Simulation frameworks for Decision Support Systems (DSSs) at the whole-farm level have not adequately supported process level management and integration of complex farming systems. Development of the Great Plains Framework for Agricultural Resource Management (GPFARM) DSS for whole-farm management required a simulation package that could handle this complex system. Object-oriented (OO) techniqu...

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is an important cash crop to most farmers in Western and Central Zones of Tanzania [1]. However, the yield adversely affected by low soil fertility [2]. The nutritional requirement for provide potential yield-is high requires huge amount nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) proper growth development roots [3–7]. After being transplanted fields, tobacco see...

The no-tillage system is perceived as having lower soil temperatures, wetter soil conditions, and greater surface penetration resistance compared with conventional and other conservation tillage systems. Concerns associated with the effect of the no-tillage system on certain soil physical properties (i.e. soil temperature, moisture, and compaction) prompted this study to evaluate the effect of ...

iii CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THESIS OUTLINE 1 CHAPTER 2: SURVEY OF GRAIN AMARANTH PRODUCTION AND SOIL PROPERTIES IN KAMULI DISTRICT OF UGANDA 48 CHAPTER 3: ORGANIC GRAIN AMARANTH ON-STATION EXPERIMENTS IN UGANDA 76 CHAPTER 4: ORGANIC GRAIN AMARANTH ON-FARM EXPERIMENTS IN UGANDA 139 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 176 APPENDIX I: AMARANTH SURVEY 187 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 189

Fruit and soil yeasts isolated from the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforests and an organic farm were screened for killer activity against yeasts. Killer yeasts were then tested against the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa (syn. Crinipellis perniciosa) and a Dipodascus capitatus strain and a Candida sp strain inhibited its growth.

Fungal strains isolated from poultry farm soil by Waksman serial dilution method were screened for alkaline protease production. Isolate PF/F/107, the most potent producer of alkaline protease was identified as Aspergillus versicolor. The isolate PF/F/107 showed highest activity in the optimized medium I at pH 9.0, temperature 35oC, with 1% wheat bran and 1% sodium nitrate incubated for 4 days.

The effects of broadleaf tobacco, tomato, and black nightshade on juvenile hatch and reproduction of Globodera tabacum tabacum were determined in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Root exudates from nightshade stimulated greater egg hatch than those from either 'Rutgers' tomato or '86-4' tobacco. Hatch was greater at higher proportions of root exudates for all three plant species. Root exu...

Bovine tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis in livestock and wildlife with hosts that include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Risk-assessment efforts in Michigan have been initiated on farms to minimize interactions of cattle with wildlife hosts but research on M. bovis on catt...

A commercial scale biochar field trial was established on a farm in Québec, Canada in May 2008. A very fine, commercially available biochar from fast pyrolysis of wood waste was applied as received from the manufacturer using standard farm machinery. The target application rate was 5.6 t/ha, but an estimated 30% of the material was wind-blown and lost during handling, transport to the field, so...