Each year the University of Arizona conducts upland cotton variety tests to evaluate the performance of a diverse set of experimental and commercial varieties in Arizona. One such program is the Regional Variety Test (RVT). In 2000, we evaluated a total of 61 varieties at one or more locations in Arizona. These varieties were submitted to us for testing by 13 private seed companies and three public breeding programs. This report presents the results of the trials conducted at Maricopa, Marana, Safford and Yuma.

Twelve varieties were tested including three New Mexico Acalas and one Acala from Buttonwillow Research in California, three roundup ready varieties, a buctril resistant variety, a Bollgard variety and three other varieties. The highest yielding variety in the trial was FM 989 with a yield of 1046 pounds of lint per acre. It was also the highest yielding variety in the Cochise County trial the past two years, but had not been grown in Hidalgo or Greenlee Counties before. BW 9802, a variety from Buttonwillow Research in California, came in a close second. Interesting HVI data are also included in this report.

Peatlands are unique habitats that have absorbed large amounts of carbon dioxide and locked it away as carbon buried in peat for millennia. In the UK, blanket peatlands form one of the largest terrestrial stores of carbon (Milne and Brown, 1997). Recent research suggests that the carbon sequestering potential and carbon stores of UK blanket peatlands are at risk from changes in land use practices and climate. Although, to date, little research has considered blanket peatland at a landscape scale and a comprehensive understanding of land use and degradation impact upon carbon sequestration has not been gained. This thesis presents a study of Dartmoor, a blanket peatland in south west England vulnerable to climate change (Clark et al, 2010). A landscape scale carbon inventory, using a methodology designed for blanket peatlands is presented. Nearly 1000 peat depths and 30 cores were taken using stratified sampling across Dartmoor’s landscape. Functional relationships between peat depth, bulk density and carbon content and topographic parameters were found. In arc GIS 9.3 these were used to model landscape scale carbon, this estimates that Dartmoor contained 9.7 (-2.91 + 2.97) Mt of carbon, a value similar to that of the national inventory (Bradley et al, 2005). The thesis then considers the impact of drainage and degradation on carbon accumulation. Fifteen cores were dated from a drained, degraded site with a history of burning and control site using Spheroidal Carbonaceous Particles (SCPs) and radionuclide techniques. Previous studies have raised concern surrounding accuracy dating recent peats. Results indicate that although dating was largely successful, some discrepancies existed related to poor calibration of SCPs and mobility of radionuclides. To avoid error in dating, it was concluded that multiple dates should be used per core. With consideration of this, carbon accumulation was found to be active but significantly lower in the degraded site and unchanged in the drained site. Further analysis suggested that this outcome may vary with changing management and topographic situations. Future carbon accumulation at a landscape scale was calculated under different scenarios. This found degradation could potentially reduce carbon sequestration on Dartmoor by up to 32%. Economic valuation of accumulation values was used to demonstrate how this data could be used to inform management. This thesis provides an insight into the carbon storage and threats to Dartmoor, an under investigated, yet threatened blanket peatland environment. This helps broaden the spatial

Many onshore windfarms in Scotland are being built on peatlands. As a consequence, the impacts of development activities on the peatland and downstream environments are an important emerging issue. For example, a reduction of the quantity of carbon (C) stored in the peatland and increased phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in streams may cause changes in the peatland carbon sink strength and aquatic carbon emissions, and exceedance of EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) P threshold values, respectively. To further assess the impacts from peatland-based windfarm development, the following four research questions were posed: 1. Which specific development activities have the greatest impact on concentrations of C, N and P in streams? How long does it take for C, N and P concentrations to return to baseline conditions? 2. Which specific windfarm development activities caused the greatest aquatic export of carbon and nutrients? 3. What are the controls on concentration and export of aquatic C, N and P in streams draining peatland developments? 4. How effective are site-derived adsorbent materials and an iron ochre at preventing phosphorus from entering upland streams on peatland? Presented in this thesis, are the results from 3-weekly spatial streamwater sampling of 18 sub-catchments (ranging 0.03 - 12 km2) – from October 2011 to March 2013 – which covers the majority of the peatland-based development and one year beyond, of the Whitelee windfarm Phase 2 extension 16 km south of Glasgow, Scotland. Dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC/POC), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total oxidised nitrogen (TON) concentrations were measured and exports were calculated from stream gauging. The spatial catchment controls on stream water chemistry were investigated through a multiple linear regression analysis. Fraction of sub-catchment area that was subject to forest felling was found to be significantly positively correlated with concentrations and exports of DOC, POC, SRP and TON; with TON specifically by felling that had occurred more than one year previously. Density of tracks / cable trenches / turbines, and fraction non-forested area in general exerted a negative control on exports. Evidence of SRP attenuation processes in addition to dilution were found in some streams. While neither river sediment nor track or cable trench gravels were very effective at removing SRP, from the results of batch adsorption experiments, a sample of mineral subsoil was. SRP was attenuated in areas where there was a greater proportion of peaty gleys, in the riparian zone along the main stream, and the outcome of the batch adsorption experiments points to attenuation of SRP onto mineral subsoils, where present. Comparing long-term (seven year) time series of the original Whitelee windfarm directly north of the site, with the extension site (this study) it was possible to estimate the time required for recovery to pre-development concentrations. Mean annual [DOC] increased to 31.4 mg l-1 during development of the extension site. While it took five years for the DOC to recover at the original site, in the year following development at the extension site, mean annual [DOC] was still above the baseline. Mean annual [POC] increased to a maximum of 2.6 mg l-1 during development of the extension site, and as with the original site it returned to the baseline the year following development. The mean annual [SRP] increased to a maximum of 50.5 μg l-1 during development, leading to a reduction in water quality from ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ based on comparison with Environmental Quality Standards (EQS). It took four years for the SRP to recover at the original site, and mean annual [SRP] was still above baseline at the extension site in the year following development. The streamwater C, N and P has not been measured as close to, and for such a range of, windfarm development activities. This research has demonstrated links between windfarm development, forest felling in particular, and increased concentrations and exports of DOC, POC, SRP and TON in streams. While the increases were localised within the site itself, investigation of attenuation processes point to peaty gley soils along the main stream, and tracks, cable trenches and turbines – and their associated settling lagoons and silt fences – as potentially mitigating the increased dissolved carbon and nutrients. Outcomes of this research are suggested improvements to the guidance for developing peatlands, especially with regards to monitoring streamwater carbon for a sufficient period post-development, and for the removal of brash on peat soils. Further research could investigate the use of adsorption materials to mitigate phosphorus mobilisation from brash sources to streams, over a time scale of at least two years at the field scale. Laboratory-based environmental fate studies of the increased streamwater carbon could investigate the rates of CO2 efflux with time and with varying concentrations of nutrients, which would help to improve the Scottish Government's carbon calculator estimates of carbon loss from peatland-based windfarm development.

Proof that public hunting on private lands is a growing Utah problem is, perhaps, most easily found by driving down any country lane. “No Trespassing" signs come one to a fence post or so it must seem to the pheasant hunter. His quarry is the most popular of Utah's farm game species and, unfortunately, the most popular subject of farmer-sportsmen disputes. Reasoning that short seasons reduce hunter nuisances and property damage, landowners have long advocated three to five day pheasant seasons. And because of this and a former game department concern about overshooting the birds (Utah Fish and Game Commission, 1941) Utah has had traditionally short pheasant hunting seasons. When biologists found it practically impossible to overshoot pheasants with rooster-only hunts (Allen, 1947 , 1956) Utah's game technicians and some sportsmen began advocating longer hunts. The longer seasons they felt, would increase the harvest of cocks and the public's recreational opportunity. Farmers have not been receptive to increased public recreation on their farms and have resisted pheasant hunts that are longer than, if as long as the standard three days. Some landowner groups have even rejected the three-day seasons and set their own, shorter seasons. Other upland game birds (partridges, quail and mourning doves) frequent private lands, and while they are not as popular with hunters as pheasants are, they figure in hunting-season problems. This has been particularly true of mourning doves. Attempts were made during the 1957 session of the Utah State Legislature to prohibit mourning dove hunting (Stokes I 1957). Advocates of this legislation felt that dove seasons led to property damage and nuisance and also encouraged pheasant poaching. The concern with these, as well as other problems stemming from upland bird hunting on private lands, revealed a need for more detailed information about the se problems. Therefore, a survey of farmers was initiated which had these specific objectives: 1. Determine the amount of upland bird habitat open to public hunting. 2. Learn the reasons why landowners close their property to public hunting. 3 Establish the number of landowners suffering from hunter caused nuisance and damage and the cost of such damage. 4 Find what, if any, method of hunter control held property damage and nuisance to farmers at an acceptable minimum. A review of the literature on farmer-sportsman relations reveals that few states have tried to study their problems carefully before attempting to solve them. The review also disclosed that much of what has been done is so specialized or based upon such limited information that it cannot honestly be compared to problems in other states or even to other areas in the same state. At the outset, I should mention that certain aspects of this criticism will apply to attempts to use this survey as a blanket generalization for the entire State.

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 115). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 115). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.E.S.)--The Evergreen State College, 2008. / Title from title screen (viewed 2/25/2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).

No description available.