College of Agriculture
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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.
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Item Determinants of crop diversification and its impact on farmers' income: A case study in Rangpur District, Bangladesh(Wiley, 2024-09) Islam, Md Sayemul; Jahan, Hasneen; Ema, Nishat Sultana; Ahmed, Md RubelBackground. In the face of rising global food demand, climate change, and economic uncertainties, crop diversification has emerged as a crucial tool for achieving both economic and environmental sustainability. In Bangladesh, where the economy heavily relies on agriculture, crop diversification can play a vital role in enhancing farmers' livelihoods and domestic food production. Results. This study focuses on Rangpur district, an agricultural hub in Bangladesh, analyzing data from 122 farmers to assess the status, determinants, and effects of crop diversification. The Simpson Diversification Index (SDI) analysis revealed that 29% and 68% of the farmers exhibit very high and high degrees of crop diversification, respectively. The Tobit model identified significant drivers of crop diversification, including education, household size, farming experience, non-farm income, mobile phone information access, experience with climatic shocks, and land type. Additionally, the Log-Linear model indicated that each unit increase in the SDI score corresponds to a 2.41% increase in farmers' income. Conclusion. The study demonstrates that crop diversification is a key strategy for enhancing economic sustainability and increasing income among farmers in Bangladesh. By improving both economic outcomes and resilience, crop diversification supports sustainable agricultural practices in the region.Item Assessing the use of native rhizobia to improve nitrogen fixation under abiotic stress(Wiley, 2024-09) Loya, Jesus; Subramanian, Sen; Kalil, Audrey; Keene, Clair; Sanyal, Debankur; Eberly, Jed; Graham, ChristopherBiological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia bacteria plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture by converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can assimilate, thereby reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. This process can be dramatically reduced by various abiotic stressors. Native rhizobia strains, which are naturally occurring, may be better adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions, making them more resilient to stress factors such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and pH variations compared to commercial strains that may have been developed in and for different environments. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of native rhizobia species with a commercial inoculant and uninoculated controls in maintaining nitrogen fixation under induced stress by delayed planting in field peas over two growing seasons (2021 and 2022) in central South Dakota. Our findings indicate that native rhizobia, while not outperforming the commercial inoculant, demonstrated competitive nitrogen fixation capacities. Overall, total nitrogen fixation was not statistically different between a commercial inoculant and native rhizobia formulations. Planting date emerged as a significant factor influencing nitrogen fixation, with later planting substantially reducing overall effectiveness. These results highlight the potential of native rhizobia as an alternative to commercial inoculants and underscore the need for increased screening throughput and improved methods to assess rhizobia efficacy and nodule competition in field settings.Item Nest Defense Behavior of Suburban and Rural Red-shouldered Hawks(The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc., 2024-11) Dykstra, Cheryl R.; Dykstra, Laura R.; Simon, Melinda M.; Hays, Jeffrey L.; Wegman, Ann R.Urban and suburban raptors live in close proximity to humans, and some species defend their nests and young vigorously, even diving at or striking humans walking on the ground. Such raptors may be more defensive of their nests than rural birds. We investigated (1) whether Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) nest defense behavior differs between suburban and rural birds, (2) whether any environmental conditions are associated with aggressive nest defense, and (3) whether nest defense behavior is associated with reproductive rate. First, we used an experimental walk-up protocol to approach nests with incubating or brooding Red-shouldered Hawks at suburban and rural sites, and we scored the hawk's response to our approach. We measured environmental variables (nest height, distance to the nearest road and nearest house, and habitat proportions within 500 m of the nest) and determined reproductive rate. Second, we used our historical database to retrospectively classify hawks as most aggressive, moderately aggressive, or not aggressive, and we measured the same environmental variables at their nest sites. We found that most birds at both suburban and rural study areas responded to our experimental approach with minimal nest defense, though suburban birds responded with higher levels of nest defense. Environmental variables were unrelated to nest defense intensity in the experimental study. For the retrospective study in the suburban area, nest height was the only environmental factor distinguishing aggressive hawks from non-aggressive ones; aggressive nest defensive behavior was associated with lower nests. Reproductive rate was unrelated to nest defense behavior in both studies. Knowing which environmental factors may contribute to more aggressive behavior may help researchers, managers, and residents better understand bird behavior and predict the circumstances under which problems might develop, particularly in urban/suburban environments.Item Spring Activity of Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Associated with Cattle Dung in Central and Eastern Montana(Kansas Entomological Society, 2024-09) Nance, Jack T.; Goosey, Hayes B.Dung beetles improve soil health by speeding up the process of dung incorporation into the soil. This is facilitated by adult dung beetles burying large amounts of dung as provisions for their young, which can improve soil nutrient cycling and structure. Limited information exists on Montana dung beetle species, so we capitalized on an opportunity to collect a limited but valuable set of specimens during spring 2017. Here, we present rank abundance data from an observational study at five Montana sites. We collected adults using cow dung-baited traps at five sites. We report here on catches of Aphodiini, Onthohpagini, Canthonini, and Phanaeini in Montana, including three newly documented species. Our catches indicate that species of tunneler and roller dung beetle may vary across habitats and soil types, suggesting that conservationandenhancement of speciesItem Accuracy of Whitebark Pine and Limber Pine Identification by Forest Inventory and Analysis Field Crews(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-09) Williams, Shayla R.; Steed, James E.; Morrone, Jeremy; Lavin, Matt; Dodson, Erich Kyle; Simons, Rachel E.Accurate identification of whitebark and limber pine has become increasingly important following the 2022 listing of whitebark pine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. However, morphological similarities make identification of the two species difficult where ranges overlap. Using a genetic test that differentiates whitebark and limber pine, we compared field identification by Forest Inventory and Analysis field crews with genetic identification for needle samples from 371 trees. Field identifications were 100% correct for the 76 samples collected from outside regions of species’ range overlap. A total of 83% of the field identifications were correct in regions of range overlap (89% for large trees, 88% for saplings, and 78% for seedlings). Field-identified samples were correct 60% of the time for limber pine and >99% for whitebark pine. Random forests analysis revealed that identification accuracy is influenced by crew experience, large (≥ 12.7cm diameter) limber or whitebark pines recorded by field crews on the plot, elevation, Julian day of sample collection, and habitat type. We found that whitebark pine has likely been underestimated, and limber pine overestimated, within their overlapping ranges. We provide insights on improving accuracy of future monitoring where these species overlap.Item Spring Seeding Integrated with a Spring Glyphosate Application Promotes Establishment ofPseudoroegneria spicata(bluebunch wheatgrass) inBromus tectorum(cheatgrass)-infested Rangelands(University of Wisconsin Press, 2024-08) Majeski, Michelle L.; Simanonok, Stacy C.; Miller, Zachariah; Rew, Lisa J.; Mangold, Jane M.Bromus tectorum invasion and associated impacts have been documented extensively in the western United States. Integrated approaches have been shown to be effective in restoring rangeland impacted by B. tectorum. While integrating herbicide and seeding of native species can be effective, strategic timing of these tools could further improve restoration outcomes. At three B. tectorum-infested rangeland sites in western Montana, we tested the effects of glyphosate application and timing (fall or spring) and five Pseudoroegneria spicata seeding dates (one fall and four spring dates) on density and cover of P. spicata. Pseudoroegneria spicata density was nearly ten times higher with glyphosate applied to B. tectorum compared to none at one site, and P. spicata abundance was generally greater when spring glyphosate application was combined with spring seeding at two other sites where densities ranged from six to 25 plants per m2. Overall, B. tectorum abundance was minimally affected by treatments and fluctuated between years and across study sites. Our results indicate that spring seeding of P. spicata following a spring glyphosate application promoted establishment of P. spicata, increasing its density and cover compared to fall glyphosate application and fall seeding, spring glyphosate following fall seeding, or seeding without any glyphosate. Restoration practitioners have an ecologically-based strategy for timing glyphosate application and seeding P. spicata based on our results, where spring-seeded P. spicata can grow for several months prior to fall emergence of the next B. tectorum cohort.Item Testing the effects of seed pellet composition to aid in semiarid restoration seeding(Wiley, 2024-11) Teichroew, Erin B.; Rew, Lisa J.Restoring and revegetating semiarid regions with native perennial grasses is an extremely difficult task, often unsuccessful due to harsh abiotic conditions. We conducted studies evaluating the use of seed pellets to improve restoration seeding success in controlled and field environments. In a controlled setting, we evaluated the impacts of clay volume, pellet size, and watering rate on seedling establishment and pellet disintegration. The amount of clay, size of pellets, and watering rate were varied in a full factorial design. Seedlings emerged from 40% of the pellets. Clay content did not impact seedling emergence, but larger pellets (2.5 cm) were more likely to produce seedlings. However, when smaller pellets (1.5 cm) produced seedlings, a higher proportion emerged (15 vs. 9%). In the field, we compared seedling establishment monthly, overall summer recruitment, and disintegration of seed pellets made with 10% and 55% clay to broadcast seed and a non-seeded control using a randomized design. Seedling emergence was higher for both the 10% (1.4 seedlings) and 55% clay pellets (1.0 seedling) than the control treatments (0.5 seedlings), and also higher for the 10% clay pellets than broadcast treatments (0.8 seedlings). Additionally, we found that seedling establishment and recruitment were unaffected by pellet disintegration. End-of-season recruitment was higher in 10% clay pellets (2.6 seedlings) than in 55% clay pellets (1.2 seedlings) and control treatments (1.0 seedling). We also found that 2.5 cm pellets had slightly higher recruitment, indicating that larger pellets may be more suited to seedling survival in semiarid environments.Item Organic wheat: Lessons learned and challenges remaining(Wiley, 2024-09) Carr, Patrick M.Wheat has been an important part of the human diet for millennia. The increase in demand for wheat grown organically in the United States and globally reflects the growing interest in organic food and food products. A symposium on organic wheat production was held during the annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy in Baltimore, MD, during 2021. Presenters discussed the state-of-the-science on organic wheat research. Papers were solicited following the symposium for inclusion in this special section. As a result, five papers are included in this special section: four focus on organic wheat research in North America while one discusses results of a European study.Item A New Species of Nemozoma Latreille, 1804 (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from the French Antilles and New Distributional Records for Nemozoma fleutiauxi Lepesme, 1947(Coleopterists Society, 2024-09) Kippenhan, Michael G.Nemozoma lepesmei Kippenhan, new species is described and illustrated from specimens collected from the islands of Montserrat and Guadeloupe in the French Antilles. This new species is compared to other West Indian species and a key to the species known to inhabit the West Indies is provided. Recent distributional records for Nemozoma fleutiauxi Lepesme, 1947 are included.Item Successful management of Stegasta bosqueella (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae) in peanut with an attract-and-kill strategy(National Institutes of Health, 2024-10) Lima Pinto, Jose Ricardo; Aparecido Fernandes, OdairBACKGROUND. Rednecked Peanutworm Stegasta bosqueella control is primarily achieved using broad spectrum insecticides targeting the larval stage. However, due to inconspicuous behavior and limited movement of the larvae within the peanut crop, foliar insecticides alone have been insufficient to reduce S. bosqueella populations. The poor effectiveness of chemical products, combined with the necessity of frequent fungicide applications, leads to an overuse of pesticides in peanuts. Given the challenges associated with targeting the larval stage, alternative strategies are needed to improve pest management. Our hypothesis was that by targeting the adult stage, the most mobile stage of the insect, we could decrease the levels of S. bosqueella damage in peanut crops while being less aggressive to the environment. RESULTS. Over 2 years, our study demonstrated that semiochemical-food-based attract and kill treatments significantly reduced the number of S. bosqueella adults captured per food-baited trap per week. This reduction was associated with fewer larvae and decreased plant damage compared to untreated control areas. To optimize this strategy, several key practices must be followed: (a) Prompt treatment application (chemical associated with attractant) should be applied upon detection of an increase in adult trap catches; (b) Timing applications to coincide with peak adult movement (6 pm to 9 pm); and (c) Applying treatments strategically on two peanut rows, 50 m apart, per hectare. CONCLUSIONS. The attract-and-kill method can effectively reduce S. bosqueella damage in peanut crops, and has the potential to target other moth species that act as peanut defoliators. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.