Life Sciences Commons^™

Investigating The Molecular Basis Of Volatile-Mediated Plant Indirect Defense Against Herbivorous Insects Using Functional And Comparative Genomics, Shuhua Yuan

Doctoral Dissertations

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play important roles in plant indirect defense against herbivorous insects by attracting the natural enemies. I first used a tritrophic model system involving rice, rice fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), and the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris to discover and characterize the volatile terpenoids and TPS genes involved in the indirect defense of rice against the insect herbivory with integrated functional genomics analyses. Seven rice TPS genes were found to be significantly up-regulated by both microarray and real-time PCR analyses, with one characterized as a linalool synthase and two as sesquiterpene synthases. The products of all three …

Soil Carbon And Microfauna Changes As Influenced By Combinations Of Bio-Covers And Cropping Sequences Of Glyphosate Tolerant Corn, Soybean, And Cotton, Jason Patrick Wight

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this research was to compare the effects of combinations of a wide range of cropping sequences and soil bio-covers on soil organic carbon (SOC) and Heterodera glycines under no-tillage. The experiment used a split-block design with four replications at the Milan (RECM) and Middle TN (MTREC) Research & Education Centers. The whole-block treatment was cropping sequences of corn (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The split-block was bio-covers of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), poultry litter, and fallow. Soil samples were …

A Revision Of Tomoceridae (Insecta: Collembola) In Great Smoky Mountains National Park And Southern Appalachians Using Morphological And Molecular Approaches, Kelly Lynn Felderhoff

Masters Theses

Large, heavily scaled tomocerid springtails (Collembola) are abundant in eastern forests, and are important components of the detrital food web. The genus Pogonognathellus predominates in the southern Appalachians While a number of well-delimited tomocerid species have been described, others have vague morphological boundaries and appear to be species complexes. Before this study began in 2005, four species were known to occur in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and the surrounding Appalachians (P. bidentatus, dubius, elongatus, flavescens). Also occurring throughout the area is Tomocerus lamellifera, a widespread and distinctive species. The goals of this project were to …

The Use Of Horticulture Therapy Techniques With Four Comprehensive Development Classroom Students In Four High School Horticulture Classes, Jamie Lynn Mundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore people-plant interactions and discover the affects of using horticulture therapy techniques with four comprehensive development classroom (CDC) students in four high school horticulture classes. The central research question addressed during the study was, “How do horticulture therapy techniques affect cognitive abilities, emotional behaviors, and social behaviors of CDC students in high school horticulture classes?”

The researcher used a total of three different instruments in order to measure various capabilities of each child. These three quantitative instruments utilized during the study consisted of a General Horticulture Knowledge Test, an Emotions Face Test, and …

Effects Of Combinations Of Cropping Sequences And Biocovers On Yield Of Glyphosate-Tolerant Corn, Soybean, And Cotton Under No-Till, Jennifer Elizabeth Noe

Masters Theses

No-till acreage is increasing in the United States as producers begin to recognize the environmental and economic benefits of this management system. Although the potential to receive carbon credits or payments for maintaining or initiating no-till may encourage producers to employ these practices, crop yields will be a factor in management decisions. Our objective was to examine the effects of combinations of cropping sequences and winter biocovers upon glyphosate-tolerant corn, cotton, and soybean yields under long-term no-tillage at two locations in Tennessee. Research was conducted during the first four-year phase (2002-2005) of a two-phase agronomic systems study (2002-2009) at the …

Horticultural Therapy In Tennessee, Jenny Cecilia Pfeffer

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was conducted to identify the existing HT programs in Tennessee and to locate the types of institutions, staff, activities, and clientele involved in those programs. Horticulture as a therapeutic medium is increasing rapidly, especially in the U.S., and there is a significant need to compile information about available programs in Tennessee. The Web-Survey of Horticultural Therapy Programs in Tennessee was developed and used in spring 2007 to survey members of the Tennessee Hospital Association, the Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the Tennessee Master Gardeners; the Manager of Knoxville Sertoma Center Greenhouse; …

Preserving The Legacy Of Jens Jensen Landscapes: A Historical Assessment Of His Knoxville Van Deventer Garden, Terumi Watson

Masters Theses

The former Van Deventer garden (1924) in Knoxville, Tennessee is one of the rare masterpieces designed by the landscape artist Jens Jensen (1860-1951), who was a distinctive pioneer in the history of American landscape architecture. Very few of his major works survive in the Midwest which was the center of his career, and his residential designs are especially threatened by urban sprawl and land development in modern society. This historic Knoxville garden has been quietly surviving over 80 years through a few private ownerships, and Jensen’s landscape is slowly diminishing as invasive species are fast to colonize in the native …

A Systematic Study Of Trillium Subgenus Delostylis, Susan B. Farmer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study focused on the systematics of Trillium subg. Delostylis, an enigmatic group endemic to the southeastern United States. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data was used to examine the circumscription and phylogenetic placement of Delostylis. The results of the phylogenetic analysis of data from the ITS, matK, and psbA-trnH sequence data suggested that the circumscription of Delostylis be narrowed to consist of T. persistens, T. catesbaei, and T. pusillum sensu lato. A revised Delostylis was characterized by the presence of a style with three slender stigmatic branches in those plants whose flowers are either white-fading-to-pink …

Factors Influencing Desire For Increased Wildlife Habitat Among Tennessee Farmers And The Economics Of Switchgrass Production, Janet Jones

Masters Theses

In order to keep up with a growing human population, wildlife habitat has had to be relinquished. Modern technology has furthered the abilities of commodity producers but caused a deterioration of the quality and quantity of habitat available for wild animals in many cases. Many species of wildlife have left areas of the state in order to meet their basic needs. In order to increase wildlife numbers, wildlife habitat will have to be reintroduced or managed differently. The first objective of this research is to identify and evaluate the factors associated with a demand for increased wildlife habitat among Tennessee …

Ground Cover Management For Conservation Tillage Burley Tobacco, Justin Lee Bryant

Masters Theses

There are several advantages of using conservation tillage management practices for burley tobacco production. These include reduced soil erosion, soil water conservation, and lower input costs. Inconsistent yields in past research and trials have made tobacco producers hesitant in adopting conservation tillage. This research was conducted near Springfield, Tennessee and Greeneville, Tennessee to investigate no-till and strip-till practices with different ground cover management techniques during winter and spring months in an effort to identify appropriate technologies. The first study evaluated cover management in established sod. Conventional tillage tobacco was compared to tobacco transplanted either no-till or strip-till into the following …

Molecular Evolution Of Mads-Box Genes In Cotton (Gossypium L.), Wusheng Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the molecular evolution of floral developmental MADS-box genes in diploid and allotetraploid cotton (Gossypium, Malvaceae). We isolated and characterized both cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of four MADS-box genes, B-sister, APETALA3 (AP3), PISTILLATA (PI, two copies) and AGAMOUS (AG), in seven Gossypium species (2 A-genome species, 2 D-genome species, 1 C-genome species and 2 AD-genome species) as well as an outgroup species, Gossypioides kirkii. We then studied the expression patterns of each gene by reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) in each flower part for different flower stages of G. …

Determination Of Plant Spacing And Time Of Planting In The Production Of Edamame Soybeans For Optimal Yield And Seed Isoflavone Content In Tennessee, Debra Jean Strouse Carpenter

Masters Theses

The objectives of this study are three-fold: to determine the within row plant spacing and time of planting that will produce optimal yields and seed isoflavone content, to explore the feasibility of incorporating edamame soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] in a double-cropping system with strawberries [Fragaria X ananassa], and to study the potential as an edamame soybean of newly identified line TN03-349. Line TN03-349 was planted into raised, plasticulture, irrigated strawberry beds at the University of Tennessee’s East Tennessee Research and Education Center. Five within-row spacings were used (0.08m, 0.15m, 0.30m, 0.60m, and 1.20m) in 2004 …

Life History Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges Tsugae Annand, On Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis (L.) Carriere, In The Southern Appalachians And Assessment Of Egg Releases Of Sasajiscymnus Tsugae (Sasaji And Mcclure) For Its Management, Isaac K. Deal

Masters Theses

Studies were conducted in 2005 and 2006 at Baxter Orchard, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee to optimize survival of Sasajiscymnus tsugae (St) (Sasaji and McClure) released as eggs on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere, for biological control of Adelges tsugae (HWA) Annand. Studies investigated annual abundance and seasonality of HWA lifestages, weekly field and laboratory survival of St, and survival of St egg cohorts of various ages and densities. HWA was determined to be bivoltine on eastern hemlock in Tennessee with an aestivation period between July and October. Lifestages preferred as food by St were present from …

Genetic Manipulation Of Auxin And Ethylene Production To Alter The Growth And Development Of Populus, Joo Young Kim

Masters Theses

Populus is one of the most important tree species for pulp, paper, wood products, and more recently for biomass energy. The increasing need for wood and decreasing land area for forest trees demand the development of fast-growing trees with desirable quality. This experiment was conducted to alter poplar growth and development by manipulating endogenous auxin and ethylene levels through genetic transformation.

Since auxin stimulates vascular differentiation and wood formation, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthetic gene,iaaM, driven by a vascular specific promoter, glycine-rich protein promoter (GRP), was inserted into a hybrid aspen (P. canescens x P. grandidentata) to increase the endogenous …

Cultural Control Methods That Effect The Development And Spread Of Corynespora Cassiicola (Berk. & Curt.) Wei On African Violet (Saintpaulia Ionantha Wendl.), Hillary Dawn Ross

Masters Theses

In recent years, a large commercial grower of African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.) in middle Tennessee has experienced epidemics of Corynespora leaf spot caused by Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & Curt.) Wei (Alan Windham, personal communication). Symptoms of Corynespora leaf spot include rapidly expanding circular lesions on the surface of the leaves and petioles. The disease occurs in propagation material and mature plants of S. ionantha which result in thousands of plants being discarded daily. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine if irrigation methods affected disease severity, 2) to determine if fungicidal spray intervals could be extended …

Rate And Timing Of Nitrogen Fertilizer In Burley Tobacco, Michael Randall Waynick

Masters Theses

Our objectives in this study were to evaluate the state recommendations for nitrogen, determine the effects of nitrogen on tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), yield and quality, determine efficient nitrogen rates and evaluate the pre sidedress nitrate test (PSNT) as an indicator of nitrogen needs in burley tobacco. This study had nine nitrogen rates, in a split plot design with four replications. Main plots consisted of preplant nitrogen: 89.6, 179.2 and 268.8 kg/ha. Sub plots consisted of sidedress nitrogen: 0, 52 and 112 kg/ha. Soil nitrate-N was determined using the PSNT, with samples taken to a depth of 0.15 m three …