Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1941. / Reproduced from type-written copy. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 76-81.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Orientador: Maria Juraci Zani dos Santos / Banca: Emerson Galvani / Banca: José Bueno Conti / Banca: Luci Hidalgo Nunes / Banca: Helmut Troppmair / Resumo: Buscou-se estudar a variabilidade e a tendência das variáveis climáticas precipitação pluviométrica e temperatura, e sua relação com a produtividade da soja nas Regionais Agrícolas de Assis e Orlândia (SP), a fim de confirmar a hipótese de ser a precipitação pluviométrica o principal fator determinante da variação interanual do rendimento da cultura, em tais regiões. Para tanto, foram utilizadas médias mensais dos parâmetros climáticos considerados e dados anuais de produtividade agrícola. Na análise da variabilidade climática foram aplicados os cálculos da média, desvio padrão e coeficiente de variação; e para a tendência aplicou-se os cálculos da média móvel (n=5) e da regressão linear baseada no método dos mínimos quadrados. A contabilização da água do solo foi feita através do programa Balanço Hídrico desenvolvido por Rolim et al (2002), baseado em Thornthwaite e Mather (1955). A correlação das variáveis climáticas com a produtividade agrícola foi realizada aplicando-se a metodologia da retirada da tendência tecnológica, utilizada por Carmona e Berlato (1999) e Mariano (2005). Desta forma, os resultados alcançados para as Regionais Agrícolas de Assis e Orlândia demonstraram que a disponibilidade de água do solo ao longo do ciclo da cultura e a quantidade de precipitação, explicaram os valores extremos ocorridos na produtividade da cultura em ambas as Regionais estudadas, confirmando a hipótese considerada. / Abstract: The objective of the research was to study the variability and tendency of the climatic variables rainfall and temperature, and their influence in the yield of soybean in Assis and Orlândia (SP) Agricultural Regional, confirming the hypothesis that the rainfall is the main factor that determines the annual variation of the cultivation yield, in such areas. In this way, were used monthly average of climatic variables and annual data of yield. In the analysis of climatic variability were used calculation of the average, gauge deviation and coefficient off variation; and to the tendency was used the calculation of the move average (n=5) and linear return based in the minimum square method. The characterization of the soil water was made through the program Hidric Balance made by Rolim et al (2002), based in Thornthwaite and Mather (1955). The relation of the climatic variables with the yield was made using the withdrawn of technological tendency method, used by Carmona and Berlato (1999) and Mariano (2005). Thus, the results showed that the available water in the soil along the course of the cultivation cycle and the quantity of rainfall, explained the extremes values in the yield of the cultivation in both Regional studied, confirming the analyzed hypothesis. / Doutor

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / William T. Schapaugh Jr / Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybean, (Glycine max ( L.) Merr.) caused by Fusarium virguliforme, is an increasing problem in commercial soybean production due to the yield loss associated with the disease. Screening for genetic resistance requires extensive visual evaluations. Canopy spectral reflectance may be an indirect tool for selection of SDS resistance as well as grain yield in large segregating populations. The objective of this study was to estimate SDS resistance and seed yield in large diverse soybean populations using canopy spectral reflectance. Spectral reflectance, disease index, maturity and yield were measured on two populations consisting of 160 nested association mapping recombinant inbred lines and checks; and 140 commercial cultivars with checks. Populations were grown in three environments in 2015 and 2016 with historic SDS disease pressure. Entry, environment, and entry by environment sources of variation were significant for disease index, yield, maturity and spectral reflectance. Changes in season average reflectance were correlated to disease index, yield and maturity. Estimation models of disease index, yield and maturity were created with season averages as well as individual day readings for both populations. Season average and individual day models accounted for 11% to 77% of the phenotypic variation in disease and 41% to 93% of yield variation when measurements were taken at the height of disease pressure. Models for disease index and yield models were able to predict significant portions of the phenotypic variation between entries at most environments. These results suggest that it may be possible to estimate resistance to SDS and grain yield in soybeans using spectral reflectance in breeding populations.

Soybean has a strong demand for nitrogen that can be acquired from atmosphere for vegetative growth and seed production through the symbiosis with the soil bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum (B. japonicum). However, the native soil bradyrhizobia may be ineffective in nitrogen fixation and the greatest limiting factor in increasing symbiotic nitrogen fixation is the inability to influence the infection of soybean roots by a desired strain of B. japonicum due to competition from the native bradyrhizobia. Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of a co-inoculum seed treatment on the symbiotic competency of the soybean cultivar LS90-1920 in greenhouse and field trials. The co-inoculation by the soil bacterium Streptomyces kanamyceticus (S. kanamyceticus) strain ATCC 12853 and strains of B. japonicum more efficient in nitrogen fixation and resistant to the antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin may have an advantage over the native bradyrhizobia regarding soybean root infection (Gregor et al., 2003). However, inconsistent inoculation responses in field trials and low efficacy in nodule competency by selected Bradyrhizobium japonicum (B. japonicum) co-inocula were observed under greenhouse conditions. These results were attributed to insufficient population size or growth of viable co-inocula associated with the seed treatments. This recent study showed that the nodulation response of LS90-1920 to B. japonicum strains KNI-1 and KNI-3 is independent of the inoculum dose and age of the broth culture. Iron supplement to the inoculum nutrient solution significantly increased the total biomass of nodules formed by strain KNI-1 but not by strain KNI-3 on a per plant basis and had no effect on the nodule number regardless of B. japonicum strain. In the glass bead viability study, the effect of inoculum nutrient solution concentration on the viability of bacterial co-inocula is species-specific and influenced by seed coating material. The growth of Pseudomonas putida strains displayed a dependency on the concentration of the inoculum nutrient solution with graphite or vermicompost as the seed coating material treatment or with activated charcoal treatment associated with 0.1% or 1.0 % inoculum nutrient solution. The seed coating material treatments of vermicompost and graphite promote stronger growth of S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853 than the activated charcoal treatment. After a six-day incubation at 28oC, a 1.0 % inoculum nutrient solution maintained the highest viable populations of co-inocula with activated charcoal and a 0.1% inoculum nutrient solution was most effective in the maintenance of the co-inocula population when graphite or vermicompost was employed as the seed coating material. By applying the appropriate level of inoculum nutrient solution, the viability of a selected B. japonicum KNI strain and co-inocula remained stable for six days in activated charcoal and graphite treatment regardless of the number of applied co-inocula. However, the vermicompost treatment did not maintain the viable populations of the B. japonicum KNI strains and P. putida strain G11-32 but support the vigorous growth of S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853 and P. putida strain 17-29. Greenhouse studies employing sterilized vermiculite as a soybean growth medium showed no significant differences in nodule competency by the inoculum/seed coating treatments associated with B. japonicum strain KNI-1. However, the co-inoculum treatments significantly increased either the total nitrogenase activity (B. japonicum strain KNI-3 with S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853) or the nodule number (B. japonicum strain KNI-3 with S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853 and P. putida strain 17-29) versus the singular inoculum treatment of strain KNI-3. Soil-pot studies under the same greenhouse conditions showed no significant differences in the nodule competency between the inoculum treatment of B. japonicum strain KNI-3, the co-inoculum treatment of strain KNI-3 and S. kanamyceticus, and the non-inoculated control regardless of seed coating material. However, co-inoculation of emergence-promoting rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas putida strain 17-29 and G11-32) with strain KNI-3 and S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853 may improve the total nitrogenase activity and specific nitrogenase activity, depending on the seed coating material and soil type. The treatment with activated charcoal employed as a seed coating material and the co-inocula of strain KNI-3, S. kanamyceticus strain ATCC 12853 and P. putida strains 17-29 or G11-32 showed significantly higher total nitrogenase activity (Stoy silt loam) and specific nitrogenase activity (Drummer silty clay loam) versus the non-inoculated control. For the Bethalto silty clay loam, the same co-inoculum treatment associated with graphite and vermicompost as the seed coating material significantly increased the total nitrogenase activity. The seed coating treatment by activated charcoal enhanced nodulation competency for both the 2010 and 2011 field trials resulting in higher grain yield, seed nitrogen content, and seed protein content versus the seed coating treatment by graphite. No significant differences by the inoculum treatments were determined.

The popularity of growers using only postemergence (POST) herbicides for weed management in soybean was enabled by the commercialization of glyphosate-resistant soybean. The efficacy and flexibility provided by this technology diminished the use of soil residual herbicides and arguably, increased soybean yield loss from early-season weed competition. While, the rapid evolution and biogeographical spread of herbicide-resistant weeds, especially glyphosate-resistant biotypes, has renewed interest into the use of soil residual products, herbicide-resistant soybean technologies continue to be developed that may once again entice growers into POST-only weed management systems. The commercial interest in soybean yield advancements justifies further characterizing the benefits provided by early-season weed control beyond those of herbicide-resistance management. Furthermore, as awareness heightens regarding techniques that will enhance the sustainability of agro-ecosystems, specific focus on resource utilization will help to evaluate the viability of this weed management strategy. Field experiments were conducted across four sites throughout southern Illinois in 2012 and 2013 to study the influence of early-season weed management strategies on soybean nutrient accumulation, grain yield parameters, and the acquisition of nutrients by broadleaved and grass weeds. Increasing periods of weed competition duration were established by removing weeds at heights of 10, 20, 30 or 45 cm with glyphosate. A weed-free treatment utilizing a comprehensive soil residual and POST herbicide program was included to implement a weed-free comparison. Two standard herbicide management strategies that simulate common grower practices were also evaluated for comparison: flumioxazin PRE followed by glyphosate POST and two sequential POST glyphosate applications. Averaged across all 11 mineral nutrients analyzed in this experiment, broadleaved weeds accumulated 149 and 108% more nutrients than grasses in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Competition from 20-cm weeds reduced the acquisition of N, P, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, B, Cu, and Zn by soybean in 2012; these nutrients in addition to K and Mn were reduced by the same level of competition in 2013. N and Fe were the nutrients in soybean most notably impacted by weed interference. Reductions in soybean grain yield were the result of competition with 30-cm weeds in 2012, and 10-cm weeds in 2013; while, both standard herbicide regimens yielded less than the weed-free treatment in 2013 only. Additionally in 2013, average soybean seed weight and grain oil content was reduced when weeds were not removed before a height of 10 and 20 cm, respectively. The rate of decomposition and nutrient release was measured for waterhemp and giant foxtail desiccated by glyphosate at heights of 10, 20, 30, and 45 cm in two southern Illinois soybean fields. Weed biomass was grown under greenhouse conditions to ensure homogeneity and litterbag methodology was utilized to track in situ mass and nutrient losses, expressed as a decay constant (k) regressed over time according to the single exponential decay model. The effect of specie and height both had a strong influence on the intrinsic properties of the weed biomass and the associated rate of decay. Concentrations of the recalcitrant cell wall components (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) were generally greatest as weed height (plant age and development) increased and with giant foxtail compared with waterhemp. Ca, Mg, and S concentrations were greater in waterhemp, while N was greater in giant foxtail. N and K concentrations decreased with increasing weed height. After 16 weeks, 10-cm waterhemp and giant foxtail detritus had lost 10 and 12% more mass compared to the 45-cm height. Decomposition rates revealed mass loss was highest for 10-cm waterhemp (kD = 0.022) and lowest for 45-cm giant foxtail (kD = 0.011) and this process was negatively correlated to the overall amount of cell wall constituents (r = -0.73). Nutrient release rates followed a similar trend in that shorter (younger) weeds and waterhemp liberated nutrients more readily. Across all tested plant material, K was the nutrient most rapidly released, whereas, Ca was the most strongly retained nutrient. Although the pressing challenge of managing herbicide-resistant weeds justifies the implementation of early-season weed control tactics, this research suggests there are ancillary benefits that are provided by this strategy. The use of a robust, broad-spectrum soil residual herbicide program in conjunction with timely POST applications provides the foundation for early-season weed management, thereby minimizing non-crop nutrient use and enhancing the nutrient acquisition capacity in soybean. This strategy facilitates more sustainable crop production by requiring fewer supplemental nutritional inputs while also protecting grain yield.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF JOSHUA GUNTHER, for the Masters of Science degree in Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, presented on November 2nd, 2015, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: DEVELOPING CHEMICALLY MUTAGENIZED EMS FORREST SOYBEAN POPULATION FOR HIGH OIL PROFILE. MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Khalid Meksem SUPERVISOR: Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi Soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) are the most important crop that provides a sustainable source of oil and protein worldwide. Five major fatty acids are known, Palmetic, Stearic, Oleic, Linoleic and Linolenic acid, and each is essential for both nutrition and biodiesel. Oil demand for biodiesel production is constantly on the rise both because of high crude oil prices and because of the search for a sustainable fuel source. In biodiesel production a high level of Oleic Acid is ideal. Commodity soybean oil usually contains around 20% oleic acid. The objective of this research is to increase the Oleic acid content to increase the quantity of biodiesel that can be produced from one bushel of soybeans. With the process of chemical mutagenesis using Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS), soybean populations can be produced with varying fatty acid levels. Once these populations are isolated and tested they can be bred into a new cultivar with higher percentages of Oleic acid and grown on a large scale for biodiesel production. From the ‘Forrest’ cultivar that was used in the chemical mutagenesis process, there was one mutant line (FM3 2014-2031) that produced 43.26% Oleic Acid. This was almost twice the concentration of the Forrest wild type that was used as a control which had an Oleic Acid concentration of 23.17%.

Fusarium virguliforme, the causal agent of sudden death syndrome (SDS) in North America, and Heterodera glycines, soybean cyst nematode (SCN), are significant threats to the production of soybean. In 2014, two field trials were established to evaluate seed treatments and their efficacy in managing SDS and SCN. The locations were selected because each has a history of SDS and SCN. Plots were 3.04 meters wide by 6.1 meters in length with row spacing of 0.76 meters. Each plot received 2.45 grams of infested sorghum per 30.5 centimeters of row. At each location, two soybean varieties and ten different seed treatments were tested in 2014. In 2015, twelve seed treatments were tested on the same two varieties at the same two locations. Seed treatments were evaluated for phytotoxicity, vigor, stand count, SDS foliar ratings and soybean yield. Soil samples were collected at planting and at harvest to determine SCN reproduction. Root samples were collected from each plot to quantify the amount of F. virguliforme DNA in the soybean roots using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol. ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD Test were used to separate treatment means. Analysis of the qPCR was done by comparing the quantification cycle (Cq) values and separating means using ANOVA. There were significant differences between varieties for soybean yield and disease index. Treatments containing fluopyram had more phytotoxicity than treatments lacking fluopyram at both locations. Several treatments allowed for higher SCN reproduction than treatments with Clariva. At Ina, a fluopyram treatment and one of the Clariva treatments had higher soybean yield than the non-treated control. At Shawneetown, one fluopyram treatment had higher soybean yield than all other treatments. In the qPCR analysis, seed treatments with fluopyram had a lower amount of F. virguliforme DNA in the roots than the non-treated control.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Dallas E. Peterson / Auxin herbicides have been widely used for broadleaf weed control since the mid-1940’s. With new auxinic herbicide-resistant traits in corn, soybean, and cotton, use of these herbicides is likely to increase. Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) and common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis) are two primary problematic weed species that will be targeted with dicamba and 2,4-D in the new systems. No-till double-crop soybean after winter wheat harvest is a popular cropping system in central and eastern Kansas, however, management of glyphosate resistant Palmer amaranth has become a serious issue. Field experiments were established near Manhattan and Hutchinson, KS, in 2016 and 2017, to compare seventeen herbicide treatments for control of Palmer amaranth and large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) in dicamba/glyphosate resistant no-till double-crop soybean after winter wheat. Herbicide programs that included a residual preemergence (PRE) treatment followed by a postemergence (POST) treatment offered greater Palmer amaranth control 8 weeks after planting when compared to PRE-only, POST-only and burndown-only treatments. All treatments that contained glyphosate POST provided complete control of large crabgrass compared to less than 43% control with PRE-only treatments. Soybean grain yield was greater in programs that included PRE followed by POST treatments, compared to PRE-only and burndown-only treatments. A second set of field experiments were established in 2017 near Manhattan and Ottawa, KS to evaluate dicamba and 2,4-D POST efficacy on Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp. Five rates of dicamba (140, 280, 560, 1121, and 2242 g ae ha⁻¹) and 2,4-D (140, 280, 560, 1121, and 2242 g ae ha⁻¹) were used to evaluate control of the Amaranthus spp. Each experiment was conducted twice at each location. Dicamba provided better Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp control than 2,4-D across the rates evaluated. Control of Palmer amaranth was 94% and 99% with dicamba rates of 1121 and 2242 g ae ha⁻¹, respectively, but 2,4-D never provided more than 80% control at any rate. The highest rates of both dicamba and 2,4-D provided greater than 91% common waterhemp control, but control was less than 78% with all other rates of both herbicides. Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp control did not exceed 73% with the highest labelled POST rates of either dicamba or 2,4-D. Auxinic herbicide-resistant traits in corn, soybean, and cotton offer new options for controlling glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp, however proper stewardship is vital to maintain their effectiveness.