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A Dedicated Thioesterase Of The Hotdog-Fold Family Is Required For The Biosynthesis Of The Naphthoquinone Ring Of Vitamin K1, Joshua R. Widhalm, Chloë Van Oostende, Fabienne Furt, Gilles J. C. Basset

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Phylloquinone (vitamin K₁) is a bipartite molecule that consists of a naphthoquinone ring attached to a phytyl side chain. The coupling of these 2 moieties depends on the hydrolysis of the CoA thioester of 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoate (DHNA), which forms the naphthalenoid backbone. It is not known whether such a hydrolysis is enzymatic or chemical. In this study, comparative genomic analyses identified orthologous genes of unknown function that in most species of cyanobacteria cluster with predicted phylloquinone biosynthetic genes. The encoded approximately 16-kDa proteins display homology with some Hotdog domain-containing CoA thioesterases that are involved in the catabolism of 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA …

Novel Lepidopteran Sex Pheromone Components From Marmara Gulosa (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), J. Stephen Mcelfresh, Jardel A. Moreira, Elizabeth E. Grafton-Cardwell, David H. Headrick, John M. Heraty, Marta Guillen, Jocelyn G. Millar

Horticulture and Crop Science

Marmara gulosa Guillén & Davis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a sporadic pest of citrus and a number of other crops in southern and central California. Coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennogram detection analyses of headspace volatiles collected by solid phase microextraction from virgin female moths revealed at least four related compounds in the extracts that elicited significant antennal responses from antennae of male moths. These compounds were identified as (8E,10E)-tetradecadien-1-ol, and the corresponding aldehyde, acetate, and formate ester, representing the first report of a formate as a lepidopteran pheromone component. The four compounds were consistently found in headspace volatiles collected …

Sorghum--Fuel Of The Future? Agronomist Studies Sorghum And Grass For Future Energy Source, Nancy Peterson, John Propheter, Scott Staggenborg

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Weighing in on crop production in West Africa might seem a bit of a stretch for a K-State agronomist; however, that’s not the case for Scott Staggenborg. He recently returned from his second visit to West Africa, where he reviewed sorghum research and crop production.

During the research trip to Tombouctou (also spelled Timbuktu), a West African city near the Niger River, he joined Malian researchers in exploring opportunities to improve sorghum production and management. The research effort is supported by the International Sorghum and Millet Improvement Program (INTSORMIL).

Growing conditions in the West African region are remarkably similar to …

Center For Grassland Studies Newsletter, Winter-Spring 2009, Volume 15, No. 1

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents:
Estimating Livestock Forage Demand: Defining the Animal Unit (AU) by T.L. Meyer, Don Adams, Terry Klopfenstein, Jerry Volesky, L. Aaron Stalker, Rick Funston, UNL
Landscape Groundcovers by Roch Gaussoin and Kim Todd, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL
Sandhills Ecotourism Project by Wyatt Fraas, Center for Rural Affairs
Program for 2009 Nebraska Grazing Conference
2009 Nike Golf Camp in Lincoln This July

Nebline, April 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Urban Youth Learn About Agriculture at Local Ag Awareness Festivals
Renting Livestock Facilities
Is Sainfoin Right For You?
Wind Energy Seminars Archived on the Web
Backyard Organic Gardens Need Work but Have Increased Benefits
Pre-emergent Herbicide Application Time
Act Early to Control Musk Thistles
Study Shows Transplanted Trees Grow Better Without Grass Nearby
Eat Your Breakfast— Your Body will Thank You!
Easter Egg Tips
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Housekeeping Organization
Wring Out the Old; Bring in the New: Debunking Some Common Cleaning Practices
Boost Your Child’s Brain Power
Children …

Forage News [2009-04], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register Early for the 2009 AFGC Conference
• Southern Pasture & Forage Crop Improvement Conference
• Consumer Purchasing Trends Shift in Response to Challenge Economy
• 10 Reasons to Make Forage First in the Ration
• Spring Nitrogen Fertilization of Hayfields in 2009 - Will it Pay?
• By-Product Gypsum: What's It Worth to Forage Producers in Kentucky?
• Rotational Grazing Gets High Marks
• Upcoming events

Impacts Of Plant Size, Density, Herbivory, And Disease On Native Platte Thistle (Cirsium Canescens), Deidra Jacobsen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract. Based on prior field observations, we hypothesized that individual and interacting effects of plant size, density, insect herbivory, and especially fungal disease, influenced seedling and juvenile plant growth in native Platte thistle populations (Cirsium canescens Nutt.). We worked at Arapaho Prairie in the Nebraska Sandhills (May - August 2007), monitoring plant growth, insect damage, and fungal infection within different density thistle patches. In the main experiment, we sprayed half of test plants in different density patches with fungicide (Fungonil© Bonide, containing chlorothalonil) and half with a water control. Fungal infection rates were very low, so we found no difference …

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter, Spring 2009, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Prairie in Peril?
-- Care for a Carez
-- 2nd Spring Seminar Series Wrap-Up
-- Roadside Easy Target for GPS
-- America's Lost Landscape Documentary Goes International
-- Prescribed Fire Workshops for NRCS Field Staff
-- Prairie Smoke Salsa
-- Graduate Student Profiles
-- Native Plant Propagation Workshop

Chlorella Viruses Prevent Multiple Infections By Depolarizing The Host Membrane, Timo Greiner, Florian Frohns, Ming Kang, James L. Van Etten, Anja Käsmann, Anna Moroni, Brigitte Hertel, Gerhard Thiel

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Previous experiments established that when the unicellular green alga Chlorella NC64A is inoculated with two viruses, usually only one virus replicates in a single cell. That is, the viruses mutually exclude one another. In the current study, we explore the possibility that virus- induced host membrane depolarization, at least partially caused by a virus-encoded K+ channel (Kcv), is involved in this mutual exclusion. Two chlorella viruses, PBCV-1 and NY-2A, were chosen for the study because (i) they can be distinguished by real-time PCR and (ii) they exhibit differential sensitivity to Cs+, a well-known K+ channel blocker. PBCV-1-induced host membrane depolarization, …

Plant Defense: A Pre-Adaptation For Pollinator Shifts, Justen B. Whittall, Matthew L. Carlson

Biology

No abstract provided.

Graminicolous Fungi Of Virginia: Fungi In Collections 2004-2007, Curtis W. Roane

Virginia Journal of Science

Fungus-grass associations recognized in Virginia from 2004 to 2007 are recorded. Many associations are new to the United States (U), eastern United States (EU) and Virginia (V); other associations extend the known distribution of those previously discovered. These reports contribute further to knowledge of the mycoflora of Virginia.

Biomass And Seed Yields Of Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, And Intermediate Wheatgrass In Response To Manure And Harvest Timing At Two Topographic Positions, Dokyoung Lee, Vance N. Owens, Arvid Boe, Bon-Cheol Koo

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

A principle attribute of perennial grasses for biomass energy is the potential for high yields on marginal lands. Objectives of this study were to compare biomass and seed production of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium [Host] Barkworth and D.R. Dewey), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as affected by harvest timing and manure application on two topographic positions (footslope and backslope). Footslope is the hillslope position that forms the inclined surface at the base of a slope and backslope forms the steepest, middle position of the hillslope. Grasses were harvested for biomass at anthesis …

Hunker Down And Hold On: Contractile Roots Give Skunk Cabbage Another Special Trait, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

I can remember the first time I ever heard of contractile roots. It was in graduate school at the University of Maryland and a friend of mine was busy preparing a lecture on roots. He said to me something like “Did you ever notice, while pulling up dandelions, that the darn weed seems to be pulling back? As it turns out, it is!” Strange but true, dandelions, along with a diverse assemblage of other species, have contractile roots that serve to pull the plant downward. In this capacity, contractile roots go well beyond the routine function of providing anchorage for …

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Spring 2009, Russell Scofield, Michele Slaton Ph.D, Alexis Suazo, Donovan J. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

California desert managers group, vegetation monitoring in Death Valley, undergraduate research symposium at UNLV, response of Sahara mustard to water and disturbance, JFS update

The Politics Of Genetically Modified Organisms: Global Rules, Local Needs, Ximena Gonzalez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Biotechnology in regards to agriculture is complex and cannot be judged by a single factor. Exporters of GM foods have their reasons for exportation, and importing countries have their reasons to accept them. There is not a unified reason for acceptance or rejection. Countries may accept or reject for economic, social, or political reasons. Other countries may accept or reject for environmental and/or health reasons. However, there is the inevitable factor of influence. Some countries like the United States, and supernational powers like the European Union are major elements to the decision making process of developing countries. When it comes …

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis, Quarterly Progress Report, January 1— March 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Monitored and watered native plants in nursery plots.

• Exotic grasses seeded into nursery plots.

• Nitrogen treatment applied to nursery plots.

• Granivory study trials performed each month and corresponding abstract submitted to ESA.

• Competitive hierarchy study germination trials are underway.

• Monitored seeding and outplanting experiments at Goodsprings.

• Submitted article to Mojave Applied Ecology Notes newsletter updating on JFS work.

• Mentoring UNLV undergraduate student in research project for ENV 492.

• Prepared presentation materials for two scientific meetings.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, January 1, 2009 To March 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed over 126 miles (981 acres) of federal land by vehicle and foot in Clark County for incipient populations of exotic plants.
• Weed Sentry staff continue to survey never before surveyed sites, and trails and regions within Red Rock and Sloan Canyon NCAs requested by BLM managers.
• The 2009 rare plant monitoring was initiated and in progress.
• Northshore Road reconstruction monitoring was initiated and active monitoring and care of salvaged plants was performed by UNLV staff.
• Rana onca vegetation monitoring and reporting was completed.

Method Utilizing The Tobacco Phylloplanin Promoter For Expression Of Nucleic Acids As Gene Products Directed To Aerial Surfaces Of Plants, George J. Wagner, Ryan W. Shepard

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Patents

A method and system is provided for generating excreted gene products in a plant which includes generating a nucleic acid fusion construct comprising a phylloplanin promoter and a selected non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence whose transcription product is to be expressed and delivered to an aerial surface of a plant. The method includes transfecting plant cells with the nucleic acid fusion construct and allowing the plant cells to express the non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence transcription product which is then excreted from the plant cells to the aerial surfaces.

A Discontinuous Rna Platform Mediates Rna Virus Replication: Building An Integrated Model For Rna-Based Regulation Of Viral Processes, Baodong Wu, Judit Pogany, Hong Na, Beth L. Nicholson, Peter D. Nagy, K. Andrew White

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Plus-strand RNA viruses contain RNA elements within their genomes that mediate a variety of fundamental viral processes. The traditional view of these elements is that of local RNA structures. This perspective, however, is changing due to increasing discoveries of functional viral RNA elements that are formed by long-range RNA-RNA interactions, often spanning thousands of nucleotides. The plus-strand RNA genomes of tombusviruses exemplify this concept by possessing different long-range RNA-RNA interactions that regulate both viral translation and transcription. Here we report that a third fundamental tombusvirus process, viral genome replication, requires a long-range RNA-based interaction spanning approximately 3000 nts. In vivo …

Salt-Induced And Salt-Suppressed Proteins In Tomato Leaves, Suping Zhou, Roger Sauve, Tara Fish, Theodore W. Thannhauser

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Money Maker) seedlings at the two-leaf stage were grown in one-half strength Hoagland solution supplemented with 50 mm NaCl for 4 days, with 100 mm NaCl for 4 days, with 150 mm NaCl for 4 days, and with a final concentration 200 mm NaCl for 2 days. Solutions were refreshed every 2 days for treated and untreated seedlings. Non-treated plants were grown in nonamended one-half strength Hoagland solution. Three biological replicates (BR) were included for treated and control experiments. At the end of treatments, the uppermost three newly expanded leaves from all 12 plants in each …

Mapping Of Photoperiod-Induced Growth Cessation In The Wild Grape Vitis Riparia, Amanda Garris, Lindsay Clark, Chris Owens, Steven Mckay, James Luby, Kathy Mathiason, Anne Fennell

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

In grapevines (Vitis spp.), the timing of growth cessation in the fall is an important aspect of adaptation and a key objective in breeding new grape cultivars suitable for continental climates. Growth cessation is a complex biological process that is initiated by environmental cues such as daylength and temperature, as well as water and nutrient availability. The genetic control of growth cessation in grapevines was studied by mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a hybrid grape population. An F2 mapping population was developed by selfing a single F1 plant derived from a cross between an accession of the North American …

Nebline, March 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H Embryology: More Than Just a Science Project!
How to Account for Differences in Moisture Content in Commodities
Controlling Winter Annual Brome with Herbicides
Canada Geese Populations are Increasing
Managing Pocket Gophers
Do a “Don’t Do” List!
5 More Main Dishes—Each Using Only 5 Ingredients
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Removing Soot from Carpet
Tips to Help Parents Talk to Their Kids About Sex and Technology
Local Bagworm Control Initiative
2009 Great Plants Selections
Early Detection is Key to Minimizing Insecticide Use in Home Gardens
Bird House Care Is Important …

First Report Of Columbia Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Chitwoodi) In Potato In Turkey, A. Ozarslandan, Z. Devran, N. Mutlu, I. H. Elekcioglu

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Columbia root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne chitwoodi Golden et al., was identified from potatoes, Solanum tuberosum L., collected from Nigde Province, Turkey in September 2006. Seed potatoes are the most likely source for this introduction. The nematode is currently found to be infecting potatoes grown in the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the United States, Mexico, South Africa, and Argentina. M. chitwoodi acquired a quarantine status in Europe (1) because of its potential to become established worldwide and its high damage probability. Some countries prohibit import of both seed and table stock potatoes originating in states known to harbor M. chitwoodi. Lesions …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 41, No. 1/2 March/June 2009, The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DUCK USE OF IMPOUNDED AND NATURAL WETLANDS IN WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. J. E. Austin and D. A. Buhl

THIRD REPORT OF THE NORTH DAKOTA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE: 2004-2005 D. Svingen and R. E. Martin

EFFECT OF DROUGHT AND AGRICULTURE ON RING-NECKED PHEASANT ABUNDANCE, NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. C. J. Randel 55

COMMON RAVEN NESTS IN NORTH DAKOTA AFTER 1OO-YEAR HIATUS. M. P. Nenneman, T. A. Grant, and R. E. Martin

Suggestions for Contributors

Editorial Policy

Evaluation Of Farmers' Field Days As A Dissemination Tool For Push-Pull Technology In Western Kenya, David M. Amudavi, Zeyaur R. Khan, Japhether M. Wanyama, Charles A.O. Midega, Jimmy Pittchar, Ahmed Hassanali, John A. Pickett

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Our earlier study on farmers' adoption of 'Push-pull' technology (PPT) for management of cereal stemborers and Striga weed showed that field days (FDs) could be effective in technology dissemination. Hence, in an effort to utilize effective and economical dissemination strategies, we undertook a detailed study in 2007 to assess their effectiveness in PPT dissemination by interviewing 1492 participants randomly selected during participation in FDs. A majority (80%) of the respondents learnt about the biology and damage caused by stemborers and Striga, how PPT works, how to implement PPT and utilize its products, among others. Consequently, over 70% of them favoured …

Crop Updates 2009 - Cereals, Jeff Baldock, Doug Edmeades, Mark Seymour, Paul Carmody, Ian Pritchard, Alan Meldrum, Michael Robertson, Roger Lawes, Rob Sands, Peter White, Felicity Byrne, Andrew Bathgate, Kedar Adhikari, Tanveer Khan, Stuart Morgan, Alan Harris, P. Gaur, K. M. H. Siddique, H. Clarke, N. C. Turner, W. Macleod, S. Morgan, Chris Veitch, Tony Leonforte, Kithsiri Jayasena, Geoff J. Thomas, Rob Loughman, Kazue Tanaka, Ravjit Khangura, Mohammad Amjad, Richard Oliver, Dusty Severtson, Peter Mangano, John Botha, Brenda A. Coutts, Manisha Shankar, Kasia Rybak, Michael Baker, Andrea Hills, Shahajahan Miyan, Peter Portmann, Nicole Rice, Robert Henry, Jeff Russell, Blakely H. Paynter, Linda Price, Brenda Shackley, Vicki Scanlan, Darshan Sharma, Christine M. Zaicou-Kunesch

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty seven papers from different authors:

PLENARY

1. Building soil carbon for productivity and implications for carbon accounting, Jeff Baldock, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, SA

2. Fact or Fiction: Who is telling the truth and how to tell the difference, Doug Edmeades, agKnowledge Ltd, Hamilton

3. Four decades of crop sequence trials in Western Australia, Mark Seymour,Department of Agriculture and Food

BREAK CROPS

4. 2008 Break Crops survey Report, Paul Carmody,Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food

5. Attitudes of Western Australian wheatbelt growers to ‘Break Crops’, Paul Carmody and Ian …

Crop Updates 2009 - Farming Systems, Derk Bakker, Grey Poulish, Steve Lacy, Svetlana Micic, Peter Mangano, Tony Dore, Alan Lord, Vivien Vanstone, Helen Hunter, Sean Kelly, W. K. Anderson, Gary Lang, David Mccarthy, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Ian Rose, Andrew Van Burgel, David Ferris, Rob Grima, Natalie Hogg, John Davis, Jarrad Martin, Pippa Michael, Robert Belford, Kawsar P. Salam, Roy Murray-Prior, David Bowran, Moin U. Salam, Tim Scanlon, Len Wade, Megan Ryan, Megan Abrahams, Chad Reynolds, Caroline Peek, Dennis Van Gool, Kari-Lee Falconer, Daniel Gardiner, Geoff Anderson, Siva Sivapalan, Tim Mcclelland, James Hunt, Zvi Hochman, Bill Long, Dean Holzworth, Anthony Whitbread, Stephen Van Rees, Peter Devoil, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson, Peter Stone

Crop Updates

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors:

Decision support technology

1. The use of high resolution imagery in broad acre cropping, Derk Bakker and Grey Poulish, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. Spraywise decisions – online spray applicatiors planning tool, Steve Lacy, Nufarm Australia Ltd

3. Testing for redlegged earthmite resistance in Western Australia, Svetlana Micic, Peter Mangano, Tony Dore and Alan Lord, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Screening cereal, canola and pasture cultivars for Root Lesion Nematode (Pratylenchus neglectus), Vivien Vanstone, Helen Hunter and Sean Kelly,Department of Agriculture and Food

Farming Systems Research

5. …

Crop Updates 2009 - Weeds, Abul Hashem, Mike Clarke, Aik Cheam, Michael Walsh, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts, Russell Quartermaine, David Nicholson, Mike Jackson, Bill Campbell, John Moore, Mario D'Antuono, Paul Matson, Peter Newman, Sally Peltzer, Dave Minkey, Stephen B. Powles, Qin Yu, Mechelle Owen, Roberto Busi, Sudheesh Manalil, Leigh Smith, Peter White, Fiona Evans, Art Diggle, Catherine Borger, Pippa Michael, Siew Lee, Rob Grima, Glenn Adam, Trevor Bell, Steve Davies, Glen Riethmuller

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty three papers from different authors:

Herbicides

1. New pre-seeding grass selective herbicides – How well do they work in zero or no-till systems? Dr Catherine Borgerand Dr Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. Velocity®—An alternate mode of action for the control of wild radish in cereals, Mike Clarke, Bayer Cropscience Pty Ltd, Dr Aik Cheam, Department of Agriculture and Food, Dr Michael Walsh, WAHRI, University of Western Australia

3. Herbicide tolerance of new barley varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts and Russell Quartermaine, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Herbicide tolerance of …

Crop Updates 2009 - Weeds, Catherine Borger, Abul Hashem, Mike Clarke, Aik Cheam, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts, Russell Quartermaine, David Nicholson, Mike Jackson, Bill Campbell, John Moore, Mario D'Antuono, Paul Matson, Peter Newman, Sally Peltzer, Dave Minkey, Stephen B. Powels, Qin Yu, Mechelle Owen, Roberto Busi, Sudheesh Manalil, Leigh Smith, Peter White, Fiona Evans, Pippa Michael, Siew Lee, Rob Grima, Glenn Adam, Trevor Bell, Steve Davies, Glen Riethmuller

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty three papers from different authors:

Herbicides

1. New pre-seeding grass selective herbicides – How well do they work in zero or no-till systems? Dr Catherine Borgerand Dr Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. Velocity®—An alternate mode of action for the control of wild radish in cereals, Mike Clarke, Bayer Cropscience Pty Ltd, Dr Aik Cheam, Department of Agriculture and Food, Dr Michael Walsh, WAHRI, University of Western Australia

3. Herbicide tolerance of new barley varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts and Russell Quartermaine, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Herbicide tolerance of …

Increased Hydrogen Production By Genetic Engineering Of Escherichia Coli, Zhanmin Fan, Ling Yuan, Ranjini Chatterjee

Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli is capable of producing hydrogen under anaerobic growth conditions. Formate is converted to hydrogen in the fermenting cell by the formate hydrogenlyase enzyme system. The specific hydrogen yield from glucose was improved by the modification of transcriptional regulators and metabolic enzymes involved in the dissimilation of pyruvate and formate. The engineered E. coli strains ZF1 (ΔfocA; disrupted in a formate transporter gene) and ZF3 (ΔnarL; disrupted in a global transcriptional regulator gene) produced 14.9, and 14.4 µmols of hydrogen/mg of dry cell weight, respectively, compared to 9.8 µmols of hydrogen/mg of dry cell weight …