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Comparative Genomics Of Five Valsa Species Gives Insights On Their Pathogenicity Evolution, Guangchao Sun, Shichang Xie, Lin Tang, Chao Zhao, Mian Zhang, Lili Huang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Valsa is a genus of ascomycetes within the Valsaceae family. This family includes many wood destructive pathogens such as the well known Valsa mali and Valsa pyri which cause canker diseases in fruit trees and threaten the global fruit production. Lack of genomic information of this family is impeding our understandings about their evolution and genetic basis of their pathogenicity divergence. Here, we report genome assemblies of Valsa malicola, Valsa persoonii, and Valsa sordida which represent close relatives of Valsa mali and Valsa pyri with different host preferences. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that segmental rearrangements, inversions, and translocations …

Comparative Genome Analysis Of Plant Ascomycete Fungal Pathogens With Different Lifestyles Reveals Distinctive Virulence Strategies, Yansu Wang, Jie Wu, Jiacheng Yan, Ming Guo, Lei Xu, Liping Hou, Quan Zou

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Pathogens have evolved diverse lifestyles and adopted pivotal new roles in both natural ecosystems and human environments. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their adaptation to new lifestyles are obscure. Comparative genomics was adopted to determine distinct strategies of plant ascomycete fungal pathogens with different lifestyles and to elucidate their distinctive virulence strategies. Results: We found that plant ascomycete biotrophs exhibited lower gene gain and loss events and loss of CAZyme-encoding genes involved in plant cell wall degradation and biosynthesis gene clusters for the production of secondary metabolites in the genome. Comparison with the candidate effectome detected distinctive variations between …

Insights On The Behavior Of Nano-Copper In The Agroecosystem: Mycorrhizal Associations With Spearmint (Mentha Spicata), Suzanne Annette Apodaca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nanotechnology offers significant potential benefits to our society, including the agriculture sector. With the advancement of nano-enabled agrochemicals towards sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, it is essential to address environmental issues associated with the use of nanoscale materials. The same properties that give promise to applications of nanotechnology in modern agriculture could have unintended consequences on ecosystem dynamics. A point of concern for risk management is the impact of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to beneficial microbial communities, which support a variety of ecosystem services.

Use of copper (Cu) products in agriculture are based on their abundance, role as a micronutrient, and …

Comparative Metabolites Profiling Of Sesamum Indicum Seeds In Context Of Their Origin, Processing And Biological Activity Using Bioinformatics Tools, Bishoy Fayez Abib

Theses and Dissertations

Sesame (Sesamum indicum), is a significant oilseed crop with great economical and nutritional value, encompassing a plethora of primary and secondary metabolites that exhibit pharmacological and therapeutic merits. The present study, using untargeted comparative metabolomics, aims to authenticate and classify sesame seed accessions from different countries of origin i.e., Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria, based on their metabolite variations and in relation to their biological activity and nutritional value such as mineral content. Also, to further assess the impact of processing on sesame’s nutritional value and biological activity using the industrial production of sesame paste as a case study. To achieve …

Bison Movements Change With Weather: Implications For Their Continued Conservation In The Anthropocene, Nicholas A. Mcmillan, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Barney Luttbeg, Laura E. Goodman, Craig A. Davis, Brady W. Allred, Robert G. Hamilton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Animal movement patterns are affected by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic landscape conditions, and these patterns are being altered by weather variability associated with a changing climate. Some animals, like the American plains bison (Bison bison L.; hereafter, plains bison), are considered keystone species, thus their response to weather variability may alter ecosystem structure and biodiversity patterns. Many movement studies of plains bison and other ungulates have focused on point-pattern analyses (e.g., resource-selection) that have provided information about where these animals move, but information about when or why these animals move is limited. For example, information surrounding the …

The Genome Of Orychophragmus Violaceus Provides Genomic Insights Into The Evolution Of Brassicaceaepolyploidizationandits Distinct Traits, Kang Zhang, Yinqing Yang, Xin Zhang, Lingkui Zhang, Yu Fu, Zhongwei Guo, Shumin Chen, Jian Wu, James C. Schnable, Keke Yi, Xiaowu Wang, Feng Cheng

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Orychophragmus violaceus, referred to as ‘‘eryuelan’’ (February orchid) in China, is an early-flowering ornamental plant. The high oil content and abundance of unsaturated fatty acids in O. violaceus seeds make it a potential high-quality oilseed crop. Here, we generated a whole-genome assembly for O. violaceus using Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing technologies. The assembled genome of O. violaceus was ~1.3 Gb in size, with 12 pairs of chromosomes. Through investigation of ancestral genome evolution, we determined that the genome of O. violaceus experienced a tetraploidization event from a diploid progenitor with the translocated proto-Calepineae karyotype. Comparisons between the reconstructed subgenomes …

Range-Based Livestock Production In Turkmenistan, R. H. Behnke, G. Davidson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Turkmenistan retains a centralized system of livestock production in which many critical assets are owned by the state. Though technically in the temperate zone, the country's climate is harsh and unstable. Groundwater resources are unevenly distributed, leaving many potential grazing areas seasonally inaccessible due to lack of drinking water for livestock. This paper summarizes the results of a three-year study of rangelands, livestock production, flock economics and land tenure at two study sites, one in central and the other in eastern Turkmenistan. The results of this study suggest that pastoral communities in Turkmenistan have coped remarkably well with the institutional …

Assessment Of Nitrogen Nutrition Status Of Grasses Under Water Deficit And Recovery, V. G. Dugo, Jean-Louis Durand, F. Gastal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands are rarely irrigated. They are therefore systematically submitted to more or less severe water deficits: as well as mineral deficiencies, water scarcity often also results in a reduction of nitrogen (N) status. Although identified some time ago, qualitatively, the interaction with N still remains difficult to take into account in quantitative analyses of crop physiology under water deficits. This paper illustrates how the nitrogen (N) status of the crop changes under water deficits. A N nutrition index (INN) was defined as the ratio of the actual N concentration of forage with the theoretical N concentration under optimal conditions, the …

Diet Effects On Dairy Manure Nitrogen Excretion And Cycling, J. M. Powell, T. H. Misselbrook

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The amount and forms of (nitrogen) N excreted by ruminant livestock and post excretion manure N cycling are highly influenced by what is fed. For example, the relative amount of urinary N, faecal endogenous N of microbial and gut origin, and faecal undigested feed N is affected by how much dietary fibre and secondary compounds (e.g., tannins, polyphneolics) are consumed. Each manure N component has a different propensity for loss; for example via ammonia (NH3) volatilisation (Misselbrook et al., 2004), leaching, and cycles differently in the soil-plant continuum (Powell, 2003). We evaluated dairy diet effects on amount and forms …

Benomyl Effects On Plant Productivity Through Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Restriction In A Greek Upland Grassland, M. Orfanoudakis, A. P. Mamolos, F. Karanika, D. S. Veresoglou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Interactions between plants and microbes are important for plant community structure. Many plants establish symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which play a central role in soil fertility, plant nutrition and the maintenance of stability and biodiversity within plant communities by improving uptake of nutrients and water. AM fungi can improve growth/performance in a variety of plant species by influencing intra- and interspecific competition of neighbouring plants and thus regulate coexistence and diversity in mixed communities. The aim was to study AMF effects on plant productivity and diversity in Greek upland grasslands.

Integrating Below-Ground Ecology Into Sustainable Grassland Management, R. D. Bardgett

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grasslands produce soils that sustain an abundant and diverse soil food web, providing tremendous opportunity for below-ground interactions to influence nutrient cycling processes and plant production.

2. Fast developing areas of ecological science offer scope to harness positive outcomes of below-ground ecology for enhancing efficient cycling of nutrients in sustainable grassland systems.

Chemical Components And Effects On Soil Quality In Temperate Grazed Pasture Systems, M. H. Beare, D. Curtin, S. Thomas, P. M. Fraser, G. S. Francis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Legume/grass pastures retain feedbacks on N supply that may help to reduce losses of N to the wider environment.

2. Intensive use of N fertilisers tends to increase SOM turnover and increase losses of N to the environment.

3. Increased use of fertilisers has contributed little to soil organic matter storage in grazed pastoral systems.

Physical Constraints In Grassland Ecosystems, I. M. Young, K. Ritz, C. S. Sturrock, R. Heck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grassland system management must account adequately for biophysical and biochemical processes.

2. Amenity turf, especially sports turf, provides an excellent case study on how biology and physics interact to impact on the functioning of a grass ecosystem.

3. Microorganisms produce hydrophobic compounds that act to decrease water ingress and alter the function of the soil-grass ecosystem.

Improved Livelihoods From Grasslands; The Case Of Napier Grass In Smallholder Dairy Farms In Kenya, David Miano Mwangi, D. Romney, S. Staal, I. Baltenweck, S. Mwendia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Kenya, smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the marketed milk. The farming systems vary from mixed farms with up to 10 ha of land and < 10 dairy cows (Gitau et al., 1994; Anon., 1985), to intensive smallholder dairy producers in the high human population central Kenya region with 0.9 to 2 ha of land and 3-4 dairy cows (Staal et al., 2001a). Milk production depends heavily on the cultivation of forages, with Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass) by far the most important. An estimated 350,000 of the 600,000 smallholder farms in Kenya grow and utilize P. purpureum on their farms.

There are …

Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, D. F. Chapman, B. B. Baker, A. S. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the …

Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

“Models in grassland science have come to stay, and so they must be made to pay for their keep. To do that, it will be necessary to improve their scientific sophistication and their management relevance...” (Seligman, 1993).

Decision support (DS) tools in grassland agriculture have also come to stay. This review will examine the ways and means by which DS tools are being made to pay for their keep, with a focus upon DS efforts from the last decade and on the lessons that arise for those who develop DS tools for grasslands. A survey of the present state of …

Decision Support For Grassland Systems In Developing Countries, P. K. Thornton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Information flows in complex systems are often themselves highly complex, and decision support approaches based on linear input-output processes may have only limited impact.

2. How decisions are made, and how they can be appropriately supported, is often incompletely understood, in part because of inadequate understanding of the objectives and attitudes of all the decision makers involved.

3. Much of the developing world faces daunting problems in the coming 30 years, and appropriate information could play a critical role in dealing with these.

4. System complexity, household variability, and institutional intricacies have to be embraced rather than …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtls) For Resistance To Bacterial Leaf Streak: Xanthomonas Translucens Using Qtl And Association Mapping In Three Populations Of Soft Red Winter Wheat, Benjamin Tyler Meritt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and black chaff, caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu), can be a very destructive disease of wheat, especially in the warmer, wetter areas of the Southeastern U.S. Yield losses of up to 40 percent have been recorded in some cases in southern wheat growing regions. With no effective agronomic or chemical method of disease control, identification of genetic resistance is seen as a promising solution. Three soft red winter wheat populations (GAWN, ARK-SNP, and AGS 2060- AGS 2035 DH) representative of soft red winter wheat germplasm in the southeastern U.S. developed by …

Simple Organic Fertilizer Amendments For Farming In Degraded Soils: Effects On Plant-Microbe Interactions, Andrew Adamski

All NMU Master's Theses

The rapid loss of topsoil, biodiversity, and water quality across agricultural land in the United States and the industrialized world poses some of the most important risks to the future of global and domestic food security. Not only is arable land being lost at an unsustainable pace, but the average age of farmers has also steadily been rising due to a myriad of barriers young, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and beginning farmers face. In an attempt to address these issues, worm castings, bokashi tea, fish hydrolysate, and biochar were applied alone and in combination to an extremely …

The Role Of Nitrogen Fixation And Crop N Dynamics On Performance And Legacy Effects Of Maize-Grain Legumes Intercrops On Smallholder Farms In Tanzania, E. Mugi-Ngenga, L. Bastiaans, S. Zingore, N. P.R. Anten, K. E. Giller

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Maize-grain legume intercrops form an important component of the cropping systems of smallholder farmers in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. However, the effects of cropping system and fertilizer use on nitrogen fixation and nitrogen uptake of component crops in maize-legume intercrops are not well understood. Our study addressed the questions: (i) What is the capacity of pigeonpea and lablab to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) in sole crop and when intercropped with maize on smallholder farms across different agro-ecological conditions?; (ii) How does productivity and N-uptake by sole and intercropped maize and legumes respond to N and P fertilizer?; and (iii) …

Immediate And Residual-Effects Of Sole And Intercropped Grain Legumes In Maize Production Systems Under Rain-Fed Conditions Of Northern Tanzania, E. Mugi-Ngenga, L. Bastiaans, N. P.R. Anten, S. Zingore, K. E. Giller

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Intercropping of maize with grain-legume crops predominates on smallholder farms in East Africa. However, the growth and development of crops and their interaction with fertilizer in intercropping systems are not well understood. We sought to answer the questions: (i) what are the effects of fertilizer on the growth and development of maize-pigeonpea and maize-lablab intercropping systems under variable agroecological conditions? (ii) what are the residual effects of two seasons of sole and intercrops of maize, pigeonpea and lablab on a succeeding maize crop? We studied pure stands of maize, long-duration pigeonpea, medium-duration pigeonpea and lablab, and additive intercropping combinations on …

Alfalfa Water Productivity And Yield Gaps In The U.S. Central Great Plains, Kaylin P. Fink, Patricio Grassini, Alexandre Rocateli, Leonardo M. Bastos, Jude Kastens, Luke P. Ryan, Xiaomao Lin, Andres Patrignani, Romulo P. Lollato

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Context: Yield gap (Yg) analyses using farmer-reported yield and management data have been performed for a number of annual grain crops, but it lacks for perennial forages. The U.S. accounts for 21 % of the global alfalfa production with a large rainfed area located in the central Great Plains, serving as an interesting case-study for Yg in perennial forages. Most existing alfalfa Yg analyses quantified the magnitude of the Yg but failed to identify associated management practices to reduce it. Challenging this analysis, a systematic benchmark for alfalfa water productivity [WP, kg dry matter per mm evapotranspiration (ETc)] that …

Key Issues Generated From The Xi International Rangeland Congress 2021: Summary And Way Forward, D. L. Coppock, A. J. Ash, B. Irving

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The important issues, knowledge gaps, and evolving research approaches for the global rangelands are summarised in this review of submissions to the Joint XXIV International Grasslands and XI International Rangelands Congress (IGC/IRC). In the big picture, it is concluded that stand-alone studies of livestock production are becoming rare compared to that of the past International Rangelands Congresses (IRC). Rather, added effort is now being directed at understanding the fuller context of social-ecological systems (SESs) on rangelands in a quest to improve the prospects for sustainable resource management as well as the enhancement of human welfare. Although climate change is upon …

Joint International Grassland And International Rangeland Congress Kenya 2021: Grasslands Summary, James L. Klotz, J. H. Bouton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This summary used as its main sources the plenary and keynote papers and talks in Sub-theme 2: Forage Production and Utilization and Sub-theme 3: Livestock Production Systems as well as a sampling of oral talks presented at the XXIV International Grassland Congress (IGC). This IGC was held virtually and jointly with the International Rangeland Congress and hosted in Nairobi, Kenya during 23-29 October 2021. The XXIV IGC was also the first to be held on the African continent in Congress' 94-year history. The summary is further focused on that information presented under the concept "cultivated grasslands" (e.g., a small number …

How Digital Is Agriculture In A Subset Of Countries From South America? Adoption And Limitations, Laila A. Puntel, É. L. Bolfe, R. J. M. Melchiori, R. Ortega, G. Tiscornia, A. Roel, F. Scaramuzza, S. Best, A. G. Berger, D. S. S. Hansel, D. Palacios Durán, G. R. Balboa

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Digital agriculture (DA) can contribute solutions to meet an increase in healthy, nutritious, and affordable food demands in an efficient and sustainable way. South America (SA) is one of the main grain and protein producers in the world but the status of DA in the region is unknown. A systematic review and case studies from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile were conducted to address the following objectives: (1) quantify adoption of existing DA technologies, (2) identify limitations for DA adoption; and (3) summarise existing metrics to benchmark DA benefits. Level of DA adoption was led by Brazil and Argentina followed …

A Brief Review Of The Impact Of Silver Nanoparticles On Agriculture And Certain Biological Properties: A Case Study, Sushmashree Krishnappa, Shankramma Kalikeri, Raj Kumar H. Garampalli, Lingaraju H G, Charan Kumar Kachintaya

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Nanotechnology is progressively becoming a popular field of research because it has been successful in changing our agricultural and food systems. According to research published by the UNFAO, agriculture as well as its derivatives would be in high demand sooner or later, owing to nutritional changes. Nanoparticles have been reported to be used in an agricultural sector, because of its capacity to encourage crop growth and yield. Among metal nanoparticles, Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) are attracting a lot of attention. We have highlighted some of the agricultural uses of AgNPs, which include pest management, plant disease detection, crop enhancement, and crop …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2021, Fred Bourland

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

While the basic growth and development of the cotton plant have not changed significantly in recent history, the business of cotton production is ever-changing. The last two years have seen us plant a crop just about as late as we thought possible, yet extended favorable conditions at season's end have been our salvation, helping to lead us to record yields. The economic environment over the last few years has been such that farmers need to produce record or near-record yields to advance. Unfortunately, production levels at the state yield average barely cover out-of-pocket expenses.

Great uncertainties exist for the upcoming …

Alfalfa Establishment And Management In South Carolina, Liliane Silva, Michael Mrshall, Jeremy Greene, Matias Aguerre

Livestock and Forages

Alfalfa is a perennial legume with high forage quality that can be used under grazing or hay management. This publication outlines establishment and management recommendations for alfalfa plantings in South Carolina.

Snp Discovery In Proso Millet (Panicum Miliaceum L.) Using Lowpass Genome Sequencing, Rituraj Khound, Guangchao Sun, Ravi V. Mural, James C. Schnable, Dipak K. Santra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Domesticated ~10,000 years ago in northern China, Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a climate-resilient and human health-promoting cereal crop. The genome size of this self-pollinated allotetraploid is 923 Mb. Proso millet seeds are an important part of the human diet in many countries. In the USA, its use is restricted to the birdseed and pet food market. Proso millet is witnessing gradual demand in the global human health and wellness food market owing to its health-promoting properties such as low glycemic index and gluten-free. The breeding efforts for developing improved proso millet cultivars are hindered by the …

The Impact Of Color Of Artificial Led Lighting On Microgreen: A Review, Envry Artanti Duidahayu Putri, Hauzan Ariq Musyaffa Fajri, Firstina Iswari, Fadlan Atalla Muhammad, Rossita Fauziah, Rahmat Budiarto

Jurnal Kultivasi

Microgreen is an emerging agricultural food product that its development can be close type system and rely on the presence of artificial lighting, such as LED. Present study aimed to sum up the artificial LED lighting impact on microgreen production. In general, there were three important variables of light for plant, i.e., light intensity, light duration/photoperiod and light quality. The effect of different LED color on microgreen yield and phytochemical content is also revealed in present review. The red, blue, combination of red and blue, green, white, yellow and UV-A light are numerous choice for optimal microgreen production. However, there …