In Chapter One, mention is made of certain features of Old Testament study which should be kept in view in any study such as this. e.g. The Old Testament is a book about God and His relation to man. It is essentially practical in its thought. The conception of Corporate Personality was very fully developed in Israel, and needs to be borne in mind, particularly for an understanding of pre-exilic Israel. Then, too, the Old Testament Is not homogenous in thought, but is virtually a library of books by different authors, written at different times, and in different circumstances. Chapter Two begins with a brlef survey of the relation of the Hebrew root [Hebrew characters] to other Semitic languages with basic connotations. ThIs is followed by a long and detailed analysis of the use of the root [Hebrew characters] in the Old Testament. In this section, the use of the various grammatical forms - the Verb (Qal, Pi'ēl and Riph'îl), Adjective and Noun, are examined with reference to men and animals, in their metaphorical use and in certain set phrases. Throughout an attempt is made, according the context, to differentiate between its use with the following connotations: being animated, purely physical existence, activity, revival from ill- health, revival from death, and general prosperIty and welfare. The section is concluded with a brief analysis of some words used as parallels to the root [Hebrew characters]. Bearing in mind that the main purpose of this thesis is to try to discover whether, as used in the Old Testament, the root has any deeper significance, an examination is made in Chapter Three of its use in the context of various relationships. After touching briefly on relationships of animals, a detailed study is made of relationships entered into by man; first in a general sense and then more specifically in the context of Election, Covenant, Cultus and Holy Places, as governed by the Torah and finally, as enjoined by Wisdom teachlng. Although relationships between men and other men, and between men and animals, are discussed, the main emphasis is always on the relationship between man and God. The conclusion drawn is that the root [Hebrew characters] is used to denote an intimate relationship between God and man - a relationship though, in which God is by far the more senior partner. Chapter Four is a brief study of the development of a belief in an After-Life in the Old Testament, emphasizing only those aspects which are relevant to the purpose of this Thesis. A brief description of early beliefs in an After-Life is followed by a discussion of tho Prophetic influence and the resistance to any such belief until after the Exile. Post-exilic developments, which took the Hebrews almost to the point of belief in a life after death, are discussed under the headings: "The Problem of Reward and Retribution" and "The Religious need for God". Finally a brief examination is made of the two late passages in the Old Testament where definite reference is made to a life after death. The Root, [Hebrew characters], it is concluded, is used to describe the deepest of all experiences of men - everlasting fellowship with God.

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For many years man has been searching for a cure for lime-induced chlorosis. This disease is prevalent throughout the entire western United States and is characterized by a yellowing of the leaves, destruction of the chlorophyll, and eventual death of the plant. It has brought devastation of fruit orchards in Utah, costing fruit producers millions of dollars. Hardly any county in Utah is free from this destructive nutritional disease.

Agricultural bioenergy crops (“bioenergy”) are a promising renewable fuel source if carbon (C) emitted during the production and combustion of bioenergy is less than emissions associated with fossil fuel analogs. Despite the importance of belowground C sequestration in determining the net C sink potential of bioenergy, belowground C cycling processes in bioenergy crops remains largely uncharacterized. This study seeks to quantify and characterize the response of belowground C pools and fluxes to farm management scenarios (nitrogen (N) fertilization, stand age, and genotype) in two crops proposed as potential sources of bioenergy, Miscanthus x giganteus (Miscanthus) and Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum). This study additionally seeks to compare the belowground C fluxes in two crop species and draw conclusions about the potential for belowground C storage to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the production and combustion of bioenergy derived from these two crop species. We quantified fine root biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and CO2 emissions associated with root respiration under five nitrogen (N) fertilization levels in Miscanthus and Sorghum. For perennial Miscanthus, we also quantified fine root biomass and root respiration among stands established over three different years to observe how the net belowground C flux changed over time and as a function of establishment year. Both fine root biomass and root respiration rates did not change as a function of fertilization in Sorghum stands, but SOC content in Sorghum was significantly greater in the <0.053 and 2-0.25mm size fractions in unfertilized stands compared to fertilized. In Miscanthus stands, N fertilization did not affect SOC content. Nitrogen fertilization decreased the belowground C storage capacity of Miscanthus by depressing fine root biomass. Simultaneously, N fertilization increased mass-specific rates of root respiration rates in Miscanthus. Despite increased mass-specific root respiration with N fertilizer addition, Miscanthus plot-scale root respiration did not change with increasing N application due to decreased fine root biomass observed with increasing amounts of N fertilization. Fine root biomass was six-fold greater in Miscanthus stands than Sorghum, while mass-specific root respiration rates were lower in Miscanthus stands than Sorghum. When scaled up, plot-scale root respiration emissions were lower in Miscanthus compared to Sorghum stands, while SOC content was greater in Miscanthus stands than Sorghum stands. Our results indicate Miscanthus has greater C sink potential than Sorghum via C allocated belowground to fine root biomass production and lower rates of root respiration.

Temperature and soil moisture (SM) are the two main environmental factors affecting sweetpotato growth and yield. Quantitative functional algorithms of plant growth and developmental processes under a wide range of above factors are needed for developing tools for modeling. Four experiments were conducted to quantify early and late season SM and temperature effects on sweetpotato growth, development, and physiology. In experiment I, effects of five SM levels were evaluated in a greenhouse using cultivars, Beauregard and Evangeline. Experiment II was conducted to evaluate late-season SM effects with four evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation. In experiment III, five temperatures were imposed at early season (0-59 days after transplanting (DAT)). Late season temperature effects were evaluated with four day/night temperatures from 17 to 91 DAT, in experiment IV. Experiments II, III, and IV were conducted in soil plant atmosphere research facility using Beauregard. Growth, developmental, and physiological parameters were measured. Rate of storage root (SR) development of both cultivars showed a quadratic decline with decreasing SM. Soil moisture optima for SR initiation were 0.168 and 0.199 m3 m-3, equivalent to 63 and 75% field capacity (FC), for cultivars Beauregard and Evangeline, respectively. Shoot biomass declined more rapidly than root with declining SM. Results revealed that, maintaining SM closer to FC during early season is beneficial for early development of root and shoot. Storage root biomass declined quadratically with declining irrigation. The optimum irrigation was 72% of ET and less biomass was partitioned to SRs above that level. Early season temperature study revealed, SR conversion efficiency increased quadratically and reached optimum at 23.9°C with increasing temperature. Maximum rate of SR initiation was reached at 29.5°C in 16.7 d. Biomass partitioned to roots declined linearly with increasing temperature. The SR production efficiency declined from 0.43 to 0.08 g SR kg-1 total weight, and dropped by 81% relative to optimum temperature. The SR fresh weight at high temperature declined 99% relative to optimum temperature. High temperature during mid- and late-seasons partitioned more biomass to shoots, less to roots lowering SR yield. The functional algorithms developed are vital to make management decisions and to develop crop models.

Sweetpotato is an important staple crop, and a supplementary source of nutrients; minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins, for the food industry. Quality of sweetpotatoes depends on cultivar, preharvest management practices, and harvest equipment causing skinning. Information on morph-physiological characteristics of storage roots is needed for preharvest management decisions, cultivar selection, and application of harvest aids and harvesting procedures for postharvest storage durability of sweetpotatoes. Also, devices to measure skinning properties of storage roots are needed. This research was conducted to measure skin toughness of various sweetpotato cultivars. The number of skin layers was determined using fluorescent microscopy, and lignin content was determined with the Near Infrared System. Preharvest cultural practices, such as devining to enhance skin set and lignin content, were applied 1, 3, 7 days preharvest, and Ethephon at the rate of 1.68 ha-and 0.84 kg ha-1 applied at 1, 3, and 7 days preharvest. In addition, curing to enhance skin healing and lignin content was evaluated. This research was conducted in the field and in the greenhouse environments. The force gauge and the torquometer were the most accurate and precise devices to measure the force needed to break the skin of the various sweetpotato cultivars. The cultivars, “L07-6R”, “L07-146”, and “Beauregard-14” had the toughest skin compared to the other cultivars. However, “Covington” and “Hatteras” had the highest lignin content. Fluorescent microscopy showed that the cultivars “L07-6R” and “L07-146” had 12 and 10 cell layers, respectively, and the treatment of Ethephon at 1.68 Kg∙ha-1 3 days and 7 days before harvest resulted in the highest lignin content in the skin. Divining 3 days preharvest, and applying Ethephon at 0.84 kg∙ha-1 at 1day and 3days preharvest resulted in the highest lignin content. In addition, the treatments with Ethephon at 1.68 Kg∙ha-1 applied at 3 days and 7 days preharvest resulted in the hardest skin as indicated by torquometer and the force gauge. Curing for 7 days resulted in higher lignin content compared to the others pretreatments. When wounded and cured for 7 days, the healing process was enhanced greatly, resulting in rapid skin set of sweetpotato storage roots.

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