wheat – Page 2

Dryland wheat crop is hanging on during drought

24Apr

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Qingwu Xue, 806-354-5803, QXue@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – The dryland wheat crop is hanging on by a thread, of sorts.

two wheat cultivars with vastly different root development

Root development on wheat plants is making a difference in this drought year in the High Plains. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Thread-like roots developed last fall from the wheat seed have reached deep into the soil profile to tap moisture stored after abundant summer and fall rains, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research crop stress physiologist in Amarillo.

The root function of wheat plants is very important under dryland conditions, said Dr. Qingwu Xue. Those fall-developed roots are keeping plants alive as they await seasonal rainfall, even under extended drought conditions.

“This season has provided us a very good opportunity to evaluate the drought tolerance among wheat cultivars and dryland wheat management,” Xue said. “If you look at the dryland wheat around Bushland, you will see the plants are still alive, in spite of the fact we have not had any significant rainfall for about six months.”

He said while some plants are showing water stress, many are still looking strong above ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rR4doiyok&feature=youtu.be

“But if you pull the plant up, you will not find many crown roots,” Xue said. “So you might ask, ‘How are these plants surviving with no visible roots?’ Seminal roots that developed from the seeds last fall, that’s pretty much what has kept the dryland wheat plants alive.”

He said the seminal roots can go down 3 to 4 feet deep to tap the soil water reservoir.

Dr. Qingwu Xue, Texas A&M AgriLife Research crop stress physiologist, shows the difference in root development and plant growth between wheat cultivars. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter)

“Last summer and fall we received above-average rainfall,” Xue said. “That water is still available down deep and allowing the plants to survive, even under extended long, dry conditions.”

Within the dryland wheat plots and fields, he said a difference can be seen in the root development among cultivars, and that is important in monitoring for drought resistance.

A little rain a few weeks ago provided enough of a boost for some cultivars to show growth of the crown roots once again, and that is also being reflected in the aboveground growth.

“These plants will have a better survival chance and will probably have a better yield under dryland conditions than those on which the crown roots have almost disappeared,” he said.

Xue said one of the AgriLife Research dryland wheat fields received less than an inch of irrigation a week ago and has demonstrated rapid development of crown roots, as well as aboveground growth.

“This just demonstrates the importance of the roots for wheat production under water-limited conditions. They help it survive until the seasonal rains come,” he said. “In the coming weeks, if we get a little bit of rain, it will help the dryland wheat to remain productive.”

Xue said he also noted a planting-date difference on wheat performance under this year’s drought conditions. Fields planted in September used up the stored soil water faster and thus are shorter and not as strong as those planted in November, which are still thriving on stored moisture in the deep profile.

“The difference in this year and previous years,” he said, “is while we have had a very long period of dry conditions on the top soil, we still have plenty of water in the deeper soil profile and this is helping the plants survive.

“If you have a very good soil-water profile to start with, you have a better chance of developing the root system critical to surviving an extended period with no seasonal rains,” Xue said.

Viability of lentil, wheat rotation studied for Rolling Plains

24Jan

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Emi Kimura, 940-552-9941 ext. 233, emi.kimura@ag.tamu.edu

Winter lentils may be just what the doctor ordered to perk up the Rolling Plains wheat crop.

That doctor is Dr. Emi Kimura, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in Vernon.

Dr. Emi Kimura checks out early growth stages of lentils near Chillicothe at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Lentils are legumes that grow in pods on a bushy plant, and as legumes, they are high in nitrogen, which would benefit the following wheat crop, Kimura said.

She has initiated a winter lentil-winter wheat crop rotation trial with funding provided by Texas Wheat Producers Board to see if this is valuable production option.

While lentil is typically planted in the spring in the Northern Plains, Kimura said concern they might not survive the Rolling Plains summer prompted her to use the fall-sown variety Morton.

Winter varieties of canola, lentil and wheat were planted on Sept. 30, 2016, in small dryland plots designed with four replications. All crops were planted using the same drill used for wheat at a rate of 60 pounds per acre on wheat, 5 pounds per acre on canola and 25 pounds per acre on lentil.

Lentils, canola and wheat growing in a field

From left to right, lentils, canola and wheat were growing in late 2016 as a part of a wheat/lentil rotation trial. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Emi Kimura)

Kimura said she applied insecticide March 30 as a growing aphid population was observed, especially in canola and a few in winter lentil. No fertilizer or extra water was applied to the plot.

“In our first year, we saw some positive attributes of winter lentil in the Rolling Plains, including excellent winter survival, grain production and forage potential,” she said.

Although the winter lentil was slow to fill in the rows in the fall as compared to the wheat and canola, Kimura said the lentil crop did not suffer from cold temperatures during the winter months.

The crops were harvested for grain June 6, and yields were 7.4 bushels per acre for canola, 8.3 bushels per acre for the winter lentil and 39 bushels per acre for winter wheat.

“Our winter lentil yield was lower than expected as compared to the winter lentil yield observed in the Northern Plains,” Kimura said. “We suspect the seeding rate of 25 pounds per acre used in the trial was not appropriate for our region.”

She said seeding rate is an important factor on final yield. To help determine appropriate seeding rates in the Rolling Plains, she conducted a seeding rate trial – 20, 30, 40 and 50 pounds per acre – along with the crop rotation trial during the 2016-2017 growing season.

“We found that a seeding rate at 40 pounds per acre, among the four seeding rates examined, produced the highest yield of 20 bushels per acre,” Kimura said.

This yield is similar to average U.S. lentil yields for the past 10 years, she said. The current seeding cost is $26 per acre with the 40-pounds-per-acre seeding rate.

wheat, lentil and canola seeds beside a ruler to shows how much larger lentil seeds are than the others.

Winter lentil, wheat and canola seed comparison. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

“We do not have a lentil market yet in Texas,” Kimura said. “However, if we continue to work on winter lentil production and accumulate enough data, I believe the market will come.”

In the past two years, lentil production has gone from about 300,000 acres nationwide to almost 1 million acres in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service.

During harvest in 2017, the market prices for these three crops were: lentil, $510-600 per ton or $13.8-16.2 per bushel; canola, $404-475 per ton or $9.16-10.77 per bushel; and wheat, $153-160 per ton or $4.16-4.90 per bushel.

She said the lentil crop also produced a harvestable amount of crop residue after combining grain. Crop residues observed for lentil, wheat and canola were 1,154 pounds per acre, 736 pounds per acre and 0 pounds per acre of dry matter, respectively. She said canola leaves hard, woody stubble not suitable for cattle.

“We are currently processing the winter lentil forage samples for nutritive values (e.g., crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, digestibility and relative feed quality),” Kimura said. “These values are all important parameters to influence animal performance such as intake and gain.”

The next phase of this crop rotation study was planted Oct. 12 to assess the influence of winter lentil on winter wheat production, she said. The rotations include wheat following lentil, canola following lentil, wheat behind canola, lentil behind canola, wheat after wheat, lentil after wheat and canola after wheat.

large pile of forage available after harvesting seeds

Lentil forage on June 5 following harvest. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Emi Kimura)

“It has been a very dry fall/winter in the Rolling Plains, and the trial desperately needs moisture, as does all wheat in the Rolling Plains,” Kimura said.

Other production information and best management practices Kimura hopes to determine during these trials include disease and insect information, variety selection, nodulation, planting dates and fertility, she said.

Inclusion of lentil in winter wheat-winter canola rotation systems increased the yield of both wheat and canola and reduced nitrogen requirements for the wheat by about 38 pounds per acre in the Northern Plains, she said.

“We are examining to see whether similar effects will occur to our wheat here in the Rolling Plains,” Kimura said.

She said a 12-year study conducted in Saskatchewan, Canada also indicated the protein contents of wheat were greater in the winter wheat-winter lentil crop rotation systems than continuous wheat production.

Another expected benefit of this rotation, Kimura said, is the nitrogen fertilizer requirement can be gradually reduced compared to the fallow-winter wheat system as a result of increased rate of net nitrogen in the root zone of wheat due to the legume.

“We believe lentil will not only add a beneficial cash crop to the rotation, but it also will greatly contribute to reducing environmental footprints,” Kimura said.

Genetic discovery another tool in battle against wheat pests

17Nov

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Shuyu Liu, 806-677-5600, SLiu@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – Greenbug and Hessian fly infestations can significantly reduce wheat yield and quality in Texas and worldwide. Breeding for resistance to these two pests using marker-assisted selection just got a new tool from a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study.

Because genetics is the most economical strategy to minimize losses, AgriLife Research wheat geneticist Dr. Shuyu Liu began two years ago searching for breeder-friendly markers for those two insects. This step is a continuation of ongoing genetic work on insect resistance.

Greenbug cluster on wheat. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Through the years, a number of greenbug resistance genes have been identified in wheat and its relatives based on their differential reactions to different biotypes, which range from A through K. There are also 18 Hessian fly biotypes, and because it has the ability to overcome resistance genes deployed in wheat cultivars through mutations, it is necessary to identify and utilize resistance genes from diverse sources for wheat breeding.

Scientists use genetic markers to identify regions where specific genes can be found on a particular plant. Liu has identified the neighborhoods or markers for a gene offering greenbug resistance, Gb7, and a gene that provides Hessian fly resistance, H32, in wheat.

Liu’s work was recently published in the Theoretical and Applied Genetics Journal of Plant Breeding Research, detailing the development of the Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction or KASP assays for both genes.

Hessian fly adult. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Joining Liu on the publication were AgriLife Research wheat team members Drs. Jackie Rudd, Amarillo, and Amir Ibrahim, College Station, both wheat breeders; Dr. Qingwu Xue, crop stress physiologist; Dr. Chor Tee Tan, an associate research scientist; as well as other students and staff in Amarillo.

Both genes were identified through previous research, and linked markers for them were mapped, but the detection methods were not well suited for marker-assisted selection for evaluating thousands of plants, Liu said.

He said knowing an address doesn’t mean someone knows where in the city to start looking for it. But by developing single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNPs, which include flanking markers closely linked and located on chromosomes, geneticists are able to give breeders the neighborhood to search.

SNPs are then converted into KASP assays, which are considered breeder-friendly because they are easier to use, faster and more accurate, he said.

Effective molecular markers closely linked to the target genes are the key for the success of marker-assisted selection on traits such as greenbug and Hessian fly resistance, Liu said. For instance, a breeder will typically screen 1,000s of breeding lines, and the KASP acts as a flag to say the necessary genes for a particular trait exists in a particular line.

Through Liu’s work, both genes can now be easily transferred into a new wheat line through marker-assisted selection.

Dr. Shuyu Liu, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research geneticist in Amarillo, looks at the results from a KASP assay for insect resistant wheat lines. Clustered in blue are the resistant lines, the susceptible lines are clustered in red, and green indicates lines not pure resistant or susceptible. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Liu said the Gb7 and H32 are both found in a synthetic wheat, W7984, which is a parental line for a mapping population that wheat researchers are using worldwide. Synthetic wheats are man-made crosses between Durum or pasta-type wheats and Aegilops tauschii. These initial crosses provide access to genes of the wild relatives of wheat, thus increasing usable genetic diversity for breeders to improve winter wheat varieties.

The mapping population was developed more than 10 years ago by the International Triticum Mapping Initiative, but neither of these genes has been used for resistance in breeding programs to this point, he said.

“The reason I think they were not being used is they were in a synthetic line and it required more effort to transfer them into adaptive wheat lines,” he said. “What we have done with the KASP marker is make them easier to find and utilize.”

For example, TAM 114, a newer, increasingly popular variety of Texas A&M wheat, does not have greenbug resistance and only has limited Hessian fly resistance, Liu said.
“But with this new knowledge, breeders can cross with TAM 114 and keep its superior end-use quality and improve it with the Gb7 and H32 genes,” he said. “This will make the new line more adaptable to the regions where Hessian fly is a problem.”

By crossing wheat lines with the identified KASP markers, the process to develop the pure line with selected properties can be much more accurate, Liu said.

Liu said he began searching for these markers because the TAM breeding program has made heavy use of synthetic germplasm so the markers will quickly be implemented.

To get to this point, Liu utilized genotype-by-sequencing markers developed by other research groups, and ultimately the KASP markers were validated using the set of synthetic wheat lines. Each line of that mapping population was screened for reactions by greenbug and Hessian fly by two U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service centers.

“We’ve determined they are very effective under many genetic backgrounds,” he said. “Genetic diversity and genetic gains are always important to wheat breeders.”

Texas A&M AgriLife partners with Tunisia to improve soil management

28Jun

By: Kay Ledbetter

U.S. Department of State project designed to improve economic viability, security

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Amir Ibrahim, 979-845-8274, aibrahim@tamu.edu
Dr. Jake Mowrer, jake.mowrer@tamu.edu
Dr. Qingwu Xue, 806-354-5803, qxue@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Anil Somenahally, 903-834-6191, Anil.Somenahally@ag.tamu.edu

Improving the livelihood of small-acreage landholders is the goal of recent trips to Tunisia by Texas A&M AgriLife faculty members focusing on soil management and sustainability in cereal crops to improve the country’s overall economics.

AgriLife researchers examine a wheat field in Tunisia

Texas A&M AgriLife and Tunisian researchers look at wheat in a field near Bizerte, Tunisia. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Fostered by the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and the U.S. Department of State, a pilot partnership was established between Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and l’Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supèrieur Agricoles, or IRESA, in Tunisia.

Faculty members from Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences department are Dr. Amir Ibrahim, AgriLife Research wheat breeder, College Station; Dr. Jake Mowrer, AgriLife Extension state soil fertility specialist, College Station; Dr. Qingwu Xue, AgriLife Research crop physiologist, Amarillo; and Dr. Anil Somenahally, AgriLife Research soil scientist, Overton. They are joined by six researchers from IRESA.

The team traveled to Tunisia on a pilot partnership established to “create a more secure, democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community,” said Dr. David Baltensperger, head of the Texas A&M University department of soil and crop science in College Station.

“By helping the country become more efficient in its agricultural abilities, our scientists learn about opportunities for Texas producers also,” Baltensperger said.

Dr. Amir Ibrahim is leading the partnership between Texas A&M and Tunisia

Dr. Amir Ibrahim, AgriLife Research wheat breeder, College Station, stands in a durum wheat field not far from the Mediterranean Sea. Ibrahim is leading a partnership between Texas A&M and Tunisian researchers. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

The purpose of the partnership was to initiate and facilitate the exchange of research, teaching and extensionresources in the area of sustainable soil management, Ibrahim said.

Tunisian scientists have indicated a need for the development of a significant research program to reduce soil degradation and improve soil health and the soil’s ability to support vital ecosystem activities and how best to manage soils to tackle the challenge of climate change.

At their initial visit, the Texas A&M faculty helped conduct four workshops to: enhance knowledge of each institution’s capacity and resources; build strong cooperation for innovation; enhance technology and knowledge transfer between institutions; and design collaborative funded research for development projects.

“The first time we went, we were there to conduct the actual workshops,” Xue said. “These workshops were attended by Tunisian scientists, students and agricultural administrators. During these workshops we spent much time presenting and exchanging ideas on sustainable soil management and key areas where we should focus.”

Tunisia has a typical Mediterranean climate, with wet and cool winters and hot and dry summers. Their primary crops grown are cereal grains and olives.

“Currently their agricultural practices are facing challenges due to soil health degradation, aridity, water and soil salinity, and climate change,” Somenahally said. “Therefore, improving and conserving soil quality is a key mission for their farmers for sustainable production.”

That’s where the AgriLife team began working, offering information on key research priorities including soil management optimization, practices leading to soil organic matter improvement, soil biodiversity and functions related to land management practices, nutrient fluxes and integrated plant and soil system approaches, new sensor technology, and improved and adapted crops.

Some of the crops they focused on were durum and bread wheat varieties resilient to climate change, forage sorghum hybrids adapted to acidic and other marginal soils, and other cereal and legume forages, Ibrahim said.

Development of early maturing and high-yielding wheat varieties with adequate post-flowering drought and heat tolerance to the different adaptation zones of Tunisia is of paramount importance, he said.

Following the AgriLife team visit, the core Tunisian team of scientists and administrators came to Texas in June 2016 and toured College Station and the surrounding research centers. They also met with university faculty and the Texas A&M’s Center for Teaching Excellence to review and help develop curriculum in soil sciences for the Tunisian universities and institutions.

The AgriLife team made a second trip to Tunisia in April to attend an international conference and develop more specific research and extension plans. During the April trip, the team had an opportunity to tour a working farm near the Mediterranean Sea that had implemented soil conservation tillage practices.

“We learned about their cereal cropping and rotation systems under the Mediterranean climate, which is similar to the Texas High Plains environment,” Xue said. “There are many things we can share with them from what we have learned here in Texas.

“For instance, conservation tillage has been practiced for decades in the Texas Panhandle. We are pleased this technology can be used in another part of the world. The majority of their land is farmed dryland and we know conservation tillage helps preserve moisture, prevent wind erosion and promote soil health and organic carbon.”

Members of the AgriLife team are Dr. Anil Somenahally, Dr. Ibrahim, Dr. Jake Mowrer, and Dr. Qingwu Xue

Texas A&M AgriLife team members Dr. Anil Somenahally, soil scientist, Overton; Dr. Amir Ibrahim, wheat breeder, College Station; Dr. Jake Mowrer, state soil fertility specialist, College Station; and Dr. Qingwu Xue, crop physiologist, Amarillo, stand in front of the National Institute of Agronomy in Tunisia. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

The first phase of the project ends in 2017, but the AgriLife team is making plans for future work.

“Our long-term goal is to improve the small-acreage landholder livelihood in cereal-production areas in Tunisia by optimizing the use of resources through appropriate soil management that will enhance soil quality and water productivity and ensure soil sustainability,” Mowrer said.

“This could be achieved by creating a Center of Excellence that will support the development and the implementation of technologies and capacity building to improve soil quality management, sustainable agriculture and climate change in the Middle East and North Africa region.”

As a result of this project, Mowrer was invited to join the roster of Fulbright specialists and to conduct a workshop on soil nutrient management and soil testing. Over the course of one week, he assessed the capacity for a Tunisian national soil testing program, met with leaders of stakeholder organizations, visited laboratories and field research facilities, and presented a vision of what such a program might look like in the very near future.

“The outcome was much more positive than I could have expected going in,” Mowrer said, “with 100 percent commitment to an initial pilot program involving six major national organizations aligned with higher education, research, policy-making and extension activities.”

Opportunities for effective knowledge exchange and dialogue at many different levels, coupled with AgriLife Extension through demonstration activities with farmers’ participation in farmer-managed trials, will continue in the future, Somenahally said.

Innovation of researchers yields better food, feed and fiber for consumers

28Jun

By: Kathleen Phillips

Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu

Contact: Dr. Craig Nessler, 979-845-8486, cnessler@tamu.edu

When the names of two researchers were called as top innovators at the recent Texas A&M Technology Commercialization banquet in College Station, officials at Texas A&M AgriLife beamed.

“It was gratifying to see that our efforts to attract and support the best scientists was noticed and honored,” said Dr. Craig Nessler, director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the agency that yielded both winners — Dr. Gregory Sword and Dr. Joshua Yuan. “And we’re also proud that so many of the others honored hail from AgriLife Research and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.”

Research results by Sword and Yuan have connected with private industry and with the federal government in ways that not only pay off for further studies but ultimately benefit producers and consumers, Nessler said.

They weren’t alone. AgriLife Research scientists annually produce scores of novel developments, from new crop varieties to biological methods aimed at improving the nation’s supply of food, feed and fiber, according to the citations.

“Science isn’t just about discovering facts that previously were unknown,” Nessler said. “To truly make a difference in the world, science has to take a step beyond the lab or field and consider ways to bring these discoveries to the people.”

Among the other AgriLife Research innovations recognized were certificates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Protection Office for:

— J. Creighton Miller Jr., Douglas C. Scheuring and Jeffery Koym, “‘Reveille’ Russet Potato.”

— Russell L. Sutton, Amir Ibrahim, Bryan E. Simoneaux, Dirk B. Hays, Lloyd R. Nelson, Jackie C. Rudd and Jason A. Baker, “‘TAMO411’ Oat.”

— Michael R. Baring, Brian D. Bennett, Mark D. Burow, John M. Cason and Charles E. Simpson, “‘Webb’ Peanut.”

Seed pigmentation in Blackhawk arrowleaf clover is linked to seedling disease resistance

Blackhawk arrowleaf clover’s resistance to seeding diseases is linked to seed pigmentation. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Robert Burns

— Gerald R. Smith, Indre J. Pemberton and Francis M. Rouquette, Jr., “‘Blackhawk’ Arrowleaf Clover.”

— Jackie C. Rudd, Ravindra N. Devkota, Jason A. Baker, Amir Ibrahim, Russell L. Sutton, Bryan E. Simoneaux, Joseph M. Awika, Shannon Baker, Shuyu Liu and Lloyd Rooney, “‘TAM 114’ Wheat, Common.”

New wheat cultivar released by Texas &M AgriLife researchers.

Texas A&M AgriLife’s wheat breeding program has submitted TAM 114 wheat for release.

— Jackie C. Rudd, Jason A. Baker, Ravindra N. Devkota, Lloyd R. Nelson, Bryan E. Simoneaux, Russell L. Sutton, Amir Ibrahim, Shannon Baker, Joseph Awika, Shuyu Liu and Clark Neely, “‘TAM 204’ Wheat, Common.”

AgriLife Research scientists recognized for patents granted for their research results were:

— Luc R. Berghman, “Compositions and Methods of Enhancing Immune Responses”

— Leslie Garry Adams, Allison R. Ficht and Thomas A. Ficht, “Controlled Release Vaccines and Methods for Treating Brucella Diseases and Disorders”

— Sword, “Fungal Endophytes for Improved Crop Yields and Protection From Pests”

— Paul J. De Figueiredo, Martin B. Dickman, Eliezer S. Louzada, Zivko L. Nikolov and Brian D. Shaw, “Transformation of Glycerol And Cellulosic Materials into High Energy Fuels”

— Tushar Surva Bhowmick, Mayukh Das, Carlos F. Gonzalez and Ryland F. Young Iii, “Method for Treatment and Control of Plant Disease”

— John E. Mullet, William L. Rooney, “Method for Production of Sorghum Hybrids with Selected Flowering Times”

— Ambika Chandra, Anthony Dennis Genovesi and Benjamin G. Wherley, “St. Augustinegrass Plant Named ‘Dalsa 0605’”

May 17 field day to highlight wheat research impact on food supply

28Apr

Improvements equal to 3 billion-plus loaves of bread annually

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Jackie Rudd, 806-677-5600, jcrudd@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – At least 3 billion loaves of bread in the Texas Panhandle alone every year – that’s the difference Texas A&M AgriLife Research is making, according to hosts of the annual Wheat Field Day.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research irrigated wheat plots near Bushland look good as the May 17 Wheat Field Day approaches. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Jason Baker)

Wheat research, and the difference it makes in the food supply chain, will be highlighted during the annual field day May 17 at the Texas A&M AgriLife facilities near Bushland.

“This year we want to invite the general public, along with producers, seed dealers and other key business associates, to come see our latest research in the fields and also see the difference it makes throughout our community and region,” said Dr. Jackie Rudd, AgriLife Research wheat breeder in Amarillo.

AgriLife Research is co-hosting the event with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and West Texas A&M University.

The field day is free and will include breakfast tacos, sponsored by Texas Wheat Producers Board, and a lunch, sponsored by the USDA-ARS Ogallala Aquifer program.

“We are very excited this year to show off our new hybrid wheat research, discuss the latest genetic discoveries and let producers walk through our field trials to see how different varieties are performing,” Rudd said.

Additionally, attendees will get a chance to spend an hour viewing booths ranging from Texas Wheat’s display for producers and consumers to United Supermarkets’ explanation of what types of wheat flour are used to make products ranging from desserts to tortillas to bread. AgriLife Extension will host a display, Going with the Grains, focusing on the value and importance of wheat in the diet.

Rudd said wheat breeding research and studies surrounding production practices of the crop have been conducted there since the 1940s. During that time, tremendous strides have been made to improve yields, drought resistance, insect and disease control, and production practices in general.

Since it started near Bushland, wheat research has improved dryland yields in farmers’ fields from about 11 bushels per acre in the 1940s to more than 36 bushels per acre average today, he said.

With a bushel of wheat yielding 42 pounds of flour and making 90 loaves of bread, every acre of wheat is producing about 2,250 more loaves of bread annually. There are about 1.34 million acres of wheat harvested in the Texas Panhandle alone.

“Sometimes we don’t do a good job of letting our neighbors and community know what is going on out on the research farm and what an impact it has on not only this region, but the nation and world,” Rudd said. “We hope this event will help us reach out to more people and explain the importance of the work being done here.”

Some highlights of the noon program will be Texas Wheat’s Role in the World by Steelee Fischbacher, Texas Wheat Producers Board director of policy and marketing in Amarillo, and Valuing Wheat Quality by Dave Green, the Wheat Quality Council executive vice president in Lenexa, Kansas.

In addition to variety trials, one of the tour stops will include discussion about how wheat breeders look for new and helpful traits by looking back to wheat relatives that might be considered weeds, Rudd said.

Presentations will also cover water-use savings, wheat curl mite issues, residue management for water conservation, management issues and genomics.

Once the tours are over, Dr. Ron French, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, and Dr. Ed Bynum, AgriLife Extension entomologist, both in Amarillo, will be available to discuss disease and pest issues. Producers are welcome to bring samples for one-on-one consultations.

For more information, contact Rudd or Shannon Baker at 806-677-5600.

New wheat streak mosaic virus resistance genetic markers developed

6Feb

Advancement made in battle of major disease in the Great Plains

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Shuyu Liu, 806-677-5600, SLiu@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Chor Tee Tan, 806-677-5600, chor_tee.tan@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – The Wsm2 gene is located on chromosome 3BS in wheat and most recently eight tightly linked flanking markers have been identified and mapped.

Dr. Chor Tee Tan, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate research scientist in Amarillo, prepares KASP assays. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter .

To most, that means very little. To Texas A&M AgriLife Research geneticists and breeders, it’s the key to battling one of the most important biotic stresses affecting wheat.

Dr. Shuyu Liu, AgriLife Research small grains geneticist in Amarillo, and his team recently published two articles, “Saturated Genetic Mapping of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Resistance Gene Wsm2 in Wheat” and “Development and Validation of KASP Markers for Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Resistance Gene Wsm2,” in the Crop Science journal.

In both articles, Liu and his collaborators outlined how wheat streak mosaic virus, also known as WSMV, is a major threat to wheat production in the Great Plains, one of the largest wheat regions in the nation, Liu said. While the threat may not be as high as it is in the U.S., the virus has been found in all major wheat-growing regions of the world.

There is no effective chemical treatment available for the disease, he said. Host resistance is the most cost-effective and environmentally safe approach for combating this disease.

“WSMV resistance is an important target trait for our wheat breeding program,” said Dr. Jackie Rudd, AgriLife Research wheat breeder in Amarillo. “We have evaluated many diverse sources of genetic resistance over the years, including a wheat breeding line from Colorado State University, CO960293-2, known to have good resistance.”

Rudd and the AgriLife Research wheat team began crossing with the Colorado line in 2005 and by 2011 had identified and mapped WSMV resistance on chromosome 3BS and named the gene Wsm2.

Liu said wheat breeding programs worldwide now rely on two primary sources of resistance, Wsm1 – identified in the early 1990s from a wheatgrass, and the Wsm2 from a bread wheat, for development of WSMV-resistant wheat cultivars.

Effective molecular markers closely linked to the target genes are the key for the success of marker-assisted selection on traits such as WSMV resistance, he said. Among the available markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs are routinely used in plant breeding programs to distinguish potentially superior genotypes with genetic merit for traits of interest.

Two clusters from the KASP assay shows wheat lines exhibiting resistance with Wsm2, blue, and susceptibility, red, to WSMV.

His genetic team has identified eight SNPs flanking Wsm2, Liu said. This helps increase the efficiency in selection for the resistance needed to battle the virus.

“A single marker linked to target genes may not be sufficient to screen across diverse genetic backgrounds,” Liu said. “Therefore, a set of tightly linked markers on each side of the gene is the best predictor for Wsm2 with higher accuracy.”

These tightly linked SNPs will be useful for marker-assisted selection for WSMV resistance, he said.

Dr. Chor Tee Tan, an associate research scientist in Amarillo, has been able to carry the AgriLife Research work one step further. Working in the wheat genetic program for almost four years, he led the effort to develop breeder-friendly Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction or KASP assays for those SNPs tightly linked to Wsm2 and validated them in multiple breeding populations.

If a breeder is screening 1,000s of breeding lines, as is typical, the KASP acts as a flag to say the necessary sequence for wheat streak mosaic virus resistance exists in a particular line of wheat, Tan said.

“These KASP SNPs were tested on a panel of nine wheat breeding and mapping populations with diverse genetic backgrounds and were found to be very effective in differentiating resistant and susceptible genotypes for WSMV,” he said.

“We have many lines with Wsm2 in our breeding pipeline now and these new markers will help us get to the finish line,” Rudd said. “Marker technology has greatly improved, and these latest findings are easy to use and very predictable.”

Liu said the joint effort from breeders at AgriLife Research, Kansas State University-Hays and Colorado State University, has “made great progress to fight this disease that is not easy to screen by infection.”

Research for these studies was supported in part by the Texas Wheat Producer Board, Monsanto’s Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars, AgriLife Research and a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to the Triticeae-CAP project.

Both journal articles can be accessed at http://bit.ly/2kSxobG.

Public wheat breeder consortium to be developed by USDA grant

9Jan

Goal to make dramatic improvements to wheat yields

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Shuyu Liu, 806-677-5600, Shuyu.liu@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s wheat genetic and breeding programs will have genes in play when a multi-state, multi-agency project establishes a nationally coordinated consortium to advance wheat yields.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research wheat geneticist Dr. Shuyu Liu, Amarillo, will lead Texas’ efforts in a nationally coordinated consortium to advance wheat yields. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter)

The Wheat Coordinated Agricultural Project, titled “Validation, characterization and deployment of QTL for grain yield components in wheat,” is a five-year project jointly funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and International Wheat Yield Partnership.

The first year of funding, $1,696,000, has been released with the following years of funding subject to release based upon continued progress in the grant research.

The primary focus of this consortium of public wheat breeders, molecular geneticists, high-throughput genotyping laboratories, database experts and educators will be on increasing wheat yields.

Developers of the project said surveys of state wheat-grower associations have repeatedly shown grain yield is the main priority for producers and the main determinant of their profits. Increases in kernel weight will also benefit grain millers, because this trait is highly correlated with increases in flour yield.

The project will be led by the University of California-Davis and include most university-based and USDA-Agricultural Research Service public wheat breeding programs.

Contributing to the major effort to improve wheat yields dramatically over the next decade from AgriLife Research will be wheat geneticist Dr. Shuyu Liu, Amarillo, and wheat breeders Dr. Amir Ibrahim, College Station, and Dr. Jackie Rudd, Amarillo.

“AgriLife Research’s TAM 111 is currently the most planted hard red winter wheat cultivar in the U.S., and its derivatives have been used in many wheat breeding programs,” Liu said.

The project will allow the TAM wheat breeding team to hire a doctoral student to follow through on genetic testing of TAM 111, he said. The student will deploy a variety of techniques to identify and study the functionality of candidate genes for the major quantitative trait loci, or QTL, identified in TAM 111 for higher yield.

“Since TAM 111 and its derivatives have been used in many wheat breeding programs as parents, the knowledge will be very helpful for wheat breeders,” Liu said.

The project was developed because increases in the global wheat production required to feed a growing population is currently hampered by limited knowledge of the genes controlling wheat yield. Identification of these genes is a necessary first step to understand how they interact and shape the pathways that regulate yield.

Genetic variations of grain yield and its components can be used to identify candidate genes, such as those in TAM 111, and the use of new genomic tools will provide a unique opportunity to clone the underlying genes, Liu said.

The U.S. scientists will partner with International Wheat and Maize Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, researchers to transfer these underlying genes into wheat lines from CIMMYT in Mexico to be used to improve varieties worldwide, he said.

The group also identified a long-term constraint to future increases in wheat production in the U.S. as the limited number of trained plant breeders. This project will train 15 doctoral students in plant breeding, integrating field, laboratory and bioinformatics skills, including the one with AgriLife Research.

According to the project outline, public breeding programs within the universities are essential to providing plant breeding students with integrated training, including field and laboratory experiences. Centralized workshops will allow doctoral students to benefit from the collective group expertise.

Additional expected research outcomes include finding perfect markers for genes regulating grain yield components and develop genotypic and phenotypic information for a large number of breeding lines organized in a database to serve wheat breeders worldwide.

Winter wheat management critical to spring production

8Dec

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Jourdan Bell, 806-677-5600, Jourdan.bell@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – The wheat may be planted, but there’s still a lot of work to do to maximize production, whether for forage, grain or both, said Dr. Jourdan Bell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in Amarillo.

Dual-purpose wheat needs attention throughout the winter to provide spring forage and grain production. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Jourdan Bell)

Managing irrigation, in-season fertility, diseases and weeds will be critical for wheat producers who already face low crop prices and a predicted dry spring, Bell said.

Wheat conditions across the Texas High Plains are variable going into the winter.

“There is a lot of dryland wheat that is stressed right now,” she said. “We had good precipitation for early wheat in August and September to get the crop started, but we have had very little since then. We are returning to drought conditions.”

Bell said poor dryland wheat stands will not fare well moving into next spring unless the region gets good winter precipitation.

“We also have some wheat acres that are very lush due to early season precipitation, irrigation and warm fall temperatures. While the lush fall growth provided good fall forage, it may harbor insects as well as increase the risk for spring diseases, including wheat streak mosaic virus.

“Moving forward, there are things we need to do,” she said. “At this point, producers have already made their varietal selections for the year. So we need to focus on agronomic management, including irrigation and fertility. Most wheat varieties use 22 inches of total water, with most of that water use in the spring.”

Bell said it will be important for producers to decide how they are going to allocate water to their wheat crop and consider the critical periods for crop water use, especially if the region continues moving into drought conditions.

“When we do our wheat ‘Picks’ each year, we take into consideration the whole package, which includes disease susceptibility, drought tolerance and water-use efficiency,” she said. “It is important to look to see which variety is going to perform well under drought conditions and which one is going to produce more wheat per inch of water.”

Newer varieties have the potential to yield much higher if managed well, but they still have the same critical time periods for water stress.

“Ideally under well-watered conditions, we are able to meet the crop water demand from germination through soft dough,” Bell said. “However, if well capacity or water is limited for wheat production, producers often ask, ‘When are the critical times to irrigate?’”

Germination and emergence are key to getting a good stand, she said. Tillering is key to having a good crop going into the winter – wheat planted in September tillers in October/November, which is often ideal for grazed and dual-purpose systems.

“Moving into spring, we want to maximize the number of seeds per head so it is critical to hit the jointing stage with water. If water is available, it is also very beneficial to irrigate at flowering.”

For those who plant TAM 112 for increased drought tolerance, it is still important to have water at these critical growing stages, she said. Dryland wheat must still have enough stored soil moisture at planting for fall vegetative growth.
“This year in some of the areas with limited precipitation, producers got just enough to germinate the crop, but the crop is currently in poor condition because there was not sufficient stored soil moisture to draw from.”

When discussing germination, producers need to understand the importance of seedling vigor and realize the bin-saved seed they might have opted to use due to low prices could have resulted in poor germination and seedling vigor, Bell said. Quality seed is needed for good germination and vigor.

In-season fertility management is also important to maximize production. It is recommended that producers coordinate their fertility program to the production goal – grain only, dual purpose or grazing only, she said. Generally, the best option is to do a split application, with one in the fall planting and one in late winter.

This provides the producer the opportunity to assess field conditions prior to top-dressing and prevent overgrowth in the fall, Bell said. In addition to harboring insects, overgrown wheat will use stored soil moisture. If winter precipitation is not sufficient enough to rebuild soil moisture reserves, there could be a water deficit in the spring as the crop is transitioning into reproductive development

She said the best time to top-dress fertilizer is at Feekes 5, around mid-February, to ensure nitrogen is available to the plant by the jointing stage or Feekes 6. Feekes 5 is when the meaningful tillers have developed and the growing point is moving above the soil surface.

Because the crop is transitioning from vegetative to reproductive development, this is also when cattle should be pulled off wheat so they don’t graze off that growing point, if the wheat will be carried to grain production, Bell said.

“With no soil test, we advise applying 1.2 pounds of nitrogen per acre per bushel yield goal for grain-only production. For dual-purpose wheat, the recommendation is 3.75 pounds of nitrogen per acre per bushel yield goal – 2 pounds at planting to satisfy the forage growth and 1.5 pounds top-dressing in the spring for grain production.

“If the wheat is solely for graze out, we recommend 30 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 pounds of forage. While many of our graze-out producers are cutting back on their input costs, maximum forage production is necessary to make wheat pasture profitable,” Bell said.

These application rates, however, do not account for the nitrogen in the root zone, she said.

“At the current wheat prices, do not apply nitrogen without a soil test. Soil tests account for nitrogen in the soil and could potentially save you thousands of dollars in fertilizer.”

And finally, if the spring yield potential looks good, producers will need to determine if it will be economical to manage for disease, she said. There are several modes of action for fungicides, so “you need to be scouting early to determine what products you need to use.”

Bell said she conducted a fungicide trial targeting stripe rust at Booker using two application dates – April 2 at early heading to minimize damage to the flag leaf and May 6 at late-flower to address producers’ concerns with saving test weight. The first application provided significant control but the second added very little.

“We estimated the first one saved about 20 bushels per acre, so it was effective and paid for itself,” she said.

Bell’s final advice to producers was “weed management is critical in the spring – weeds rob the water and nutrients from your crop.”

Enhanced wheat curl mite control found in genes

28Oct

AgriLife Research develops screening protocol

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Shuyu Liu, 806-677-5600, SLiu@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – The Texas High Plains high winds are known for causing more than just bad hair days; they are a major contributor to the spread of wheat curl mite–transmitted viral diseases in wheat.

TAM 112, left, exhibits wheat curl mite resistance, where the control, Karl, doesn’t have the vigor. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Cultural control is not very effective because the wind can spread the mites and thus devastating diseases such as wheat streak mosaic virus, said Dr. Shuyu Liu, Texas A&M AgriLife Research small grains geneticist in Amarillo.

In a paper, Wheat Curl Mite Resistance in Hard Winter Wheat in the U.S. Great Plains, published recently in Crop Science journal, the wheat genetics research team at Amarillo led by Liu outlined how the better control will come through genetics.

In addition to the wheat genetics team, the work was supplemented by the pathology program led by Dr. Charlie Rush, the wheat breeding program by Dr. Jackie Rudd and the physiology program led by Dr. Qingwu Xue, all in Amarillo.

Liu explained that the problem begins with the practice of planting wheat early for cattle grazing. The early wheat is prone to wheat curl mite infestation and thus wheat streak mosaic virus, as well as other diseases.

“A number of growth chamber studies and field variety trials have shown that wheat lines with wheat curl mite-resistance routinely exhibit reduced damage from mite-vectored virus diseases,” Liu said.

The genetics research team attacked the problem with a two-pronged approach – study the mites to determine what they attack the hardest and study the wheat varieties to see which provide the most resistance and what prompts that resistance.

In the study, he said, they applied molecular techniques to differentiate the various mite collections from different regions. They identified one Texas collection virulent to wheat lines with rye translocations, and determined wheat varieties with only the rye chromosome fragment will be susceptible.

His team applied molecular techniques to identify the genes within the wheat that provided the mite resistance. That resulted in a newly validated protocol used to screen hard winter wheat lines and cultivars for resistance to the wheat curl mite.

“In our screening, there were relatively high numbers of wheat lines from the Texas A&M breeding program that exhibited resistance to the wheat curl mite, which was mainly due to the utilization of TAM 112 sources in the crosses,” Liu said.

TAM 112 is a popular cultivar for its drought tolerance and had been identified by the Texas A&M wheat breeding program as having resistance to wheat curl mite and wheat streak mosaic virus under field conditions.

Through the newly developed protocol, Liu’s team determined that TAM 112 and its derived lines, including TAM 204, have the resistance gene from Aegilops tauschii, an annual goatgrass that is an ancestor of bread wheat.

Both Aegilops tauschii and the rye influence provide TAM 112’s wheat curl mite resistance, he said. The one from rye doesn’t work against some of the wheat curl mite populations in Texas, but it does have value in many field situations.

This research clears up some confusion as to why some TAM 112 progeny were not consistently resistant. Only the Aegilops tauschii gene gives resistance to the most prevalent wheat curl mite strain.

Now wheat breeders can develop other wheat curl mite-resistant varieties by using the.genetic markers to get the most effective gene and avoid testing lines with inconsistent resistance, he said.