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Grand Rapids Flora Then And Now: Emma Cole Project 2021, Haley Weesies, Zachary Hartwig, Lucas Walker, Natalie Vredevoogd, Garrett Crow, Dave Warners

Summer Research

In 1901, local botanist and teacher Emma Cole published Grand Rapids Flora: A Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Ferns Growing Without Cultivation in the Grand Rapids Area. Despite immense changes in land use and development of Grand Rapids in the past 120 years, her work remains the most comprehensive floristic inventory of the area to date. • Develop floristic inventories of field sites. o Periodically visit each site May-August, documenting all plant species observed. o Make herbarium voucher specimens of all species in flower or in fruit to be pressed and dried. This is done in order to document …

Impact Of Maize Hybrid Selection On Water Productivity Under Deficit Irrigation In Semiarid Western Nebraska, Strahinja Stepanovic, Daran Rudnick, Greg R. Kruger

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The future economic and agricultural sustainability of semiarid western Nebraska will largely depend on more efficient utilization of the declining groundwater resources. The scope of this research was to evaluate the maize hybrid yield, water productivity (WP; i.e. grain yield produced per unit of water consumed), and irrigation water productivity (IWP; i.e. increase in grain yield per unit of irrigation water applied) across a range of semiarid climatic conditions (i.e. drought, normal, and wet) and irrigation treatments. Total of 13 maize hybrids were evaluated under full irrigation (FI), deficit irrigation (DI, receiving ~50% less irrigation water than FI), and dryland …

Identification Of The Biological Function Of Rab-Ggt Β-Subunits By Reverse Techniques, Briana L. Seibert, Hyun Jin Jung, Mark P. Running

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Protein prenylation is a post-translational process where lipids are added to carboxyl end groups, which allows proteins to function properly in the eukaryotic cell. The job of prenylation is to help in targeting certain proteins to specific membrane along with promoting protein-protein interactions. We use reverse genetics techniques to understand the function of prenylation in plant development by examining the phenotypic changes caused by specific gene disruption. One of the excellent model organisms Physcomitrella patens (moss) is used due to its simple structure, limited tissue and cells, sequenced genome, and its high gene targeting efficiency.

Rab geranylgeranyl transferase-II (Rab-GGT) is …

Use Of Foliar Chemical Treatments To Induce Disease Resistance In Rhododendrons Inoculated With Phytophthora Ramorum, Craig Ramsey, Paul C. Freebury, Debra H. Newman, Wolfgang Schweigkofler, Leland J. Cseke, Steven E. Newman

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

A field study was conducted at the National Ornamental Research Site at Dominican University California (NORS-DUC). The study goal was to evaluate three chemical inducers applied as foliar treatments for controlling Phytophthora ramorum, on Rhododendron x ‘Cunningham’s White’ nursery plants. The inducers were chlorine dioxide (ElectroBiocide), hydrogen peroxide (OxiDate 2.0), and acibenzolar-s methyl (Actigard). Water samples from the electrostatic sprayer were measured for three physicochemical water properties. Visual assessment of plant foliage, based on the Horsfall- Barratt scale, was conducted at three and five months after chemical treatments. Foliar fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was measured over three dates. The success of P. …

Impact Of Mature, Female Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Trees On Soil Seed Bank In The Mixed-Grass Prairie Of The Northern Great Plains, Austin Domeier, Lan Xu, Alexander Smart

Native Plant Focused Publications

Eastern red cedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees are invading prairies throughout the Great Plains due to fire suppression and overgrazing. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their reproduction, regeneration, diversity, and invasiveness. It is unknown how ERC trees impact belowground propagules in the mixed-grass prairie and how it may alter heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to evaluate how mature female ERC trees impact the soil seed bank composition. In October 2020 in southcentral South Dakota ten female ERC trees with canopy diameters = 5-10 m, similar environmental characteristics, and isolated from …

Protein Prenylation In The Moss Physcomitrium Patens, Zayna H. Qaissi, Anam F. Ahmed, Katherine V. Brown, Mark P. Running

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Protein prenylation is the addition of a 15 or 20 carbon lipid to a cysteine near carboxyl terminus of target proteins. Prenylation increases hydrophobicity, which facilitates membrane associations and protein-protein interaction. Protein prenylation is generally conserved among eukaryotes, and mutations in genes that carry out prenylation are lethal in animals and yeast. In plants prenylation mutations are not always lethal, but they do affect development, disease resistance, biofuel production, and drought response, among other processes of agricultural interest. To understand the evolutionary and developmental implications of plant protein prenylation, we used the sequenced, annotated, and translated genome of the moss …

The Study Of Ppal And Its Role In The Development Of Physcomitrella Patens, Susana Perez-Martinez, Christine Chen, Mark P. Running

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Protein Prenylation is the addition of lipids to select proteins that play a key role during the development of plants. There are three enzymes that play a role in protein prenylation: protein farnesyltransferase (PFT), protein geranylgeranyl-transferase-I (PGGT), and Rab geranylgeranyltransferase (Rab-GGT). However, there is a protein called PPAL that has a similar alpha subunit of PFT, PGGT, and RAB-GGT but its biochemical function is unknown. Physconmitrella patens, a type of moss, was chosen to explore the role of PpPPAL in the development process. There are two copies of PPAL found in moss. PPAL1 and PPAL2. To study the role …

Genetic Diversity & Connectivity Of Chasmanthium Latifolium (Poaceae) In Pennsylvania & The Effect On Conservation Status Of A Rare Species, Jonathan D. Hayes

Honors Theses

Chasmanthium latifolium (Michx.) Yates (Poaceae) is a loosely colonial, rhizomatous, perennial grass species that lives in riparian habitats, making it fittingly referred to as river oats. Native to the southern Midwest and the eastern half of the United States, C. latifolium reaches the northeastern edge of its range in Pennsylvania. Within Pennsylvania, eleven extant C. latifolium populations are found along four waterways: the Monongahela River, the Susquehanna River, and two tributaries to the Susquehanna River. This limited state distribution exhibits an east-west disjunct distribution, where western populations are largely separated from eastern populations with one centrally located population. Between the …

Wheat Disease Management With Fungicides: Qoi-Resistant Parastagonospora Nodorum And Zymoseptoria Tritici, Application Timing For Leaf Disease Management, And Sprayer Configurations For Fusarium Head Blight Management, Nathaniel Heubeck White

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Disease management in winter wheat can be improved by a properly implemented foliar fungicide program. The fungicide, application time, and application system should be selected based on the host, pathogens present, risk of fungicide resistance, and time of disease onset. These factors vary among environments and require region-specific research to determine appropriate practices. Trials were conducted to evaluate different aspects of fungicide applications for managing Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, and the Septoria tritici leaf blotch complex, caused by Zymoseptoria tritici and Parastagonospora nodorum. A survey of P. nodorum isolates from Kentucky and Illinois and …

Energy Content Of Seeds Of Palmer’S Pigweed (Amaranthus Palmeri) In The Diet Of Scaled Quail (Callipepla Squamata) In Southeastern New Mexico, John L. Hunt, Matthew E. Grilliot, Troy L. Best, Isaac C. Castillo, Paige E. Eddington, Faith A. Johnson, Tyneshia L. Kilgore, Jacob H. Courson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Palmer’s pigweed (Amaranthus palmeri) is a common grassland plant that occurs across much of North America. It is often considered a weed but is an important source of food for many game birds. We analyzed the energy content of seeds of Palmer’s pigweed obtained from the crops of scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) collected from plains-mesa sand-scrub habitat in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico. Seeds were dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and then analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of seeds of Palmer’s …

Wa Insecticide Guide 2021 - Winter Spring, Svetlana Micic, Alan Lord

PestFacts WA

Registered chemicals for crops during winter and spring 2021.

The pesticides listed in the tables below can be used on any crop appearing on the chemical label, as long as the rate used does not exceed the highest rate that is registered for use on that crop.

There are many products with different trade names that contain the same active ingredient. This list is not exhaustive and does not imply any specific recommendations of brand names.

Unless otherwise specified all insecticides listed are emulsifiable concentrate (EC). Insecticides with SC are suspension concentrate, WP is wettable powder, CS is capsule suspension, …

Optimal Resource Allocation And Prolonged Dormancy Strategies In Herbaceous Plants, J. Colton Watts, Brigitte Tenhumberg

Brigitte Tenhumberg Papers

1. Understanding the fitness consequences of different life histories is critical for explaining their diversity and for predicting effects of changing environmental conditions. However, current theory on plant life histories relies on phenomenological, rather than mechanistic, models of resource production.

2. We combined a well-supported mechanistic model of ontogenetic growth that incorporates differences in the size-dependent scaling of gross resource production and maintenance costs with a dynamic optimization model to predict schedules of reproduction and prolonged dormancy (plants staying below ground for ≥ 1 growing season) that maximize lifetime offspring production.

3. Our model makes three novel predictions: First, maintenance …

Investigation Into The Genetic Provenance Of Three Rare Plants With East-West Disjunction Patterns In Pennsylvania., Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine

Other Faculty Research and Publications

Rare plant conservation relies on an understanding of the natural history, biology and ecology, and real and potential threats to their populations to inform state regulations that serve to protect the species from extirpation. This work often involves extensive field surveys over several years to determine population sizes and whether those populations are seeing reductions in number of individuals necessary to maintain the genetic diversity within and between those populations. Species and populations with high genetic diversity are better equipped to withstand sudden changes to their habitats that derive from land use changes and changing climate. There are a variety …

Negative Regulatory Factors In Tombusvirus Replication: Known Proteins, Novel Roles, Paulina Alatriste González

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Although host cells are a rather rich source for co-opted host factors, lipids and metabolites, positive stranded RNA viruses vastly rewire cellular pathways and remodel cellular membranes to support viral replication. To accomplish such major changes, these viruses depend on the availability of different host factors and the ability to readily assemble viral replication organelles (VROs). Genome-wide screens and proteomics approaches with Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus (TBSV) in a yeast model host indicated that tombusviruses rely on the cellular cytoskeleton to reorganize the cellular environment of their hosts. Using temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of beta and gamma-tubulin proteins and pharmacological inhibitors, …

Examining Climate Change Effects On Flowering In Moss Campion, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Olivia Dewitt, Anna Sher

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Examining the variation in the collection date of herbarium specimens is a common method for studying the phenological effects of climate change on a flowering plant species. We used herbarium data to examine how warming temperatures have affected flowering time in Silene acaulis in the state of Colorado. Silene acaulis, commonly known as moss campion and cushion pink, is an alpine tundra plant. Using ordinal date of collection as a proxy for flowering date and year collected as a proxy for increasing average temperature, a linear regression test found that there was no significant relationship between increasing temperatures and …

First Report Of Yellow-Flowered Teasel, Dipsacus Strigosus Willd. Ex Roem. & Schult. (Dipsacaceae) In Indiana, A North American Record, Rebecca W. Dolan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This paper reports the presence of Dipsacus strigosus Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. in Indiana. The species, native to western Asia, is naturalized in several locations in Europe. This is the first documented occurrence in North America. The new record was collected along a recently constructed bike path in a moist wooded area of the Butler University campus in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Like the two other species of the genus known in the Indiana, D. strigosus is likely to be invasive, so efforts will be made to eradicate this population. The plant should be monitored and looked for in other …

Baseline Sensitivity To Demethylation Inhibitors Fungicides In Cercospora Spp. And Corynespora Spp. In Arkansas Soybeans, Evan Buckner, Alejandro Rojas

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

Cercospora spp. and Corynespora spp. are two common foliar fungal pathogens in Arkansas and other soybean-producing areas. Two primary diseases caused by Cercospora spp. are Cercospora Leaf Blight (CLB, caused mainly by C. kikuchii) and Frogeye Leaf Spot (C. sojina). Over time, many fungicides used to combat these diseases have become ineffective as the pathogens have developed a resistance to them. The class of the fungicide in question is Triazoles [Demethylation Inhibitors (DMI)–FRAC 3]. Fifteen isolates consisting of Corynespora cassiicola, Cercospora sojina, and Cercospora flagellaris were tested to determine baseline sensitivities using serial dilutions (0, 0.01, 1, 10, 50 mg/L) …

Application Of Structural, Functional, Fluorescent, And Cytometric Indicators For Assessingphysiological State Of Marine Diatoms Under Different Light Growth Conditions, Natalia Shoman, Ekaterina Solomonova, Arkadii Akimov

Turkish Journal of Botany

The changes in the main structural, functional, fluorescent, and cytometric indicators of diatom microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bohlin, 1897),

Astragalus Nurhakdagensis (Sect. Hololeuce Bunge / Fabaceae), A New Species From Turkey, Alper Uzun, Zeki̇ Aytaç, Faruk Tülücü

Turkish Journal of Botany

Astragalus nurhakdagensis, a new species from the south of Turkey was described, illustrated, and compared to the closest taxa Astragalus hirsutus, A. dumanii and A. cataonicus from which it is set apart by a longer calyx length (13-14 mm) and calyx teeth (7-9 mm, longer than tube), white corolla colour, longer bracts (13-15 mm) and black hairy stripes below the stem nodes. In A. hirsutus, the calyx length (6-10 mm) and calyx teeth are much smaller (2-3 mm long, shorter than tube), with yellow corolla colour and without black hairy stripes. It also differs from A. dumanii with its longer …

Manipulation Of Lipophilic Antioxidants To Enhance Oxidative Stress Tolerance Andnutritional Quality In Transgenic Sweetpotato, Hosoo Kim, Rengi̇n Özgür Uzi̇lday, Bariş Uzi̇lday, Soeun Kim, Chanju Lee, Sulu Park, Xiaofeng Bian, Yizhi Xie, Sang-Soo Kwak

Turkish Journal of Botany

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells under environmental stress cause oxidative stress, which is one of major factors limiting the plant productivity. To prevent this limitation by stress conditions, a possible strategy is to strengthen the antioxidant defense of plants by gene manipulation of antioxidant enzymes and low molecular-weight (LMW) antioxidants. LMW antioxidants are important for the plant protection to environmental stress and also have nutritional merits for humans as antiaging and antidisease molecules. Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] as a nutritional food crop has many advantages in terms of the cultivation on the global marginal lands. …

Seed-Shattering Phenology At Soybean Harvest Of Economically Important Weeds In Multiple Regions Of The United States. Part 2: Grass Species, Lauren M. Schwartz-Lazaro, Lovreet S. Shergill, Jeffrey A. Evans, Muthukumar V. Bagavathiannan, Shawn C. Beam, Mandy D. Bish, Jason A. Bond, Kevin W. Bradley, William S. Curran, Adam S. Davis, Wesley J. Everman, Michael L. Flessner, Steven C. Haring, Nicholas R. Jordan, Nicholas E. Korres, John L. Lindquist, Jason K. Norsworthy, Tameka L. Sanders, Larry E. Steckel, Mark J. Vangessel, Blake Young, Steven B. Mirsky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Seed shatter is an important weediness trait on which the efficacy of harvest weed seed control (HWSC) depends. The level of seed shatter in a species is likely influenced by agroecological and environmental factors. In 2016 and 2017, we assessed seed shatter of eight economically important grass weed species in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] from crop physiological maturity to 4 wk after maturity at multiple sites spread across 11 states in the southern, northern, and mid-Atlantic United States. From soybean maturity to 4 wk after maturity, cumulative percent seed shatter was lowest in the southern U.S. regions and increased …

Coal Char Effects On Soil Chemical Properties And Maize Yields In Semi-Arid Region, Dinesh Panday, Maysoon M. Mikha, Xiaocun Sun, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil amendments with high carbon (C) content can be effective in semi-arid regions where soils are characterized by low C. A field study was conducted in 2016–2018 to evaluate the effect of char on soil chemical properties and irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) yields in sandy loam fertilized with urea or composted manure. Carbon-rich char used was a product of coal combustion residue from a local factory in western Nebraska. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot randomized complete block design in four replications with char (0, 6.7, 13.4, 20.1, and 26.8Mg C ha⁻¹) as main and …

Vascular Plants Of Northern Death Valley National Park (Death Valley, Last Chance Range, And Eureka Valley), Inyo County, California, Hester L. Bell, Sarah J. De Groot, Steve E. Schoenig

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The northern portion of Death Valley National Park closely (but not entirely) corresponds to the northernmost portion of the Mojave Desert in California. From 2014 through 2019 we surveyed the vascular plants in the Eureka Valley, northern Last Chance Range, and northern Death Valley. This study area covers 1735 sq km and ranges in elevation from 810 to 2577 m; it contains the tallest sand dunes in California, a calcium-rich mountain range, and alkaline seeps. These features provide specialized habitats for narrowly and regionally endemic plants. Fossil data from packrat middens suggest that the local climate has become warmer and …

A Comparison Of Media To Determine Optimal Growth In Aquaponics: Prg Virtual Showcase January 2021, Rachel L. Fogle, Andrea Nagy, Claribel Asare, Steven Berry, Jordan Brown, Aquila Durham-Lewis

Harrisburg University Presidential Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Tallgrass Prairie Center 2020-2021 Highlights, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Annual Reports

Contents:

--- Staff
--- From Our Director
--- Research and Restoration: Testing new methods for large-scale prairie reconstruction
--- Plant Materials: Iowa-source genetic diversity for Iowa’s roadsides and beyond
--- Iowa Roadside Management: Enhancing our public roadsides
--- Prairie on Farms: Making prairie practical
--- Irvine Prairie
--- Green Iowa AmericCorps: Land and Water Stewards expand TPC capacity
--- UNI Student Research: Can farmers’ favorite conservation program save the monarch?
--- Friend of the TPC and More
--- TPC Transitions
--- Community Engagement Coordinator: Anne Phillips
--- Iowa STEM Teacher Extern: Matt Switzer
--- Artist-in-Residence: Professor Erin Anfinson shows us …

Impacts Of Rock Climbing On Lichen And Bryophyte Communities At Mclellan Rocks And Sharon Climbing Areas, Spokane County, Wa, Giovanna M. Bishop

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Saxicolous lichens and bryophytes dominate cliff communities of Eastern Washington State. A recent rise in the outdoor recreation of rock climbing has caused major concerns over its potential negative impacts on cliff-dwelling biodiversity. To better understand how rock climbing is impacting lichen, bryophyte and vascular plant communities in Spokane, WA, I surveyed two sites: McLellan Rocks and Rocks of Sharon, for the abundance, richness and diversity of lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants. Sixteen paired transects consisting of a climbed route and the unclimbed adjacent cliff face, with eight plots per transect for a total of 256, 0.5m2 plots were surveyed …

Identification Of Loci Influencing Teosinte Crossing Barrier 1 (Tcb1) Efficacy In Maize By Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtl) Mapping And Genome-Wide Association Study (Gwas), Namrata Maharjan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollen cross-contamination has been a major problem for maize breeders. Various mechanical methods applied to avoid the contaminations are ineffective. The genetic factors related to maize fertilization can be used to develop an effective method to prevent pollen contamination. Pollen rejection ability controlled by Teosinte crossing barrier 1 (Tcb1) is such a genetic system. Silks possessing dominant Tcb1-s reject pollen possessing the recessive allele (tcb1). Successful fertilization occurs when Tcb1-s pollen falls upon tcb1 silks. The efficacy of dominant Tcb1-s was, however, reduced when repeatedly backcross with maize inbred lines, which suggests that there are modifiers to Tcb1-s. To find …

Evaluation Of Biotype 4 Aphis Glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Induced Susceptibility On Soybean And Soja, Jakob David Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean aphids have been a significant pest of soybeans in North America since 2000. Before 2000, soybeans did not face significant insect pest pressure from any arthropods with piercing-sucking mouthparts. It is estimated that economic damage from soybean aphids range from $1billion to $4.7 billion annually. Research efforts focused on the identification of host plant resistance genes in soybean and discovered many resistant to Aphis glycines genes (i.e., Rag genes) in soybean. However, the adoption of commercially released Rag soybean cultivars has been limited. The prospect of management with Rag genes was further complicated by the identification of three virulent …

A Biocontrol Pesticide Derived From Mycovirus-Infected Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum Can Induce Plant Resistance, Connor Pedersen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean leaf-associated gemycircularvirus-1 (SlaGemV-1) is a novel mycovirus discovered through the metagenomic sequencing of soybean leaves which is capable of inducing hypovirulence in the highly pathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. RNASeq analysis techniques were used to determine the transcriptional changes caused by the infection of virus in S. sclerotiorum, as well as the transcriptional changes in Glycine max caused by the colonization of hypovirulent, SlaGemV-1-infected S. sclerotiorum. RNASeq results indicate that viral infection leading to hypovirulence may attenuate expression of genes relating to cell wall synthesis, microtubule formation, and metabolism of steroids and natural antibiotics. Cytochrome P450-related genes, kinesin domain genes, …

The Effects Of Saline Soil On Microbiome And The Isolation Of Root-Associated Microbes To Relieve Salinity Stress, Duncan Jakubowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing levels of salinity in once-viable lands for crop production is a serious and growing problem in the Northern Great Plains. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of saline soil on the microbial composition of plant roots and bulk soil, to measure metabolic changes in plant roots from saline soil, to determine the viability of root-associated microbes as inoculants to increase stress tolerance in plants, as well as determine the impact of saline soil on nitrogen cycling genes linked to greenhouse gas production. This study hypothesizes that high soil salinity levels have a significant impact on …