Building Field-Based Ecophysiological Genome-to-Phenome Prediction

Feeding the estimated global population of 9 billion persons by 2050 will require a doubling of the food supply. However, the annual yield rates of gain for major grain crops is only one-quarter to one half of that which is necessary to reach this target. Remedying this deficit necessitates drastic improvements in the ability to predict crop field behavior based on its genetics and the growth environment. This is critical both for breeding programs and for efficient management in farmers’ fields after new varieties are released. This project aims to increase the capacity of Kansas and Oklahoma to conduct research on quantitative prediction methodologies using wheat as a model crop plan

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion