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| Seminars |
Welcome to the Crop and Soil Sciences Seminar Series. Following is a list of the seminars scheduled for the Fall of 2001. Unless otherwise noted, all seminars are on Tuesdays, from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM in 135 Emerson Hall.
Crop and Soil Sciences
10/9/01 - Spectrometry Applications and Measurement Techniques (David Hatchell, Analytical Spectral Devices, Inc.). Abstract: David Hatchell of Analytical Spectral Devices, Inc., (ASD), Boulder Colorado, will be giving a seminar on Field Spectrometry Applications and Measurement Techniques, including an equipment demonstration of the most current ASD FieldSpec Pro FR (350 - 2500 nm) Portable Spectroradiometer. Field Spectrometry is a growing field involving collection of Remote Sensing Ground Truthing Data, GeoTechnical Mapping, Precision Agriculture, Atmospheric Studies, and Solar Energy Studies. David has been Applications Specialist and Sales Manager for ASD since 1992 and is the Managing Editor of the ASD Technical Guide and Manuals. David has a BA in Mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
10/16/01 - Element Distribution in the Surface and Sub-surface Soils of Central and Western New York (Malik Al-Wardy, PhD Candidate, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University) . Abstract: This research was carried out to study the extent of distribution of some major and trace elements in the soils of Central and Western New York and to establish a baseline of their concentrations at the present time. Soil samples were collected from surface and subsurface soils in both agricultural and forest areas and analyzed for pH, organic matter content, and total (HNO-digest) Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, K, P, S, Mn, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn. Generally, the results showed that Al, Fe, As, Co, Cr, Ni, and V were higher in acid soils, while Ca, S, Cu and Ti were higher in alkaline soils. The concentrations of P, As, Cd, and Pb were found to be higher in the topsoils than the subsoils of both acid and alkaline soils. Only Pb was found to be higher in the forest topsoils compared to agricultural soils.
10/23/01 - No Seminar ASA Meetings
10/30/01 - Vegetation Biomass, Nutrient Stocks and Soil Chemical Properties in a Coffee Plantation Shaded by Albizzia sp in Southwestern Togo (Ekwe Lokossou Dossa, PhD. Candidate, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University). Abstract: Allometric models were developped to estimate different fractions of Albizzia tree biomass in a coffee plantation, and soil chemical parameters were evaluated by comparing paired coffee plots with or without Albizzia tree under peasant condition in Southwestern Togo. The impact of the Albizzia trees on soil properties and their potential to accumulate nutrients and sequester carbon will be discussed.
11/6/01 -
11/13/01 - LEAPE: Nonpoint Source and Watershed Management Education for Local Government (Deborah Grantham, Senior Extension Associate, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University). Abstract: Local governments are gaining recognition as critical stakeholders for addressing water resource protection. Municipal leaders need continuing education to implement effective nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control and watershed management measures.
This presentation will provide an overview of the project development, its current status, and future plans. The LEAPE software will be demonstrated.
11/20/01 - Cornell CropWare, A Nutrient Management Planning Tool for New York, Decades of work by CALS researchers (and a little bit from the new ones) put to practice for better nutrient management in New York (Greg Albrecht, Caroline Rasmussen, Quirine Ketterings, Karl Czymmek. Abstract: Cornell Cropware is a computer program that assists nutrient management planners and crop and livestock producers in New York in generating nutrient management plans that meet NRCS standards. It contains equations and coefficients needed to implement Cornell Guidelines for meeting crop requirements with manure and fertilizer nutrients. Therefore, Cropware is a tool for implementing the results of past and future research on farms. In this seminar, members of the Cropware team will demonstrate the program and outline how it helps producers and consultants develop nutrient management plans to meet water quality regulations. Nutrient Management Spear Program: http://www.css.cornell.edu/nutmgmt/index.html
11/27/01 - Toward a Better Understanding of the S.R.I.: Evaluation of the Internal Efficiencies and the Balanced Nutrient Uptake of the SRI and Conventional Systems in Madagascar Using the Quefts Model (Joeli Barison, Graduate Student, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences), Co-sponsered by CIIFAD. Abstract: System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has continued to provide an amazing grain yield increase for its practitioners. The system, which was discovered by a French Jesuite H. de Laulanie in the 80's in Madagascar, relies upon the capitalization of the internal genetic potential of the rice plant with less dependence on chemical fertilizer. Recorded grain yield ranged from 6 to 8t/ha and even more. Such grain production, which is rather high compared to the one obtained with the current system of cultivation (about 2t/ha), has driven our attention to the possible much better balanced nutrient uptake with the SRI system. Balanced nutrient uptakes and the corresponding Internal Efficiencies of both SRI and Conventional systems were evaluated using the QUEFTS model.
12/4/01 - Integrated Plant Nutrient Management for Sustainable Crop Production in bangladesh Agriculture (Dr. N.I. Bhuyian, Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (PhD graduate of Cornell)), Abstract: The adoption of green revolution technology, irrigation, and increased cropping intensity have enabled Bangladesh to attain cereal self sufficiency. However, rice productivity has stagnated, inputs of nutrients for crop production are not balanced, and malnutrition still prevails amongst the rural poor. Organic matter of soils is low and has declined over time due to intensive cropping. The continuous and unbalanced use of inorganic nutrients from chemical fertilizers has been considered to be the main cause for stagnating or declining crop productivity. Under such situation, it has been assumed that integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) would be a relaibale approach to manage soil fertility and to supply nutrients on a sustainable basis. Since 1980, a great deal of research has been conducted on integrated nutrient management (INM) practices using both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients under the major cropping patterns of Bangladesh. The benefit of such practice is evident, particularly on a long-term basis. Currently, nationwide extension programs are popularizing the balanced application of inorganic fertilizers as well as the IPNS for sustainable crop production.
12/11/01 - Medicinal Plant Markets and the Environment in Eastern Madagascar (Nico Dauphine, MS Candidate, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University), Abstract: Trade in medicinal plants thrives in markets on the edges of the Malagasy rain forest. This study addresses the relationship between traditional knowledge of botanical resources and environmental change in eastern Madagascar, through a case study of the local trade in medicinal plants and their habitats. Medicinal plant species that are harvested and sold in local markets are inventoried at five economic centers in the central highlands of Madagascar, where the island’s remaining primary forests stand. Using regional market surveys, over 300 medicinal plant species from more than 68 plant families have been identified, catalogued and described. By means of primary and secondary vegetation inventories of marketed medicinal plants, I investigate the question of whether these economically important medicinal plants are concentrated in undisturbed or disturbed habitat. I also consider motivations and implications for habitat preference among medicinal plant traders in eastern Madagascar, a region that has recently experienced dramatic social and environmental change.
Special Seminars
12/7/01 - Regulation of Maize Kernel Set in Response to Water Stress During Endosperm Cell Division (Timothy Setter, Associate Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University), 11:15 AM, 404 Plant Science Building
12/5/01 - Biomass and nutrient accumulation in forest fallows regenerating from degraded pastures in Amazonia (Ted Feldpausch, Graduate Student, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University), 12:20-1:10 PM, 135 Emerson Hall, sponsored by CAWG/MOIST/CSS, CIIFAD Forum
10/26/01 - Mad Cows or Mad Science? Do soil metals have a role in Prion Diseases? (Dr. Murray B. McBride, Professor of Soil Science, Cornell University), 12:20 PM, 300 Rice Hall. Abstract: In the wake of the BSE ('mad cow') epidemic in the UK, the "prion" theory of BSE and other "transmissible" spongiform encephalopathies emerged as the most widely accepted explanation. This theory holds that the cause of BSE was a "rogue" form of normal protein in meat-bone meal (MBM) concentrate fed to cattle in the UK. The prion theory has been extended retroactively to explain various other spongiform encephalopathies , including scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in elk and deer, and even variant-CJD in humans. However, important facts about the epidemiology of these diseases, and recent research into the nature of the prion protein itself, suggest other explanations, notably environmental or nutritional factors. I will discuss this evidence , and suggest that environmental toxins, possibly exacerbated by a nutritional (copper) deficiency, may have initiated these diseases.
Conferences
Other Related Seminars
CAWG/MOIST Seminar Series - Organic Inputs and Agroforestry