Tunnels to tables: High tunnel production and distribution model for produce

High tunnel facilities offer a production alternative for specialty crop farmers, but also require a new set of management skills and tactics

High-tunnel resource manual and producer resource kit providing the tools for profitability

Producers interested in high tunnel production received instructions and guidance on how to operate these structures successfully

Systems model and prototype development to capture and use rain water run-off from a high tunnel

High tunnels offer opportunities for farmers to increase production of seasonal horticultural crops. Because of the tunnel roof design, rainfall poses challenges of drainage, erosion and runoff. This project investigates a system for catching and collecting the rainwater for future use in irrigation

Greek Oregano—A Niche Crop for Iowa?

The project was the result of a discussion with an Iowa-based company specializing in allnatural health care products for livestock and companion animals. They are interested in finding local sources of oregano oil because they currently import more than 8,000 lb annually from a European supplier. Greek oregano oil is used in animal care products and other pharmaceuticalsfor its carvacrol content, which has shown to have antimicrobial properties. Their product specifications require oil that contains a minimum of 65% carvacrol and 3% thymol

Co-Inoculation and Sulfur Fertilization in Soybeans

Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rely on large nutrient uptake, especially nitrogen (N), to produce seeds with high nutritional value. Biological N fixation (BNF) supplies most of the plant N demand and enhancement of this process might improve cropping systems’ sustainability. Although seed inoculation with Bradyrhizobium spp. for soybean crop is a well-known management practice, co-inoculation with the freeliving N-fixer Azospirillum brasilense has not been deeply investigated in the US, to our knowledge. Thus, this research explores the effect of co-inoculation with A. brasilense on soybean yield and seed nutritional quality (protein, oil, essential and sulfur (S) amino acids concentration) under contrasting fertilizer S rates. Two-way factorial experiments were conducted in Manhattan and Topeka (KS, US) during the 2019 growing season. Sulfur rates of 0 and 20 lb/a were combined with four inoculation strategies: 1) non-inoculated, 2) seed inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum, 3) A. brasilense, and 4) co-inoculation using both bacteria. The proportion of BNF was estimated via the relative abundance of ureide-N (RAU) at the R5 stage (beginning seed filling). Shoot dry mass was also assessed at R5, as well as seed yield and seed size (1000-seed weight) at harvest time (R8 stage). Dry basis concentration of seed components was also determined (protein, oil, essential and sulfur amino acids). None of the treatment factors significantly (P \u3c 0.05) influenced any observed trait. Overall, RAU averaged 80%, seed yield 65 bu/a, protein 42%, and oil 20%. Future research is necessary to eventually capture effects from co-inoculation and S fertilization in soybeans

Nitrogen and Sulfur Fertilization in Soybean: Impact on Seed Yield and Quality

Over time, plant breeding efforts for improving soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield was prioritized and effects on seed nutritional quality were overlooked, decreasing protein concentration. This research aims to explore the effect of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) fertilization on soybean seed yield, seed protein and sulfur amino acids concentration. In 2018, ten field trials were conducted across the main US soybean producing region. The treatments were fertilization at 1) planting (NSP); during 2) vegetative growth (NSV); and 3) reproductive growth (NSR) and 4) unfertilized (Control). Nitrogen fertilization was applied at the rate of 40 lb/a utilizing urea ammo­nium nitrate (UAN), and S at 9 lb/a via ammonium sulfate (AMS). A meta-analysis was performed to consider small variations among experimental designs. A summary of the effect sizes did not show effects for seed yield. However, fertilization at planting (NSP) increased seed protein by 1% more than the control across all sites. Overall, sulfur amino acid concentration increased by 1.5% relative to the control, but the most consistent benefit came from fertilization during the reproductive growth (NSR), increasing sulfur amino acids by 1.9%. Although N and S fertilization did not affect seed yields, applying N and S in different stages of the crop growth can increase protein concentration and improve protein composition, providing the opportunity to open new US soybean markets

Incorporating lessons from high-input research into a low-margin year

Increased soybean commodity prices in recent years have generated interest in developing high-input systems to increase yield. However, little information exists about the effects of input-intensive, high-yield management on soybean yield and profitability, as well as interactions with basic agronomic practices

A novel retinoblastoma therapy from genomic and epigenetic analyses.

Retinoblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer of the developing retina that is initiated by the biallelic loss of RB1. Tumours progress very quickly following RB1 inactivation but the underlying mechanism is not known. Here we show that the retinoblastoma genome is stable, but that multiple cancer pathways can be epigenetically deregulated. To identify the mutations that cooperate with RB1 loss, we performed whole-genome sequencing of retinoblastomas. The overall mutational rate was very low; RB1 was the only known cancer gene mutated. We then evaluated the role of RB1 in genome stability and considered non-genetic mechanisms of cancer pathway deregulation. For example, the proto-oncogene SYK is upregulated in retinoblastoma and is required for tumour cell survival. Targeting SYK with a small-molecule inhibitor induced retinoblastoma tumour cell death in vitro and in vivo. Thus, retinoblastomas may develop quickly as a result of the epigenetic deregulation of key cancer pathways as a direct or indirect result of RB1 loss

Panorama Phylogenetic Diversity and Distribution of Type A Influenza Virus

Type A influenza virus is one of important pathogens of various animals, including humans, pigs, horses, marine mammals and birds. Currently, the viral type has been classified into 16 hemagglutinin and 9 neuraminidase subtypes, but the phylogenetic diversity and distribution within the viral type largely remain unclear from the whole view.The panorama phylogenetic trees of influenza A viruses were calculated with representative sequences selected from approximately 23000 candidates available in GenBank using web servers in NCBI and the software MEGA 4.0. Lineages and sublineages were classified according to genetic distances, topology of the phylogenetic trees and distributions of the viruses in hosts, regions and time.Here, two panorama phylogenetic trees of type A influenza virus covering all the 16 hemagglutinin subtypes and 9 neuraminidase subtypes, respectively, were generated. The trees provided us whole views and some novel information to recognize influenza A viruses including that some subtypes of avian influenza viruses are more complicated than Eurasian and North American lineages as we thought in the past. They also provide us a framework to generalize the history and explore the future of the viral circulation and evolution in different kinds of hosts. In addition, a simple and comprehensive nomenclature system for the dozens of lineages and sublineages identified within the viral type was proposed, which if universally accepted, will facilitate communications on the viral evolution, ecology and epidemiology