Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

W4168 Multi-Research Project Meeting, Cornell Agri-Tech, Cornell University, Geneva NY (Oct 15-16, 2021)

Friday (Oct. 15, 2021)

A number of Cornell Agri-Tech staff assisted the safety, technological needs, and educational tours of the meeting. Below were the presenters and state representatives of this project.

By 8:58 A.M., Dr. Elias opened the meeting, welcomed the participants in-person and via virtual connectivity, and thanked Dr. Taylor and Cornell administrators for hosting the meeting. A short introduction by the participants followed.

Dr. Taylor introduced Cornell administrators leading to their respective presentations. Dr. Jan Nyrop (Director, Cornell AgriTech/NY State Agricultural Experiment Station) summarized AgriTech’s research strengths, facilities, and overall function. Dr. Margaret Smith (Associate Dean and Director of Cornell Ag Experiment Station) described the NY agriculture, forestry, natural resources, and tourism interrelated functions. Also, summarized Cornell’s land grant mission, facilities, operations, research, and extension. Dr. Chris Smart (Director of School and Integrated Plant Science) described the integration of several departments into one school. Dr. Smart pointed out the importance of this multistate research group and highly regarded the significance of seed health – healthier and quality seed leads to a healthier plant.  Dr. Brian Nault (Program Leader of Entomology) described the breadth and depth of the entomology program at Cornell, highlighted the collaborative seed treatment project with Dr. Taylor, and highlighted the Cornell-initiated seed treatment products for horticultural crops.

After the Cornell administrators' introductions, it was then opened for discussion. Dr. Mirsa (Director of Seed Science Center in Iowa) applauded the Cornell administrators and addressed the challenge of seed biology effort locally and upward-looking, globally, and into the future. Finally, he also pointed out that Dr. Taylor’s research position should continue after retirement.

State report highlights:

Hector Perez (Univ. of Florida): Detailed the environmental factors that enhance seed quality and integrity of natural habitats of native species for restoration projects. Under the forest environment, seeds remained dormant, which was much more pronounced at warmer temperatures than in the other environments. In addition, the maternal environment played a strong influence on germination.

Greg Welbaum (Virginia Tech): Summarized research on germination with salinity stress and lower water potential, determining the degree of infection of fruit blotch disease to the pericarp or the embryo, and poor soy-edamame germination performance compared with the typical soybean seed.

Brian Nault (Cornell Univ.): Presented onion maggot management with seed treatment, tremendous insect pressure, there is less room for spatial rotation, and producers are left with the use of insecticides. Producers are facing a new challenge with the banning of chlorpyrifos active ingredient. A collaborative project with Alan Taylor identified a new active ingredient for seed treatment to improve the control of onion maggot.

Jessica Torrion (MT State Univ.): Presented spring wheat near-isoline genes in the presence and absence of high protein gene and their contrasting environments directly related to senescence, spike maturation, and seed alpha-amylase activity. Mentioned colleague Justin Vetch in Montana, who found an allele regulating preharvest sprout.

Krista Isaacs (Michigan State University): Presented seed systems approach, significant issues in seed systems, and specific studies internationally that lead to improved end-use quality and adoption. Highlighted women participation in the seed systems approach in selecting seed traits.   

Daniel Leskovar (Texas A & M University): Presented transplant stress adaptation and stand establishment. Low levels of N reduced shoot growth in tomato, pepper, and lettuce. More vigorous transplants performed better under abiotic stress. Under biostimulants, Novihum produced the most vigorous plant and higher yield. Wildtype rootstock performed better under drought stress. Biomolecules, growth regulators, carbon-based media, and spectral lights blends can modulate the root system for better adaptation to stress.

Sabry Elias (Oregon State Univ.): Evaluated the effect of x-ray energy of the electromagnetic spectrum on seed quality for pear and peach seeds. Shelled seeds, typically, have better germination. But when applied with x-ray on the shorter duration of exposure, it had a positive effect on germination for both whole and shelled seeds, but when prolonging the exposure, it had significantly low germination. A fortuitous extra day of chilling seeds improved germination significantly. Overall, seed x-ray exposure and exposure time were not the factor affecting vigor or viability but rather due to deep dormancy.

Tomo Kawashima (Univ. of Kentucky): Demonstrated an inward movement of seed central cell F-actin filament. The duration of the liquid endosperm phase correlates with the final seed size. F-actin dynamic alteration in the liquid endosperm alters Arabidopsis's endosperm and final seed size. In soybean, the final seed size varied with environment during the grain-filling period, and research is ongoing. 

Xingyou Gu (South Dakota. State Univ.): Pointed seed dormancy regulatory genes in agriculture application. Seed dormancy genes regulate soil seed bank longevity. The degree of dormancy correlated with plant height. Slr1 gene enhanced the degree of primary seed dormancy, whereas the Gid-1 gene reduced the degree and duration of dormancy.  

Ramin Yadegari (Univ. of Arizona): Summarized drought stress impact on maize early development.  There is a differential gene expression at the early stage of development even with only a couple of days of water stress duration. Sets of gene networks are expressed in well-watered and suppressed under water-stressed and vice versa. 

Susana Goggi (Iowa State. Univ): Seed size of corn and planting depth in cool-season perennial grass. A detailed experiment was conducted in precise seed sizing the seed materials to determine the impact of seed size on germination performance. In the end, seed size was not a factor in germination but more so in seeding depth.

Maribeth Lativus (Iowa State Univ.): Smoke-induced germination considering the northern great plain smoke incidences.  Smoke treatment-induced, inhibited, or no effect with germination. Induced or inhibition is scattered in the phylogenic pattern, and the majority of the species were not impacted by smoke. Ancestral reconstruction suggested that species that respond to smoke on some of these species is a recent response mechanism. 

Alan Taylor (Cornell University): Summarized recent seed technology projects and in particular, on hemp seed science and technology. Also, contrasted the performance of water as a carrier versus dry powder coating. All seed biological enhancements tested were ineffective. 

Business Meeting:

At 3:05 John Erickson, USDA National Program Leader (Physiology of Agricultural Plants), summarized USDA-NIFA priorities and focal points of the various programs. Discussed the AFRI Foundational Program, education and workforce development, and sustainable agricultural systems. Also highlighted panelists recruitment in NIFA to increase participation and diversity in the panel.

Elias opened the business meeting, approving the previous minutes of the meeting (motioned by Taylor, second by Torrion). Then, Elias solicited the need to continue the meeting on Saturday with the group.

Discussion on other events other than education tours. The Saturday discussion will include planning or collaborative interactions such as the next 5-year renewal. The group agreed to meet 9:00 A.M. the following day (Goggi, Taylor, Gu, Perez, Elias).

Discussion on reporting. Torrion solicits accomplishments and impact statements in layman’s term and broad by Nov. 15, 2021, to allow enough time to consolidate the group report 60 days after this meeting. It was also highlighted that there are changes in procedures and processes in NIFA and providing reports online. Ramin coordinates with Torrion in the reporting (Elias, Welbaum, Torrion, Yadegari, Taylor).

Discussion on the 2022 meeting location. Iowa was proposed venue in coincidence with the word food prize event, South Dakota, or Arizona. Yadegari will host the 2022 meeting in Arizona. The meeting will also have an emphasis on the planning and rewriting of the groups proposal (Leskovar, Torrion, Goggi, Yadegari, Gu).

Lastly, Leskovar emphasized the importance of seed specialists in each of the land grant universities and to encourage administrators for a seed biologists position or related fields with seed-focus research be refilled.

Finally, it was agreed that Welbaum is the 2022 Chair, Torrion as Vice-Chair, and Perez as the Secretary.

The group toured Taylor’s Seed Science and Technology lab, followed by a tour of the USDA plant genetics resource center by Zach Stansell.

Saturday (Oct. 16, 2021). Taylor opened the business meeting at 9:05 A.M.

Discussion on the group's website and other informational materials. The group website to include the research, mission, and members is vital. Also, this information shall be added to the NIMS website. These should help revive memberships, as it has been declining.  Regular updating helps educate the public, including the industry, and not just the participating members. For example, new members had a hard time navigating this group's information and memberships. It was also raised that the challenge was to maintain the platform; however, it was also discussed the most challenging one is more of content than the platform itself as there are members who are IT savvy in the group. Kawashima agreed to be the focal person for the web development and hosting in coordination with Torrion and Yadegari to include the mission, goals, videos, photos, impacts, and membership directory. (Taylor, Elias, Torrion, Welbaum, Gu, Kawashima, Perez, Issacs)

There was a discussion on ongoing challenges on seed quality. Gu addressed that there are still problems associated with several issues in seed dormancy, breeding, preharvest sprout, germination.  

Finally, the challenge on collaborative projects was emphasized considering the diversity of research priorities within the group. The difficulty is acknowledged in seed science, but accessibility of information and expertise is much more important. This group is a significant resource, and that a continued seed science expert is essential in each agricultural university, just like what was stated in Bredford’s letter. It was encouraged to use that letter to encourage administrators to continue seed science research or programs.

Objectives:

1. Understand how developmental and environmental mechanisms affect seed quality.
2. Capitalize on new technologies to assess and manipulate traits to enhance seed quality.

 Research objectives for each of the participants:

AZ, Ramin Yadegari (1)

FL, Hector Perez (1)

IA, Susana Goggi (1)

KY, Bruce Downie (1)

KY, Robert Geneve (1,2)

KY, Tomo Kawashima (1)

MT, Jessica Torrion (1)

NY, Alan Taylor (2)

OR, Sabry Elias (1,2)

SD, Maribeth Latvis (1)

SD, Xingyou Gu (1, 2)

TX, Daniel Leskovar (1)

VA, Gregory Welbaum (2)

AZ (Yadegari) Research was focused on understanding how endosperm development in maize (Zea mays) is affected by drought stress after fertilization. Cereal endosperm mediates uptake of sugars and metabolites and synthesizes massive amounts of storage proteins and starch to support the developing embryo and the germinating seedling. As such, cereal endosperm is of enormous importance to the economy because it constitutes a major portion of human caloric intake directly or indirectly. Endosperm development involves cell proliferation and differentiation processes that are sensitive to environmental stresses including drought and heat. Although we understand the major processes that are affected with the vegetative structure of plants in response to such stresses, very little is known about the effect of stresses on endosperm development specifically. We have analyzed the structure of the maize endosperm and the genes expressed within the whole kernel upon varying lengths of water withdrawal one day after pollination. We parsed the gene expression programs in well-watered and drought-stressed kernels into networks that can identify the responses of the various compartments within the kernel, including the endosperm to varying periods of drought stress imposed on the whole plant. These data can provide clues as to the nature of endogenous biological processes that are dysregulated within the seed to respond to drought.

 FL (Perez) We uncovered the influence of different natural maternal environments, collection years, and maternal environment × collection year interactions on the seed quality of Harperocallis flava (Harper’s Beauty). Moreover, we identified that a portion of H. flava seeds possess morphological dormancy while remaining seeds possess morpho-physiological dormancy and the environmental conditions required to overcome such dormancy mechanisms. Also, since H. flava is a globally imperiled species, it was important to discern the ability of seeds to persist in the soil and remain viable under various seed storage conditions. We found that seeds from a specific maternal environment displayed lower seed quality than seeds collected from two other environments. Likewise, significant drought across the maternal environments contributed to decreased seed quality in 2020 compared to seeds collected in 2018 and 2019. Maternal environments and collection years interacted significantly depending on the temperatures used to test germination. Our burial-retrieval-germination experiments revealed that H. flava seeds can form short-term persistent seeds banks. The reciprocal burial treatments also point to significant seed lot and burial site effects on subsequent seed survival and germination capacity. Finally, our seed desiccation and storage experiments suggest that H. flava seeds are tolerant of considerable desiccation but sensitive to freezing and sub-freezing temperatures. Therefore, H. flava seeds may express an intermediate storage physiology and alternative methods of seed storage, such as cryopreservation, may be required to conserve seeds of this endangered species.

 IA (Goggi) Abiotic and biotic stress during vegetative and reproductive stages of plant development can detrimentally affect seed quality and composition. These seed quality changes can affect seedling emergence in the field, especially under a stressful environment of a perennial ground cover. The goal of the proposed research is to investigate the fundamental mechanisms for seed quality changes environmental stresses can produce and their effect on seed and seedling emergence in the field. Plants grown in growth chambers, greenhouses and filed environments were artificially or naturally stressed. Better understanding of seed quality characteristics that affect seedling emergence under different environments. Research findings are shared with the scientific community and general public through peer-reviewed publication and stakeholders virtual and in-person workshop and short courses

 KY (Downie) Using the seed as a paradigm a consortium of researchers at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville launched a project in August, 2021 to introduce LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT PROTEINs (LEAPs) and nonreducing sugars (NRSs) into Drosophila melanogaster embryos to permit their partial desiccation and cryopreservation. This collaboration was a new linkage established among three faculty outside of the W4168 group with a W4168 member (Downie). Instrumentation were procured in January 2021 to allow LEAP:Client Protein (CP) interactions to be validated and quantified in solution. Knowledge gained using the instrument was presented to the Tri-Society meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, Monday, November 8^th, 2021. Developed the transgenic, over-expressing, Arabidopsis lines of the various LEAPs for which we have detailed CP information from Phage display and over-expressing lines for the client proteins CASC3 and ABI3. We are now assessing them, along with their insertional mutants, for phenotypes relative to wild type seeds/plants.

 KY (Geneve) Studies were conducted to reduce or bypass the stratification requirement for dormancy release and germination in grape seed. By utilizing fresh seed from mature fruit that had not completed the final maturation drying stage of development was found to be induced to germinate after a 2000 ppm gibberellic acid treatment or after clipping the distal end of the seed. This effect was further enhanced by combining the gibberellin and clipping treatments yielding germination and seedling development comparable to traditional stratification treatments.

 KY (Kawashima) Plant fertilization is the initiation of seed development. Plant fertility is critical not only for plants themselves, for their survival, but also for us as seeds provide more than 70% of our calories. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model, we have identified that plant gametes utilize novel pathways to control dynamic fertilization processes such as sperm nuclear migration. The endosperm, which is a tissue that supports embryo development within a seed, is known to control the final seed size. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the endosperm contributes to the final seed’s size remains largely unknown. Using soybean as a crop model, we investigated how a temperature shift during endosperm development affects subsequent seed development as well as the final seed size. We found that the period when the endosperm is rapidly developing is more sensitive to temperature change than the rest of the seed development periods.

MT (Torrion) We subjected eight near-isoline (NIL) wheat pairs of in the presence or absence of high grain protein gene (Gpc-B1) trait to rainfed and irrigated environments. High grain protein spring wheat tends to lose green pigments (senesce) earlier than in wheat where Gpc-B1 gene is absent. Our research goal was to associate senescence rate to seed amylase activity late in the season that breaks down starch into sugar (via falling number test). The occurrence of physiological maturity in wheat was not correlated with the falling number test – a test that qualitatively assess amylase activity. However, the wheat lines interacted with the environment on the falling number test. We identified three NIL pairs with generally low falling number, and even lowered falling number with irrigation. The germination test of our study confirmed no significance among the genetic lines.   

 NY (Taylor) The purpose of this research was to collect efficacy data on biological, biochemical, and chemical fungicide seed treatments on hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) to mitigate damping-off and to enhance stand establishment in the field. This was a multi-state project, and seed treatments were evaluated in the field in New York (NY), North Dakota (ND), and Virginia (VA) and at two planting dates in each state in 2020. A single seed lot of a dual-purpose (fiber + grain) cultivar (‘Anka’) was treated using a laboratory-scale rotary pan coater.  Five biological treatments consisting of array of diverse microorganisms, two biochemical treatments, and four chemical treatments were tested. A bioassay with naturally infested soil was used to assess preliminary activity of seed treatments for inhibition of germination and protection against damping-off. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of abnormal or normal seed germination for any treatment when compared to the non-treated control in the laboratory assay. The biochemical seed treatment SafeGuard^TM (active ingredient; organic copper) performed as well as the chemical treatments Apron XL^® + Maxim^® 4FS and Mertect^® 340F in preventing damping off whereas, the biological treatments did not differ from the non-treated control in terms of disease incidence.. In general, biological seed treatments did not improve plant stands in the field. Biochemical seed treatments Prudent 44 ^® with Nutrol ^® (active ingredient; phosphite) and SafeGuard^TM along with chemical seed treatments had acceptable efficacy and improved stand establishment when compared to the non-treated control across field locations. Based on efficacy results from laboratory and field trials the copper seed treatment has potential for both conventional and organic commercial applications for hemp field production.

OR (Elias) In 2020/2021, Dr. Hiro Nonogaki and his group studied the evolutionary drivers of the seed maturation regulators DELAY OF GERMINATION1 family genes. Dr. Thomas Chastain and his group studied the genetic variation for seed retention in accessions and genotypic of perennial ryegrass; and the effect of mowing and growth regulators on fine fescue. Dr. Sabry Elias and his group studied issues on seed quality and dormancy in hemp; and the effect of x-ray on seed quality of pear and peach.  Some grants and commodity groups supported those projects.  Several practical applications and recommendations to growers have been generated from our research projects.  Numerous multistate activities involved stakeholders and seed industry, as well as conference presentations have been done. A number of papers have been published on these subjects.

SD (Latvis) In collaboration with Drs. Lora Perkins and Josh Leffler through the SDState Native Plant Initative, we assessed the phylogenetic signal in smoke-inducted germination for 350 species of North American seeds. We created a phylogeny for all species used in controlled smoke experiments, plotted response data (i.e. survival analyses for germination) on the phylogeny, assessed phylogenetic signal, and conducted Ancestral State Reconstruction of this response. Results suggest that smoke-induced germination is an evolutionary labile trait, with no clear phylogenetic pattern, nor correlation with EPA ecoregion. These results were presented at the Botanical Society of America 2021 meeting.  Following the BSA meeting, we met with collaborators (Dr. Matt Johnson and Yanni Chen at Texas Tech U) who are interested in scaling up this project for a global synthesis of this trait.

SD (Gu) On the ecological genomics of seed bank longevity in rice, two sets of experiments were continued to estimate effects of seed dormancy (SD) genes on soil seed bank longevity or to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with soil seed bank longevity in weedy rice. Seed samples from a set of isogenic lines (ILs) for nine genotypes of the SD7-1/Rc and SD4/Pb loci, or from a population of 450 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were buried in the top (2 cm) and deep (20 cm) soil in a rice field for 7 or 8 months to mimic no-till and till practices, respectively. Data from the ILs revealed that both SD7-1/Rc and SD4/Pb contributed the variation in seed bank longevity through their main (additive and dominance) and epistatic effects and genotype-by-environment interactions. The SD7-1/Rc and SD4/Pb genes from weedy red rice encode the basic-helix-loop-helix family transcription factors and have pleiotropic effects on seed dormancy and red/purple pericarp colors. The new data indicated that the two pleiotropic genes are also involved in the regulation of seed longevity. Data from the RIL population demonstrated genotypic (G), burial environment (E) and G-by-E interactional effects on soil seed bank longevity under the field condition. A high-resolution linkage map was constructed based on a subpopulation of 250 RILs, which were genotyped with a 7K SNP array. On the regulatory mechanisms of seed dormancy in rice, three sets of experiments were continued or conducted to elucidate developmental mechanisms of seed dormancy. The first set of experiments aimed to identify genes regulated by SD12s (SD12a, b and c). Five sets of transcriptomes were obtained from 10-d embryos of developing seeds from the isogenic lines for SD12a, SD12b, SD12c, SD12a&b, and SD12a,b&c, respectively. The transcriptomes were used to infer genes commonly regulated by all SD12s or specifically regulated by individual SD12s. The common or specifically regulated genes were annotated for temporal expression patterns during seed development and will be used to infer gene regulatory networks for the development of embryo dormancy. The second set of experiments were continued to introduce SD12s into the genetic background of cultivars to improve their resistance to pre-harvest sprouting. About 10 F2 populations grown on and harvested from Missouri Rice Research Farm are being evaluated for seed dormancy and genotyped for marker-assisted selection. And the third set of experiments was conducted to determine if the gibberellin (GA) signaling genes are involved in the development of seed dormancy.

TX (Leskovar) We conducted three studies: 1) determining the potential of plant biostimulants to enhance early growth and yield in pepper and tomato when applied as a pre-transplant treatment in the rooting media, 2) determining the effects of humic substances on hydroponically grown leafy greens when applied in a recirculating closed system, and 3) investigating the role of rootstocks on the growth and physiology of grafted tomato transplants. The first two studies evolved from discussions with stakeholders (nurseries, biostimulant manufacturers, growers) who collectively identified the need to determine the impacts of selected biostimulants to mitigate early transplanting stress and improve growth and final yield of selected vegetable crops. The third study expands our previous efforts related to screening rootstocks and varieties of fresh market tomato under major abiotic stresses (drought and heat) in Texas. In study 1, we found that partial destructive harvests of transplants revealed early growth differences between treatments in seedling height, leaf number, and stem diameter in both cultivars. Multiple harvests of ripe fruits throughout the growing season showed final yields were similar between treatments in 'Mama Mia Giallo' but humic acid-treated 'Tenor' outperformed other treatments. In study 2, our initial analysis of data from two lettuce cultivars showed strong cultivar dependent responses. 'Green Forest' lettuce showed no significant responses to humic substance supplementations, but 'Tropicana' lettuce showed higher °Brix, stem thickness, and fresh weight yield responses to humic substance supplementation. In study 3, from the screening of tomato cultivars grown in open conventional vs. organic field, we have determined that yield performance was significantly influenced by grafting. Other studies are showing grafting with ‘Maxifort’ rootstocks improved root antioxidant enzyme content in response to high temperatures. Additional work showed that grafting with wild relative rootstocks enhanced tomato drought tolerance without increasing amino acid contents when compared to non-grafted and commercial rootstock-grafted plants. Findings from these studies are intended to provide recommendations to small-scale growers to enhance their profits and contribute to the sustainable production of high value vegetable crops.

VA (Welbaum) 1. Two MS, Kale Mueller and Christos Galanopoulos, and one Ph.D. student, Merve Kiremit, completed degrees under my direction studying seed production quality of cantaloupe, enhancing field emergence, and disease transmission of melon, respectively, 2. FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy and X-ray analysis allows embryos of seeds infected with Acidovorax citrulli to be nondestructively detected and removed from commercial seed lots, 3. we discovered and effective natural seed treatment that can kill the significant worldwide disease Acidovorax citrulli in culture and on artificially inoculated seeds, 4. we demonstrated the potential of virus induced gene silencing as a tool for studying gene for gene pathogenicity/resistance of bacterial fruit blotch disease, 5. we discovered that low tunnels with water-filled thermal tubes heated by resistive heating strips powered by solar panels could significantly improve the rate of emergence of summer squash and kale in a field study, 6. the invasive grass, Arthraxon hispidus, successfully colonized new areas because of a sprawling growth habit, prolific seed production, fast germination without dormancy  allowing it to gain a competitive advantage over other species, 7. the optimal temperature range for edamame seedling emergence is 25-32 ℃, which is lower than grain-type soybean cultivars (29-36 ℃), 8. soybean did not emerge at around 4 ℃, however, edamame seeds may have higher tolerance to low temperatures compared with grain-type soybean, and 9. edamame needed more thermal time to emerge which may be a seed quality issue.

Nguyen, C.D., Chen, J., Clark, D., Pérez, H. and H. Huo. 2021. Effects of maternal environment on seed germination and seedling vigor of Petunia x hybrida under different abiotic stresses. Plants 10(3): 581. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030581.

 Genna, N.G. and H.E. Pérez. 2021. Intra-population seed survival during burial on a mass basis. Flora 274: 151756. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2020.151756.

Genna, N.G., Walters, C., Pérez, H.E. 2020. Viability and vigour loss during storage of Rudbeckia mollis seeds having different mass: an intra-specific perspective. Seed Science Research 30(2), 122-132. doi:10.1017/S09602585200001.

Pérez, H. and Chumana, L. 2020. Enhancing conservation of a globally imperiled rockland herb (Linum arenicola) through assessments of seed functional traits and multi-dimensional germination niche breadths. Plants 9(11): 1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111493.

Pérez, H.E., Hill, L.M., Walters, C. 2020. A protective role for accumulated dry matter reserves in seeds during desiccation: Implications for conservation. pp. 133-142. in: Chong, P.A., Newman, D.J., Steinmacher, D.A. (eds) Agricultural, Forestry and Bioindustry Biotechnology and Biodiscovery. Springer.

Dean, Ashley N., Katharina Wigg, Everton V. Zambiazzi, Erik J. Christian, A. S. Goggi, Aaron Schwarte, Jeremy Johnson and Edgar Cabrera. 2021. Migration of Oil Bodies in Embryo Cells during Acquisition of Desiccation Tolerance in Chemically Defoliated Corn (Zea mays L.) Seed Production Fields. In: Modern Seed Technology, Special Issue, Ed. A. Taylor. Agriculture 11(2), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11020129

Chad Kimmelshue, A. S. Goggi and Rebecca Cademartiri. 2019. Biological control coatings based on bacteriophages and polymers against bacteria in seeds. Scientific Reports 9, Article 17950 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54068-3

Moore, K. J., R. P. Anex, A. E. Elobeid, S. Fei, C. B. Flora, A. S. Goggi, K. L. Jacobs, A. L. Kaleita, P. Jha, D. A. Laird, D.s L. Karlen, A. W. Lenssen, T. Lübberstedt, M. D. McDaniel, D. R. Raman, S. L. Weyers. 2019. Regenerating agricultural landscapes with perennial groundcover for intensive crop production. Agronomy 9(8), 458. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9080458

Zhang, Yumin, Li, Dan, Dirk, Lynnette M. A., Downie, A. Bruce, Zhao, Tianyong. 2021. ZmAGA1 Hydrolyzes RFOs Late during the Lag Phase of Seed Germination, Shifting Sugar Metabolism toward Seed Germination Over Seed Aging Tolerance. J. Agric. Food Chem. 69: 11606−11615. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03677.

Zhang, Yumin; Zhen, Sihan; Zhang, Chunxia; Shangguan, Xiaoqing; Lu, Jiawen; Bao, Runhao; Dirk, Lynnette; Downie, A. Bruce; Wang, Guoying; Zhao, Tianyong; Fu, Junjie. 2021. Regulatory network reveals causality of ZmCT2 on oil amount through embryo size modulation. Under Peer review for consideration in The Plant Journal.

Raihan, T., Geneve, R., Perry, S., and Rodríguez López, C. M. (2021) The regulation of plant vegetative phase transition and rejuvenation: miRNAs, a key regulator. Epigenomes 5:24; https://doi.org/10.3390/epigenomes5040024

Bolt, B., Magnani, R., Nosarzewski, M., Rodríguez López, C. and Geneve, R. (2021)

Gibberellin and clipping promote germination in fresh grape seeds. Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators’ Society 70: in press.

Chiluwal A, Kawashima T, Salmeron M. Soybean weight responds to increase in assimilate supply during late seed-fill. (2021) Journal of Crop Improvement https://doi.org/10.1080/15427528.2021.1943732

Sharma V, Clark AJ, Kawashima T. Insights into the molecular evolution of fertilization mechanism in land plants. (2021) Plant Reproduction https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-021-00414-3

Ali MF and Kawashima T. Formins control dynamics of F-actin in the central cell of Arabidopsis thaliana. (2021) Plant Signaling & Behavior https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2021.1920192

Ali MF, Fatema U, Peng X, Hacker SW, Maruyama D, Sun MX, Kawashima T. ARP2/3-independent WAVE/SCAR pathway and class XI myosin control sperm nuclear migration in flowering plants. (2020) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 117:32757-32763 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2015550117

Shin JM, Yuan L, Ohme-Takagi M, Kawashima T. Cellular dynamics of double fertilization and early embryogenesis in flowering plants. (2020) JEZ-B Molecular and Developmental Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.b.22981

Ohnishi Y and Kawashima T. Plasmogamic paternal contributions to early zygotic development in flowering plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 11:871 (2020) https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00871

Mi, R.; Taylor, A.G.; Smart, L.B.; Mattson, N.S. Developing Production Guidelines for Baby Leaf Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as an Edible Salad Green: Cultivar, Sowing Density and Seed Size. Agriculture 2020, 10, 617. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10120617

Tang, X., Hao F., Yuan, H., Yan, X., Yang, D., Taylor, A. G. 2020. Uptake and translocation of imidacloprid via seed pathway and root pathway during early seedling growth of corn. Pest Management Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5930

Wang, Z., Amirkhani, M., Avelar, S.A., Yang, D., Taylor, A.G. 2020. Systemic uptake of fluorescent tracers by soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seed and seedlings. Agriculture 10, 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10060248

McDonald MR, Vander Kooi K and AG Taylor. 2020. Evaluation of various insecticides for control of maggots in yellow cooking onions, 2019. Muck Vegetable Cultivar Trials & Research Report No. 69. p 58-59.

McDonald MR, Vander Kooi K and AG Taylor. 2020. A comparison of film coat and pelleted application methods for control of maggots in yellow cooking onions, 2019. Muck Vegetable Cultivar Trials & Research Report No. 69. p 62-63.

McDonald MR, Vander Kooi K and AG Taylor. 2020. Evaluation of various fungicides for control of onion smut in yellow cooking onions, 2019. Muck Vegetable Cultivar Trials & Research Report No. 69. p 66-67.

Taylor, A.G. Seed storage, germination, quality and enhancements. 2020. In The Physiology of Vegetable Crops. 2^nd edition. Ed: H.C. Wien and H. Stutzel. CAB International: Wallingford, England; pp 1-30.

Nishiyama E, Nonogaki M, Yamazaki S, Nonogaki H, Ohshima K. 2021. Ancient and recent gene duplications as evolutionary drivers of the seed maturation regulators DELAY OF GERMINATION1 family genes. New Phytologist 230, 889-901

Tubbs, T.B., and T.G. Chastain. 2020. Genetic variation for seed retention in accessions and genotypic of perennial ryegrass. Seed Prod. Res., Oregon State Univ. Ext/CrS 164. 17-20.

Anderson, N.P., B.C. Donovan, C.L. Garbacik, and T.G. Chastain. 2020. Spring mowing and plant growth regulator effects on first and second year fine fescue seed crops. Seed Prod. Res., Oregon State Univ. Ext/CrS 164. 21-25.

Elias, S.G., Y.C. Wu, and D.C. Stimpson. 2020.   Seed Quality and Dormancy of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). J. Ag. Hemp Res.  2 (1): 1-15.

Angsumalee, D., S.G. Elias, N. P. Anderson, T.G. Chastain, and C.J. Garbacik. 2019. Plant growth regulator and irrigation effects on physiological and harvest maturity of red clover in relation to seed quality. Agron. J. vol. 3 (2): 1-9.

Gu, X.-Y. Seed dormancy genes and their associated adaptive traits underlie weed persistence: A case study of weedy rice. In: Persistence Strategies of Weeds in Agriculture (1st edition). Eds. Upadhyaya, M.K., Clements D.R., and Shrestha A. John Wiley and Sons Ltd | Wiley-Blackwell. (In Press; ISBN9781119525608) 

Macías-León, M.A. and D.I. Leskovar. 2020. Tray seedling density and transplanting date impacted onion yield and bulb size. Acta Hortic. 1273, 377-386 https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1273.49

Tahat, M.M, Alananbeh, K.M., Othman, Y., and D. Leskovar. 2020. Soil health and sustainable agriculture. Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 4859; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124859

Alves, FM, Joshi, M, Djidonou, D, Joshi, V, Gomes, NI and DI Leskovar. Physiological and biochemical responses of tomato plants grafted onto solanum pennellii and solanum peruvianum under water-deficit conditions Plants 2021, 10(11),  2236; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112236

Joshi, M, Leskovar, D, Djidonou, D, Jifon, J, Avila, C, Masabni, J and K Crosby. Production systems and growing environments had stronger effects than grafting on the nutritional quality of tomato. ACS Food Science & Technology 2021 1 (8), 1399-1411 DOI: 10.1021/acsfoodscitech.1c00051

Bhattarai, S.; Harvey, J.T.; Djidonou, D.; Leskovar, D.I. 2021. Exploring morpho-physiological variation for heat stress tolerance in tomato. Plants 2021, 10, 347. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10020347                                                                                                                                               

Leskovar, D.I.; Othman, Y.A. Direct seeding and transplanting influence root dynamics, morpho-physiology, yield, and head quality of globe artichoke. Plants 2021, 10, 899. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050899

Early growth and photosynthetic responses of pepper to changing temperature treatments. D Djidonou, DI Leskovar; 2021 ASHS Annual Conference.

Harvey, J.T. and D.I. Leskovar. Yield and quality responses of hydroponic lettuce to supplemental led red: blue light ratios. 2020 ASHS Annual Conference.

Qin, K. and DI Leskovar. Humic substances improved vegetable seedling quality and post-transplant yield performance under stress conditions. 2020 ASHS Annual Conference.

Cambell, C.A., Leskovar, D.I., and F.M. Alferez. Panel Discussion: Challenges and opportunities in abiotic stress control using plant growth regulators. 2020 ASHS Annual Conference.

Leskovar, D. Multistate Regional Project: Researcher Spotlight. June 16, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E-4QxLtjCY

https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2020/06/16/texas-am-agrilife-involved-in-multistate-and-international-seedling-improvement-project/

 WELBAUM, G.E. and BARNEY, J.N. 2021. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seed mucilage: hydration, water relations, and ecology. Scientia Horticulturae (in review).

LAKOBA, V., WELBAUM, G.E., SEILER, J., BARNEY, J.A.  2021. Perennial invader’s seed, but not rhizome, emergence traits correlate with climate and land use origin. NeoBiota (accepted, in press).

AVERITT, B.J., WELBAUM, G.E., LI, X., PRENGER, E., QIN, J. AND ZHANG, B., 2020. Evaluating genotypes and seed treatments to increase field emergence of low phytic acid soybeans. Agriculture 10: 516-533; doi:10.3390/agriculture10110516.

Mueller, K. E., Welbaum, G. E., Samtani, J., & Lavis, C. (2021). Does position in cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) fruit affect seed quality? Online Masters Research Project Report. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, 33 pages.

Merve Kiremit (2021) Detection of Acidovorax citrulli, the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch disease of Cucurbits, prevention via seed treatments and disease resistance genes. Legumes

Li, X., Welbaum G.E. Ridout S.L. Zhang B.  Vegetable soybean and its seedling emergence in the United States. In: Legumes. IntechOpen Publishing. London, UK. 21 Pages. (in processing)