ENHANCING VEGETATION, SOILS, AND ANIMAL TISSUE RESEARCH WITH A GRIEVE DRYING OVEN

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: NRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0196821
• Grant No.: 2003-35101-13832
• Proposal No.: 2003-01695
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2003
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2004
• Grant Year: 2003
• Program Code: [23.1]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA
(N/A)
RENO,NV 89557

Performing Department
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Non Technical Summary
Research capability is limited because of antiquated, unreliable, basic oven drying equipment. This project enhances our research capabilities by providing oven drying preparation for vegetation, soil, fecal, and animal tissue samples.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
121	0710	1070	50%
121	0720	1070	50%

Knowledge Area
121 - Management of Range Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0720 - Pinyon-juniper; 0710 - Desert and semidesert shrub land and shinnery;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

dry weight

fecal analysis

soil bulk density

ovens

drying systems

drying equipment

vegetation

soils

animal tissue

research equipment

range management

funding

competition

research

Goals / Objectives
The objective is to enhance the research program of the Department of Animal Biotechnology by increasing our analytical capabilities and, thus, making us more competitive in securing grants for research projects involving drying preparations of vegetation, soil, and animal tissues.

Project Methods
A new large capacity drying oven will replace 3 small, outdated and problematic ovens that have been used for 40 years. We are currently using 3 Hotpack-1206 ovens to dry vegetation, soil, sediment, and animal tissue samples from all over the state of Nevada. Due to persistent problems with our old ovens and an increasing demand for this type of analysis, we feel it is critical to our research programs to replace these antiquated pieces of equipment. Mechanical problems with the old ovens have seriously impacted our efficiency resulting in a decrease in analytical output.

Progress 09/01/03 to 08/31/04

Outputs
After equipment installation, oven was used immediately for 3 projects. The first was a prescribed burn and control assessment of Great Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus)productivity. Approximately 150 aboveground biomass samples were dried with the use of the new drying oven. Second, approximately 20 kg each of budsage (Artemisia spinescens)and winterfat (Cerratoides lanata) were collected from the field, dried in the oven, ground and prepared for further nutrional analyses. Neither of these projects would have been possible without the new drying oven. Third, the oven was used to dry biomass and seed samples in a native seed assessment of phenology and growth for 3 commercially available cultivars of Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides).

Impacts
Research capacity will be greatly improved for our ongoing native forage nutrition assessment program.

Publications

• Conley, K.E., B.L. Perryman, and L.B. Bruce. 2005. Using fire to increase Great Basin wildrye production. Abstracts 58th Annual Meeting, International Society for Range Management, Ft. Worth, TX.
• Busso, C.A., B.L. Perryman, and H.A. Glimp. 2004. Searching for native perennial grasses to restore ecologically degraded sites: Phenology and growth. Abstracts 57th Annual Meeting, International Society for Range Management, Salt Lake City, UT.

Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03

Outputs
Oven has been received and is awaiting installation by university facilities management. Oven will be used extensively upon installation and initiation of field season.

Impacts
Research capacity will be greatly improved for our ongoing native forage nutrition assessment program.

Publications

• No publications reported this period