Botany Commons^™

Estimating Percentages Of Fusarium-Damaged Kernels In Hard Wheat By Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging, Stephen R. Delwiche, I. Torres Rodriguez, S. R. Rausch, R. A. Graybosch

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is among the most common fungal diseases affecting wheat, resulting in decreased yield, low-density kernels, and production of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, a compound toxic to humans and livestock. Human visual analysis of representative wheat samples has been the traditional method for FHB assessment in both official inspection and plant breeding operations. While not requiring specialized equipment, visual analysis is dependent on a trained and consistent workforce, such that in the absence of these aspects, biases may arise among inspectors and evaluation dates. This research was intended to avoid such pitfalls by using longer wavelength radiation than …

Can Ratoon Cropping Improve Resource Use Efficiencies And Profitability Of Rice In Central China?, Shen Yuan, Kenneth G. Cassman, Jianliang Huang, Shaobing Peng, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Identifying cropping systems with small global warming potential (GWP) per unit of productivity is important to ensure food security while minimizing environmental footprint. During recent decades, double-season rice (DR) systems in central China have progressively shifted into single-crop, middle-season rice (MR) due to high costs and labor requirements of double-season rice. Ratoon rice (RR) has been proposed as an alternative system that reconciliates both high annual productivity and relatively low costs and labor requirements. Here we used onfarm data collected from 240 farmer fields planted with rice in 2016 to evaluate annual energy balance, environmental impact, and net profit of …

Sunflower Pollinators In South Dakota: An Evaluation Of Species Composition, Abundance And Influence On Yield, Mackenzie Mattern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2017 and 2018, South Dakota was the largest producer of sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) in the US, grossing approximately $178 million per year. In South Dakota, both confection and oilseed sunflower cultivars are grown. Despite breeding efforts to increase sunflower's ability to self-pollinate there is evidence that pollinator visitation results in increased sunflower yields. In addition, there is evidence that sunflower pollen is beneficial for pathogen resistance in various bee species, suggesting the importance of a mutualistic relationship between pollinators and sunflowers. In some areas, observed increases in sunflower yield is attributed to the presence of Apis …

Letter From The Dean, Deacue Fields

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Message From The Associate Dean Of The Honors College And Co-Chair Of The Service Learning Initiative, Jennie Popp

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 20 2019, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Unraveling The Influence Of Female Flowering Characteristics And Chemical Hybridizing Agent Formulations On Hybrid Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Seed Production, Hannah K. Stoll

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

The success of hybrid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is largely limited by inefficiencies in seed production. This research aims to address these inefficiencies by examining various Chemical Hybridizing Agent (CHA) formulations using the chemical Croisor®100 on sterility, CHA damage, and female flowering characteristics. In addition, an efficient method of phenotyping female flowering characteristics (contributing factors in hybrid production seed yield) were identified using Stepwise Regression, ANCOVA, and Pearson R-Correlations, and duration of stigma receptivity in the cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS; Triticum timopheevii Zhuk.) background was determined. At an optimally timed spray application, including a moderate rate of CHA with …

Greenhouse Aquaponics: Custom Aquaponic Systems At Home, Jesse L. Blanchard, David G. Hyatt, Jennie Popp, Leah English

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Taking advantage of inherent natural systems, aquaponic practices hold the potential to serve as an educational, sustainable, and profitable hobby for home gardeners facing common constraints such as temperature, space, and pests. The goal of this research was to assess the feasibility of implementing a small scale (4,542-liter) home -based aquaponic system in a small (48.768 square meter) greenhouse to produce fresh produce and fish protein. System construction and maintenance costs were compared to the value of crops and fish produced to determine whether this aquaponic system is a feasible option for the home grower. It was hypothesized that this …

Impact Of Selected Infrared Wavelengths On Inactivation Of Microbes On Rough Rice, Rebecca L. Bowie, Griffiths Atungulu, Abass Oduola, Shantae Wilson, Zeinab Mohammadi-Shad

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Formation of harmful microbes and their associated mycotoxins on rough rice during storage presents negative socioeconomic impacts to producers and consumers. The objective for this study was to investigate the impact of treating rough rice with selected infrared (IR) wavelengths at different IR intensities and heating durations, followed by a tempering step for further inactivation of microbes (mold and bacteria) on the grain. Freshly-harvested long-grain, hybrid, rough rice (XL 745) with initial moisture content (IMC) of 18.4% wet basis (w.b.) was used. Two-hundred grams (200 g) samples of rice were treated at different IR wavelengths (λ), 3.2, 4.5, and 5.8 …

Determination Of Optimum Harvest Date For Winter Malting Quality Barley In Northwest Arkansas, Paul Wolf, David Moon, Richard Esten Mason

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Due to the strict quality requirements, only 10% of worldwide barley is used for malting, though malting quality barley comes with a price increase of up to 50% or greater. With the craft brewery industry growing in Northwest Arkansas there is a growing demand for locally sourced malt quality barley. However, data are lacking regarding production practices for barley in Arkansas. The optimal harvest date for malting quality barley is at physiological maturity. This is because many of the malting traits (such as germination energy) decline as harvest is delayed, which make it difficult to meet the criteria for malting …

Beyond Bird Feed: Proso Millet For Human Health And Environment, Saurav Das, Rituraj Khound, Meenakshi Santra, Dipak K. Santra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Domesticated in 8000–10,000 BP in northern China, proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is the best adaptive rotational crop for semiarid central High Plains of the USA, where average annual precipitation is 356–407 mm. Proso millet has multiple benefits when consumed as human food. Proso millet is rich in minerals, dietary fiber, polyphenols, vitamins and proteins. It is gluten-free and therefore, ideal for the gluten intolerant people. Proso millet contains high lecithin which supports the neural health system. It is rich in vitamins (niacin, B-complex vitamins, folic acid), minerals (P, Ca, Zn, Fe) and essential amino acids (methionine and cysteine). …

Winter Wheat Grain Yield Response To Fungicide Application Is Influenced By Cultivar And Rainfall, Emmanuel Byamukama, Shaukat Ali, Jonathan Kleinjan, Dalitso N. Yabwalo, Christopher Graham, Melanie Caffe-Treml, Nathan D. Mueller, John Rickertsen, William A. Berzonsky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Winter wheat is susceptible to several fungal pathogens throughout the growing season and foliar fungicide application is one of the strategies used in the management of fungal diseases in winter wheat. However, for fungicides to be profitable, weather conditions conducive to fungal disease development should be present. To determine if winter wheat yield response to fungicide application at the flowering growth stage (Feekes 10.5.1) was related to the growing season precipitation, grain yield from fungicide treated plots was compared to non-treated plots for 19 to 30 hard red winter wheat cultivars planted at 8 site years from 2011 through 2015. …

A Two-Amino Acid Difference In The Coat Protein Of Satellite Panicum Mosaic Virus Isolates Is Responsible For Differential Synergistic Interactions With Panicum Mosaic Virus, R. V. Chowda-Reddy, Nathan A. Palmer, Serge Edme, Gautam Sarath, Frank A. Kovacs, Gary Y. Yuen, Robert Mitchell, Satyanarayana Tatineni

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Panicum mosaic virus (PMV) (genus Panicovirus, family Tombusviridae) and its molecular parasite, Satellite panicum mosaic virus (SPMV), synergistically interact in coinfected proso and pearl millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) plants resulting in a severe symptom phenotype. In this study, we examined synergistic interactions between the isolates of PMV and SPMV by using PMV-NE, PMV85, SPMV-KS, and SPMV-Type as interacting partner viruses in different combinations. Coinfection of proso millet plants by PMV-NE and SPMV-KS elicited severe mosaic, chlorosis, stunting, and eventual plant death compared with moderate mosaic, chlorotic streaks, and stunting by PMV85 and SPMV-Type. In reciprocal combinations, coinfection …

Soil Fauna Accelerate Dung Pat Decomposition And Nutrient Cycling Into Grassland Soil, Kenneth S. Evans, Martha Mamo, Ana Wingeyer, Walter Schacht, Kent Eskridge, Jeff Bradshaw, Daniel Ginting

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soil fauna play critical roles in various ecosystem functions and services, but empirical data measuring their impact on dung pat decomposition and subsequent nutrient cycling into rangeland soils are limited. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of soil fauna, using dung beetle as an indicator, on dung decomposition and subsequent translocation of dung nutrients into grassland soil over time. A field experiment was conducted early in the summer season and late in the summer season of 2014 and 2015. In each season, dung beetle abundance, changes in dung properties, and subsequent translocation of dung nutrients into …

A Spatial Framework For Ex-Ante Impact Assessment Of Agricultural Technologies, José F. Andrade, Juan I. Rattalino Edreira, Andrew Farrow, Marloes P. Van Loon, Peter Q. Craufurd, Jairos Rurinda, Shamie Zingore, Jordan Chamberlin, Lieven Claessens, Julius Adewopo, Martin K. Van Ittersum, Kenneth G. Cassman, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Traditional agricultural research and extension relies on replicated field experiments, on-farm trials, and demonstration plots to evaluate and adapt agronomic technologies that aim to increase productivity, reduce risk, and protect the environment for a given biophysical and socio-economic context. To date, these efforts lack a generic and robust spatial framework for ex-ante assessment that: (i) provides strategic insight to guide decisions about the number and location of testing sites, (ii) define the target domain for scaling-out a given technology or technology package, and (iii) estimate potential impact from widespread adoption of the technology(ies) being evaluated. In this study, we developed …

Application Of Short Tandem Target Mimic (Sttm) Technique For Functional Analysis Of Micro-Rna396 In Transgenic Poplar Trees, Surattana Boonsai

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Short Tandem Target Mimic (STTM) is a commonly technique used for functional studies of a number of genes in several plant model systems. However, very little is known about application of STTM technique in tree species. In this study, STTM was applied to knock down microRNA396 (miR396) in transgenic poplar trees for the first time. STTM396 expression resulted in dramatic decrease in miR396 expression levels leading to taller plants with larger leaves and larger leaf cell size. Additionally, an expression analysis of growth regulating factor genes (GRFs) that are members of miR396 target gene family showed up-regulation of GRF07 gene …

The Genome Of Broomcorn Millet, Changsong Zou, Leiting Li, Daisuke Miki, Delin Li, Qiming Tang, Lihong Xiao, Santosh Rajput, Ping Deng, Li Peng, Wei Jia, Ru Huang, Meiling Zhang, Yidan Sun, Jiamin Hu, Xing Fu, Patrick S. Schnable, Yuxiao Chang, Feng Li, Hui Zhang, Baili Feng, Xinguang Zhu, Renyi Liu, James C. Schnable, Jian-Kang Zhu, Heng Zhang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is the most water-efficient cereal and one of the earliest domesticated plants. Here we report its high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly using a combination of short-read sequencing, single-molecule real-time sequencing, Hi-C, and a high-density genetic map. Phylogenetic analyses reveal two sets of homologous chromosomes that may have merged ~5.6 million years ago, both of which exhibit strong synteny with other grass species. Broomcorn millet contains 55,930 proteincoding genes and 339 microRNA genes. We find Paniceae-specific expansion in several subfamilies of the BTB (broad complex/tramtrack/bric-a-brac) subunit of ubiquitin E3 ligases, suggesting enhanced regulation of protein dynamics …

Applicability Of The Dual Isotopes Δ15n And Δ18o To Identify Nitrate In Groundwater Beneath Irrigated Cropland, R. F. Spalding, A. J. Hirsh, M. E. Exner, N. A. Little, K. L. Kloppenborg

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Identification of the nitrate sources that adversely impact groundwater quality is a necessary first step in the control of this major worldwide pollutant. The impact of nitrate leachate from urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) (50% urea-N, 25% ammonium-N, 25% nitrate-N) fertilizer, whose use has increased dramatically in the last three decades largely because it can be applied through sprinkler irrigation systems to corn in all growth stages, is investigated. The dual isotopes δ¹⁵N_NO3 and δ¹⁸O_NO3 were measured in groundwater samples from 39 irrigation wells in two intensively sprinkler-irrigated, corn-growing areas of Nebraska with nitrate-contaminated (N …

Restoring Fire-Grazer Interactions To Pursue Heterogeneity In Sandhills Prairie, Jack R. Arterburn, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr, Carissa L. Wonkka, Walter H. Schacht, David A. Wedin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Heterogeneity has emerged as a fundamental principle for grassland management and the importance of environmental heterogeneity for biological diversity has raised questions about the appropriateness of grassland practices that seek to promote uniform grassland structure and composition. Principles of uniformity in grassland management reflect a utilitarian target of “managing for the middle” by minimizing both overgrazing and underutilization while avoiding or preventing fire and other disturbances that consume aboveground biomass. We evaluated pioneering efforts to restore fire-grazer interactions via patch burning in an effort to increase spatial heterogeneity at the patch scale in the Nebraska Sandhills, a sandy soil, mixed-grass …

Spatial Imaging And Screening For Regime Shifts, Daniel R. Uden, Dirac Twidwell, Craig R. Allen, Matthew O. Jones, David E. Naugle, Jeremy D. Maestas, Brady W. Allred

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Screening is a strategy for detecting undesirable change prior to manifestation of symptoms or adverse effects. Although the well-recognized utility of screening makes it commonplace in medicine, it has yet to be implemented in ecosystem management. Ecosystem management is in an era of diagnosis and treatment of undesirable change, and as a result, remains more reactive than proactive and unable to effectively deal with today’s plethora of non-stationary conditions. In this paper, we introduce spatial imaging-based screening to ecology. We link advancements in spatial resilience theory, data, and technological and computational capabilities and power to detect regime shifts (i.e., vegetation …

Development Of Chlorophyll-Meter-Index-Based Dynamic Models For Evaluation Of High-Yield Japonica Rice Production In Yangtze River Reaches, Ke Zhang, Xiaojun Liu, Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim, Songyang Li, Brian Krienke, Songyang Li, Qiang Cao, Yan Zhu, Weixing Cao, Yongchao Tian

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Accurate estimation of the nitrogen (N) spatial distribution of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is imperative when it is sought to maintain regional and global carbon balances. We systematically evaluated the normalized differences of the soil and plant analysis development (SPAD) index (the normalized difference SPAD indexes, NDSIs) between the upper (the first and second leaves from the top), and lower (the third and fourth leaves from the top) leaves of Japonica rice. Four multi-location, multi-N rate (0–390 kg ha^-1) field experiments were conducted using seven Japonica rice cultivars (9915, 27123, Wuxiangjing14, Wunyunjing19, Wunyunjing24, Liangyou9, and Yongyou8). Growth …

Fire Legacies In Eastern Ponderosa Pine Forests, Caleb P. Roberts, Victoria M. Donovan, Carissa L. Wonkka, Larkin A. Powell, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, David A. Wedin, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Disturbance legacies structure communities and ecological memory, but due to increasing changes in disturbance regimes, it is becoming more difficult to characterize disturbance legacies or determine how long they persist. We sought to quantify the characteristics and persistence of material legacies (e.g., biotic residuals of disturbance) that arise from variation in fire severity in an eastern ponderosa pine forest in North America. We compared forest stand structure and understory woody plant and bird community composition and species richness across unburned, low‐, moderate‐, and high‐severity burn patches in a 27‐year‐old mixed‐severity wildfire that had received minimal post‐fire management. We identified distinct …

Engineering Linear, Branched-Chain Triterpene Metabolism In Monocots, Chase Kempinski, Zuodong Jiang, Garrett Zinck, Shirley J. Sato, Zhengxiang Ge, Thomas E. Clemente, Joseph Chappell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Triterpenes are thirty-carbon compounds derived from the universal five-carbon prenyl precursors isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). Normally, triterpenes are synthesized via the mevalonate (MVA) pathway operating in the cytoplasm of eukaryotes where DMAPP is condensed with two IPPs to yield farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), catalyzed by FPP synthase (FPS). Squalene synthase (SQS) condenses two molecules of FPP to generate the symmetrical product squalene, the first committed precursor to sterols and most other triterpenes. In the green algae Botryococcus braunii, two FPP molecules can also be condensed in an asymmetric manner yielding the more highly branched triterpene, botryococcene. Botryococcene …

Relationships Between Wildfire Burn Severity, Cavity-Nesting Bird Assemblages, And Habitat In An Eastern Ponderosa Pine Forest, Emma C. Keele, Victoria M. Donovan, Caleb P. Roberts, Sarah M. Nodskov, Carissa L. Wonkka, Craig R. Allen, Larkin A. Powell, David A. Wedin, David G. Angeler, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Historically, eastern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests were described as sparse patches of old-growth trees maintained by frequent, low-severity fires; however, in recent decades, there have been a number of large mixed-severity wildfires throughout the range of these forests. Wildlife responses to severe fire disturbance in eastern ponderosa pine forests are not well understood. Our study investigates how cavity-nesting bird species in an eastern ponderosa pine forest are impacted by burn severity. The objectives of our study were to: (1) identify the community composition of cavity-nesting birds in a 27 y old burn of mixed severity, (2) assess …

Spatial Variability Of Soil Properties Under Different Land Use In The Dang District Of Nepal, Dinesh Panday, Roshan Babu Ojha, Devraj Chalise, Saurav Das, Bikesh Twanabasu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Increased nutrient mining, soil erosion, and limited nutrient management has led to declines in soil quality and reduced productivity in many parts of Nepal. A study was conducted in the eastern part of the Dang district of Nepal in 2015 to assess the variability of selected soil properties of three different land use types (agricultural, agroforestry, and grassland) and to map their spatial distribution. A total of 120 soil samples were collected from 0–15 cm depth and analyzed for soil fertility parameters: pH, organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), boron (B), and zinc (Zn). Results revealed that …

Ponderosa Pine Regeneration,Wildland Fuels Management, And Habitat Conservation: Identifying Trade-Offs Following Wildfire, Victoria M. Donovan, Caleb P. Roberts, Carissa L. Wonkka, David A. Wedin, Dirac L. Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Increasing wildfires in western North American conifer forests have led to debates surrounding the application of post-fire management practices. There is a lack of consensus on whether (and to what extent) post-fire management assists or hinders managers in achieving goals, particularly in under-studied regions like eastern ponderosa pine forests. This makes it difficult for forest managers to balance among competing interests. We contrast structural and community characteristics across unburned ponderosa pine forest, severely burned ponderosa pine forest, and severely burned ponderosa pine forest treated with post-fire management with respect to three management objectives: ponderosa pine regeneration, wildland fuels control, and …

Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum As Soil Amendment, Dinesh Panday, Richard Ferguson, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum is one of the by-products of a coal-fired power generation plant. Coal is the world’s most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel. After natural gas, coal is the second primary source of energy to generate electricity globally (more than 25%) and remains a key component of the fuel mix for power generation to meet electricity demand in most of the developing countries. The U.S., China and India are the top coal producers and consumers (for production of electricity from coal sources) in the world (OECD/IEA, 2014; IEA, 2016). However, in the U.S., its contribution to …

A Key Variant In The Cis-Regulatory Element Of Flowering Gene Ghd8 Associated With Cold Tolerance In Rice, Peng Wang, Yin Xiong, Rong Gong, Ying Yang, Kai Fan, Sibin Yu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Variations in the gene promoter play critical roles in the evolution of important adaptive traits in crops, but direct links of the regulatory mutation to the adaptive change are not well understood. Here, we examine the nucleotide variations in the promoter region of a transcription factor (Ghd8) that control grain number, plant height and heading date in rice. We find that a dominant promoter type of subspecies japonica displayed a high activity for Ghd8 expression in comparison with the one in indica. Transgenic analyses revealed that higher expression levels of Ghd8 delayed heading date and enhanced cold …

Developments In Agricultural Soil Quality And Health: Reflections By The Research Committee On Soil Organic Matter Management, Michelle M. Wander, Larry J. Cihacek, Mark Coyne, Rhae A. Drijber, Julie M. Grossman, Jessica L. M. Gutknecht, William R. Horwath, Sindhu Jagadamma, Daniel C. Olk, Matt Ruark, Sieglinde S. Snapp, Lisa K. Tiemann, Ray Well, Ronald F. Turco

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The North Central Education and Research Activity Committee (NCERA-59) was formed in 1952 to address how soil organic matter formation and management practices affect soil structure and productivity. It is in this capacity that we comment on the science supporting soil quality and associated soil health assessment for agricultural lands with the goal of hastening progress in this important field. Even though the suite of soil quality indicators being applied by U.S. soil health efforts closely mirrors the “minimum data set” we developed and recommended in the mid-1990s, we question whether the methods or means for their selection and development …

A Tmeff2-Regulated Cell Cycle Derived Gene Signature Is Prognostic Of Recurrence Risk In Prostate Cancer, Constantin Georgescu, Joshua M. Corbin, Sandra Thibivilliers, Zachary D. Webb, Yan D. Zhao, Jan Koster, Kar-Ming Fung, Adam S. Asch, Jonathan D. Wren, Maria J. Ruiz-Echevarria

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: The clinical behavior of prostate cancer (PCa) is variable, and while the majority of cases remain indolent, 10% of patients progress to deadly forms of the disease. Current clinical predictors used at the time of diagnosis have limitations to accurately establish progression risk. Here we describe the development of a tumor suppressor regulated, cell-cycle gene expression based prognostic signature for PCa, and validate its independent contribution to risk stratification in several radical prostatectomy (RP) patient cohorts.

Methods: We used RNA interference experiments in PCa cell lines to identify a gene expression based gene signature associated with Tmeff2, an …