College of Agriculture
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/4
As the foundation of the land grant mission at Montana State University, the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station provide instruction in traditional and innovative degree programs and conduct research on old and new challenges for Montana’s agricultural community. This integration creates opportunities for students and faculty to excel through hands-on learning, to serve through campus and community engagement, to explore unique solutions to distinct and interesting questions and to connect Montanans with the global community through research discoveries and outreach.
Browse
235 results
Search Results
Item Sentinel-2-based predictions of soil depth to inform water and nutrient retention strategies in dryland wheat(Elsevier BV, 2023-11) Fordyce, Simon I.; Carr, Patrick M.; Jones, Clain; Eberly, Jed O.; Sigler, W. Adam; Ewing, Stephanie; Powell, Scott L.The thickness or depth of fine-textured soil (zf) dominates water storage capacity and exerts a control on nutrient leaching in semi-arid agroecosystems. At small pixel sizes (< 1 m; ‘fine resolution’), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of cereal crops during senescence (Zadoks Growth Stages [ZGS] 90–93) offers a promising alternative to destructive sampling of zf using soil pits. However, it is unclear whether correlations between zf and NDVI exist (a) at larger pixel sizes (1–10 m; ‘intermediate resolution’) and (b) across field boundaries. The relationship of zf to NDVI of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was tested using images from a combination of multispectral sensors and fields in central Montana. NDVI was derived for one field using sensors of fine and intermediate spatial resolution and for three fields using intermediate resolution sensors only. Among images acquired during crop senescence, zf was correlated with NDVI (p < 0.05) independent of sensor (p = 0.22) and field (p = 0.94). The zf relationship to NDVI was highly dependent on acquisition day (p < 0.05), but only when pre-senescence (ZGS ≤ 89) images were included in the analysis. Results indicate that cereal crop NDVI of intermediate resolution can be used to characterize zf across field boundaries if image acquisition occurs during crop senescence. Based on these findings, an empirical index was derived from multi-temporal Sentinel-2 imagery to estimate zf on fields in and beyond the study area.Item Rumen microbiome response to sustained release mineral bolus supplement with low- and high-quality forages(Frontiers Media SA, 2023-06) Eberly, Jed O.; Wyffels, Samuel A.; Carlisle, Tanner J.; DelCurto, TimothyIntroduction: Limited forage quantity and quality are challenges faced in livestock production systems in semi-arid rangelands of the western United States, particularly when livestock face stressors such as cold weather or have increased nutritional requirements such as during pregnancy and lactation. To meet livestock nutrient requirements, producers frequently provide supplemental nutrition, however there is limited knowledge regarding the effects of these practices on the rumen microbiome in these environments. Methods: A study was conducted to evaluate changes in the rumen microbiome in response to high- and low- quality forage with sustained release mineral boluses. The study consisted of 16 ruminally-cannulated 2–3-year-old black angus cows fed high quality grass alfalfa hay or low-quality grass hay with a 90 or 180 day sustained release mineral bolus. Rumen samples were collected pre-feeding and 8 hours post feeding and bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced from the rumen fluid. Results: Alpha diversity as measured by Shannon’s diversity index decreased significantly over time (p<0.01) and averaged 5.6 pre-feeding and 5.4 post- feeding and was not significantly different between high- and low-quality forages or between mineral bolus types (p>0.05). Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) of the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity matrix showed distinct grouping by feed quality and time but not by mineral bolus type. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in all treatments and significant increases (p<0.05) in the relative abundance of the family Lachnospiraceae and the genus Prevotella were observed in high quality forage diets. Rumen VFA and NH3-N concentrations were also strongly associated with the high-quality forage diet. Predictive functional profiling indicated that functions associated with methanogenesis were negatively correlated with feed quality. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that mineral bolus type is unlikely to affect rumen bacterial community structure or function while forage quality can significantly alter community structure and predicted functions associated with methanogenesis and VFA production.Item Rumen microbiome response to sustained release mineral bolus supplement with low- and high-quality forages(Frontiers Media SA, 2023-06) Eberly, Jed O.; Wyffels, Samuel A.; Carlisle, Tanner J.; DelCurto, TimothyIntroduction: Limited forage quantity and quality are challenges faced in livestock production systems in semi-arid rangelands of the western United States, particularly when livestock face stressors such as cold weather or have increased nutritional requirements such as during pregnancy and lactation. To meet livestock nutrient requirements, producers frequently provide supplemental nutrition, however there is limited knowledge regarding the effects of these practices on the rumen microbiome in these environments. Methods: A study was conducted to evaluate changes in the rumen microbiome in response to high- and low- quality forage with sustained release mineral boluses. The study consisted of 16 ruminally-cannulated 2–3-year-old black angus cows fed high quality grass alfalfa hay or low-quality grass hay with a 90 or 180 day sustained release mineral bolus. Rumen samples were collected pre-feeding and 8 hours post feeding and bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced from the rumen fluid. Results: Alpha diversity as measured by Shannon’s diversity index decreased significantly over time (p<0.01) and averaged 5.6 pre-feeding and 5.4 post- feeding and was not significantly different between high- and low-quality forages or between mineral bolus types (p>0.05). Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) of the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity matrix showed distinct grouping by feed quality and time but not by mineral bolus type. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in all treatments and significant increases (p<0.05) in the relative abundance of the family Lachnospiraceae and the genus Prevotella were observed in high quality forage diets. Rumen VFA and NH3-N concentrations were also strongly associated with the high-quality forage diet. Predictive functional profiling indicated that functions associated with methanogenesis were negatively correlated with feed quality. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that mineral bolus type is unlikely to affect rumen bacterial community structure or function while forage quality can significantly alter community structure and predicted functions associated with methanogenesis and VFA production.Item Intercropping chickpea–flax for yield and disease management(Wiley, 2023-03) Zhou, Yi; Chen, Chengci; Franck, William L.; Khan, Qasim; Franck, Sooyoung; Crutcher, Frankie K.; McVay, Kent; McPhee, KevinAscochyta blight (caused by Ascochyta rabiei) is a primary concern of chickpea production worldwide. Intercropping chickpea with a non-host crop has the potential to suppress this disease and improve resource use efficiency for enhanced crop yield. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of seeding rate and row configuration of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)–flax (Linum usitatissimum L) intercropping on (1) yield and seed quality, (2) disease incidence and severity of Ascochyta blight of chickpea, and (3) land productivity of this intercropping system. Field trials were conducted at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center, Sidney, MT, and the Southern Agricultural Research Center, Huntley, MT, in 2020 and 2021. Chickpea was planted with flax in four intercropping configurations (70% chickpea–30% flax in mixed rows, 50% chickpea–50% flax in alternate rows, 50% chickpea–50% flax in mixed rows, and 30% chickpea–70% flax in mixed rows). Chickpea yield decreased with increased flax proportion in the mixed rows intercrop. Flax displayed higher competitiveness than chickpea, resulting in decreased yield and protein concentration in chickpea but increased yield and protein content in flax. Land equivalent ratio of intercropping was greater than one, showing improved land productivity (2%–23% greater than monocropping). Intercropping reduced Ascochyta blight disease incidence and severity; the 50% chickpea–50% flax and 30% chickpea–70% flax intercropping configurations could reduce the disease severity to 50% (in Huntley) and 67% (in Sidney) of that in the monocropping. These results indicated that seed ratio and planting configurations of chickpea–flax intercropping may be manipulated to increase land use efficiency and reduce Ascochyta blight in chickpea. Canadian Development Center ‘CDC Leader’ yielded greater than Royal in the higher disease pressure environment in Huntley indicated that selection of disease resistant cultivars is important for managing Ascochyta blight in chickpea.Item Soil bacterial community response to cover crop introduction in a wheat-based dryland cropping system(Frontiers Media SA, 2022-11) Eberly, Jed O.; Bourgault, Maryse; Dafo, Julia M.; Yeoman, Carl J.; Wyffels, Samuel A.; Lamb, Peggy F.; Boss, Darrin L.The incorporation of cover crops into cropping systems is important for enhancing soil health in agricultural systems. Soil microbes contribute to soil health by supplying key nutrients and providing protection against plant pests, diseases, and abiotic stress. While research has demonstrated the connection between cover crops and the soil microbiology, less is known regarding the impact of cover crops on the soil microbial community in semi-arid regions of the Northern Great Plains. Our objectives were to evaluate changes in the soil bacterial community composition and community networks in wheat grown after multi-species cover crops. Cover crops were compared to continuous cropping and crop/fallow systems and the effects of cover crop termination methods were also evaluated. Cover crops consisted of a cool season multispecies mix, mid-season multispecies mix, and a warm season multispecies mix, which were grown in rotation with winter wheat. A continuous cropping (wheat/barley) and wheat/fallow system were also included along with cover crop termination by grazing, herbicide application, and haying. Cover crop treatments and termination methods had no significant impact on microbial community alpha diversity. Cover crop termination methods also had no significant impact on microbial community beta diversity. Families belonging to the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacterioidota, and Proteobacteria were more abundant in the cool season cover crop treatment compared to the warm season cover crop treatment. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that incorporation of cool season cover crops or mid-season mixes in a wheat-based cropping system led to greater complexity and connectivity within these microbial networks compared to the other treatments which suggests these communities may be more resilient to environmental disturbances.Item Effects of Maternal Protein Supplementation at Mid-Gestation of Cows on Intake, Digestibility, and Feeding Behavior of the Offspring(MDPI AG, 2022-10) Nascimento, Karolina Batista; Galvão, Matheus Castilho; Moreno Meneses, Javier Andrés; Miranda Moreira, Gabriel; Ramírez-Zamudio, German Darío; Priscilla de Souza, Stefania; Dias Prezotto, Ligia; Haddad Lima Chalfun, Luthesco; de Souza Duarte, Marcio; Rume Casagrande, Daniel; Pies Gionbelli, MateusThis study aimed to assess the effects of maternal protein supplementation and offspring sex (OS) on the intake parameters of the offspring. Forty-three Tabapuã cows were randomly allocated in the following treatments: protein supplementation (PS) during days 100–200 of gestation (RES, 5.5% total crude protein (CP), n = 2, or CON, 10% total CP, n = 19) and OS (females, n = 20; males, n = 23). The offspring were evaluated during the cow–calf (0–210 days), backgrounding (255–320 days), growing 1 (321–381 days), and growing 2 (382–445 days) phases. The CON offspring tended to present higher dry matter intake (DMI) at weaning (p = 0.06). The CON males presented lower digestibility of major diet components in the growing 2 phase (p ≤ 0.02). The CON offspring spent 52% more time per day eating supplements at 100 days and 17% less time in idleness at 210 days. The CON males spent 15 min more per day ruminating than RES males in the feedlot phase (p = 0.01). We concluded that protein supplementation over gestation alters the offspring feed intake pattern as a whole, while protein restriction promotes compensatory responses on nutrient digestibility in males.Item Intercropping chickpea-flax for yield and disease management(Wiley, 2022-12) Zhou, Yi; Chen, Chengci; Franck, William L.; Khan, Qasim; Franck, Sooyoung; Crutcher, Frankie K.; McVay, Kent; McPhee, KevinAscochyta blight (caused by Ascochyta rabiei) is a primary concern of chickpea production worldwide. Intercropping chickpea with a non-host crop has the potential to suppress this disease and improve resource use efficiency for enhanced crop yield. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of seeding rate and row configuration of chickpea (Cicer arietinum, L.)-flax (Linum usitatissimum, L) intercropping on 1) yield and seed quality, 2) disease incidence and severity of Ascochyta blight of chickpea, and 3) land productivity of this intercropping system. Field trials were conducted at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC), Sidney, MT, and the Southern Agricultural Research Center (SARC), Huntley, MT, in 2020 and 2021. Chickpea was planted with flax in 4 intercropping configurations (70% chickpea – 30% flax in mixed rows, 50% chickpea – 50% flax in alternate rows, 50% chickpea – 50% flax in mixed rows, and 30% chickpea – 70% flax in mixed rows). Chickpea yield decreased with increased flax proportion in the mixed rows intercrop. Flax displayed higher competitiveness than chickpea, resulting in decreased yield and protein concentration in chickpea but increased yield and protein content in flax. Land equivalent ratio (LER) of intercropping was greater than 1, showing improved land productivity (2% -23% greater than monocropping). Intercropping reduced Ascochyta blight disease incidence and severity; the 50% chickpea – 50% flax and 30% chickpea – 70% flax intercropping configurations could reduce the disease severity to 50% (in Hunley) and 67% (in Sidney) of that in the monocropping. These results indicated that seed ratio and planting configurations of chickpea-flax intercropping may be manipulated to increase land use efficiency and reduce Ascochyta blight in chickpea. CDC Leader yielded greater than Royal in the higher disease pressure environment in Huntley indicated that selection of disease resistant cultivar is important for managing Ascochyta blight on chickpea.Item Introducing cover crops as a fallow replacement in the Northern Great Plains: I. Evaluation of cover crop mixes as a forage source for grazing cattle(Cambridge University Press, 2021-09) Wyffels, Samuel A.; Bourgault, Maryse; Dafoe, Julia M.; Lamb, Peggy F.; Boss, Darrin L.Crop-livestock integration has demonstrated that cover crops can be terminated using livestock grazing with minimal negative impacts on soil health, however, provides little information on system-level approaches that mutually benefit soil health and both crop and livestock production. Therefore, the objective of this research was to examine the effects of cover crop mixtures on biomass production, quality and the potential for nitrate toxicity on a dryland wheat-cover crop rotation. This research was conducted at the Montana State University-Northern Agricultural Research Center near Havre, MT (48°29′N, −109°48′W) from 2012 to 2019. This experiment was conducted as a randomized-complete-block design, where 29 individual species were utilized in 15 different cover crop mixtures in a wheat-cover crop rotation. Cover crop mixtures were classified into four treatment groups, including (1) cool-season species, (2) warm-season species dominant, (3) cool and warm-season species mixture (mid-season), and (4) a barley (Hordeum vulgare) control. All cover crop mixtures were terminated at anthesis of cool-season cereal species to avoid volunteer cereal grains in the following wheat crop. At the time of cover crop termination, dry matter forage production was estimated and analyzed for crude protein, total digestible nutrients and nitrates as indicators of forage quality. All mixtures containing oats (Avena sativa) had greater (P ⩽ 0.03) biomass production than other mixtures within their respective treatment groups (cool- and mid-season). Forage biomass was influenced by cover crop treatment group, with the barley producing the greatest (P < 0.01) amount of forage biomass when compared to cool-, mid- and warm-season cover crop treatments. Total digestible nutrients were greater (P < 0.01) in the barley control compared to the cool- and mid-season treatment groups. Crude protein was greatest in the warm-season treatment group (P < 0.01) compared to the barley control, cool- and mid-season treatment groups. The barley control produced fewer nitrates (P ⩽ 0.05) than the cool-, mid- and warm-season treatment groups; however, all cover crop mixtures produced nitrates at levels unsafe for livestock consumption at least one year of the study. The relatively high and variable nitrate levels of all cover crop mixtures across years in this study suggest that forage should be tested for nitrates before grazing. In conclusion, our research suggests that in a dryland wheat-cover crop rotation that requires early-July termination, cool-season cover crop mixtures are the most suitable forage source for livestock grazing most years.Item Distinctive germination attributes of feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata) biotypes in response to different thermal conditions(Cambridge University Press, 2022-06) Desai, Het Samir; Chauhan, ChauhanAn in-depth understanding of the germination response of troublesome weed species, such as feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata Sw.), to environmental factors (temperature, soil moisture, etc.) could play an essential role in the development of sustainable site-specific weed control programs. A laboratory experiment was conducted to understand the germination response of 10 different biotypes of C. virgata to five temperature regimes (ranging from 15/5 to 35/25 C) under a 12/12-h (light/dark) photoperiod. No consistent germination behavior was observed between biotypes, as some biotypes demonstrated high final cumulative germination (FCG) at low alternating temperature regimes (15/5 and 20/10 C) and some biotypes exhibited high FCG at a high alternating temperature regime (30/20 C). All biotypes revealed late germination initiation (T10, time taken to reach 10% germination) at the lowest temperature range (15/5 C), ranging from 171 to 173 h. However, less time was required to reach 90% germination (T90), ranging from 202 to 756 h. At higher alternating temperature regimes (30/20 and 35/25 C), all biotypes initiated germination (T10) within 40 h, and a wide range of hours was required to reach 90% germination (T90), ranging from 284 to 1,445 h. Differences in FCG of all the biotypes at all the temperature ranges showcased the differential germination nature among biotypes of C. virgata. The cool temperatures delayed germination initiation compared with warmer temperatures, even though FCGs were similar across a wide range of thermal conditions, indicating that this species will be problematic throughout the calendar year in different agronomic environments. The data from this study have direct implications on scheduling herbicide protocols, tillage timing, and planting time. Therefore, data generated from this study can aid in the development of area- and species-specific weed control protocols to achieve satisfactory control of this weed species.Item Crop rotation influences yield more than soil quality at a semiarid location(Wiley, 2022-07) McVay, Kent; Khan, Qasim A.Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is often rotated with a fallow in semiarid regions to conserve soil moisture and minimize crop failures. We hypothesized that direct seed systems coupled with intensified and more diverse crop rotations would produce an equivalent or greater annualized grain yield than a traditional winter wheat–fallow (WF) system. Furthermore, continuous cropping would lead to an accumulation of greater soil carbon than the traditional WF. A 6-yr study was conducted to evaluate crop rotations, which included pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik), lentil as a cover crop, spring wheat, or camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] in rotation with winter wheat in 2- and 3-yr rotations. The results of this study averaged over 6 yr showed that increased cropping intensity produced an annualized yield equal to that of WF, provided that either a fallow or a cover crop rather than another grain crop was present prior to winter wheat. The soil quality indices showed particulate organic matter (POM) increased with rotations with greater cropping intensity (1.00 vs. 0.67), although the POM of these rotations was not different from that of WF.