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Role Of Lipids In Tombusvirus Replication, Monika Sharma

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Positive-strand RNA virus group are the most abundant among viruses affecting plants and animals. To successfully achieve replication, these viruses usurp or co-opt host proteins. To facilitate the discovery of host factors involved in Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), yeast has been developed as a surrogate model host. Genome-wide approaches covering 95% of yeast genes, has revealed approximately hundred factors that could affect virus replication. Among the identified host factors, there are fourteen yeast genes, which affect/regulate lipid metabolism of the host.

One of the identified host gene is ERG25, which is an important factor for sterol biosynthesis pathway, affecting …

Characterization Of G10h Promoter And Isolation Of Wrky Transcription Factors Involved In Catharanthus Terpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis Pathway, Nitima Suttpanta

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Catharanthus roseus produces a large array of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) that are an important source of natural or semi-synthetic anticancer drugs. Biosynthesis of TIAs is tissue-specific and induced by certain phytohormones and fungal elicitors, indicating the involvement of a complex transcriptional control network. However, the transcriptional regulation of the TIA pathway is poorly understood. This study reports the isolation and characterization of the G10H promoter and two WRKY transcription factors regulating TIA biosynthesis.

Geraniol 10-hydroxylase (G10H) controls the first committed step in the biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIA). The C. roseus G10H promoter sequence was isolated by a …

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2011), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Introducing iGrow: New Web Portal Brings Information To One Location
[Page] 4 Crops, Cattle & Much More: Opportunities Farm Cultivates Research, Teaching And Scholarships
[Page] 7 College News
[Page] 8 Funding Fundamentals: Budget Cuts Have Far-Reaching Impact
[Page] 10 The Value Extension: Three Producers Share How They've Benefited [Page] 12 A Vision for Precision: Gregg Carlson Has Helped Guide Agronomy
[Page] 13 A Boost for Beginning Beef Producers: Training Program Offered Through USDA Grant
[Page] 14 Ethanol's Evolution: Promising New Research Goes Beyond Corn
[Page] 16 New Era for Cereal Grains: Seed Technology Lab Inspires Innovation
[Page] 18 …

Urban Dietary Heavy Metal Intake From Protein Foods And Vegetables In Dar Es Salaam, F. N. Ngassapa, O. C. Othman, E. Elisante

Tanzania Journal of Science

Contamination of food and food products by heavy metals has made dietary intake as one of the major routes of these harmful elements to human beings. The human dietary intake of heavy metals cadmium, copper, lead and zinc from protein-foods (beans, meat, fish, milk) and green vegetables consumed daily from restaurants and street food-vendor kiosks in Dar es Salaam were determined using the Total Diet Study (TDS) method. The cooked food was bought from the restaurants and street food-vendors at several city locations (i.e. Buguruni, Manzese, Mwenge, Temeke and Ubungo) over several months and analyzed. Heavy metal concentrations were determined …

Effects Of Mulching, Fertilizer, Seeding And Seedling Treatments On Plant Species Recovery In Kondoa Irangi Hills, Tanzania, H. V. M. Lyaruu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Fertilization, mulching, imported seed bank seeding and seedlings were applied to triplicates of 1m x1m plots at Chakwe and Gubali sites in Kondoa Irangi Hills, Tanzania. Responses tested were seedling recruitment, species turnover, species’ biomass, mortality of seedlings, total number of perennial and woody species recruited and leguminous species. There were high significant correlations of 0.85 and 0.87 between seedling recruitment and mortality in both sites, indicating that other factors, probably aridity, rather than prevailing site conditions were likely to be important determinants of mortality. Inorganic fertilization was not an efficient means of improving short-term productivity, seedling recruitment or increased …

Heavy Metal Levels In Paddy Soils And Rice (Oryza Sativa (L)) From Wetlands Of Lake Victoria Basin, Tanzania, J. F. Machiwa

Tanzania Journal of Science

A survey of paddy fields in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) wetlands was conducted at a wider scale in different locations including closer to mining and within urbanized areas in Tanzania. The objective of the study was mainly to assess the present situation with regard to levels of heavy metals in O. sativa grains harvested locally as well as to set the baseline levels of some heavy metals in paddy fields. The results showed that the levels of Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Zinc and total Mercury in brown rice are generally within the acceptable levels for human food. However, higher concentration …

Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis: Final Report, Scott R. Abella

Fire Science

Species selection can make the difference between successful revegetation projects and costly failures. Candidate native species for revegetating burned arid lands in the southwestern United States must meet at least two criteria. These species must: (1) be competitive in postfire environments typically dominated by exotic grasses, and (2) be able to become established reliably by seeding or planting. In response to Manager’s Request Task 3 (reestablishment of native vegetation after fires on arid lands) in the 2006 JFS announcement for proposals, this research tackled the problem of selecting native species with the greatest chance of revegetation success by conducting synergistic …

Oregon Aspen Project, Forest Restoration Partnership

Aspen Bibliography

The Oregon Aspen Project was initiated in response to the decline of aspen groves in Oregon and throughout the Western United States, and the lack of information to guide managers interested in stewardship to enhance this resource. There were three central goals and accompanying objectives for this project which are listed below. The project accomplishments are provided below each bulleted objective

Performance Of High Biomass Sorghum And Nitrogen Dynamics By The Application Of Urea, Pelleted Poultry Litter, And Class A Municipal Biosolids, Rakesh Awale

Student Theses and Dissertations

Increasing concern over the depleting fossil fuels and rising costs of chemical fertilizers have stimulated the need to find alternative crop biomass production through regionally available fertilizer sources. A field experiment was conducted to determine high biomass sorghum [(Sorghum bicolor (Moench) L.) dry matter yield, and N uptake due to application of urea, pelleted poultry litter, and class A municipal biosolids in two cropping systems of biomass sorghum and nitrogen use efficiencies of these three nutrient sources in northeast Arkansas in 2009. While urea, pelleted poultry litter, and class A municipal biosolids produced average high biomass sorghum dry matter yield …

Invasive Species And Climate Change, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

ISSUE

Climate change interacts with and can often amplify the negative impacts of invasive species. These interactions are not fully appreciated or understood. They can result in threats to critical ecosystem functions on which our food system and other essential provisions and services depend as well as increase threats to human health. The Invasive Species Advisory Committee to the National Invasive Species Council recognizes the Administration’s commitment to dealing proactively with global climate change. However, unless we recognize and act on the impact of climate change and its interaction with ecosystems and invasive species, we will fall further behind in …

Food Entrepreneurship Curricula, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus R. Ballegu, Jeremia Makindara

INTSORMIL Presentations

SUA Food Entrepreneurship Program Mission Statement: To educate and assist entrepreneurs in developing their sorghum based food manufacturing business. Covers ideas generation, market research, business development, regulations, food safety, brand development, sales and distribution, and with a focus on product development.

Regalia-Induced Resistance In Powdery Mildew-Infected Grapevine Plants Correlates With The Induction Of Chalcone Synthase, Thomas Crottogini

Horticulture and Crop Science

No abstract provided.

[Accepted Article Manuscript Version (Postprint)] Pex5 Mutants That Differentially Disrupt Pts1 And Pts2 Peroxisomal Matrix Protein Import In Arabidopsis, Bibi Khan, Bethany Zolman

Biology Department Faculty Works

PEX5 and PEX7 are receptors required for the import of peroxisome-bound proteins containing one of two peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS1 or PTS2). To better understand the role of PEX5 in plant peroxisomal import, we characterized the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pex5-10 mutant, which has a T-DNA insertion in exon 5 of the PEX5 gene. Sequencing results revealed that exon 5, along with the T-DNA, is removed in this mutant, resulting in a truncated pex5 protein. The pex5-10 mutant has germination defects and is completely dependent on exogenous Suc for early seedling establishment, based on poor utilization of seed-storage fatty acids. This …

Reporting Results Of Data Analysis, Preparing Scientific Manuscripts, And Website Development Efforts, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Preparation of scientific manuscripts and use and presentation of statistics have been topics of several commentaries from previous journal Editors-in-Chief, and have been submitted as invited papers, so I would like to share my perspective as the current Editor-in-Chief (Editor) of The Prairie Naturalist (Journal). Because there is not complete consensus among the experts about when hypothesis testing versus information theoretic methods, or Bayesian versus frequentist methods are suitable, previous Editors have avoided presenting their perspectives (Thompson 2010). I also will avoid presenting my perspective as Editor. I will, however, present my perspective on several of these approaches and then …

Cropland Nesting By Long-Billed Curlews In Southern Alberta, James H. Devries, Steven O. Rimer, Elizabeth M. Walsh

The Prairie Naturalist

Long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) are described primarily as a grassland nesting species. However, no studies to date have quantified nest habitat selection among available habitats. During a study of waterfowl nest habitat selection and success in landscapes ranging from cropland to grassland-dominated, we found 9 curlew nests of which 8 were located in active cropland within cropland-dominated landscapes. Cropland nests occurred in fall-seeded winter wheat and spring-seeded barley and nests were clumped in distribution. Four cropland nests and 1 nest in native grass pasture hatched young. Further research is needed to characterize nesting habitat selection and reproductive success …

Review Of Weeds Of The Midwestern United States & Central Canada, Edited By Charles T. Bryson And Michael S. Defelice, James Stubbendieck

The Prairie Naturalist

This volume is the culmination of work by more than 40 weed scientists and botanists. Its stated purpose is to help identifY the great diversity of weedy and invasive plants that interface with agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems in central North America. The geographic range covered by this book extends from southeastern Saskatchewan to eastern Kansas, northern Kentucky, northwestern Pennsylvania, and southwestern Quebec. This is a welcome edition because a current book on unwanted plants has not been available for the eastern two-thirds of this region. The book is arranged taxonomically by family and alphabetically by species within each family. …

Summer Activity Pattern And Home Range Of Northern Pocket Gophers In An Alfalfa Field, Jon C. Pigage, Helen K. Pigage

The Prairie Naturalist

AIlocation of time for feeding, resting and reproduction in subterranean animals is difficult to determine. Although pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) are among the most widely studied subterranean rodents, there are conflicting reports on activity measurement in these animals. Activity studies have included opening gopher burrows (Tryon 1947), laboratory studies of activity (Vaughan and Hansen 1961), telemetry studies (Anderson and McMahon 1981, Bandoli 1987, and Cameron et al. 1988), and subcutaneously implanted radioactive gold wires (Gettinger 1984). The diversity of techniques reflects the difficulty of generalizing results from different species of pocket gophers in natural and artificial environments. Patton and …

Review Of Grouse Of The Plains And Mountains - The South Dakota Story, By Lester D. Flake, John W. Connelly, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, And Andrew J. Lindbloom., Brent E. Jamison

The Prairie Naturalist

Grouse are a fascinating group of birds that offer elaborate breeding displays for birders in the spring, provide sporting opportunities for hunters in the fall, and serve as indicators of grassland health. Though the authors claim that the book targets those who enjoy the outdoors, bird watching, and upland game bird hunting, there is ample reason for ecologists, ornithologists, and grouse researchers to reference this book as well. The book contains general information of interest to a broad audience, but often moves beyond the introductory information to greater detail. Many details are supported by peer-reviewed literature. This book strikes a …

Is Orthoptera Abundance And Distribution Across A Small Grassland Area Affected By Plant Biomass, Plant Species Richness, And Plant Quality?, Caitlin Falcone

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The choice of a specific microhabitat represents a compromise among a number of different factors organisms use to monitor habitat suitability. Grassland vegetation structure can vary widely along environmental gradients over a relatively small area. This vegetation structure can have a large influence on habitat selection by grasshoppers (Orthoptera). However, it is not clear which vegetation characteristics are most important in determining grasshopper abundance. We found that plant biomass, plant species richness, and plant quality all have an effect on grasshopper abundance and distribution. We observe that these affects vary both within and among the two years of data collection. …

Optimizing In Vitro Propagation Of Rosa Persica, Maryam Jafarkhani-Kermani, Pegah Khosravi, Somayeh Kavand

Publications and Research

Rosa persica with a distinctive red eye is a good candidate for addition to the breeding pool of roses. In order to optimize micropropagation of R. persica, three culture media (MS, QL and VS) were compared. The maximum growth rate was observed in the VS medium. Addition of FeEDTA (Fe: 65.4 mg/l), calcium gluconate (Cg: 2.7 g/l) and Gamborg vitamins (B5) instead of VS vitamins, alone or in combinationwith VS medium were compared. The maximum growth rate was obtained in the medium containing VS + Cg + B5 (VSCgB5). Various concentrations of BAP (0, 2, 4 and 8 μM ) …

Applications Of Site-Specific Recombination Systems In Transgene Expression And Marker Gene Removal, Mehmet Aydin Akbudak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Site Specific Recombination systems, such as FLP-FRT and Cre-lox, have been successfully used for site-specific gene integration and marker-gene deletion in plant systems. They are very useful tools in the integration of single-copy full-length transgene cassettes into the genome because the transgene integration via conventional methods often generate multi-copy locus. Such complex locus containing direct and inverted repeats of full-length and truncated copies of the transgene cassette generate aberrant RNA resulting in gene silencing. Therefore, for stable gene expression, a single copy transgene locus is preferred. However, even single copy locus sometimes succumbs to gene silencing. Although the mechanism is …

Analysis Of The Response Of Medicago Truncatula Calcium Oxalate Mutants To Abiotic Stress, Wayra Gabriela Navia-Gine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Calcium oxalate crystals are found in most plant species. In Medicago truncatula wild-type A17, crystals accumulate in leaves along the secondary veins and the only role attributed to them so far is defense against chewing insects. Calcium oxalate deficient (cod) mutants were isolated in M. truncatula; the cod mutants include cod5, which completely lack crystals in the leaves and cod6 that accumulates fewer and smaller crystals compared to A17. We analyzed gene expression in the cod mutants and A17 using GeneChip® Medicago Genome Arrays and found important differences in transcriptome between the three genotypes. In particular, we found a gene …

An Nadph-Dependent Genetic Switch Regulates Plant Infection By The Rice Blast Fungus, Richard A. Wilson, Robert P. Gibson, Cristian Quispe, Jennifer A. Littlechild, Nicholas J. Talbot

Fungal Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions

To cause rice blast disease, the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae breaches the tough outer cuticle of the rice leaf by using specialized infection structures called appressoria. These cells allow the fungus to invade the host plant and proliferate rapidly within leaf tissue. Here, we show that a unique NADPH-dependent genetic switch regulates plant infection in response to the changing nutritional and redox conditions encountered by the pathogen. The biosynthetic enzyme trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (Tps1) integrates control of glucose-6-phosphate metabolism and nitrogen source utilization by regulating the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, the generation of NADPH, and the activity of nitrate reductase. We report …

Control Of Invasive Liriomyza Leafminer Species And Compliance With Food Safety Standards By Small Scale Snow Pea Farmers In Kenya, Zachary Maina Gitonga, Adenirin Chabi-Olaye, Dagmar Mithöfer, Julius Juma Okello, Cecilia Nyawira Ritho

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The Kenyan horticultural industry faces a new challenge following invasion by the quarantine Liriomyza leafminer species Liriomyza huidobrensis, Liriomyza sativae and Liriomyza trifolii which have recently become pests of economic importance. Controlling Liriomyza leafminers poses serious difficulties due to their biology and quarantine status. This paper examines farmers' awareness of the pests and difficulties faced in controlling them. (1) A questionnaire survey showed that snow pea farmers in Kenya rely mainly on pesticides for control of invasive Liriomyza leafminers; (2) Sixty five percent of respondents perceived pesticides to be ineffective; (3) As a result, 74% of respondents increased the frequency …

The Impact Of Long-Term Tillage, Crop Rotation And N Application On Soil Carbon Sequestration, Agustin Martellotto

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is controlled by many factors, but for given conditions it is the long term summation of the balance between inputs and outputs. Management practices will alter this balance by affecting the system’s productivity and the speed of residue and soil organic matter decomposition. Given that annual changes in SOC are generally small, compared with the large and variable SOC background, long-term experiments, and soil samples taken at the start of experiments (archived samples) are necessary to determine SOC trends over time. Changes in SOC were analyzed for two long-term experiments; one an irrigated site at …

Delaying Bud Break In ‘Edelweiss’ Grapevines To Avoid Spring Frost Injury By Naa And Vegetable Oil Applications, Issam M. Qrunfleh

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Delaying bud break is an approach to avoid spring frost damage. Field experiments were conducted during the winters of 2009 and 2010 at James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond, Nebraska to study the effect of spraying NAA and Amigo Oil on delaying bud break in ‘Edelweiss’ grapevines to avoid such damage. In 2009, the experiment consisted of five treatments: NAA (500, 750, and 1,000 mg/l), oil applied at 10%, and the non-sprayed control. There were four application dates: January 6, February 3, March 3, and April 1. Bud break was evaluated throughout spring. During harvest, the number of clusters and weights …

The Interaction Of Fire And Grazing In Oklahoma Artemisia Filifolia Shrubland, Stephen L. Winter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I. FIRE-RESILIENCY OF A NORTH AMERICAN ARTEMISIA (ASTERACEAE) SHRUB: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESTORATION OF A CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PROCESS. Conclusions: Unlike most North American Artemisia shrub species, our research suggests that A. filifolia is highly resilient to the effects of fire. Therefore, use of prescribed fires for the restoration and maintenance of ecosystem processes and properties is appropriate in A. filifolia shrublands of the southern Great Plains in North America.

II. RESTORATION OF THE FIRE-GRAZING INTERACTION IN ARTEMISIA FILIFOLIA SHRUBLAND OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS, NORTH AMERICA. Synthesis and applications. Vegetation structure in Artemisia filifolia shrublands of our study were readily altered …

Micropropagation And Acclimatization Of 'Norton' Grapevine (Vitis Aestivalis), Brant B. Bigger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Propagation of the Vitis aestivalis cultivar 'Norton‘ (syn='Cynthiana‘) through traditional woody cuttings has been difficult. Rooting of woody cuttings has been a major hindrance in propagating this cultivar and providing enough plants to meet grower needs. In vitro propagation offers another method of increasing plant material. Cultures were established and maintained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 4 M 6-benzyladenine (BA) and thiamine at 0.5 mg•L^-1 and solidified with Difco-Bacto agar at 7.5 g•L^-1. The objectives of this study were to determine optimal methods for in vitro production and ex vitro establishment of 'Norton‘ plantlets. …

Investigating Heavy Metal Accumulation And Oxidative Stress Tolerance Of Non-Accumulators And Hyperaccumulators In The Brassicaceae Plant Family, Fritzie Joy Into

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Physiological and enzymatic analysis indicated that the non-accumulator A. thaliana showed an oxidative stress response in all assays except for protein carbonylation. Other non-accumulator plant species showed a significant difference in oxidative stress response in the TBARS assay; however, for some assays no stress response was evident. The hyperaccumulator plant species showed no significant difference in oxidative stress as indicated by the all of the assays with the exception of T. montanum var. montanum which showed an oxidative stress response in the SOD assay. Basal catalase enzyme activity was notably higher in the hyperaccumulators T. montanum var. montanum and T. …

Response Of Warm Season Turfgrasses To Reduced Light Environments, Jeffrey Atkinson

All Theses

Shade or low light tolerance is an increasingly important issue to turf managers as they are often expected to grow turf in less than ideal agronomic conditions. As permanent structures such as residential buildings add to already problematic shade caused by trees, and other barriers, new solutions are needed to help turf managers provide acceptable turf conditions. The plant growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl (TE) can lessen negative responses of turfgrass to shade.
Two experiments were conducted during the summers of 2008 and 2009 to evaluate various grasses under a reduced light environment (RLE). In the first study, performance of `Diamond' zoysiagrass …