Manitoba Heritage Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/1993/3098

Contains full text Manitoba-related theses dating from 1902 to the present.

The University of Manitoba Libraries gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Manitoba Department of Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Sport in the digitization of many of these theses.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 6515

Open Access
In search of Net Positive Carbon Grain Farming in the Northern Great Plains: innovation in policy and practice
(0025-05-20) Rourke, David; Entz, Martin (Plant Science); Haque, Emdad (Natural Resources Management); Orr, Mary-Jane (Natural Resources Management); Glenn, Aaron (Natural Resources Management); Chowdhury, Atahural (University of Guelph); Davidson-Hunt, Iain
This thesis addresses the opportunities that exist for grain farms to help mitigate anthropogenic global warming. The thesis developed Rourke’s General Farm Practice Change Theory, then uses that theory to develop a Net Positive Carbon Grain Farming Framework along with a Global Warming Mitigation Credit Framework. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted for sixteen cases involving participants from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The research is a qualitative exploratory participatory narrative case study. The data was transcribed via UM Zoom and uploaded to NVivo where it was coded and queried for emerging themes. Data was also collected to calculate estimates of emissions, CO2 sequestration, contribution margins, and production output. From this data I was able to determine a Net Positive carbon grain farming score as well as a Sustainable Farm Index rating. During the interview, each participant was asked 10 questions on each of 12 Beneficial Management Practices, BMPs. A 1 to 5 scale was used to record their response and then fed into a tool developed for the study labelled as BERT /E. The BERT/E tool considers the following variables: beliefs (B), economics (E), regulatory (R), technology (T), and the farmer’s physical and mental energy (E) to make a change. BERT/E scores are an indicator of the farmers BMP adoption score. This study yielded both theoretical advancement as well as practical outcomes. The practical outcomes included identifying two participants whose farms are currently Net Positive. This included identifying the BMPs they used to become Net Positive and how their approach differed from the overall group. I was also able to assemble 50 recommendations that would improve the ability of the twelve BMPs to assist farmers in becoming Net Positive. Ultimately, the findings of this work demonstrate that grain farms can be instrumental in tackling anthropogenic global warming.
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Evaluating the impact of subsurface drainage and subirrigation on wheat production in heavy clay soils
(2025-05-08) Dasinija, Karikalan; Jian, Fuji (Biosystems Engineering); Mante, Afua (Soil Science); Sri Ranjan, Ramanathan
Effective water management is crucial for optimizing crop productivity. This study investigated the effectiveness of subsurface drainage and subirrigation in managing soil water for wheat production in heavy clay soils at Arborg, Manitoba. Field experiments were conducted at the Prairie East Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (PESAI) farm at Arborg, Manitoba. Different subsurface drainage designs (30-ft (9.1 m) and 45-ft (13.7 m) spacing) were used for subirrigation during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons. Soil moisture response under these systems was assessed at 0.2, 0.6, and 0.9 m depths using soil moisture sensors for continuous monitoring throughout the growing season. In 2022, with above-average rainfall, controlled drainage removed adequate amount of water and resulted in significantly higher yield (p < 0.05) midway-between-tiles in the 30-ft spacing plot compared to the non-tiled control. In contrast, during the dry year of 2023, despite subirrigation, yield from the 30-ft plot was lower than the average yield in the Interlake region due to insufficient water. However, the on-tile treatment in the 45-ft plot and control (non-tile) plot produced significantly (p < 0.05) above-average yields in 2023 due to less water being drained from the field compared to the 30-ft plot. The data from this research was used to calibrate and validate the DRAINMOD model to assess the influence of tile drain spacing and subirrigation on relative yield in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Simulation results indicated that in 2022, relative yields in the 30-ft and 45-ft plots were 97.2% and 97.0%, respectively. Subirrigation reduced drought stress in the 15-ft plot during 2021, a dry year. A six-day planting delay caused a 5.2% yield loss in 2023. These findings demonstrated the importance of optimally managing controlled drainage systems to enhance wheat yield in heavy clay soils.
Open Access
Writing, teaching, healing, becoming: poetic inquiry as praxis
(2025-04-30) Jain, V; Watt, Jennifer (Curriculum, Teaching and Learning); Lea, Graham (Curriculum, Teaching and Learning); Honeyford, Michelle
This poetic inquiry contemplates how creative writing may contribute to discovering and articulating the Self. Themes of healing and becoming are explored through a diasporic feminist lens. The tension between traditional scholarly writing and poetic inquiry as an act of decolonization has political overtones that challenge expectations of academia and identity. Poetry communicates the progression and arc of meaning as various themes intersect to explore the culture of Self, of the classroom, and of otherness. Symphonic terms are used for headings to frame the movement of theoretical and pedagogical ideas that arise from the analysis. This structure is metaphorical as each chapter is a variation on the theme of becoming through poetry. Cultural abstraction, colonized writing, now an obstruction to my predilection for introspection. Oh! But here is music of a different canon. Melodies and rhythms of language Stretches of silence Giving body. My body Betrayed strayed afraid Healing to words towards healing Poetic music/the music of poetry. Intro/Outro structure beginning to end A meaning found/made/felt And a pen to scribe The poetry movement From a moment to a method To contemplate on reflex, On purpose, on self. Ars Poetica in/of/as research To search and stretch and sense and state I am mother. teacher. writer.
Open Access
We have never forgotten the children: the journey of the Treaty #3 Anishinaabeg as they exercise jurisdiction in relation to their children and families, with consideration of the Act Respecting First Nation, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families
(2025-05-01) Kelly, Diane Margaret; Miller, Cary (Indigenous Studies); Ningewance Nadeau, Patricia (Indigenous Studies); Turnbull, Lorna
The Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 have profound and distinct laws for raising their children that flow from their sovereignty, miinigoziwin. Their laws have transcended generations through the adisokanaan, the teachings of Nanaboozhoo and through ceremony. Anishinaabe children were nurtured and protected within a web of relationships and taught to understand their interconnectivity to all of Creation, to know their rich history and be immersed in the nuances embedded within the language. This thesis traces steps that the Treaty #3 Anishinaabe have taken to continuously assert jurisdiction of their children and families, despite colonial policy of dispossession and cultural genocide. The Anishinaabeg have never forgotten the children and have been creative and active in their efforts to displace the child and family services system. This thesis paints a picture from an Anishinaabe perspective purposely utilizing predominantly primary sources to illustrate from both a micro and macro view. First Nations will each have to determine how best to shift the child welfare paradigm for their children and their future. Seeking and implementing Anishinaabe truths with the guidance of Anishinaabe knowledge keepers offers the best hope. The federal Act Respecting First Nation, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families has potential as a further step on the pathway to exercising full unencumbered jurisdiction of children and families.
Open Access
Detection of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Winnipeg River using environmental DNA (eDNA)
(2024-12-09) Anderson, Morgan; Roth, James (Biological Sciences); Jeffries, Ken (Biological Sciences); Anderson, Gary; Docker, Margaret
Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), a species of ecological and cultural significance in North America, face population declines due to habitat loss, overharvesting, and environmental changes. Effective monitoring tools are essential for conserving and managing their populations. This thesis explores the utility of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a non-invasive tool for detecting the presence and absence of Lake Sturgeon in the Winnipeg River system and its potential to identify spawning events. The spatial and temporal distribution of Lake Sturgeon was examined using mitochondrial (Cyt-b) eDNA, revealing seasonal patterns that aligned with previously documented behaviours, such as spawning, foraging, and overwintering. Fifteen sites were sampled once a month from May through to October in both 2021 and 2022. A total of 55/78 samples (70.5%) amplified Lake Sturgeon DNA in 2021 and 45/65 samples (69.2%) in 2022. The relative location of the collection site to the hydroelectric generating stations was found to be a significant influence on the presence of eDNA. The application of nuclear and mitochondrial eDNA for detecting Lake Sturgeon spawning events using a newly developed ITS-1 assay was found to be successful in a field setting. The nuclear assay only amplified Lake Sturgeon DNA in 14/57 samples (24.6%), all during the suspected spawning period when compared to ideal spawning conditions, successfully detecting the presence of reproductive adults during peak spawning periods. The eDNA results corresponded closely with conventional field observations, including egg deposition and adult sampling. The assay is sturgeon-specific but not species-specific, suggesting its broader applicability for monitoring other North American sturgeon species, though further validation across diverse environmental contexts is required. The findings of this research underscore the versatility and promise of eDNA as a non-invasive tool for Lake Sturgeon conservation. By identifying critical habitats and reproductive events, eDNA provides an efficient and scalable approach to monitor sturgeon populations and inform targeted conservation strategies. This work lays a foundation for further research into refining eDNA techniques and integrating them into long-term monitoring programs to address ongoing challenges in freshwater species conservation.

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