Variety testing by U.S. agricultural universities, often in cooperation with experiment stations, and professional crop associations is recognized as an independent, unbiased validation of the viability of commercial crop varieties. In Iowa, variety testing has also been conducted by many private agricultural companies and individual farmers. Records for crop variety evaluations within the state can be traced back to 1871, well before the creation of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station in 1888. The Iowa Corn Yield Test (ICYT) is undeniably the most famous of the Iowa variety yield trials; however, corn (Zea mays L.) varieties were being tested long before that program was initiated. Furthermore, Iowa researchers have been conducting variety yield tests on many other field crops. Knowledge of how Iowa variety tests have been organized and published could be helpful to researchers looking for similar, long-term evaluations from other states and around the world. Variety tests from the past also have the potential to help guide new research efforts and may provide an important untapped resource for unique varietal data. As crop scientists and agronomists look to find new sources for biofuels, bio-products, and other industrial uses for various crops, data from historical varieties could be useful. The objective for this review is to provide an historic account with sections on varietal testing in Iowa. It is presented in chronological order followed by sections devoted to specific crops. A Supplemental Information file containing a detailed annotated bibliography is also provided.

This presentation covered basic definitions of impact factors, citation impact and h index. Then, looked at Charles Darwin’s publication record, the process involved in determining his citation impact, and compared Darwin’s citation impact to that of modern day researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology. Science is continually focusing on current research, new techniques, latest discoveries. Once in a while it’s good to reflect back and re-examine the past.

This is a compilation of known publication series issued by the Iowa State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service, as of the last update. The list includes ISU Library call number, location and holdings, wherever possible along with earlier/later title information for each series. In cases where a series is not available in the ISU collections, some entries mention other libraries that have it available. This is an ongoing work in progress. The list is added to as new publications are uncovered.