Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
Browse
60 results
Search Results
Item Irrigation ditches as novel intermittent stream networks that provide energetic subsidies to terrestrial ecosystems via aquatic insect emergence(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Heili, Nathaniel Maxwell; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Wyatt F. CrossNon-perennial streams dominate fluvial networks, comprising over half of lotic ecosystems globally. Although little attention has been paid to these systems relative to those that are perennial, perhaps even less is known about the ecology of artificial intermittent streams. In irrigated river valleys, ditches comprise a substantial proportion of surface water networks, but little is known about their relative contributions to lotic habitat, freshwater biodiversity, and ecosystem processes. Because ditches are abundant and permeate arid floodplains, they create new opportunities for cross-ecosystem subsidies through emergence of adult aquatic insects. Here, we mapped the extent of an irrigation ditch network relative to natural surface waters in the Gallatin River Valley, Montana, USA. We also quantified the magnitude, composition, and phenology of aquatic insect emergence in ditches throughout a full irrigation season and compare emergence to nearby natural streams in the valley. We found that non-perennial streams, both natural and artificial, dominated the surface-water network, representing over 70% of total length. Irrigation ditches also constituted 37% and 23% of total length and surface area of all waterbodies in the valley, respectively. Insect emergence production from ditches averaged 32.0 mg m -2 d -1 and exceeded fluxes from nearby natural streams, which contained more classically sensitive taxa (i.e., Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera). Ditches varied in water temperature, substrate size, and flow permanence, leading to distinct emergence timing, species composition, and magnitudes of biomass flux. One of the study ditches dried early because of more 'junior' water rights, but this ditch provided the largest emergence subsidy, including a pulse of dipteran emergence at the onset of flow cessation. Annual production from intermittent ditches was ~6 g m -2 y -1 and was comparable to estimates from natural perennial streams. Although our study focused on one river valley of the western US, results suggest that these ecosystems contribute broadly to lotic habitat, heterogeneity, and cross-ecosystem subsidies via aquatic insect emergence. Given increasing demand for water and changes to flow regimes and water management driven by climate change, additional study is needed on these novel and underappreciated artificial ecosystems.Item Soil health response to cropping systems in semi-arid Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2024) Ashford, Zane Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Catherine A. ZabinskiTraditional cropping systems in the northern Great Plains (NGP) were dominated by cereal-fallow rotations until the 1970s, resulting in increased soil erosion, decreased soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation, and declines in soil biological activity. Recent shifts toward continuous and more diverse no-till crop production attempt to increase sustainability, diversify economic opportunities, and keep up with the growing food demand without converting more land into agriculture. With a two-year study, I explored the effects of crop types in diverse, no-till, crop sequences on soil health in dryland and irrigated systems on one farm in semi-arid Montana, using biological indicators of potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), soil enzyme activity (beta- glucosaminidase, beta-glucosidase, arylsulfatase, and acid and alkaline phosphatases), and permanganate oxidizable carbon (POxC), a measure of labile carbon. Crop sequences included four crop types -- cereals, oilseeds, legumes, and root crops. Root crops, namely sugar beet, drove soil responses in PMN, evident by increased plant-available N in soils following sugar beet. Soil enzyme activity, an indicator of nutrient cycling capacity, was strongly correlated with SOM, but did not follow a pattern based on crop type. Labile carbon changed in soils between years but did not respond consistently to crops. This research also explored the soil health gap by comparing soil health in cultivated systems to nearby grasslands. In a paired-site comparison on two farms in Montana, biological health indicators were 45% lower, on average, in cultivated soils compared to adjacent uncultivated soils. This difference was consistent with lower SOM averages, offering a simple assessment to quantify the maximum attainable soil health capacity within a specific agroecosystem. Soil acidification, a growing concern for producers across the NGP, contributed to 42% lower soil enzyme activity, based on four enzymes, compared to adjacent neutral pH cultivated soils. Enzyme activity was the only soil health parameter that was lower in acid soils compared to neutral pH soils, demonstrating the sensitivity of soil enzymes. Overall, these results indicate that biological soil health indicators are sensitive to changes in crop production, changing yearly, and provide farmers with the opportunity to fine- tune their management practices to meet their soil health goals.Item When and where does irrigation water originate? Leveraging stable water isotopes and synthetic aperture radar to assess the complex hydrology of a snow-dominated catchment in southwestern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Rickenbaugh, Eliza Apple; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Eric A. Sproles; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Many agricultural regions around the world rely on water stored in mountainous snowpacks for irrigation supply. Consequently, our current and future ability to produce food is threatened by more frequent, severe, and extended snow droughts. As these snow droughts intensify, water resource managers will need more efficient and accurate methods to characterize the snowmelt cycle and forecast water availability. Focusing on a montane headwater catchment in Southwestern Montana (423 km 2 in area, between 1465 m to 3270 m in elevation), we integrate in-situ and remotely sensed data to assess the relative contributions of groundwater and the current season's snowmelt to irrigation supply for water year (WY, Oct 1 - Sep 30) 2023. To understand the period over which snow contributes to stream water in this catchment, we analyze backscatter data from Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). This provides approximate dates of snowmelt runoff onset at 10 m resolution every twelve days. We find that the median date of snowmelt runoff onset in WY 2023 in this catchment was April 20, six days later than the 7-year median date of snowmelt runoff onset. To assess relative contributions to streamflow we compare stable water isotope ratios (deltaH2 and deltaO18) from biweekly samples of stream water at low elevations against monthly samples of snow and groundwater. Samples range in elevation from 1,475 m to 2,555 m. We find that stream water below the highest diversion point is predominantly composed of groundwater. Results demonstrate alignment between two disparate approaches for estimating temporal trends in snowpack contribution to stream flow. While our work focuses on a catchment in Montana, the efforts and approaches used are potentially applicable globally for agricultural regions that rely on snowmelt for irrigation.Item Small scale denil development for use in headwater streams in southwest Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2021) Conley, Megan Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kathryn Plymesser; Katey Plymesser, Kevin Kappenman, Matt Blank and Joel Cahoon were co-authors of the article, 'Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) passage through a scaled denil fishway' submitted to the journal 'Journal of fish and wildlife management' which is contained within this thesis.The Big Hole River is located in an agricultural valley in Southwest Montana and is home to the last fluvial (river dwelling) population of Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) in the contiguous United States. Grayling mostly populate the tributary streams in the upper portion of the watershed, where there are many irrigation diversions, which greatly fragments grayling's natural habitat. While many of these irrigation diversions have fish ladders installed at them to assist with habitat reconnection, these ladder become impassable when the water levels get too low in the system or irrigators chose to block the fish ladders in order to divert more water. This study investigated and characterized a smaller scale Denil fish ladder that would use less water while providing adequate fish passage. Three different flow rate calculations were applied to a series of scaled Denils to compare to the expected flow rates of the full scale Denil to determine the scaled sizes to construct. A 0.6 scale and a 0.75 scale Denil were selected and hydraulic lab testing confirmed that 25.4 cm baffle spacing was the best for both scaled models. The fish swimming study, conducted at the outdoor flume at the Bozeman Fish Technology Center, used eight hatchery-raised grayling in each of the eight treatments. Each treatment was repeated 3 times using the 0.6-scale model for a total of 24 trials with 192 fish. Each treatment used a different combination of headwater depth (between 30.5 cm and 61.0 cm) and tailwater depth (between 15.2 cm and 61.0 cm). The grayling passed with near perfect success at all headwater and tailwater combinations except when the head difference between the headwater and tailwater was at its greatest (61.0 cm headwater and 15.2 cm tailwater). This preliminary study showed that grayling are willing to pass smaller-scale structures at a variety of flow rates but did not test a wide range of slopes, age classes or fish sizes. These results should be useful to water managers when looking to modify or install new Denil fishways in the Big Hole River Basin and around the western United States.Item Designing and assessing the effectiveness of Denil fishways using hydraulic modeling-based approaches(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2019) Platt, Nolan Chalmers; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kathryn Plymesser; Matt Blank, Kathryn Plymesser, Kevin Kappenman and Joel Cahoon were co-authors of the article, 'Modeling upstream arctic grayling passage through Denil fishways in the Big Hole Valley, Montana' submitted to the journal 'The journal of ecohydraulics' which is contained within this thesis.; Matt Blank, Kathryn Plymesser, Kevin Kappenman and Joel Cahoon were co-authors of the article, 'Hydraulic design of a Denil fishway at pin-and-plank irrigation diversions: a technical report' submitted to the journal 'A technical report' which is contained within this thesis.Man-made, instream structures can pose barriers to fish movement. Fish move about river systems to reach habitats associated with various stages of their life histories. If access to required habitat is blocked, it can cause detrimental effects to fish populations. Removing barriers to fish movement is often socio-economically infeasible so fishways are used to promote fish passage around barriers. Denil fishways consist of a chute for water to flow through and baffles to slow water velocities; they are a relatively cheap solution for promoting upstream fish passage over low-head barriers. The Big Hole River basin is home to the last fluvial population of Arctic Grayling in the continental United States. Per an agreement between landowners and several government organizations, Denil fishways were installed at irrigation diversions in the Big Hole Valley to provide fish volitional routes to navigate irrigation diversions. Eleven Denil fishways at irrigation diversions were evaluated for their effectiveness at passing grayling by using hydraulic modeling techniques coupled with biologic data. Hydrologic data was applied to hydraulic models to estimate water surface elevations about the Denils over time. A passage index was developed which inferred passage efficiency of the fishway based on depths at the upstream and downstream ends and assigning a 'passage condition.' Passage windows were developed which describe times when the fishways functioned to 'allow', 'limit', or 'prevent' upstream passage. Across all sites fishways were predicted to 'allow' passage 6.4% of the time, 'limit' passage 17.2% of the time, and 'prevent' passage 10.3% of the time. The modelled depth combination at fishways was 'out of range' of the passage index 66.1% of the time. A hydraulic design process was proposed with the goal of designing Denil fishways at pin-and-plank irrigation diversions to promote upstream passage at low flows. Design criteria were established, explained, and presented. One-dimensional hydraulic modeling techniques for diversions and fishways was presented and used to determine design parameter values that optimize fish passage efficiency over a broad range of instream flows. We attempted to develop a novel method of assessing Denil structures using hydraulic models; our method is useful to managers because the effectiveness of fishways was assessed by considering how they functioned over a range of instream flows and at times associated with fish movement.Item Effects of a barley chromosome 6H grain protein QTL on agronomic traits, malt quality traits, and stomatal control under two irrigation and nitrogen fertilization regimes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2018) Mangel, Dylan J. L.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Andreas FischerCereal grain protein concentration (GPC) is an important quality parameter, with high GPC desirable when grain is used for food or feed, while low (typically below 12- 13%) GPC is needed when barley grain is used for malting. A major QTL controlling grain protein has previously been identified on barley chromosome 6H. Based on the comparison with a co-linear region on wheat chromosome 6B, the functional status of a gene coding for a NAC transcription factor (HvNAM-1) is responsible for controlling whole-plant senescence, nutrient remobilization from leaves to developing grains, and grain protein concentration. In this context, the purpose of this study was the analysis of the influence of a low- vs. a high-grain protein allele at this locus on barley agronomic and malting quality parameters in different genetic backgrounds. Integration of the low-protein allele stably lowered GPC by 1.6-1.8%, in both years and across all combinations of genetic backgrounds and management practices. Lines with the low-protein allele matured 1.4 to 2.5 days later, dependent on management, and had stably lower malt protein and diastatic power. Effects on additional agronomic and malt quality parameters including yield, test weight, percentage of plump kernels, free amino nitrogen and alpha-amylase activity were subtler and depended on the genetic background tested. Our data also provide important information on the influence of soil N and water availability on malt quality characteristics. Overall, use of the chromosome 6H low-grain protein allele stably lowered grain and malt protein levels without important negative influences on any of the tested agronomic and malt quality parameters, indicating its usefulness in the development of new malting barley germplasm. The studied chromosome 6H GPC QTL also controls expression of a gene coding for a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein (HvGR-RBP1) that may improve drought tolerance. Stomatal conductance and canopy thermal imaging assays did not show consistent effects of the allelic state of the GPC QTL on stomatal control. However, our data showed important correlations between stomatal conductance, canopy temperature depression and agronomic parameters including yield, demonstrating the value of the performed assays for variety selection and breeding.Item Effect of boron on alfalfa yield and quality at various water regimes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2018) Sapkota, Anish; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Emily Meccage; Emily C. Meccage, Robert N. Stougaard, John P. Tanner, Danielle M. Peterson and Jessica A. Torrion were co-authors of the article, 'Boron fertilization of irrigated alfalfa in Montana' in the journal 'Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management' which is contained within this thesis.; Emily C. Meccage, Robert N. Stougaard, Breno Bicego and Jessica A. Torrion were co-authors of the article, 'Alfalfa response to boron application at various water regimes' submitted to the journal 'Agronomy Journal' which is contained within this thesis.Boron (B) application on B-deficient soil may improve alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield and quality. The objective of the first study was to identify the effects of foliar-applied B on yield and forage quality of irrigated alfalfa. A two-year study was conducted in 2015/16 at Creston and Dillon, MT. The initial soil B at the Creston and Dillon sites was 0.2 and 0.8 mg kg -1, respectively. The study was designed as a randomized complete block design with four replications of five B rates: 1) 0, split-applications of 2) 0.56, 3) 1.12, 4) 2.24, and a one-time application of 5) 2.24 kg ha -1. Boron fertilization increased (P <0.05) plant B content at both locations. Application of B increased (P < 0.05) alfalfa yield only in the second cutting in 2015 at Dillon, but the influence of B was not observed in any other cuttings, nor in the total yields for either years or location. Forage quality was not affected (P >0.05) by B application. The results of this study suggested no effect of foliar-applied B on alfalfa yield or quality. The objective of the second study was to determine the effect of foliar-applied B at various water regimes on alfalfa yield and quality. The study was conducted in 2016-17 at Creston, MT. Soil at this site contained 0.2 mg B kg -1. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with three rates of water regimes as main-plot and five B rates as sub-plot factors. The three water regimes were rainfed, 100 percent evapotranspiration (ET), and 50ET. Boron rates and timing of application was the same as in the first study. Irrigation increased total alfalfa yield by 45% and 12% in 2016 and 2017, respectively, with no yield difference between 100ET and 50ET. In 2016, irrigation decreased (P <0.01) forage nutrient quality in the second cutting but had no effect in 2017. There was no effect of B on yield (P >0.08) for either year. Overall, this study suggested that the foliar-applied B on a B-deficient soil did not increase alfalfa yield or quality, regardless of water regime, or year.Item Adsorption of chloroform by soils in a continuous flow reactor(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1984) Karlsen, Barbara HeckmanItem Irrigation-related sediment deposition and suspended sediment effects on saturated hydraulic conductivity(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1995) Parwana, NoorjahanItem Sprinkler irrigation system design model and application(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1977) ElHanbali, Usaid Izzat Suliman