Field experiments were established in 2001 at the Agricultural Research and Education Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky to evaluate soil fertility values before and after poultry litter application to orchardgrass and sorghum-sudangrass hayfields. A randomized complete block design was utilized with each treatment being replicated four times. Orchardgrass plots consisted of sixteen 7.6 m rows, 91 m in length and separated by alleys 4.6 m in width. Sorghum-sudangrass plots consisted of sixteen 7.6 m rows, 60.96 m in length and separated by alleys 4.6 m in width. Four separate fertility treatments were utilized: inorganic fertilizer (I), poultry litter applied to meet nitrogen requirements (N), poultry litter applied to meet phosphorous requirements (P), and poultry litter applied to meet phosphorous requirements with a supplemental inorganic fertilizer (NP). In the poultry litter applications, plant available P was estimated to be 80% while N availability was estimated at 50% the first year. Fifteen soil samples were taken in a random, representative manner from each plot of orchardgrass and sorghum-sudangrass prior to litter application and after each harvest. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cu, and Zn levels, which were evaluated based upon fertilizer treatment differences Water pH has statistically remained the same thus far, indicating that it is currently not determining nutrient availability among treatments in orchardgrass and sorghum-sudangrass soils. Nitrate concentrations exhibited increases in treatments N and P for orchardgrass soils, while sorghum-sudangrass soils indicated all three treatments N, I, and P were different from each other. There were no differences among treatments for ammonium in orchardgrass soils; however, sorghum-sudangrass soils exhibited a higher concentration in treatments P and I. In both orchardgrass and sorghum-sudangrass soils, treatment N exhibited an increase in phosphate, copper, and zinc concentrations over all other treatments; magnesium and potassium concentrations were highest in treatment N in sorghum-sudangrass hayfield soils. Potassium concentrations were higher in treatments P and N in sorghum-sudangrass soils and the NP and I in orchardgrass soils. Sorghum-sudangrass soils indicated a higher K concentration in treatment N from all other treatments. While orchardgrass soils exhibited no differences in Mg, sorghumsudangrass soils indicated a higher amount in treatment N from all other treatments. Copper and zinc both exhibit a higher concentration in treatment N in comparison to all other treatments in both orchard and sorghum-sudangrass soils.

The removal of terminal buds (topping) and sucker control are two practices that have an impact on yield and quality of dark tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Topping breaks apical dominance and encourages the growth of axillary buds (suckers). Following topping, growth regulator chemicals known as suckercides are commonly used to prevent axillary bud growth. Research has demonstrated that topping time, height, and sucker control method influence the quality and yield of the final product. Delaying topping past a critical developmental stage has been shown to reduce leaf yield. Topping height varies among geographical regions with most dark tobacco producers topping to a height of 12 to 16 leaves. Previous studies indicate that plants topped to 16 leaves had higher leaf yields than those topped to 12 leaves if late-season soil moisture was adequate. The opposite effect was observed when late-season soil moisture was below average because the small upper leaves on plants topped to 16 leaves did not receive the moisture needed for proper development. The moisture they did receive could have been diverted to improve the yield and quality of the larger, more valuable leaves if the smaller ones had been removed. Several options exist for chemical control of tobacco axillary buds ranging from contact to systemic materials. Performance of these materials is influenced by several factors including environmental conditions prior to and following application. Research plots were established at Western Kentucky University's Agricultural Research and Education Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky to evaluate the efficacy of various sucker control methods and evaluate the effect of topping height on axillary bud growth. Data collection was completed in the summer of 2000. Three sucker control methods and three topping heights were investigated. The first sucker control method was a single application of a local systemic suckercide at topping. The second method was a sequential application using a contact suckercide at topping followed by a local systemic applied seven days later. The third method, which served as the control, was topping the plants but not applying any suckercides. The experiment utilized a split-plot design with 9 treatments and 4 replications. The plots consisted of two 7 m rows per plot, with 102 cm row spacing and 89 cm in-row spacing. Data collected include number of suckers per plant and kilograms of sucker biomass per plant. Statistical analysis indicated no sucker control method by topping height interaction; thus sucker control and height data are discussed separately. Suckers per plant and sucker biomass per plant did not differ among those plots receiving a suckercide application. Topping height did not influence sucker number or biomass.

This research project that was conducted to provide evidence that composted organic waste materials do provide comparable nitrogen absorption efficiency in relation to an organic slow release fertilizer. Western's compost facility supplied the two different organic wastes, which had been composted for 1 year. The materials used were composted urban leaf litter, sawdust/manure mixture at a 50/50 ratio by volume and an organic fertilizer IBDU. These materials were applied to one cultivars of (Agrostis capillaries) and three cultivars of (A. palustris) at the rate of .S^/IOOO**2 in the months of April, June, and September. The plots were sampled one month after application to evaluate the nitrogen concentration of the leaf and thatch material. The nitrogen concentration was measured by using a Leco 2000 CHN provided in the Dept. of Chemistry. In comparison of N recovery in leaves, "Exeter" had lower N concentration than the other cultivars in October and no difference in May and July of the first year. The leaf concentration for the second year showed that Penncross and L-93 were lower in May and were the same for the other two sample dates. There was no difference found in the N concentration of thatch among the fertilizer sources for both years. IBDU showed better N recovery in all but the last sample date where all treatments were the same.

Donald Davidson has often been called stubborn because of his refusal to let go of the Southern past and in his insistence that his writings be based on and in the regional concerns that he saw as fundamental to all Southern literature. In many ways, Davidson's loyalty to the Agrarian and Fugitive causes, which are best defined in these groups interest in keeping the South's history alive and maintaining an agrarian lifestyle, is his greatest contribution to the Southern and American literary canon. Despite this fact, though, Davidson is now, as he was during his lifetime, ignored because of the Regionalistic concerns that critics see in his writing. In the course of my thesis, I have striven to prove that Davidson is one of the most prophetic, prophetic in the biblical sense, since I believe that he can be compared to Hebraic prophets who spoke of doom and destruction that the people would face if they did not please God, of the Fugitive writers. His prophecies, I argue, are against industrialization of the South and warn the degenerate Southerner against forgetting the past, especially the Civil War. In the process of defining Davidson as a Southern writer and in defending his place in the Southern literary canon, I compare his "Lee in the Mountains" to Robert Penn Warren's Brother to Dragons, emphasizing the importance of secular original sin in the lives of two historical legends, Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jefferson, a fact that brings universal appeal to Davidson's greatest achievement. Turning away from topics of national, historical importance, I emphasize Davidson's attempt to define and defend Regionalism as an art form and necessary tool in the teaching of history. Here, I speak of Davidson's nonflction writings, including Still Rebels. Still Yankees, and Other Essays, of his only novel, The Big Ballad Jamboree, and "Lee in the Mountains" and argue that the importance of these works lies in the fact that he is waging a war against critics who see Regionalism as a catchphrase for Southern red necks, who refuse to let go of the past. After discussing Regionalism, I acknowledge the modern characteristics in Davidson's poetry, mainly angst, isolation, and silence, by tying them into Davidson's continual discussion of the past, which begins in "The Tall Men," where he speaks of his Tennessee Frontiersmen ancestors, "Lee in the Mountains," a poem in which Davidson turns to the most infamous, yet disenfranchised Civil War veteran, and The Long Street, which are a group of poems where Davidson speaks of the angst and loneliness that the modern Southerner feels in the modern world, where industrialization and shame have silenced the Southern man, who should be proud of his national heritage. As I looked to Davidson's writings to find why he is excluded from both the modern Southern literary canon and from the American canon, I found that we are slowly losing a national treasure. He may not be the writer that the other Fugitives were. He may not have been enjoyed the literary or financial successful that the other Fugitives and Agrarians enjoyed, but his writings are fundamental to understanding the Fugitive and Agrarian movements, since they were based on a yearning for an understanding of the past and because they fought for an Agrarian lifestyle. He may not have moved on, as Robert Penn Warren, John Crowe Ransom, and Allen Tate did, but I argue that his refusal to forget the past and give up the fight for the "cause" makes his writing great and is the reason that he should be returned to the Southern and American literary canons.

Isolates of Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) in Belize may be causing inverse stem pitting, stunting, and slow decline on sweet and sour orange rootstock combination on field trees. One isolate on Cleopatra mandarin rootstock expressed no field symptoms but may be a possible source of a detrimental isolate to more susceptible citrus rootstock combinations. Field plants and field source inoculated indicator plants were used in this study. The first objective was to determine whether field trees of sweet Valencia orange trees that expressed symptoms of CTV would test positive to a polyclonal (mild and severe symptoms) and a monoclonal (severe decline) antibody. Of the 81 trees tested, 56% tested positive to a polyclonal antibody G-604. None of the trees tested positive to the monoclonal antibody MCA-13. The second objective was to determine the biological and serological reactivity on host indicator plants of some of the most symptomatic trees having highest optical density value readings from the ELISA test. Mexican lime showed mild to moderate vein clearing on three of the isolates tested, while sweet orange showed mild to moderate translucent veins on two of the isolates tested. Four isolates from the indicator host plants tested positive to polyclonal antibody G-604 but none tested positive to MCA-13. The third objective was to determine if there were any differences among the nucleotide sequences of three CTV isolates. The CTV coat protein gene (CPG) of isolates which reacted to a polyclonal antibody G-604 but not to monoclonal antibody (MCA-13) was selectively amplified by polymerase chain reaction from infected tissue extracts and sequenced using negative sense CN 407 primer. All three isolates revealed between ninety-eight and ninety percent significant identities to known CTV isolates previously characterized from citrus growing regions around the world.

Field experiments were established in 2000 and 2001 at the Agricultural Research and Education Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky to evaluate herbicide efficacy on annual morningglory (Ipomoea spp.) species and other weeds. A randomized complete block design was utilized in each study with each treatment being replicated three times. Plots consisted of four 76 cm rows, 9.1 m in length. The two center rows of each plot were treated, with the outside rows of each plot serving as a weedy check. Crop response, weed control, and grain yield data were collected. Four different experiments were conducted. Two experiments utilized treatments of glyphosate and sulfosate alone and with tankmixes on glyphosate-tolerant soybeans. Two experiments examined various herbicide tankmixes applied to non-glyphosatetolerant soybeans. Soybean injury influenced by postemergence treatments of glyphosate and sulfosate alone and with chlorimuron-ethyl ranged from 0 to 5% four days after treatment (DAT) with the addition of chlorimuron-ethyl resulting in greater injury. Morningglory control 14 DAT ranged from 48 to 63% with sulfosate at 700 g ai/ha providing less control than glyphosate at 1120 g ai/ha. No treatment differences occurred 29 and 42 DAT. No statistical differences among treatments occurred among other weed species evaluated. Soybean injury influenced by postemergence treatments of glyphosate and sulfosate alone and with fomesafen and chloransulam-methyl 4 DAT ranged from 0 to 17% with the addition of fomesafen resulting in greater injury than the addition of chloransulam-methyl. Momingglory control 14 DAT ranged from 60 to 88% with glyphosate + imazethapyr at 840 + 71 g ai/ha providing the least control and sulfosate + fomesafen at 700 + 201 g ai/ha providing greater control. Soybean injury influenced by pre and postemergence treatments 7 DAT ranged from 0 to 30% in conventional soybeans. Applications of carfentrazone resulted in the greatest injury. Momingglory control 20 days after planting (DAP) ranged from 0 to 99% with chloransulam + sulfentrazone providing the highest control. Momingglory control 28 DAT ranged from 30 to 99% with s-metolachlor + metribuzin + acifluorfen + fenoxaprop-ethyl + fluazifop-P providing the least control. Common cocklebur control ranged from 13% to 97% 20 DAP with pendimethalin + imazethapyr providing the least control. Treatments containing aciflourfen + bentazon controlled common cocklebur > 80% 28 DAT. Soybean injury influenced by preemergence and postemergence treatments 7 DAT in conventional soybeans ranged from 0 to 33% with sulfentrazone + clomazone + chlorimuron-ethyl + carfentrazone resulting in the greatest injury. Momingglory control 7 DAT ranged from 0 to 99% with sulfentrazone + clomazone plus chlorimuron-ethyl + carfentrazone having the greatest control. Momingglory control 28 DAT ranged from 82 to 94% with no differences among treatment.

Field studies were established during the summer of 1999 at the Agricultural Research and Education Complex of Western Kentucky University to evaluate efficacy, phytotoxicity, and cover crop response of herbicide combinations in dark fire cured tobacco. A randomized complete block design was used with nine treatments replicated three times. Hydroponic tobacco transplants (c.v. 'TND950') were established on May 20,1999 in a conventionally tilled system on a Pembroke silt loam (Mollic Palleudalf) with a pH of 5.8 and an organic matter content of 1.2%. The transplants were established at a population of approximately 10,278 plants/ha. Herbicide treatments were applied on May 19, 1999 with a CO2 backpack sprayer. Sulfentrazone as Spartan 75DF was applied in all nine treatments at a rate of 0.47 kg pr/ha. Six of the nine treatments included various rates of clomazone as Command 3ME. Two of the nine treatments included napropamide as Devrinol 50DF. Visual evaluations of crop phytotoxicity due to herbicide application were recorded at 21 and 44 days after treatment (DAT). Weed control was evaluated at 21, 29, 44, and 58 DAT for the following species: Ipomoea hederacea L. (Ivyleaf morningglory), Amaranthus hybridus L. (smooth pigweed), and Eleusine indica L. (goosegrass). Crop injury and weed control evaluations were recorded on a 0-100% scale with 0 representing no injury and/or no control and 100 representing plant death. After crop removal, two types of tillage were performed to examine wheat injury effects due to tillage. One subplot was moldboard plowed and disked while the other subplot was disked. Following tillage operations, winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) was planted on October 30,1999 at a rate of 134.68 kg pr/ha. Visual wheat chlorosis evaluations of each subplot were recorded and based on a scale of 0-100%. Stand counts were taken in the subplots to examine stand loss due to treatment. Wheat aboveground biomass was harvested from each subplot to evaluate the relationship between wheat growth and herbicide rate. Sulfentrazone alone provided >66% control of Eleusine indica, >96% control of Ipomoea hederacea, and >88% of Amaranthus hybridus at all evaluation dates. When combined with 0.584 L pr/ha clomazone, sulfentrazone provided >82% control of all weed species 58 DAT. Sulfentrazone combined with > 1.17 L pr/ha clomazone provided > 86% Eleusine indica control, >60% Ipomoea hederacea control, and >84% Amaranthus hybridus control. Sulfentrazone combined with 1.12 kg pr/ha napropamide provided >71% control for all weed species at all evaluation dates. However, sulfentrazone plus 2.24 kg pr/ha napropamide provided only >55% control of species at all evaluation dates. Wheat chlorosis was affected by increased rates of clomazone combined with sulfentrazone at both 25 and 41 DAP (days after planting). Fresh weight also exhibited a trend of decreased mass as clomazone application rate increased. Addition of >1.75 L pr/ha clomazone decreased stand count at both evaluation dates, as compared to the sulfentrazone treatment. There were no differences in stand count between napropamide rates in either stand count evaluation. Wheat chlorosis 25 and 41 DAP was greater in plots that were not moldboard plowed. Areas moldboard plowed and disked exhibited less chlorosis, but tillage had no significant effect on wheat biomass or stand count.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a valuable source of edible food and organic nitrogen. Soybean cultivar development and cultural practices have been directed toward seed production rather than forage or green manure production. Recent environmental concerns have resulted in renewed interest in the use of organic matter in agriculture. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the effects of cultivar maturity differences and planting dates on biomass production of soybean. The research was conducted on the Western Kentucky University Farm in 1993. The experimental design was a split-split-plot with four replications. The three planting dates (June 2, June 16, and July 6) were main-plots, the three harvest dates were split-plots, and the five cultivars were split-split-plots. The cultivars and their maturity groupings and areas of adaptation are as follows: 'McCall' (00, Minnesota), 'A2506' (II, Iowa), 'FFR561' (V, Kentucky), 'Perrin' (VIII, South Carolina), and 'Laredo1 (undesignated maturity, forage cultivar). Each experimental unit was 45 m2. Seeds were inoculated and broadcast at the rate of 175 kg ha-1 and covered by disking. Average biomass production (oven dry basis) decreased progressively (2918, 2450, and 2088 kg ha-1) for the later planting dates. For the June 2 and June 16 planting dates, biomass yields increased for successive harvest dates; however, for the July 6 planting date, biomass yields did not differ for harvests 2 and 3. When cultivars were compared at the early bloom stage, later maturing cultivars produced more biomass. Laredo was consistently among the highest producers. There were significant interactions involving planting dates, harvest dates, and cultivars. Soybean stands and yields were reduced by inadequate seed covering, by insufficient soil moisture, especially the second planting, and by competition from johnsongrass and pigweed. However, these results indicate that soybean is a good source of green manure during the summer.

Companion crops are commomly seeded with alfalfa in the spring as an establishment method. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the performance of seedling Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in terms of yield when grown with spring oats (Avena sativa) as a companion crop and to evaluate the amount of weed control in the alfalfa companion crop seeding, under various management practices. Six establishment treatments were imposed: (1) solo-seeded alfalfa raised according to standard procedures recommended for Kentucky, (2) solo-seeded alfalfa with a herbicide treatment, (3) alfalfa seeded with an oat companion crop and treated with a herbicide, (4) alfalfa seeded with an oat companion crop with harvest at 10cm to 21cm of height, (5) alfalfa seeded with an oat companion crop, oats removed for haylage, and (6) alfalfa seeded with an oat companion crop, allowing the oats to produce seed before harvest. In the first seeding year (1992) the alfalfa and oat companion crop that was treated with a grass herbicide had siginificantly higher yields than the check or alfalfa and oat companion crop that was allowed to produce seed. In the second seeding year (1993) there were no significant differences among the establishment methods. The second year of the 1992 seeding experiment had unexpected results. The alfalfa and oat companion crop treated with a grass herbicide had greater yields compared to all other treatments except the alfalfa and haylage oat companion crop treatment. These results indicate that proper management of the companion crop system for highest yields and best performance of alfalfa has not been determined or established.

Field studies conducted over two growing seasons evaluated the effect of 2,4-D applied at 1.6 kg ai/ha to LCP 85-384 sugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrid) 7, 5, 3, and 1 wk before planting (WBP). Sugarcane was planted in mid-September using both whole stalk and billet (45 cm) seed pieces. When 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to planting, sugarcane shoot emergence and population averaged across planting methods was reduced 5, 7, and 28 wk after planting (WAP) when compared to the nontreated control. Sugarcane height in one of two years was reduced when 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to harvest of sugarcane for seed and sugarcane and sugar yield were reduced around 11% when compared with the nontreated control. For LCP 85-384 a 7 wk period should be allowed between 2,4-D application and harvest for seed when planted using whole stalks or billets. In field studies complete control of red morningglory (Ipomoea coccinea L.) 30 and 60 cm in height was obtained 14 or 21 days after treatment (DAT) over two years with 2,4-D at 0.53 kg/ha, 2,4-D at 0.4 kg/ha or more plus dicamba, atrazine at 2.23 kg ai/ha, flumioxazin at 0.10 kg ai/ha, sulfentrazone at 0.35 kg ai/ha, and V10064 at 1.75 kg ai/ha. Red morningglory 1.8 m tall was controlled 100% 28 DAT the first year with 2,4-D at 1.06 kg/ha and 78% the second year. In the second year when herbicides were applied three weeks earlier than the previous year and when weed growth was more vigorous, the 2,4-D plus the 2,4-D and dicamba premix at 0.79 + 0.1 / 0.04 kg/ha provided control greater than that of 2,4-D alone at 1.06 kg/ha, but was the only treatment that included dicamba to control red morningglory equal to that of 2,4-D at 1.59 kg/ha (87%). Directed applications to the lower 45 cm of 1.8 m red morningglory plants with atrazine at 4.47 kg/ha, sulfentrazone at 0.35 kg/ha, and V10064 at 1.75 kg/ha the first year controlled weeds at least 96%, but control was 23 to 30 percentage points less the second year.