Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

Large And Stable Genome Edits At The Sorghum Alpha Kafirin Locus Result In Changes In Chromatin Accessibility And Globally Increased Expression Of Genes Encoding Lysine Enrichment, J. Preston Hurst, Abou Yobi, Aixia Li, Shirley Sato, Thomas E. Clemente, Ruthie Angelovici

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Sorghum is a resilient and widely cultivated grain crop used for feed and food. However, it’s grain is deficient in lysine, an essential amino acid. This is due to the primary seed storage proteins, the alpha-kafirins, lacking lysine. It has been observed that reductions in alpha-kafirin protein results in rebalancing of the seed proteome and a corresponding increase in non-kafirin proteins which leads to an increased lysine content. However, the mechanisms underlying proteome rebalancing are unclear. This study characterizes a previously developed gene edited sorghum line, with deletions at the alpha kafirin locus.

Methods: A single consensus …

Large And Stable Genome Edits At The Sorghum Alpha Kafirin Locus Result In Changes In Chromatin Accessibility And Globally Increased Expression Of Genes Encoding Lysine Enrichment, J. Preston Hurst, Abou Yobi, Aixia Li, Shirley Sato, Thomas E. Clemente, Ruthie Angelovici, David R. Holding

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Sorghum is a resilient and widely cultivated grain crop used for feed and food. However, it’s grain is deficient in lysine, an essential amino acid. This is due to the primary seed storage proteins, the alpha-kafirins, lacking lysine. It has been observed that reductions in alpha-kafirin protein results in rebalancing of the seed proteome and a corresponding increase in non-kafirin proteins which leads to an increased lysine content. However, the mechanisms underlying proteome rebalancing are unclear. This study characterizes a previously developed gene edited sorghum line, with deletions at the alpha kafirin locus.

Methods: A single consensus …

An International Wheat Diversity Panel Reveals Novel Sources Of Genetic Resistance To Tan Spot In Australia, Julian Taylor, Dorthe Jorgensen, Caroline S. Moffat, Ken J. Chalmers, Rebecca Fox, Grant J. Hollaway, Melissa J. Cook, Stephen M. Neate, Pao Theen See, Manisha Shankar

Biosecurity Research Articles

Tan spot is a foliar disease in wheat caused by the fungal pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr) and has been reported to generate up to 50% yield losses under favourable disease conditions. Although farming management practices are available to reduce disease, the most economically sustainable approach is establishing genetic resistance through plant breeding. To further understand the genetic basis for disease resistance, we conducted a phenotypic and genetic analysis study using an international diversity panel of 192 wheat lines from the Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), the International Centre for Agriculture in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Australian (AUS) wheat …

Discriminating Stay-Green Grasses Using Hyperspectral Imaging And Chemometrics, J. Taylor, B. Moore, J. J. Rowland, H. Thomas, H. J. Ougham

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Screening of plant collections for traits can be expensive, in terms of the number of plants to be screened, the duration of the plant lifecycle and the required observations. This study describes the application of a non-invasive method, hyperspectral imaging, combined with multivariate analysis, to distinguish between homozygous wild-type (YY) Lolium multiflorum and Lolium multiflorum F2 back cross plants heterozygous for y, a recessive Festuca pratensis stay-green gene (Thomas et al., 1997).

Non-Destructive Assessment Of Quality And Yield For Grass-Breeding, A. G. T. Schut, M. J. J. Pustjens, P. W. Wilkins, J. Meuleman, P. Reyns, A. Lovatt, G. W. A. M. Van Der Heijden

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Selection of cultivars has, until now, been based mainly on dry matter (DM) yields because of the high costs of sampling and chemical analysis. Imaging spectroscopy could reduce costs by limiting sampling and harvesting of individual plots to reference samples (Schut et al., accepted). In this study, the prediction accuracy of DM yields and chemical composition with imaging spectroscopy is evaluated for cultivar selection purposes.

Root Senescence In Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense L.), K. J. Webb, E. Tuck, S. Heywood

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Legume root systems form a mosaic of living, ageing and dead roots and nodules. The balance between these stages alters during plant development. Stressful events (drought, temperature change, reduced carbon supply, etc.) disturb the balance (Butler et al., 1959). Effects of root and nodule death on soil structure, composition and leaching and on plant persistency are understood poorly. Plants with differing senescence patterns are useful tools to study these effects. Molecular studies of root senescence need detailed knowledge of the process and timing of root senescence and death. Biochemical and histochemical markers of senescence were used to generate preliminary …

Development Of Simple Sequence Repeat (Ssr) Markers And Their Use To Assess Genetic Diversity In Apomictic Guineagrass (Panicum Maximum Jacq.), M. Ebina, Kaori Kouki, S. Tsuruta, M. Takahara, M. Kobayashi, T. Yamamoto, K. Nakajima, H. Nakagawa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Guineagrass is an important and widely grown tropical forage grass. Despite its importance and increasing popularity, only little is known about its genetic diversity (Ebina et al., 2001). Such information is useful for the selection of diverse parents in breeding programmes. Moreover, no simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been reported in any apomixis species. In this study SSR markers were developed and used to investigate genetic diversity in germplasm of apomictic guineagrass.

Construction Of Microsatellite-Enriched Libraries For Tropical Forage Species And Characterization Of The Repetitive Sequences Found In Brachiaria Brizantha, Letícia Jungmann, C. B. Do Valle, P. R. Laborda, Rosangela M. S. Resende, Liana Jank, A. P. De Souza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Brazilian cattle herd comprises 185 million animals fed with about 177 million hectares of native and cultivated pastures (IBGE, 2002). Of the grass species used for forage in Brazil, the African genus Brachiaria is the most widely planted, followed by Panicum, which also has an African origin. Legumes of the Stylosanthes genus, native to the South America, have emerged in the last few years as potential forage species for use with the grasses. These forage species have been bred at Embrapa Beef Cattle and the breeding programs have shown the need for more genetic information including the use …

Development Of Ssr Markers For Variety Identification In Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lam.), M. Inoue, N. Yuyama, H. Cai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Italian ryegrass (IRG, Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is one of the most important cool-season forage grasses in the world, and is the most widely cultivated annual forage grass in Japan. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have the advantages of being PCR-based, multiallelic and possessing high levels of polymorphism. They are very suitable for variety identification, especially for out-crossing species including IRG. The objective of this study was the development of SSR markers for variety identification in IRG.

Development Of A Microsatellite Library In Lolium Perenne, J. King, I. P. King, D. Thorogood, L. Roberts, K. Skøt, K. Elborough

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lolium perenne, as one of the most important forage grasses of temperate regions, combines a number of very useful characteristics, e.g., good seedling establishment, with a low resistance to drought and limited winter hardiness. Trait selection and introgression can be greatly enhanced by the use of molecular markers in a genetic linkage map. The aim of this project was the generation of a genomic microsatellite library which when combined with microsatellites developed from a Genethresher database would give good genome coverage coupled to high levels of marker polymorphism.

Isolation Of Ssr Markers From Zoysiagrass, H. Cai, N. Yuyama, M. Inoue

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The genus Zoysia consists of 16 species that are naturally distributed on sea coasts and grasslands around the Pacific. In Japan, five species of natural zoysiagrasses have been identified from southern Hokkaido to the southwest islands. Of these, Z. japonica Steud. and Z. matrella Merr. have been utilized extensively as turf in Japan and other countries in East Asia. Linkage maps based on RFLP and AFLP markers have been reported in Zoysia (Yaneshita et al., 1999, Cai et al., 2004). Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have the advantages of being PCR-based and multiallelic. They are highly polymorphic compared …

A Medicago Truncatula Population Segregating For Aluminum Tolerance, M. Sledge, B. Narasimhamoorthy, G. Jiang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Aluminium (Al) toxicity, manifested in inhibition of root elongation and reduced plant growth, is a major cause of poor crop yields on acid soils, which comprise up to 40% of the world’s arable land. Al toxicity associated with acid soils has been a major obstacle in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) production in the USA, as well as in tropical areas of the world. Recent molecular marker mapping studies indicate that the genomes of M. truncatula and M. sativa are highly similar (Choi et al., 2004). Thus, M. truncatula could be used as a source of genes that could …

Genetic Mapping In Tetraploid Alfalfa: Results And Prospects, E. C. Brummer, J. G. Robins, B. Alarcón Zúñiga, D. Luth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Among the difficulties of improving forages is their perennial nature, which necessarily requires long selection cycles to fully evaluate genotypes. Further, traits of particular importance—yield and winter hardiness—are difficult to assess on single plants, necessitating evaluation of progeny, which is both time consuming and expensive. Because of this, yield of many forages, and particularly alfalfa, has not improved substantially over the past 25 years (Riday and Brummer, 2002). Winter hardiness often has a negative correlation with autumn growth, although some evidence suggests this is not always true (Brummer et al., 2000). One way to overcome some of these limitations …

Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis Of Morphogenetic And Developmental Traits In An Ssr And Aflp-Based Genetic Map Of White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.), M. T. Abberton, N. O. I. Cogan, K. F. Smith, G. Kearney, A. H. Marshall, A. Williams, T. P. T. Michaelson-Yeates, C. Bowen, E. S. Jones, A. C. Vecchies, J. W. Forster

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Molecular marker-assisted plant breeding is a key target for the temperate legume pasture crop white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The first genetic linkage map of white clover has been constructed using self-fertile mutants to derive an intercross based fourth and fifth generation inbred parental genotypes (F₂[I.4R x I.5J]). The framework map was constructed using simple sequence repeat (TRSSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Eighteen linkage groups (LG) corresponding to the anticipated 16 chromosomes of white clover (2n = 4x = 32), with a total map length of 825 cM were derived from a total of …

A Glucanase Gene Cosegregates With A Qtl For Crown Rust Resistance In L. Perenne, H. Muylle, J. Baert, E. Van Bockstaele, I. Roldán-Ruiz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An important disease in Lolium spp. is crown rust caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia coronata. In order to study the genetic background of crown rust resistance in L. perenne, a mapping study was carried out and is discussed below. To identify genomic regions or genes involved in resistance, STS markers are extremely useful. This candidate gene approach was applied in the present study.

Qtl Analysis Of Mineral Content And Grass Tetany Potential In Leymus Wildryes, S. R. Larson, H. F. Mayland

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass tetany is a metabolic ailment in ruminants, occurring when animals graze rapidly growing C₃ grasses with a K/(Mg+Ca) ratio (KRAT) greater than 2.2. High KRAT values have been documented in several forage grasses including diploid Russian wildrye (Jefferson et al., 2001). The objective of this experiment was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling KRAT in allotetraploid wildryes.

Crown Rust Resistance Of Italian Ryegrass Cultivar ‘Axis’ To An Isolate From Japan, T. Kiyoshi, M. Hirata, T. Takamizo, H. Sato, Y. Mano, M. Fujimori

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Crown rust (Puccinia coronata) is one the most serious diseases of Italian ryegrass. Crown rust resistance genes in Italian ryegrass have been identified from 'Yamaiku130' and ‘Harukaze’. The aim of this study was to identify novel major resistance genes for gene pyramiding in order to develop cultivars with high levels of durable resistance to crown rust

Locating, And Utilising Festuca Pratensis Genes For Winter Hardiness For The Future Development Of More Persistent High Quality Lolium Cultivars, M. W. Humphreys, D. Gasior, A. Kosmala, O. A. Rognli, Z. Zwierzykowski, M. Rapacz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Genes for freezing-tolerance and winter hardiness were located in Festuca pratensis by QTL analysis and introgression-mapping. QTL for freezing-tolerance on F. pratensis chromosome 4 were orthologous to rice chromosome 3, and Triticeae chromosome 5. Increased energy dissipation during the autumn through a lower maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) was correlated with improved winter survival. Freezing tolerance in Lolium was achieved by the transfer and subsequent expression of F. pratensis genes from chromosome 4 that govern the expression of a non-photochemical (NPQ) mechanism for the dissipation of excess light energy under low temperature.

Qtl Analysis Of Vernalisation Requirement And Heading Traits In Festuca Pratensis Huds., Å Ergon, C. Fang, Ø. Jørgensen, T. S. Amalid, O. A. Rognli

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The transition from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase occurs as a result of environmental and endogenous stimuli. In Festuca pratensis, low temperature and/or short days over a certain period (primary induction) followed by long days (secondary induction) will lead to heading and flowering (Heide, 1988). We present results from QTL mapping of vernalisation requirement and heading traits and mapping of the Vrn-1 ortholog in F. pratensis.

Consistency Of Qtl For Dollar Spot Resistance Between Greenhouse And Field Inoculations, Multiple Locations, And Different Population Sizes In Creeping Bentgrass, N. Chakraborty, J. Bae, J. Curley, S. Warnke, M. Casler, S. Bughrara, G. Jung

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F. T. Bennett is the most economically important turf disease in North America. Previous work indicated differences among cultivars in their susceptibility to dollar spot (Bonos et al., 2003). Studies have indicated that dollar spot resistance might be quantitatively inherited (Bonos et al., 2003) but the number, location and effect of genomic regions conferring resistance is still not known. Therefore the objective of this research is to understand the effect of population size, inoculation assays, and field locations on QTL for dollar spot resistance in creeping bentgrass.

Structural And Functional Genomic Research In Model Legume Plants: The National Bioresource Project (Nbrp) In Japan, S. Tsuruta, M. Hashiguchi, Ryo Akashi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lotus japonicus is a wild perennial plant with a small genome and a short life cycle. This plant is expected to play a role as the model organism of leguminous plants, which include important crop plants such as soybean (Glycine max). Legume Base, a resource centre for Lotus japonicus and Glycine max, was established in April 2004. The scope of Legume Base is the collection, development and conservation of the genetic resources of L. japonicus and G. max and the distribution of the material for utilization by the research community. DNA resources including genomic DNA clones will …

Detecting Fauna Habitat In Semi-Arid Grasslands Using Satellite Imagery, N. A. Bruce, Ian D. Lunt, M. Abuzar, M. Mitchell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Managing grasslands for biodiversity conservation is a relatively recent phenomenon and there is uncertainty over the most effective strategy. Past research has found that intermediate levels of disturbance (e.g. burning or grazing) may be required to maintain the natural mosaic of small-scale patterning required for a diverse range of flora and fauna species. For sustainable grassland management, appropriate methods of spatial assessment and temporal monitoring are required, to facilitate understanding of how past and present climate, land management and landscape features influence vegetation structure. Due to the expense and time-consuming nature of conventional ground-based monitoring, satellite remote-sensing techniques offer a …

The Milk Yield By Cinisara Cows In Different Management Systems: 2. Effect Of Season Of Production, M. Alabiso, C. Giosuè, M. L. Alicata, G. Parrino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cinisara is a Sicilian autochthonous breed of dairy cow. Qualitative characteristics of milk yield are influenced by composition of pasture and its changes over the seasons (Di Grigoli et al., 2000). The grazing resource is characterized by notable variability, even in adjacent areas, because of different environmental conditions, such as aspect, the nature of soil and altitude. The aim of this research is to study the effect of season of production on qualitative characteristics of Cinisara cow milk in farms located at different altitudes.

A New Perennial Legume To Combat Dryland Salinity In South-Western Australia, L. W. Bell, M. A. Ewing, M. Ryan, S. J. Bennett, G. A. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dryland salinity has devastated large tracts of productive land in Australia. This has resulted from the clearing of native perennial vegetation and its replacement with annual crops and pastures. As annual plants are shallow rooted and only use water during their winter-spring growing season, unutilised rainwater leaks into groundwater tables which rise and bring stored salt to the soil surface. The adoption of deep rooted perennial pasture plants that increase the water use can help to manage dryland salinity whilst maintaining productivity. However, new plants are needed as few perennial pasture options currently exist. Preliminary research into the potential of …

Heterogeneous Nutrient Distribution Across Dairy Grazing Systems In Southeastern Australia, C. J. P. Gourley, I. Awty, P. A. Durling, J. Collins, A. Melland, S. R. Aarons

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Australian dairy industry is largely based on a grazed pasture system, although most cows also consume substantial amounts of imported feed (Fulkerson & Doyle 2001). This trend is expected to increase as the Australian dairy industry continues to intensify. Fertiliser inputs of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) are still viewed as necessary to maintain adequate pasture and milk production despite the fact that most dairy farms are in net positive balance for all of these nutrients (Reuter 2001). Nutrient losses from dairy farming regions and eutrophication of waterways has gained strong public and political attention …

An Evaluation Of Grazing Value Of Maize And Companion Crops For Wintering Lactating Ewes, E. A. Van Zyl, C. S. Dannhauser

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Northwestern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), in South Africa, is well known for its sheep production from natural rangeland in summer (October to May). During winter, however, the nutritional value of the rangeland cannot maintain young growing sheep or pregnant and lactating ewes. With this in mind, Lyle (1991) suggested the use of planted pastures for the winter. Crichton et al. (1998) and Esterhuizen & Niemand (1989) suggested the use of maize crop residues for both cattle and sheep during winter, whereas Moore (1997) evaluated grazing (not harvested) maize for this purpose. He found that the crude protein content of the crop was …

Rainfall And Grazing Impacts On The Population Dynamics Of Bothriochloa Ewartiana In Tropical Australia, D. M. Orr, Peter J. O'Reagain

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bothriochloa ewartiana (desert bluegrass) is a palatable, native perennial (C4) grass of considerable importance to the northern Australian grazing industry. However, little is known of the interaction between grazing pressure and the highly variable rainfall found in this area, on its population dynamics. This paper reports interim results (1998-2004) from a long-term study, in which its population dynamics were examined under 3 grazing strategies.

Herbage Quality Of Dwarf Napier Grass Under A Rotational Cattle Grazing System Two Years After Establishment, Yasuyuki Ishii, A. A. Sunusi, M. M. Mukhtar, Sachiko Idota, Kiichi Fukuyama

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dwarf Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) of a late-heading type (dwarf-late, DL), introduced by the Dairy Promotion Organization, Thailand, has a high over-wintering ability and is suitable for grazing. The objective of this study was to examine the digestibility and crude protein (CP) concentration of DL Napier grass both before and after rotational grazing in relation to the daily liveweight gain of cattle 2 years after establishment in the lowland area of Kyushu, Japan.

Grazing Suitability Of Various Napier Grass Varieties In Paddocks Of Different Ages, Yasuyuki Ishii, M. M. Mukhtar, Sayan Tudsri, Sachiko Idota, Y. Nakamura, Kiichi Fukuyama

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Previous studies have demonstrated that late-heading type dwarf (DL) Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) introduced to Japan from Thailand by the Dairy Promotion Organization of Thailand was able to overwinter in the lowland areas of southern Kyushu (Mukhtar et al., 2003). The species has a higher proportion of leaf blade than other normal and dwarf varieties. These studies were conducted to assess the suitability of the various Napier grass varieties for grazing (Mukhtar et al., 2004). The objective of this study was to examine the grazing suitability, herbage quality and wintering ability of three Napier grass varieties …

Gene-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery In White Clover (T. Repens L.), M. C. Drayton, R. C. Ponting, A. C. Vecchies, T. C. Wilkinson, J. George, N. O. I. Cogan, N. R. Bannan, K. F. Smith, G. Spangenberg, J. W. Forster

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery permits the discovery of molecular marker variation associated with functionally-defined genes. SNP markers have been developed for the temperate pasture legume crop white clover (Trifolium repens) using public and proprietary genic sequences correlated with key agronomic traits of interest.