be fewer than those that can potentially arrive due to abiotic conditions that prevent unsuitable genotypes from establishing and biotic interactions that prevent species from persisting over time. Environmental heterogeneity and within-species variation represent two filters ecological theory predicts will influence community diversity and ecosystem functioning. Thus, applying theory to guide restoration is an “acid test” of ecological knowledge.
December 4, 2015
Herbicide-resistant weeds in Nebraska—research and extension
AMIT JHALAAssistant Professor, Extension Weed Management Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Repeated and intensive use of herbicide(s) with the same mode of action can rapidly select for shifts to tolerant, difficult-to-control weeds, and the evolution of herbicide resistant weeds. Weeds have evolved resistance to 22 out of 25 known herbicide modes of action and to 157 different herbicides. Control of herbicide-resistant weeds is one of the greatest challenges for corn and soybean producers in Nebraska. Eight weed species have evolved resistance to several groups of herbicides in Nebraska. Six weed species have been confirmed to be resistant to glyphosate in Nebraska. Research and UNL Extension activities on management of herbicide-resistant weeds will be discussed.
December 11, 2015
Fostering science literacy in the elementary grades: Educational research on third-grade students’ learning about plants
CORY FORBESAssociate Professor, Science Education, Science Literacy Coordinator, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Forbes will present findings from educational research programs focused on elementary (3rd-grade) students’ reasoning about plant structure, function, growth and development. These findings lay the foundation for a new project to develop, implement, and study the impact of science units that are designed to foster student learning about core life sciences concepts.