The lignin in corn stalks makes it difficult to process for biomass and harder for animals to digest. Levels are especially high in the tough outer ‘rind’ and vascular bundles of the stem. For th...
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In animals, plants and other eukaryotic organisms, typically one protein is translated from each mRNA. Usually, translation can start only at one end of the mRNA strand. In contrast, several viruses ...
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Bovine mastitis is a persistent inflammation of the udder usually caused by bacterial infections. It can be spread through contact with contaminated milking equipment or other materials. The only trea...
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More than 18 million adults and children in the United States suffer from dysphagia (swallowing disorder). A host of very different medical conditions can lead to dysphagia, including Alzheimer’s di...
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Microsporum canis is a skin fungal pathogen that causes dermatophytosis (ringworm) most commonly in cats and dogs. Dermatophytosis clinical trials are lengthy and complicated because the nature of the...
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Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Hanseniaspora uvarum yeast strains have long been associated with industrial and natural fermentation processes, including beer and wine productio...
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A heat-stressed cow exhibits problematic behaviors like standing, panting, thirst and diminished appetite. These reactions cause serious side effects: the cow will produce much less milk, become less ...
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Plant development is marked by three phases: juvenile, adult vegetative and flowering. The timing between phases is known to impact traits like yield, productivity and tissue digestibility. However, t...
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Oats (Avena sativa) are an enormously popular cereal grain worldwide. As recently as 2009, Wisconsin led all other states in production, with more than 13 million bushels. Oats are marketed as &lsquo...
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Teosinte is a wild relative of maize that is native to Mexico and unable to grow in the United States. Although closely related, teosinte does not interbreed naturally with cultivated corn. UW–Madi...
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Commercial cattle breeding constantly strives to improve efficiency. One relevant issue is ‘twinning,’ when multiple calves are birthed at once. Twinning is undesirable in the dairy cattle sector ...
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The average American eats five to six pounds of potato chips each year. Wisconsin is the nation's third largest producer of potatoes, growing nearly 29.0 million hundredweight in 2009. Needed are ne...
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The mucosal layer of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract acts as a physical and chemical barrier against food, environmental antigens and resident bacteria. Many factors interact and affect the barrier, i...
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Beer can be divided into two broad categories: ales and lagers. Ales have been brewed for thousands of years. They are warm fermented (up to 80° F) for as little as three weeks using top-fermenting y...
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Corn silage is a forage crop used for high energy feed on many dairy and cattle farms. The best corn for silage shares three main characteristics: high grain content, good yield and digestibility. An...
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Corn silage is a forage crop used for high energy feed on many dairy and cattle farms. Cows require lots of energy to produce milk, so it’s essential to provide nutritious, high yielding crop varie...
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Corn silage is a forage crop used for high energy feed on many dairy and cattle farms. Cows require lots of energy to produce milk, so it’s essential to provide nutritious, high yielding crop varie...
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Corn silage is a forage crop used for high energy feed on many dairy and cattle farms. Cows require lots of energy to produce milk, so it’s essential to provide nutritious, high yielding crop varie...
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Sclerotinia stem rot, or ‘white mold,’ is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The disease is a major problem for crop plants in the north-central United States and southern Canada. Alth...
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Butternut squash dominate sales of winter squash. They are known for their lightly sweet, mild taste, tan rind and vivid orange flesh. The most popular variety is Waltham Butternut.
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Feeding a surging world population will require improvements to agricultural productivity. However, simply growing crops like corn and rice in higher density is problematic. One challenge is that plan...
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Johne’s disease, or paratuberculosis, is a chronic and usually fatal wasting disease that is found worldwide and impacts more than half of the dairy herds in the U.S. alone. It costs the ruminan...
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Juvenile and adult grass tissue dramatically differs in anatomy, chemistry and ability to withstand stresses. Juvenile plants cannot flower and their leaves are better able to resist cold and drought....
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The decline in reproductive performance in cattle over the last four decades has been ascribed primarily to fertilization failure and early embryonic loss. Although the genetic makeups of both parents...
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Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most economically damaging pathogen for Unites States soybean production in most years. Annual losses top $700 million. Other countries like Brazil and China also ar...
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