Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Chad T. Miller / Kimberly A. Williams / Intumescences are a physiological disorder characterized by hypertrophy and possibly hyperplasia of plant cells. Many plant species are susceptible to intumescence development, but the specific causative factors remain uncertain. Ultimately, this disorder results in the death of the affected cells. Previous observations and research suggest that the quality and quantity of light to which plants are exposed may be a factor in development of the disorder. The purpose of the first study was to assess the preventive effect of UVB radiation on intumescence development in ornamental sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). Two sweet potato cultivars, ‘Sidekick Black’ and ‘Ace of Spades,’ were grown under four light treatments of 1) Normal; 2) UVB; 3) UVB-Blocked; 4) Full-Spectrum. The ‘Ace of Spades’ cultivar was highly susceptible to intumescence development, while ‘Sidekick Black’ was much less susceptible to the disorder. For ‘Ace of Spades,’ the addition of UVB radiation significantly reduced the number of leaves affected with intumescences when compared to plants grown under the other light treatments. This study indicates a cultivar-specific effect of UVB light in minimizing intumescence development on ornamental sweet potato, therefore suggesting a potential genetic component in intumescence susceptibility. Many plant species are prone to similar physiological disorders in which lesions develop on the leaf tissue. Nomenclature for such lesions has varied significantly in the literature. Interchangeably using these terms causes confusion as to whether these names refer to the same or different disorders. The objective of the second study was to characterize the development of lesions on ornamental sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Maxifort’) and interspecific geranium (Pelargonium בCaliente Coral’). Light microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and digital photography were used to observe lesion development on each species. Lesions on ornamental sweet potato predominately involved the hypertrophy of the palisade parenchyma through the upper epidermis, while geranium lesions involved the hypertrophy of spongy parenchyma cells restricted by the lower epidermis. Tomato lesions involved both the hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the lower epidermis and spongy parenchyma. Thus, different species possess varied cellular responses when developing lesions due to physiological causes.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / P.V. Vara Prasad / High temperature (HT) and drought are detrimental to crop productivity, but there is limited variability for these traits among wheat ([italics]Triticum aestivum[end italics] L.) cultivars. Five [italics]Aegilops[end italics] species were screened to identify HT (52 accessions) and drought (31 accessions) tolerant species/accessions and ascertaining traits associated with tolerance. Four synthetic wheats were studied to quantify independent and combined effects of HT and drought. [italics]Aegilops[end italics] species were grown at 25/19°C day/night and 18 h photoperiod. At anthesis, HT was imposed by transferring plants to growth chambers set at 36/30°C, whereas in another experiment, drought was imposed by withholding irrigation. Synthetic wheats were grown at 21/15°C day/night and 18 h photoperiod. At anthesis or 21 d after anthesis, plants were exposed to optimum condition (irrigation + 21/15°C), HT (irrigation + 36/30°C), drought (withhold irrigation + 21/15°C), and combined stress (withhold irrigation + 36/30°C). Stresses were imposed for 16 d. High temperature and drought stress significantly decreased chlorophyll, grain number, individual grain weight, and grain yield of [italics]Aegilops[end italics] species (≥ 25%). Based on a decrease in grain yield, [italics]A. speltoides[end italics] and [italics]A. geniculata[end italics] were most tolerant (~ 61% decline), and [italics]A. longissima[end italics] was highly susceptible to HT stress (84% decline). Similarly, [italics]A. geniculata[end italics] had greater tolerance to drought (48% decline) as compared to other species (≥ 73% decline). Tolerance was associated with higher grains spike [superscript]-1 and/or heavier grains. Within [italics]A. speltoides[end italics], accession TA 2348 was most tolerant to HT with 13.5% yield decline and a heat susceptibility index (HSI) 0.23. Among [italics]A. geniculata[end italics], TA 2899 and TA 1819 were moderately tolerant to HT with an HSI 0.80. TA 10437 of [italics]A. geniculata[end italics] was the most drought tolerant accession with 7% yield decline and drought susceptibility index 0.14. Irrespective of the time of stress, HT, drought, and combined stress decreased both individual grain weight and grain yield of synthetic wheats by ≥ 37%, 26%, and 50%, respectively. These studies suggest a presence of genetic variability among [italics]Aegilops[end italics] species that can be utilized in breeding wheat for HT and drought tolerance at anthesis; and combined stress of drought and high temperature on synthetic wheats are hypo-additive in nature.

Doctor of Philosophy / Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Interdepartmental Program / Timothy P. Durrett / The direct use of vegetable oils as a biofuel suffers from problems such as high viscosity, low volatility and poor cold temperature properties. 3-acetyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols (acetyl-TAGs) have lower viscosity and freezing temperature than regular vegetable oils. However, by modifying their fatty acid composition, further improvement in their fuel properties is possible. Our goal was to develop plants that synthesize seed oils with further improved fuel properties. Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) synthesizes acetyl-TAGs by the acetyl-CoA dependent acylation of diacylglycerol (DAG). Knowledge of the substrate specificity of EaDAcT for its acetyl-CoA donor and DAG acceptor substrates is important to generate the required acetyl-TAG composition in seed oil. A rapid method to quantify acetyl-TAGs was developed based on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to gain information about the substrate specificity of EaDAcT. This method is as accurate and more rapid than the traditional radiolabeled substrate based assay and additionally provides information on acetyl-TAG molecular species present. Using this assay, EaDAcT specificity for different chain length acyl-CoA and DAGs was tested. It was found that although EaDAcT can use other short chain length acyl-CoAs as acyl donors, it has high preference for acetyl-CoA. Further, EaDAcT can acetylate a variety of DAGs with short, medium and long chain length fatty acids with high preference for DAGs containing unsaturated fatty acids. To generate acetyl-TAGs with lower molecular mass, EaDAcT was transformed into transgenic Camelina sativa lines producing high amounts of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). EaDAcT expression was also combined with the knockdown of DGAT1 and PDAT enzymes, which compete with EaDAcT for their common DAG substrate. High acetyl-TAG yielding homozygous T3 transgenic lines were generated but the incorporation of MCFAs into acetyl-TAGs was inefficient. A small increase in the viscosity of acetyl-TAGs from these lines was observed compared to acetyl-TAGs produced in wild type Camelina plant. The combined effect of insufficient lowering of molecular mass and increased fatty acid saturation levels of acetyl-TAGs might be responsible for this increased viscosity. Overall, it was concluded that the molecular mass and the saturation levels of fatty acids of acetyl-TAGs need to be considered at the same time in future attempts to further decrease their viscosity.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jeffery R. Williams / The economic feasibility of adding a pistachio roasting facility to the current operations of Tularosa Pistachio Groves (TG) was examined. A facility that roasts and processes 200,000 pounds of pistachio nuts was found to be the most economically viable for the available product grown by (TG) and other small growers in this area. This size facility optimizes the production capacity of the equipment needed for a small grower/processor and fully utilizes a fulltime skilled labor pool needed for the operation. Lower production levels utilize the same equipment on an intermittent schedule. Although operating costs are less when processing fewer pistachio nuts, the negative cash flows during the early period of the project are significant and make the lower production levels less financially viable. The primary reason the lower production quantities are less attractive is because the initial capital investment produced lower cash incomes in the early years of operation. Additional cash is needed for the operation costs, and principal and interest payments. Achieving maximum production to utilize the capacity of the facility sooner makes the project more financially feasible.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Channa B. Rajashekar / Studies were conducted to examine the role of antioxidants in adaptation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to unprotected environmental conditions and various environmental stresses. Antioxidants, in addition to being a plant defense mechanism, are phytochemicals that provide significant health-promoting and nutritive value in human diet. Various approaches involving mild environmental stresses and cultural and management practices have been used to enhance the quality of this commonly consumed leafy vegetable by improving its phytochemical and health-promoting attributes. Lettuce plants grown in protective environments adapt to unprotective environmental conditions by activating antioxidant genes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), gamma-tocopherol methyl transferase (gamma-TMT), and L-galactose dehydrogenase (L-GalDH) involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds,alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, respectively. Mild environmental stresses such as heat shock, chilling, water stress and high light also activate these genes leading to the accumulation of secondary metabolites and phytochemicals without any adverse effect on biomass accumulation. The phytochemicals included chlorogenic acid, chicoric acid, caffeic acid, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and luteolin-7-O-glucoside. However, under field conditions, application of drought stress did not produce consistent results with regard to the phytochemical composition of lettuce. Plants grown in open field have higher phenolic content and higher antioxidant capacity than those grown in high tunnel. However, these plants also had less biomass accumulation. Many factors such as plant age, variety, fertilization, transplanting shock affected the phytochemical composition of lettuce. The red leaf variety 'Red Sails' had higher antioxidant capacity than 'Baronet' and younger plants had the highest phytochemical content. With regard to the management practices, there was no significant difference in phytochemical composition between organically and conventionally managed crops. Also, low fertility favored the accumulation of phytochemicals and increased the antioxidant capacity. Thus, the results show that mild environmental stresses along with appropriate cultural and management practices can enhance the quality of lettuce by improving their phytochemical composition.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Kimberly A. Williams / The use of calcined clays contributes properties of nutrient and water retention to soilless root media, which varies greatly depending on the parent clay and calcining treatment. This research characterized phosphate (PO[subscript]4) sorption of various calcined clay products, including low volatile and regular volatile material (LVM and RVM) 2:1 Attasorb clays (Engelhard Corp.), 2:1 Terra Green LVM clays (Oil-Dri Co.), and Turface (Profile Products LLC) at various particle sizes; 1:1 kaolin clays (Thiele Kaolin Co.) in powder form, and diatomaceous earth (Diatomite, Eagle Picher Minerals, Inc.). Three of the calcined materials, Terra Green montmorillonite and Attasorb attapulgite (which had high PO[subscript]4-sorption based on isotherms), and diatomaceous earth (which had negligible PO[subscript]4-sorption) were evaluated as components of soilless root media in two separate greenhouse experiments. The effect of the calcined materials, rate of incorporation (0%, 5%, 10% and 20% by volume in a mix with peat and perlite), and PO[subscript]4-P application rate (0, 5, 15, 45 mg.L[superscript]-1 PO[subscript]4-P) on plant growth, effluent P content and water use were determined during production and post-production of Impatiens wallerana Hook f. 'Tempo Rose'. The calcined materials varied in their ability to adsorb PO[subscript]4-P and generally yielded L-type isotherms. Laboratory results indicated potential for substantive P retention by several of the calcined materials when used in container production. For most materials, PO[subscript]4-P sorption did not show pronounced pH dependence. During production and post-production, the test materials not only improved PO[subscript]4-P retention but also water retention and water use efficiency while still maintaining optimal physical properties at incorporation rates of 5 to 10%. Diatomaceous earth resulted in PO[subscript]4-P retention not significantly different from the calcined clays.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Dale J. Bremer / Heat stress is an important problem in potted nursery plants, but container color may moderate effects of solar radiation on container soil temperatures. Field studies were conducted near Manhattan, Kansas, USA during summer to evaluate effects of container color on growth of roots and aboveground biomass in: bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris); red maple (Acer rubrum); and eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). In the tree studies, effects of shaded soil-surfaces on plant growth were also evaluated. Four treatments among studies included containers colored black (control), flat white, gloss white, and silver, with two additional treatments in the tree studies of green and black containers with shaded soil surfaces (black shaded); treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design. Plants were grown in a bark-based soil-less media, and temperatures were measured at 5 cm depths in the sun-facing sides and centers in five containers per treatment. After four months (June-October), plant variables were measured. Roots were separated into three sections: core (10.2 cm diam.), north, and south, rinsed of all media, dried and weighed. In the bean study, media temperatures at the sun-facing side averaged lowest in gloss and flat white (~36 oC) and greatest in the black control (50.3 oC). Accordingly, total root biomass at the sun-facing side was reduced by 63 to 71% in black compared to flat and gloss white containers. In heat-sensitive maples, media temperatures at the sun-facing side averaged up to 7.7 oC greater in black, black shade and green than in other treatments; temperatures in black shade may have been lower if shade cloth had covered the sun-facing sides of containers in addition to only the media surface. Media temperatures in the core averaged 3.5 to 3.8 oC greater in black than in flat and gloss white, resulting in up to 2.5 times greater belowground biomass and up to 2.3 times greater aboveground biomass in flat and gloss white than in black pots. In heat-tolerant redbuds, the effects of container color on whole-plant growth were less evident. Data suggests that heat-sensitive plants benefit from using white pots or painting outer surfaces of green and black pots white.

Le but de cette étude est de mieux comprendre l’effet d’une fertilisation en lisier de porc sur la productivité d’une plantation de saule tout en évaluant les risques d’impact négatif sur l’environnement. Nous avons évalué la réponse des plants à des quantités croissantes de lisiers en plus de la comparer à celle d’une fertilisation minérale. Nous avons aussi vérifié l’impact du lisier sur les teneurs nutritionnelles du sol ainsi que sur les concentrations en nitrates et phosphore de la solution du sol. Bien que l’azote du lisier soit moins efficace que celui des engrais minéraux, les résultats de notre étude montrent que le lisier est un bon engrais pour les plantations de saules. En effet, les rendements sur deux ans des parcelles ayant reçu les quantités croissantes de lisier étaient de l’ordre de 30,3 à 32,9 t/ha. Nous avons observé l’augmentation des teneurs en nitrate, cuivre et zinc dans le sol en fonction des apports croissants de lisier. Ces teneurs ont d’ailleurs diminué lors de la deuxième saison de croissance, ce qui pourrait être dû au prélèvement par les saules. Les concentrations printanières des eaux de lysimètres indiquent que la quantité maximale de lisier telle que testée lors de nos essais comporte un certain facteur de risque de lessivage des nitrates. Nous n’avons pas analysé la solution du sol des parcelles fertilisées avec des quantités plus faibles de lisier, mais nous pouvons croire qu’elles auraient induit des concentrations en nitrate comportant moins de risque de lessivage tout en assurant une productivité considérable. / The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the use of pig slurry as fertilizer on the productivity of a willow plantation, while evaluating the risk of a negative impact on the environment. We evaluated plant response to increasing slurry amounts and compared this response to the effect of mineral fertilization. We also verified the impact of slurry on soil nutritional content as well as on nitrate and phosphorus concentrations in the soil. Although slurry nitrogen was less efficient than mineral fertilizer, the results of our study show that slurry constitutes an effective fertilizer for willow plantations. In fact, yields over two years on plots that received increasing amounts of slurry were on the order of 30.0 to 32.9 t/ha. We observed an increase in soil levels of nitrates, copper and zinc as a function of increasing slurry amounts. These levels actually decreased during the second growing season, possibly due to uptake by the willows. Springtime concentrations of water in lysimeters indicated that the maximum amount of slurry tested in our experiments was accompanied by a certain risk of nitrates leaching into the soil. We did not analyze the soil solution of plots fertilized with lower amounts of slurry, but it seems likely that these nitrate concentrations would have had a lower risk of leaching while still ensuring considerable productivity.

Master of Science / Department of Plant Pathology / William Bockus / Barley yellow dwarf (BYD) is one of the most important wheat diseases in the state of Kansas. Despite the development of cultivars with improved levels of resistance to BYD, little is known about the impact that this resistance has on yield loss from the disease. The intent of this research was to estimate yield loss in winter wheat cultivars in Kansas due to BYD and quantify the reduction in losses associated with resistant cultivars. During seven years, BYD disease incidence was visually assessed on numerous winter wheat cultivars in replicated field nurseries. Cultivars were planted about three weeks early to promote disease. When grain yields were regressed against BYD incidence scores, negative linear relationships significantly fit the data for each year and for the combined dataset covering all seven years. The models showed that, depending upon the year, 19-48% (average 33%) of the yields was explained by BYD incidence. For the combined dataset, 29% of the relative yield was explained by BYD incidence. The models predicted that cultivars showing high disease incidence had 25-86% (average 49%) less yield than a hypothetical cultivar that showed zero incidence. Using the models, the moderate level of resistance in the cultivar Everest was calculated to reduce yield loss from BYD by about 73%. Therefore, utilizing visual BYD symptom evaluations in Kansas, coupled with grain yields, is useful to estimate yield loss from the disease. Furthermore, linear models that incorporate those parameters can be used to calculate the impact of improving cultivar resistance to BYD on yield losses.

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