SIMULATION AND RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE WINTER WHEAT RESPONSE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Future climate changes can have a major impact on crop production. But, whatever the climatic changes, crop production can be adapted to climate change by implementing alternative management practices and developing new genotypes that will take full advantage of the future climatic conditions. Since the classical agronomic research approach is not possible in identifying these new agronomic technologies for the future climatic conditions, we used response surface methodology (RSM) in connection with the CERES-Wheat crop model and the HADCM2 climate simulation model to identify optimal configuration of plant traits and management practices that maximize yield of winter wheat under high CO2 environments. The simulations were conducted for three Nebraska locations (Havelock, Dickens and Alliance), which were considered representative of winter wheat growing areas in the central Great Plains. At all locations, the identified optimal winter wheat cultivar under high CO2 conditions had a larger number of tillers, larger kernel size, shorter days to flower, grew faster and had more kernels per square meter than the check variety under normal CO2 conditions, while the optimal planting dates were later and planting densities were lower than under normal conditions. We concluded that RSM used in conjunction with crop and climate simulation models was a useful approach to understanding the complex relationship between wheat genotypes, climate and management practices

EC88-102 Nebraska Spring Small Grain Variety Tests 1988

Extension circular 88-102 is about Nebraska spring small grain variety tests in 1988

Physiologic Specialization of \u3ci\u3ePuccinia recondita\u3c/i\u3e f. sp. \u3ci\u3etritici\u3c/i\u3e in Nebraska During 1995 and 1996

Field samples of Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici, collected from four wheat-growing regions in Nebraska in 1995 and from three in 1996, were characterized for virulence. Twenty virulence phenotypes were identified in 1995 and 18 in 1996. Virulence phenotypes MBR-10,18 (virulent on Lr genes, 1, 3, 3ka, 10, 11, 18, and 30) and MDR-10,18 (virulent on Lr genes 1, 3, 3ka, 10, 11, 18, 24, and 30) were the most prevalent, with each phenotype comprising 21.6% of the isolates characterized in 1995. Of the 1995 isolates, 24% were virulent on 10 or more host genes. No virulence to Lr16 and Lr17 was detected. In 1996, virulence phenotype MBR-10,18 was the most prevalent and comprised 20.5% of the isolates characterized. Of the 1996 isolates, 33% were virulent on 10 or more host genes. All isolates in both years were virulent on Lr1, Lr3, and Lr10. New virulence phenotypes were detected in 1996 that were not detected in 1995. In 1996, virulence was more frequent on Lr2a, Lr16, and Lr17 and less frequent on Lr3ka, Lr18, Lr24, Lr26, and Lr30. The number of isolates virulent on Lr24 and Lr26 has decreased from 83 and 53%, respectively, in 1992, to 34 and 1%, respectively, in 1996

A stealth health approach to dietary fibre

Average dietary fibre intakes have increased little in the past twenty years in many countries, including the USA1. Multi-million-dollar campaigns promoting fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other foods high in fibre have delivered only small changes in diets2, and consumers have not changed from traditional staples to whole-grain options3. UK millers report that consumption of whole-wheat bread has actually declined over the past decade (P. Shewry, personal communication). In the US, white flour, which is lower in fibre than whole-wheat flour, accounts for nearly 40% of the fibre intake4. We believe that as motivating consumers to change food choices has proven difficult, changing food itself — a so-called stealth health approach — could be a useful strategy to increase fibre in the foods people choose to eat

Gene transfer into hepatocytes using asialoglycoprotein receptor mediated endocytosis of DNA complexed with an artificial tetra-antennary galactose ligand

We have constructed an artificial ligand for the hepatocyte-specific asialoglycoprotein receptor for the purpose of generating a synthetic delivery system for DNA. This ligand has a tetra-antennary structure, containing four terminal galactose residues on a branched carrier peptide. The carbohydrate residues of this glycopeptide were introduced by reductive coupling of lactose to the alpha- and epsilon-amino groups of the two N-terminal lysines on the carrier peptide. The C-terminus of the peptide, containing a cysteine separated from the branched N-terminus by a 10 amino acid spacer sequence, was used for conjugation to 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate-modified polylysine via disulfide bond formation. Complexes containing plasmid DNA bound to these galactose-polylysine conjugates have been used for asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated transfer of a luciferase gene into human (HepG2) and murine (BNL CL.2) hepatocyte cell lines. Gene transfer was strongly promoted when amphipathic peptides with pH-controlled membrane-disruption activity, derived from the N-terminal sequence of influenza virus hemagglutinin HA-2, were also present in these DNA complexes. Thus, we have essentially borrowed the small functional domains of two large proteins, asialoglycoprotein and hemagglutinin, and assembled them into a supramolecular complex to generate an efficient gene-transfer system

MutDB: update on development of tools for the biochemical analysis of genetic variation

Understanding how genetic variation affects the molecular function of gene products is an emergent area of bioinformatic research. Here, we present updates to MutDB (http://www.mutdb.org), a tool aiming to aid bioinformatic studies by integrating publicly available databases of human genetic variation with molecular features and clinical phenotype data. MutDB, first developed in 2002, integrates annotated SNPs in dbSNP and amino acid substitutions in Swiss-Prot with protein structural information, links to scores that predict functional disruption and other useful annotations. Though these functional annotations are mainly focused on nonsynonymous SNPs, some information on other SNP types included in dbSNP is also provided. Additionally, we have developed a new functionality that facilitates KEGG pathway visualization of genes containing SNPs and a SNP query tool for visualizing and exporting sets of SNPs that share selected features based on certain filters

Registration of ‘NE05548’ (Husker Genetics Brand Panhandle) Hard Red Winter Wheat

Western Nebraska wheat producers and those in adjacent areas want taller wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars that retain their height under drought for better harvestability. ‘NE05548’ (Reg. No. CV-1117, PI 670462) hard red winter wheat was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in January 2014 by the developing institutions. NE05548 was released primarily for its superior performance under rainfed conditions in western Nebraska and adjacent areas of the Great Plains and its tall plant stature. NE05548 was selected from the cross NE97426/NE98574 made in 1999 where the pedigree of NE97426 is ‘Brigantina’/2*‘Arapahoe’ and the pedigree of NE98574 is CO850267/‘Rawhide’. The F1 generation was grown in the greenhouse in 2000, and the F2 to F3 generations were advanced using the bulk breeding method in the field at Mead, NE, in 2001 to 2002. In 2003, single F3–derived F4 head rows were grown for selection. There was no further selection thereafter. The F3:5 was evaluated as a single four-row plot at Lincoln, NE, and a single row at Mead, NE, in 2004. In 2005, it was assigned the experimental line number NE05548. NE05548 was evaluated in replicated trials thereafter. It has excellent winter survival, acceptable disease reactions to many of the common diseases in its target area, and acceptable end-use quality for bread making

Registration of ‘NE05548’ (Husker Genetics Brand Panhandle) Hard Red Winter Wheat

Western Nebraska wheat producers and those in adjacent areas want taller wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars that retain their height under drought for better harvestability. ‘NE05548’ (Reg. No. CV-1117, PI 670462) hard red winter wheat was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in January 2014 by the developing institutions. NE05548 was released primarily for its superior performance under rainfed conditions in western Nebraska and adjacent areas of the Great Plains and its tall plant stature. NE05548 was selected from the cross NE97426/NE98574 made in 1999 where the pedigree of NE97426 is ‘Brigantina’/2*‘Arapahoe’ and the pedigree of NE98574 is CO850267/‘Rawhide’. The F1 generation was grown in the greenhouse in 2000, and the F2 to F3 generations were advanced using the bulk breeding method in the field at Mead, NE, in 2001 to 2002. In 2003, single F3–derived F4 head rows were grown for selection. There was no further selection thereafter. The F3:5 was evaluated as a single four-row plot at Lincoln, NE, and a single row at Mead, NE, in 2004. In 2005, it was assigned the experimental line number NE05548. NE05548 was evaluated in replicated trials thereafter. It has excellent winter survival, acceptable disease reactions to many of the common diseases in its target area, and acceptable end-use quality for bread making

Registration of ‘NH03614 CL’ Wheat

‘NH03614 CL’ (Reg. No. CV-1051, PI 653833) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in 2008 by the developing institutions and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. In addition to researchers at the releasing institutions, USDA-ARS researchers at Manhattan, KS and St. Paul, MN participated in the development of NH03614 CL. NH03614 CL was selected from the cross ‘Wesley’ sib//‘Millennium’ sib/‘Above’ sib that was made in the spring of 1997 to develop new herbicide-tolerant cultivars. NH03614 CL was selected using the bulk breeding method as an F3:4 line (F3–derived line in the F4 generation) in 2001, and in 2003 was assigned experimental line number NH03164. NH03614 CL was released primarily for its herbicide tolerance to imadazolinone compounds which control many previously diffi cult-to-control weeds in wheat production systems, and for its superior adaptation to rainfed wheat production systems in Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and counties in adjacent states