Botany Commons^™

A Phylogenetic Evaluation Of Proposed Segregates Of A. Canadense, Brett Lambert

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Brett Lambert- 1^st Year Master’s Student at The Ohio State University

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology (Freudenstein Lab)

Title: A phylogenetic evaluation of proposed segregates of Asarum canadense

Abstract: The wild gingers (Asarum: Aristolochiaceae) are rhizomatous forbs native to Europe, Asia, and North America. A member of subgenus Asarum (A. canadense) is currently circumscribed as containing two varieties, A. canadense var. reflexum and A. canadense var. acuminatum. These varieties have previously been recognized as distinct species based on morphological variation. This project will evaluate variation across A. canadense using molecular (maximum likelihood and …

Calceolaria Nivalis Subsp. Lanatifolia, A New Subspecies Of Calceolariaceae From Northern Peru, Pamela Puppo

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

A new subspecies of Calceolaria nivalis, C. nivalis subsp. lanatifolia is described and illustrated. The new subspecies was collected in Uchumarca district, department of La Libertad, Peru, between 2300–3850 m elevation. Calceolaria nivalis subsp. lanatifolia is characterized by the lanate indumentum in the lower surface of the leaves, villous petioles, peduncles, and pedicels, and sepals with a strigose margin internally.

Effects Of Heavy Metal Uptake On Growth, Chlorophyll Content, And Calcium Oxalate Crystals In Lemna Minor (Duckweed), Olivia F. Miller

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Lemna minor L., duckweed, is a common aquatic plant used for the phytoremediation of wastewater. Heavy metal contamination poses a significant issue, and numerous studies have been conducted on the efficiency of L. minor’s hyperaccumulation ability of these metals. Calcium oxalate crystals are an important aspect of the growth and development of L. minor, but how they are influenced by the uptake of heavy metal has not been extensively studied. This study aims to determine the effects that lead, cadmium, and copper have on the formation of calcium oxalate crystals, vegetative growth, and chlorophyll a and b content on L. …

Mycorrhizal Fungi And Reforestation In An Eastern Lowland Rainforest Of Madagascar, Sophia Gibby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Most terrestrial plants worldwide make associations with mycorrhizal fungi, yet the fungal diversity of Madagascar is vastly unknown. This research project is a preliminary investigation into the mycorrhizal status of 19 tree species in and near Ranomafana National Park (RNP), a lowland tropical forest on the southeast coast of Madagascar. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization in these species was studied in root samples under the microscope in the laboratory of Centre ValBio (CVB). The degree of AM infection was assessed for three study areas: one directly adjacent to a protected area and two reforestation sites supported by CVB. For the 19 …

Understory Epiphyte Hydrology: Analyzing Water Storage Capacity Of Epiphytes Along An Elevational Gradient In Western Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Angelina Dodge

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Epiphytes are defined as plants that grow on a host, often another plant, and acquire their nutrients and water from the atmosphere. As such is true, epiphyte composition is largely dependent upon atmospheric and thus climactic conditions. Due to high levels of atmospheric water availability that results from the frequent presence of mist, clouds, and high humidity, epiphytic plants grow and thus store water within the above ground region of the Andean cloud forest at levels higher than in any other ecosystem found in Ecuador. This study was done in hopes of revealing any trends of epiphytic water storage capacity …

Variation In The Growth Parameters And Biomass Of Rhizophora Mangle Seedlings With Distances From Playa Estrella, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Thiny Tep

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mangrove is a salt-tolerant, intertidal, tropical tree or shrub and make up a rich community of various organism. On the Caribbean coast of Panama, in Bocas del Toro, mangrove forests cover 28 km² and are dominated by R. mangle, followed by L. racemosa and A. germinans. Simultaneously, Isla Colón, the most populated and developed among all islands in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, is a tourist center. Unfortunately, tourism comes at the price of environmental degradation via alteration of natural habitats, solid and wastewater pollution. Therefore, this study aims to gain a preliminary understanding on how the …

Experimentation On Nebraska Farms For Sustaining Soil Health Management, Fernanda Souza Krupek

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

Soil health management practices have increasingly been promoted across US agroecosystems to address many interrelated environmental and economic food system challenges. Sustaining conservation behavior – through farmer’s adoption and continued use of practices – is key for achieving many soil health-related intended social-ecological benefits. Using a range of scientific methods, from lab-based experiments to on-farm research to farmer interviews, the overall objective of this dissertation research was to explore soil and human dimension considerations to design farming and knowledge transfer systems for sustaining soil health management in the US Midwest. In a multivariate analysis of ten on-farm research sites, we …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2022, F. Bourland, A. Beach, B. Milano, B. Guest, C. Kennedy, L. Martin, B. Robertson

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. These annual evaluations will then facilitate the inclusion of new, improved genetic material in Arkansas cotton production. Adaptation of varieties is determined by evaluating the lines at five University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research sites (Manila, Keiser, Judd Hill, Marianna, and Rohwer). The 2022 tests at Rohwer were adversely affected …

Biocultural Diversity Of Medicine In Tsum Valley, Ashira Weinreich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Health is intrinsically connected to biodiversity in the Himalayan mountains of Tsum Valley. Medicinal plants have historically been integral to primary health care in this region. The main objectives of this paper are to explore the role of biocultural diversity on perceptions of health and to demonstrate that medicinal plant knowledge contributes to health sovereignty in times of cultural and environmental change. The nutritional and medicinal significance of plants were examined in the daily lives of villagers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to May 2023. Preliminary results are analyzed ethnographically. Interviews and participant observation will provide a rich understanding …

Evaluation Of Free Radical Scavenging  Activity Of Sauce And Formulation Of Tamarindus Indica (L.) And Prunus Domestica (L.) Fruits, Zulnoreen Sarfaraz, Mehmooda Munazir, Mubashrah Munir, Asma Ahmed, Rehana Badar, Ayesha Tahir

Journal of Bioresource Management

The formulation and sauce of Tamarindus indica  (L.) and Prusnus  dometica (L.) are very popular recipes across globe. But, not even a single study existed on free-radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of afore-mentioned recipes. So, the present study was designed to bridge this gap of information. The FRSA of individual samples were also determined and compared with that of combinations of both. The highest value for FRSA among all samples was that of T. indica (158.9732 ± 12.658 % at 100 μg ml^-1). It was followed by that of individual extract of P. domestica fruit (96.647 ± 0.554 %). …

Predicting Site‑Specific Economic Optimal Nitrogen Rate Using Machine Learning Methods And On‑Farm Precision Experimentation, Alfonso De Lara, Taro Mieno, Joe D. Luck, Laila A. Puntel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Applying at the economic optimal nitrogen rate (EONR) has the potential to increase nitrogen (N) fertilization efficiency and profits while reducing negative environmental impacts. On-farm precision experimentation (OFPE) provides the opportunity to collect large amounts of data to estimate the EONR. Machine learning (ML) methods such as generalized additive models (GAM) and random forest (RF) are promising methods for estimating yields and EONR. Twenty OFPE N trials in wheat and barley were conducted and analyzed with soil, terrain and remote-sensed variables to address the following objectives: (1) to quantify the spatial variability of winter crops yield and the yield response …

A Plea For Scale, And Why It Matters For Invasive Species Management, Biodiversity And Conservation, Nicholas A. Mcmillan, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Craig A. Davis, Robert G. Hamilton, Landon. K. Neumann, Samantha M. Cady

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

1. Invasive species are suspected to be major contributors to biodiversity declines worldwide. Counterintuitively, however, invasive species effects are likely scale dependent and are hypothesized to be positively related to biodiversity at large spatial scales. Past studies investigating the effect of invasion on biodiversity have been mostly conducted at small scales (<100 m²) that cannot represent large dynamic landscapes by design. Therefore, replicated experimental evidence supporting a negative effect of invasive plants on biodiversity is lacking across many landscape types, including large grasslands.

2. We collected data across eight large (333–809 ha) grassland landscapes managed with pyric herbivory—that is the recoupling …

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Soil Depth And Geographic Distance Modulate Bacterial Β-Diversity In Deep Soil Profiles Throughout The U.S. Corn Belt, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Stephanie L. Futrell, Emily E. Wright, Gerasimos J. Danalatos, Michael J. Castellano, Tony J. Vyn, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Understanding how microbial communities are shaped across spatial dimensions is of fundamental importance in microbial ecology. However, most studies on soil biogeography have focused on the topsoil microbiome, while the factors driving the subsoil microbiome distribution are largely unknown. Here we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to analyse the factors underlying the bacterial β-diversity along vertical (0–240 cm of soil depth) and horizontal spatial dimensions (~500,000 km²) in the U.S. Corn Belt. With these data we tested whether the horizontal or vertical spatial variation had stronger impacts on the taxonomic (Bray-Curtis) and phylogenetic (weighted Unifrac) β-diversity. Additionally, we …

Graph Convolutional Network Using Adaptive Neighborhood Laplacian Matrix For Hyperspectral Images With Application To Rice Seed Image Classification, Jairo Orozco, Vidya Manian, Estefania Alfaro, Harkamal Walia, Balpreet K. Dhatt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Graph convolutional neural network architectures combine feature extraction and convolutional layers for hyperspectral image classification. An adaptive neighborhood aggregation method based on statistical variance integrating the spatial information along with the spectral signature of the pixels is proposed for improving graph convolutional network classification of hyperspectral images. The spatial-spectral information is integrated into the adjacency matrix and processed by a single-layer graph convolutional network. The algorithm employs an adaptive neighborhood selection criteria conditioned by the class it belongs to. Compared to fixed window-based feature extraction, this method proves effective in capturing the spectral and spatial features with variable pixel neighborhood …

Harvest Aids Did Not Advance Maturity Of Non-Shatter Pennycress, Julija A. Cubins, Samantha Wells, Russ W. Gesch, Gregg A. Johnson, Maninder K. Walia, Ratan Chopra, M. David Marks, Rebecca D. Swenson, Katherine Anna Frels

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Reliance on summer annual crops in the Upper Midwest results in fallow land from late fall through early spring, providing opportunities to integrate winter crops, such as pennycress (Thlapsi arvense L.), onto the landscape. Pennycress agronomics have primarily been studied using unimproved wild-type lines prone to seed shatter, resulting in significant yield loss if not harvested early. However, high plant and seed moisture complicates harvest and seed storage. A new breeding line with a reducedshatter mutation made it possible to use harvest aids to reduce plant moisture without the risk of seed loss. The objectives of this study were …

A Role For Heritable Transcriptomic Variation In Maize Adaptation To Temperate Environments, Guangchao Sun, Huihui Yu, Peng Wang, Martha Lopez‑Guerrero, Ravi V. Mural, Olivier N. Mizero, Marcin Grzybowski, Baoxing Song, Karin V. Van Dijk, Daniel P. Schachtman, Chi Zhang, James C. Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Transcription bridges genetic information and phenotypes. Here, we evaluated how changes in transcriptional regulation enable maize (Zea mays), a crop originally domesticated in the tropics, to adapt to temperate environments.

Result: We generated 572 unique RNA-seq datasets from the roots of 340 maize genotypes. Genes involved in core processes such as cell division, chromosome organization and cytoskeleton organization showed lower heritability of gene expression, while genes involved in anti-oxidation activity exhibited higher expression heritability. An expression genome-wide association study (eGWAS) identified 19,602 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 11,444 genes. A …

Recombination Hotspots In Soybean [Glycine Max (L.) Merr.], Samantha Mcconaughy, Keenan L. Amundsen, Qijian Song, Vince Pantalone, D. Hyten

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Recombination allows for the exchange of genetic material between two parents, which plant breeders exploit to make improved cultivars. This recombination is not distributed evenly across the chromosome. Recombination mostly occurs in euchromatic regions of the genome and even then, recombination is focused into clusters of crossovers termed recombination hotspots. Understanding the distribution of these hotspots along with the sequence motifs associated with them may lead to methods that enable breeders to better exploit recombination in breeding. To map recombination hotspots and identify sequence motifs associated with hotspots in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], two biparental recombinant inbred lines …

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 …

Facilitating Transformative Innovations In Sustainability Education [Version 2], Martin Melin, Geir Lieblein, Tor Arvid Breland, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Educational strategies globally are changing from an authoritative, top-down model to one focused on greater student and stakeholder participation in planning and implementation of research and educational activities. In addition to emphasis on student-centered education, strategies currently evolve to encompass learning organizations and multistakeholder learning networks. These are essential to address the complexity and scope of tomorrow’s challenges, involving issues that could be called ’wicked problems’ not easily addressed by single disciplines nor resulting in solutions that please all the players. In this study we describe how a transformative innovation – the NEXTFOOD educational approach – may contribute substantially to …

Lichens Of Ultramafic Rocks: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Understanding The Ecology Of An Understudied Organism In A Well-Studied System, Michael Mulroy

Master's Theses

Lichens are among the most prominent and successful life forms of metal-rich habitats, including ultramafic rocks and soils; however, research on lichens of ultramafic habitats is limited, especially on the North American continent. A review of the published literature on lichens of ultramafic substrates in North America yielded a total of 437 lichen species reported from ultramafic rocks and soils. Lichen assemblages of ultramafic substrates vary in composition and are dominated by acidophytic (low pH preferring) taxa with a minor, but consistent, basiphytic (high pH preferring) component. Species lists from ultramafic habitats in different geographic regions varied widely, suggesting that …

Intensifying A Crop–Fallow System: Impacts On Soil Properties, Crop Yields, And Economics, S. J. Ruis, S. Stepanovic, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Intensifying crop–fallow systems could address increased weed control costs, increased land or rental costs, reduced crop diversity, and degraded soil properties in water-limited environments. One strategy to intensify such systems could be the insertion of a short-season crop during fallow. But, how this strategy affects soils, crop production, and farm economics needs further research. Thus, we studied the impacts of replacing fallow in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L)–corn (Zea mays L.)–fallow system with a short-season spring crop [field pea (Pisum sativum L.)] on crop yields and economics from 2015 to 2019 and 5-yr cumulative effects on …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Performance Tests 2022, J. F. Carlin, R. B. Mulloy, R. D. Bond

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers. The 2022 corn performance tests contained 68 hybrids and were conducted at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center (NERREC) at Harrisburg, the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center (NEREC) at Keiser, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station (LMCRS) near Marianna, the Rohwer Research Station (RRS) near Rohwer, and the Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) …

Abnormal Ear Development In Corn: Does Hybrid, Environment, And Seeding Rate Matter?, Osler A. Ortez, Anthony J. Mcmechan, Emily Robinson, Thomas C. Hoegemeyer, Reka Howard, Roger W. Elmore

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Corn (Zea mays L.) yields have increased in the United States since the 1930s and in other parts of the world since the 1950s and 1960s because of improvements in agricultural management and genotypes. Despite these increases, production concerns still exist. In July 2016, abnormal ear development (multi-ears per node, barbell-ears, and short-husks) was reported in cornfields that extended from the Texas Panhandle to eastern Colorado and east through Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Surveys in Nebraska farmer fields revealed significant productivity losses due to the issues, but little was known about the underlying causes. A research study was …

Evaluating Metabolic And Genomic Data For Predicting Grain Traits Under High Night Temperature Stress In Rice, Ye Bi, Rafael Massahiro Yassue, Puneet Paul, Balpreet Kaur Dhatt, Jaspreet Sandhu, Phuc Thi Do, Harkamal Walia, Toshihiro Obata, Gota Morota

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The asymmetric increase in average nighttime temperatures relative to increase in average daytime temperatures due to climate change is decreasing grain yield and quality in rice. Therefore, a better genome-level understanding of the impact of higher night temperature stress on the weight of individual grains is essential for future development of more resilient rice. We investigated the utility of metabolites obtained from grains to classify high night temperature (HNT) conditions of genotypes, and metabolites and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to predict grain length, width, and perimeter phenotypes using a rice diversity panel. We found that the metabolic profiles of rice genotypes …

Alfalfa In Rotation With Annual Crops Reduced Nitrate Leaching Potential, Arshdeep Singh, Tahseen Afzal, Bryan Woodbury, Charles Wortmann, Javed Iqbal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Rotation of perennial alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with annual crops has the potential to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) in the vadose zone and increase soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects on SOC, NO₃-N, ammonium-N (NH₄-N), and soil water in the 7.2 m depth with an alfalfa rotation compared with continuous corn (Zea mays L.). Soils from six pairs of alfalfa rotation versus continuous corn observation points were sampled to 7.2 m depth in 0.3 m increments. The uppermost 0.3 m was divided into …

Soybean Seed Protein Concentration Is Limited By Nitrogen Supply In Tropical And Subtropical Environments In Brazil, E. H. Figueiredo Moura Da Silva, N. Cafaro La Menza, G. G. Munareto, A. J. Zanon, Santos Carvalho, F. R. Marin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean production contributes to ca. 60% of global plant-based protein used for food and feed. Brazil is the largest soybean producer and exporter, with 60% from tropical and 40% from subtropical environments. Nitrogen (N) can play an essential role in the storage of proteins in seeds; thus, it could be a key factor in increasing the quantity and quality of seeds in high-yielding soybean crops. Unlike in temperate environments, there is a gap of knowledge on whether soybean grown under tropical and subtropical climates are limited by N-fertilization to sustain the seed yield increase without detriments in seed protein concentration. …

Combining Corn N Recommendation Tools For An Improved Economical Optimal Nitrogen Rate Estimation, Curtis J. Ransom, Newell R. Kitchen, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard B. Ferguson, Fabián G. Fernández, David W. Franzen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, David Brenton Myers, Emerson D. Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Improving corn (Zea mays L.) nitrogen (N) rate fertilizer recommendation tools can improve farmers’ profits and mitigate N pollution. Numerous approaches have been tested to improve these tools, but to date improvements for predicting economically optimum N rate (EONR) have been modest. This work’s objective was to use ensemble learning to improve our estimation of EONR (for a single at-planting and split N application timing) by combining multiple corn N recommendation tools. The evaluation was conducted using 49 corn N response trials from eight states in the US Corn Belt and three growing seasons (2014–2016). Elastic net and decision …

De Novo Assembly And Comparative Analyses Of Mitochondrial Genomes In Piperales, Runxian Yu, Xudong Chen, Lingjie Long, Matthias Jost, Ran Zhao, Lumei Liu, Jeffrey P. Mower, Claude W. Depamphilis, Stefan Wanke, Yuannian Jiao

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera exhibits many ancestral angiosperm features and a remarkably slow evolutionary rate, while mitochondrial genomes of other magnoliids remain yet to be characterized. We assembled nine new mitochondrial genomes, representing all genera of perianth-bearing Piperales, as well as for a member of the sister clade: three complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genomes from Aristolochiaceae and six additional draft assemblies including Thottea, Asaraceae, Lactoridaceae, and Hydnoraceae. For comparative purpose, a complete mitochondrial genome was assembled for Saururus, a member of the perianth-less Piperales. The average number of short repeats (50–99 bp) was much larger …

An Innovative Approach To Improve Oil Production And Quality Of Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) With Multi-Nutrient-Rich Polyhalite, Biswajit Pramanick, B.S. Mahapatra, Debarati Datta, Prithwiraj Dey, S.P. Singh, Ajay Kumar, Bappa Paramanik, Neeraj Awasthi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Polyhalite popularly known as POLY4 is a multi-nutrient fertiliser containing K, S, Mg, Ca, and micronutrients. POLY4 has a low carbon footprint, is certified for organic agriculture, and has the potential to improve crop productivity and quality attributes Indian mustard which often faces challenges due to imbalanced nutrition supplied in the current fertilisation schedule. The hypothesis of the study was that the multi-nutrient fartiliser POLY4 can ensure balanced nutrition for Indian mustard. Considering this, a field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to evaluate the effect of POLY4 on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) …