Examining the Research Practices of Agricultural Scholars at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities

ABSTRACT

During the spring and summer of 2016, the University of Minnesota Libraries joined 18 other institutions to participate in Ithaka S+R's Research Support Services Program to explore agricultural scholars' research focus, research methods, and publishing practices. This report summarizes our local findings, resulting from 16 interviews with University of Minnesota faculty from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences on the Twin Cities campus. It also offers suggestions for agriculture libraries and librarians based on the data we have gathered.     

Current Awareness Delivery Options in Food Science and Technology: Their Coverage,Timeliness and Characteristics

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to (1) identify the most productive source for current awareness information for the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Arkansas, (2) identify the update frequency and, hence, currency of information, and (3) identify effectiveness in retrieval. It is also hoped that this research will provide evidenced-based information for subscribing to a particular current awareness database for University of Arkansas food science and technology patrons and will allow us to direct patrons in this subject area to the best and most relevant resource for their current information needs. This paper reports the results of our evaluation of four current awareness sources on three search interfaces. These include Article 1st (First Search); Ingenta Connect; ISI Current Contents: Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences (ABES); and ISI Current Contents: Life Sciences (LS). A listing of journals cited by faculty and graduate students in the Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas for the period 1987–2003 was used to check against these databases. The extent of coverage of the journals and timeliness of update were used as criteria for the evaluation. The characteristics of the three interfaces are highlighted with respect to their effectiveness in providing a current awareness service.     

Market Research Reports: An Overlooked Resource for Agribusiness Libraries

ABSTRACT

In today's competitive agribusiness climate, agribusiness professionals, and students perform research to develop new products for the marketplace. While traditional search tools such as AGRICOLA and CAB Abstracts are important for research, the content in those databases is mostly scientific in nature. Market research reports are an excellent resource for understanding the marketplace and for aiding researchers in new product development. This article defines and explains the purpose of market research and, by using a case study of an agribusiness course at a research university, compares the content from four market research products.     

The Electronic Information Era: A Vision of the Future–Paradigms and Paradoxes

ABSTRACT

Tuskegee University's involvement with the sweetpotato was initiated in the late 19th century by Dr. George Washington Carver. Carver's publications on the sweetpotato include information on the history and varieties of sweetpotatoes, their cultivation, insect and fungal problems, and their treatment, harvesting, storing, canning, and preparation for human consumption and animal feed. Carver developed more than 200 products from the sweetpotato. Today sweetpotato research at Tuskegee University includes: biotechnology and genetic engineering, development of growing systems for long term space missions, health benefits and utilization of sweetpotato greens, effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels on sweetpotato growth and biochemistry, breeding new varieties, new food and non-food uses, new market niches, non-chemical pest control, modeling sweetpotato growth, sustainable cropping systems, degradation of foliage and roots to form sugars and ethanol, and use in international development. The National Sweetpotato Information Center (NSPIC) was established in 1993 with funding from USDA as a cooperative effort of Tuskegee University, the National Agricultural Library, and the University of Illinois. NSPIC goals include: materials collection; development of computer databases (materials, research and expert databases); digitization of full-text, non-copyrighted sweetpotato materials (using CD-ROM); teaching students and faculty to utilize NSPIC resources; and development of a network of people and institutions involved in sweetpotato research, production and utilization.     

Identifying the Core Periodical Literature of the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center

ABSTRACT

“Agricultural communications” is an emerging field which is naturally both part of the “agriculture” and “communications” literature. However, it is much broader than just a subset of each. The coverage of standard databases such as CAB Abstracts and Communication Abstracts, while a good start, does not sufficiently cover the field. The Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has, over the last quarter century, worked to help define and collect this literature, by identifying relevant documents and entering them into a Web-searchable Microsoft Access database. An analysis of this database reveals important clues concerning the literature of agricultural communications. Of the nearly 30,000 documents within the ACDC collection, periodical articles comprise a little over one half, from a core list of 45 periodicals within the ACDC collection. More than one half of these core periodicals are outside the traditional agriculture and life science literature; approximately one third are scholarly journals.     

植被恢复对红壤侵蚀区土壤氮组分的影响

为了解植被恢复过程中土壤不同氮组分变化规律,以福建省长汀县典型红壤侵蚀区为研究对象,利用时空互代法,选取5个典型植被恢复阶段样地(裸地、恢复10、20、30年马尾松人工林和天然林)。土壤样品采集后,测定不同土壤氮组分,并探讨了其与土壤养分的关系。结果表明:(1)土壤全氮和有机氮组分(微生物量氮、溶解性有机氮、颗粒有机氮和粘粒有机氮)均为天然林>马尾松恢复20年人工林>裸地。天然林土壤铵态氮含量显著高于其他恢复阶段样地,植被恢复10年后硝态氮含量显著升高;(2)天然林土壤微生物量氮和粘粒有机氮与全氮的比例分别是裸地的5.37倍和2.81倍,并且其两种矿质氮(铵态氮和硝态氮)与全氮的比例也分别是裸地的3.23倍和5.67倍。(3)土壤全氮、有机氮组分和矿质氮与土壤其他养分(全碳、全磷、有机质、碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾)呈显著正相关,说明植被恢复过程中,土壤肥力也逐渐改善。     

不同年龄杉木林MB-P的调控因子

选取会同县不同林龄(3年生、8年生、18年生、26年生)杉木人工林为研究对象,测定其土壤全磷(TP)、有效磷(Bray1-P)、微生物量磷(MB-P)、无机磷和有机磷组分,利用逐步回归分析和通径分析揭示各土壤磷素因子和理化因子对MB-P影响较大的优势因子。结果显示:(1)4种不同林龄杉木林土壤MB-P含量的平均值为6.90mg/kg。TP和Bray 1-P含量的平均值分别为320.71mg/kg,1.77mg/kg,均属低水平。(2)不同龄林各因子对MB-P的影响:3年林,Bray 1-P,Al-P对MB-P的影响较大;8年林,N/P,LO-P、土壤含水率(W)、MRO-P对MB-P影响突出;18年林,Fe-P,N/P,AlP,Bray 1-P对MB-P的作用明显;26年林,Fe-P,TP对MB-P的影响较大,Ca-P,pH,P%,MLO-P直接或间接地对MB-P产生较大影响。综上,不同林龄各因子对MB-P的影响程度不同。     

全福庄小流域不同土地利用类型地表水氮浓度动态特征

为定量研究元阳梯田"四素同构"生态系统不同土地利用类型地表水氮浓度的动态变化特征,以元阳县全福庄小流域为研究对象,于2016年11月—2017年10月,连续定位观测林地、村庄、梯田、河流4种土地利用类型地表水中总氮(TN)、硝态氮(NO-3-N)和氨态氮(NH+4-N)浓度的动态变化,分析了各形态氮浓度的时空分布及其季节性变化。结果表明:(1)4种土地利用类型下TN和NO-3-N浓度的最大值均出现在6月,最小值均出现在12月—翌年2月,梯田和河流的NH+4-N浓度较高,且最大值均出现在5月,梯田中NH+4-N浓度的最小值出现在7月。(2)TN,NO-3-N和NH+4-N浓度均表现出村庄最高,其次为梯田和河流,最低为林地的分布特征。林地、梯田和河流中TN和NO-3-N浓度均为夏季>春季>秋季>冬季的变化规律,林地、梯田和河流中NH+4-N浓度呈现为春季>冬季>秋季>夏季的变化规律。     

Use of routine soil tests in predicting corn leaf zinc

Abstract

Zinc of index corn leaves samples from 91 Minnesota sites on numerous soil types was correlated with soil Zn extracted by four routine procedures. The EDTA?(NH₄)₂CO₃ ‐ extractable soil Zn was more closely correlated with leaf Zn than soil zinc extracted by 0.1N HCl, EDTA‐NH₄OAc, or by NH₄OAc ‐ dithizone. Soil pH, CaCO₃ equivalent, extractable P, and organic matter of both acid and calcareous soils were negatively correlated with leaf Zn. When EDTA ? (NH₄)₂CO₃ ‐ extractable Zn was included with routine soil tests, a prediction equation for corn leaf Zn was formulated and compared with analytical values. However, the use of 1.4 ppm EDTA ? (NH₃)₂CO₃, ‐ extractable soil Zn alone as a critical value was equally effective in predicting leaf Zn.     

University of Arkansas Food Science Faculty Publications and the Characteristics of Their Cited References: A Bibliometric Study

ABSTRACT

In the allocation of collection resources, it is important to have a good understanding of the teaching, instruction and research needs of faculty and graduate students. Data related to the use of electronic databases, journals, books, etc. is helpful; however, this data does not reflect the nature and impact of the information retrieved, but merely provides a general idea of the number of times items have been searched, retrieved or borrowed. By identifying and analyzing faculty and graduate students' publications and grant proposals to determine where researchers are publishing and what sources they are citing in their research, the Library can assess how well it is supplying a core of literature to meet research needs. To this end, this study analyzes the publication and citation patterns of food science faculty at the University of Arkansas for a fourteen-year period, 1990–2003. The findings show that faculty are using and citing materials ranging from 1 to 22 years old and that 85 titles account for only 13.67% of the total journals cited but for 77.75% of the citations. It is assumed that these 85 titles constitute the core journal titles for food science research.     

基于SWAT模型的衢江流域土地利用变化径流模拟研究

以衢江流域作为研究对象,收集流域植被、气候、土壤、水文和地图资料,基于ArcGIS 10.3平台建立了衢江流域SWAT(Soil and Water Assessment Tool)模型。结果表明:率定期和验证期模拟月径流与实测值的相关系数(R2)大于0.83,纳什系数(Ens)大于0.69,模型可以较好地模拟衢江流域径流过程。2000—2015年衢江流域土地利用类型均以林地和农地为主,二者约占流域总面积的98%,其他土地利用类型面积合计不足2%;研究时段内,建设用地面积大幅增加,其他土地利用类型变幅较小。2000年、2005年、2010年、2015年四期土地利用情景下月径流过程变化趋势基本一致,2015年径流量比2000年增加0.27%,水量平衡各分量在四期土地利用情景下差值为1.1～3.8mm。不同情景模拟分析发现,流域内草地面积较小,草地转化为林地对地表径流和水量平衡的影响较小,而农地全部转化为林地,地表径流比当前土地利用模式减少15.0%,同时深层水分渗漏增加5.7%。因此,2000—2015年土地利用方式的微小变化不会显著影响衢江流域径流和水量平衡,研究区林地面积持续增加,将进一步减少地表径流,增加深层水分渗漏,补给地下水。     

北京市3个区域油松枯落物保水功能对比分析

调查了北京密云水库、八达岭林场和十三陵林场油松林枯落物储量调查,研究了其枯落物持水特性,得到了3个区域油松林枯落物总储量、最大持水量、最大持水率和有效拦蓄量等水文特征参数。结果表明,油松枯落物总储量、最大持水量均表现为:八达岭林场十三陵林场密云水库上游,最大持水率、平均吸水率、有效拦蓄量均表现为:十三陵林场八达岭林场密云水库上游;3个区域油松林枯落物保水功能均比较差,尤其是密云水库;降雨量小于临界值时,八达岭林场油松林枯落物保水性能最好;降雨量大于临界值时,十三陵林场油松林枯落物保水性能最好。十三陵林场油松林枯落物保水功能优于其它两个区域。     

Intellectual Property: Information Ownership in the Electronic Age: The Government Perspective: Government's Role in Striking a Balance in the Public Interest

ABSTRACT

An overview of the National Agricultural Library's eleven specialized information centers is presented that includes information on electronic access to their databases, publications, and information.     

Identification of unknown apple (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Malus</Emphasis> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">domestica</Emphasis>) cultivars demonstrates the impact of local breeding program on cultivar diversity

Apple (Malus?×?domestica Borkh.) trees, either abandoned or cared for, are common on the North American landscape. These trees can live for decades, and therefore represent a record of large- and small-scale agricultural practices through time. Here, we assessed the genetic diversity and identity of 330 unknown apple trees in northern Minnesota with 9 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The unknown (not identified by cultivar name) trees were compared to >?1000 named cultivars in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Genetic Resources Unit Malus collection and also to each other to identify repeated genotypes. Overall, the 330 unknown trees had high diversity (average H_e?=?0.75), and consisted of 264 unique genotypes. A total of 76 of the unknown trees were matched to 20 different named cultivars, and these cultivars were mainly derived from either the local breeding program at the University of Minnesota, or were Russian cultivars imported for horticulture in the northern US. This study demonstrates the importance of local breeding programs, and also the challenges associated with identifying clones in a genetically diverse crop like apple.     

基于文献计量学分析的牡丹化学成分及其功能研究进展

为了探究牡丹及其化学成分的研究现状和未来的发展趋势，为牡丹化学成分的研究提供参考，基于 CiteSpace 软件对CNKI和 Web of Science 核心数据库中收录的2000 — 2023年间与牡丹及其化学成分研究相关的文献进行可视化分析。结果表明，中国在牡丹化学成分的研究领域发文量位居全球第1，发文量最大的研究机构为北京林业大学；在研究内容方面，研究者多侧重于牡丹化学成分的基因调控，此外，牡丹籽油的化学成分及牡丹鲜切花的保鲜技术也成为目前研究者关注的热点内容。     

不同间伐强度下桥山麻栎林土壤渗透特性

为了探讨不同抚育间伐强度下麻栎(Quercus acutissima)林土壤水分渗透规律及影响因素,以桥山林区麻栎天然次生林地土壤为研究对象,对不同间伐强度(对照,10%,20%,30%)近自然经营抚育间伐5年后麻栎林的土壤入渗、土壤基本物理性质和土壤根系进行了研究。结果表明:在0—10cm土层中土壤渗透性能表现为间伐30%>间伐20%>间伐10%>对照;林地土壤总孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度随着间伐强度增强而增大,间伐达到20%以上显著高于对照,土壤容重则随间伐降低;在10—20cm土层中,间伐对土壤入渗及土壤基本物理性质并无显著影响;土壤根系结构指标随间伐强度增强而升高;通过相关性分析知,土壤容重、总孔隙度、非毛孔隙度、根长密度、根表面积密度是影响该地区土壤渗透性的关键因素;Philip模型能准确描述该研究区域的土壤水分入渗过程。间伐对土壤表层(0—10cm)的渗透性具有显著的改善作用,对较深层(10—20cm)土壤的渗透性并无显著影响。     

Use of loss‐on‐ignition to assess soil organic carbon in forest soils

Abstract

Forest floor and mineral soils were collected from 169 conifer and hardwood forested plots across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Regression equations were developed between LOI and organic C for 20% of the samples (n=337), and LOI was then used to predict organic C on all of the samples. Results indicated that LOI is a good estimator of organic C in these soils, but that separate equations were needed for different soil strata. Percent organic C in forest floors was greater in conifer stands compared to hardwood (means of 35.1 and 30.1%, respectively)     

滨海沙地不同固氮树种叶片氮、磷重吸收与生物固氮的耦合关系

福建滨海沙地氮磷养分匮乏,季节性干旱严重。养分重吸收可以减弱植物对土壤养分供应的依赖,从而增强植物适应逆境的能力。以福州市滨海后沿沙地人工营造的木麻黄、肯氏相思和纹荚相思人工林为研究对象,进行不同叶龄(成熟叶、衰老叶)叶片N、P浓度及稳定氮同位素丰度值(δ15 N)的测定,通过统计手段研究叶片N、P重吸收效率(NRE、PRE)、重吸收度(NRP、PRP)及其与生物固氮率的关系。结果表明:(1)滨海沙地不同固氮树种叶片NRE表现为纹荚相思(52.80%)>肯氏相思(28.27%)>木麻黄(24.63%),纹荚相思叶片NRE显著高于肯氏相思和木麻黄,但后两者间无显著差异;PRE表现为肯氏相思(74.08%)>纹荚相思(63.99%)>木麻黄(40.47%),且相互之间差异显著。(2)滨海沙地不同固氮树种生物固氮率表现为肯氏相思(69.45%)>纹荚相思(69.15%)>木麻黄(34.59%),2种相思树种生物固氮率无显著差异,但显著高于木麻黄99.88%～100.77%。(3)滨海沙地不同固氮树种生物固氮率与NRE、PRE和NRP呈负相关关系,与叶片PRP呈正相关关系。因而,滨海沙地不同固氮树种生物固氮与叶片的氮、磷重吸收存在耦合关系,并显著影响氮、磷重吸收效率和重吸收度。研究结果为揭示滨海沙地不同固氮树种对贫瘠土壤和季节性干旱的适应机制提供依据,也为滨海沙地营林管理提供参考。     

From Their Mouths to Our Ears: Research Practices and Needs of Agricultural Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

ABSTRACT

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Libraries was one of 19 participants in a national study of the research practices and needs of agricultural researchers. Two UNL Libraries faculty members interviewed 11 UNL scholars during the summer of 2016. The ethnographic research approach revealed four core themes: interdisciplinarity and collaborations, scientific communication practices, scientific research data issues and practices, and challenges and opportunities. Illustrated by the sample of faculty comments presented here, the themes have direct implications for the UNL Libraries, while in other cases these point to concerns and opportunities for the university, the academy, and the nation.