Agricultural Science Commons^™

A Mutagenesis-Derived Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance Locus In Wheat, Jackie Campbell, Hongtao Zhang, Michael J. Giroux, Leila Feiz, Yue Jin, Meinan Wang, Xianming Chen, Li Huang

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

Wheat leaf rust, stem rust, stripe rust, and powdery mildew caused by the fungal pathogens Puccinia triticina, P. graminis f. sp. tritici, P. striiformis f. sp. tritici, and Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, respectively, are destructive diseases of wheat worldwide. Breeding durable disease resistance cultivars rely largely on continually introgressing new resistance genes, especially the genes with different defense mechanisms, into adapted varieties. Here, we describe a new resistance gene obtained by mutagenesis. The mutant, MNR220 (mutagenesis-derived new resistance), enhances resistance to three rusts and powdery mildew, with the characteristics of delayed disease …

Development And Application Of Methods Used To Source Prehistoric Southwestern Maize: A Review, Larry Benson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Archaeological cobs free of mineral contaminants should be used to source the soils in which they were grown. Mineral contaminants often contain much higher concentrations of metals than vegetal materials and can alter a cob’s apparent metal and heavy-isotope content. Cleaning a cob via immersion in an acid solution for more than a few minutes will result in the incongruent and sometimes complete leaching of metals, including strontium (Sr), from the cob. When using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr to determine the location of potential agriculture fields, it is best to either integrate several depth-integrated soil samples or to integrate several …

Trait Convergence And Plasticity Among Native And Invasive Species In Resource-Poor Environments, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Albina Khasanova, Jeremy J. James

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

Premise of study: Functional trait comparisons provide a framework with which to assess invasion and invasion resistance. However, recent studies have found evidence for both trait convergence and divergence among coexisting dominant native and invasive species. Few studies have assessed how multiple stresses constrain trait values and plasticity, and no study has included direct measurements of nutrient conservation traits, which are critical to plants growing in low-resource environments.

Methods: We evaluated how nutrient and water stresses affect growth and allocation, water potential and gas exchange, and nitrogen (N) allocation and use traits among a suite of six codominant species from …

Mitigating Agrichemicals From An Artificial Runoff Event Using A Managed Riverine Wetland, Richard E. Lizotte Jr., F. Douglas Shields Jr, Justin N. Murdock, Robert Kröger, Scott S. Knight

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

We examined the mitigation efficiency of a managed riverine wetland amended with a mixture of suspended sediment, two nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and three pesticides (atrazine, metolachlor, and permethrin) during a simulated agricultural runoff event. Hydrologic management of the 500 m-long, 25 mwide riverine wetland was done by adding weirs at both ends. The agrichemical mixture was amended to the wetland at the upstream weir simulating a four-hour, ~1 cm rainfall event from a 16 ha agricultural field. Water samples (1 L) were collected every 30 min within the first 4 h, then every 4 h until 48 h, and …

Modifying Crops To Increase Cell Wall Digestibility, Hans-Joachim G. Jung, Deborah A. Samac, Gautam Sarath

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

Improving digestibility of roughage cell walls will improve ruminant animal performance and reduce loss of nutrients to the environment. The main digestibility impediment for dicotyledonous plants is highly lignified secondary cell walls, notably in stem secondary xylem, which become almost non-digestible. Digestibility of grasses is slowed severely by lignification of most tissues, but these cell walls remain largely digestible. Cell wall lignification creates an access barrier to potentially digestible wall material by rumen bacteria if cells have not been physically ruptured. Traditional breeding has focused on increasing total dry matter digestibility rather than cell wall digestibility, which has resulted in …

Analysis Of Off-Grid Hybrid Wind Turbine/Solar Pv Water Pumping Systems, Brian D. Vick, Byron A. Neal

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

While many remote water pumping systems exist (e.g. mechanical windmills, solar photovoltaic, wind-electric, diesel powered), few combine both the wind and solar energy resources to possibly improve the reliability and the performance of the system. In this paper, off-grid wind turbine (WT) and solar photovoltaic (PV) array water pumping systems were analyzed individually and combined as a hybrid system. The objectives were to determine: (1) advantages or disadvantages of using a hybrid system over using a WT or a solar PV array alone; (2) if the WT or solar PV array interfered with the output of the other; and (3) …

Specific Adaptation And Genetic Progress For Grain Yield In Great Plains Hard Winter Wheats From 1987 To 2010, Robert A. Graybosch, C. James Peterson

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

A previous investigation, using region-wide data from Great Plains wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding trials, indicated a possible plateau in the rate of genetically determined yield potential. Data from the same USDA- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) coordinated long-term regional performance nurseries was used to further examine the rate of genetic improvement of Great Plains winter wheats in specific agroecological or production zones over the time period 1987 to 2010. The absolute grain yield of all entries and of the top fi ve most productive entries increased in the majority of production zones over this time period. The relative rate …

Registration Of ‘Byrd’ Wheat, Scott D. Haley, Jerry J. Johnson, Frank B. Peairs, John A. Stromberger, Emily E. Hudson, Scott A. Seifert, Rebecca A. Kottke, Victoria A. Valdez, Jeff B. Rudolph, Guihua Bai, Xianming Chen, Robert L. Bowden, Yue Jin, James A. Kolmer, Ming-Shun Chen, Bradford W. Seabourn

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

’Byrd’ (Reg. No. CV-1073, PI 664257) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and released in August 2011 through a marketing agreement with the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. In addition to researchers at Colorado State University (CSU), USDA-ARS researchers at Manhattan, KS, St. Paul, MN and Pullman, WA participated in its development. Byrd was selected from the cross ‘TAM 112’/CO970547- 7 made in 2002 at Fort Collins, CO. TAM 112 (PI 643143) is a hard red winter wheat cultivar released by Texas A&M University in 2005. CO970547-7 is an experimental line …

Pulling Together: Linking Unemployment Insurance And Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Administrative Data To Study Effects Of The Great Recession, Theresa Anderson, John A. Kirlin, Michael Wiseman

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

The SNAP-UI Data Linkage Project is an effort coordinated by the United States Department of Agriculture‘s Economic Research Service (ERS) to link state-level administrative data from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) program to examine the concurrent and sequential patterns in use of these program before and during the Great Recession. The project focuses on calendar years 2006 through 2009 and utilizes data from seven states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Texas. The project has illuminated various issues with administrative data linkage, which this paper characterizes as the ―”Three C’s" of administrative data: custody, …

First Report Of Strobilurin Resistance In Cercospora Beticola In Sugar Beet (Beta Vulgaris) In Michigan And Nebraska, Usa, W.W. Kirk, L.E. Hanson, G.D. Franc, W.L. Stump, E. Gachango, G. Clark, J. Stewart

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

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) caused by Cercospora beticola Sacc. is the most important foliar disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) worldwide (Jacobsen & Franc, 2009). CLS is controlled mainly with fungicides, including strobilurins (FRAC group 11). Resistance to strobilurins in C. beticola has not been reported in the field (Secor et al., 2010) but insensitive mutations have been artificially developed (Malandrakis et al., 2011). In 2011, fields from several areas in Michigan, USA treated with strobilurins had severe CLS and diminished control was also noted in small plot trials (Fig. 1). Individual leaf spot lesions were sampled from …

Nuisance Flies On Australian Cattle Feedlots: Immature Populations, Jerome Hogsette, R. Urech, P.E. Green, A. Skerman, M.M. Elson-Harris, R.L. Bright, G.W. Brown

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

Species composition, seasonality and distribution of immature fly populations on a southern Queensland feedlot during 2001–2003 were determined. Similar data were collected on feedlots in central New South Wales and central Queensland. The fly species recovered in the highest numbers were Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), Stomoxys calcitrans L. (Diptera: Muscidae) and Physiphora clausa Macquart (Diptera: Ulidiidae). Houseflies were the dominant species at all feedlots. Houseflies preferred the warmer months from October to June, but stable flies preferred the cooler months and peaked in spring (September–November) and autumn (March–May). Larval abundance ratings recorded in the feedlot and numbers of larvae …

Efficacy Of Three Attractant Blends Tested In Combination With Carbon Dioxide Against Natural Populations Of Mosquitoes And Biting Flies At The Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge, Daniel L. Kline, Ulrich R. Bernier, Jerome A. Hogsette

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

Synthetic blends of chemicals identified previously from human skin emanations were evaluated against mosquito and biting fly populations at the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge near Cedar Key, FL. Mosquito Magnet^TM-Experimental traps were baited with the Red (400 ml acetone:10 ml 1-hexen- 3-ol:10 ml 1-octen-3-ol), Blue (400 ml acetone:1 g/liter lactic acid:20 ml glycolic acid), or Green blend (400 ml acetone:1.5 g/liter lactic acid:20 ml dimethyl disulfide) plus CO₂ or with CO₂ alone (control). A relative index of efficacy was determined by dividing each mean blend trap catch by the mean control trap catch. Five mosquitoes (Aedes …

Characterization Of Sorghum Grain And Evaluation Of Sorghum Flour In A Chinese Egg Noodle System, Liman Liu, Thomas J. Herald, Donghai Wang, Jeff D. Wilson, Scott R. Bean, Fadi M. Aramouni

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

Sorghum is a gluten free grain that has potential to be used as an alternative to wheat flour for the Celiac Sprue market. There are thousands of sorghum lines that have not been characterized for grain, flour or end product quality. The objective of the research was to gain an understanding among grain sorghum quality factors and Chinese egg noodles quality. Four sorghum hybrids were characterized and evaluated for kernel characteristics, proximate analysis, flour composition and end product in a Chinese egg noodle system. Kernel size and weight affected the flour particle size and the amount of starch damage. Flour …

Post-Biological Control Invasion Trajectory For Melaleuca Quinquenervia In A Seasonally Inundated Wetland, Philip W. Tipping, Melissa R. Martin, Ryan Pierce, Ted D. Center, Paul R. Pratt, Min B. Rayamajhi

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

The recruitment and mortality of Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings were evaluated over a 3-year period in a seasonally inundated wetland in the western Everglades region. The mean (±SE) density of seedlings/ saplingsm^-1 declined from 64.8 (±4.5) to 0.5 (±0.2) over the 3 years, a population reduction of 99.2%. Four distinct water regimes characterized this site: dry, dry to wet transition, flooded, and wet to dry transition. Seedling recruitment was highest in the dry to wet transition and lowest in the flooded water regime, while mortality was highest under flooded and dry water regimes. The mean estimate of population growth (λ) …

Expertos Analizan Impacto Del Cambio Climático En Granos Básicos Y Sorgos Forrajeros En El Salvador, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

En el evento participan profesionales de El Salvador, así como de las universidades de Kansas State y Purdue, de Estados Unidos.

Exponer y analizar los principales efectos derivados del cambio climático en los cultivos de El Salvador, así como el impacto que ha tenido la adopción de variedades forrajeras de sorgo en el país, son los objetivos principales de los foros realizados este miércoles por el Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal “Enrique Álvarez Córdova” (CENTA) con apoyo del Instituto Internacional de Sorgo, Mijo y otros granos (INTSORMIL).

Essential Oils Of Cupressus Funebris, Juniperus Communis, And J. Chinensis (Cupressaceae) As Repellents Against Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) And Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) And As Toxicants Against Mosquitoes, John F. Carroll, Nurhayat Tabanca, Matthew H. Kramer, Natasha M. Elejalde, David E. Wedge, Ulrich R. Bernier, Monique Coy, James Becnel, Betul Demirci, Kemal Husnu Can Başer, Jian Zhang, Sui Zhang

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

Juniperus communis leaf oil, J. chinensis wood oil, and Cupressus funebris wood oil (Cupressaceae) from China were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We identified 104 compounds, representing 66.8-95.5% of the oils. The major components were: α-pinene (27.0%), α-terpinene (14.0%), and linalool (10.9%) for J. communis; cuparene (11.3%) and δ-cadinene (7.8%) for J. chinensis; and α-cedrene (16.9%), cedrol (7.6%), and β-cedrene (5.7%) for C. funebris. The essential oils of C. funebris, J. chinensis, and J. communis were evaluated for repellency against adult yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti (L.), host-seeking nymphs of the lone …

Attractants For Insects Such As Flies: United States Patent, Quinn Et Al.- November 2011, Brian P. Quinn, David A. Carlson, Christopher J. Geden, Ulrich R. Bernier, Matthew M. Booth, Jerome Hogsette

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

A composition containing at least two members of the group consisting of propionic acid, benzoic acid, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-cyclopentanone, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, and 3-methylbutanal; and water, and optionally a carrier or carrier material. The composition is useful for attracting insects (e.g., flies). A method for attracting insects (e.g., flies) involving treating an object or area with an insect attracting effective amount of the composition described herein.

Heritable Epigenetic Variation Among Maize Inbreds, Steve R. Eichten, Ruth A. Swanson, James C. Schnable, Amanda J. Waters, Peter J. Hermanson, Sanzhen Liu, Cheng-Ting Yeh, Yi Jia, Karla Gendler, Michael Freeling, Patrick S. Schnable, Matthew W. Vaughn, Nathan M. Springer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Epigenetic variation describes heritable differences that are not attributable to changes in DNA sequence. There is the potential for pure epigenetic variation that occurs in the absence of any genetic change or for more complex situations that involve both genetic and epigenetic differences. Methylation of cytosine residues provides one mechanism for the inheritance of epigenetic information. A genome-wide profiling of DNA methylation in two different genotypes of Zea mays (ssp. mays), an organism with a complex genome of interspersed genes and repetitive elements, allowed the identification and characterization of examples of natural epigenetic variation. The distribution of DNA methylation …

From The Dean And Director, Gary Pierzynski

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

This issue of the Ag Report has an international theme. It features our efforts to train the Kansas National Guard agribusiness development teams deploying to Afghanistan and some of our international activities in Africa.

Grain Science Honors Alumni And Industry Leaders, Gloria Holcombe

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The Department of Grain Science and Industry recognized eight distinguished individuals at its spring luncheon.

Outstanding Service Awards were presented to Aaron Harries, John Khoury,John Mathew, and Jim Rempe. Outstanding Alumni Awards went to Fred Merrill, Bill Pursley, Dale Rodman, and Lloyd Rooney.

Borlaug Fellowship Opens Doors For Rachel Opole [Student Accolades], Mary Lou Peter

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Rachel Opole grew up in Nairobi, Kenya’s capitol, and the K-State doctoral student developed an early interest in livestock and crop production. Those interests, largely influenced by her parents, inspired her desire to improve crops grown to feed people. To enhance her work in that area, Opole earned the Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (LEAP) fellowship, administered by the University of California–Davis.

Beneficial Partnerships: K-Staters Conduct Projects Throughout Africa, Gloria Holcombe, Timothy Dalton

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Africa grows many of the same crops as Kansas, including sorghum and wheat. In fact, sorghum germplasm came from Africa, and now Kansas is the No. 1 sorghum producer in the United States.

K-State has expertise in grain storage issues, wheat and grain sorghum milling, and growing crops under dryland and irrigated conditions — vital information for African producers. Faculty secure grant funding to cover travel and other expenses associated with these partnerships. As an added bonus, they bring international experience into the classroom to share with their students. International collaborations help develop networks to share research, establish new markets, …

Plant Pathologist And Grain Scientist Earn K-State’S Highest Honor, Gloria Holcombe

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Two innovative College of Agriculture faculty — John Leslie, professor and head of the Department of Plant Pathology, and Xiuzhi “Susan” Sun, professor of grain science and industry — were selected university distinguished professors, a lifetime title and the highest honor K-State bestows on its faculty.

Miscanthus 3 Giganteus Productivity: The Effects Of Management In Different Environments, Matt Maughan, German Bollero, D.K. Lee, Robert Darmody, Stacy Bonos, Laura Cortese, James Murphy, Roch E. Gaussoin, Matthew Sousek, David Williams, Linda Williams, Fernando Miguez, Thomas Voigt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Miscanthus 9 giganteus is a C4 perennial grass that shows great potential as a high-yielding biomass crop. Scant research has been published that reports M. 9 giganteus growth and biomass yields in different environments in the United States. This study investigated the establishment success, plant growth, and dry biomass yield of M. 9 giganteus during its first three seasons at four locations (Urbana, IL; Lexington, KY; Mead, NE; Adelphia, NJ) in the United States. Three nitrogen rates (0, 60, and 120 kg ha -1) were applied at each location each year. Good survival of M. 9 giganteus during its first …

Usda Nutrient Data Set For Retail Beef Cuts, Marybeth L. Duvall, Seema Bhagwat, Juliette C. Howe, Joanne M. Holden, Kristine Y. Patterson

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

Purpose
This data set provides retailers with a tool to find the most accurate beef nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling. This data set focuses on the beef cuts identified by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for nutrition labeling and, in addition, some new Beef Value Cuts.

Introduction
Since 1990’s, nutrient composition data for beef products in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) have been updated regularly. These updates have been important since changes in animal husbandry practices and industry procedures have led to the availability of leaner cuts, as well …

Gata-Family Transcription Factors In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Cristian F. Quispe

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

The filamentous fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, responsible for blast rice disease, destroys around 10-30% of the rice crop annually. Infection begins when the specialized infection structure, the appressorium, generates enormous internal turgor pressure through the accumulation of glycerol. This turgor acts on a penetration peg emerging at the base of the cell, causing it to breach the leaf surface allowing its infection.

The enzyme trehalose-6- phosphate synthase (Tps1) is a central regulator of the transition from appressorium development to infectious hyphal growth. In the first chapter we show that initiation of rice blast disease requires a regulatory mechanism involving an …

Herbicide-Resistant Risk Assessment: Response Of Common Nebraska Weeds To Dicamba Dose, Roberto J. Crespo

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

Dicamba-resistant soybeans are being developed to provide an additional herbicide mechanism of action that can be used in soybean, and to provide a tool to help manage or mitigate the evolution of other herbicide-resistant weed populations. The objectives of this thesis were to assess the risk of common Nebraska weeds developing resistance to dicamba, quantify baseline dose-response to dicamba of high-risk weed species, and survey the variability in dicamba dose-response among populations of those species. Twenty-five weed scientists were asked to estimate the risk likelihood of ten weed species evolving resistance to dicamba following the commercialization of dicamba-resistant soybean. Palmer …

Effects Of Xenobiotics And Phytotoxins On Reproduction In Food Animals, Kip E. Panter, Bryan L. Stegelmeier

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

The influence of natural toxicants and anthropogenic compounds on reproduction in food animals is significant in its economic impact, and the subject requires more research and further experimental substantiation. Confounding factors such as stress, nutritional status, season of the year, animal species involved, genetic variability, disease conditions, management factors, and so forth exacerbate the difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis and thereby may impede progress to improve reproductive performance on an individual operation. The interaction between the reproductive system and xenobiotics (reproductive toxicology) is a relatively new area of study and a subject of increasing interest, especially in the area …

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid– Containing Toxic Plants (Senecio, Crotalaria, Cynoglossum, Amsinckia, Heliotropium, And Echium Spp.), Bryan L. Stegelmeier

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

Many problematic pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-containing plants are foreign invasive weeds that invade pastures, fields, and ranges, and contaminate feeds and food. Others are native plants that may increase or expand on field edges or in disturbed areas. Most are unpalatable, only becoming a problem for livestock when alternative forages are unavailable, or when they are included in hay and other harvested feeds. Human poisoning is most often a result of contaminated grain or flour, although several poisonings have resulted from the use of PA-containing herbal preparations. Major PA plants and their specific health-related characteristics are discussed individually.

Grinders Convert Sorghum Into Flour, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

To help contend rising wheat costs Central American bakers are looking for alternative ways to produce their baked products at a low cost without sacrificing nutritional value or taste. Sorghum flour is the answer to their problems. Sorghum flour is about half the cost of wheat flour so using sorghum flour helps bakers save money and make more of a profit. Particle size of sorghum flour must be sufficiently fine in order to substitute for wheat flour in baking recipes. However, small grinders adequate for family level bakers have not been available in Central America. That is until a collaborative …