Horticulture Commons^™

The Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus Punctulatus) Is An Effective Hybrid Carrot Pollinator That Lives Within Australian Crop Agroecosystems, Abby E. Davis, Lena A. Schmidt, Karen C B S Santos, Lucie Martin, Samantha Harrington, Marizio Rocchetti, Brad Hocking, Derek Wright, Cameron J. Spurr, David F. Cook, Romina C. Rader

Horticulture Research Articles

1. Native insect flower visitors can be important contributors to crop pollination, yet little is known of their pollination abilities and the resources (habitat) they need to be supported within crop agroecosystems.
2. Here, we compared the abundance and pollination abilities of the golden drone fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in hybrid carrot crop fields known to produce variable seed yields in regional New South Wales, Australia. We further observed the egg-laying behaviours of female golden drone flies at a commercial berry orchard to provide insight into the habitat needs of this species. …

Does Selection For Seedling Tiller Number In Perennial Biomass Feedstocks Translate To Yield And Quality Improvements In Mature Swards?, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Susan Tunnell, James Stubbendieck

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Breeding for seedling traits in herbaceous perennial biomass feedstocks that translate into increased biomass yield or quality in established swards could accelerate the development of perennial grass cultivars for bioenergy or forage. In previously reported research, breeding for single large tillers (ST) or multiple tillers (MT, ≥3) six weeks after planting for two generations in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) base populations produced ST and MT populations that differed significantly for seedling and mature plant traits including biomass yield in spaced planted nurseries. Our objective was to evaluate these ST and MT populations in sward …

Identification And Functional Characterization Of Two Novel Ring-Type E3 Ligases From Sesuvium Verrucosum, Fayas Thayale Purayil

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Drought and salinity pose significant environmental challenges that impact the growth and productivity of plants. Sesuvium verrucosum is a succulent halophyte species of the Aizoaceae family. Halophytes have evolved specialized mechanisms to thrive in saline environments. Studying these adaptations can provide valuable insights into how plants cope with stress, thereby improving the resilience of crops and other plant species to combat salinity stress. In plants, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is crucial in maintaining cellular homeostasis and regulating protein levels, particularly in stress responses. E3 ubiquitin ligases play a major role in identifying targets and transferring ubiquitin to those targets. Among …

Investigating The Effect Of Agronomic Factors On Microbiome Of Horticulture Produce, Maryada Bohra

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

The ranged microbiome in fruits and vegetables contributes substantially to the health of vegetation which, in effect, benefits human health. These microorganisms undertake an extensive variety of responsibilities including flavour creation, ripening and health preservation via the production of second-generation metabolites. There is limited information however on the influence of agronomic practices such as crop ripening stage at harvest, storage, packing material and how they impact the microbiome of the crop itself. The overall role of the crop microbiome in gut health is also not fully clear.

The Meta-Hort project will examine the effects of premature harvesting along with tray …

Containerized Satsuma Mandarin Production Under Protective Screens As A Management Strategy, Anna Timmerman

LSU Master's Theses

Many of the world’s citrus growing regions are experiencing challenges related to citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) caused by the presumed bacterial agent Candidatus Liberibacter spp. HLB is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and through propagation of infected citrus material. HLB impacts tree health as well as fruit development, ripening, and quality of the resulting citrus fruit, often leading to an unmarketable product. Producers are growing citrus in high density orchards underneath protective screening material that excludes the Asian citrus psyllid, preventing new HLB infections. Four ultra-high containerized tree spacings of 2 feet …

Use Of Root Endophytic Enterobacter Sp. Sa187 For The Improvement Of Abiotic Stress Tolerance Of Tomatoes Grown Under Greenhouse Conditions, Aysha Mohammad Rahmani

Theses

Agricultural productivity is largely affected by climate change. These climatic alterations translate into adverse abiotic stress conditions, such as heat, drought, and salinity, which restrict the geographical distribution of plants and limit their crop yields. Extreme conditions primarily affect semiarid and arid regions, causing severe environmental and economic repercussions. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been proposed to overcome these challenges. The desert plant endophytic bacterium Enterobacter sp. SA187 has shown beneficial effects on plant growth and salt stress tolerance in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in vitro, as well as under field conditions in different crops. This study aimed to …

2023 Personal-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Indiana ranks sixth in watermelon production in the U.S., following Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and North Carolina in 2022. A total of 7,000 acres of watermelons were planted, with a production value of $71 million (USDA, 2023). Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and around 10% are personal-sized seedless watermelons (6-8 lbs).

2023 Seeded Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and a small portion of personal-sized red flesh seedless. Seeded watermelons are typically not grown in large acreages, but they may be used as pollenizer plants for growing seedless watermelons. The 2023 seeded watermelon cultivar trial included 15 seeded watermelon cultivars.

2023 Cantaloupe Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Traditionally, eastern-type cantaloupe is produced in Indiana. Longer shelf-life cultivars were developed and have been grown in Indiana. This report includes 11 cantaloupe cultivars, including some newly developed ones.

2023 Standard-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), in Vincennes, Indiana. The trial evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. The trial is financially supported by Purdue Extension and seed companies. The 2023 standard-sized triploid watermelon cultivar trial had 35 cultivars, including six with solid dark-green rind patterns, and one with a solid light-green rind pattern.

Identification And Functional Characterization Of Two Novel Ring-Type E3 Ligases From Sesuvium Verrucosum, Fayas Thayale Purayil

Dissertations

Drought and salinity pose significant environmental challenges that impact the growth and productivity of plants. Sesuvium verrucosum is a succulent halophyte species of the Aizoaceae family. Halophytes have evolved specialized mechanisms to thrive in saline environments. Studying these adaptations can provide valuable insights into how plants cope with stress, thereby improving the resilience of crops and other plant species to combat salinity stress. In plants, the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) is crucial in maintaining cellular homeostasis and regulating protein levels, particularly in stress responses. E3 ubiquitin ligases play a major role in identifying targets and transferring ubiquitin to those targets. Among …

Utilization Of The Endophytic Fungus Piriformospora Indica To Improve Salinity Stress Tolerance: An Insight Into The Date Palm’S Transcriptomic And Functional Genomic Approaches, Miloofer Sabeem

Dissertations

Sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions depends on managing soil salinity, which is a major environmental issue and a critical component of sustainable food production. Salinity has a significant impact on date palm growth and physiological functions. Plant growth promoting microbiota has become a viable option to improve plant growth and performance under salt stress. Piriformospora indica is a highly versatile root endophyte in agricultural fields capable of coping with salinity. Its role in increasing abiotic stress tolerance has been reported in several plant species, but not in date palms. This research study investigated the growth, biochemical and molecular …

Effects Of Fertigation Versus Palletized Fertilizer On Height And Caliper Growth In Oaks, Zachary M. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns led to an increase in revenue and production for green industry products in early 2020. In Study 1. an evaluation of fertigation (liquid feed, quick release) and controlled release fertilizers (CRFs, slow release) were applied to container-grown (7 gallon) live oak (Quercus virginiana) and Nutall oak (Quercus nuttallii) trees (100% Liquid feed, 0% CRF, 67% Liquid feed, 33% CRF, 33% Liquid feed, 67% CRF, 100% Liquid feed, 0% CRF). Live oak trees fertilized with CRFs had increased stem calipers (>30%). Nuttall stem caliper and height were significantly increased by …

Using Post-Season Tissue Nitrogen Concentrations To Predict Adequacy Of In-Season Nitrogen Management, Kyle Hoegenauer, Trenton Roberts, Carrie Ortel, Jarrod Hardke, Mike Richardson, Mike Daniels

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

High-yielding mechanized rice production requires large amounts of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, which can be particularly costly to producers when applied in excess. The development of a tissue test to detect overapplication of N to rice is needed. Nitrogen response trials arranged in a randomized complete block design were established to identify a critical concentration threshold for a tissue test to detect excess N availability. Rice stalk samples were collected from 0 to 20 cm above the soil within 5 days of harvest and analyzed for NO₃ −-N concentration. Two models were fit to the data to represent rice grain …

Extending The Capsicum Growing Season Under Semi-Arid Climate By Using A Suitable Protected Cropping Structure, Giao N. Nguyen, Neil Lantzke

Horticulture Research Articles

Carnarvon is a key horticultural district in Western Australia which is located approximately 900 km north of Perth and is characterised by a semi-arid climate. In Carnarvon, capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) is the second most important vegetable crop after tomato, with approximately 3700 tonnes of capsicum fruit produced annually with a farm gate value of AUD 13.5 million. High temperatures, excessive sunlight, low air humidity, and strong wind in spring and summer are major impediments to the achievement of high yield and quality of capsicum in this region. Capsicums are usually planted between March (early autumn) and May (late autumn), …

Genetic Analysis Of Basal Stalk Rot Resistance Introgressed From Wild Helianthus Petiolaris Into Cultivated Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.) Using An Advanced Backcross Population, Zahirul I. Talukder, William Underwood, Christopher G. Misar, Xuehui Li, Gerald J. Seiler, Xiwen Cai, Lili Qi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a serious pathogen causing severe basal stalk rot (BSR) disease on cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) that leads to significant yield losses due to insufficient resistance. The wild annual sunflower species H. petiolaris, commonly known as prairie sunflower is known for its resistance against this pathogen. Sunflower resistance to BSR is quantitative and determined by many genes with small effects on the resistance phenotype. The objective of this study was to identify loci governing BSR resistance derived from H. petiolaris using a quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping approach.

Methods: BSR …

Effects Of Rootstock And Location On Open Field ‘Bhn 589’ And ‘Nebraska Wedding’ Grafted Tomato Yield, Raihanah H. Shonerd, Ashley A. Thompson, Samuel E. Wortman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production is popular, particularly in high tunnels, because grafted plants can mitigate soilborne disease incidence in highly infested soils and increase water and nutrient use efficiency and crop yield and quality. However, these potential benefits are not as well documented in open field production systems with less disease pressure. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of tomato grafting on fruit yield, number, and size across 2 years (2018 and 2019) and three diverse open-field production environments in Nebraska (Lincoln, North Platte, and Dwight). At each location, a scion from one …

Evaluation Of Land Preparation Methods For Soil Stabilization, Revegetation, And Renewed Productivity In Semi-Arid Climates, Jarrett Lardy, North Dakota State University, Miranda Meehan, Aaron L. M. Daigh, James Staricka, Nathan Derby

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In the Williston Basin, land-preparation treatments have not been compared in side-by-side trials to evaluate performance for parameters such as runoff, erosion, and vegetation establishment. Thus, four treatments of wheat-straw crimping, land imprinting, wood-fiber hydromulch, and the combination of land imprinting and hydromulch were evaluated against a bare soil control in a replicated and randomized completed block field experiment near Williston, ND. Rainfall simulations were performed in September 2020 and June 2021 to examine the effectiveness of the treatments to reduce runoff and sediment losses. Vegetation establishment was also evaluated in August 2021. The wheat straw treatment reduced the equivalent …

Irrigation Increases On-Farm Soybean Yields In Water-Limited Environments Without A Trade-Off In Seed Protein Concentration, Walter D. Carciochi, Patricio Grassini, Seth Naeve, James E. Specht, Mitiku Mamo, Ron Seymour, Aaron Nygren, Nathan Mueller, Sarah Sivits, Christopher A. Proctor, Jenny Rees, Todd Whitney, N. Cafaro La Menza

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Context or problem: A trade-off between seed protein concentration (SPC) and yield has been reported for soybean. Therefore, assessing management practices that can nullify this trade-off is relevant to avoid further declines in SPC in the future as yield continues to increase. While the positive effect of irrigation on yield is well documented, only a few studies have assessed the impact of irrigation on SPC, showing conflicting results.

Objective or research question: The objective was to determine if the trade-off between seed yield and SPC persists when irrigation is applied and how management, soil, and weather factors influence the trade-off. …

Deleterious Mutations Predicted In The Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) Maturity (Ma) And Dwarf (Dw) Genes From Whole‑Genome Resequencing, Nathan P. Grant, John J. Toy, Deanna L. Funnell, Scott E. Sattler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] the Maturity (Ma1, Ma2, Ma3, Ma4, Ma5, Ma6) and Dwarf (Dw1, Dw2, Dw3, Dw4) loci, encode genes controlling flowering time and plant height, respectively, which are critical for designing sorghum ideotypes for a maturity timeframe and a harvest method. Publicly available whole-genome resequencing data from 860 sorghum accessions was analyzed in silico to identify genomic variants at 8 of these loci (Ma1, Ma2, Ma3, Ma5, Ma6, Dw1, Dw2, Dw3) to identify novel loss …