Juan Solomon

Associate Professor

Office: (775) 784-6888
Email: juansolomon@unr.edu
Building: Max Fleischmann Agriculture
Address: 1664 N. Virginia Street, Mail Stop 202, Reno, Nevada 89557
Department: Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences
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Summary

My research work focusses on understanding and unraveling the intricacies associated with grassland ecology, management, and utilization.

Developing and promoting sustainable pastoral-based feeding systems for ruminant livestock production with emphasis on grazing management, systems, and forage quality evaluations.
Screening forage crops for key adaptive traits, namely drought tolerance and water use efficiency for both improved and native forages in semiarid conditions.
Evaluation of alternative forage crops for semiarid conditions.
Studying grassland's role in the provision of ecosystems services and nutrient cycling in pasture systems.
Cutting edge biological research on climate resilient forage crops.

Education

B.S. University of Guyana, 2000
Graduate Diploma. University of Guyana, 2005 Education-Science
M.S. Mississippi State University, 2010
Ph.D. Mississippi State University, 2013

News & Journal Articles, Fact Sheets, Reports...

Abstracts
Cattle Grazing Preference Among Four Clover Species. Solomon, J. K. Q., Scaglia, G. 2015, Minneapolis, MN, ASA, CSSA, SSSA: C06 Forage and Grazinglands ASA, CSSA, SSSA.
Cattle temperament effects on animal performance under grazing. Macoon, B., R.C. Vann, and J.K.Q. Solomon 2014, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Nov. 2-5, 2014, Long Beach, California.
Appropriate ratio of legume to grass for spatially separated pasture systems. Macoon, B., and J.K.Q. Solomon 2013, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Nov. 3-6, 2013, Tampa, Florida.
Abstract: Harvest management based on leaf stage of a tetraploid vs. a diploid cultivar of annual ryegrass. Solomon, J.K.Q., and B. Macoon. 2013, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Nov. 3-6, 2013, Tampa, Florida.
Performance of a Tetraploid vs. a Diploid Cultivar of Annual Ryegrass Pastures under Grazing. Solomon, J.K.Q., and B. Macoon. 2013, ASA, Southern Branch Meeting (Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists), Crops. Feb. 3-5, 2013, Orlando, FL.
Cattle Grazing Preference Among Diploid and Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass Cultivars. Solomon, J.K.Q., and B. Macoon. 2012, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Oct. 21-24, 2012, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Grazing Behavior of Steers on Different Forage Systems Comprising Annual Ryegrass and White Clover. Solomon, J.K.Q., and B. Macoon. 2011, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Oct. 16-19, 2011, San Antonio, TX.
A Novel Approach to Grass-Legume Management. Solomon, J.K.Q., B. Macoon, D. Lang, J. Parish, and R. Vann. 2009, 2009. ASA, CSSA, SSSA, C06 Division Nov. 1-5, 2009, Pittsburgh, PA.
Fact Sheets
Industrial Fiber Hemp: An Early Initiative to Capture Varietal Response in Nevada J. Solomon, A. Ogunleye, A. Opoku, F. Barrios-Masias, S. Huber, S. Foster 2022, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, FS-22-11
Journals
Leaf Area Index Estimation of Fully and Deficit Irrigated Alfalfa through Canopy Cover and Canopy Height Measuring Leaf Area Index (LAI) requires specialized and expensive equipment. On the other hand, canopy cover (CC) and height (CH) measurements can be obtained using mobile devices and a ruler. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between LAI, CC and CH for fully and deficit-irrigated alfalfa. Cholula, U., Andrade, M.A., and J.K.Q. Solomon 2024, AgriEngineering 2024, 6(3), 2101-2114
Floral hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) responses to nitrogen fertilization under field conditions in the high desert Farnisa, M.M., Miller, G.C., Solomon, J.K.Q., Barrios-Masias, F.H. 2023, PLOS ONE
Cool-season cover crop effects on forage productivity and short-term soil health in a semi-arid environment. Ogunleye AM, Opoku A, Solomon JKQ, Payne W. 2023, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 2023;38:e26
Machine Learning Approach for the Estimation of Alfalfa Hay Crop Yield in Northern Nevada Quintero, D. D., Andrade-Rodriguez, M. A., Cholula, U. & Solomon, J. A 2023, AgriEngineering 5(4), 1943–1954
Biochar and nitrogen application rates alter some forage and soil minerals concentrations and soil leachate quality in a semiarid mixed grassland system. Mclennon, E., Solomon, J., & Davison, J. 2022, GRASSLAND SCIENCE, 68(1), 23–35.
Realizing the potential of Camelina sativa as a bioenergy crop for a changing global climate Neupane D, Lohaus RH, Solomon JKQ, Cushman JC 2022, MDPI Plants. 11 (6): 772. DOI: 10.3390/plants11060772 (Cover Article)
The final piece of the Triangle of U: Evolution of the tetraploid Brassica carinata genome Here, we report a chromosome scale 1.31-Gbp genome assembly with 156.9-fold sequencing coverage for B. carinata, completing the reference genomes comprising the classic Triangle of U, a classical theory of the evolutionary relationships among these six species. Won Cheol Yim, Mia L Swain, Dongna Ma, Hong An, Kevin A Bird, David D Curdie, Samuel Wang, Hyun Don Ham, Agusto Luzuriaga-Neira, Jay S Kirkwood, Manhoi Hur, Juan K Q Solomon, Jeffrey F Harper, Dylan K Kosma, David Alvarez-Ponce, John C Cushman, Patrick P Edger, Annaliese S Mason, J Chris Pires, Haibao Tang, Xingtan Zhang 2022, The Plant Cell, Volume 34, Issue 11, November 2022, Pages 4143–4172
Growth response of alfalfa to Azomite composite micronutrient fertilizer on four lime-amended Virginia soils. Kusi, N. Y., Temu, V. W., Kering, M. K., Atalay, A., Rutto, L., Solomon, J. 2021, Grassland Science
Genotypes and their Growing Environments Influence on Physicochemical Qualities of Tef Grain in the Highlands of Ethiopia. Abewa, A., Adgo, E., Alemayehu, G., Yitaferu, B., Solomon, J., Assefa, K., Payne, W. 2020, Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Science, 30(4), 1-27
Five-Year Field Trial of Eight Camelina sativa Cultivars for Biomass to be Used in Biofuel under Irrigated Conditions in a Semi-Arid Climate. Lohaus, R. H., Neupane, D., Mengistu, M. A., Solomon, J., Cushman, J. C. 2020, Agronomy, 10(4)
Grass–Legume Forage Systems Effect on Phosphorus Removal from a Grassland Historically Irrigated with Reclaimed Wastewater. Mclennon, E., Solomon, J., Davison, J. C. 2020, Sustainability, 12(6)
Harvest management based on leaf stage of a tetraploid vs. a diploid cultivar of annual ryegrass. Solomon, J., Macoon, B., Lang, D. J. 2017, Grass and Forage Science, 72(4), 743-756
Animal and forage responses on Maximus, a tetraploid cultivar vs Marshall, a diploid cultivar of annual ryegrass. Solomon, J., Macoon, B., Lang, D. J., Vann, R. C., Ward, S. 2017, Grass and Forage Science
Cattle grazing preference among tetraploid and diploid annual ryegrass cultivars. Solomon, J.K.Q., B. Macoon, D.J. Lang, R.C. Vann, and S. Ward. 2014, Crop Sci. 54:430–438.
Grazing behavior of steers on different annual ryegrass and white clover forage systems. Solomon, J.K.Q., B. Macoon, D.J. Lang, and R.C. Vann. 2012, Crop Sci. 52:2830-2838.
A novel approach to grass–legume management. Solomon, J.K.Q., B. Macoon, D.J. Lang, J.A. Parish, and R.C. Vann. 2011, Crop Sci. 51:1865-1876.
Special Publications
Forage Sorghum Ensiled With Alfalfa as a Potential Alternative Feeding Strategy in Nevada Solomon, J., Foster, S. 2022, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, SP-22-13
Forage Sorghum-Sudangrass Varietal Evaluation During a Short Irrigation Season in Fallon, Nevada The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of forage sorghum-sudangrass varieties under a short irrigation season. Solomon, J., Opoku, A., Ogunleye, A., Huber, S., and Lee, S. 2022, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, SP-22-01
Alfalfa Variety Trial in Western Nevada, Initial Results Alfalfa is the most extensive crop in Nevada. The majority of alfalfa fields in western Nevada are harvested three to four times annually. This production system is dependent on dormant alfalfa varieties that cease growth during the winter months. These types of alfalfa varieties can be classified according to fall dormancy and winter survival ratings. In western Nevada the most commonly planted alfalfa varieties have a fall dormancy rating of 4 to 5 with an occasional 6. Yet, these varieties are normally very winter hardy, with ratings of 1 to 2. The alfalfa varieties evaluated in this study included one fall dormancy rating 3, eight with a fall dormancy rating of 4, six with a fall dormancy rating of 5 and one with a fall dormancy rating of 6. All of the tested alfalfa varieties produced heavy yields in this evaluation. Producers reviewing these results should look at relative yields of each variety in combination with other factors. Davison, J., Solomon, J. and Lawry, T. 2016, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension