Virulence phenotypes of the wheat leaf rust pathogen, Puccinia triticina, in the United States 2018-2020

Collections of wheat leaves infected with the leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina, were obtained from the southeastern states, the Ohio Valley, the Great Plains, and Washington in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to determine the prevalent virulence phenotypes in the wheat growing regions of the United States. In the hard red winter wheat region of the southern and mid Great Plains, MNPSD, and MPPSD were the two most common phenotypes in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 BBBQD with high virulence to durum wheat was the most common phenotype in the southern Great Plains. In the hard red spring wheat region of the northern Great Plains, MNPSD, MPPSD, MBDSD, and TBBGS were the predominant phenotypes. In the soft red winter wheat region of the southeastern states and Ohio Valley region, MBTNB, MCTNB, and MNPSD were the three most common phenotypes. Collections in Washington had phenotypes LBDSG, LCDSG, LCDJG, and MBDSB that were not found in any other region. Isolates with virulence to Lr11 were most frequent in the southeastern states, and Ohio Valley regions. The frequency of isolates with virulence to Lr39 was highest in the Great Plains region and frequency of isolates with virulence to Lr21 was highest in the northern Great Plains region. Selection of virulence phenotypes by leaf rust resistance genes in the different market classes of wheat, combined with the effects of clonal reproduction, overwintering in southern regions, and low migration between the Great Plains region and eastern wheat producing regions, has maintained the different P. triticina populations in the United States.

Bannock Diplomacy: How Métis Women Fought Battles and Made Peace in North Dakota, 1850s–1870s

Métis women have been neglected in scholarship because they are hard to find in historical records. Seeking out little-used sources and amplifying their voices in them demonstrate that they were significant figures in maintaining peace within their communities on the northern Great Plains in the mid- to late nineteenth century. Through their actions in battles and diplomatic negotiations, they showed themselves to be particularly skilled in conflict resolution. This article highlights two key instances in which Métis women used both courage and judiciousness to support their communities. The first is the 1851 Battle of Grand Coteau between the Yanktonais Sioux and a Métis and Anishinaabe bison-hunting party. The second is a Métis trading family negotiating with Lakota in the late 1870s through the actions of Sarah Nolin. In this article, we survey key historical moments in Métis women’s lives and experiences in the geography now known as North Dakota, exemplifying their approaches to diplomacy, conflict resolution, and political affirmation.

Introducing cover crops as fallow replacement in the Northern Great Plains: II. Impact on following wheat crops

The introduction of cover crops as fallow replacement in the traditional cereal-based cropping system of the Northern Great Plains has the potential to decrease soil erosion, increase water infiltration, reduce weed pressure and improve soil health. However, there are concerns this might come at the cost of reduced production in the subsequent wheat crop due to soil water use by the cover crops. To determine this risk, a phased 2-year rotation of 15 different cover crop mixtures and winter wheat/spring wheat was established at the Northern Agricultural Research Center near Havre, MT from 2012 to 2020, or four rotation cycles. Controls included fallow–wheat and barley–wheat sequences. Cover crops and barley were terminated early July by haying, grazing or herbicide application. Yields were significantly decreased in wheat following cover crops in 3 out of 8 years, up to maximum of 1.4 t ha−1 (or 60%) for winter wheat following cool-season cover crop mixtures. However, cover crops also unexpectedly increased following wheat yields in 2018, possibly due in part to residual fertilizer. Within cool-, mid- and warm-season cover crop groups, individual mixtures did not show significant differences impact on following grain yields. Similarly, cover crop termination methods had no impact on spring or winter wheat grain yields in any of the 8 years considered. Wheat grain protein concentration was not affected by cover crop mixtures or termination treatments but was decreased in winter wheat following barley. Differences in soil water content across cover crop groups were only evident at the beginning of the third cycle in one field, but important reductions were observed below 15 cm in the last rotation cycle. In-season rainfall explained 43 and 13% of the variability in winter and spring wheat yields, respectively, compared to 2 and 1% for the previous year cover crop biomass. Further economic analyses are required to determine if the integration of livestock is necessary to mitigate the risks associated with the introduction of cover crops in replacement of fallow in the Northern Great Plains.

Dispersal distance is driven by habitat availability and reproductive success in Northern Great Plains piping plovers

Background Dispersal is a critical life history strategy that has important conservation implications, particularly for at-risk species with active recovery efforts and migratory species. Both natal and breeding dispersal are driven by numerous selection pressures, including conspecific competition, individual characteristics, reproductive success, and spatiotemporal variation in habitat. Most studies focus on dispersal probabilities, but the distance traveled can affect survival, fitness, and even metapopulation dynamics. Methods We examined sources of variation in dispersal distances with 275 natal dispersal and 1335 interannual breeding events for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) breeding in the Northern Great Plains between 2014 and 2019. Results Natal dispersal was on average longer (mean: 81.0 km, median: 53 km) than adult breeding movements (mean: 23.7 km, median: 1 km). Individuals moved the shortest distances when hatched, previously nested, or settling on river habitats. When more habitat was available on their natal area than in the year prior, hatch-year birds moved shorter distances to their first breeding location. Similarly, adults also moved shorter distances when more habitat was available at the settling site and when in closer proximity to other known nesting areas. Additionally, adult movement distance was shorter when successfully hatching a nest the year prior, retaining a mate, or initiating a current nest earlier. Conclusion Habitat availability appears to be associated with dispersal distance for both hatch-year and adult piping plovers. Conservation efforts that integrate dispersal distances may benefit from maintaining nesting habitat within close proximity to other areas for adults and a network of clustered sites spread out across a larger landscape for natal dispersal.

Trawling the Ocean of Grass: Soil Nitrogen in Saskatchewan Agriculture, 1916–2001

Using a socioecological metabolism approach to analyze data from the Census of Agriculture, this article examines the underlying soil fertility of two case study areas in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan through the calculation of soil nitrogen balances. The Rural Municipalities of Wise Creek and Livingston are 300 miles apart and therefore have different topography, soil types, and rainfall levels, even though both are within the northern Great Plains. Over 85 years, from first settlement in the 1910s until the beginning of the twenty-first century, Wise Creek agriculture focused increasingly on livestock production while in Livingston farmers began to grow a greater variety of crops, most notably incorporating canola into rotations. Despite the differences between the two case studies, the pattern of soil nitrogen losses was remarkably similar, with biomass yields declining along with soil nitrogen. The addition of chemical nitrogen fertilizers since the 1960s did not produce yields matching historic highs, nor did a renewed focus on livestock. Wise Creek and Livingston showed two different responses to declining yields, but neither one ultimately provided a long-term solution to the problem of soil nutrient depletion and consequent productivity declines.

Harvest Date Effect on Forage Yield, Botanical Composition, and Nutritive Value of Novel Legume-Grass Mixtures

The potential for novel forage mixtures to address reduced herbage for late season grazing was investigated. Forage legumes, sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) (SF) cvs. AC Mountainview, Shoshone, and Nova (MountainSF, ShoshoneSF, and NovaSF), cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) cv. AC Veldt (CMV), Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis L.) cv. Great Plains (CaMV), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cv. AC Yellowhead (ALF) were evaluated in binary mixtures with meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehm.) cv. Admiral (MBG), hybrid bromegrass (B. riparius × B. inermis Leyss.) cv. AC Success (HBG) and Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys junceus (Fisch.) Nevski.] cv. Tom (RWR) for yield, botanical composition, and nutritive value on July and September harvest dates at Saskatoon and Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada from 2016 to 2018. Hybrid bromegrass-legume mixture produced 16–38% greater forage compared to RWR-legume (7.5 vs. 5.6 Mg ha−1 in July and 6.1 vs. 5.1 Mg ha−1 in September at Saskatoon, and 3.2 vs. 2.0 Mg ha−1 in July at Swift Current). MountainSF and ALF had the greatest legume contribution to total yield at July harvest at Swift Current (67.7 ± 3.2%) and Saskatoon (62.1 ± 2.1%), respectively, while CaMV had lowest composition at Swift Current (20.2 ± 2.5%) and Saskatoon (12.6 ± 3.5%). The CMV and ALF-grass mixtures at Saskatoon and legume-RWR mixtures at both sites in July had greatest CP content. The July harvest had greatest yield, legume content and nutritive value compared to the September harvest at both sites. Study results suggest if yield is the objective, then either ALF or CMV with HBG may be considered. If nutritive value is the goal, any legume with RWR is an option. Finally, ALF or CMV in mixture with either HBG or RWR could be summer or fall stockpile forage in the Northern Great Plains of western Canada.

Reconstruction of isostatically-adjusted paleo-strandlines along the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the Great Lakes, Lake Agassiz and Champlain Sea basins

Strandlines document the former presence of lakes and a sea in east-central North America along the southern margin of the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). The strandlines of these formerly level water bodies are uplifted to the north and provide evidence of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the Earth’s crust to the former ice load. We compile published ages and measurements of the present elevation and location of shore features in the strandlines of 8 major paleo-waterbodies from the St. Lawrence Valley to the northern Great Plains in digital format as an aid for the numerical modelling of GIA. Data for eastern water bodies were extracted and digitized from publications during the past 120 years. Digital position co-ordinates were scaled from published maps of survey sites or were determined using Google Earth Pro software. Published data for paleo-lakes Duluth and Agassiz were mainly obtained from field measurements and digital elevation models (DEMs). Two-sigma or 95% probability values are provided for the strandline ages and for isobase (contour) positions representing the deformed water surfaces. Peak strandline gradients reported here were largest at about ca. 13,000 years ago. Lower strandline gradients for older shores may reveal areas closer to the peripheral bulge and areas of thinner ice (lighter crustal loads). Concave upward strandline profiles characterize most paleo-basins whereas a linear uplift profile characterizes the Champlain Sea strandline. Directions of strandline maximum uplift within the former water body basins point towards the thickest part of the LIS near the Québec-Labrador ice dome.