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LD2668 .T4 1947 A2 / Master of Science

Seasonal patterns of stomatal activity, plant-temperature-based drought stress indices, growth and grain yield of two pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) parental lines and their F₁ hybrid were studied under a sprinkler irrigation gradient system in 1985 and 1986 in Tucson, Arizona. Physiological and morphological measurements of stressed and nonstressed plants were made periodically starting at the panicle initiation stage. Well-defined trends in stomatal conductance (Cg), transpiration (Tr), and photosynthetic (Pn) rates of nonstressed plants were observed over the seasons. Tr increased from 5ug H₂O cm⁻²s⁻¹ at early panicle development stage to a peak of up to 30 ug cm⁻²s⁻¹ at flowering and declined to 10 ug cm⁻²s⁻¹ at maturity. Pn of well-irrigated plants was highest (26 uMoles CO₂ m⁻²s⁻¹) at early flag leaf appearance stage and declined slowly to 14 uMoles m⁻²s⁻¹ at maturity. In extremely stressed plants, Cg, Tr and Pn were highest early in the seasons, lowest in the middle of the seasons, and slightly increased towards the end of the seasons. The seasonal trends in stomatal response depended on the stage of plant growth and vapor pressure deficit of the air. Transpiration efficiency was highest at partial stomatal closure. Morphologically, the F₁ hybrid was more like its male than its female parent. The female parent produced less dry matter, had thinner leaves and greater ratio of leaf to stem dry matter, and yielded less grain than the other genotypes. The results indicated that leaf:stem ratio can be a useful selection criterion of drought avoiding genotypes. Plants that develop stems and heads rapidly (low leaf:stem ratio) are more desirable under stress than plants that tend to become leafy. Decreases in Tr, Pn, dry matter and grain yield due to stress could be assessed with canopy or leaf temperature, canopy minus air or leaf minus air temperature, and crop (CWSI) or leaf (LWSI) water stress indices. CWSI and LWSI were more desirable in assessing stress than the other indices. CWSI is effective in assessing the magnitude of stress in a crop stand, while LWSI may be useful in situations where use of the infrared thermometer is difficult.

Doctor of Philosophy / Division of Biology / Jesse B. Nippert / Water availability is a key driver of many plant and ecosystem processes in tallgrass prairies, yet we have a limited understanding of how grassland plants utilize water through space and time. Considering that tallgrass prairies experience tremendous heterogeneity in soil resources, identifying spatiotemporal variation in plant ecohydrology is critical for understanding current drivers of plant responses to water and for predicting ecosystem responses to future changes in climate. Here, I investigated the patterns, drivers, and ecological consequences of plant water use (e.g., water uptake, water redistribution, and water loss) in a native tallgrass prairie located in northeastern Kansas, USA. Using a combination of leaf gas exchange, sap flow, and isotopic techniques, I addressed four main questions: 1) How does fire and grazing by bison impact use of water from different sources and niche overlap for common grasses, forbs, and shrubs? 2) Does hydraulic lift occur in grazed and ungrazed tallgrass prairie, and does this impact facilitation for water within grassland communities? 3) What are the patterns and drivers of nocturnal transpiration in common grassland species? 4) How does diel stem sap flow and canopy transpiration vary among common grassland species? I found that bison grazing increased the depth of water uptake by Andropogon gerardii and Rhus glabra, reducing niche overlap with co-occurring species. Conversely, grazing did not affect hydraulic lift, which was generally uncommon and likely limited by nocturnal transpiration. Further, leaf gas exchange measurements indicated that nocturnal transpiration occurred commonly in tallgrass prairie plants and was greatest among grasses and early in the growing season. Nocturnal transpiration was not driven by vapor pressure deficit or soil moisture, as commonly observed in other systems, but was regulated by nocturnal stomatal conductance in most species. Finally, I found that daytime sap flow rates were variable among species and functional types, with larger flux rates among woody species. Nocturnal sap flow rates were more consistent across species, which caused nighttime sap flow and transpiration to account for a larger proportion of daily flux rates in grasses than in forbs or shrubs. These results show that water uptake, water redistribution, and water loss are all influenced by different biotic and abiotic drivers and have varying ecological impacts across a heterogeneous landscape. Additionally, extensive differences in water flux exist among co-occurring species and plant functional groups, which likely reflect varying strategies to tolerate water limitation. These results suggest that shifts in the abundance of these species with future climate changes, or with ecosystem state changes, will likely impact ecosystem-level water balance.

Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Introduced plants will lose interactions with natural enemies, mutualists and competitors from their native ranges, and possibly gain interactions with new species, under new abiotic conditions in their new environment. The use of biocontrol agents is based on the premise that introduced species are liberated from their natural enemies, although in some cases introduced species may not become invasive because they acquire novel natural enemies. In this study I consider the potential for the biocontrol of Bryophyllum delagoense, a Madagascan endemic, and hypothesize as to why this plant is invasive in Australia and not in South Africa. Of the 33 species of insects collected on B. delagoense in Madagascar, three species, Osphilia tenuipes, Eurytoma bryophylli, and Rhembastus sp. showed potential as biocontrol agents in Australia. Surveys in southern Africa revealed that B. delagoense had acquired 14 species of insects, compared to only two in Australia, which supported the hypothesis that an introduced plant is less likely to become invasive in regions where there are many closely related species. A beetle, Alcidodes sedi, was found to be widespread and damaging in South Africa and also sufficiently host specific for release in Australia. Studies were also undertaken to determine the biology of B. delagoense and characteristics of the recipient environments in Australia and South Africa. Analysis of soils in South Africa found that B. delagoense has the ability to grow on a range of soils and is tolerant of moderate shade. Bryophyllum delagoense exhibited phenotypic plasticity by re-allocating resources to stem production in light-limited; and to root production in nutrient- or water limited, environments. Competition trials indicated that B. delagoense is a weak competitor with overgrazing and the concomitant reduction in fires facilitating invasions. The absence of damaging natural enemies and characteristics of the Australian environment may make it more prone to B. delagoense invasions than in southern Africa. The study indicates that no single trait or group of traits can completely explain the invasive ability of a plant species because the success of an invader often depends on complex interactions between the species and its recipient environment. This has widespread implications for predicting the invasibility of imported plants. Keywords: Alcidodes sedi, biological control, Bryophyllum delagoense, Crassulaceae, Eurytoma bryophylli, fire, invasions, Madagascar, Osphilia tenuipes, Rhembastus sp., soil.

There is an increasing need to improve crop water-use efficiency (WUE) (ratio of whole-plant biomass to cumulative transpiration) due to decreased water availability and increased food and energy demands throughout the world. The objective of the study was to estimate the genetic variation and genetic basis for transpiration efficiency A:E (CO2 assimilation rate (A) divided by transpiration rate (E)) trait and its relationship to WUE related to pre-flower drought tolerance in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of sorghum and associated QTLs. A greenhouse study was conducted at Bushland, TX, 2008, using 71 RILs derived from cross of Tx430 x Tx7078. A randomized complete block experimental design was used, with both genotype and water regime (40 and 80 percent water regime) as experimental factors, and four replications. Genotype had a significant effect on A, E and A:E under both the environments. Among the RILs, entry means for A:E ranged from 1.58 to 3.07 mmol CO2 mol^-1 H2O and 1.18 to 4.36 mmol CO2 mol^-1 H2O under 80 percent and 40 percent water regime, respectively. Heritability estimates based on individual environments for A:E , A and E were 0.77, 0.45 and 0.37 under 80 percent water regime and 0.90, 0.33 and 0.71 under 40 percent water regime, respectively. A genetic map was constructed by digital genotyping method using Illumina GAII sequencer with 261 informative indel/ single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP's) markers distributed over 10 linkage groups. Three significant QTLs associated with transpiration efficiency were identified; two on SBI-09 and one on SBI-10 with one logarithmic of odds (LOD) interval length ranging from 5.3 to 5.7 cM and accounting for 17 percent - 21 percent of the phenotypic variation. In field and greenhouse evaluation of agronomic of traits at College Station and Halfway, TX, 91 QTL that control variation in six major agronomic traits such as plant height, flowering, biomass, leaf area, leaf greenness and stomatal density were identified. Co-localization of transpiration efficiency QTLs with agronomic traits such as leaf area, biomass, leaf width and stomatal density indicated that these agronomically important QTLs can be used for further improving the sorghum performance through marker assisted selection (MAS) under pre-flowering drought stress conditions.

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