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The Evolutionary And Biogeographic Origin And Diversification Of The Tropical Monocot Order Zingiberales, W. John Kress, Chelsea D. Specht

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Zingiberales are a primarily tropical lineage of monocots. The current pantropical distribution of the order suggests an historical Gondwanan distribution, however the evolutionary history of the group has never been analyzed in a temporal context to test if the order is old enough to attribute its current distribution to vicariance mediated by the break-up of the supercontinent. Based on a phylogeny derived from morphological and molecular characters, we develop a hypothesis for the spatial and temporal evolution of Zingiberales using Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (DIVA) combined with a local molecular clock technique that enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple gene loci with …

Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Winter 2006, Sfa Gardens, Stephen F. Austin State University

SFA Gardens Newsletters

No abstract provided.

A Guide For Skeleton Weed Management And Control, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Assisting Western Australian landholders to eradicate skeleton weed and to prevent its further spread within the State

Phytophthora Diseases Of Cutflower Crops, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Phytophthora root rot is the most common soil borne disease causing plant death in native cut flower production. It is also a pathogen of exotic cutflower crops such as rose, lily, carnation, proteas and gerbera. The fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi, the cause of jarrah dieback is the pathogen that first comes to mind when Phytophthora is mentioned. This has one of the widest host ranges of all Phytophthora species, particularly amongst native Australia species. P.nicotianae also has a wide host range, infecting a wide range of exotic, as well as Australian native flower crops. There are also a number of …

Characterization Of Storage Proteins In Wild (Glycine Soja) And Cultivated (Glycine Max) Soybean Seeds Using Proteomic Analysis, Savithiry S. Natarajan, Chenping Xu, Hanhong Bae, Thomas J. Caperna, Wesley M. Garrett

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A combined proteomic approach was applied for the separation, identification, and comparison of two major storage proteins, β-conglycinin and glycinin, in wild (Glycine soja) and cultivated (Glycine max) soybean seeds. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) with three different immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips was an effective method to separate a large number of abundant and less-abundant storage proteins. Most of the subunits of β-conglycinin were well separated in the pH range 3.0-10.0, while acidic and basic glycinin polypeptides were well-separated in pH ranges 4.0-7.0 and 6.0-11.0, respectively. Although the overall distribution pattern of the protein spots …

Separation And Identification Of Soybean Leaf Proteins By Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis And Mass Spectrometry, Chenping Xu, Wesley M. Garrett, Joseph Sullivan, Thomas J. Caperna, Savithiry Natarajan

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

To establish a proteomic reference map for soybean leaves, we separated and identified leaf proteins using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MS). Tryptic digests of 260 spots were subjected to peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) MS. Fifty-three of these protein spots were identified by searching NCBInr and SwissProt databases using the Mascot search engine. Sixty-seven spots that were not identified by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis were analyzed with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and 66 of these spots were identified by searching against the NCBInr, SwissProt and expressed sequence tag (EST) databases. …

Dispersal Of Boll Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) From Cotton Modules Before Ginning, Thomas W. Sappington, Mark D. Arnold, Alan D. Brashears, Megha N. Parajulee, Stanley C. Carroll, Allen E. Knutson, John W. Norman Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

We characterized the level of risk of boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, reintroduction to an eradication zone posed by dispersal from cotton modules during and after transport to the gin. Mark-release-recapture experiments in August and September in Texas indicated that most weevils disperse rapidly from the module surface, temperature permitting, unless confined under a module tarp, where most died. Nevertheless, 1-5% of released weevils were recovered alive after 24 h on the side and top surfaces of modules, representing potential dispersants. Mortality of boll weevils caged on the top surface of a module was 95-100% after 1-4 d when …

Dispersal Of Newly Eclosed European Corn Borer Adults (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) From Corn Into Small-Grain Aggregation Plots, Brendon J. Reardon, Douglas V. Sumerford, Thomas W. Sappington

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Genetically modified, insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, Zea mays L., hybrids are used throughout the Corn Belt for European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis(Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), control. To slow development of Bt corn resistance, the Environmental Protection Agency requires growers to plant a refuge. Determining the appropriate distance between a refuge and Bt corn, and development of mitigation-remediation strategies such as mass releases of susceptible moths, requires an understanding of adult dispersal and mating behavior. However, much remains unknown about these behaviors. Because mating often occurs in grass near cornfields where adult O. nubilalis aggregate, we planted small-grain plots as …

Impact Of Trap Design, Windbreaks, And Weather On Captures Of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) In Pheromone-Baited Traps, Thomas W. Sappington, Brendon J. Reardon, Douglas V. Sumerford

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Pheromone-baited traps are often used in ecological studies of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). However, differences in trap captures may be confounded by trap design, trap location relative to a windbreak, and changes in local weather. The objectives of this experiment were, first, to examine differences in O. nubilalis adult (moth) captures among the Intercept wing trap, the Intercept bucket/funnel UNI trap, and the Hartstack wire-mesh, 75-cm-diameter cone trap (large metal cone trap) as well as among three cone trap designs. Second, we examined the influence of the location of the large metal cone trap relative …

Post-Weaning Performance Of Steers From Varying Calving And Weaning Strategies In Montana, E. E. Grings, W. A. Phillips, R. E. Short, H. Mayeux, R. K. Heitschmidt

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The impact of varied calving and weaning times on post-weaning production of steer calves was evaluated in a 3- yr study. Steers (approximately 12 steers per calving-weaning treatment per year) born in late winter or early spring were weaned at 190 or 240 d of age, and steers born in late spring were weaned at 140 or 190 d of age after grazing with their dams on native range. Steers were pen-fed a growing diet until approximately 375 kg BW. They were then moved to an individual feeding facility and fed a higher-energy diet. Steers were allotted to harvest dates …

Traps And Trapping Techniques For Adult Mosquito Control, Daniel L. Kline

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

An overview is presented of the recent advancements in research activities conducted to evaluate mosquito traps. insecticide-impregnated targets baited with combinations of attractants, and strategies for using mass trapping techniques for adult mosquito population management. Technologies that use semiochemicals (attractants). traps and targets. and mass trapping are relatively new for management of adult mosquito populations. To date. emphasis has been placed primarily on developing barriers of attractant-baited and insecticide-impregnated targets. The most successful continuous use of this type of technology has been at Stevens' Landing. Collier County. Florida, Recently. commercially available traps have been evaluated for their ability to reduce …

Androthrips Ramachandrai (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae): An Introduced Thrips In The United States, David W. Boyd, Jr., David W. Held

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Androthrips ramachandrai Karny is an exotic thrips, assumed to be predacious, and is associated with gall-inducing thrips. It was first reported in the U.S. from FL, and intercepted in CA from Thailand in 2002. We surveyed Ficus spp. with Gynaikothrips-induced galls in AL, CA, FL, HI, LA, MS, and TX, and document that A. ramachandrai is now established in CA, FL, HI, and TX. It probably has been spread by the ornamental horticulture industry. We outline its biology and compare it to a congener A. flavipes, a documented thrips predator. Androthrips ramachandrai has the potential to be a …

Host Specificity Of Divergent Populations Of The Leaf Beetle Diorhabda Elongata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), A Biological Control Agent Of Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.), Lindsey R. Milbrath, C. Clark Deloach

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The leaf beetle, Diorhabda elongata (Brullé) sensu lato, was released in 2001 for the classical biological control of exotic saltcedars, a complex of invasive Tamarix species and hybrids. It did not establish at sites south of 37°N latitude where summer daylengths are below the critical photoperiod of the northern-adapted populations of the beetle that were released. Therefore, we assessed the host specificity of four D. elongata populations collected from more southern latitudes in the Old World (Tunisia, Crete, Uzbekistan, and Turpan, China). All populations were similar to each other and the previously released populations of D. elongata in their …

Prospects For Biological Control Of Teasels, Dipsacus Spp., A New Target In The United States, Brian G. Rector, Vili Harizanova, René Sforza, Tim Widmer, Robert N. Wiedenmann

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Two closely related teasels (Dipsacales: Dipsacaceae, Dipsacus spp.) of European origin have become invasive weeds in the United States. Common teasel (Dipsacus fullonum L.) and cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus L.) have likely been in North America for more than two centuries, having been introduced along with cultivated teasel [D. sativus (L.) Honckney], an obsolete crop plant. There are few records of American insects or pathogens attacking Dipsacus spp. Invasive teasels have recently begun to spread rapidly throughout much of their current range, for reasons that are not yet known. Common and/or cut-leaf teasel have been listed as …

Rna Polymerase Ii Gene (Rpb2) Encoding The Second Largest Protein Subunit In Phaeosphaeria Nodorum And P. Avenaria, Arkadiusz Malkus, Pi-Fang Linda Chang, Sabina M. Zuzga, Kuang-Ren Chung, Jonathan Shao, Barry M. Cunfer, Edward Arseniuk, Peter P. Ueng

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A 5586 bp sequence (accession no. DQ278491), which includes the RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2) encoding the second largest protein subunit (RPB2), was obtained from the wheat biotype Phaeosphaeria nodorum (PN-w) by PCR amplification. The 3841 bp full length RPB2 gene contains two exons and a 52 bp intron, and encodes a complete 1262 amino acid protein. Similar to the C-terminals of the b subunits of prokaryotes and yeast RNA polymerases, the deduced RPB2 protein contained many structural features needed for gene transcription. Based on the phylogenetic analysis with the deduced RPB2 polypeptide sequences, the PN-w was closely related to …

Movements Of House Sparrows Captured At An Experimental Grain Station In Fargo, North Dakota, Lisa M. Montplaisir, George M. Linz, Debra Tomanek, Linda B. Penry, David L. Bergman, H. Jeffrey Homan

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

From 2 August through 1 October 1993 we banded and leg flagged 362 house sparrows (126 adults, 236 juveniles) captured in a decoy trap at an experimental grain station on the campus of North Dakota State University, Fargo (NDSU). We documented sightings of leg-flagged birds between 3 August 1993 and 14 December 1994. Over this period, 56 (66%) of the total 76 observations of leg-flagged birds were on the NDSU campus; 21 (28%) of the 76 observations occurred between March and December 1994, a minimum of 5 months after the leg flags were attached and following the 1993-1994 winter. Of …

Increasing Co2 From Subambient To Elevated Concentrations Increases Grassland Respiration Per Unit Of Net Carbon Fixation, H. Wayne Polley, Patricia C. Meilnick, William A. Dugas, Hyrum B. Johnson, Joaquin Sanabria

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Respiration (carbon efflux) by terrestrial ecosystems is a major component of the global carbon (C) cycle, but the response of C efflux to atmospheric CO₂ enrichment remains uncertain. Respiration may respond directly to an increase in the availability of C substrates at high CO₂, but also may be affected indirectly by a CO₂-mediated alteration in the amount by which respiration changes per unit of change in temperature or C uptake (sensitivity of respiration to temperature or C uptake).

Aboveground Productivity And Root–Shoot Allocation Diver Between Native And Introduced Grass Species, Brian J. Wilsey, H. Wayne Polley

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Plant species in grasslands are often separated into groups (C₄ and C₃ grasses, and forbs) with presumed links to ecosystem functioning. Each of these in turn can be separated into native and introduced (i.e., exotic) species. Although numerous studies have compared plant traits between the traditional groups of grasses and forbs, fewer have compared native versus introduced species. Introduced grass species, which were often introduced to prevent erosion or to improve grazing opportunities, have become common or even dominant species in grasslands. By virtue of their abundances, introduced species may alter ecosystems if they differ from natives in …

Partitioning Of Evapotranspiration And Its Relation To Carbon Dioxide Exchange In A Chihuahuan Desert Shrubland, Russell L. Scott, Travis E. Huxman, William L. Cable, William E. Emmerich

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Key to evaluating the consequences of woody plant encroachment on water and carbon cycling in semiarid ecosystems is a mechanistic understanding of how biological and non-biological processes influence water loss to the atmosphere. To better understand how precipitation is partitioned into the components of evapotranspiration (bare-soil evaporation and plant transpiration) and their relationship to plant uptake of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as well as ecosystem respiratory efflux, we measured whole plant transpiration, evapotranspiration, and CO₂ fluxes over the course of a growing season at a semiarid Chihuahuan Desert shrubland site in south-eastern Arizona. Whole plant transpiration was measured …

Nematodes In Western Australian Vineyards, Vivien Vanstone, Neil Lantzke

Bulletins 4000 -

Nematodes are worm-like microscopic animals that live in the soil. There are numerous soil-inhabiting nematode species, but not all are harmful to plants. Some nematodes are plant-parasitic, feeding on and damaging roots, including those of grapevine. Feeding activities of these nematodes reduce the vine’s ability to take up water and nutrients from the soil, leading to lack of vigour, symptoms of nutrient deficiency, wilting, lower yield, vine decline and, in severe cases, vine death. Nematode feeding sites can also lead to entry of other disease-causing organisms (e.g. fungi or bacteria), resulting in rapid vine decline.

Nematodes can survive in the …

Slow Ligand Binding Kinetics Dominate Ferrous Hexacoordinate Hemoglobin Reactivities And Reveal Differences Between Plants And Other Species, Benoit J. Smagghe, Gautam Sarath, Emily Ross, Jean-Louis Hilbert, Mark S. Hargrove

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Hexacoordinate hemoglobins are found in many living organisms ranging from prokaryotes to plants and animals. They are named “hexacoordinate” because of reversible coordination of the heme iron by a histidine side chain located in the heme pocket. This endogenous coordination competes with exogenous ligand binding and causes multiphasic relaxation time courses following rapid mixing or flash photolysis experiments. Previous rapid mixing studies have assumed a steady-state relationship between hexacoordination and exogenous ligand binding that does not correlate with observed time courses for binding. Here, we demonstrate that this assumption is not valid for some hexacoordinate hemoglobins, and that multiphasic time …

Sentinel Nematodes Of Land-Use Change And Restoration In Tallgrass Prairie, T. C. Todd, T. O. Powers, P.G. Mullin

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Changes in land use and the associated changes in land cover are recognized as the most important component of human-induced global change. Much attention has been focused on deforestation, but grasslands are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. The North American tallgrass prairie is a dramatic example, exhibiting a greater than 95% decline in historical area. Renewed interest in prairie conservation and restoration has highlighted the need for ecological indicators of disturbance and recovery in native systems, including the below ground component. The tallgrass prairie differs from the agricultural systems that have replaced it in having greater diversity and …

A Position Paper On The Electronic Publication Of Nematode Taxonomic Manuscripts, Eyualem Abebe, James G. Baldwin, Byron Adams, Duane Hope, Scott Gardner, Robin Huettel, Peter Mullin, Thomas O. Powers, Jyotsna Sharma, Weimin Ye, William K. Thomas

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Several nematode species have now attained ‘model organism’ status, yet there remain many niches in basic biological inquiry for which nematodes would be ideal model systems of study. However, furthering the model system approach is hindered by lack of information on nematode biodiversity. The shortage of taxonomic resources to inventory and characterize biodiversity hinders research programs in invasion biology, ecosystem functioning, conservation biology, and many others. The disproportion between numbers of species to be described and numbers of available taxonomic specialists is greater for Nematoda than for any other metazoan phylum. A partial solution to the taxonomic impediment is the …

First Report Of Leaf Spot Of Smooth Bromegrass Caused By Pithomyces Chartarum In Nebraska, C. Eken, C. C. Jochum, G. Y. Yuen

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) is the most common perennial grass species cultivated for forage in North America. During late fall of 2004, smooth bromegrass plants in Lincoln, NE were observed to have brown lesions on leaf midveins that were several centimeters long. Symptomatic leaves were surface disinfested for 1 min in 2% NaOCl and incubated at 25°C on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and water agar. The fungus, Pithomyces chartarum (Berk. & Curt) Ellis, was isolated consistently and identified on the basis of morphological characteristics (1). Colonies were effused and black on PDA. Conidiophores measured 3.5 to 8 …

Bioinformatics-Enabled Identification Of The Hrpl Regulon And Type Iii Secretion System Effector Proteins Of Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Phaseolicola 1448a, Monica Vencato, Fang Tian, James R. Alfano, C. Robin Buell, Samuel Cartinhour, Genevieve A. Declerck, David S. Guttman, John Stavrinides, Vinita Joardar, Magdalen Lindeberg, Philip A. Bronstein, John W. Mansfield, Christopher R. Myers, Alan Collmer, David J. Schneider

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The ability of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola to cause halo blight of bean is dependent on its ability to translocate effector proteins into host cells via the hypersensitive response and pathogenicity (Hrp) type III secretion system (T3SS). To identify genes encoding type III effectors and other potential virulence factors that are regulated by the HrpL alternative sigma factor, we used a hidden Markov model, weight matrix model, and type III targeting-associated patterns to search the genome of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola 1448A, which recently was sequenced to completion. We identified 44 high-probability putative Hrp promoters upstream of genes encoding the …

Regulation Of Hyphal Morphogenesis And The Dna Damage Response By The Aspergillus Nidulans Atm Homolog Atma, Iran Malavazi, Camile P. Semighini, Marcia Regina Von Zeska Kress, Steven D. Harris, Gustavo H. Goldman

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive loss of motor function and susceptibility to cancer. The most prominent clinical feature observed in A-T patients is the degeneration of Purkinje motor neurons. Numerous studies have emphasized the role of the affected gene product, ATM, in the regulation of the DNA damage response. However, in Purkinje cells, the bulk of ATM localizes to the cytoplasm and may play a role in vesicle trafficking. The nature of this function, and its involvement in the pathology underlying A-T, remain unknown. Here we characterize the homolog of ATM (AtmA) in the filamentous …

Anthropogenic Drivers Of Ecosystem Change: An Overview, Gerald C. Nelson, Elena Bennett, Asmeret A. Berhe, Kenneth G. Cassman, Ruth Defries, Thomas Dietz, Achim R. Dobermann, Andrew Dobson, Anthony Janetos, Marc Levy, Diana Marco, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Brian O'Neill, Richard Norgaard, Gerhard Petschel-Held, Dennis Ojima, Prabhu Pingali, Robert Watson, Monika Zurek

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

This paper provides an overview of what the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) calls “indirect and direct drivers” of change in ecosystem services at a global level. The MA definition of a driver is any natural or human-induced factor that directly or indirectly causes a change in an ecosystem. A direct driver unequivocally influences ecosystem processes. An indirect driver operates more diffusely by altering one or more direct drivers. Global driving forces are categorized as demographic, economic, sociopolitical, cultural and religious, scientific and technological, and physical and biological. Drivers in all categories other than physical and biological are considered indirect. Important …

Predicting Biomass Partitioning To Root Versus Shoot In Corn And Velvetleaf (Abutilon Theophrasti), Kimberly D. Bonifas, John L. Lindquist

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of how plants will partition their new biomass will aid in understanding competition between crops and weeds. This study determined if the amount of biomass partitioned to the root versus the shoot can be predicted from tissue carbon [C] and nitrogen [N] concentrations and the daily gain in C (G_C) and N (G_N) for each unit shoot and root biomass, respectively. Pots measuring 28 cm diameter and 60 cm deep were embedded in the ground, and each contained one plant of either corn or velvetleaf. Each plant received one of three nitrogen treatments: 0, 1, …

Plant Breeding Training In The U.S., P. Stephen Baenziger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The plant breeding enterprise is large and highly interdisciplinary. In considering how to approach this topic, it is necessary to define who is a plant breeder for that defines the scope of this paper. For the purpose of this paper, a plant breeder will be defined as a person who is actively involved in creating new plant germplasm that may lead to new cultivars or be used as parents to create new cultivars of food, feed, fiber, and ornamental plants. This definition is deliberately narrow. For example it does not include those who are developing molecular markers for marker assisted …

Soybean Cultivars Resulted From More Recombination Events Than Unselected Lines In The Same Population, T. R. Stefaniak, D. L. Hyten Jr., V. R. Pantalone, A. Klarer, T. W. Pfeiffer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The selection of superior adapted cultivars has contributed to the doubling of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yields in the USA since 1930. Genetic variation was required for this selection to be effective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of homologous chromosome meiotic recombination in the creation of soybean cultivars. A set of 10 adapted high-yielding cultivars selected from the cross ‘Williams’ × ‘Essex’ was com-pared with a set of 156 random recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the same population. Crossover events were identified using 143 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers span-ning all 20 soybean …