Digital Commons Network^™

Lignocellulosic-Based Bioenergy And Water Quality Parameters: A Review, Bharat Sharma Acharya, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

High rates of crop residue removal as biofuel feedstocks could increase losses of nonpoint source pollutants, negatively affecting water quality. An alternative to residue removal can be growing dedicated bioenergy crops such as warm season grasses (WSGs) and short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs). Yet, our understanding of the implications of growing dedicated bioenergy crops on water quality is limited. Thus, we (i) synthesized and compared the impacts of crop residue removal, WSGs, and SRWCs on water quality parameters (i.e., sediment and nutrient runoff, and nutrient leaching) and (ii) identified research gaps for growing dedicated energy crops. Literature indicates that residue removal …

Hops On A Quarter-Acre, Stacy A. Adams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This publication presents information on how to develop a quarter-acre hop yard, suitably sized to explore the unique production methods associated with this specialty crop. Emerging growers with an interest in growing hop should gain knowledge about its unique plant growth and development, culture, common pests and diseases, and harvest handling. Using information in this publication, growers should be able to experiment with hop production and harvesting so that they can develop a measured vision for future production of this crop.

Epigenomic Plasticity Of Arabidopsis Msh1 Mutants Under Prolonged Cold Stress, Sunil Kumar Kenchanmane Raju, Mon-Ray Shao, Yashitola Wamboldt, Sally A. Mackenzie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dynamic transcriptional and epigenetic changes enable rapid adaptive benefit to environmental fluctuations. However, the underlying mechanisms and the extent to which this occurs are not well known. MutS Homolog 1 (MSH1) mutants cause heritable developmental phenotypes accompanied by modulation of defense, phytohormone, stress‐response, and circadian rhythm genes, as well as heritable changes in DNA methylation patterns. Consistent with gene expression changes, msh1 mutants display enhanced tolerance for abiotic stress including drought and salt stress, while showing increased susceptibility to freezing temperatures. Despite changes in defense and biotic stress‐response genes, msh1 mutants showed increasing susceptibility to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. …

Can Bangladesh Produce Enough Cereals To Meet Future Demand?, J. Timsina, J. Wolf, N. Guilpart, L G. J. Van Bussel, P. Grassini, J. Van Wart, A. Hossain, H. Rashid, S. Islam, M. K. Van Ittersum

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Bangladesh faces huge challenges in achieving food security due to its high population, diet changes, and limited room for expanding cropland and cropping intensity. The objective of this study is to assess the degree to which Bangladesh can be self-sufficient in terms of domestic maize, rice and wheat production by the years 2030 and 2050 by closing the existing gap (Yg) between yield potential (Yp) and actual farm yield (Ya), accounting for possible changes in cropland area. Yield potential and yield gaps were calculated for the three crops using well-validated crop models and site-specific weather,management and soil data, and upscaled …

Parallel Altitudinal Clines Reveal Trends In Adaptive Evolution Of Genome Size In Zea Mays, Paul Bilinski, Patrice S. Albert, Jeremy J. Berg, James A. Birchler, Mark N. Grote, Anne Lorant, Juvenal Quezada, Kelly Swarts, Jinliang Yang, Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

While the vast majority of genome size variation in plants is due to differences in repetitive sequence, we know little about how selection acts on repeat content in natural populations. Here we investigate parallel changes in intraspecific genome size and repeat content of domesticated maize (Zea mays) landraces and their wild relative teosinte across altitudinal gradients in Mesoamerica and South America. We combine genotyping, low coverage whole-genome sequence data, and flow cytometry to test for evidence of selection on genome size and individual repeat abundance. We find that population structure alone cannot explain the observed variation, implying that …

Genomic Prediction Accuracy For Switchgrass Traits Related To Bioenergy Within Differentiated Populations, Jason D. Fiedler, Christina Lanzatella, Serge J. Edme, Nathan A. Palmer, Gautam Sarath, Rob Mitchell, Christian M. Tobias

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Switchgrass breeders need to improve the rates of genetic gain in many bioenergy-related traits in order to create improved cultivars that are higher yielding and have optimal biomass composition. One way to achieve this is through genomic selection. However, the heritability of traits needs to be determined as well as the accuracy of prediction in order to determine if efficient selection is possible.

Results: Using five distinct switchgrass populations comprised of three lowland, one upland and one hybrid accession, the accuracy of genomic predictions under different cross-validation strategies and prediction methods was investigated. Individual genotypes were collected using GBS …

Method For The Production Of High Saturated, Low Polyunsaturated Soybean Oil, Thomas E. Clemente, Hyunwoo Park, Edgar B. Cahoon, Hanh Nguyen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Methods of genetically modifying soybean plants to alter the fatty acid properties of the oil are described.

Bacterial Inoculants, Endophytic Bacteria And Their Influence On Nicotiana Physiology, Development And Microbiome, Andrea Marisa Sanchez Barrios

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Soil and root microbial communities have been studied for decades, and the incorporation of high-throughput techniques and analysis has allowed the identification of endophytic/non-culturable organisms. This has helped characterize and establish the core microbiome of many model plant species which include underground and aboveground organs. Unfortunately, the information obtained from some of these model plants is not always transferable to other agronomic species. In this project, we decided to study the microbiome of the Nicotiana genus because of its importance in plant physiological and plant-microbe interactions studies. The data obtained was used as baseline information that allowed us to better …

Evolution Of Floral Morphology And Symmetry In The Miconieae (Melastomataceae), Maria Gavrutenko

Dissertations and Theses

Analyses of evolution of floral morphology and symmetry broaden our understanding of the drivers of angiosperm diversification. Integrated within a flower, labile floral characters produce different phenotypes that promote variable interactions with pollinators. Thus, investigation of floral evolution may help infer potential historic transitions in pollinator modes and ecological pressures that generated present diversity. This study aims to explore morphological evolution of flowers in Miconieae, a species-rich Neotropical tribe within family Melastomataceae. Despite a constrained floral plan, Melastomataceae manage to achieve a variety of floral traits appealing to diverse pollinator types, with majority of the species requiring specialized “buzz pollination” …

Floral Symmetry Genes Elucidate The Development And Evolution Of Oil-Bee Pollinated Flowers Of Malpighiaceae And Krameriaceae, Farahnoz N. Khojayori

Theses and Dissertations

Specialization on insect and animal pollinators is thought to be the driving force for the evolution of floral traits. Specifically in the New World (NW), the oil-bee pollination syndrome has led to the convergence of floral characters in two distantly related families of core eudicots, Malpighiaceae and Krameriaceae. Both families display a flag-like structure that establishes a zygomorphic flower and floral oil rewards in epithelial elaiophores. These traits work concomitantly to attract and reward female oil-bees that help fertilize these flowers and in return receive oils. The underlying genetics of floral zygomorphy were studied in several clades of core eudicots, …

Cc-Type Glutaredoxins Mediate Plant Response And Signaling Under Nitrate Starvation In Arabidopsis, Ji-Yul Jung, Ji Hoon Ahn, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in plants. Despite the importance of nitrogen for plant growth and agricultural productivity, signal transduction pathways in response to nitrate starvation have not been fully elucidated in plants.

Results: Gene expression analysis and ectopic expression were used to discover that many CC-type glutaredoxins (ROXYs) are differentially expressed in response to nitrate deprivation. A gain-of-function approach showed that ROXYs may play a role in nutrient sensing through the regulation of chlorophyll content, root hair growth, and transcription of nitrate-related genes such as NRT2.1 under low or high nitrate conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) …

Risks And Opportunities Of Gm Crops: Bt Maize Example, Andrea K. Carzoli, Siddique I. Aboobucker, Leah L. Sandall, Thomas T. Lubberstedt, Walter P. Suza

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The anticipated world population growth emphasizes a need to produce more food on less land. Cutting-edge technologies, including genetic engineering, can help to develop improved crop varieties and protect natural resources. In spite of the potential for genetically-modified (GM) crops to make crop production more efficient, they remain a polarizing issue due to safety concerns. This paper provides an overview of the risk assessment process. The safety of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins is used as an example for how risk assessment is applied to GM crops. Risks associated with GM crops have proven to be low to non-existent. Developing countries …

Conflicting Hydraulic Effects Of Xylem Pit Structure Relate To The Growth-Longevity Tradeoff In A Conifer Species, Beth Roskilly

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Consistent with a ubiquitous life history tradeoff, trees exhibit a negative relationship between growth and longevity among and within species. However, the mechanistic basis of this life history tradeoff is not well understood. In addition to tradeoffs among multiple traits based on resource allocation conflicts, life history tradeoffs may arise from tradeoffs based on single traits under opposing selection. While a myriad of factors likely contribute to the growth-longevity tradeoff in trees, we hypothesized that conflicting functional effects of xylem structural traits contribute to the growth-longevity tradeoff. We tested this hypothesis by examining the extent to which xylem morphological traits …

Natural And Anthropogenic Drivers Of Tree Evolutionary Dynamics, Brandon M. Lind

Theses and Dissertations

Species of trees inhabit diverse and heterogeneous environments, and often play important ecological roles in such communities. As a result of their vast ecological breadth, trees have become adapted to various environmental pressures. In this dissertation I examine various environmental factors that drive evolutionary dynamics in threePinusspecies in California and Nevada, USA. In chapter two, I assess the role of management influence of thinning, fire, and their interaction on fine-scale gene flow within fire-suppressed populations of Pinus lambertiana, a historically dominant and ecologically important member of mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, California. Here, I find evidence …

The Three Creeks Allotment Consolidation: Changing Western Federal Grazing Paradigms, Taylor Payne

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The federal government owns approximately 47% of all land in the western United States. In the state of Utah, about 64% of the land base is managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The government has historically issued permits to owners of private lands to allow the owners to graze their livestock on public lands. The permits (allotments) are generally of 10-year duration and allow for an annual season of use. In some cases, continued and repeated historical annual grazing practices may not be ideal for permit holders and their communities nor …

The Effects Of Mycorrhizal Inoculant And Micronutrients On Early Plant Establshment During A Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction, Christopher L. Barber

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Symbiotic relationships between mycorrhizal fungi and land plants are one of the most widespread examples of symbiosis on Earth yet there is still much to discover about their ecological impacts.

Prairie reconstructions are often done on highly disturbed sites such as reclaimed cropland, turf grass, and road rights-of-way. Disturbed soils often lack adequate quantities of both mycorrhizal fungi and micronutrients. I hypothesized that inoculated seeds with mycorrhizal spores or micronutrient seed treatments will aid in the early establishment of a tallgrass prairie.

To test this hypothesis four treatments (T1 control, T2 mycorrhizal, T3 micronutrient, and T4 mycorrhizal and micronutrient) were …

The Effects Of Nutrient Resorption, Photosynthetic Rate, And Leaf Longevity On The Success Of Typha × Glauca, Clarissa Marie Ruiz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The hybrid cattail Typha × glauca is invasive in the Midwestern United States, and outcompetes wetland natives and its parent species, Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia under high nutrient conditions. Typha × glauca’s large size and copious litter production are the main factors known to contribute to its success, although research is lacking on physiological processes that contribute to its nitrogen use efficiency.

Nitrogen resorption was investigated as a mechanism of dominance in Typha × glauca. Due to nitrogen resorption being a nutrient conservation strategy, nitrogen resorption should be high in areas of low nitrogen availability. Since nitrogen …

Morphological, Genetic And Biochemical Characterization Of The Anti-Malarial Herb, Artemisia Annua Germplasm Collection At West Virginia University, Delini K. Samarasinghe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in human history. Nearly half of the world’s population, is at the risk in 106 countries. Only in 2016, this disease killed about 445,000 people, 72% of them being children under age five. It also accounts for US $12 billion dollars of direct costs in Africa alone. Five different species of Plasmodium cause malaria but P. falciparum is the most detrimental one, causing 50% of all malaria cases and is considered as the deadliest parasite in humans. Artemisinin (ART), a 15 C sesquiterpenoid is currently the only precursor to the most effective anti-malarial …

Exploring Technological Strategies For Valorization Of Solid Sisal Waste: A Research Review, Amelia Kivaisi, Anthony Mshandete

Tanzania Journal of Science

The sisal industry in Tanzania generates large amounts of waste which is an un-tapped bioresource. Research was undertaken to establish appropriate technologies  for its valorisation to mushrooms, biogas and biogas manure (BGM).Physical and biological pre-treatments achieved methane yield increments of 23-30% whereas co-digestion with fish waste achieved methane yield increments of 59-94%. Sisal fibre waste was demonstrated to be a novel biofilm-carrier for treating sisal pulp leachate. With a loading rate of 9.0 kgVS/m3/day, the packed-bed bioreactor was operated without process stress. Sisal decortication waste (SLDW) and sisal boles (SBW) were found to be suitable for oyster mushroom cultivation. With …

Provitamin A Biofortification Of Cassava Enhances Shelf Life But Reduces Dry Matter Content Of Storage Roots Due To Altered Carbon Partitioning Into Starch, Getu Beyene, Felix R. Solomon, Raj D. Chauhan, Eliana Gaitán-Solis, Narayanan Narayanan, Jackson Gehan, Dimuth Siritunga, Robin L. Stevens, John Jifon, Joyce Van Eck, Edward Linsler, Malia Gehan, Muhammad Ilyas, Martin Fregene, Richard T. Sayre, Paul Anderson, Nigel Taylor, Edgar B. Cahoon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Storage roots of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), a major subsistence crop of sub-Saharan Africa, are calorie rich but deficient in essential micronutrients, including provitamin A β-carotene. In this study, β-carotene concentrations in cassava storage roots were enhanced by coexpression of transgenes for deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and bacterial phytoene synthase (crtB), mediated by the patatin-type 1 promoter. Storage roots harvested from field-grown plants accumulated carotenoids to ≤50 lg/g DW, 15- to 20-fold increases relative to roots from nontransgenic plants. Approximately 85%–90% of these carotenoids accumulated as all-trans-β-carotene, the most nutritionally efficacious carotenoid. β-Carotene-accumulating storage roots displayed delayed onset of postharvest …

Monitoring Soft-Mast Production In Pine Woodland Restoration Areas On The Ouachita National Forest, Tamara B. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodland habitats in the southeast, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains. Mature pine habitats maintained with recurrent disturbances have an open understory with a rich floristic diversity that provides quality habitat for many wildlife species, including the endemic and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). Fire has many potential benefits for wildlife; however, the effects of fire on several important woody soft-mast producing species are not fully understood. Soft-mast quantity and quality is a key component in determining year-round habitat quality …

Respons Konduktansi Stomata Beberapa Genotipe Tebu Sebagai Parameter Toleransi Terhadap Stress Abiotik, Mochamad Arief Soleh, Ranu Manggala, Yudithia Maxiselly, Mira Ariyanti, Intan Ratna Dewi Anjarsari

Jurnal Kultivasi

Peningkatan produksi tebu saat ini akan terhambat dengan adanya fenomena pemanasan global yang disertai dengan perubahan iklim hingga mempengaruhi sebaran air hujan. Akibatnya musim hujan sering terjadi secara sporadis dan kurang dapat diprediksi. Di sisi lain kondisi lahan kebanjiran akibat genangan air berpotensi menyebabkan stress abiotik pada tanaman tebu yang secara langsung berpengaruh terhadap produktivitas tanaman. Salahsatu sifat fisiologis yang berkaitan erat dengan ketahanan stress abiotik adalah respons konduktansi stomata (gs) sebagai representatif proses metabolisme tanaman berupa fotosintesis. Beberapa varietas tebu ditanam dalam kondisi genangan air memperlihatkan perbedaan nilai gs dari 240 mmol H2O·m-2·s-1 untuk Kidang Kencana (KK) sebagai varietas …

Respons Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Tanaman Hanjeli Batu (Coix Lacryma-Jobi L.) Akibat Pupuk Silika Cair Dan Paclobutrazol, Tati Nurmala, Agus Wahyudin, Ruminta

Jurnal Kultivasi

Hanjeli batu (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) merupakan salahsatu tanaman pangan alternatif yang memiliki banyak manfaat. Permasalahan utama tanaman ini adalah rendahnya produksi yang disebabkan oleh kurangnya ketersediaan unsur hara dan tinggi tanaman yang terlalu tinggi. Oleh karena itu dilakukan suatu upaya untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil hanjeli batu dengan pupuk silika cair dan paclobutrazol. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui interaksi konsentrasi pupuk silika cair dan konsentrasi paclobutrazol yang memberikan pengaruh terbaik untuk pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman hanjeli batu (Coix lacryma-jobi L.).Percobaan dilaksanakan di Desa Pasigaran, Kecamatan Tanjungsari, Kabupaten Sumedang, pada November 2016 sampai Mei 2017. Percobaan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) …

Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Pembungaan Pada Mangga (Mangifera Indica L.), Ardika Albi Fauzi, Wawan Sutari, Nursuhud, Syariful Mubarok

Jurnal Kultivasi

Pada kegiatan produksi mangga, tahap pembungaan pada mangga menjadi salah satu penentu dalam produksi buah mangga. Sehingga tahap pembungaan merupakan bagian penting dalam kegiatan produksi. Pembungaan merupakan tahapan pertama dalam kegiatan produksi buah mangga (Mangifera indica L.) di setiap tahun. Perkembangan tanaman khususnya pembungaan bergantung pada beberapa faktor lingkungan dan internal dari tanaman mangga yang diusahakan. Pada daerah subtropis, faktor lingkungan yang mempengaruhi pembungaan ada faktor suhu. Suhu 18°C di siang hari dan 10°C di malam hari memicu perkembangan bunga di daerah tropis. Untuk daerah tropis, faktor suhu tidak sangat mempengaruhi terhadap pembungaan karena perubahan suhu tiap musimnya tidak terlalu …

Multiplikasi Tunas Mikro Pisang (Musa Paradisiaca L.) ‘Raja Bulu’ Secara In Vitro Pada Berbagai Jenis Dan Konsentrasi Sitokinin, Tiara Elma, Erni Suminar, Syariful Mubarok, Anne Nuraini

Jurnal Kultivasi

Terbatasnya ketersediaan bibit pisang bermutu di Indonesia disebabkan oleh masih rendahnya jumlah dan kualitas bibit pisang yang dihasilkan melalui metode konvensional. Waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk mendapatkan bibit cukup lama, oleh karena itu digunakan suatu metode perbanyakan untuk menghasilkan bibit dalam waktu yang relatif singkat melalui metode kultur jaringan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mendapatkan salah satu jenis dan konsentrasi sitokinin terbaik dalam meningkatkan laju multiplikasi tunas pisang raja bulu secara in vitro. Percobaan dilaksanakan dari bulan November 2016 sampai bulan Maret 2017 di Laboratorium Kultur Jaringan dan Teknologi Benih Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Padjadjaran di Jatinangor, Sumedang. Rancangan Acak Lengkap …

Survey Of Trap Contents Of Four Species Of Bladderworts (Utricularia) From Harlow Lake In Marquette, Mi., Jenna Happach

Conspectus Borealis

No abstract provided.

Pembentukan Ubi Mikro Kentang (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Pada Berbagai Komposisi Media In Vitro, Inneke Amalia, Anne Nuraini, Sumadi, Syariful Mubarok, Erni Suminar

Jurnal Kultivasi

Permasalahan umum terkait pada produksi kentang adalah penggunaan benih sumber yang kurang bermutu dan mengalami kemunduran benih. Penelitian bertujuan untuk menentukan zat penghambat tumbuh coumarin, jasmonic acid dan paklobutrazol yang tepat untuk pertumbuhan stek dan pembentukan ubi mikro kentang secara in vitrosehingga dapat digunakan untuk penyediaan bibit berkualitas. Percobaan dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Kultur Jaringan Teknologi Benih Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Padjadjaran Jatinangor, Sumedang, pada bulan Oktober 2015 sampai Mei 2016. Metode percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) yang merupakan kombinasi dari media, retardan coumarin (105 mg L-1 dan 120 mg L-1), paklobutrazol (0.4 mg L-1 dan 1 mg L-1) …

Pertumbuhan Dan Produksi Pucuk Kolesom Pada Intensitas Cahaya Rendah, Rina Ekawati

Jurnal Kultivasi

Intensitas cahaya rendah merupakan salah satu faktor eksternal lingkungan yang dapat mempengaruhi pertumbuhan suatu tanaman. Intensitas cahaya yang optimal dapat meningkatkan pertumbuhan tanaman. Kolesom merupakan salah satu jenis sayuran fungsional yang dapat digunakan sebagai tanaman obat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari pengaruh intensitas cahaya rendah terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil pucuk kolesom. Percobaan ini dilakukan di Politeknik Lembaga Pendidikan Perkebunan (LPP) Yogyakarta, dari bulan Maret hingga September 2016. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok faktor tunggal dengan 2 taraf perlakuan, yaitu tanpa naungan (N0) dan naungan (N1). Setiap perlakuan diulang tiga kali sehingga terdapat 6 satuan percobaan. Hasil percobaan menunjuk-kan bahwa …

Lethal And Sublethal Effects Of Novel Terrestrial Subsidies From An Invasive Shrub (Lonicera Maackii) On Stream Macroinvertebrates, Ryan W. Mcewan, Kevin W. Custer, Eric B. Borth, Sean D. Mahoney

Biology Faculty Publications

The biology of headwater streams is intimately linked to that of the surrounding terrestrial environment through organic matter subsidies. Lonicera maackii, an invasive shrub that is becoming abundant in headwater stream riparian areas, deposits substantial quantities of organic matter into the aquatic system. This organic material has allelopathic effects on terrestrial plants and insects, and a growing body of work suggests strong connections between L. maackii invasion and aquatic biota. Lonicera maackii deposits fruit and flowers in quantities and timings that are unique, and we tested the hypothesis that these subsidies would negatively affect survival and growth of laboratory-cultured …

The Effect Of Preflood Nitrogen And Flood Establishment Timing On Rice Development, Nitrogen Uptake And Grain Yield, Tyler Richmond

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urea-N fertilizer is typically applied at the 5-leaf stage to rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in a dry-seeded, delayed-flood production system. How long the preflood-N can be delayed without adverse effects on yield potential is poorly understood. The research objective was to determine the effects of preflood-N application and flood establishment timing on aboveground-N content, 50% heading, yield components, and grain yield. Trials were established on silt loam soils at the Pine Tree Research Station (PTRS) and Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) during 2015 and 2016. Urea-N was applied at 0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N ha-1 …