Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences

The Annual Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium

2016PB-Symposium

Soil&Crop Sciences graduate students will host the second annual Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium on Thursday, February 18, 2016. The one-day research conference is open to the public and will take place in the Memorial Student Center Bethancourt Grand Ballrooms, Room 2300 CDE, on the College Station, Texas campus. The program will begin at 8:00 AM with an evening reception to follow.

The symposium is free to attend, but registration is required for both on-campus and webinar participation. To register for the symposium and for more details, please visit the official symposium website: plantbreedingsymposium.com

The theme of the 2016 symposium is Healthier Food for a Healthier World. World class scientists from major U.S. agricultural universities, international research centers, and private companies will be speaking on plant breeding’s impact on human health and environmental quality. Speakers will explore topics in biofortification, breeding for enhanced nutrient content, and breeding crops for sustainable agricultural systems.

The line-up of keynote speakers includes:

  • Irwin Goldman, carrot and beet breeder and Horticulture Department Chair at the University of Wisconsin
  • Kevin Murphy, Assistant Professor working on breeding sustainable barley, buckwheat, ocra, and perennial wheat among others at Washington State University
  • Kevin Pixley, Director of the Genetic Resources Program and corn breeder at CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
  • Jim Gaffney, Strategy Lead in Biotech Affairs and Regulatory at DuPont Pioneer in Johnston, Iowa.
  • Eric Jackson, Principal Geneticists and Systems Biologist at General Mills, working on oat and wheat nutritional genomics.
  • Kevin Crosby, Associate Professor of Horticulture and melon, pepper, tomato, onion and carrot breeder at Texas A&M.

 

In addition to these keynote speakers, students researching plant breeding at Texas A&M will share their research via oral presentations and posters. Students have the opportunity to win prizes up to $325 each for their efforts. Interested students may sign-up to present their research on the symposium website.

After the symposium, all attendees are invited to Café Eccell in Bryan, Texas for an evening reception. It will be a casual atmosphere to network with the speakers and other symposium attendees. Appetizers will be provided. The winners of the student research competition will also be presented with their awards at this time.

A Farm to Table lunch will also be provided to all symposium attendees. The farm-fresh food will be locally grown and prepared by chefs Ronin Cooking. The lunch will be paired with an informational presentation from the Ronin team describing their plant variety selections, farming methodologies, and food preparation techniques.

The symposium organizers are also hosting a non-perishable food drive in order to provide healthier food for those less-fortunate in our local community. The food will be collected by Texas A&M’s “12th Can” student-run food pantry. Attendees who bring food items to the symposium will be entered into a raffle. Each food item is worth one raffle ticket. Each ticket will be an opportunity to win one of many prizes donated by seed companies and local businesses.

The Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium is fully organized by a team of Texas A&M graduate students studying plant breeding or a related science. Laura Masor, Brian Pfeiffer, Francisco Gomez, Ammani Kyanam, Dustin Wilkerson, and Smit Dhakal have been working together since August to make the event a success.

The Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium is presented by DuPont Pioneer. The symposium is a member of the DuPont Plant Sciences Symposia Series which connects similar events at universities around the world. The event is also sponsored by Cotton, Inc., Texas A&M’s Office of Graduate and Professional Studies, Texas A&M’s Departments of Soil and Crop Sciences, Horticulture, and Biology, Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M’s C.O.A.L.S. Council, Ronin Cooking, Seed Saver’s Exchange, and Johnny’s Select Seeds.

For more information about the symposium, contact the graduate student organizing committee via email at pbsymposium@gmail.com, visit our website at plantbreedingsymposium.com, or connect with us on social media:

  • Facebook at “Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium”
  • Twitter @pbsymposium
  • Instagram @pbsymposium
  • YouTube channel at “Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015 Soil&Crop Sciences Departmental Awards

Faculty and staff gathered January 12 for the annual meeting, awards presentation and reception.

Longevity awards were presented to two professors.  Dr. James Heilman was recognized for his thirty-five years of service. Dr. Lloyd Rooney was not present at the meeting, but received recognition of fifty years of service from Dr. Baltensperger the following day. Dr. Frank Hons was presented with a certificate of appreciation for his service, as he retired after thirty-seven years with the department.

Other awards were:

  • The BB Singh Award for Crop Science Thesis, was awarded to Dr. Amanda Hulse-Kemp.
  • Kelli Norman received the BB Singh Award for Outstanding Achievement by Non-Academic Support Staff.
  • An Administrative Support Award was presented to LeAnn Hague.
  • An Administrative Support Award was presented to Linda Francis.
  • Earning the Collaborating County Agent Award was Corrie Bowen.
  • Diane Boellstorff received the Extension Specialist Award.
  • The Research Faculty Award was presented to Dr. Nithya Rajan.
  • The Graduate Research Award was presented to Silvano Ocheya.
  • Keya Howard received the Graduate Teaching Award.
  • Chor Tee Tan won the award for Research Collaboration.
  • The Research Support – Field award was presented to Daniel Hathcoat.
  • A Special Service Award was presented to Andy Scott of Rio Farms.
  • Joseph Awika received the Teaching Award.
  • Two Technical Staff Support Awards were presented with Kirk Jessup receiving the Field staff award and Ruth Maddox receiving the award for Laboratory staff.
  • The Undergraduate Student Support Award was presented to Kimberly Nutter.

 

AgriLife Extension studies new grass control technology in grain sorghum

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

AMARILLO – Acetolactate synthase inhibiting herbicides have been used to control grass weeds in crop production such as corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat, but only recently has this technology been available in grain sorghum, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.

Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist, enters data from a study testing the effectiveness of the DuPont herbicide Zest and Pioneer ALS-resistant grain sorghum. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist, enters data from a study testing the effectiveness of the DuPont herbicide Zest and Pioneer ALS-resistant grain sorghum. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Better known as ALS-tolerant herbicides, Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Amarillo, is part of a larger study encompassing other areas of Texas as well as neighboring states to test the effectiveness of the DuPont herbicide Zest and Pioneer ALS-resistant grain sorghum.

“It’s very important that we are involved in these trials because we are working to  provide unbiased results directly to our local producers regarding successful weed control with this technology,” Bell said.

“As our farmers look at their bottom line and analyze their inputs, it’s very important that they understand the ideal crop stage and proper rates at which to apply the herbicides in order to achieve optimal herbicide performance.”

Historically controlling grassy weeds in grain sorghum has not been possible because it is a grass-based crop; herbicides used to treat grassy weeds would also kill the sorghum, Bell said.

A side-by-side comparison of treatments in the ALS-tolerant herbicide study in Randall County. (Texasa A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Jourdan Bell)

A side-by-side comparison of treatments in the ALS-tolerant herbicide study in Randall County. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Jourdan Bell)

“The ALS-tolerant gene was actually located by Kansas State in shattercane and released to private breeding companies. Through natural breeding, it has been incorporated into several grain sorghum varieties that are currently in research and development with Pioneer and Advanta Seeds,” she said.

In her study located northwest of Canyon, she is evaluating the ALS herbicide Zest, which is a new formulation of nicosulfuron herbicide labeled by DuPont, with the assistance of Dr. J. D. Ragland, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Randall County.

“We’re looking at different rates of that herbicide, tank mixes and growth stages to control Johnsongrass in grain sorghum,” Bell said. “Of course, grassy weeds, just like any weed, can be a significant problem for crop production because they’re competing for water, nutrients and even light.”

Zest will be labeled to control grassy weeds, including shattercane, volunteer wheat, volunteer grain sorghum, barnyard grass, foxtail and even Johnsongrass, she said.

“It is critical that we look at the timing of the herbicide application not only for the crop but also the size of the weed,” Bell said. “We are looking at a grassy weed that is generally 2 to 4 inches tall. We are not going in as a rescue treatment trying to control 3 to 4 feet tall grassy weed species.”

In the trial, they made two seasonal applications of the Zest herbicide: a 12-ounces-per-acre treatment and then a second treatment one month later to control a second flush Johnsongrass in the plots.

“We have seen that it is critical to include a pre-emergent herbicide and follow up with a post broadleaf herbicide in the Zest tank mix because the Zest herbicide is only controlling the grassy weed species,” Bell said.

This trial is also being repeated in other locations throughout the state of Texas by other AgriLife Extension partners, as well as by Oklahoma and Kansas Extension personnel, she said. Through Extension trials, producers have the opportunity to evaluate the technology and understand the potential uses.

“This is very important so we can see how these herbicides perform under different growing conditions including soils, climate and management practices,” Bell said.

She said the results of these Extension-based studies will be used by DuPont Crop Production in their final stages of research and development of the Zest herbicide. It is anticipated that the Zest herbicide will be released along with the ALS-tolerant grain sorghums in 2016.

Resisting rust in Texas

October 07, 2015

By Rup Chakravorty

Wheat, from breads and pastries to beer and pastas, is an integral part of diets. Farmers produced about 730 million tons of wheat globally in 2014. It serves as the staple food for more than 35% of the world’s population – around 2.5 billion people – according to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization.

Researchers in wheat field, Texas

Ibrahim and Jackie Rudd in the field at Castroville, Texas. Photo provided by Amir Ibrahim.

But wheat is vulnerable. Among the most damaging diseases that affect wheat crops across the world are rusts. The fungi that cause stem rust, leaf rust and stripe rust belong to the genus Puccinia. These parasites cannot grow without infecting a host plant, and are responsible for some of the greatest destructions of crops in human history.Wheat rusts have a bulls’ eye target over Texas. “It can overwinter here as it doesn’t usually get cold enough to kill it,” says Amir Ibrahim, a professor in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at Texas A&M University.

The windblown spores of Puccinia can travel great distances and quickly adapt to host plant resistance. Their adaptability makes breeding new resistant cultivars of wheat a priority for researchers like Ibrahim.

Ibrahim and his colleagues have recently released a cultivar of winter wheat – TAM 305 – that is resistant to many of the rust fungi.

“It’s a natural resistance,” says Ibrahim. “We make (genetic) crosses to incorporate the right genes needed for resistance.” Even under optimal environmental conditions for rusts and the presence of virulent strains, plants with strong resistance can do well, he says.

TAM 305 is resistant to stem and leaf rust. Adult plants are resistant to stripe rust as well, although seedlings did show some susceptibility. There may be some symptoms in the field but those symptoms do not spread very fast, and the crop can be harvested without significant loss.

Ibrahim and his colleagues select for durable resistance. This is like building an obstacle course. Instead of having to overcome one major resistance factor, the rust fungi face plants that have a number of weaker, or minor, resistance genes. “It is difficult for one kind of rust pathogen to overcome this kind of resistance,” says Ibrahim.

Tagging wheat plant heads in field

Ibrahim tagging wheat plant heads at Castroville, Texas. Photo provided by Amir Ibrahim.

The benefits of growing resistant cultivars of wheat in Texas spread beyond the state. “It warms up earlier in Texas than in other states, and the germination of the Puccinia spores begins earlier as well,” says Ibrahim. “These spores are then blown by the wind to states like Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas and other wheat growing areas.” If the spread of rusts isn’t controlled in Texas, wheat crops across the continent can be affected.In fact, farmers across North America have been battling wheat rusts for over a century. In 1904, stem rust destroyed more than half the harvest in South Dakota, then considered the wheat center of the world. Three epidemics of stem rust from 1939-1941 destroyed wheat crops in the Yaqui Valley of Mexico. Agricultural scientists such as Edgar McFadden and Norman Borlaug – who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 – have led efforts to breed cultivars of wheat resistant to infection by rusts. But new strains continue to rise and threaten crops across the world.

TAM 305 is now being adopted by farmers in its target area. It has excellent yield and generally good quality for use by bakers and other commercial end users.

One of the challenges breeders face is trying to improve yield and quality while maintaining resistance. “Every time you introduce new sources of resistance, you might bring along other genes that could reduce yield or quality,” says Ibrahim.

With TAM 305 as a parent, Ibrahim is now developing resistant, high quality strains of winter wheat.

The development of TAM 305 resulted from work done by the Texas A&M AgriLife Wheat Improvement Team, USDA-ARS, and various other universities, with collaboration from Jackie Rudd. The Texas Wheat Producers Board and Texas A&M AgriLife Research funded this project.

Ibrahim’s research is published in the Journal of Plant Registrations.

Aggies in the Mississippi Delta

Undergraduate students from the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University recently traveled to Scott, Mississippi, to visit the Monsanto Learning Center. The center hosts thousands of visitors each year. It contains 130 acres of research and demonstration plots focused on cotton, corn and soybean production. The program at the center addresses problems and opportunities encountered on rich alluvial silt-loam and heavy clay soils in the Mid-South. They also learned about strategies employed by Monsanto to improve food and fiber production in the U.S. and around the world. This trip is part of a high-impact learning experience class (SCSC 305) taught by Dr. Steve Hague, which introduces students to the industry of soil and crop sciences.

Students (left to right): Julio Hernandez, Callie Fitzgerald, Zach Vice, Robert Chapa, Matthew Petermann, and Marina Rismiller.

Students (left to right): Julio Hernandez, Callie Fitzgerald, Zach Vice, Robert Chapa, Matthew Petermann, and Marina Rismiller.

Soil Science Society of America Announces 2015 Award Recipient

Frank HonsMADISON, WI, Jun 30, 2015 – The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) announces the following 2015 award recipient to be formally presented at the SSSA Awards Ceremony on 2015-11-18 during the scientific society’s International Annual Meeting, Nov. 15-18, 2015, Minneapolis, MN. The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to soil science through education, national and international service, and research.

Frank M. Hons, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX – Soil Science Education Award: Frank Hons is Professor of Soil Science and AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. Dr. Hons received a BA in Chemistry from the University of Dallas and MS and PhD degrees in Soil Chemistry and Soil Science from Texas A&M University. Frank has taught soil science classes for 37 years and has mentored 42 graduate students. He previously received teaching awards at departmental and college levels and the Agronomic Resident Education Award from ASA. Frank is also internationally recognized for his research involving soil biogeochemistry, carbon sequestration and nitrogen dynamics, and he has authored 116 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Hons is a Fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.

Soil Science Education Award

The Soil Science Education Award recognizes the educational achievements in soil science. Soil scientists making
outstanding educational contributions through activities such as resident, extension, or industrial education are eligible
for nomination. Contributions on which the nomination is based will have been made within the past 10 years. The
award consists of a certificate and $1000 honorarium.

Evaluation:

  • Innovative or unique approaches that encourage learning
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly
  • Ability to motivate change in the audience