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Pollen Morphology Of The Genus Onobrychis (Fabaceae) In Turkey, Süleyman Avci, Cengi̇z Sancak, Alp Can, Aydan Acar, Nur Münevver Pinar Jan 2013

Pollen Morphology Of The Genus Onobrychis (Fabaceae) In Turkey, Süleyman Avci, Cengi̇z Sancak, Alp Can, Aydan Acar, Nur Münevver Pinar

Turkish Journal of Botany

The pollen size and morphology of 20 Onobrychis Adans. taxa from Turkey were studied using both light and scanning electron microscopy. Of the taxa studied, Onobrychis fallax Freyn & Sint. and Onobrychis elata Boiss. & Balansa showed the smallest size of pollen grains, while the largest were found in Onobrychis aequidentata (Sibth. & Sm.) d'Urv. and Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. The pollens of all taxa studied represent the tricolpate type of pollen and are prolate in shape. The type of exine found in the studied taxa is reticulate (sect. Dendobrychis DC. and sect. Laphobrychis Hand.-Mazz.), suprareticulate (sect. Onobrychis), or microreticulate (sect. …


Cadmium-Induced Structural Disturbances In Pisum Sativum Leaves Are Alleviated By Nitric Oxide, Tuan Anh Tran, Valya Vassileva, Petar Petrov, Losanka Petrova Popova Jan 2013

Cadmium-Induced Structural Disturbances In Pisum Sativum Leaves Are Alleviated By Nitric Oxide, Tuan Anh Tran, Valya Vassileva, Petar Petrov, Losanka Petrova Popova

Turkish Journal of Botany

In the present study, the protective effect of nitric oxide (NO) against Cd-induced structural disturbances in pea (Pisum sativum) leaves was investigated. Cadmium treatment resulted in a decreased leaf size and thickness of the lamina, reduced intercellular spaces in the mesophyll, small pavement cells, and a high density of stomata. These abnormalities were partially or fully reversed by a simultaneous application of Cd and the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). The concentration of 1000 µM SNP was very effective in counteracting the adverse effects of Cd and resulted in leaf structural parameters close to those of the control leaves. These …


Phytotoxic Effects Of Herbicide Attribut And Surfactant Biopower On The Root, Stem, And Leaf Anatomy Of Triticum Aestivum ‘Pehlivan’, Gülden Yilmaz, Feruzan Dane Jan 2013

Phytotoxic Effects Of Herbicide Attribut And Surfactant Biopower On The Root, Stem, And Leaf Anatomy Of Triticum Aestivum ‘Pehlivan’, Gülden Yilmaz, Feruzan Dane

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study was performed in order to determine toxic effects of different doses of Attribut (propoxycarbazone-sodium) used in wheat fields and BioPower (sodium alkyl ether sulphate) surfactant added to Attribut on Triticum aestivum L. ‘Pehlivan’. The doses used in the study were 0.42 mM Attribut, 0.82 mM Attribut, and 1.68 mM Attribut with or without 0.25% BioPower. Laboratory studies showed that the effective concentration value corresponded to the farmer dose, 0.42 mM Attribut. Applications were done by seed treatment. The effects of each of the doses applied to wheat plants were monitored in terms of anatomical parameters. Attribut doses of …


Cellular And Molecular Aspects Of The Interaction Betwen Maize And The Anthracnose Pathogen Colletotrichum Graminicola, Maria F. Torres Jan 2013

Cellular And Molecular Aspects Of The Interaction Betwen Maize And The Anthracnose Pathogen Colletotrichum Graminicola, Maria F. Torres

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Maize anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum graminicola, is an economically important species contributing to major yield losses. C. graminicola is a hemibiotroph; initially it invades its host while it is alive, and then it switches to destructive necrotrophic growth and the host is killed. Establishment of compatible interactions by biotrophic pathogens is usually associated with suppression of host defenses and cell death, while necrotrophic pathogens typically secrete phytotoxic compounds and induce cell death. To understand the relationship of hemibiotrophy in C. graminicola to biotrophy and necrotrophy, I compared a compatible and an incompatible interaction, utilizing a non-pathogenic …


Overexpression/Silencing Of Selected Soybean Genes Alters Resistance To Pathogens, Mohamed H. El-Habbak Jan 2013

Overexpression/Silencing Of Selected Soybean Genes Alters Resistance To Pathogens, Mohamed H. El-Habbak

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Plant diseases remain a major obstruction to meeting the world’s increased demand for soybean oil and protein. Reducing the losses caused by diseases in order to improve crop production is a high priority for agricultural research. The need for novel strategies for plant disease control cannot be overstated. In the present study, selected defense-related genes were silenced and/or overexpressed in soybean using a virus-based vector and the resultant plants were tested for their responses to pathogens. The first part of the study focused on Rps1k (Resistance to Phytophthora sojae) gene. The two conserved domains encoding ‘P-Loop NTPase’ and ‘PLN03210’ …


Nutrient Contents, Color, Texture, And Sensory Evaluation Of 12 Arkansas Grown Soybean Cultivars In Canned Products, Quyen Nguyen, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu Jan 2013

Nutrient Contents, Color, Texture, And Sensory Evaluation Of 12 Arkansas Grown Soybean Cultivars In Canned Products, Quyen Nguyen, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Soybean was introduced in the U.S. in the 1800s, and it has been proven to have several health benefits. New cultivars of soybeans with varying hull colors have been developed using plantbreeding technology. Canning is one of the effective processing methods to extend the shelf life of products. However, very little information is available on canned soybeans. This research studied the composition of 12 soybean cultivars including two cultivars with brown seed coat (R08-4014 and R09-349), three cultivars with black seed coat (R07-1927, R07-10396, and R09-345), and seven regular cultivars with yellow seed coat (R05-1772, R05-4969, R07-2001, R08-4005, R08- 4006, …


Textural And Sensory Qualities Of Muffins Prepared With Fermented Rice Bran, Breeanna Williams, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu Jan 2013

Textural And Sensory Qualities Of Muffins Prepared With Fermented Rice Bran, Breeanna Williams, Navam Hettiarachchy, Srinivas J. Rayaprolu

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Rice is one of the most popular cereal grains in the world. Rice bran, a by-product of the rice milling process, contains an abundance of nutrients including protein, fiber, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and other nutraceuticals. However, rice bran is underutilized in the food industry. In this project muffins were prepared with varying concentrations (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, 15.0%, 20.0%, and 25.0%) of 60 mesh (250 µm) fermented rice bran (60 mFRB) and 80 mesh (180 µm) fermented rice bran (80 mFRB). A cappuccino muffin formulation was used as flavor for all the samples. The control sample was prepared …


Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda Jan 2013

Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda

Turkish Journal of Botany

Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize …


Unleashing The Potential Of The Root Hair Cell As A Single Plant Cell Type Model In Root Systems Biology, Zhenzhen Qiao, Marc Libault Jan 2013

Unleashing The Potential Of The Root Hair Cell As A Single Plant Cell Type Model In Root Systems Biology, Zhenzhen Qiao, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant root is an organ composed of multiple cell types with different functions.This multicellular complexity limits our understanding of root biology because -omics studies performed at the level of the entire root reflect the average responses of all cells composing the organ. To overcome this difficulty and allow a more comprehensive understanding of root cell biology, an approach is needed that would focus on one single cell type in the plant root. Because of its biological functions (i.e., uptake of water and various nutrients; primary site of infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes), the root hair cell is an attractive …


Sensitivity And Resistance Of Cercospora Kikuchii, Causal Agent Of Cercospora Leaf Blight And Purple Seed Stain Of Soybean, To Selected Fungicides, Paul Patrick Price, Iii Jan 2013

Sensitivity And Resistance Of Cercospora Kikuchii, Causal Agent Of Cercospora Leaf Blight And Purple Seed Stain Of Soybean, To Selected Fungicides, Paul Patrick Price, Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Isolates of Cercospora kikuchii, the causal agent of Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) and purple seed stain (PSS), were used to determine baseline sensitivities to selected quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) and demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides by conducting radial growth assays on fungicide-amended media. The effective concentration to inhibit 50% radial growth (EC50) for each isolate was calculated by linear interpolation of the dose-response relationship. All baseline distributions were non-normal with outliers towards the less sensitive ends of the spectra, and median EC50 values for azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, flutriafol, propiconazole, and tetraconazole were 0.081, 0.013, 0.012, 0.273, 0.143, 1.47 µg/ml, respectively. …


Uses Of Phage Display In Agriculture: A Review Of Food-Related Protein-Protein Interactions Discovered By Biopanning Over Diverse Baits, Rekha Kushwaha, Christina M. Payne, A. Bruce Downie Jan 2013

Uses Of Phage Display In Agriculture: A Review Of Food-Related Protein-Protein Interactions Discovered By Biopanning Over Diverse Baits, Rekha Kushwaha, Christina M. Payne, A. Bruce Downie

Horticulture Faculty Publications

This review highlights discoveries made using phage display that impact the use of agricultural products. The contribution phage display made to our fundamental understanding of how various protective molecules serve to safeguard plants and seeds from herbivores and microbes is discussed. The utility of phage display for directed evolution of enzymes with enhanced capacities to degrade the complex polymers of the cell wall into molecules useful for biofuel production is surveyed. Food allergies are often directed against components of seeds; this review emphasizes how phage display has been employed to determine the seed component(s) contributing most to the allergenic reaction …


Exploring The Potential Of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract (Mle) As A Seed Priming Agent In Improving Wheat Performance, Azra Yasmeen, Shahzad Maqsood Ahmed Basra, Abdul Wahid, Wasif Nouman, Hafeez Ur Rehman Jan 2013

Exploring The Potential Of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract (Mle) As A Seed Priming Agent In Improving Wheat Performance, Azra Yasmeen, Shahzad Maqsood Ahmed Basra, Abdul Wahid, Wasif Nouman, Hafeez Ur Rehman

Turkish Journal of Botany

Seed priming with plant extracts and chemicals has been used as an important growth enhancement tool in crop plants; however, the mechanisms of their action are not fully explored. In this research, an attempt was made to understand the mechanism of various seed priming treatments in greenhouse-grown wheat. The seed priming treatments used were hydropriming, on-farm priming, moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaf extract (MLE) priming, and CaCl_2 priming. Results showed that all the seed priming treatments were effective in improving germination and seedling growth attributes of wheat over the control. However, MLE followed by CaCl_2 emerged as the most effective …


Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia Jan 2013

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …


The Physiology Of Invasive Plants In Low-Resource Environments, Jennifer L. Funk Jan 2013

The Physiology Of Invasive Plants In Low-Resource Environments, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

While invasive plant species primarily occur in disturbed, high-resource environments, many species have invaded ecosystems characterized by low nutrient, water, and light availability. Species adapted to low-resource systems often display traits associated with resource conservation, such as slow growth, high tissue longevity, and resource-use efficiency. This contrasts with our general understanding of invasive species physiology derived primarily from studies in high-resource environments. These studies suggest that invasive species succeed through high resource acquisition. This review examines physiological and morphological traits of native and invasive species in low-resource environments. Existing data support the idea that species invading low-resource environments possess traits …


Effects Of Excess And Deficient Boron And Niacin On The Ultrastructure Of Root Cells In Daucus Carota Cv. Nantes, Hati̇ce Demi̇ray, Ayli̇n Eşi̇z Dereboylu Jan 2013

Effects Of Excess And Deficient Boron And Niacin On The Ultrastructure Of Root Cells In Daucus Carota Cv. Nantes, Hati̇ce Demi̇ray, Ayli̇n Eşi̇z Dereboylu

Turkish Journal of Botany

The effects of excess and deficient boron and niacin on vascular tissues of carrot roots (Daucus carota L. cv. Nantes) were investigated in plants grown in medium both rich and poor in boron and also boron with niacin. Five media were investigated: control (MS medium), boron-deficient MS medium, MS medium with excess boron, niacin-deficient MS medium, MS medium with niacin excess, and MS medium with excess boron and niacin. In anatomical cross sections, lignification was seen in middle lamellar pectins in the tracheary cells of boron deficit grown carrot roots, while in the other applications including excess boron lignification was …


Opportunistic Pathogenic Bacteria Colonize Thorns Of Native Rio Grande Valley Plants, Felicia A. Charles, Sergio Cepeda, J. Andrew Mcdonald, Kristine L. Lowe Jan 2013

Opportunistic Pathogenic Bacteria Colonize Thorns Of Native Rio Grande Valley Plants, Felicia A. Charles, Sergio Cepeda, J. Andrew Mcdonald, Kristine L. Lowe

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Thorns serve as mechanical defenses of plants against herbivory. However, plant thorns harbor microorganisms that are potentially pathogenic. These pathogens may be transferred to herbivores and other animals and provide an additional defense for the plants. Thorns from 5 plant species native to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas were collected and used to isolate bacteria colonizing the thorn surface. Thorns, leaves and stems of plants were visualized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to observe any bacteria on the plant surface. Isolated bacteria were tested for their ability to grow in aerobic versus anaerobic environments, to produce hemolysis, carbon …


Functions And Toxicity Of Cadmium In Plants: Recent Advances And Future Prospects, Tuan Anh Tran, Losanka Petrova Popova Jan 2013

Functions And Toxicity Of Cadmium In Plants: Recent Advances And Future Prospects, Tuan Anh Tran, Losanka Petrova Popova

Turkish Journal of Botany

Heavy metals are important environmental pollutants and their toxicity is a problem of increasing significance for ecological, evolutionary, nutritional, and environmental reasons. Of all non-essential heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) is perhaps the metal that has attracted the most attention in soil science and plant nutrition due to its potential toxicity to humans, and also its relative mobility in the soil-plant system. This review emphasises Cd toxicity on plants with regards to ecological, physiological, and biochemical aspects. It summarises the toxic symptoms of Cd in plants (i.e. growth and plant development, alterations in photosynthesis, stomatal regulation, enzymatic activities, water relation, mineral …


Identification Of Benzoin Obtained From Calli Of Styrax Officinalis By Hplc, Hati̇ce Demi̇ray, Ayli̇n Eşi̇z Dereboylu, Zeki̇ye Işin Yazici, Fati̇h Karabey Jan 2013

Identification Of Benzoin Obtained From Calli Of Styrax Officinalis By Hplc, Hati̇ce Demi̇ray, Ayli̇n Eşi̇z Dereboylu, Zeki̇ye Işin Yazici, Fati̇h Karabey

Turkish Journal of Botany

The stem tissue of Styrax officinalis L. distributed in West Anatolia was induced with agents such as boric acid and cocarboxylase (thiamine diphosphate), extensive stimulators of resin channels, in order to increase the amount of benzoin volatile oil. While the benzoin content was 120% in the induction medium to which excess boron and niacin were added, it increased to 231% when cocarboxylase (thiamine diphosphate) was added to the medium. Benzoin content of Styrax from petiole calli was 166%. HPLC-DAD results revealed that benzoin resin was present in 90% of the stems of Styrax officinalis distributed in West Anatolia. The major …


Shortcut To Long-Distance Developing Of A Tissue Culture Medium: Micropropagation Of Mature Almond Cultivars As A Case Study, Mehmet Nuri̇ Nas, Yüksel Bölek, Nevzat Sevgi̇n Jan 2013

Shortcut To Long-Distance Developing Of A Tissue Culture Medium: Micropropagation Of Mature Almond Cultivars As A Case Study, Mehmet Nuri̇ Nas, Yüksel Bölek, Nevzat Sevgi̇n

Turkish Journal of Botany

Culture medium development methods are time-consuming, laborious, and require a large amount of experimental materials. The Nas hypothesis for the development of a micropropagation medium offers a less time-consuming and a less laborious approach. According to this hypothesis, the composition of a culture medium for a particular species should resemble the seed composition. In accordance with this hypothesis, first, an almond culture medium [Nas Almond Medium (NAM)] was developed based on almond kernel composition. Then, using mature tissues of almond cultivars, the growth of cultures on NAM was compared to that on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS), Woody Plant Medium …


Enzyme Activity In Wheat Breeding Lines Derived From Matings Of Low Polyphenol Oxidase Parents, Somrudee Nilthong, Robert A. Graybosch, P. Stephen Baenziger Jan 2013

Enzyme Activity In Wheat Breeding Lines Derived From Matings Of Low Polyphenol Oxidase Parents, Somrudee Nilthong, Robert A. Graybosch, P. Stephen Baenziger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in grain plays a major role in time-dependent discoloration of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) products, especially fresh noodles. Breeding wheat cultivars with low or nil PPO activity can reduce undesirable product darkening. The low PPO line PI 117635 was crossed to two low PPO wheats, IDO580 and ‘IDO377s’, to determine whether matings between wheats with low levels of grain PPO would result in complementation, such that lines with still lower or nil PPO would be generated. Progeny in a population derived from PI 117635/ IDO580 displayed no variation in PPO activity. In the F3:4 populations …


Sorghum Transformation: Overview And Utility, Tejinder Kumar, Arlene Howe, Shirley Sato, Ismail M. Dweikat, Tom E. Clemente Jan 2013

Sorghum Transformation: Overview And Utility, Tejinder Kumar, Arlene Howe, Shirley Sato, Ismail M. Dweikat, Tom E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Over the past decade genomics resources available for sorghum have rapidly expanded (Paterson Int J Plant Genomics 2008:6, 2008), these resources, coupled with the recent completion of the genome sequence which is relatively small in size (730 Mb) (Paterson et al. Nature 457:551–556, 2009) makes sorghum a rather attractive species to study. Moreover, the USDA germplasm system maintains 42,614 accessions, of which more than 800 exotic landraces have been converted to day length-insensitive lines to facilitate their use in breeding programs. In addition, a set of EMS mutation stocks developed by the USDA Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Unit in …


Nutrient Partitioning And Grain Yield Of Tanam-Rnai Wheat Under Abiotic Stress, Mary J. Guttieri, Ricardo J. Stein, Brian M. Waters Jan 2013

Nutrient Partitioning And Grain Yield Of Tanam-Rnai Wheat Under Abiotic Stress, Mary J. Guttieri, Ricardo J. Stein, Brian M. Waters

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Aims — Decreased expression of TaNAM genes by RNAi results in delayed senescence and decreased grain protein, iron, and zinc concentrations. Here, we determined whether NAM expression level alters onset of senescence under stress conditions, whether delayed senescence in the TaNAM-RNAi line resulted in improved tolerance to post-anthesis abiotic stress, and determined the effects of post-anthesis abiotic stress on N and mineral remobilization and partitioning to grain.

Methods — Greenhouse-grown WT and TaNAM-RNAi wheat were characterized in two studies: three levels of N fertility or water limitation during grain fill. Studies were conducted under both optimal and heat stress …


Genetic Mapping And Confirmation Of Quantitative Trait Loci For Seed Protein And Oil Contents And Seed Weight In Soybean, Safiullah M. Pathan, Tri Vuong, Kerry Clark, Jeong-Dong Lee, J. Grover Shannon, Craig A. Roberts, Mark R. Ellersieck, Joseph W. Burton, P. B. Cregan, David L. Hyten, Henry T. Nguyen, David A. Sleper Jan 2013

Genetic Mapping And Confirmation Of Quantitative Trait Loci For Seed Protein And Oil Contents And Seed Weight In Soybean, Safiullah M. Pathan, Tri Vuong, Kerry Clark, Jeong-Dong Lee, J. Grover Shannon, Craig A. Roberts, Mark R. Ellersieck, Joseph W. Burton, P. B. Cregan, David L. Hyten, Henry T. Nguyen, David A. Sleper

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Demand for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] meal has increased worldwide and soybean importers often offer premiums for soybean containing higher contents of protein and oil. Objectives were to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with soybean seed protein, oil, and seed weight in a soybean mapping population and confirm detected QTL across genetic backgrounds and environments. Two populations of 216 and 156 recombinant inbred lines were developed from Magellan × PI 438489B and Magellan × PI 567516C crosses, respectively, and grown in two Missouri environments in 2008. More than 900 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism …


The Plant Science Decadal Vision: Response To The Martin Commentary, David Stern, Sally Ann Mackenzie Jan 2013

The Plant Science Decadal Vision: Response To The Martin Commentary, David Stern, Sally Ann Mackenzie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The plant science community is being called upon as never before to carry out research that addresses challenges in food, climate, and health, to educate a populace inundated with science misinformation, and to excite and recruit a new generation of scientists from among that populace, all while investments in basic research are stagnant or even declining in many countries. The Decadal Vision (Plant Science Research Summit, 2013) represents a response from that community, one that launches a meaningful and ongoing dialogue about how best to accomplish these goals. In that spirit, we welcome this thoughtful commentary by Cathie Martin (Martin, …


Agricultural Innovation To Protect The Environment, Jeffrey Sayer, Kenneth Cassman Jan 2013

Agricultural Innovation To Protect The Environment, Jeffrey Sayer, Kenneth Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In a world of 9.5 billion people, global demand for food, fiber, and biofuels has to be met with minimal possible increases in land, water, fossil fuels, and the minerals used to produce fertilizers (1–4). The problem is debated at three levels: first, that agriculture will not be able to produce enough because it will come up against both biophysical and environmental limits that restrict yields (3, 5, 6); second, that the need to expand and intensify agriculture will destroy the broader environmental values of forests, wetlands, marine systems, and their associated biodiversity (7–9); and third, that there are institutional …


Food Webs And Food Sovereignty: Research Agenda For Sustainability, Charles A. Francis, Michelle Miller, Molly Anderson, Nancy Creamer, Michelle Wander, Jacob Park, Thomas Green, Brent Mccown Jan 2013

Food Webs And Food Sovereignty: Research Agenda For Sustainability, Charles A. Francis, Michelle Miller, Molly Anderson, Nancy Creamer, Michelle Wander, Jacob Park, Thomas Green, Brent Mccown

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Future food production will be constrained by the scarcity of fossil fuel and fresh water as well as increasing intensity and unpredictability of weather events and climate changes. The assurance of food security and equity for many consumers is complicated by concentration of ownership of land and other production resources, as well as a global corporate food systems model that is driven by profit at the expense of people and the environment. To assess potential alternatives to the contemporary global food chain, well focused research is needed on local food production and food webs where small- and midscale family farms …


Maternal Environment Effects On Phenolic Defenses In Abutilon Theophrasti Seeds, Brian J. Schutte, Sam E. Wortman, John L. Lindquist, Adam S. Davis Jan 2013

Maternal Environment Effects On Phenolic Defenses In Abutilon Theophrasti Seeds, Brian J. Schutte, Sam E. Wortman, John L. Lindquist, Adam S. Davis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

A class of phenolic compounds, ortho-dihydroxyphenols (hereafter “o-DHP”), has been implicated with seed survival. Based on expectations of the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis, we predicted that seed o-DHP concentration exhibits a curvilinear response to increasing resource availability in the maternal environment, with maximum o-DHP occurring at moderate resource levels. To test this hypothesis, Abutilon theophrasti seeds were produced under field conditions at two locations. Each location included twelve maternal environments established through factorial combinations of soil compost (+/−), species assemblage (A. theophrasti with and without maize), and soil nitrogen fertilizer (0, 0.5× or 1× local …


Direct And Legacy Effects Of Long-Term Elevated Co2 On Fine Root Growth And Plant-Insect Interactions, Peter Stiling, Daniel Moon, Anthony Rossi, Rebecca Forkner, Bruce A. Hungate, Frank P. Day, Rachel E. Schroeder, Bert Drake Jan 2013

Direct And Legacy Effects Of Long-Term Elevated Co2 On Fine Root Growth And Plant-Insect Interactions, Peter Stiling, Daniel Moon, Anthony Rossi, Rebecca Forkner, Bruce A. Hungate, Frank P. Day, Rachel E. Schroeder, Bert Drake

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations alter leaf physiology, with effects that cascade to communities and ecosystems. Yet, responses over cycles of disturbance and recovery are not well known, because most experiments span limited ecological time. We examined the effects of CO2 on root growth, herbivory and arthropod biodiversity in a woodland from 1996 to 2006, and the legacy of CO2 enrichment on these processes during the year after the CO2 treatment ceased. We used minirhizotrons to study root growth, leaf censuses to study herbivory and pitfall traps to determine the effects of elevated CO2 on arthropod …


Genetic Dissection Of Yield And Its Component Traits Using High-Density Composite Map Of Wheat Chromosome 3a: Bridging Gaps Between Qtls And Underlying Genes, Sachin Rustgi, Mustafa N. Shafqat, Neeraj Kumar, P. Stephen Baenziger, M. Liakat Ali, Ismail M. Dweikat, B. Todd Campbell, Kulvinder Singh Gill Jan 2013

Genetic Dissection Of Yield And Its Component Traits Using High-Density Composite Map Of Wheat Chromosome 3a: Bridging Gaps Between Qtls And Underlying Genes, Sachin Rustgi, Mustafa N. Shafqat, Neeraj Kumar, P. Stephen Baenziger, M. Liakat Ali, Ismail M. Dweikat, B. Todd Campbell, Kulvinder Singh Gill

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Earlier we identified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3A as a major determinant of grain yield and its component traits. In the present study, a high-density genetic linkage map of 81 chromosome 3A-specific markers was developed to increase the precision of previously identified yield component QTLs, and to map QTLs for biomass-related traits. Many of the previously identified QTLs for yield and its component traits were confirmed and were localized to narrower intervals. Four novel QTLs one each for shoot biomass (Xcfa2262-Xbcd366), total biomass (wPt2740-Xcfa2076), kernels/spike (KPS) (Xwmc664-Xbarc67), and Pseudocercosporella induced lodging ( …


Evaluation Of Sugar Maple Dieback In The Upper Great Lakes Region And Development Of A Forest Health Youth Education Program, Tara L. Bal Jan 2013

Evaluation Of Sugar Maple Dieback In The Upper Great Lakes Region And Development Of A Forest Health Youth Education Program, Tara L. Bal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Acer saccharum Marsh., is one of the most valuable trees in the northern hardwood forests. Severe dieback was recently reported by area foresters in the western Upper Great Lakes Region. Sugar Maple has had a history of dieback over the last 100 years throughout its range and different variables have been identified as being the predisposing and inciting factors in different regions at different times. Some of the most common factors attributed to previous maple dieback episodes were insect defoliation outbreaks, inadequate precipitation, poor soils, atmospheric deposition, fungal pathogens, poor management, or a combination of these. The current sugar maple …