Category: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Resource Category Topic Type
Alternative forages for seasonal slumps
Learn about summer slumps in farming, when forage is scarce. NH Agricultural Experiment Station scientists explore alternative crops for livestock during these periods.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Natural Resources and the Environment, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Climate Science, Farm Management, Resilient Agriculture Resource
Aquaculture research at COLSA
Aquaculture researchers at the UNH College of Life Sciences & Agriculture are investigating new and innovative methods of sustainable fishing, reducing prevalence of aquatic animal disease, and leveraging the many ecosystem services that marine life can provide.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Biological Sciences, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Ecosystem Services, Sustainable Aquaculture Resource
Associations between dietary fatty acid patterns and cognitive function in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
In a study involving over 8,900 Hispanic/Latino adults, UNH researchers found that greater consumption of short and medium chain saturated fatty acids—primarily from milk and cheese products—was associated with better overall cognitive function.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Funded Proposals, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Food Nutrition Resource
Breeding edible and ornamental strawberries for New England
With over 700,000 pounds produced and $2.3 million in farm sales, strawberries are an important crop for New Hampshire farmers. But improving the cultivated strawberry through breeding is particularly challenging. The cultivated strawberries has four times as many chromosome sets as humans, animals and most other crops, which significantly increases its genomic complexity. Research to untangle the plant's genetic structure will enable scientists to more quickly and effectively develop cultivated strawberry varieties that help New England farmers be more resilient and successful.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Genetics and Genomics, Resilient Agriculture, Specialty Crops Resource
Crop rotational complexity affects plant-soil nitrogen cycling during water deficit
When it comes to crop rotations, complexity is key to boosting levels of nitrogen—a soil nutrient that is critical to crop production. That's according to new research involving NHAES Station scientist and professor of natural resources and the environment Stuart Grandy.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Natural Resources and the Environment, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Climate Science, Farm Management, Molecular Biology, Soil Management Resource
Developing a mobile sensor for rapid measurements of soil carbon/nitrogen levels
Advanced soil health monitoring: NHAES CREATE project innovates on-the-go sensor for real-time data, aiding sustainable agriculture decisions.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station CREATE Project, Soil Management, Water Management Resource
Dietary patterns differ with video game usage in college men
Results from a new study by researchers at UNH suggest that college men who play video games tend to exercise less and have poorer eating habits compared to non-gamers.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Funded Proposals Food Nutrition Resource
Disease threats and biofungicide efficacy in soilless substrates
In greenhouse production, plants are not typically grown in soil but in soilless growth substrates. For decades, peat moss has been the primary substrate for container-grown ornamentals and for some vegetable crops. However, substrate suppliers have faced unprecedented demand, which has led to product shortages and an inability to fulfill orders. Substrate manufacturers have identified wood byproducts to be some of the most promising alternative sources of raw materials to use in substrate formulations. This research considers how wood substrate components affect the severity of soil-borne diseases in greenhouse horticultural crop production.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Insect, Pest, Weed, and Disease Management, Soil Management Resource
Effect of selisseo on selenium in milk and in blood for mid- and late-lactation holstein cows
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral that, if deficient in soil, will be deficient in diets fed to dairy cows. Adequate Se is important for animal health to support immune functions and efficiently fight oxidative stress and pathogens. Standard farm practice is to supplement Se in the diet either in mineral form (sodium selenite) or organic forms. This study compared the bio-efficacy of two organic Se sources in mid-lactating dairy cows based on the Se transfer into plasma and milk.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Effect of sodium butyrate, monensin, and butyric acid on Eimeria bovis sporozoites
COLSA scientists Pete Erickson and Tom Foxall led research that found evidence that the compound sodium butyrate—a nutrient that people obtain by consuming beans, peas and other legumes, but that can also be added to animal feed—could be used as a coccidiosis preventative in cattle. Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease that affects livestock around the world.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Biological Sciences, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Effects of feed type on dairy production in New England
Studies indicate dairy cows thrive on legume silages, producing higher milk yields. Further research on legume-grass blends is vital for boosting milk quality and making regional New England dairies more competitive.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Effects of incremental amounts of red seaweed on milk production, composition and methane emissions
Enteric fermentation (fermentation taking place in the digestive system of animals) by ruminants is the largest source of methane emissions in the US (approximately 25% of total methane emissions). Recently, algae-based feeds have gained attention because they may be able to not only suppress methane emissions, but also to improve animal feed efficiency. Our objective was to evaluate how incremental increases of the seaweed Chondrus crispus affects milk and methane production in organic dairy cows.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Factors helping milk production in organic, grass-fed dairy farms
Explore recent research on organic grass-fed dairy management practices for higher milk production by UNH scientist Andre Brito, published in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Feeding nicotinic acid: Effects on pre-partum cow health, colostrum and calf performance
Colostrum is essential for calf health from the increase in protein content (antibodies and growth factors). However, about 60% of the colostrum produced in the United States fails to meet quality standards. Since nicotinic acid increases blood flow and potentially rumen bacteria growth, adding this to the diet of dry cows could enhance the quality of colostrum for calves. This research examines that hypothesis.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Feeding sodium butyrate to post-weaned replacement heifers
Raising replacement heifers is one of the largest expenses on the farm. Thus, it is important to closely manage young-stock with adequate nutrition to ensure those animals reach developmental maturity. Performance can be affected through diet manipulation, such as changing the volatile fatty acid proportions in the rumen. Scientists found that sodium butyrate is an adequate replacement for monensin in the diets of post-weaned heifers for both growth and reduction in coccidiosis. Sodium butyrate could potentially be fed from birth to first calving for increased nutrient use, growth and improved health.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
Feeding wet brewers' grain to heifers
It has been a common practice to feed wet brewers' grains to dairy cows, but no data were available indicating how to feed it to post-weaned heifers. Wet brewers' grains have a propensity to spoil. This research determined how preservation can be increased and whether there are positive or negative effects on performance as compared to heifers fed a conventional diet.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Dairy Science, Farm Management Resource
From native plants to new crops: De novo plant domestication in New England
Northern New England weeds could be domesticated and enriched with traits making them suitable for cultivation, like more compact sizes and larger seeds that remain on the plant during maturity, through an accelerated breeding process known as de novo domestication. Researchers found that three traits (plant height, degree of branching and time of initial flowering) all correlated.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Genetics and Genomics, Resilient Agriculture, Specialty Crops Resource
Genomic resources to guide improvement of the shea tree
An international team of researchers led by UNH has sequenced the shea tree’s genome, providing a valuable resource for the strategic development of the species and contributing to its preservation.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Funded Proposals, Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Forest Management, Specialty Crops Resource
Growing figs in cold climates
Figs can be grown commercially in mild climates, but gardeners in cold climates use various methods such as pots, greenhouses, wrapping, or burying to protect from freezing. Research conducted at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 2017 showed success in over-wintering figs in northern New England using row covers, low or high tunnels, improving survival rates, growth, and fruit yield.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Farm Management, Resilient Agriculture, Specialty Crops Resource
High tunnel eggplant varieties, pruning and postharvest storing
Recently, parthenocarpic varieties of eggplant (varieties that fruit without pollination) have been developed specifically for protected cultivation. In places where eggplant is frequently grown in greenhouses, various pruning systems are used to enhance plant productivity and growth. In this study, researchers compared 10 varieties of elongated Italian eggplants to determine whether pruning to a 2- or 4-leader system would impact yields (when compared with no pruning) and the effects of postharvest storage on different varieties.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Farm Management, Resilient Agriculture, Specialty Crops Resource