Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) has potential as a grain crop for dryland crop production in the southeastern United States. Whether or not pearl millet will be compatible in rotation with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), corn (Zea mays), and peanut (Arachis hypogaea) will depend, in part, on its host status for important plant-parasitic nematodes of these crops. The pearl millet hybrid 'TifGrain...

Differences in soil nitrous oxide (N2 O) fluxes among ecosystems are often difficult to evaluate and predict due to high spatial and temporal variabilities and few direct experimental comparisons. For 20 years, we measured N2 O fluxes in 11 ecosystems in southwest Michigan USA: four annual grain crops (corn-soybean-wheat rotations) managed with conventional, no-till, reduced input, or biologica...

Nitrogen is essential for the proper growth and development of all fi eld crops including corn. Without suffi cient N, both corn yields and silage quality can be impacted. Too much N can be a waste of money and leads to environmental losses. Producers and consultants asked if additional N was needed for corn following legume and/or grass sods in the rotation (fi rst year corn) and if the answer...

A 4-yr on-farm study was conducted in the Philippines between 2006 and 2009 to determine if there are any long-term impacts of Bt corn on the arthropod community on commercial farms and in adjacent riparian areas. Arthropod counts were gathered by visual inspection of corn plants in three pairs of commercial farms and by sweep sampling in riparian sites close by. Sampling showed that species c...

Genetically engineered (GE) insect-resistant crops that express proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been widely adopted in the two field crops currently commercially available, Bt cotton and Bt corn. However, the development and commercialization of Bt vegetables has lagged in comparison, which is unfortunate since vegetables tend to be insecticide-intensive crops due to high pest pr...

Improved cropping systems are needed to reduce production inputs, increase production efficiency, protect water quality, and reduce soil erosion on furrow-irrigated land. Five field studies were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of producing cereal or corn (Zea Mays L.) without tillage following alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on furrow-irrigated land. The primary purposes of these studies wer...

Genetically modified crops expressing insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have dramatically increased in acreage since their introduction in the mid-1990’s. Although the insecticidal mechanisms of Bt target specific pests, concerns persist regarding direct and indirect effects on non-target organisms. In the field, spiders may be exposed to Bt toxins via multiple routes, incl...

Pollen-mediated gene flow from transgenic crops is a concern of the scientific community as well as the general public. Current lack is a nondestructive method to measure dynamic (hourly or shorter time period) source pollen release rate (source strength) from these crops. This paper reports an improved method using Rotorod concentration samplers and sticky slides, together with a fast response...

A 2002 Prince Edward Island (PEI) Agricultural Crop Rotations (ACR) Act and other sustainable land use policies regulate what crops can be grown in rotation with potatoes, and the frequency and sequence of specific crops in such rotation systems. Given that there are alternative crops that may be rotated with potatoes and managed for various rotation lengths, the policies raise questions about ...

Field observations indicated that Zn deficiency of beans (Plasscoins melons L.) was sometimes more severe than expected when grown on Mowed soil that was low to marginal in available Zn. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of fallow, suprbeets (Beta Moods L.), and corn (Zea mays L.) on Zri availability to subsequent crops grown on a Portneuf silt loam (Durixerollic Calcio...