Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) develops plants with either male or female flowers, and growers of hemp greatly prefer female flowers which bear the glandular trichomes that contain cannabinoids. Feminized (all female) seeds are highly desired, which are produced by crossing a female plant with a masculinized female plant. Masculinization is achieved through the inhibition of ethylene and/or addition of gibberellins before flower initiation in female plants. The hemp industry uses silver thiosulfate (STS) to masculinize hemp, but spraying silver poses environmental concerns. This study compared STS to three other ethylene-inhibiting agents: aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), cobalt nitrate (CBN), and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Treatments of STS and CBN also included gibberellic acid as a synergist. Plants treated with STS exhibited superior masculinization and pollen dispersal compared to plants treated with AVG, CBN or 1-MCP. Only plants treated with STS or AVG produced pollen in sufficient quantities for collection. This pollen was assayed for germination potential initially and after storage for up to five weeks at 22.2, 7.2, or 1.1°C. Pollen from plants treated with AVG remained viable for four weeks at 1.1°C, whereas STS-treated plants produced pollen that was viable for three weeks at 1.1°C. Due to phytotoxicity problems with AVG, STS remains the best treatment to masculinize female hemp plants when breeding for feminized seeds. In a separate study, flower tissues of hemp had considerably higher total cannabinoid concentrations compared to leaf tissues but significantly lower ratios of cannabidivarin (CBDV) to cannabidiol (CBD). To reduce variability, at least 1 g samples of fresh leaf or flower tissue should be extracted with 10 mL of methanol. Rapid throughput testing of cannabinoids as part of a breeding program should use flower tissue, preferably at the time typical of harvest.

Fruit split is the most important physiological disorder in pomegranate production, causing devastating crop losses worldwide. Foliar nutrient applications have been used experimentally to mitigate pomegranate fruit split but none have been conducted using the industry standard cultivar, Wonderful, and little is known about the effects of foliar nutrient applications on pomegranate. Additionally, investigations into putative health benefits of pomegranate fruit have increased interest in its production but limited evidence exists regarding effects of agricultural practices such as foliar fertilizer applications on internal fruit quality. ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate trees at 2 commercial orchards were treated with foliar applications of ZnSO4 (3000 mg∙L-1, 4000 mg∙L-1, or 5000 mg∙L-1), MgSO4 (1%, 2%, or 3%), KNO3 (1%, 2%, or 3%), or deionized (DI) water (control). Fruit were analyzed for fruit split incidence, yield, fruit number per tree, fruit diameter, fruit mass, mass of all arils in fruit, mass of 100 arils, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolics (TP), and mineral nutrient concentrations of leaves and fruit. Foliar applications of MgSO4 and ZnSO4 resulted in significantly lower fruit split incidence. Treatments had no significant effect on fruit number per tree, fruit diameter, and mass, mass of all arils in fruit, or mass of 100 arils. Leaf N, K, S, Mn, and Zn were significantly affected by the treatments. TSS and TA were not affected significantly by treatments. AA ranged from 77.8-84.3 percent inhibition of 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and TP ranged from 2489-3046 mg·L-1 gallic acid equivalents, with some KNO3 treatments significantly affecting these parameters. Fruit mineral nutrient concentrations were characterized and Zn-treated trees had greater fruit Zn concentrations. The results suggest that foliar ZnSO4 or MgSO4 could be used to decrease fruit split incidence and increase nutritional content of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate and any of the three tested foliar nutrients could be applied as a foliar fertilizer without negatively impacting fruit yield, size, internal quality, bioactivity, or mineral nutrient concentration.

Peanut digging timing is difficult to predict due to indeterminate growth and peanut pods maturing underground, resulting in the need to research methods that provide consistent measurements, while reducing time and effort for farmers and researchers. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the Maturity Index 1 and Maturity Index 2 in predicting peanut grade, the accuracy of the North Carolina 2 degree day method in predicting peanut yield, and remote sensing vegetative indices sensitivity equivalence (SEq) to peanut Maturity Index 2 and harvest grade (TSMK) for cultivars IPG-914 and Georgia-06G in Mississippi. Maturity Index 1 and Maturity Index 2 were found to be inaccurate predictions of peanut grade in Mississippi, suggesting a need to examine the contributions of individual color classes in new genotypes to predict grade and yield. The North Carolina 2 degree day method was found to have a moderate to strong relationship with yield, indicating its potential usefulness in determining digging timing. Results also showed red edge indices were more sensitive to changes in pod maturity and grade. Peanut genotype selection is critical for maximizing peanut grade and yield on farm. Experiments were conducted to evaluate 32 genotypes for maturity, grade, and yield. Several early maturing genotypes showed promise for improving yield and grade without reducing quality, particularly 'UF11x23-3-6-1-1', '16-1-2147', '16-1-2142', '14x029-1-5-1-1', and '14x022-1-2-1-2'. The results suggest earlier maturing genotypes may be a solution to the late-season harvest risk of crop loss due to poor digging conditions, rain, and frost, while maintaining similar pod grades and yield to the current market-leading cultivars. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing effort to optimize digging timing and improve peanut yields in Mississippi, where peanut farmers face the dual challenges of climatic variability and genotype selection. Future research is needed to examine the adaptability of genotypes on differing soil types, management, and climates throughout Mississippi. Overall, this study highlights the need for more effective and accurate methods for determining digging timing in peanut crops, which is crucial for their grade, and yield.

Improved management strategies are needed to increase yield production and quality. The study aimed to determine suitable cultural practices for improved corn production. Experiments were set up at Verona and Stoneville, Mississippi, from 2020 to 2022. Treatments included row configurations (single and twin-row), plant populations (79,000 and 99,000 seeds ha-1), and six combinations of nutrients with or without fungicide. The nutrients evaluated were two nitrogen rates 235 and 314 kg N ha-1, phosphorus 45 kg P ha-1, potassium 112 kg K ha-1, sulfur 22 kg S ha-1, and zinc 11 kg Zn ha-1, and fungicide at 272 ml ha-1. In trial 1 (Addition), nutrients were added incrementally, whereas in trial 2 (Deletion) nutrients were withheld in a stepwise manner. Within nutrient treatments, results were erratic among years and sites. Overall, producers must find a balance in terms of yield and profit by taking soil testing and fertilizer prices into consideration.

Mississippi ranks among the leading states in sweetpotato production in the US. However, managing weeds in sweetpotato fields presents a significant challenge, and the limited availability of herbicides labeled for use in sweetpotato makes it even more challenging. The widespread and repeated use of herbicides has led to the development of weed resistance. In addition, herbicides are incompatible with the organic production system. Finding sustainable weed management strategies to provide weed control options for organic cultivation and detain the development of herbicide-resistant weeds under conventional crop production is imperative. The natural chemicals released by the plants, also called allelochemicals, can potentially suppress weeds and be used for weed management under conventional and organic cultivation systems. The current study aimed to 1) screen the sweetpotato varieties for their weed-suppressing effect on the growth of weeds in controlled conditions using a stair-step structure, 2) evaluate the allelopathic suppression of selected sweetpotato varieties under field conditions, and 3) identify and quantify allelochemicals released by the roots of seventeen sweetpotato varieties. Results of the current study on the availability of allelopathic sweetpotato varieties will benefit organic producers by enhancing crop productivity. They will decrease reliance on synthetic herbicides in conventional farming systems. Identifying and quantifying allelochemicals will also improve our knowledge of allelopathy and provide valuable information for developing allelopathic sweetpotato varieties.

Downy mildew has been a potentially devastating constraint to crop production within the Brassicaceae family worldwide (CABI, 2022) and on the Central Coast of California (Smukler, et al, 2008; Koike, et al. 2007). Downy mildew is a foliar disease, caused by the pathogens in the Hyaloperonospora genus on plants within the Brassicaceae family (Goker, et al, 2009). Downy mildew is a disease that is common in region of the world with Coastal climates that provide humidity and moderate temperatures (Sarahan, et al, 2017). Crops within the Brassicaceae family maintain a predominant role in agricultural systems worldwide (Cartea, et al, 2011) and on the Central Coast of California, in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Ventura Counties (Hidalgo, et al, 2022; Settevendemie, et al, 2022; Sanford, et al, 2022; Griffin, et al, 2022; Chang, et al, 2022; Williams, et al, 2022). The crop production within the Brassicaceae family includes broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, and the spring mix production of wild arugula, cultivated arugula, and baby kale. In the first study, an in-lab screening of wild arugula (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) for downy mildew resistance was conducted to identify accessions that contain potential resources of resistance to Hyaloperonospora diplotaxidis. The germplasm of 199 wild arugula accessions was grown out under greenhouse conditions and inoculated with a v single isolate of H. diplotaxidis. A subset of 40 accessions of wild arugula were further inoculated with an additional three isolates of H. diplotaxidis and the ten most resistant accessions were selected for further inoculations. The inoculations of the final subset of ten accessions with the same three isolates were replicated an additional two times. When a factorial ANOVA was conducted to test the interaction between the isolate and accession used, it was found that the impact of the accession on disease incidence was independent from the isolate (P=0.993). Three accessions, 185, 79, and 17 were identified as a potential source of resistance to the isolates utilized in this study, for maintaining a disease incidence below 1%. To compare the results found in the in-lab resistance screening, a field trial was conducted with a subset of wild arugula accessions with diverse reactions to downy mildew. When a regression was conducted comparing the disease incidence under field and lab conditions, the R2 value was found to be 0.37. A second study was conducted to characterize the genetic, morphological, and host range diversity of downy mildew causing pathogens in the Hyaloperonospora genus of hosts in the Brassicaceae family. An isolate collection of approximately 40 isolates of Hyaloperonospora spp. was established and the phylogenetic relationships of these isolates were analyzed by creating two phylogenetic trees using their cox2 mtDNA and ITS rDNA sequences. The H. brassicae and H. diplotaxidis isolates from this study formed separate monophyletic groups in both the cox2 mtDNA and ITS rDNA phylogenetic analyses. When the host range of H. brassicae and H. diplotaxidis were characterized by inoculating a genetically and morphologically diverse set of four host plant species, the H. brassicae and H. diplotaxidis were found to have distinct host ranges. The H. brassicae isolate was found to be parasitic of all B. oleracea morphotypes including broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and ornamental cabbage. The H. diplotaxidis isolate was found to only be parasitic on wild arugula, not cultivated arugula, wild mustard, or any of the B. oleracea morphotypes. The difference between sporangia of H. brassicae and H. diplotaxidis were found to be statistically significant, where the sporangia of H. brassicae were nearly circular and the sporangia of H. diplotaxidis were closer to an oval.

The effects of managing soil with organic amendments were examined with respect to soil microbial community dynamics, macroaggregate formation, and plant physio-genetic responses. The objective was to examine the possibility of managing soil microbial communities via soil management, such that the microbial community would provide agronomic benefits. In part one of this research, effects of three amendments (hairy vetch residue, manure, compost) on soil chemical and microbial properties were examined relative to formation of large macroaggregates in three different soils. Vetch and manure promoted fungal proliferation (measured via two biomarkers: fatty acid methyl ester 18:2ω6c and ergosterol) and also stimulated the greatest macroaggregate formation. In part two of this research, effects of soil management (same amendments as above, inorganic N fertilization, organic production) on soil chemical and microbial properties were examined relative to the expression of nitrogen assimilation and defense response genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Soil management affected expression of a nitrogen assimilation gene (GS1, glutamine synthetase) and several defense-related genes. The GS1 gene was downregulated with inorganic N fertilization, expression of the pathogenesis-related PR1b gene (which codes for the pathogenesis-related PR1b protein) was increased in plants grown in soil amended with compost, vetch, and N fertilizer, and expression of three other defense-related genes coding for chitinase (ChiB), osmotin (Osm), and β-1,3-glucanase (GluA) were decreased in plants from soil amended with manure and in plants from the organically managed soil. Differential expression of defense-related genes was inversely related to the relative abundance of Gram-negative bacteria. The relative abundance of the 18:1ω7c Gram‑negative bacterial biomarker was greatest in manure treated soil and in organically managed soil (which recieves seasonal manure applications). These treatments also had the lowest expression of ChiB, Osm, and GluA, leading to speculation that manure, through increases in Gram-negative bacteria, may have suppressed populations of soil organisms that induce a defense response in plants, possibly allowing for less-stressed plants. Outcomes of this research may be useful for those interested in developing management strategies for maintaining or improving soil structure as well as those interested in understanding management effects plant physio-genetic responses.

Plants respond to environmental stress by altering their gene expression. Under stress conditions some genes are activated and some genes are repressed. Even though a lot of work has been done to understand mechanisms of gene activation under abiotic stress very little information is available on how stress responsive genes are kept repressed under normal growth conditions. Recent work has revealed that plants use transcriptional repression as common mechanism of gene repression. Transcriptional repression is achieved by recruitment co-repressor complexes to the target genes. Recent studies have revealed that the co-repressor LUH complexes with SLK1 and SLK2 to silence Arabidopsis thaliana stress responsive genes. However, the transcription factors involved in the recruitment of this complex to its target genes are not known. In this study, we identified SLK2INT1, as a novel transcription factor that is involved in silencing of select Arabidopsis thaliana stress responsive genes by recruiting the LUH-SLK2 complex.

Physical and chemical properties of non-composted spent coffee (CF) and tea (T) suggest they may have applications as soil amendments for improving poor soils. Studies were conducted to determine 1) the effect of amendments on grass growth and soil properties, 2) the effect of incorporation versus surface application of amendments on soil properties, and 3) the effect of amendment application frequency on grass growth and soil properties. In the first study, amendments were mixed with sand and planted to bermudagrass. Treatments included CF, T, and peat moss (PM) mixed with sand, and 100% sand as a control. In the second study, amendments were topdressed onto a sand base with different timings. Pots were either aerified or not. Treatments included T, CF, PM, and a control. Nutrient contents and soil CEC and OM under CF and T treatments were equivalent to or greater than PM treatments. Tea showed comparable grass cover to the PM treatment, while CF showed an inhibitory effect to grass growth in the first year of the study. Aerification showed no benefit. Additionally, a field study was conducted to evaluate CF and T on surface hardness, VWC, and quality after trafficking. Differences were not observed among treatments.

Maize (Zea mays L.) ranks third as a food crop after wheat and rice and is characterized not only as a cereal crop but also as a vegetable. Maize used as a vegetable is known as “baby corn”. Baby corn consists of unfertilized young ears harvested 2 or 3 days after silk emergence. The present study was implemented in 2009 at Western Kentucky University Agriculture Research and Education Center (36.93 N, 86.47 E) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The purpose of the study was to compare the effect of different schemes of harvest on baby corn (BC) yield, grain maize (GM) yield, and estimated economic return. Experimental harvest treatments were 1) no BC harvest, only GM harvest, 2) first harvest as BC, final harvest as GM, 3) first and second harvests as BC, final harvest as GM, and 4) first, second, and third harvests as BC, final harvest as GM. Average estimated BC yields (Kg/ha) for Treatments 2, 3, and 4 were 1445.1, 2681.8, and 3437.5; GM yields (Kg/ha) for Treatments 1, 2, and 3 were 12522.2, 8226.5, and 1380.9; respectively. Since few grain kernels were found after three harvests for BC (Treatment 4), no usable GM yield was produced. BC and GM yields were used for evaluating the economic returns. Results indicated that the sequence of best economic returns would be obtained by harvesting BC three times (Treatment 4), first two harvests for BC and the final for GM (Treatment 3), first harvest for BC and subsequent for GM (Treatment 2), and only for GM harvest (Treatment 1). Although the pattern for only BC harvest was the most profitable system, the human labor requirement and critical timing of harvest limited its production. In states similar to Kentucky, BC could only be grown as an additional crop or to supplant a limited amount of traditional GM hectarage.