Plant Breeding and Genetics Commons^™

Insect Pest Management With Sex Pheromone Precursors From Engineered Oilseed Plants, Hong-Lei Wang, Bao-Jian Ding, Jian-Qing Dai, Tara J. Nazarenus, Rafael Borges, Agenor Mafra-Neto, Edgar B. Cahoon, Per Hofvander, Sten Stymne, Christer Löfstedt

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Pheromones have become an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional insecticides for pest control. Most current pheromone-based pest control products target lepidopteran pests of high-value crops, as today’s manufacturing processes cannot yet produce pheromones at low enough costs to enable their use for lower-value crops, especially commodity crops. Camelina sativa seeds genetically modified to express (Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid, a sex pheromone precursor of several moth species, provided the oil from which the precursor was isolated, purified and transformed into the final pheromone. Trap lures containing this pheromone were then assessed for their capacity to manage moth pests in the field. Plant-derived pheromone …

Genetic And Biochemical Investigation Of Seed Fatty Acid Accumulation In Arabidopsis, Chinedu Charles Nwafor, Delin Li, Ping Qin, Long Li, Wei Zhang, Yuanwei Zhou, Jingjing Xu, Yongtai Yin, Jianbo Cao, Limin He, Fu Xiang, Chao Liu, Liang Guo, Yongming Zhou, Edgar B. Cahoon, Chunyu Zhang

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

As a vegetable oil, consisting principally of triacylglycerols, is the major storage form of photosynthetically-fixed carbon in oilseeds which are of significant agricultural and industrial value. Photosynthesis in chlorophyll-containing green seeds, along with photosynthesis in leaves and other green organs, generates ATP and reductant (NADPH and NADH) needed for seed fatty acid production. However, contribution of seed photosynthesis to fatty acid accumulation in seeds have not been well-defined. Here, we report the contribution of seed-photosynthesis to fatty acid production by probing segregating green (photosynthetically-competent) and non-green or yellow (photosynthetically-non-competent) seeds in siliques of an Arabidopsis chlorophyll synthase mutant. Using this …

Interdisciplinary Team Addresses Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus In Alabama, Kassie N. Conner, Edward Sikora, Jenny Koebernick, Marcio Zaccaron

The Journal of Extension

A multi-state and interdisciplinary team was formed to address the Extension and research needs of CLRDV, an emerging cotton disease with high potential impact for U.S. cotton production. In 2017, CLRDV was identified in AL and Auburn University immediately formed an interdisciplinary working group composed of plant breeders, plant pathologists, entomologists, and agronomists. Since then, scientists from ten other states have joined the CLRDV group. Thus, allowing research to be coordinated efficiently and best deploy limited resources to attend the stakeholder’s needs. The CLRDV group produces and shares new and relevant information with the scientific community and cotton producers alike.

Determination Of Crop Coefficient Of Hybrid Wheat Under Arid Climate: A Pot Study, Saba Wajid, Muhammad Imran, Hafiz Shahzad Ahmad, Muhammad Zeeshan Gulzar, Tanveer Ul Haq, Abdul Ghaffar, Sarmad Frogh Arshad, Zulqurnain Khan, Kashif Bashir, Hasan Riaz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Climate change increases vulnerabilities for crop productivity in Pakistan. Water crises are increasing with an increase in temperature and change in precipitation patterns due to climate change which ultimately imposed a threat to the food security of the country. Water is indispensable for all plants to complete life cycle as the unavailability of water at critical growth stages drastically affects the development of the plant. The present pot study was conducted for the estimation of crop coefficient of hybrid wheat for irrigation scheduling at Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan during two growing seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20. In this …

The Pho1;2a'-M1.1 Allele Of Phosphate1 Conditions Misregulation Of The Phosphorus Starvation Response In Maize (Zea Mays Ssp. Mays L.), Ana Laura Alonso-Nieves, M. Nancy Salazar-Vidal, J. Vladimir Torres-Rodríguez, Leonardo M. Pérez-Vázquez, Julio A. Massange-Sánchez, C. Stewart Gillmor, Ruairidh J. H. Sawers

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Plant PHO1 proteins play a central role in the translocation and sensing of inorganic phosphate. The maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) genome encodes two co-orthologs of the Arabidopsis PHO1 gene, designated ZmPho1;2a and ZmPho1;2b. Here, we report the characterization of the transposon footprint allele Zmpho1;2a'-m1.1, which we refer to hereafter as pho1;2a. The pho1;2a allele is a stable derivative formed by excision of an Activator transposable element from the ZmPho1;2a gene. The pho1;2a allele contains an 8-bp insertion at the point of transposon excision that disrupts the reading frame and is predicted to …

Divergent Evolution Of Extreme Production Of Variant Plant Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, Lu Gan, Kiyoul Park, Jin Chai, Evan M. Updike, Hyojin Kim, Adam Voshall, Sairam Behera, Xiao-Hong Yu, Yuanheng Cai, Chunyu Zhang, Mark A. Wilson, Jeffrey P. Mower, Etsuko Moriyama, Chi Zhang, Sireewan Kaewsuwan, Qun Liu, John Shanklin, Edgar B. Cahoon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Metabolic extremes provide opportunities to understand enzymatic and metabolic plasticity and biotechnological tools for novel biomaterial production. We discovered that seed oils of many Thunbergia species contain up to 92% of the unusual monounsaturated petroselinic acid (18:1Δ6), one of the highest reported levels for a single fatty acid in plants. Supporting the biosynthetic origin of petroselinic acid, we identified a Δ6-stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (18:0-ACP) desaturase from Thunbergia laurifolia, closely related to a previously identified Δ6-palmitoyl-ACP desaturase that produces sapienic acid (16:1Δ6)- rich oils in Thunbergia alata seeds. Guided by a T. laurifolia desaturase crystal structure obtained in this study, …

Pre-Breeding Of Kale (Brassica Oleracea Var. Acephala) – Organic Adaptation And Shelf Life, Craig Reda

All Theses

Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is a nutritionally rich leafy green that that contains vitamins, minerals, and prebiotic carbohydrates. As a popular organic crop, kale accounted for 1.3% of total US organic produce sales in 2020, a market valued at over 17 billion USD. However, organic production is limited by its inability to use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and suffers from decreased yield when compared to conventional agriculture, partially due to the creation of a significantly different growing environment. Additionally, the absence of synthetic products can also negatively impact the shelf of leafy greens like kale. To determine …

Association Mapping Across A Multitude Of Traits Collected In Diverse Environments In Maize, Ravi V. Mural, Guangchao Sun, Marcin Grzybowski, Michael C. Tross, Hongyu Jin, Christine Smith, Linsey Newton, Carson M. Andorf, Margaret R. Woodhouse, Addie M. Thompson, Brandi Sigmon, James C. Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Classical genetic studies have identified many cases of pleiotropy where mutations in individual genes alter many different phenotypes. Quantitative genetic studies of natural genetic variants frequently examine one or a few traits, limiting their potential to identify pleiotropic effects of natural genetic variants. Widely adopted community association panels have been employed by plant genetics communities to study the genetic basis of naturally occurring phenotypic variation in a wide range of traits. High-density genetic marker data—18M markers—from 2 partially overlapping maize association panels comprising 1,014 unique genotypes grown in field trials across at least 7 US states and scored for 162 …

Genetically Explicit Model May Explain Multigenerational Control Of Emergent Turing Patterns In Hybrid Mimulus, Emily Simmons

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Reassessment Of Species Boundaries And Phylogenetic Relationships In The Desmodium Ciliare Complex (Fabaceae) Using Morphological And Dna Data, Joshua Wilkinson

Master's Theses

Desmodium (Beggar's ticks) is a generally weedy genus of approximately 280 species in the angiosperm family Fabaceae (Subfamily Papilionoideae, Tribe Desmodieae) characterized by indehiscent loments constricted into segments. Within the Southeastern U.S., the Desmodium ciliare group is one of two Desmodium species complexes that have been historically difficult, with much argument about the limits of species and the role of hybridization. There are three commonly recognized species within the D. ciliare group, D. ciliare (Muhl. ex Willd.) DC., Desmodium marilandicum (L.) DC., and D. obtusum (Muhl. ex Willd.) DC., with two supposed hybrids in addition to the …

The Potential Role Of Phenotypic Plasticity In The Ability Of Hydrocotyle Bonariensis To Occupy Two Different Habitats, Harold Ralph Parsons Iii

Honors College Theses

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to change morphology and/or physiology in response to changes in the environment. Hydrocotyle bonariensis is a coastal perennial herb found in both coastal sand dunes and inland coastal plain habitats in Georgia. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in leaf morphology for populations of H. bonariensis in coastal sand dune and inland coastal plain habitats. Leaf morphology and microenvironmental variables were compared between H. bonariensis populations at Tybee Island (TI), GA, representing the coastal sand dune habitat, and Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus (GSU) in Savannah, …

Genetic Control Of Prickles And Plant Height In Blackberry, Carmen Johns

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fresh-market blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus Watson) industry has been expanding for the past two decades. Blackberry market growth can be attributed to many factors including expanded production regions, improved production systems, and release of superior cultivars. Blackberry breeding is a time- and labor-intensive process which would benefit from implementation of molecular markers for highly heritable, important traits. Next generation sequencing, a high-quality reference genome, and software capable of analyzing this complex genome were applied in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to reveal maker-trait associations related to prickles and plant height variation in fresh-market blackberry. In 2020 and 2021, …

Climate Change And Conservation Of Milkweed: Evidence Of Extensive Admixture Between Common Milkweed And Poke Milkweed, Elizabeth Davies

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Global climate change can drive many changes in species interactions. One primary way it affects species is by changing climates, causing species to expand their ranges and allowing them to interact with species from whom they were previously isolated. In plants, new species interactions can result in hybridization – the creation of hybrid offspring between two separate species. This hybridization can increase gene flow between the species and lead to introgression, the transfer of genetic material from one species to another through hybrid backcrossing with the parent species. My thesis investigates hybridization in the model system Asclepias (milkweed) by analyzing …

Managing Stress Tolerance On Warm-Season Putting Greens In The Transition Zone, Thomas Edward Walton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of warm-season putting greens in the transition zone has increased in recent years. Ultradwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) is the most prevalent warm-season putting green selection in the transition zone, however, newly developed greens-type zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) cultivars represent another potential selection for golf courses. The two major limitations of warm-season grasses in the transition zone are a general lack of cold- and shade-tolerance. Protective covers are essential to protect ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens in the winter months. Unfortunately, golf courses can still experience winterkill underneath protective covers. Two field trials were conducted …

An In Vitro Approach To Identify Sources Of Resistance To Fusarium Wilt Caused By Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Vasinfectum Race 4 In Domesticated Cotton, Stephen Parris

All Theses

Cotton lint produced by the plants Gossypium barbadense L. (pima cotton) and Gossypium hirsutum L. (upland cotton) is the world’s leading source of renewable textiles. The fibers of the cotton plant have been woven so intricately into our society that it would be hard to imagine life without their products. Cotton breeders must then not only continue to work to improve the quality of cotton fibers (fineness, strength, dyability, etc.) but also to improve the resilience of the plant against biotic and abiotic factors. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4) is an aggressive fungal pathogen, which causes Fusarium …

Enabling Breeding For Targeted Heat Requirement In Peach, Omer Atagul

All Theses

Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] germplasm varies in heat requirement and bloom time. This variability can be utilized in breeding for targeted environment or overall climate resilience. Development of molecular tools to aid in targeted selection of dormancy related traits is needed to support breeding for these traits. This project furthers our understanding of heat requirement accumulation diversity and genetic control in peach.

Peach bloom date (BD) is determined by the dynamic relationship of temperature requirements, from the sequential fulfillment of chill requirement (CR) and heat requirement (HR). Knowledge of HR and its influence on BD would provide deeper …

Breeding Soybean [Glycine Max (L) Merr.] Under Reduced Irrigation, Francia Seconde Ravelombola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.], a legume species native to East Asia in the Fabaceae family, ranks among the most important food crops in the world. It is widely grown and known for its high protein and oil concentration. Soybean is valuable because its seeds have multiple applications in food, feed, pharmaceutical, and industrial enterprises. Even though seed yield is the most important trait, breeders have recently given a significant attention to quality traits, such as high protein or modified oil concentration. Soybean seed protein inheritance has been extensively studied; however, genetics of high-protein ‘BARC-7’ soybean are still unknown.On the …

Arkansas Fresh-Market Blackberries: Identifying Unique Attributes And Harvest Practices That Impact Marketability, Andrea Lea Myers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fresh-market blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus) are sold worldwide and have attributes that appeal to consumers. The delicate-nature of the fruit requires hand harvesting, and minimal handling of the fruit postharvest. Objectives of this research on Arkansas fresh-market blackberries was to 1) identify the unique attributes 2) determine the best handling practices to increase postharvest quality, and 3) evaluate the potential of soft robotic gripper for harvesting. For the first objective, blackberry genotypes were harvested from the University of Arkansas System (UA System) Division of Agriculture Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, AR. Nineteen genotypes were harvested in 2020, eight genotypes were …

Oestrogenic Subterranean Clover Guide. Identification And Remediation, Kevin J. Foster, Megan H. Ryan, Daniel R. Kidd

Bulletins 4000 -

Subterranean clover (subclover, Trifolium subterraneum L.) is an annual pasture legume that provides high quality feed for livestock. It is estimated to be sown over 30 million hectares across southern Australia, with cultivars developed for the low, medium and high rainfall zones. Unfortunately, some older cultivars contain high levels of phytoestrogen which can affect the reproductive system of sheep and cause other health issues. This became a significant issue for sheep producers from the 1940s as new land was cleared and sheep grazed subclover-dominant pastures. There was a collection of livestock issues observed and these were grouped together under the …

Genetic Diversity In Helianthus Annuus: Selective Breeding And Induced Mutagenesis, Dillon Holton

Thinking Matters Symposium

H. annuus, more commonly known as the sunflower, is a single species that has many different variations. Traits have been selectively bred for hundreds of years in order to produce a beautiful flower as well as essential agricultural products. Recently interest in the sunflower as a food and fuel crop has led to selective breeding of seeds that produce high yields of sunflower oil. To further push the limits of this plant's genome, researchers have used mutagenesis to force mutations in hopes of developing novel modifications that could increase yield. With the entire genome mapped, the goal for many research …