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Surface-Functionalized Silica Nanocarriers For Mitigating Water Stress In Wheat And Benefiting The Root Microbiome, Anthony Cartwright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in climate and shifting patterns of drought threaten the growth of important cash crops like wheat. The element silicon serves as a plant nutrient and shows promise for strengthening wheat against drought while remaining safe to both the crop and the positive bacteria that grow on its roots. Silicon can be added to wheat in the form of silicon-dioxide nanoparticles featuring protective coatings made from plant-beneficial nutrients. These nanoparticles can be engineered with high surface area or porous structures allowing them to be loaded with additional nutrients that can be delivered to crops. In a laboratory setting, such nanoparticles …

Temperature Effects On Yield Of Ideal Wheat Cultivars, Jeffrey Jiang

Senior Theses

North American wheat growing areas show variation in many different factors, one of the most varied and important being temperature. Temperature is well established to correlate with yield. Given data from the Uniform Soft Red Winter Wheat Nursery and independently gathered data from government-owned weather stations, I explored possible correlations between temperature and wheat yield that can be extrapolated to areas that are not covered by the Uniform Soft Red Winter Wheat Nursery database. My analysis did not reveal strong correlations between temperature and growth, and in some cases, the sample size was too small. From this study, it was …

Improving Baking Quality Of Soft Red Winter Wheat In Kentucky Through Breeding And Sulfur-Nitrogen Fertility Management, Maria Paula Castellari

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat is an important crop grown on about 400,000 acres in Kentucky as a pivotal cash crop in the 3-crops-in-2-years rotation of corn, wheat, and soybean. The humid environment of Kentucky generates a high yielding wheat crop, with low protein concentration and weak gluten strength. This wheat is mainly sold to millers and used by the industry for cakes, pastries, cookies, and crackers. Conversely, there is a rapidly growing interest in identifying other value-added markets for this wheat different to commodity commercialization, such as artisan-baked goods and craft-distilled beverages. Evaluating the quality characteristics of wheat grown …

Cuo Nanoparticles Solubility As Influenced By Soil Pore Water, Native Microorganisms, And Wheat Rhizosphere Chemistry In A Sand Matrix, Dakota Sparks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nanoparticles (NPs) are particles less than 100 nm (~4 millionths of an inch) in a direction. NPs, due to their small size, are used in a variety of products, such as silver (Ag) NPs as an antimicrobial in clothes. Copper Oxide (CuO) NPs are used in electronics as semiconductors and other fields as antimicrobials and purposefully or accidentally end up in the environment. Copper (Cu) is a necessary nutrient for plants, but at higher amounts is toxic to plants and beneficial soil microbes.

In order to understand how the CuO NPs interacts with plants, wheat seedlings were grown in sand …

Crosscutting Understandings Of Fusarium Resistance In Sorghum And Wheat For Development Of Breeding Strategies And Novel Opportunities In Germplasm Improvement, Arlyn Ackerman

All Dissertations

Fusarium causes widespread disease in crops resulting in yield and quality loss across a range of host taxa that results in global incidence of carcinogenic mycotoxins contaminating the world’s food systems. This research sought to crosscut frameworks developed across the Fusarium host crop species of wheat (Triticum aesitivum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L] Moench) to further understand mycotoxin suppression and resistance. A deeper understanding of the biochemical resistances available in sorghum grain mold (SGM) was built by following research of wheat based upon deoxynivalenol resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB). Through this research, phenotyping methods for Fusarium damaged kernels …

Efficacy Of Nanomaterials And Biorationals On The Bacterial Leaf Streak Management In Wheat, Abraham Hangamaisho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the United States. Most wheat varieties are susceptible to bacterial leaf streak (BLS), a major disease caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtpvu). BLS is challenging to manage since common chemicals do not provide adequate control. Nanomaterials and plant extracts have shown potential to provide a sustainable environmentally friendly control of animal and plant diseases. However, limited data are available on the efficacy of plant extracts and nanomaterials controlling BLS in wheat. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of plant extracts and …

Effect Of Essential Oils In The Control Of Fungal Diseases In Small Grains, Esneider Mahecha Bojaca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) are important crops due to their high consumption in our daily diet worldwide. They are the main food of consumption per capita due to the high amino-acid content as well of vitamins. However, grain production is limited due to the negative impact of the diseases that cause significant yield loss. Diseases in oats, such as crown rust caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Pca), and in wheat such as Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum. Foliar diseases such as tan spot incited by the fungi …

Remote Sensing And Spatial Variability Of Leaf Area Index Of Irrigated Wheat Fields, Austin Paul Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Leaf area index (LAI) is a versatile indicator of crop growth that is used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET), monitor nitrogen status, and estimate crop yield. Traditional methods for measuring LAI can be improved using high resolution remote sensing. The aim of this study was to compare approaches for estimating LAI from UAV-derived visible vegetation indices. Coincident ground-based and remotely sensed data were obtained from two irrigated wheat fields and were sampled at a total of 5 events in 2019 and 2020. Ground-based LAI was measured with a ceptometer and remotely sensed images were collected using a consumer-grade UAV. Mosaiced orthophotos …

Innovative Water Management Using Advanced Irrigation Systems And Biochar, Jonathan A. Holt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two approaches to water optimization in agriculture are to increase soil water retention and improve the efficiency of irrigation. A soil amendment that has received attention for its ability to increase soil water retention is biochar, the remaining biomass after high C materials have been pyrolyzed (burned with limited oxygen and heat). Two studies were conducted at a total of 10 site-years in Utah from 2018 to 2020 to evaluate how wood biochar influences the productivity and crop quality of irrigated alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and wheat (Triticum L.), along with soil water tension. One study …

Compost And Cover Crop Effects In Dryland Organic Wheat, Michael D. Deakin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Producers of dryland organic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the western USA struggle to maintain adequate soil fertility due to the high cost of organic fertilizers and concerns over moisture use of cover crops. Low soil fertility results in decreased wheat yield and quality, and increased year-to-year variability in yield and quality based on weather. This study was conducted to measure the effects of, and interactions between, cover crop mixes and a one-time compost application on soil health and winter wheat yield and quality. The study was located on three adjacent certified organic wheat farms near Snowville, UT, each …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis Permits Characterization Of Stagonospora Nodorum Blotch (Snb) Resistance In Hard Winter Wheat, Rami Altameemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) is an economically important wheat disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Parastagonospora nodorum. SNB resistance in wheat is controlled by several quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Thus, the identifying of novel resistance/susceptibility QTLs is crucial for continuous improvement of the SNB resistance. Here, the hard winter wheat association mapping panel (HWWAMP) comprising accessions from breeding programs in the Great Plains region of the US, was evaluated for SNB resistance and necrotrophic effectors (NEs) sensitivity at the seedling stage. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to identify singlenucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with SNB resistance and …

Optical Seed Sorter-Based Selection Lowers Deoxynivalenol Accumulation In Soft Red Winter Wheat, William Jesse Carmack

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) results in discolored grain contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON). DON accumulation, an indicator of FHB resistance, can be quantified and used as the basis for direct phenotypic selection, but testing is expensive. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate an optical seed sorter as an alternative to DON testing for FHB resistance breeding. Three hundred F4 derived soft red winter wheat (SRWW) breeding lines were grown in an inoculated FHB nursery over several years in Lexington, KY. Grain from each breeding line was sorted using an optical seed sorter calibrated …

Improving Breeding Program Efficiency And Genetic Gain Through The Implementation Of Genomic Selection In Diverse Wheat Germplasm, Dylan Larkin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genomic selection (GS) is an important tool for increasing genetic gain for economically important traits in breeding programs. Genomic selection uses molecular markers across the entire genome in order to predict the performance of breeding lines for a trait of interest prior to phenotyping. A training population (TP) of elite germplasm, representative of the University of Arkansas wheat breeding program, was developed in order to predict important agronomic and Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance traits within the University of Arkansas wheat breeding program through cross-validation and forward prediction.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed on the TP to identify …

Characterization Of Bacterial Endophytes Isolated From Brassica Carinata And Their Potential Use To Decrease Nutrient Requirements In Crops, Alex Soupir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial endophytes have the capability to enhance plant growth by producing plant growth hormones, solubilizing phosphates, suppressing pathogenic fungi, and reducing plant stress hormones. These capabilities make them desirable limiting the amount of nutrients and pesticides that are applied to crops. Through these assays and isolations, it is possible to identify novel bacterial species. In-vitro testing had shown 9 of the 20 isolates possess the ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) with Pantoea agglomerans BC09 producing a concentration of 30.2 ng/μl over 4 days. BC09, Bacillus subilis BC10, and Pantoea sp. BC12 were able to solubilize calcium phosphate, 7 endophytes …

Functional Analysis Of Squamosa-Promoter Binding Protein Like 13 In Controlling Flowering Time, Plant Architecture, Grain Size, And Grain Number In Wheat, Ajay Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher and stable yield is always a major objective of wheat genetic improvement programs. The SQUAMOSA-promoter binding protein-like (SPL) genes constitute a small family of plant-specific transcription factors with diverse functions in plant development and growth and have great potential in improving yield and other major agronomic traits. However, the functional characterization of the SPL gene family in wheat is far behind other cereal crops such as rice. Using phylogenetic analysis, we identified 56 wheat orthologues of rice SPL genes belonging to 19 homoeologous groups. Among these 19 orthologous TaSPL genes, nine harbor the micro RNA 156 recognition element (MRE) …

An Evaluation Of Hybrid Traits, Yield, And Major Qtl Effect On Heterosis In Hybrid Soft Red Winter Wheat, Zachary James Winn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a self-pollinating species that is most often bred as a recombinant inbred line. When two inbred individuals are crossed, they produce progeny which experience heterosis; heterosis is the increased robustness experienced due to the reintroduction of heterozygosity. Hybrid wheat may be produced through the use of chemical hybridization agents, yet the structure of wheat flowers decreases the efficiency of outcrossing. The objectives of this study were to: assess the amount of heterosis experienced by a population of hybrid wheat and observe the effect of major gene loci on yield and yield components, phenotype anthers extruded …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtls) For Resistance To Fusarium Head Blight (Fhb) In Wheat Variety Ags 2060 And Evaluation Of The Effect Of Fhb1 Resistance Gene On Fhb Reaction In A Louisiana Wheat Breeding Population, Alejandro Castro Aviles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the fungus Fusarium spp., is a disease that attacks several grass species, including wheat. Wheat variety AGS 2060 has remained moderately susceptible to FHB and is regularly found in pedigrees of resistant breeding lines. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted to find sources of resistance to FHB in AGS 2060. A 90K SNP chip was used to genotype a double haploid mapping population produced from a cross between wheat varieties AGS 2060 and AGS 2035. There were highly significant differences between lines in the population for Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) rating and deoxynivalenol …

Silicon Fertilization In Rice And Wheat: Dynamics With Trace Elements And Effect Of Silicate Slag Granular Size On The Release Pattern Of Monosilicic Acid In Soil, Wooiklee S. Paye

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of silicon (Si) fertilization on the uptake of harmful trace elements in Louisiana rice production system, and document the effect of silicate slag granular size on its ability to supply Si in wheat. The influence of silicate slag and lime on the uptake and translocation of harmful trace elements in rice grain was determined. Results showed that both slag and lime had similar effects on pH at five of the nine sites investigated. Soil Si was significantly (P <0.001) increased with application of silicate slag at all sites. Lime and silicate slag had no effect on the concentration of trace elements in soil. However, increasing Si rates were negatively correlated with arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) concentration in rice grain. The release pattern of monosilicic acid (H₄SiO₄) from wollastonite and silicate slag was compared in a wheat greenhouse …

Optimizing Legume-Based Nitrogen Fertility For Organic Small Grain Systems, Margaret A. Pickoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, Maine has witnessed a steady rise in consumer demand for organic small grain products, accompanied by the swift creation of new businesses that cater to this demand, including bakeries, flour mills, malt houses, and distilleries. Maine’s farmers have been slower to respond; only a small percentage of the 40,000+ acres of oats and barley being grown in the state, for example, is certified organic (National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2012). Given this combination of land resources, infrastructure, and consumer demand, Maine has the potential to become a regional leader in organic small grain production. According to our …

Performance Of Submerged Cool-Season Annual Crops As A Potential Fish Habitat Enhancement Strategy Of Reservoir Mudflats, Giancarlo Coppola

Theses and Dissertations

Sedimentation and drawdown-induced habitat degradation limits reproduction of structure-associated fishes in flood control reservoirs. Littoral habitat enhancement can be accomplished by planting fast growing crops during winter, when lakebeds are exposed, to provide fish habitat during spring flooding. It remains unclear if species of crops differ in their submerged persistence or habitat quality to fish. I submerged six species of cool-season annual crops in mesocosms and monitored plant architecture over time. Adult plantings of two grasses persisted long enough to potentially be used by juvenile fishes in reservoirs. To assess the habitat quality provided by crops, I evaluated selection by …

Untangling The Economic And Social Impediments To Producer Adoption Of Organic Wheat, Donya L. Ralph-Quarnstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumer demand for organic products has shown double-digit growth in recent years encouraging the development of a wider range of goods (Greene, 2017). Americans with an annual household income under $30,000 actively purchase organic foods at nearly the same rate as households with over $75,000 in annual incomes, 42% versus 49% (Greene et al., 2017). Previous research observed the adoption of organic farming practices on a combination of different grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, and dairy products from across the globe. However, this is the first study to examine the adoption of organic wheat in the Western U.S. By addressing …

Interactions Of Arbuscular Mychorrhizal Fungi And Bacterial Endophytes On Disease Resistance Of Common Root Pathogens In Wheat, Janice L. Eibensteiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis between plants and fungi, help plants to capture nutrients such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and other micronutrients from the aggre in exchange for up to 20% of the fixed carbon (C) from the plant. In addition, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can improve the resistance against abiotic (drought, salinity), and also biotic (pathogen) stresses. Bacterial endophytes promote plant growth and yield by fixing N2 from the atmosphere, assimilating N and transfer it to the plant. Bacterial endophytes can also solubilize phosphate and stimulate plant defense responses, suppressing pathogens. The host plant provides sucrose and a favorable …

Metabolizable Energy Determination In Broiler Chickens, Andrew E. Dunaway

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Feed accounts for the highest cost associated in poultry production, with energy-containing feedstuffs being the most expensive portion of the cost of feeding. The increasing demand for poultry meat gives reason to determine accurate apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values for various feedstuff through measuring energy utilization in the birds. The adaptation length of birds fed an experimental diet may affect the determined AME value due to the diet matrix and physiochemical properties of the feedstuff. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to evaluate a select group of energy-containing feedstuff with different diets and with factors such as coccidia challenge …

Efficacy Of Synthetic And Biopesticides On Bacteria Leaf Streak Management And Influence Of Cultivar And Environment On Epiphytic Bacteria Diversity On Wheat Seeds, Marilen Nampijja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most important staple food for over two billion people, or 36% of the world population. The United States ranks 4th in the world for wheat production. However, wheat production is faced by both biological and non-biological constraints. Among the biological constraints, diseases play a big role in limiting wheat production with estimated yield losses ranging from 20% to 40%. Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) of wheat caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv undulosa (Xtpvu) is one of the major bacterial diseases affecting the wheat production in most wheat growing regions in the USA. In recent years, it …

Quality Evaluations Of Hard Red Spring Wheat Grown In South Dakota, Lance Merrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW; Triticum aestivum L.) is characterized by generally high protein content and excellent baking and milling performance. The ability for millers, bakers, and other end-users of wheat to properly and cheaply produce food products with uniformity is dependent on the quality consistency of wheat produced by breeders and farmers. Determining how production years and locations influenced enduse quality traits will assist breeders, agronomists, and growers, in understanding which hard red spring wheat (HRSW; Triticum aestivum L.) varieties are least susceptible to quality fluctuations, and therefore, most desirable to end-users. In order to determine which varieties were …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtl) For Tolerance To Metribuzin In Soft Red Winter Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.), Hugo Alfonso Anzueto Ponciano

LSU Master's Theses

Wheat is one of the world’s most important food crops and provides nearly 20% of the calories consumed. Wheat is the third most important crop after corn and rice on a global production scale. In Louisiana wheat harvest was about 6000 hectares in 2017. Wheat production is negatively affected by several biotic and abiotic factors including weather, diseases, and weeds. Metribuzin is a broad-spectrum herbicide commonly used in wheat because it is inexpensive and controls most of the common weeds in wheat fields. Metribuzin has benefits for the grower controlling weeds that might cause yield loss in varieties or lines …

Opportunities And Challenges Involved With A Large-Scale Private Enterprise Focused On Improving Food Security In Semi-Arid Regions Of Ethiopia, Anthony Richards

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In 2009, Morrell Agro Industries (MAI) was formed in Ethiopia with the mission to end famine in the country through growing imported dryland wheat varieties from the western United States. MAI entered into a lease agreement with the Ethiopian government for 25,000 ha of land in semi-arid brushland in the Oromia region. The Beltu farm was established at the location for seed multiplication and demonstration of the dryland initiative concept. From the first harvest in July of 2010 several challenges arose that prevented the success of the dryland seed initiative. From high intensity short duration rainfall events on Vertisol soils, …

Effect Of Silicon On Wheat Growth And Development In Drought And Salinity Stress, Spencer A. Tibbitts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silicon is a major component of most soils, and is found in significant concentration in plant tissue. Plants vary widely in the amount of silicon they take up, with some plants excluding it, and others using transporters to move the silicon from the soil into their roots. Early plant physiology studies were unable to determine conclusively whether silicon was essential to plant growth, but for some plants, most notably rice, it has proved to be important enough to justify fertilizing silicon deficient fields.

Researchers at the USU Crop Physiology Lab tested the effect of silicon on wheat growth and seed …

Effects Of Enhanced Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers On Agronomic Parameters And Loss Pathways In The Subtropical Mississippi Delta Region, Scott Michael Pensky

LSU Master's Theses

Minimizing nitrogen (N) loss is critical for improving N use efficiency (NUE) in crop production and reducing its effects on the environment. Management practices such as seasonal application timing of N fertilizers and the addition of enhanced efficiency N fertilizers (EENFs) were investigated for the high N requirement of the two most common cereal crops globally, corn (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), in the subtropical climate of Louisiana. Field research was established during the 2016 and 2017 seasons at the LSU Agricultural Center’s Dean Lee and Central research stations to examine the effect of different EENFs and …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Root Development In Wheat Triticum Aestivum Using High Throughtput Sequencing Technologies, Ghana Challa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Root provides plant water, nutrients and anchorage from soil. Most our knowledge of molecular mechanisms of root development is from the dicot model plant Arabidopsis, but very few studies have done in monocot crop systems like rice, maize, and wheat. We are studying very short root (VSR) phenotype in wheat, and lack of a sequenced reference genome in wheat prompted us to sequence and assemble the root transcriptome of the reference cultivar Chinese Spring (CS). A root transcriptome was assembled from the sequenced reads generated from root tip and the mature root tissues of CS. Approximately 169 million reads were …