Experiment Station projects serve Nevadans at facilities throughout state Facilities provide opportunities for studies to help communities in Nevada, the U.S. and the world At a ranch in Eureka, researchers are breeding a unique species of sheep well-adapted to the harsh Great Basin environment and that produces some of the finest wool in the nation. At the same time at a field in Fallon, researchers are using lasers and below ground radar to study how well sorghum grows with different levels of flood irrigation. And at a lab in Logandale, researchers just finished a study on how cactus pear can be grown as a commercial crop to fuel vehicles and feed both animals and people. These are just three of many projects happening at the UNR Experiment Station facilities across Nevada. The Experiment Station is the research unit of the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources. It maintains a network of field stations throughout the state, providing researchers different environments where they can experiment on a larger scale while supporting the needs of the nearby communities. “I think it’s really an exciting time... our research is expanding (and we) are heavily engaged in projects that will serve to help our stakeholders in all areas of Nevada,” said Chris Pritsos, director of the Station. “We’re really expanding our research capacity throughout the state. Our faculty have gone out and successfully competed for grants to support their work, and we are making significant impacts, whether it be in the area of water, agriculture production, environmental science or the cattle industry.” Some of the projects include: Logandale Research & Extension Center The Experiment Station’s Logandale Research & Extension Center, located in Logandale in Clark County, was home to a recently concluded five-year study looking at cactus pear as a biofuel source and a sustainable food and forage crop. Results of the study, led by Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Professor John Cushman, show the plant may be able to provide fuel and food in places that previously haven’t been able to grow much in the way of sustainable crops. In addition, when the cactus pear is not being harvested for biofuel, then it works as a land-based carbon sink, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in a sustainable manner. The published results were co-authored by Associate Professor and Extension Educator in Logandale Carol Bishop, postdoctoral research scholar Dhurba Neupane, and biochemistry graduate students Nicholas Alexander Niechayev and Jesse Mayer. Additional research at the lab includes a study of 19 varieties of pomegranates – varieties that researchers believe have never been grown in southern Nevada before. Research Center & Demonstration Orchard Much of the Station’s research is shared between northern and southern Nevada, as the goal is to find crops that work in both the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert regions. Biochemistry Professor Grant Cramer and Associate Professor and Extension Horticulture Specialist M.L. Robinson conducted one such study at the Research Center & Demonstration Orchard in Las Vegas on hybrid grape varieties. The study, also performed at the Valley Road Field Lab located at the University’s main campus in Reno, had positive results, showing that many wine grape varieties studied work well in both northern and southern Nevada. In addition, many of the varieties grew exceptionally well without needing fertilizer, and some have been provided to local winemakers. The Demonstration Orchard has been a cooperative effort between Extension and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for over 25 years. Over 800 fruit trees, grapevines, vegetables and other row crops are being tested for their ability to survive and produce under desert conditions. Classes and tours are periodically available. Gund Ranch Research & Training Center The Experiment Station’s Gund Ranch Research & Training Center, 10,600 acres located 45 miles northeast of Austin in Elko County, is the only Station facility with a public lands grazing permit for about 90,000 acres alongside private grazing land. It
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maintains an active commercial cattle herd, which provides the University with insight into the same challenges and issues that other producers using public lands face. “The ranch is treated like other commercial livestock production services, but also has the research component,” Ranch Manager and Staff Research Associate Jon Wilker said. “It has to adhere to the rules and regulations of federal grazing, which provides a unique opportunity to do research on a commercial livestock herd grazing on public lands.” Past research includes investigating soil microbes after range fire, and studies on cheatgrass and timing of grazing to control noxious weeds. Current studies include research with grazing and heifer development, and monarch butterfly and milkweed interactions. In addition, the Ranch is involved in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Legacy Ranch Project. The department’s Agricultural Research Service is building a large database with information tracking the livestock production industry over the years. Data from several ranches nationwide span multiple metrics on different factors that have an impact on livestock producers, such as conception rates, weaning rates and changes in cattle prices. The Ranch has 13 years of livestock records to contribute and a National Weather Service site on the property so they can also provide information on how weather data is tied to these metrics. Great Basin Research & Extension Center In September 2020, the Station opened the Great Basin Research & Extension Center. This 644-acre ranch in Eureka County’s Diamond Valley maintains a herd of sheep for research and funding. In addition, they plan to expand into research for crops, rangeland maintenance and other issues of local interest. One of the Center’s projects is investigating ways to help domestic sheep and wild bighorn sheep coexist by reducing the spread of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, often fatal to wild bighorns. The Nevada Dept of Wildlife currently prevents that spread by prohibiting domestic grazing in rangeland spaces too close to wild herds, as wild bighorns don’t discriminate between domestic and wild when building their herd and establishing their territory. The project aims to breed Rafter 7 sheep, which are world-renowned for both their wool and their meat, to be resistant to the disease. The Rafter 7 breed itself was originally developed 30 years ago through Experiment Station research under the direction of the College’s Hudson Glimp, professor emeritus of animal biotechnology. “If we can develop a genetically resistant herd,” Center Director Gary McCuin explained, “then we can reduce the harmful interactions between the [domestic and wild herds] and potentially increase the habitat range for both in Nevada and across the West.” McCuin said there are plans to study using sheep to reduce larkspur on grazing rangeland as well, as the plant is fatal to cattle. The herd will also help fund the Center through annual sheep sales and the sale of wool products. Mountain Meadow Wool in Buffalo, Wyoming, is currently producing value-added wool products to sell to and through UNR’s Wolf Shop, and McCuin is working with local businesses to sell the products as well. This summer, the Center will also be one of three Experiment Stations involved in a sorghum and irrigation study. They are adding a variable rate irrigation system to a center pivot irrigation system which allows the application of different watering levels to plots at the Center to study how different sorghum varieties respond to no, moderate and severe water stress irrigation treatments. This is the first time a variable rate irrigation system will be used in Nevada. Since the Center is far from the other two involved stations, the team is experimenting with using internet-connected sensors to collect and transmit via Wi-Fi hourly soil moisture data that can be accessed from the Valley Road Field Lab. Valley Road Field Lab As part of the same study, the Valley Road Field Lab is the testing ground for precise irrigation management using a drip irrigation
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system. Additional team members at Valley Road include Assistant Professor Melinda Yerka, also with the Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, Assistant Professor and Extension Field Crop Specialist Maninder Walia, and graduate students Russell Godkin (animal and rangeland science), John Baggett (biochemistry), Anil Kunapareddy (molecular biology) and Uriel Cholula-Rivera (environmental science). The team is using a variety of technologies for the sorghum irrigation project, including internet-connected soil moisturesensing stations, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and terrestrial laser scanners to measure the effects of the different irrigation methods on traits of sorghum during normal and drought conditions, including root depth, plant height and biomass. For both Valley Road and the Center, the team is also using drones. “Use of this technology is cutting edge,” Washington-Allen said. “GPR in particular is known for forensic use to find burial grounds and excavation areas. Early on, we pioneered the use of it for mapping out the root systems for wheat and potatoes. GPR is an exciting technology for dryland agriculture, because it allows us to detect and map the root systems of crops and estimate their biomass at different times without digging them up. This is a particularly important technology for rangelands where up to 80% of the plant biomass is below ground, but we tend to focus our monitoring and research on the 20% that is aboveground.” In addition to providing pasture space to experiment with the technology, the 27 acres at Valley Road also house three state-of-the-art research facilities, including a 29,280-square foot Greenhouse Complex, biofuels research facilities and the Valley Road fermentation lab. Additional assets include eight tunnel hoop houses, an 18-acre equestrian facility and a fully equipped maintenance engineering shop. Other large projects at Valley Road include investigating the malting and brewing of sorghum, led by Yerka and Baggett, and studying teff for small grain production, led by Walia. Teff has been studied at the Experiment Station at least since 2006, when Extension’s Professor Emeritus Jay Davison began trials that got farmers interested in the crop. Cushman, with graduate student Mitiku Mengistu (biochemistry), is studying teff’s genetics to identify which traits help the plants increase their yield while being drought resistant. With this knowledge, he is developing varieties in the Valley Road greenhouse that will be better suited for Nevada growing conditions. Both Walia and Solomon are testing these varieties in a number of these field conditions at the larger farm scale. “Teff is more drought tolerant and nearly three times more waterefficient than more traditional crops such as alfalfa,” Cushman said. “Farmers can get hay from teff, and teff grain is in high demand and sells for a premium price because it is high in protein, iron and amino acids and is gluten free, among other benefits.” Walia is conducting additional alternative crop research as well, investigating soybeans, camelina and mung beans for various purposes, including grain production for human consumption and biofuel production, cover crops for suppressing weeds, and livestock feed. Desert Farming Initiative The Valley Road Field Lab is also home to the Experiment Station’s Desert Farming Initiative, which conducts research, provides hands-on learning for both undergraduate and graduate students, and donates and sells certified organic produce to the community. One of the larger research projects is a three-year study to identify which cantaloupe and honeydew varieties are most suitable for commercial production in northern Nevada. The project is entering its first season and is being conducted in partnership with Assistant Professor of Sustainable Horticulture Felipe Barrios-Masias, Extension’s Associate Professor and Horticulture www.progressiverancher.com
