Agriculture senior section.

* Bowling, D. and F. Kidwaro. Department of Agriculture, Central Missouri State University. Nitrogen Management For Eastern Gamagrass Production In Mid-Missouri. Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) is a warm season grass that is very palatable to livestock. Gamagrass performs well under dry conditions in the southeastern USA where precipitation exceeds 35 inches. This characteristic makes gamagrass a potential forage for Missouri farmers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of Eastern gamagrass in Mid-Missouri and to ascertain the optimum nitrogen (N) rate for maximum yields. Sixteen 50 ft by 100 ft plots were established on a Macksburg silt loam in Warrensburg. Treatments of 0, 50, 100, and 150 lbs of N per acre were applied in the spring of 2003. The plots and treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Our results show a 15 inch difference in height with N treatment. The highest yields were 9.5 tons/acre in plots receiving 150 lbs of N. The lowest yields were 3.9 tons/acre in plots without N. Yields from plots that received 100 and 150 lbs of N/acre were not significantly different. However, yields from the 50 lbs plots and 100 lbs/ acre plots were significantly different. Similar yields were recorded in plots that received 0 and 50 lbs of N/acre. Since Eastern gamagrass is a heavy N feeder, application of N above 100 lbs/acre will result in optimum yields.

* Burkhalter, A.R., F. Worman. Department of Agriculture, Central Missouri State University. The Difference In Birth Weight Of The Hereford Breed In Different Climatic Regions. Research was conducted to determine whether the climate where a calf is carried and then born has an effect on how much the calf will weigh at birth and how well the expected progeny differences (EPD) match that weight. There is a need to understand the effect that climate will have on birth weight. The assumption is that the colder the climate, the heavier the calf will be at birth, and that the warmer the climate, the lighter the calf will be at birth. Bulls were selected: one from Canada, one from Nebraska, and one from Texas. Data were collected for the progeny of these bulls. The data included actual birth weight, location where the calf was born, and the sire of the calf. The American Hereford Association was contacted, and information on birth weight, location of birth, and the bull that sired the calf was obtained. Results showed that calves that were born in the colder climate of Canada weighed significantly more than those born in the United States. The results showed that the progeny of the Canadian bull that were born in the United States weighed more than the progeny of the Nebraska bull that were also born in the United States. The results did show that there was a significant difference in birth weight of the calves that were selected. The study also indicated that weather does play

* Geyer, W.A., G.G. Naughton, and D.L. Chambers. Forestry Division, Kansas State University. Sugar From Black Walnut Trees. Native Americans enriched their diet with the sugary products from the native maples in eastern United States. Today, syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.); however, most other maples can also be used. Our objective was to determine if sap collected from pole-sized black walnut trees could be boiled down to make syrup.

Twenty black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) trees were tapped beginning in middle February 2003 and the sap was collected for five weeks. Trees were about 23 years old and 25 to 30 cm in DBH. Trees were tapped about 1 m above the ground on the east side. Holes were drilled deep enough to fully penetrate the sapwood. Plastic 3.8-liter milk jugs were used as the primary collectors. We coordinated the collection with cold nights and warm days. A standard brewer's hydrometer (Bailing scale) was used to estimate the sugar content in percentage by weight. The sap was mixed together for refrigerated storage until processing. A small electric hotplate and a 2-liter castiron saucepan were used to concentrate the sap.

The sap quantity varied by individual trees and days. All trees produced sap, but with great variation. Although most trees produced less than 2.0 L, the highest producer had 13.21 L and 0.43 L for the lowest tree. The sugar content was 1.8 percent with a 1:60 sugar:sap ratio. Sap production was highly correlated with the thickness of the sapwood.

The Sensory Center at Kansas State University evaluated the syrup using over 100 consumers tastedtested our product on pancakes. Comparisons were made to Log Cabin syrup, pure maple syrup, and our black walnut product. The Log Cabin product was preferred over the walnut syrup because it was sweeter and had a greater aftertaste. The walnut syrup was diluted to 85 and 50 percent with little change in appearance. Additional tests with five highly trained tasters indicated that the 50 percent dilution was more desirable having lower color intensity and no woody, nutty or musty/earthy flavor.

* Gichunge, C. and F. Kidwaro. Department of Agriculture, Central Missouri State University. Effect Of Defoliation On Yield And Nutrient Content Of Amaranth Grain And Leaf. Developing nations that face population explosion must explore alternative crops such as amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondiacus) to feed their increasing population. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of defoliation on amaranth grain yield and leaf nutrient content and ascertain its potential as a dual purpose crop. A greenhouse study was established at CMSU in the spring of 2003. Amaranth was planted in pots and thinned down to ten plants per pot. Four treatments (the number of leaves defoliated every week 0, 10, 15, and 20) were randomly assigned to pots and replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Results show that there was no significant difference in grain yield with defoliation. Even though the grain yields were low from pots where 20 leaves were defoliated every week when compared with the ones that were not defoliated, this difference was not significant. This means that Amaranth is a crop that can be used for dual purpose (grain and vegetable) in developing nations to feed the increasing population.

* Kidwaro, F.M. and K. Kephart. Department of Agriculture, Central Missouri State University. Winter Wheat Response To Fall Application Of Stabilized Nitrogen Fertilizer In Missouri. A three year study was conducted at Columbia, Novelty, and Portageville to evaluate fall application of stabilized nitrogen for soft red winter wheat production in Missouri. Anhydrous ammonia with and without nitrapyrin (2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine) added was injected into the soil in the fall at rates varying from 0 to 112 kg N/ha in 28 kg N/ha increments. Urea was applied in the spring to augment tall application for a total of 112 kg N/ha per plot. Yields ranged from 752.7 kg/ha to 5,852.2 kg/ha. The lowest yields were observed in unfertilized plots at all three locations. Addition of N fertilizer almost doubled yields at all locations when compared with the unfertilized wheat. There was no significant difference in wheat yield due to the addition of nitrapyrin at any location. Application of N improved the number of heads [m.sup.-2], but did not influence thousand kernel weights (TKW). Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) increased as the level of N applied in the spring increased. The highest NUE was observed by applying 50% of the total N preplant in the fall and 50% at Feekes growth stage 3 in the spring. High NUE also resulted from application of 25% of the N in the fall and 75% spring, and from application of all N in the spring. Use of nitrapyrin did not influence grain yield for soft red winter wheat production in Missouri.

* Lamai, A. and F. Kidwaro. Department of Agriculture, Central Missouri State University. Performance Of Legend Lespedeza In Mid-Missouri. Lespedeza (Kummrowia striata) is a unique annual legume grown for pasture, hay and soil improvement due to its qualities as a drought resistant, acid tolerant, non-bloating when fed to livestock, tolerance to low fertility and as a warm season plant. Several varieties of lespedeza have been introduced to mid-Missouri over the years. Legend is the latest variety to be introduced. A study was initiated at Central Missouri State University farm on a Macksburg silt loam. The objective was to evaluate performance of Legend over other common varieties in mid-Missouri and to identify phenotypic characteristics of existing legend variety for potential development of a new variety- Legend II. Five varieties (Legend, Marion, Korean Kobe. and Summit) were randomly selected and assigned to five plots. The plots were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Legend yields were significantly (0.05 level) higher during the 2002-2003 growing season when compared with other varieties. Both seeding and re-seeding studies show that Legend lespedeza was the top yielder, out-yielding other varieties such as Marion by over 30%.

* Schafer, T.C. and. J.H. Heinrichs, Department of Geosciences, Fort Hays State University. Impact Of Teleconnections On Kansas Regional "Winter Wheat Yields, 1900-2000. Winter Wheat is one of the most important grain crops in the state off Kansas. both in terms of dollar value and in acres planted. Very little of this wheat is irrigated, which makes this crop very sensitive to climate variations, especially with regard to temperature and precipitation. Previous research has indicated that climate variability in Kansas is significantly influenced by oscillations elsewhere. In this study, winter wheat yield data for nine agricultural reporting districts were aggregated, detrended, and compared to time-series characterizing major teleconnections, including El Nino--Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific- North American Oscillation (PNAO). Comparisons were done using linear regression techniques with leads and lags, as well as periodicity and autocorrelation analysis.

Michael T. Aide & Mack Wilson

Southeast Missouri State University