Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Osei-Agyeman Yeboah
Professor and Director North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, USA
Keynote: The influence of climate change on the demand for ethanol
Time : 10:00-10:50
Biography:
Osei-Agyeman Yeboah is a member of the NC A&T faculty for the past 13 years. His scientific interests began at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in his native Ghana, where he earned an Undergraduate degree in Agricultural Science. After working as an Assistant Agricultural Economist In charge of Agricultural Statistics from 1987 to 1991 in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana, he came to NCA&T to earn a Master’s degree in Production Economics in 1993 and a Doctorate in Agricultural Economics (Resource Economics/International Agricultural Trade) at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1998. He served as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at University of Nebraska-Lincoln USA EPA funded grant project from 1998 to 2000. In January 2001, he became Visiting Scholar teaching MS and PhD courses in resource economics at Auburn University, Alabama. He was also an adjunct faculty at the Auburn University Environmental Institute. In September 2003, he returned to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the Department of Agribusiness & Applied Economics as an Assistant Professor in international trade, international marketing, and agribusiness marketing. In April 2004, he became the Interim Director of the North Carolina A&T International Trade Center and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009; Professor in 2014; and Professor and Director in 2016. He received Gamma Sigma Delta award of Excellence in Research in 2008; and the University’s Senior Excellence in Research Award in 2013. He is a recipient of many grants and awards from agencies such as USDA and USIAD. Most recently, including evaluation of alternative storage technologies for maize in Ghana; and strengthening the peanut value chain in Ghana, all USDA-FAS funded projects. He is a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
Abstract:
The causal link from emissions due to combustion fossil fuels to deliver energy services to climate change is well established. Climate change is expected to affect energy markets in various ways, both directly and indirectly. Directly, energy demand will be affected by extreme temperature changes, because higher temperatures imply less energy for heating and more demand for cooling, in addition to variations in the demand for energy as a production factor. The Advanced Energy Initiative-AEI proposes that the US must progress beyond a petroleum based economy and devise new methods such as ethanol to power automobiles. The main objective of this study is to determine the influence of climate on US ethanol energy demand using state level panel data from 1970 to 2014. The duality of cost minimization is utilized to examine the effects of climate on ethanol use in the commercial, transportation and industrial sectors using a Translog cost function. The first order conditions of cost function provide sectorial compensated demand for ethanol and substitution elasticity between sectors. A system of demand shares equations representing the sectors explained by prices, technology and climatic variables as exogenous variables is estimated. The commercial sector price is used to normalize the equations and hold the homogeneity and symmetry conditions. The estimated parameters are used to construct price elasticity and Hick-Allen elasticity of substitution for ethanol demand. Preliminary results indicate that improvement in technological efficiencies reduces ethanol use in the industrial while transportation shows an increase. The same results hold for precipitation.
Keynote Forum
Jack Brown
Professor University of Idaho, USA
Keynote: Designing oilseed feedstock crops for biofuels
Time : 11:10-12:00
Biography:
Jack Brown has completed his PhD from St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK in 1988. He has worked in breeding barley, potato, wheat and for the past 26 years he has been running the Canola, Rapeseed and Mustard Breeding Program at the University of Idaho, USA. During his career, he has released 34 commercial cultivars, been major Advisor to 27 MS or PhD students and published 75 refereed journal articles.
Abstract:
High importation and environmental concerns of fossil based liquid fuels in the U.S. have focused attention on developing biofuels (i.e., biodiesel and hydrotreated renewable jet fuel). Brassicaceae oilseed crops have biofuel feedstock potential; however, different crops may have adaptation to different growing regions. We determined the potential of winter or spring canola and rapeseed (Brassica napus and B. rapa), Camelina (Camelina sativa), as well as spring Indian (B. juncea), Ethiopian (B. carinata), and yellow (Sinapis alba) and greatest potential was found from B. napus. However, to significantly reduce greenhouse gases or U.S. dependency on imported oils, then large genetic gains need to be achieved by breeding improved cultivars with modified oil characteristics and with higher value end-use products. Future advances in adaptability and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses will be enhanced by developing improved breeding methodologies, including use of molecular markers for more efficient selection. The University of Idaho has been developing (non-food) biofuel oilseed cultivars for over 35 years. During this time we have significantly increased overall seed yield and oil yield and developed new novel oil types and seed meal traits that make these new cultivars more suitable for fuel production. More recently we have construct translational genomics platforms to improve the efficiency of rapeseed cultivar development using genome-wide association studies to identify genomic regions associated with important agronomic, morphological and oil quality traits. Past and future directions of the University of Idaho Breeding program for biofuel feedstock cultivar development will be presented.
Keynote Forum
Metin Turan
Professor Yeditepe University, Turkey
Keynote: Effects of humic acid applications on some plant yield, quality parameters and nutrient contents in Turkey
Time : 12:00-12:50
Biography:
Metin Turan has completed his PhD from Ataturk University, Soil Science Department. He is currently working as a Full Professor at Yeditepe University, Genetics and Bioengineering Department. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.
Abstract:
Humic acid (HA) might benefit plant growth by improving nutrient uptake, plant yield, fruit yield, plant physiological parameters. Humic acids have been complexed with sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and with various other elements to overcome a particular element deficiency in soil. Humic acid serves as a catalyst in promoting the activity of microorganisms in soil, so, some studies were conducted that effects of humic acid different plants in field and greenhouse conditions. In Wheat: The application doses of humic acid on wheat plants of iron uptake were the highest 8 L da-1. The regression analysis of the results for optimal application of humic acid doses was determined as 7.2 L da-1. In Spinach: Humic acid treatments increased antioxidant enzyme activity and physiological parameters of spinach plants, specially soil application of humic acid. And humic acid treatments increased dry matter, nutrient content and chlorophyll of spinach plants, specially leaf+soil application of humic acid. In Lettuce: Humic acid applications have positive effects on dry matter productivity and on nutrient mechanism of lettuce plant and with the increasing dose of humic acid; the usage of phosphorus by plants is increased. In Tomato: According to the study results the highest stem diameter, leaf number of branches, total plant yield and root weight were obtained from soil+foliar Ca-humate and B-humat application. While soil+foliar B-humate application increased to body diameter, number of branches and plant B content to 37%, 50%, and 84%, soil + foliar Ca-humat application increased to root weight, plant weight and plant Ca content to 62%, by 29%, and 70% when compared to control respectively. And the other study the humic acid treatment had positive effect on the dry matter yield and nutrition status of tomato plants. Whereas, it had not significant effect on the Fe contents of tomato leaves, statistically. In Broccoli: According to the study results, the highest plant root yield was determined from 1000 ppm humic acids with C26 bacteria applications, but the highest plant yield and chlorophyll contents were obtained from 2000 ppm humic acid with Osu-142 bacteria applications. The highest permeability was determined from 1000 ppm humic acid with Osu-142 bacteria applications.