Paul Reed Hepperly

Paul Reed Hepperly
University of Puerto Rico System | UPRM · Research

Doctor of Plant Pathology MS Crop Science BS Psychology

About

111
Publications
305,224
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3,751
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Additional affiliations
January 1980 - September 1985
University of Puerto Rico System
Position
  • Assistant Associate Professor of Crop Protection
Description
  • Lead courses in Phytopathogenic Fungi, Disease Diagnosis and Control, Graduate Seminar and supervised Graduate Research Programs.
September 2002 - December 2009
Rodale Institute
Position
  • Managing Director
Education
April 1975 - November 1979
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Field of study
  • Plant Pathology

Publications

Publications (111)
Article
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The nutrient concentration of fruits and vegetables in the U.S.A. has declined in the past 50–70 years. Crop management practices utilizing on-farm inputs are thought to increase crop nutritional quality, but few studies have evaluated this under long-term side-by-side trials. An experiment was conducted from 2004 to 2005 at Rodale Institute’s long...
Preprint
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Figure 1. Above shows the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia diversifolia Helms A. Gray. This composite family plant features a high biomass yield producing impressive contents of major (NPK), secondary (Ca, Mg, S) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, B Mo). Besides being an impressive source of cover crop, crop rotation and mulch, it is shown to be effective...
Preprint
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Article
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Using the cellulose pad and potato dextrose agar (PDA) assays, twenty three fungi were found on pigeonpea seed in Puerto Rico. In the PDA assay, Botryodiplodia theobromae was the most common (29%). On cellulose pads, the same fungus was not very common (7%). PDA assay favored increased detection of Alternaria tenuissima, Phomopsis sp., and total fu...
Presentation
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Earth worm are critical to our soil and its fertility. The moldboard plow is a key antagonist to earth worm activity but even in no till environment compaction and chemicals can be key issues. The ability to increase worms can be improved by weaning the agriculture system from cultivation and chemicals. Planting vegetation and rearing animals which...
Article
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Mycorrhizal fungi play a critical function in holding soil together. When soil is covered mycorrhizal fungi can form a network which causes the soil to grow in its life giving activity rather than shrink through erosion. Farming methods can conserve and increase mycorrizal activities and simple on farm systems can be utilized to assure plants have...
Article
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Tissue analysis in several sites throughout the ginger production zone of the Big Island of Hawaii showed that boron as a micronutrient and calcium as a secondary nutrient are largely deficient. The symptoms of the deficiency are dieback of rhizome sprout primordia tips. The necrosis of the primordial tips are potential foci for microbes which can...
Research
Full-text available
Describes a system to produce ginger free from bacterial wilt and other diseases.
Book
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Organic agriculture is reviewed as a power mechanism to address both greenhouse gas issues and alleviating poverty and health issues concentrating on developing nations in Asia. The book was large supported through the Asian Development Bank.
Presentation
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Although boron is a tiny element needed in micro quantities it plays large roles in plant and animal physiology. Plants need boron for the integrity of the cell walls and membranes. The symptoms of its lack result in cell leakage and death causing hollow heart and tip die back. This leads to a loss of apical dominance and witch broom symptoms. Anim...
Article
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Reviews the comparative uses and benefits of earthworm casting amendments compared to large pile turned composts.
Article
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Article details the value of earthworms as an agriculture amendment.
Article
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are potentially important tools in agricultural systems that reduce or eliminate chemical inputs common in modern agriculture. We tested the response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Superior) to inoculation with AM fungi in a field with very high available P (375 μg g-1 soil) in two growing seasons. Inoculation...
Article
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From 1993 to 2001, a maize-vegetable-wheat rotation was compared using either 1) composts, 2) manure, or 3) synthetic fertilizer for nitrogen nutrient input. From 1993 to 1998, red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) were used as an annual winter legume cover crop prior to maize production. From 1999 to 2001,...
Article
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On-farm production of arbuscular mycorrhizal [AM] fungus inoculum can be employed to make the benefits of the symbiosis more available to vegetable farmers. Experiments were conducted to modify an existing method for the production of inoculum in temperate climates to make it more readily adoptable by farmers. Perlite, vermiculite, and peat based p...
Article
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Ryan MR, Mortensen DA, Bastiaans L, Teasdale JR, Mirsky SB, Curran WS, Seidel R, Wilson DO & Hepperly PR (2010). Elucidating the apparent maize tolerance to weed competition in long-term organically managed systems. Weed Research50, 25–36. In a long-term cropping systems trial comparing organically and conventionally managed systems, organic maize...
Article
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Various organic technologies have been utilized for about 6000 years to make agriculture sustainable while conserving soil, water, energy, and biological resources. Among the benefits of organic technologies are higher soil organic matter and nitrogen, lower fossil energy inputs, yields similar to those of conventional systems, and conservation of...
Technical Report
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Organic agriculture has proven ability to both cut the Carbon footprint related to energy intensity of the production practices and to increase Carbon and Nitrogen sequestration by building soils through organic rotations and amendments.
Article
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This psoter presents information on the following - The concept of organic farming in the context of climate change - Carbon sequestration on organic farms - Consequences of an area-wide conversion to organic agriculture
Article
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Is low greenhouse gas emission (GHG) agriculture possible? Is it, in fact, desirable? In seeking answers to these two basic but extremely relevant questions, this study examines current farming practices, and incorporates scientific databases from longterm field experiments as case studies for low GHG agriculture. Further, the study examines the ch...
Article
Full-text available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal [AM] fungi are potentially important tools in sustainable agriculture due to their roles in crop nutrient uptake, disease resistance, and water relations and in stabilizing soil aggregates. Inocula of these fungi can be effectively produced on-farm in mixtures of compost and vermiculite with a suitable plant host, such as bah...
Conference Paper
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No till technology can be combined in organic production systems successfully as results from Rodale Institute has demonstrated during over a decade of developmental work in the area. The overcoming of weed issues depends on heavy cover crops and timing the termination to allow non chemical crimping to produce an effective mulch. The methodology re...
Conference Paper
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The Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial® has shown organic wheat/maize/soybean cropping systems with cover crops sequestered ~1,000 kg C/ha/yr, (range 667 to 1,381). This C sequestration rate exceeds that reported for conventional no-till ~300 kg C/ha/yr (range 90 to 620). Conventional maize/soybean crop system with no cover crops did not signif...
Article
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Organic agriculture can include the use cover crops, rotations, and organic amendments. The modifications of crop cover roller and no till planter provide an ability to organically plant maize and soybean which has been successfully demonstrated and developed at the Rodale Institute. The continuing adaptation of no till methods with tried and true...
Article
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Organic Regenerative Agriculture an have beneficial impacts in multiple ways. By relying on the use rotation cover crops and organic amendments the carbon footprint of monoculture grain farming is reduced by half or slightly more. Secondly the same practices lead to substantial ability to increase soil carbon and nitrogen. This mechanism of carbon...
Article
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The use of clay, gypsum and humates is effective in stabilizing organic matter by facilitating the organo mineral complex. In this advance, the losses of Nitrogen and Phosphates are reduced and the issues with bad odors and lost fluids are largely eliminated. The use of the amendments conclusively eliminated E. coli which otherwise was a potential...
Presentation
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The Impact of Agriculture and Food Systems on Greenhouse Gas, Energy Use, Economics and the Environment biological based farming is completely competitive and improves the base soil resources when practiced optimally.
Presentation
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Review of the ability of organic agriculture as practiced in the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial to address the greenhouse gas footprint of production agriculture and its ability to sequester significant amounts of atmospheric greenhouse gas in the form of organic matter.
Article
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The Rodale Institute Farming System Trial shows a legume based crop rotation alone or with compost amendment can significantly increase soil carbon and nitrogen levels compared to a conventional maize and soybean crop rotation. The increase in soil organic matter allows the system to better withstand drought years. In addition the biologically base...
Conference Paper
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We outline the growing influence of women in organic agriculture. We also look to gender differences and how these can be influenced by the agrichemical and chemical environment. Women seem more attuned to nutritional and purity needs which may account for burgeoning interest in organic agriculture. Many agricultural chemical alter the gender expre...
Article
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Induction of tetraploidy in commercial tanier was successfully achieved in vitro. Tissue cultures of a tanier [Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott cv. ‘In-glesa’, 2n 26] were established and maintained on modified nutrient media containing various concentrations of MURASHIGE and SKOOG basal salts, vitamins, sucrose, BA and IAA or 2,4-D. Cultures w...
Article
Full-text available
Various organic technologies have been utilized for about 6000 years to make agriculture sustainable while conserving soil, water, energy, and biological resources. Among the benefits of organic technologies are higher soil organic matter and nitrogen, lower fossil energy inputs, yields similar to those of conventional systems, and conservation of...
Article
In 2003, The Rodale Institute (TRI) in Kutztown, Pennsylvania initiated a project to evaluate the use of compost tea in agricultural production systems. Field trials in 2003 and 2004 measured application effects on potato, grape, and pumpkin crops. Results indicate that further scientific research is needed to improve understanding of biological cr...
Article
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Edible ginger is a popular spice crop that is grown in Hawaii primarily for the fresh market, and as such, rhizome quality is of paramount importance. In our studies, a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium was consistently isolated from decayed as well as symptomless ginger rhizomes. The bacterium was identified as Enterobacte...
Book
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Summarizes information on agricultural systems and practices influence water quality based on review of Rodale Institute lysimeter analysis over 33,000 data points over more than 2 decades of periodic observation including the capture quantity of water from the intact soil lysimeters, capture of nutrients such as nitrate Nitrogen and o Phosphate an...
Article
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ABSTRACT The genetic diversity of Ralstonia solanacearum strains isolated from ginger (Zingiber officinale) growing on the island of Hawaii was determined by analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). Initially 28 strains of R. solanacearum collected from five host plant species worldwide were analyzed by AFLP. A second analysis w...
Article
In 1990–91, 96% of the test plants in a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) winter nursery in Puerto Rico was lost toSclerotium rolfsii. Small necrotic lesions (1–3 mm long) developed at the base of the stem, followed by wilting and general chlorosis as the lesions progressed and eventually girdled the base of the stem. Sclerotia then developed on the plan...
Article
Ashy stem blight (ASB), caused byMacrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid., is a common severe disease affectingPhaseolus vulgaris in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The effect of inoculating seeds ofP. vulgaris withBurkholderia cepacia strain UPR 5C on the severity of ASB was studied under greenhouse conditions. Results of this study showed th...
Article
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Twelve cvs. of Papaya were evaluated for yield and tolerance to drought, high soil pH and disease incidence under a non-pesticide low-input system. Superior yields were obtained from Barbados Solo (BDX 584-1) - 67.1 Kg/tree (tr) and 987 g/fruit (fr), Guanica (GU 2-1) - 60.7 Kg/tr and 888 g/fr, PR 6-65 × Cariflora (CF) - 46.6 Kg/tr and 700 g/fr, and...
Chapter
Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) and velvet bean (Mucuna deeringiana Bort. Merr.) are large seeded tropical legumes of Indian and southeast Asian origin, respectively (Duke, 1981). Pigeon pea was introduced into the Caribbean by African slaves and fresh pigeon peas are a popular vegetable. They are stewed and served with rice or tuber crops. V...
Article
Natural flowering and seed set in tanier (Xanthosoma spp.) is rare and limits improvement of the crop through hybridization. A study was conducted to induce uniform flowering with gibberelic acid (GA) in several species of Xanthosoma and to manually pollinate flowers to obtain true botanical seeds. Pollen and seed viability was also studied. Unifor...
Article
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Scion dieback was associated with Lasiodiplodia and Fusarium spp. and the predisposing effect of iron chlorosis. Both benomyl fungicide and iron treatment would control about one half of the dieback the use of both benomyl and iron treatment were synergistic controlling over 90% of the issues.
Article
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Seed germination of maize was less in Lajas than in Isabela. Lajas had significantly more seed mold and corn ear worm damage. Inoculation with Fusarium monilforme increased pink mold infection. At a higher incidence of pink mold fungus the infestation of ear worm was reduced significantly. Application of benomyl on maize seed controlled the bulk of...
Chapter
Rivera-Vargas, L. I., and Hepperly, P. R., 1986. Assessment of Chinese Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) fungal competitors on sugarcane bagasse The horticultural potential of native Volvariella volvacea (Basidiomycotina: Agaricales), the Chinese Straw Mushroom, was assessed on sugarcane bagasse. Manipulation of the substrate and growing enviro...
Article
Mignucci, J. S., Torres-López, R. and Hepperly, P. R., 1986. Conceptualization and development of an efficient tropical mushroom house. Specifications based on our research results were developed for a demonstration and research facilities for the production of tropical mushrooms. The architect and engineers of the University of Puerto Rico develop...
Article
Torres-López, R. I. and Hepperly, P. R. 1986. Nutritional influences on Volvariella volvacea growth in Puerto Rico. II: Vitamins, Oils and pH. After determination of starch and casein in a 60:1 carbon: nitrogen (C: N) ratio stimulated vigorous growth of Volvariella volvacea, other supplements were tested. In a cornstarch/casein basic salts medium w...
Article
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Twelve genera and species of fungi were identified from surface disinfected [0.5% Ca(OCl)2 for 4 min.] mushroom pileus tissue. Overall fungi, Rhizopus sp. (30%) and Monilia sitophila (asexual stage of Neurospora sitophila Shear et Dodge) (10%) were the most frequently recovered species. Aspergillus flavus Link ex Fries, A. fumigatus Fries., M. sito...
Article
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Laboratory and production bed observations reveal that the major fungal competitors of the Chinese straw mushroom growing on sugarcane bagasse are Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., Corticium sp., Coprinus sp., Aspergillus flavus Link ex Fries and Chaetomium globosum Kunze ex Steud. Because of their perceived importance, these five fungi were selected for c...
Article
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Tomato entries reported as early blight resistant were collected and evaluated under severe early blight infection in the warm rainy summer months of 1982-1985 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico to identify sources with useful resistance in Puerto Rico. Of the common tomato lines, 84B 510-4 was the closest in resistance to the best wild tomato species, which...
Article
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ABSTRACT Fungicide applied directly to developing panicles of the sorghum cultivar TAM 428 and Pioneer 846 substantially reduced seed quality losses caused by fungal infections at harvest at physiological maturity (pm) and in delayed harvests under warm humid tropical conditions in Puerto Rico. With four sprays of benomyl plus captan, germination l...
Article
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Hansfordia sp. was found parasitizing papaya black rust and tomato leaf mold in the field in Puerto Rico and on Cladosporium cladosporioides in the laboratory. The fungus was first detected on the margins of lesions spreading towards the lesions' centers. Black rust and leaf mold colonies became completely covered and decolorized by the hyperparasi...
Article
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Over 90% of all Fusarium isolates from 'Davis' soybeans in Corozal and lsabela, Puerto Rico, were identified as F. semitectum; 3 and 2% were identified as F. oxysporum and F. solani, respectively; and less than 1% each were identified as F. rigidusculum and F. episphaeria var. dimerum. F. semitectum comprised 32.6 and 24.8% of all fungal isolates f...
Article
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Kaki and 28-Bushy pigeon peas were grown in the southern plains of Puerto Rico, in four spatial arrangements with six intervals of weed competition during two growing seasons to determine the influence of weed competition on crop growth, development and yield. In both growing seasons, Cleome gynandra, Amaranthus dubius, Echinochloa colona, Leptochl...
Article
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In laboratory and field tests, pigeon pea leaf litter was associated with root tip necrosis, stunting, and reduced germination in seeds of soybeans, lablab beans, pigeon peas, and local weeds. Leaf litter harbored, and was substrate for, species of the fungal genera Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia, which are often associated with similar symptom...
Article
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Fusarium (mainly F. moniliforme [Gibberella fujikuroi]), Curvularia (mainly C. lunata [Cochliobolus lunatus]) and Alternaria sp. were the most commonly isolated fungi from Capitan sorghum seeds produced under humid tropical conditions in Mayaguez. Seedborne incidence of G. fujikuroi and C. lunatus was negatively correlated with seed germination and...
Article
The frequency and severity of infections of Phomopsis sojae (Leh.), pod and stem blight fungus, were inversely related to pod height on soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plants for the cultivars ‘Chippewa 64’ ‘Hark’, and ‘Wells’. Phomopsis sojae seed damage was primarily found in the bottom third of plants and distribution of damaged seed was heavi...
Article
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Concern about global warming has created interest in sequestering carbon in the soil to mitigate increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases. Work at Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial indicates significant potential for carbon sequestration in organically farmed soils. The Farming Sys-tems Trial was initiated in 1981 to develop organic farming...
Article
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A bacterial wilt is the factor most limiting yields of culinary ginger in Hawaii. A system developed to produce ginger in an artificial medium in greenhouse culture is described.
Article
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During the summer of 1986, experiments were conducted under semiarid conditions in Southwestern Puerto Rico to evaluate yield losses in grain sorghum inbred lines (TAM42B and SC307, moderately resistant and susceptible to rust, respectively) and forage sorghum hybrids (Haygrazer and FS25A, moderately and very susceptible to rust, respectively). A s...
Article
Preplant fungicide baths were tested on yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir cv. Habanero) seed pieces (114-g sections) from sound tubers to determine their effect on emergence and yield of yams. Field plots were free of damaging populations of parasitic nematodes and had not been previously planted with yams. Yam seed pieces treated with captan or captan...
Article
A survey revealed that Anthracnosis (Glomerella cingulata asex. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) was the principal aboveground disease of field coffee in Puerto Rico. Isolates of C. gloeosporioides from both diseased soybeans and coffee caused typical branch necrosis in coffee after in vitro inoculation. Noninoculated checks showed no symptoms of br...
Article
Commercial pigeon pea lines and advanced lines from the UPR College of Agriculture Pigeon Pea Breeding Program were evaluated under rainfed conditions in Coamo, Puerto Rico, in 1981-82 and 1982-83. In the first growing season, yields were high (up to 8,420 kg of pods and seeds/ha) and comparable to high yields recorded at University Experiment Stat...
Article
Leaf blight [Setosphaeria turcica (Luttrell) Leonard & Suggs] limits sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] under sub-humid climates with moderate temperature. Under a severe leaf blight epidemic, 152 sorghum conversion lines were screened for resistance in Isabela, Puerto Rico, in 1985. Among all entries, a mean of 2.4 lesions per leaf was found....
Article
In experimental plantings in Corozal, Puerto Rico, anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) was first observed on susceptible Dioscorea alata cv. Florida yams in June 1982 and again in July 1983. By October of both years, incidence had reached 100% with foliar necrosis exceeding 60%. High negative correlations (r = -0.93**) were found between s...
Article
The harvest of immature seeds was investigated as a means of enhancing rapid generation advance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] breeding programs. One objective of the study was to determine field emergence of immature seeds harvested from genotypes adapted to temperate climates when grown in tropical environments. A second objective was to com...
Article
A NEW BLIGHT OF PIGEON PEA IN PUERTO RICO
Article
Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the growth of a Puerto Rican strain of the straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea on diverse carbon and nitrogen sources at variable carbon/nitrogen (c:n) ratios. Of the carbon sources (cornstarch, cellulose, maltose and lactose), cornstarch and cellulose supported the most vigorous growth. No growth was ob...
Article
Six populations of hard endosperm opaque maize were evaluated with 2 local normal maize populations at Lajas and Isabela, Puerto Rico, from March to May 1983. Corn entries were either i) inoculated with pink mold at 7 to 10 days after anthesis, ii) sprayed with benomyl at the same date and 14 days thereafter, or iii) not treated. Insect damage, cau...
Article
Two forage sorghum hybrids ( ATx 623 X GL and FS25A) were grown from April 1985 to February 1987 at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Puerto Rico at Lajas, Puerto Rico to determine the influence of maturity stage increases of 10 days (from the 45th to the 85th day) and how the presence and severity of foliar diseases affect t...
Article
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Low germination and high levels of fungal infections were found in seed of June plantings of dry beans in Honduras, Fusarium equiseti (12-62% incidence) was the dominant internally seedborne fungus of that season. October plantings showed fewer (P = 0.05) seed infections and less discoloration. Fusarium semitectum (7 to 21%) was the dominant seed m...
Article
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Nine soybean cultivars (Buffalo, Cobb, Davis, Hardee Late Selection, IAC- 2, Improved Pelican, Jupiter, Orba, and Ransom) were planted at 11 dates from February 15, 1979 to October 1, 1979. At harvest maturity, the purple stained seeds from each of two 100-seed samples from each cultivar at each planting were counted. Variation in the incidence of...
Article
Cultivars 'BSR 101' (Maturity Group II) and 'Cumberland' (Maturity Group III) of soybean were planted in three environments in Puerto Rico in 1981 and 1982 for a study of whether the damage caused by pests is lessened by seeds being harvested at different stages of development in tropical field conditions. Harvest of seeds began 24 days after flowe...

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