Plant nutrient removal and soil residual chemical properties as impacted by maize planting date and density.

This study aimed to measure maize (Zea mays) plant nutrient content and nutrient removal in grain, and to evaluate the residual soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as impacted by planting date and density. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate six plant densities and seven planting dates using a split-split plot design with three replications. Besides the crop growth and yield parameters, six plants were collected at the maturity and soil was sampled from each plot for nutrient analysis.

Group Randomized Trial of Healthy Eating and Gardening Intervention in Navajo Elementary Schools (Yéego!).

Introduction: Few healthy eating, school-based interventions have been rigorously evaluated in American Indian communities. Gardening and healthy eating are priorities in the Navajo Nation. Collaborations between researchers and local partners supported the design and implementation of this project.

Development of an Assessment Tool to Measure Healthy Eating in Navajo Children and Their Families.

Background: To estimate the efficacy of interventions to improve healthy eating, valid measures are essential. Although simple dietary intake tools have been developed with other populations, few have been culturally tailored and assessed for validity and reliability among Navajo.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a simple dietary intake tool tailored to Navajo culture, derive healthy eating indices, and assess their validity and reliability in Navajo children and adults and to describe the process used to develop this tool.

Can Community Gardens with Workshops Increase Gardening Behavior? A Navajo Wellness Collaboration.

Unlabelled: This project evaluated the potential efficacy of a intervention on the to increase gardening and , which are potentially important in preventing obesity and related health conditions. Rates of obesity are high among American Indians, including those living on Navajo Nation land. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is part of healthy eating.

Seasonal Occurrence of Potato Psyllid () and Risk of Zebra Chip Pathogen () in Northwestern New Mexico.

Potato psyllid () is one of the most important pests in potatoes ( L.) due to its feeding behavior and the transmission of a bacterium ( Liberibacter solanacearum) that causes zebra chip disease, altering the quality of the potato tuber and the fried potato chip or french fry. This pest is thus a threat to the chip potato industry and often requires preventive measures including the use of costly insecticides.

Population Dynamics of Six Major Insect Pests During Multiple Crop Growing Seasons in Northwestern New Mexico.

This study was conducted to monitor the population dynamics of six major insect pests at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Farmington (ASC-Farmington) and within an adjacent commercial farm (Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, NAPI) for more effective and efficient pest management during the 2013-2019 period. Specific pheromone traps, sticky and net traps were used to collects moths of beet armyworm (), cabbage looper ( ), corn earworm (), fall armyworm (), potato psyllid (), and western bean cutworm (). These insects generally appear in early June and their population decreases toward the end of August/early September with different peak times and magnitudes during July and August.

Healthy gardens/healthy lives: Navajo perceptions of growing food locally to prevent diabetes and cancer.

Poor access to nutritious foods, departure from traditional diets, and reduced physical activity are associated with a rise in type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers among the Navajo. Diabetes in particular is of concern because of its increased prevalence among Navajo youth. Gardening can successfully address issues of poor availability of fruits and vegetables and offer many other social and health benefits.