Life Sciences Commons^™

A High-Oleic-Acid And Low-Palmitic-Acid Soybean: Agronomic Performance And Evaluation As A Feedstock For Biodiesel, George L. Graef, Bradley J. Lavallee, Patrick Tenopir, Mustafa Tat, Bruce Schweiger, Anthony J. Kinney, Jon H. Van Gerpen, Thomas E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Phenotypic characterization of soybean event 335-13, which possesses oil with an increased oleic acid content (> 85%) and reduced palmitic acid content (< 5%), was conducted across multiple environments during 2004 and 2005. Under these conditions, the stability of the novel fatty acid profile of the oil was not influenced by environment. Importantly, the novel soybean event 335-13 was not compromised in yield in both irrigated and non-irrigated production schemes. Moreover, seed characteristics, including total oil and protein, as well as amino acid profile, were not altered as a result of the large shift in the fatty acid profile. The novel oil trait was inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion. The event 335-13 was also evaluated as a feedstock for biodiesel. Extruded oil from event 335-13 produced a biodiesel with improved cold flow and enhanced oxidative stability, two critical fuel parameters that can limit the utility of this renewable transportation fuel.

Shaping The Cross Timbers With Fire And Grazing, John A. Guretzky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Recently, our agricultural research team has been asked to provide talks during tours of our Oswalt Road Ranch. The Oswalt Road Ranch is a 4,992-acre property in Love County, Okla., willed to us by D. Joyce Coffey. The Noble Foundation took full control of the property in 2000. The ranch is a valuable piece of property because of its unique natural beauty and potential to support livestock production and wildlife habitat. On the tours, we have been showing off our new state-of-the art livestock handling facilities and providing information about results from recent research on by-product feeds, the Noble Foundation …

A Critical Role Of Two Positively Charged Amino Acids In The Jas Motif Of Arabidopsis Jaz Proteins In Mediating Coronatine- And Jasmonoyl Isoleucine-Dependent Interactions With The Coi1 F-Box Protein, Maeli Melotto, Christy Mecey, Yajie Niu, Hoo Sun Chung, Leron Katsir, Jian Yao, Weiqing Zeng, Bryan Thines, Paul E. Staswick, John Browse, Gregg A. Howe, Sheng Yang He

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Coronatine is an important virulence factor produced by several pathovars of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. The structure of coronatine is similar to that of a class of plant hormones called jasmonates (JAs). An important step in JA signaling is the SCF^COI1 E3 ubiquitin ligase-dependent degradation of JAZ repressor proteins. We have recently shown that jasmonoyl isoleucine (JA-Ile) promotes physical interaction between Arabidopsis JAZ1 and COI1 (the F-box component of SCF^COI1) proteins, and that the JAIle- dependent COI1–JAZ1 interaction could be reconstituted in yeast cells (i.e. in the absence of other plant proteins). Here we show …

Soil Nitrogen And Phosphorus Availability For Field-Applied Slurry From Swine Fed Traditional And Low-Phytate Corn, J. S. Paschold, B. J. Wienhold, Richard B. Ferguson, Dennis L. Mccallister

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Swine (Sus scrofa) slurry contains nutrients essential for crop production but usually contains more P relative to N than is required by most crops, creating the potential for negative environmental impacts. Diet modifications such as low-phytate corn (Zea mays L.) have resulted in improved bioavailability of P and reduced manure P content. A field study was conducted to compare in situ availability of N and P at two sites. One site received three annual additions of manure from swine fed low-phytate corn or traditional corn diets or inorganic fertilizer, surface applied to rainfed no-till sorghum [Sorghum …

Does The Corn/Soybean Farmer Have Time For Alternative Crops? [Abstract], Lori A. Hoagland, Laurie Hodges, Glenn A. Helmers, James R. Brandle, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Diversification of traditional row-crop farming in the Corn Belt is seen as advantageous in providing a wider economic base, decreasing economic risk associated with the link between commodity grain and cattle, increasing net farm income, and increasing biodiversity in the region. As farm size has increased to provide sufficient farm income, farm operations during the critical planting and harvesting windows are seen as limits to additional on-farm enterprises.

Cool-Season Legumes For Southern Pastures, John A. Guretzky, Twain Butler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Legumes can improve the production and nutritional value of pastures while reducing nitrogen fertilization requirements. On July 19, 2008, the Noble Foundation will host the "Texoma Pasture Conference" to explain the pros and cons of using legumes in pastures. The Agricultural Division has invited experts from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas to deliver this exciting program. We encourage you to attend this timely event. In the meantime, we will tell you about ongoing research in the Agricultural and Forage Improvement divisions evaluating legumes for pasture.

A goal of our research is to identify best practices for establishing and managing …

Heterologous Expression Of A Plastid Ef-Tu Reduces Protein Thermal Aggregation And Enhances Co2 Fixation In Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Following Heat Stress, Jianming Fu, Ivana Momcilovic, Thomas E. Clemente, Harold N. Trick, Natalya Nersesian, Zoran Ristic

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Heat stress is a major constraint to wheat production and negatively impacts grain quality, causing tremendous economic losses, and may become a more troublesome factor due to global warming. At the cellular level, heat stress causes denaturation and aggregation of proteins and injury to membranes leading to alterations in metabolic fluxes. Protein aggregation is irreversible, and protection of proteins from thermal aggregation is a strategy a cell uses to tolerate heat stress. Here we report on the development of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum) events, expressing a maize gene coding for plastidal protein synthesis elongation factor (EF-Tu), which, compared to non-transgenic …

Effect Of Sorghum Seedlings, And Previous Crop, On Soil Fluorescent Pseudomonas Spp., Deanna L. Funnell, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, David B. Marx

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Hypotheses in which sorghum seedlings [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] of different genotypes will differentially modify soil microorganisms and will affect subsequent planting of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings, were tested. Wheat cultivar Lewjain, and sorghum genotypes Redlan and RTx433, were planted into soils previously planted with wheat or sorghum in growth chamber experiments. Total culturable fungi and oomycetes, and fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. numbers (cfu) were determined. Pseudomonads were screened for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production, for the presence of the phlD gene for 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol production (Phl) and for a region of the operon involved in phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) production. …

Crop Nitrogen And Phosphorus Utilization Following Application Of Slurry From Swine Fed Traditional Or Low Phytate Corn Diets, J. S. Paschold, B. J. Wienhold, Dennis L. Mccallister, Richard B. Ferguson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Field application of swine (Sus scrofa) slurry provides essential nutrients for crop production. The N to P ratio for slurry is lower than needed by most crops resulting in P accumulation when applied at N rates required for crop growth. Low phytate corn (Zea mays L.) (LPC) contains similar amounts of total P but less phytate P than traditional corn (TC) resulting in improved P bioavailability and reduced P excretion by monogastric animals. While manure from swine-fed LPC diets has a higher N to P ratio than that from TC diets, field studies comparing crop utilization of …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Caesalpinoid (Chamaecrista Fasciculate) Hemoglobin: The Structural Transition From A Nonsymbiotic Hemoglobin To A Leghemoglobin, Sabarinathan K. Gopalasubramaniam, Frank A. Kovacs, Fernando Violante-Mota, Paul Twigg, Raul Arrendondo-Peter, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nonsymbiotic hemoglobins (nsHbs) and leghemoglobins (Lbs) are plant proteins that can reversibly bind O₂ and other ligands. The nsHbs are hexacoordinate and appear to modulate cellular concentrations of NO and maintain energy levels under hypoxic conditions. The Lbs are pentacoordinate and facilitate the diffusion of O₂ to symbiotic bacteroids within legume root nodules. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that all plant Hbs evolved from a common ancestor and that Lbs originated from nsHbs. However, little is known about the structural intermediates that occurred during the evolution of pentacoordinate Lbs from hexacoordinate nsHbs. We have cloned and characterized a …

Leaf Area Index Simulation In Soybean Grown Under Near-Optimal Conditions, T. D. Setiyono, Albert Weiss, James E. Specht, Kenneth G. Cassman, A. Dobermann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Different approaches have been used to simulate leaf area index (LAI) in soybean (Glycine max L. Merr). Many of these approaches require genotype-specific calibration procedures. Studies modeling LAI dynamics under optimal growth conditions with yields close to the yield potential of soybean have remained scarce. A sink-driven approach was developed and evaluated for LAI simulation in soybean under near-optimal environments. The rate of change in expanding leaf area was simulated using the first derivative of a logistic function accounting for plant population density, air temperature, and water deficit. The rate of change in senescing leaf area was also simulated …

Nitrogen Uptake, Fixation And Response To Fertilizer N In Soybeans: A Review, F. Salvagiotti, Kenneth G. Cassman, James E. Specht, Daniel T. Walters, Albert Weiss, Achim R. Dobermann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although relationships among soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) seed yield, nitrogen (N) uptake, biological N₂ fixation (BNF), and response to N fertilization have received considerable coverage in the scientific literature, a comprehensive summary and interpretation of these interactions with specific emphasis on high yield environments is lacking. Six hundred and thirty-seven data sets (site–year–treatment combinations) were analyzed from field studies that had examined these variables and had been published in refereed journals from 1966 to 2006. A mean linear increase of 0.013 Mg soybean seed yield per kg increase in N accumulation in above-ground biomass was evident in …

Active Sensor Reflectance Measurements Of Corn Nitrogen Status And Yield Potential, Fernando Solari, John Shanahan, Richard B. Ferguson, James S. Schepers, Anatoly A. Gitelson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Active sensor reflectance assessments of corn (Zea mays L.) canopy N status are advocated to direct variable N applications and improve N use efficiency (NUE). Our goals were to determine: (i) growth stage and (ii) sensor vegetation index with greatest sensitivity in assessing N status and grain yield. Variable crop N was generated by supplying N at different amounts and times in three field studies. Chlorophyll meter (CM) and sensor data were gathered at two vegetative (V11 and V15) and two reproductive (R1 and R3) growth stages, using the Crop Circle sensor that measures reflectance in visible (590 nm) …

Establishing Switchgrass For Grazing And Energy, John Biermacher, Billy Cook, John A. Guretzky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to describe a research project that has been designed to examine the economic feasibility of utilizing switchgrass in a dual-purpose production system that allows for 1) springtime grazing by stocker cattle and 2) fall biomass production that can be harvested and delivered to a biorefinery that will convert it into ethanol. We would also like to report on the production and economic activities associated with establishing the switchgrass that will be used for the study.

Delineating Site-Specific Management Zones For Ph-Induced Iron Chlorosis, T. Kyaw, Richard B. Ferguson, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Dennis L. Mccallister, David B. Marx, D. D. Tarkalson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Iron chlorosis can limit crop yield, especially on calcareous soil. Typical management for iron chlorosis includes the use of iron fertilizers or chlorosis tolerant cultivars. Calcareous and non-calcareous soil can be interspersed within fields. If chlorosisprone areas within fields can be predicted accurately, site-specific use of iron fertilizers and chlorosis-tolerant cultivars might be more profitable than uniform management. In this study, the use of vegetation indices (VI) derived from aerial imagery, on-the-go measurement of soil pH and apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC_a) were evaluated for their potential to delineate chlorosis management zones. The study was conducted at six …

Adding Value To Swine Manure Through Accurate Prediction Of Organic Nitrogen Availability, Charles S. Wortman, Charles Shapiro, Aaron Nygren

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Animal manure contains organic and inorganic nitrogen. The inorganic N, which is mostly ammonium-N but nitrate-N can be significant in composted manure, is typically considered to be 100% plant available if there are not significant losses, especially due to volatilization of ammonia-N. The availability of organic N, which is mostly from undigested and partially digested plant material needs to be mineralized to become plant available, is less predictable. Field research was conducted in eastern Nebraska to improve the basis for estimating organic N availability from injected or incorporated swine manure and from surface applied composted and stockpiled FM. The factors …

Farm-Scale Production Cost Of Switchgrass For Biomass, Richard K. Perrin, Kenneth P. Vogel, Marty R. Schmer, Robert B. Mitchell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The economic potential of cellulosic biomass from switchgrass has heretofore been evaluated using estimates of farm costs based on extrapolation from experimental data and budget estimates. The objective of the project reported here was to estimate the cost of production that would be experienced by farmers on commercial production situations. Switchgrass was produced as a biomass crop on commercial-scale fields by ten contracting farmers located from northern North Dakota to southern Nebraska. Results showed a wide range of yields and costs across the five production years and ten sites, with an overall average cost of $65.86 Mg^-1 of biomass …

Soybean Sowing Date: The Vegetative, Reproductive, And Agronomic Impacts, A. M. Bastidas, T. D. Setiyono, Achim Dobermann, Kenneth G. Cassman, Roger Wesley Elmore, George L. Graef, James E. Specht

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The sensitivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] main stem node accrual to ambient temperature has been documented in greenhouse-grown plants but not with field-grown plants in the north-central United States. Biweekly V-node and R-stage, stem node number, internode length, and other traits were quantified in an irrigated split-plot, four-replicate, randomized complete block experiment conducted in Lincoln, NE, in 2003–2004. Main plots were early-, mid-, late- May, and mid-June sowing dates. Subplots were 14 cultivars of maturity groups 3.0 to 3.9. Node appearance was surprisingly linear from V1 to R5, despite the large increase in daily temperature from early …

High-Throughput Genotyping With The Goldengate Assay In The Complex Genome Of Soybean, David L. Hyten, Qijian Song, Ik-Young Choi, Mun-Sup Yoon, James E. Specht, Lakshimi Matukumalli, Randall L. Nelson, Randy C. Shoemaker, Nevin D. Young, Perry B. Cregan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are now available for a number of crop species. However, the high-throughput methods for multiplexing SNP assays are untested in complex genomes, such as soybean, that have a high proportion of paralogous genes. The Illumina GoldenGate assay is capable of multiplexing from 96 to 1,536 SNPs in a single reaction over a 3-day period. We tested the GoldenGate assay in soybean to determine the success rate of converting verified SNPs into working assays. A custom 384-SNP GoldenGate assay was designed using SNPs that had been discovered through the resequencing of five diverse …

Alternative Perennial Grasses For Bioenergy, John A. Guretzky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In the 2006 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush proposed the Advanced Energy Initiative to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil through accelerated development of domestic, renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuels. A goal of the initiative was to make ethanol derived from cellulosic biomass (crop residues, fast-growing trees and grasses) cost competitive with grain ethanol by 2012. Transportation fuels derived from cellulose - the fibrous material of plants - offer an attractive alternative as an abundant, domestic and renewable resource.

The U.S. Department of Energy identified switchgrass as a model cellulosic crop because it combined …

Decomposition Of Bt And Non-Bt Corn Hybrid Residues In The Field, David D. Tarkalson, Stephen D. Kachman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Janice E. Thies, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Results of a previous laboratory study indicated that six transgenic crops expressing the Cry1Ab insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) decomposed at a slower rate than their respective non-Bt isolines. Consequently, litter decomposition rates, nitrogen cycling, and carbon pools may change in agricultural systems as the result of the widespread use of Bt crops. In this study, we assessed the decomposition rates and chemical composition of commonly grown hybrids of Bt and non-Bt isolines of corn (Zea mays L.) in the field. Leaves, stalks, and cobs from two Bt corn hybrids (Pioneer 34N44 Bt and NC+ 4990 Bt) and their …

Agricultural Systems: Agroecology And Rural Innovations For Development, Edited By Sieglinde Snapp And Barry Pound [Book Review], Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

To welcome yet another book on sustainable development, a reviewer must look for what is unique and what adds value to the volumes already published. In Agricultural Systems, editors Sieglinde Snapp and Barry Pound have assembled a collection of chapters that goes beyond the usual praise and criticism of the green revolution and the focus on economic development. Their book provides a first-hand story by people with lengthy experiences in the field, especially in Africa, who have developed and tested grassroots, participatory development approaches. The result is a valuable set of principles, strategies and case studies that paint a new …

Soil Carbon Storage By Switchgrass Grown For Bioenergy, Mark A. Liebig, Marty R. Schmer, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) grown for bioenergy production require data on soil organic carbon (SOC) change and harvested C yields to accurately estimate net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To date, nearly all information on SOC change under switchgrass has been based on modeled assumptions or small plot research, both of which do not take into account spatial variability within or across sites for an agro-ecoregion. To address this need, we measured change in SOC and harvested C yield for switchgrass fields on ten farms in the central and northern Great Plains, USA (930 km latitudinal …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate And Weather Dictate Nutritive Value Of Fall Stockpiled Bermudagrass, John A. Guretzky, Jeff Ball, Billy J. Cook

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Stockpiled bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ‘Midland’] as a standing forage may meet nutritional needs of beef cows during winter. Our objective was to evaluate accumulation and nutritive value of fall stockpiled bermudagrass in response to N fertilization rate, N application date, and harvest date. Research was conducted near Burneyville, OK from 2000 to 2003. Fertilization rates included 0, 50, 100, and 150 lb N per acre applied on 15 August, 1 September, 15 September, 1 October, and 15 October. Forage accumulation was measured 10 days after the first killing frost; thereafter, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), …

Forage Yields From 2007-2008 Small Grains, John A. Guretzky, M. Saha, J. Baker, S. Norton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction

In an effort to assist producers in Oklahoma and Texas judge variety performance, the Noble Foundation has held trials to determine forage and grain yields of commercially available varieties and advanced experimental lines of small grains. The objective of this report is to summarize yields from the 2007-2008 trials.

Trial Procedures

The small grains tests were conducted at the Noble Foundation Dupy Farm near Gene Autry and the Red River Demonstration and Research Farm (RRF) near Burneyville, Okla. Soils were a Dale silt loam at Dupy and a Minco fine sandy loam at RRF. Ten sources contributed entries to …

Forage Yields From 2007-2008 Annual Ryegrass, John A. Guretzky, S. Norton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction

In an effort to assist cattle producers in Oklahoma and Texas judge forage crop performance, a trial was held to determine forage yield of commercially available varieties and advanced experimental lines of annual ryegrass. The objective of this report is to summarize results from the 2008 trial.

Materials and Methods

The trial was conducted on a Wilson silt loam at the Noble Foundation Headquarters Farm near Ardmore, Okla. The trial consisted of 25 entries contributed from seven sources (Table 1). The entries were seeded in a clean-tilled seedbed on Sept. 17, 2007. Each entry was drilled in 5- by …

Characterization Of The Folate Salvage Enzyme P-Aminobenzoylglutamate Hydrolase In Plants, Gale G. Bozzo, Gilles J. C. Basset, Valeria Naponelli, Alexandre Noiriel, Jesse F. Gregory Iii, Andrew D. Hanson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Folates break down in vivo to give pterin and p-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABAGlu) fragments, the latter usually having a polyglutamyl tail. Pilot studies have shown that plants can hydrolyze pABAGlu and its polyglutamates to p-aminobenzoate, a folate biosynthesis precursor. The enzymatic basis of this hydrolysis was further investigated. pABAGlu hydrolase activity was found in all species and organs tested; activity levels implied that the proteins responsible are very rare. The activity was located in cytosol/vacuole and mitochondrial fractions of pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves, and column chromatography of the activity from Arabidopsis tissues indicated at …

Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping For Seed Mineral Concentrations In Two Arabidopsis Thaliana Recombinant Inbred Populations, Brian M. Waters, Michael A. Grusak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Biofortification of foods, achieved by increasing the concentrations of minerals such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), is a goal of plant scientists. Understanding genes that influence seed mineral concentration in a model plant such as Arabidopsis could help in the development of nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for seed concentrations of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), Fe, potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and Zn was performed using two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations, Columbia (Col) × Landsberg erecta (Ler) and Cape Verde Islands (Cvi) × Ler, grown …

Whole-Plant Mineral Partitioning Throughout The Life Cycle In Arabidopsis Thaliana Ecotypes Columbia, Landsberg Erecta, Cape Verde Islands, And The Mutant Line Ysl1ysl3, Brian M. Waters, Michael A. Grusak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Minimal information exists on whole-plant dynamics of mineral flow through Arabidopsis thaliana or on the source tissues responsible for mineral export to developing seeds. Understanding these phenomena in a model plant could help in the development of nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars. A whole-plant partitioning study, using sequential harvests, was conducted to characterize growth and mineral concentrations and contents of rosettes, cauline leaves, stems, immature fruit, mature fruit hulls, and seeds of three WT lines (Col-0, Ler, and Cvi) and one mutant line (Col-0::ysl1ysl3). Shoot mineral content increased throughout the life cycle for all minerals, although tissue-specific …

Registration Of ‘Darrell’ Wheat, A. M. H. Ibrahim, S. D. Haley, P. S. Baenziger, Y. Jin, M. A. C. Langham, J. Rickertsen, S. Kalsbeck, R. Little, J. Ingemansen, O. K. Chung, B. W. Seabourn, G. H. Bai, Ming-Shun Chen, D. V. Mcvey

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

‘Darrell’ (Reg. No. CV-1024, PI 644224) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed by the South Dakota State University–Agricultural Experiment Station and released in 2006 to seed producers by the South Dakota State University–Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. Darrell was selected from the cross 2076-W12-11/‘Karl 92’ (PI 564245)//NE89526. NE89526 is an experimental line from the University of Nebraska with the pedigree ‘Lancota’ (CI 17389) selection/’Siouxland’ (PI 483469)//TX792729. 2076-W12-11 is an unreleased experimental line that originated from a population with an unidentified pedigree. Darrell was selected as an F3:4 line in 1998 …