Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Chickpea variety evaluation and intercropping for disease management and yield(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) Zhou, Yi; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Chengci Chen; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important food grain legume, but production is constrained by the soilborne pathogen complex, Ascochyta rabiei, and the development of fungicide resistance. Cultivar resistance is one of the most efficient strategies in disease management. However, chickpea cultivars with resistance to soilborne pathogens or complete resistance to A. rabiei have not been developed. Intercropping chickpea-flax has the potential for Ascochyta blight management. To minimize the impact of soilborne disease and Ascochyta blight on chickpea production, refining of integrated pest management practices is essential. To evaluate the effect of cultivar selection in combination with seed treatment on soilborne disease control, twenty-five cultivars/lines were planted with or without fluxapyroxad, pyraclostrobin, and metalaxyl under field conditions. The area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), seed yield, and protein content were assessed. Fusarium solani was isolated and identified in the late season, and the disease severity of root rot was evaluated. The results showed that seed treatment effectively suppressed damping-off and improved chickpea yield but only slightly reduced late-season root rot. The AUDPC of NDC160166 and NDC 160236 was not significantly reduced by seed treatment, which could be a future resource of resistance. To assess the effects of configurations and resistant cultivar on yield and Ascochyta blight management in intercropping chickpea-flax, two chickpea cultivars (CDC Leader and Royal) were planted with flax under six configurations (monocrop chickpea, 70% chickpea-30% flax in mixture, 50% chickpea-50% flax in mixture, 50% chickpea-50% flax in alternate rows, 30% chickpea-70 flax in mixture, monocrop flax). Yield and nutrient content of component crops and Ascochyta blight infection were evaluated. Chickpea yield decreased as flax proportion increased in the mixture. Chickpea yielded higher in the alternate row design than in the mixture at the same seeding rate due to less interspecies competition in the alternate rows. Intercrop increased 2%-23% land productivity. Chickpea-flax intercrop effectively reduced Ascochyta blight under higher disease pressure. The configuration of 50% chickpea and 50% flax in the mixture was more effective in suppressing Ascochyta blight than in the alternate row configuration. Integrated resistant cultivar and intercropping configuration was most effective in disease suppression.Item Alternative fruit crops for the northern Rocky Mountain climate: production and quality factors of cultivars(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Setzer, Durc Parker; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mac BurgessThe demand for healthy foods is large and increasing. There are many high-antioxidant berry and fruit crops that fit this market but not all are suitable for cold climates. This study evaluates six novel fruit crops for Montana: Aronia, Black and Red Currant, Dwarf Sour Cherry, Haskap and Saskatoon. Trials were planted in 2015 in a randomized complete block design with three blocks per site, at three different sites in Montana. Qualities investigated include yield, fruit mass, soluble solids (SS), and total phenolic content (TPC). The trialed species were generally well suited to Montana. Yields varied among cultivars and yields in Bozeman were smaller than other sites. The following results incorporate data across sites from 2016 to 2018. Yield results are the most mature year. TPC is reported as milligrams of gallic acid equivalent per 100 grams of fresh fruit. Aronia yields averaged 4061 grams, mean fruit mass was 0.89 grams. SS averaged 22° brix. TPC averaged 2800 mg. The cultivar McKenzie produced higher TPC than Viking. Black Currant yields averaged 3784 grams; fruit mass averaged 1.15 grams. Mean SS were 17.5° brix. The cultivar Stikine produced the largest yield, Blackcomb the heaviest fruit, Titania the highest SS. Red Currant yield in Corvallis averaged 5059 grams and mean fruit mass was 0.79 grams. The cultivar Jonkeer van Tets provided the largest yield and fruit mass. Dwarf Sour Cherry yield averaged 6435 grams. Mean fruit mass and SS were 4.1 grams and 16.2° brix, respectively. The cultivar Carmine Jewel produced the largest yield, Lutowka Rose the largest fruit, and Romeo the highest SS. Crimson Passion did not flower at any site. Haskap yield averaged 1364 grams, mean fruit mass was 1.2 grams and mean SS were 15.3° brix. Phenolic content averaged 919 milligrams. The cultivar 85-19 produced the largest yield, Aurora the largest fruit, Indigo Gem the highest SS, and Auroroa and Borealis the highest phenolic contents. Saskatoon mean yield was 1567 grams. Mean fruit mass and SS were 1.02 grams and 20.1° brix, respectively. Northline produced the largest Saskatoon yield, Martin the heaviest fruit and Smoky the highest SS.Item Evaluation of wheat production practices under wheat streak mosaic disease risk and wheat stem sawfly pressure in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) McKelvy, Uta; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mary Burrows; Monica Brelsford, Jamie Sherman and Mary Burrows were co-authors of the article, 'Susceptibility and tolerance of winter wheat, spring wheat and barley cultivars to mechanical inoculation with wheat streak mosaic virus' submitted to the journal 'Plant health progress' which is contained within this dissertation.; Peggy Lamb, Monica Brelsford and Mary Burrows were co-authors of the article, 'Impact of planting date, seeding rate and cultivar choice on spring and winter wheat productivity and profitability in Montana' submitted to the journal 'Agronomy journal' which is contained within this dissertation.; David Weaver and Mary Burrows were co-authors of the article, 'Evaluation of chemical and cultural management practices for wheat stem sawfly control and effects on beneficial insects in spring wheat in Montana' submitted to the journal 'Journal of economic entomology' which is contained within this dissertation.Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an economically important crop for Montana's agricultural industry. Wheat streak mosaic (WSM) is an important viral disease in Montana and the wheat stem sawfly (WSS; Cephus cinctus Norton) is a major insect pest in the state. Understanding these disease and pest problems and the factors that promote and suppress disease and pest pressure forms the foundation for a successful integrated pest management program. In this dissertation, we evaluate wheat production practices in Montana and provide information on the effectiveness and implications of cultural and chemical management practices in mitigating WSM disease and WSS pressure. We assessed the tolerance of popular winter wheat, spring wheat, and barley cultivars in Montana to mechanical inoculation with WSMV in field studies. Winter wheat 'Brawl CL Plus' and breeding lines CO12D922 and MTV1681 demonstrated moderate WSMV incidence and minor yield penalties under WSMV inoculation, making them suitable cultivars to be grown in high-risk environments. We investigated the effects of cultivar choice, planting date, and seeding rate on grain yield and quality parameters in field studies. Our results validated current planting date recommendations for Montana. Yield reductions were observed at planting dates later than mid-September and April for winter wheat and spring wheat, respectively. No yield increase was observed when winter wheat was planted before mid-September. No meaningful and reliable economic benefits were associated with an increase in seeding rate beyond the recommended density. We developed a WSM risk prediction model and released it as the online learning tool AWaRe ('Assessment of Wheat streak mosaic Risk'). AWaRe presents the first learning tool that integrates complex information on the dynamics underlying WSM disease and relates them to the user in an interactive way. We expect the adoption of risk assessment based WSM management practices that result in a reduced economic impact through the use of this tool. The potential of different insecticides to manage WSS damage was compared to spring wheat genotypes with varying degrees of WSS resistance. Results showed that application of the systemic insecticide Thimet-20G provided effective protection of susceptible cultivar 'Reeder,' but use of solid-stem cultivars were similarly effective.Item Genetic exploration of spike and seed morphology in a two-rowed barley nested association mapping panel(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2018) Getz, Megan Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jamie ShermanBarley (Hordeum vulgare) is unique as it has six-rowed cultivars and two-rowed cultivars. The six-rowed has three fertile florets on each spikelet, while two-rowed has only a single fertile center floret per spikelet. This by itself affects seed uniformity as seed produced in the lateral florets tend to be less symmetrical and smaller in size than the center floret. Yield and plumpness are also affected by spike morphology. While the genes and alleles affecting six-rowed vs. two-rowed spikes are known, there are a number of other genes that affect additional spike morphological traits such as number of seeds per head, length of head, and compaction of spikelets. Here, a two-rowed Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population was used to genetically dissect barley spike and seed morphology. To create the population, 13 diverse founder lines of barley were crossed with Conlon, a high yielding, plump, spring variety. Approximately 80 progenies were selected from each of the Conlon by founder crosses, and then backcrossed to Conlon in hopes of exposing the advantageous traits while adapting lines to the Great Plains of the Northwest. The population varying for spike and seed morphology was grown out in a field trial in Bozeman, MT and Logan, UT where phenotypic data was collected throughout the stages of growth and harvest. At maturity (Zadok's 50) stage five heads from each of the lines were collected. Digital Image Analysis was used to measure spike length, kernel count, density, and seed size. Genetic maps were created for each family as well as a consensus map for the whole population. Associations between the phenotypic data and the genotypic data observed in the individual families and consensus map allowed us to identify QTLs conserved across multiple families as well as unique to individual families. Evidence of pleiotropic effects between traits was observed. Some of the QTLs previously were identified, and some are novel. One of the families was of particular interest due to unique QTLs impacting seeds per spike and seed weight. Additionally, several novel QTLs were identified on chromosome 7H that highly impact seed traits.Item Application of genomic assisted breeding for improvement of barley cultivars(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2014) Pauli, William Duke; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Thomas Blake; Gary J. Muehlbauer, Kevin P. Smith, Blake Cooper, David Hole, Don E. Obert, Steven E. Ullrich and Thomas K. Blake were co-authors of the article, 'Association mapping of agronomic QTLs in US spring barley breeding germplasm' in the journal 'The plant genome' which is contained within this thesis.; Thomas K. Blake was a co-author of the article, 'Identification of malt quality marker-trait associations in elite barley breeding germplasm' submitted to the journal 'Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists' which is contained within this thesis.The use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling complex traits has become a popular approach for studying key traits in crop plants. The goal of this research was to identify regions of the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genome that impact both agronomic and malting quality traits. By identifying these regions of the genome and their associated diagnostic markers, we gain an understanding of the genetic architecture of the traits as well as develop informative markers that can be utilized for marker-assisted selection. We used the data generated by the Barley Coordinated Agricultural Program to identify marker-trait associations impacting agronomic performance using a Q+K mixed linear model accounting for population structure and relatedness among lines. This data was also used to develop a genotyping platform specific to the Montana State University (MSU) Barley Breeding Program. This genotyping platform was used to genotype 650 advance generation lines from eleven bi-parental families to investigate the genetic basis of malting quality traits and the regions of the barley genome impacting them. We detected 41 significant marker-trait associations for the agronomic traits we studied with 31 of those being previously detected in bi-parental mapping studies. We detected 54 significant marker-trait associations for the malting quality traits with 24 of those being previously reported. The combined results from both studies indicate that major genes impacting key traits in barley are still segregating in US germplasm as well as in the MSU germplasm. This demonstrates that there is useful standing genetic variation that can be utilized for superior barley cultivar development and further genetic gain. Furthermore, by identifying the beneficial alleles, and their associated markers, we can form a "catalog" of major genes and QTL impacting agronomic and malting quality traits which can be used for marker-assisted selection. This work also demonstrates the feasibility and utility of conducting GWAS in narrow germplasm arrays like those found in regional breeding programs and serves as a paradigm for other cereal breeding programs. Together, these studies show how genomic data can be leveraged for varietal improvement in regional plant breeding programs.