Economic returns and the perceived obstacles to adopting active management in the forest-grassland transition ecoregion in south-central USA.

Forest-grassland ecotones are a mosaic of grassland, savanna, and upland forest. As such, landowners may have opportunities to choose to manage their lands for multiple objectives. We estimated the economic returns from managing forest and rangeland in southeastern Oklahoma, USA to produce different combinations of timber, cattle forage, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) browse for a 40-year period.

Intentions of Landowners towards Active Management of Ecosystem for Deer Habitat.

Active management such as prescribed fire and thinning can restore savanna and prairie ecosystem to maintain a full suite of ecosystem services and create suitable habitat for wildlife species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Active management comes with the cost of management and acceptance of management tools. The south-central transitional ecoregion of the USA, which otherwise was a mixture of forest, savanna, and tallgrass prairie, is increasing in woody plant dominance due to the exclusion of fire and other anthropogenic factors.

Characterization of eggplant grown in animal manure amended soil.

A field experiment was conducted with native soil; sewage sludge (SS); horse manure (HM); chicken manure (CM); vermicompost, organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer mixed with the native soil. The soil in each of the seven treatments was also mixed with biochar and planted with eggplant. Eggplant fruits were analyzed for vitamin C, total phenols, and soluble sugars.

Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices among Farmers in Kentucky, USA.

Promoting the sustainable agricultural practices at an individual farm level is essential to ensure agricultural sustainability. This study analyzed whether and how various factors related to farm or farmers' characteristics influence the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices. We used a negative binomial regression model to fit the data collected from a mail survey of farmers in Kentucky, USA.