Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

California During this past year, we documented that the communication process in willows and sagebrush has a genetic component and that plants communicated more effectively with other tissues that were genetically more similar. In the case of sagebrush, the cues are apparently organized in distinct chemotypes. The volatile cues that are emitted by damaged individuals within populations differ – e.g., some plants produce mostly camphor, others mostly thujone, camphor plants do not produce measurable quantities of thujone, and vice versa. Plants of the different chemotypes are morphologically indistinguishable although plants communicate most effectively with other individuals of the same chemotypes. Furthermore, the chemotypes are highly heritable. Our next step is to examine whether some chemotypes are more or less susceptible to the herbivores that attack this species. We will also determine if relatives share susceptibilities to herbivores. Connecticut In 2014, we continued to evaluate our newly developed polyploid barberries. An additional year of data about fruit production, seed production and horticultural performance were collected. Previous trends of extremely low fecundity for our selected polyploids continued. Softwood cuttings of six superior, near sterile genotypes were rooted at the University of Connecticut. Additionally, cuttings of one select genotype were distributed to six commercial nursery producers for rooting evaluation. Three genotypes with excellent sterility and desirable ornamental qualities have been identified for intensive propagation efforts in 2015. Dialogue was initiated with regulatory bodies in states where barberry is banned to develop cultivar exemptions for sterile barberries. Plants of a very compact (mature size of 2’ tall by 3’ wide) Aronia melanocarpa, selected from a cross of two low growing diploid accessions, were distributed to several commercial nurseries for evaluation. In addition, two prostrate Aronia melanocarpa genotypes were selected from breeding populations and introduced into tissue culture to produce plants for distribution and evaluation in 2015. All three genotypes of Aronia are dramatically different from material that is currently available in the nursery and landscape industries. Kansas Where winter wheat has been grown continuously for many years, rotating to winter canola can improve wheat yields by 10% to 50%. As a result, winter canola acres have increased in Kansas from 18,000 in 2012 to 59,000 in 2014. Four Roundup Ready cultivars and one conventional cultivar have been released by Kansas State University since 2011. Additional cultivars and new cropping systems are needed to improve agronomic sustainability of the region, generate greater economic returns, and combat the effects of climate change. • Two winter hardy, Roundup Ready cultivars, KSR4649S and KSR4650, were released by Kansas State in 2014 and will be marketed to southern Great Plains canola producers by CROPLAN by WinField. • Two early maturing, Roundup Ready cultivars, KSR07352S and KSR07363, were released by Kansas State in 2013 and will be marketed to southern Great Plains canola producers by Monsanto/DeKalb. • The first seed sales of Griffin, a dual-purpose forage and grain cultivar, were made in fall 2014. • 18 PI accessions were used in the 2013-2014 conventional crossing block. The accessions originate from European sources and possess traits such as high oil content, greater oleic acid content, horizontal and erect pod architecture, and prostrate growth habit. Illinois Twenty-one species of perennial woody species were evaluated for their potential as short rotation bioenergy feedstocks. One-year-old bare-root seedlings were planted in the field in Urbana, Illinois in the spring of 2010. The trees were grown for two seasons and cut to a height of 5 cm (coppiced) during the dormant season. The trees were re-grown as multi-stemmed trees for two additional seasons prior to harvest in the 2013-2014 winter. Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, the most productive species, produced an average annualized dry mass yield of 12.2 Mg/ha/yr, while silver maple, Acer saccharinum, produced 8.6, sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, produced 6.0 and northern catalpa, Catalpa speciosa, produced 5.1 Mg/ha/yr. Iowa See statement (under NCRPIS section) about joint release of 204 doubled haploid (BGEM) lines derived from exotic landraces. The 204 released and additional about 100 BGEM lines were genotyped by a private collaborator (KWS Saat AG, Germany), and evaluated in replicated field experiments, including a nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) trial at Burkey farm. Testcross seed has been produced in summer 2014 for hybrid level NUE trials in 2015. The BGEM line panel is currently used by five graduate students to identify valuable exotic germplasm for different agronomic traits, and to study root and other morphological characters including genetic mapping of respective genes. To more efficiently capture root traits, imaging software has been developed in cooperation with engineers on campus. A maize haploid inducer adapted to Midwest U.S. has been developed and is available from ISURF (http://www.techtransfer.iastate.edu/en/for_industry/technology_search/search.cfm?fuseaction=technology.details&id=4065). Two sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) resistance genes (Scmv1, Scmv2) have been isolated in collaboration with Dr. Mingliang Xu at CAU Beijing (publications in preparation). These resistance genes are currently transferred into Tanzanian parent lines of a hybrid in the frame of an USAID project. The susceptible hybrid is important in an area that is affected by Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND). MLND is caused by a mixture of SCMV and maize chlorotic mottle virus. Minnesota We evaluated 160 new soybean PI accessions of maturity groups 000,00,0 and I, in cooperation with Dr. Randy Nelson, curator of the Soybean Germplasm Collection. The evaluations involved verifying the descriptive characteristics of each accession, determining yield and other agronomic characteristics such as flowering date, maturity date, plant height, lodging score etc., evaluating for drought tolerance (canopy wilting score, and evaluating the seed for chemical composition including protein content, oil content, amino acid content, fatty acid content, soluble sugars content, etc.). Based on the agronomic and compositional data, crosses were made with advanced breeding lines to develop populations with greater genetic diversity for yield, drought tolerance and chemical composition. These populations will be advanced in our winter nursery in Chile and evaluated for possible release as new cultivars or for use as parents to add diversity to the soybean germplasm of the northern US. The data for the new PI's will be entered into the GRIN system so it is publicly available for soybean breeders and geneticists. Michigan Recently there is interest in using dwarfing precocious rootstocks to enable sour cherry trees to be planted at high densities to achieve higher yields per acre. For sweet cherry, small tree size will result in reduced labor costs and the number of harvest laborers needed, thereby having the potential to lead to increased grower profitability. Dwarfing precocious rootstocks have been developed from cherry germplasm present in the Michigan State University breeding collection. These dwarfing rootstocks are currently in test in the major cherry production regions of the US. Soybean aphid, a pest originating in Asia, was first found in the U.S. upper Midwest in 2000. Today it is a major pest of soybean in the U.S. where yield losses can reach as high as 88%. Aphid resistances found in the Plant Introductions (PI 567598B and PI 567536), are being bred into commercial soybean cultivars. New soybean cultivars with aphid resistance have the potential to reduce yield losses from this pest without the need for pesticide applications to control the aphid. Cultivated potato in North America has a narrow genetic data, despite the rich diversity of wild potato species present in South America, the potato’s center of origin. These wild species bring sought after alleles for disease resistance and other novel tuber quality traits. New breeding and genotyping techniques are accelerating the use of this wild germplasm due to the ability to purge deleterious alleles from these wild accessions during the introgression process. Day-neutral strawberry cultivars that fruit over an extended period in the summer have been of limited success in the mid-west due to the lack of suitable cultivars. Recently through the use of new germplasm sources, day-neutral strawberry cultivars that have a longer fruiting period and good eating quality will soon be available from the Michigan State University strawberry breeding program. Nebraska In 2014, 66 selected proso millet PI lines from the previously tested germplasm core collection (received from USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station) were evaluated in the field for seed shattering, lodging, panicle length, neck length, internode length, plant height, grain size, seeds/panicle. Major emphasis was given identifying proso millet germplasm with resistance or tolerance to seed shattering and lodging. There was significant variation for these traits. Several of these lines showed consistency for many traits, most importantly tolerance to seed-shattering and lodging based on 2013 and 2014 data. These PI lines will be used in 2014 crossing. Forty-four new crosses were made where two PI lines were used as source of shattering and lodging tolerance. The F1 s were advanced to F2 in greenhouse. In 2014 summer, early generation lines were screened and advanced to next level. A total of 300 of 1040 F3:4 HRs were selected from field evaluation. The first waxy (amylose-free) proso millet cultivar ‘Plateau’ was released in 2014. The USDA line PI 436626 was used as source of waxy trait in developing this cultivar. In 2014, yield losses due to Ascochyta blight were experimentally assessed in a split plot design with treatment, (protected by one LEM 17 EC treatment vs. unprotected) as the main plot and chickpea lines assigned as the subplots, with three replications at the PHREC-Scottsbluff, NE under irrigated conditions. Thirty-one lines including 7 cultivars and 24 experimental lines selected from previous years were evaluated, and PHREC-Ca-Comp. #1 was used as the tolerant check. Ascochyta blight incidence was low due to high temperatures. No difference were detected due to chemical treatment. HB14 had the highest yield of 2808 lbs/acre followed by CDC-Frontier, NE21-11-18, and UCD 1104 with yields of 2775, 2688 and 2679 lbs/acre, respectively. A few lines showed promising resistance to Ascochyta blight in the past. Release of chickpea varieties with Ascochyta blight resistance will lower production costs and reduce pesticide use, making this a viable alternate crop in Nebraska. Identifying types that will bring the greatest value to regional production will facilitate this region becoming a competitive production area. A heat tolerance experiment conducted at the Scottsbluff, NE greenhouse used 43 dry bean lines and 10 tepary beans; 16 were from the shuttle breeding between Nebraska and Puerto Rico, 11 from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Palmira, Colombia, and 6 reference checks. The tepary bean PI 319447 had the highest yield followed by the interspecific CIAT line INB 816 and the shuttle breeding line SB11. Sources of heat and drought tolerance have being identified from the on-going shuttle breeding between Nebraska and Puerto Rico. Sources of resistance to bacterial wilt and bacterial brown were identified. The identification of resistant germplasm sources and the development of new resistant cultivars would benefit any individual involved with the dry bean industry, directly or indirectly. These diseases can affect producer’s (1,300) profits by reducing both yield and quality parameters. This in turn affects the processor and general economy of the communities where the dry beans are produced. Thus it is particularly prudent now to be attempting to produce new brown spot and bacterial wilt resistant cultivars. Results were disseminated to communities of interest through field days and January and August meetings, the StarHerald local newspaper, the BeanaBag, and the web page at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest/othercrops. Efforts will continue to focus on selection of chickpeas with Ascochyta blight resistance and dry beans with heat tolerance. Introduce heat and bacterial brown resistance into elite Nebraska dry bean lines through hybridization About 300 Nebraska dry bean growers were reached though the field days, January and August meetings, the Star-Herald local newspaper, the BeanBag, and the web page at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest/othercrops. New York Seed was increased for release of a new Stewart’s wilt resistant sweet corn inbred. Two other advanced Stewart’s wilt resistant inbreds were selected in an effort to reduce problems with ear branching. Fourteen experimental sweet corn inbreds and their testcrosses were evaluated for Stewart's wilt resistance in replicated tests to identify potential releases. Anthracnose leaf blight resistance was evaluated on nine new inbreds and their testcrosses in replicated trials. Limited disease development in 2014 indicates this evaluation will need to be repeated in the coming year to make effective selections among these potential releases. Two sweet corn inbreds, each in combination with three testers, were evaluated for northern leaf blight resistance for a second year. Seed increase was also undertaken on these inbreds in preparation for release. Barrenness and stalk snapping at the ear node may preclude release of one of these inbreds. Breeding efforts designed to move multiple disease resistance into sweet corn based on exotic resistance sources were continued. Ten families that had demonstrated resistance to northern leaf blight, anthracnose leaf blight, rust, and Stewart's wilt as BC2S1 progenies in 2013 were advanced to the BC3 generation in 2014. Testcrosses of eight experimental sweet corn inbreds, developed using exotic sources of insect resistance, were evaluated for resistance to European corn borer and for resistance to corn earworm in replicated trials. Ear damage ratings for both insects and leaf feeding damage ratings for the corn borer were scored and will be used to identify the best candidates for release. Students in the course 'Plant Breeding Methods Laboratory' were taken to the breeding nursery field, introduced to the project activities, and educated regarding the importance of germplasm collections for pest resistance breeding. Provided educational talks, webinars, and radio and television spots addressing issues and concerns about genetically engineered crop varieties, reaching a broad array of public audiences. Emphasis in these presentations was on education about what genetic engineering is, how it fits within the context of long-term crop selection/improvement and conservation efforts, and what science tells us to date regarding its risks and benefits. OPGC (Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center), Colombus, Ohio • Completed a cut flower longevity assessment in support of an evvaluation grant awarded by the NPGS (“Cut flower longevity among accessions of Rudbeckia, Phlox, and Coreopsis in the National Plant Germplasm System”); over 1,300 stems have been evaluated and longevity ranges averaging from 1 to 36 days. • Developed new field growing facilities (raised beds, containers) at the OSU Waterman Research Farm for germplasm regeneration and characterization studies. • Promoted 2014 as the year of Phlox, through trade publications, presentations during the Cultivate14 Short Course and a Phlox-themed booth at the trade show. • Received a grant from the NPGS for collecting germplasm in northern California in 2015. • Andres Bohorquez-Restrepo began M.S. thesis research on the color and biochemical patterns of Phlox flowers supported by an evaluation grant from the NPGS. • Germplasm enhancement activities with Phlox have resulted in the production of 157 novel interspecific hybrids that may provide useful combination of traits for further breeding by the industry. • Graduate student Peter Zale completed his PhD dissertation on “Germplasm Collection, Characterization, and Enhancement of Eastern Phlox Species.” • Developed tissue culture protocols for the rapid propagation of Phlox to facilitate seed regeneration from plants collected in the field. Adapted the protocols for temporary backup of phlox accessions until seed production is completed. Acquisition-
A total of 89 new accessions were acquired, 87 were priority genera (number of accessions in parenthesis): Phlox (20), Coreopsis (19), Rudbeckia (18), Begonia (16), Lilium (14). New Begonia accessions included 11Begonia cucullata collected during an exploration expedition to Florida in 2013 by P. Jourdan and S. Haba as part of an NPGS-funded germplasm collecting project. Maintenance & Regeneration-
Accessions available for distribution: 1,019 / 4,174 (22.6%). Sixty-nine accessions were grown out in 2013, and 52 accessions successfully produced 10,000 or more seeds. Seed viability tests have been completed for 31 of these accessions. Accessions backed up-
1,888 / 4,174 accessions (45.2%). In 2013, 24 accessions were sent to NCGRP and 22 accessions to Svalbard for backup and long-term storage. Characterization-
• Cut flower longevity was evaluated for 17 accessions of Coreopsis, 37 accessions of Phlox and 79 accessions of Rudbeckia. Average cut flower longevity ranged from 1-10 days for accessions of Coreopsis, 3-11 days for Phlox, and 3-36 days for Rudbeckia. This study will continue during the 2014 growing season. • Expanded the survey of ploidy in our accessions of Phlox, Rudbeckia and Coreopsis through flow cytometry; 528 samples were analyzed (99 Coreopsis, 278 Phlox, 151 Rudbeckia) representing 70 species. Polyploids were identified in multiple species. • Ph.D. candidate P. Zale worked on interspecific hybridization of Phlox and successfully produced 157 novel interspecific hybrids, currently being evaluated. Most of these hybrids provide opportunities for assessment of disease resistance, plant habit, and extended flowering periods. • The OPGC is working with Cornell University and other researchers in a collaborative project to evaluate garden performance of 18 varieties of lilies planted at the OPGC in 2013, both in-ground and in raised beds. Distribution-
In 2013 the OPGC distributed 165 germplasm orders containing a total of 625 items; 43 of the 165 orders received (26%) were identified as home-gardener requests (i.e. not used for research or educational purposes). Situation: Many native North American species have immense potential as ornamental plants; some are already widely grown but too many others lack a sufficiently broad base of genetic diversity accessible to breeders in order to make needed improvements (for example, disease resistance) and to develop entirely new cultivated forms. These plants not only represent beauty in our landscape but also provide important ecosystem services that enhance the quality of life in communities. Response: The Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center has been systematically collecting and analyzing different genotypes of native species such as phlox, black-eyed susans, coreopsis and lilies. The collections have been examined for genome size and ploidy, flowering response, fragrance, disease resistance and potential for hybridization between species. A recent focus has been extensive hybridization studies in phlox. Impact: The floriculture and nursery industry is a global enterprise and Ohio has a significant place both in production and management services. The OPGC is the only center in the world focused on the conservation of germplasm for herbaceous ornamental plants. Availability of our phlox germplasm, for example, has created opportunities for breeding that had not been considered before and the industry is beginning to develop new crops with this material. Consumers benefit when hardy, adaptable, and beautiful plants are used in our landscapes to enhance the quality of life. NCRPIS (North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station), Ames IA 2014 NCRPIS Collection statistics (calendar year): Collection holdings grew to 53,145 with the acquisition of 765 new accessions; 40,276 are available (76%), while 42,291 are backed up (80%) at the NCGRP (Natl. Center for Genetic Resources Preservation) in Ft. Collins, CO. New germplasm included woody ornamentals from the Midwestern and Southern US, of ash tree species, river birch, oak, Aesculus, Cornus, Spirea and Diervilla; oilseeds, expired plant variety protected maize inbreds, vegetable germplasm, and wild spinach relatives. Helianthus winteri, a new wild perennial sunflower species endemic to a small region in central California and formally described in 2013, was collected and accessioned. New sunflower accessions include a 288 line association mapping population, UGA-SAM1, primarily developed from NCRPIS cultivated accessions (which were selfed two times before phenotyping and sequencing) and a selection of breeding lines from INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research). Regenerations (seed increases) were attempted for 1,250 accessions, of which 992 have been harvested. Nearly 3,300 accessions were tested for viability, or 6% of the collection. Additional resources are being applied in order to test approximately 10% of collection holdings each year. Nearly 47,800 new accession observations were entered into the GRIN dataset, of which about 22,700 are associated with Brassica germplasm. We distributed 33% of collection holdings to germplasm requesters (17,558 unique accessions) to fulfill 1,285 orders. More detail regarding NCRPIS activities and curatorial research can be found in the expanded annual report at the repository home page. The reproductive biology of Kentucky Coffeetree was investigated. The impact of de-winging ash (Fraxinus) seeds on germination was evaluated; the data indicate de-winging does not reduce germination in the short term. This is important in order to reduce cold storage space requirements; longer term data collection is needed. Oil analyses of wild collected H. winteri seed indicated a fatty acid profile similar to the mid-oleic NuSunTM hybrids although the high temperature growing conditions for the wild seed probably influenced the fatty acid composition. Analyses of seeds grown under more temperate conditions are planned. Mature H. winteri stems become very woody. Preliminary wood chemistry analyses (National Renewable Energy Lab, Golden, CO) of a lower stem cross-section indicated higher sugar and lower lignin concentrations in H. winteri than in cultivated sunflower and two wild annual sunflower species suggesting that a more comprehensive analysis of stem components is warranted. Because genomic analyses indicated a close relationship between H. winteri and wild H. annuus, transfer of traits from H. winteri to improve cultivated sunflower may be a reasonable endeavor. The Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Project released six new S3 lines of 25% exotic germplasm background to GEM cooperators. With Iowa State University’s Doubled Haploid Facility 204 maize doubled haploid lines derived from 60 exotic landraces backcrossed onto expired plant variety protected maize inbreds (recurrent parents) were publicly released. Investigations of methods to eliminate photoperiod and more rapidly adapt photoperiod sensitive germplasm to temperate conditions continue. More than 400 visitors received tours or in-depth information exchanges. These include outreach to grade school, high school, undergraduate and graduate students and educators; the Iowa Honey Producers; commercial and public sector plant breeders of vegetables, oilseeds, maize, and specialty crops; and international agricultural ministry officials.

California: Karban, R., Shiojiri, K., Wetzel, W.C., Evans, R.Y. 2013. Kin recognition affects plant communication and defense. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280:20123062. Karban, R., Wetzel, W.C., Shiojiri, K., Ishizaki, S., Ramirez, S.R., Blande, J.D. 2014. Deciphering the language of plant communication: volatile chemotypes of sagebrush. New Phytologist 204:380-385. Karban, R., Yang, L.H., Edwards, K.F. 2014. Volatile communication between plants that affects herbivory: a meta-analysis. Ecology Letters 17:44-52. Pearse, I.S., Hughes, K., Shiojiri, K., Ishizaki, S., Karban, R. 2013. Interplant volatile signaling in willows: revisiting the original talking trees. Oecologia 172:869-875. Iowa: Abdel-Ghani, A., Kumar, B.T., Montomares, J.R., Gonzalez-Portilla, P., Jansen, C., San Martin, J.P., Lee, M., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Genotypic variation for root traits of maize inbred lines grown under contrasting nitrogen conditions. Euphytica 189:123-133. Arias Aguirre, A., Studer, B., Do Canto, J., Frei, U.K., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Mapping a new source of self-fertility in Lolium perenne. Plant Breed. Biotech. 1:385-395. Brazauskas, G., Pasakinskiene, I., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Estimation of temporal allele frequency changes in ryegrass populations selected for axillary tiller development. In: Breeding strategies for sustainable forage and turf grass improvement. Barth, S. and Milbourne, D. Eds., Springer, pp. 81-89. Brenner, E.A., Beavis, W.D., Andersen, J.R., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Prospects and limitations for development and application of functional markers in plants. In: Diagnostics in Plant Breeding, Lübberstedt, T. and Varshney R. Eds., Springer, pp. 329-348. Chen, Y., Blanco, M., Ji, Q., Frei, U.K., Lübberstedt, T. 2014. Extensive genetic diversity and low linkage disequilibrium within the Bm3 locus in Germplasm Enhancement of Maize populations. Plant Science 221-222:69-80. De la Fuente, G., Frei, U.K., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Accelerating Plant Breeding. Trends in Plant Sciences 18:667-672. Ding, H., Qin, C., Gao, J., Chen, Z., Liu, H., Leng, P., Lin, H., Shen, Y., Zhao, M., Zhou, S., Lan, H., Rong, T., Lübberstedt, T., Zhang, Z., Pan, G. 2014. Heterosis in early maize ear inflorescence development: A genome-wide transcription analysis for two maize inbred line pairs and their hybrids. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 15:13892-13915. Ingvardsen, C.R., Xing, Y., Frei, U.K., Lübberstedt, T. 2010. Genetical and physical fine mapping of Scmv2, a potyvirus resistance gene in maize. Theor. Appl. Genet. 110:1621-1630. Jansen, C., de Leon, N. Ruff, L., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Mapping quantitative trait loci for cob architectural and biomass related traits in recombinant IBM inbred lines in maize. BioEnergy Research 6:903-916. Jeffrey, B., Kuzhiyil, N., Rover, M., Brown, R.C., Lamkey, K.R., Nettleton, D., Lübberstedt, T. 2014. Significant variation for bio-oil compounds after Pyrolysis/Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of cobs and stover among five near-isogenic brown-midrib hybrids in maize. BioEnergy Research 7:693-701. Kumar, B.T.N., Abdel-Ghani, A.H., Pace, J., Reyes-Matamoros, J., Hochholdinger, F., Lübberstedt, T. 2014. Association analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes with root traits in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings. Plant Science 224:9-19. Liu, H., Qin, C., Chen, Z., Zuo, T., Yang, X., Zhou, H., Xu, M., Shen, Y., Lin, H., He, X., Zhang, Y., Li, L., Ding, H., Lübberstedt, T., Zhang, Z., Pan, G. 2014. Identification of miRNAs and their target genes in developing maize ears by deep sequencing. BMC Genomics 15:25. Lübberstedt, T. 2014. Bioenergie aus Maisrestpflanzen – Mit Pyrolyse aus trockener Biomasse Kraftstoff herstellen. Mais 01/2014:29-31. Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Diagnostics in plant breeding. In: Diagnostics in Plant Breeding, Lübberstedt, T. and Varshney R. Eds., Springer, pp. 3-10. Lukman, R., Afifuddin, A., Lübberstedt, T. 2013. Unraveling the genetic diversity of maize downy mildew in Indonesia. J Plant Pathology and Microbiology 4:162. Pace, J., Lee, N., Naik, H.S., Ganapathysubramanian, B., Lübberstedt, T. 2014. Analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) seedling roots with a new high-throughput tool to connect seedling roots to adult roots. PLoS ONE 9(9):e108255. Pfeifer, M., Mayer, K., Asp, T., Martis, M., Lübberstedt, T., Frei, U.K., Studer, B. 2013. The Lolium genome zipper – targeted use of grass genome resources for ryegrass genomics. Plant Phys. 161:571-582. Tao, Y., Jiang, L., Liu, Q., Zhang, Y., Zhang, R., Ingvardsen, C.R., Frei, U.K., Lai, J., Wang, B., Lübberstedt, T., Xu, M.L. 2013. Joint fine-mapping of Scmv1, a major locus involved in resistance to sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) in maize. BMC Plant Biol 13:162. Zhang, Y., Lübberstedt, T., Xu, M.L. 2013. The genetic and molecular basis of plant resistance to pathogens. Journal of Genetics and Genomics 40:23-35. Iowa - NCRPIS: Arbizu, C. K. Reitsma, P. Simon, D. Spooner. 2014. Morphometric Study of Daucus (Apiaceae): A Counterpart to a Phylogenomic Study. Am J Bot 101(11):2005-2016. Barney, D.L., Bauer, M., Jensen, J. 2013. Survival, frost susceptibility, growth, and disease resistance of corkbark and subalpine fir grown for landscape and Christmas trees. HortTechnology 23:194-200. Blanco, M.H., Gardner, C.A. 2014. Germplasm Enhancement of Maize - Strategies & Synergy with Maize Curation. In: Proceedings of the Illinois Corn Breeders School, March 3, 2014, Urbana, Illinois p. 1-23. Gilmore, B.S., Knaus, B., Bassil, N.V., Barney, D.L., Hummer, K.E. 2014. Short-read DNA sequencing yields microsatellite markers for Rheum. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 139:22-29. Marek, L.F., Barb J.B., Constable J.C., Seiler G.J. 2014. An exciting new wild sunflower species: Helianthus winteri. 36th National Sunflower Association Research Forum, January 8-9. 2014, Fargo, ND. Available: http://www.sunflowernsa.com/uploads/research/1237/marek.et.al_exciting.species_paper_2014.pdf. Peiffer, J.A., Romay, M.C., Gore, M.A., Flint Garcia, S.A., Zhang, Z., Millard, M.J., Gardner, C.A., McMullen, M.D., Holland, J.B., Bradbury, P., Buckler IV, E.S. 2014. The genetic architecture of maize height. Genetics 196:1337-1356. Spooner, D., P. Simon, M. Widrlechner, K.R. Reitsma, D. Palmquist. 2014. Reassessment of Practical Species Identifications of the USDA Daucus carota Germplasm Collection: Morphological Data. Crop Sci 54(2):706-718. Talukder, Z.L., Hulke, B.S., Marek, L.F., Gulya, T.J. 2014. Sources of resistance to sunflower diseases in a global collection of domesticated USDA plant introductions. Crop Sci 54:694-705. Ziebell A.L., Barb J.G., Sandhu S., Moyers B.T., Sykes R.W., Doeppke C., Gracom K.L., Carlile M., Marek L.F., Davis M.F., Knapp S.J., Burke J.M. 2013. Sunflower as a biofuels crop: an analysis of lignocellulosic chemical properties. Biomass and Bioenergy 59:208-217. Kansas: Assefa, Y., Roozeboom, K.L., and Stamm. M.J. 2014. Winter canola yield and survival as a function of environment, genetics, and management. Crop Sci. 54:2303-2313. Stamm, M., Dooley, S., Holman, J., and Rife, C. 2014. Registration of Griffin winter canola. J. Plant Reg. (accepted with revision). Stamm, M., Dooley, S., Angadi, S., Baldwin, B., Begna, S., Berrada, A., Bhardwaj, H., Braden, I., Bushong, J., Caldbeck, B., Caldbeck, C., Cebert, E., Chandler, J., Cramer, G., Damicone, J., Darby, H., Davidson, J., Davis, J., Delaney, D., DeLaune, P., Eriksmoen, E., Garner, J., Gassett, J., George, N., Gilmer, M., Gruenbacher, B., Gulick, S., Hathcoat, D., Henninger, M., Higgins, T., Holman, J., James, J., Johnson, B., Johnson, J., Jordan, H., Kochenower, R., Larson, K., Lee, D., Mansfield, C., Murdock, L., Nachtman, J., Neely, C., O’Neill, M., Owen, C., Patry, M., Pearson, C., Rife, C., Santra, D., Schrock, R., Sexton, P., Shockey, J., Thomas, T., Thomason, W., Trostle, C., Ware, G., West, D., Williams, A., and Wingerson, M. 2015. 2014 National Winter Canola Variety Trial. Kans. Ag. Exp. St. and Coop. Ext. Serv., Manhattan, KS (in preparation). Stamm, M., Dooley, S., Angadi, S., Baldwin, B., Berrada, A., Bhardwaj, H., Bushong, J., Caldbeck, B., Caldbeck, C., Cebert, E., Cramer, G. , Damicone, J., Darby, H., Davidson, J., Day, D., Delaney, D., DeLaune, P., Eriksmoen, E., Freed, R., Gassett, J., Gilmer, M., Gulick, S., Holman, J., Johnson, B., Johnson, J., Kochenower, R., Larson, K., Lee, D., Mansfield, C., Mason, H., Meki, N., Miller, P., Nachtman, J., Nelson, R., O’Neill, M., Owen, C., Pearson, C., Quiring, S., Rife, C., Sexton, P., Thomas, T., Thomason, W., Trostle, C., Ware, G. and West, D. 2014. 2013 National Winter Canola Variety Trial. Kans. Ag. Exp. St. and Coop. Ext. Serv., Manhattan, KS. Stamm, M., G. Cramer, S. Dooley, and R. Nelson. 2013. Kansas performance tests with winter wheat varieties – 2013 National Winter Canola Variety Trial. SRP1090:17-23. Kans. Ag. Exp. St. and Coop. Ext. Serv., Manhattan, KS. Michigan: Mookerjeea, S., Mathey, M.M., Finn, C.E., Zhang, Z. and Hancock, J.F. 2014. Heat tolerance plays an important role in regulating remontant flowering in an F1population of octoploid strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa). Journal of Berry Research 3:151-158. Stegmeir T., Schuster M,. Sebolt A., Rosyara U., Sundin G.W., Iezzoni A. 2014. Cherry leaf spot resistance in cherry (Prunus) is associated with a quantitative trait locus on linkage group 4 inherited from P. canescens. Mol Breeding 34(3):927-935. Nebraska: Rajput S., Plyler-Harveson, T. and D.K. Santra. 2014. Development and characterization of SSR markers in proso millet (Panicum milliaceum L.) based switch grass genomics. American J. Plant Sci. 5:175-186. Santra, D. 2014. Proso millet breeding trials at University of Nebraska. Oral presentation at ‘Customer Focus Meeting’, USDA-ARS Central Great Plains Research Station, Akron, CO., Jan 23, 2014 (40 growers attended). Santra, D. 2014. Proso millet breeding trials at University of Nebraska. Annual No-Till Conference, Burlington, CO. February 4-5 (145 growers attended). Santra, D. 2014. Proso millet breeding trials at the High Plains Ag. Lab dryland farm. Oral presentation at the HPAL Field Day, June 19, 2014 (110 growers attended). Santra, D., Rajput, S., Hazen, A., Florke, V. 2014. Proso millet breeding and genomics. Poster presentation at Plant Genomics Congress USA, September 11-2, 2014, St. Louis, MO. Santra, D., Rajput, S., Hazen, A., and V. Florke. 2014. Proso millet genetics and breeding in the USA. Oral presentation at International Conference in Industrial Crops and 26th Annual Meeting of Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Program and Abstracts. September 13-19, 2014, Athens, Greece, Miller, T.E., E. Alexopoulou, and M.T. Betri (Ed.), pp. 78. Athens, Greece: International Conference on Industrial Crops and Products. The Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. Urrea, C.A., and R.M. Harveson. 2014. Selecting for and improving chickpea disease resistance and adaptation to western Nebraska. The BeanBag 32(1):12 & 14. Urrea, C.A., and R.M. Harveson. 2014. Selecting for and improving chickpea disease resistance and adaptation to western Nebraska. The Star-Herald. May 25, 2014. Urrea, C.A. 2014. 2013 chickpea results and cooking time in dry beans. Poster presentation on January 14, 2014 at the Gering Civic Center during the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association meeting (150 growers attended). New York: Smith, M.E. 2014. Genetically engineered organisms (AKA GMOs): Issues and the science. pp. 48-57. Proceedings 2014 Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers. 76th Meeting. October 12-14, 2014. Cornell University Department of Animal Science of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Ithaca NY. Smith, M.E. 2014. Who put those genes in my food? Facts and myths about genetically engineered crops. pp. 15-17. Proceedings Field Crop Dealer Meetings, November 12, 2014. Soil and Crop Sciences Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Extension Series No. E14-1. Smith, M.E. 2014. The ABCs of GEOs. Dairybusiness East 6(2):28-29.