Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Pest management challenges and climate change in water limited winter wheat agroecosystems in southwestern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Nixon, Madison Grace; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Fabian D. MenalledDryland winter wheat production is influenced by many environmental factors including climate, disease, and resource availability. In Montana, Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and Fusarium pseudograminearum (a fungus causing root crown rot) are major winter wheat pests; reducing yield and grain quality. However, little is known how climate change and resource availability impact winter wheat, B. tectorum, and F. pseudograminearum individually as well as their multi-trophic interactions. Thus, this research aimed to 1) Determine the susceptibility of B. tectorum to F. pseudograminearum and assess how CO 2 and nitrogen impact their growth, and 2) Evaluate how elevated temperature, reduced precipitation, and plant competition impact winter wheat and B. tectorum growth and reproduction. Utilizing growth chambers, high and low nitrogen treatments, fungal inoculated and uninoculated treatments, and ambient and elevated CO 2 treatments, Bromus tectorum was found to be a host of F. pseudograminearum, and the fungus significantly reduced root, shoot and total biomass, as well as primary physiological processes of B. tectorum. Fusarium pseudograminearum infection was not impacted by nitrogen or CO 2 level. Low nitrogen increased emergence and root production early on, while high nitrogen increased shoot production at later growth stages. Low nitrogen also improved stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. High CO 2 increased B. tectorum root, shoot, and biomass production, as well as intercellular CO 2. An interaction between ambient CO 2 and low nitrogen resulted in the greatest shoot relative growth rate between the first and second harvest. Field tests, using three climate treatments (ambient, increased temperature, reduced precipitation with increased temperature) and three plant competition levels (monoculture winter wheat, monoculture B. tectorum, and biculture of the two), found that for both winter wheat and B. tectorum monocultures, ambient and warmer climates produced similar yields and biomass, respectively, whereas the drier with warmer treatment reduced these factors. Additionally, B. tectorum presence increased winter wheat grain protein. A quadratic interaction model of winter wheat yield as a function of B. tectorum biomass by climate treatment suggests that at low to moderate B. tectorum biomass levels, winter wheat yield was negatively impacted by the warmer and drier treatment, whereas ambient and warmer treatment results were similar.Item Cycling and storage of reactive soil carbon and nitrogen pools: management implications for semiarid crop production(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2017) Romero, Carlos Matias; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard E. Engel; Richard Engel, Chengci Chen and Roseann Wallander were co-authors of the article, 'Microbial immobilization of nitrogen-15 labelled ammonium and nitrate in an agricultural soil' in the journal 'Soil Science Society of America journal' which is contained within this thesis.; Richard E. Engel, Chengci Chen, Roseann Wallander and Clain A. Jones were co-authors of the article, 'Late-Fall, Winter, and Spring broadcast applications of urea to no-till Winter wheat II. Fertilizer N recovery, yield, and protein as affected by NBPT' in the journal 'Soil Science Society of America journal' which is contained within this thesis.; Richard E. Engel, Juliana D'Andrilli, Chengci Chen, Catherine Zabinski, Perry Miller and Roseann Wallander were co-authors of the article, 'Bulk optical characterization of dissolved organic matter from semiarid wheat-based cropping systems' in the journal 'Geoderma' which is contained within this thesis.; Richard E. Engel, Juliana D'Andrilli, Chengci Chen, Catherine Zabinski, Perry Miller and Roseann Wallander were co-authors of the article, 'The oxidizable fraction of organic matter by potassium permanganate in semiarid drylands: from soils to spectra' submitted to the journal 'Ecological Indicators' which is contained within this thesis.Changes in the size and distribution of soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools affect the biogeochemical properties of terrestrial ecosystems; particularly in semiarid drylands where environmental constraints limit crop production. Agriculture in the northern Great Plains (NGP) of North America has undergone a tillage reduction revolution over the past 20 years; it is therefore imperative to elucidate how organic matter (OM) and fertilizer-N cycle under no-till (NT) management given its potential for providing more sustainable cropping systems and mitigating environmental losses. The objective of this dissertation was to characterize the cycling of labile, reactive pools of soil organic C and N among NT wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based cropping systems subjected to differing cropping intensity and fertilizer-N management. We conducted both laboratory and field experiments following the fate of 15 N-labelled fertilizer as affected by N management principles. In surface soil, microbial uptake of NH 4+ was greater than for NO 3- forms. Lower immobilization of NO 3- might therefore increase fertilizer-N availability to winter wheat relative to NH 4+ or urea-based sources. In plant tissue, fertilizer-N recovery (FNR) by winter wheat was affected by application timing of urea to the soil surface; FNR was greater for spring than late-fall and winter applications. The addition of urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide improved FNR of all urea timings, but the response was greater for late-fall and winter compared with spring applications. We also examined the cycling of labile, reactive OM as affected by differing land management. Specifically, we characterized dissolved organic matter (DOM) and permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) concentration and composition from soil samples collected from three long-term (>10 yr) cropping field sites. Annual NT cropping increased the concentration and compositional diversity of DOM and POXC pools; higher inputs of biomass-C promoted the accumulation of fresh, plant derived DOM relative to conventional fallow-wheat management. Such enrichment translated into higher OM accretion rates within the uppermost 0-50 cm layer, likely benefiting FNR by winter wheat. Our experimental approach provided a comprehensive tool for agroecosystem evaluation at the farm level, identifying NT scenarios that can be used for sustainable management frameworks within the NGP.Item Development of chemical tests for soil nitrate content as a factor for correlating soil and climatic properties with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1970) Jackson, Grant D.Item Influence of soil profile and site characteristics on the response of winter wheat to K on Montana soils(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1979) Schaff, Bernard EugeneItem Soil and terrain attributes for predicting soil fertility and winter wheat yield(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1993) McEachern, Kirk LowndesItem Effects of spring top-dressing phosphorus on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1972) Phillips, Charles RandalItem Effect of topdressed N fertilizer, availabale water, and soil conditions on dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1967) Warrington, Gordon EdgarItem Integrated management of the Wheat Stem Sawfly by exploiting semiochemicals to enhance trap crops(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2008) Buteler, Micaela; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David K. Weaver; Perry R. Miller (co-chair)The wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (WSS) causes significant damage in cereal crops in the northern Great Plains of North America. Recently, the use of winter wheat as a trap crop to protect spring wheat from this insect pest in a wheat-fallow cropping system was evaluated, yielding promising results. Subsequently, the overall objective of this dissertation research was to improve the efficacy of winter wheat trap crops to manage the WSS. Oviposition behavior studies in the presence of hosts infested by conspecifics showed that WSS did not avoid infested hosts. These results confirmed the potential of a trap to provide a sink for multiple eggs, resulting in increased WSS mortality due to cannibalism. I identified suitable winter wheat cultivars based on agronomic characteristics that influence WSS behavior in conjunction with the emission of behaviorally active plant volatiles, as well as the performance of the cultivars in the area where the pest occurs. Results from this study identified five cultivars, Norstar, Morgan, BigSky, Neeley, and Rampart, with good potential as trap crops. Norstar emitted greater amounts of attractive volatile compound ⁷-ocimene, and was the preferred host in greenhouse choice tests. Based on these results, a perimeter trap cropping trial comparing three winter cultivars as traps (Norstar, Neeley and Rampart) to protect spring wheat was conducted for two consecutive years. Two spring wheat cultivars differing in suitability for infestation by sawflies were chosen as the main crop.Item Understanding ecological interactions to improve management of Bromus tectorum in rangeland and cropland ecosystems(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2011) Orloff, Lesley Noelle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jane M. Mangold; Fabian D. Menalled (co-chair)Bromus tectorum L. (downy brome or cheatgrass) has been called the most dominant invasive plant species in the western United States. It is a barrier to restoration efforts in degraded lands and a serious weed problem for small grain growers. Investigating ecological interactions that play a mechanistic role in its success is a necessary step towards developing effective ecologically-based management strategies for B. tectorum. We investigated how biotic and abiotic factors impact interactions between B. tectorum and desired vegetation, with implications for restoration of lands dominated by B. tectorum and management of B. tectorum in small-grain cropping systems. Our research objectives were; 1) appraise the impact of relative size and soil nitrogen (N) availability on interactions between B. tectorum and Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Love (bluebunch wheatgrass), a species important in rangeland revegetation, and, 2) determine the impacts of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), resource availability, and neighborhood characteristics on B. tectorum performance in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system. Objective 1 was carried out in a greenhouse experiment with two trials, following an addition series factorial design with four density treatments for each species, three P. spicata size cohort treatments, and two N treatments. Regression analysis indicated that giving P. spicata an initial size advantage over B. tectorum increased its ability to both suppress and avoid suppression by B. tectorum. We also observed that while N availability increased productivity of both species, it did not change their competitive relationship. Objective 2 was explored in two trials of a field experiment using a split-plot design with N availability assigned to main plots, WSMV inoculation assigned to subplots, B. tectorum proximity to the nearest wheat row as a predictor, and neighborhood characteristics as covariates. Regression analysis indicated that in low and high N environments (compared to the recommended N rate), distance from row influenced individual B. tectorum biomass only in disease-free environments, suggesting that healthy wheat suppressed B. tectorum that was closest to the row. Wheat inoculated with WSMV did not suppress B. tectorum. In an intermediate N environment, increased distance from row increased B. tectorum performance only with WSMV inoculation.