Project Number: S-009

Project Title: Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilization

Period Covered: 09/2016 through 8/2017

Date of this Report: November 13, 2017

Annual Meeting Dates: June 20-21, 2017

Participants: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/griffin-ga/pgrcu/docs/s-009-annual-reports-and-minutes/

Minutes: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/griffin-ga/pgrcu/docs/s-009-annual-reports-and-minutes/

Accomplishments and Impacts:

Plant Genetic Resources Conservation UnitPlant genetic resources acquired from throughout the world are valuable sources of genetic diversity for use in scientific research, education, and crop improvement programs in the U.S. The project acquires, characterizes, conserves, evaluates, documents, and distributes genetic resources of agronomic and horticultural crops including sorghum, peanut, vegetables, subtropical and tropical legumes, warm-season grasses, cowpeas, annual clovers, industrial crops, other crops, and their crop wild relatives. The objectives of this project are to acquire, conserve, regenerate, back up, and distribute plant genetic resources with associated information for crops and crop wild relatives in the collection; conduct genetic characterizations and phenotypic evaluations of crops and crop wild relatives for priority genetic and agronomic traits; and to develop and update best management practices to ensure efficient plant genetic resource conservation. Seed and clonal genetic resources conserved and distributed by this project will provide researchers with a broad range of well-characterized crop and crop wild relative genetic diversity to use for research, evaluation, or breeding projects. Priority acquisition of genetic resources not represented in the collection are conducted to fill gaps in the collection and expand the genetic diversity of species within the repository. Additional characterization and evaluation of these genetic resources for priority molecular, morphological, and biochemical traits will enable researchers to efficiently identify specific accessions best able to meet their research, educational, and breeding needs.

Germplasm Maintenance and DistributionA total of 96,577 accessions representing 1,603 plant species were conserved in the Griffin plant genetic resources collection. Of these, 86.4% were available for distribution to users and 96.9% were backed up for security at a second location. Seed samples for 80,287 accessions were conserved at -18°C for long-term storage. Germination testing has been conducted on 85,194 accessions (89.5% of collection) since 2002. Retesting of accessions stored in 2003-2004 was completed and begun for 2005 to determine the change in viability while stored in 4°C and

-18°C freezer storage. A total of 43,372 seed and clonal accessions in 965 separate orders were distributed upon request to scientist’s and educators in 48 U.S. states and 43 foreign countries. Acquisitions made to the collection included 18 native legumes and 20 native warm season grass accessions. Seed regenerations and characterizations were conducted on 65 warm-season grass, 20 pepper, 15 watermelon, 12 squash and cucurbits, 10 other vegetable accessions, 506 cultivated peanut, 89 legume, industrial, and miscellaneous crop, 56 cowpea and other Vigna species, and 53 annual clover accessions. More than 816 sorghum accessions were regenerated in St. Croix. Forty pepper and watermelon accessions were regenerated and phenotyped by collaborators in Spain, ARS locations including Parlier, California, Charleston, South Carolina, and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Long term maintenance of 201 wild peanut, 419 warm season grass, 95 bamboo, and 6 Chinese water chestnuts was continued in the greenhouse or field. With cooperators in Parlier, California, 50 Vigna accessions have been regenerated. A hydroponic system has been successfully used to regenerate 16 roselle accessions with low seed numbers. A total of 729 sweetpotato accessions were maintained in tissue culture and backed-up in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Six accessions of pepper infected with Pepper Mild Mottle Virus were increased in the greenhouse and virus-free seed was produced for distribution to users.

Evaluation and CharacterizationSeed from 325 watermelon accessions were evaluated for root growth characteristics in collaboration with ARS scientists at Charleston, South Carolina. Pollen from sweetpotato related species were examined using electron microscopy. Examination and characterization of watermelon interspecific hybrids for crop improvement continues. Collaboration with scientists at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru for evaluating the use of molecular markers to assist in the identification of mis-identified sweetpotato accessions continued. A total of 769 and 1,846 cultivated peanut accessions from cold seed storage were evaluated for oil content and fatty acid composition, respectively. Three cultivated peanut accessions were identified to contain a high concentration of oleate (averaging 80%), and molecular markers for the high oleate trait have been developed for peanut breeders to use. Oil content, fatty acid composition, and seed weight from 100 wild peanut accessions should be determined within a year. Collaborating with ARS scientists in Puerto Rico and Lubbock, Texas, an additional 320 sweet sorghum accessions have been evaluated for early-spring cold tolerance in lab conditions. More than 255 sorghum mutants generated using ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenesis were sequenced and resulted in the identification of six abscisic acid insensitive mutants for potential environmental stress tolerance. A sesame mutagenesis project was continued with two M4 lines and three M5 lines quantified for oleic and palmitic acid composition. Genetic diversity for seed traits and protein content in 111 cowpea core accessions from the 4°C cold storage was determined using principal component and cluster analysis. A first year crude protein evaluation of seed from 26 functional vegetable accessions including Vigna species, sesame, guar, and jute showed crude protein content ranging from 14-26%. Seeds from 8 field grown sesame accessions were evaluated for the nutritional compounds, sesamin and sesmolin with content ranging from 0.788-6.68 mg/g.

Specific Accomplishments:

A total of 27 native grass accessions, including 20 switchgrass, six indiangrass, and one little bluestem, collected during plant exploration in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia were cleaned, submitted to seed storage, and officially

documented on GRIN. This germplasm increases the diversity of the collection and consists of native grass germplasm from geographic areas previously unavailable in the U.S. warm-season grass collection.

As a step towards identifying pest and drought resistance genes for cultivar development in watermelon, genetic diversity in the desert watermelon (Citrullus colocynthis) and its relationship with Citrullus species was examined. Molecular and cluster analysis separated the desert watermelon into five groups and generally agreed with their geographic origins. Accessions of desert watermelon were successfully crossed with watermelon cultivars, and viable seeds were produced suggesting that desert watermelon is a viable source to introduce pest and drought resistant genes into cultivated watermelon.

Functional guar accessions with high flavonoid content can be used as a functional health food. Immature pods from 19 guar accessions were examined for flavonoid concentrations over two years. The immature guar accessions produced flavonoid concentrations ranging from 0.49-468.3 µg/g. Plant Breeders and other scientists will use these accessions to improve the functional health traits in guar.

State Reports Submitted in July, 2017:

AlabamaAccording to records provided by S-9, a total of 457 accessions were sent to Alabama during 2013 to 2016. These requested germplasm cover 22 crops from 20 genera. They are watermelon, cultivated peanuts, peppers, sweet potato, mungbean, cowpea, sorghum, okra, legumes, bamboo, squash, water chestnut, nalta jute, grasses (warm season), hibiscus, sesame, eggplant, New Zealand spinach, and clover (annuals). The following table-1 summarizes numbers of required accessions by genus. The most requested crops were watermelon, cultivated peanuts, peppers, and sweet potato with 306, 55, 24, and 23 accessions, respectively. The recipients of required germplasm were university scientists, consultants, seed companies, gardeners and citizens of Alabama (table2). The largest number of accessions was requested by Dr. Srinivasa Mentreddy from Alabama A&M University for watermelon in 2014 (146 accessions) and by Dr. Abburi Lavanya in 2015 (150 Accessions). Besides Alabama A&M University, Dr. Guohao He from Tuskegee University requested 56 accessions of cultivated peanuts and wild relatives for his peanut genetics and genomics research in 2016. Dr. H. Mcbrayer from Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System requested a few accessions of watermelon as well as in 2016. Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Moundville Archaeological Park and Museum, Cahaba River Home School, Innovative Plants, LLC, Selected Plants, A Seed of Hope, Daybreak Farms, East Central Alabama Master Gardeners, Meals on Wheels, Regrow America, Rutledge Gardens, The Cat's Pyjamas, and Tierce Horseshoeing requested germplasm from the USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit at Griffin, GA. Another 11 different individual people in AL received accessions from S-9 during 2013 to 2016, with several representing small farms.In addition to the records provided by S-9, the peanut breeding program of Dr. Charles Chen at Auburn University is maintaining the purified accessions of the U.S. peanut mini-core collection (104 accessions) and conducting research in identifying loci contributing to desirable traits for cultivar development. A great effort of phenotyping the US peanut mini-core collection has achieved significant progress on identifying QTLs underlying TSWV (tomato spotted wilt virus) resistance, leaf spot resistance, peanut favor characters and chemistry. Dr. Chen distributed the

seeds of the U.S. peanut mini-core collection to Dr. Thomas Isleib at North Carolina State University for screening Rhizoctonia solani resistances in greenhouse in 2016. After Dr. David Weave retired from his cotton and soybean breeding program at Auburn University, Dr. Jenny Koebernick as a successor, continually runs the program starting in August of 2016. Dr. Koebernick’s lab focuses on 1) disease resistance breeding in cotton and soybean for target spot, fusarium wilt and reniform nematode et al., and 2) cultivar by management strategies for improving yield potential.

Table 1. Required Accessions by Genus

CROP GENUS TOTALWatermelon Citrullus 306Peanuts (wilds)Peanuts (cultivated) Arachis 55

Peppers Capsicum 24Sweet potato Ipomoea 23Vigna (mungbean)Vigna (cowpea) Vigna 14

Sorghum Sorghum 11Okra Abelmoschus 6Legumes (special purpose) Leucaena 4Bamboo Phyllostachys 3Squash Cucurbita 2Water chestnut Eleocharis 2Nalta jute Corchorus 1Grasses (warm season) Dichanthelium 1Hibiscus Hibiscus 1Sesame Sesamum 1Eggplant Solanum 1New Zealand Spinach Tetragonia 1Clover (annuals) Trifolium 1

Year UniversityPublic Service/Primary Education

Private Sector Total

2013 12 9 16 372014 149 18 8 175

2015 151 1 5 1572016 65 2 21 88Sub-Total 377 30 50 457

Table 2. Required Accessions by Recipients

GeorgiaDuring 2016, ninety-five different requests for plant germplasm were made to the S-009 unit by citizens of Georgia. As a result of these requests, 464 plant accessions were supplied to University scientists, USDA scientists, consultants, seed companies, gardeners, educators, and citizens of Georgia. The most requested crops were warm-season grasses, annual clover, sorghum, lespedeza, and peanut.

The University of Georgia maintains strong emphasis on plant breeding and continues to expand its advanced molecular biology programs. The Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics currently has 37 total faculty members and 34 graduate students as well as many research scientists, and post-docs involved in various aspects of plant improvement. These programs supply new crop cultivars and associated technologies to our agricultural sector and rely heavily upon the plant materials maintained within the S-009 unit. UGA currently has active cultivar development programs in soybean, peanut, small grains, cotton, turfgrass, forages, blueberry, pecan, grape, pepper, peach, watermelon, and numerous ornamental crops that frequently utilize the plant genetic resource collections. These cultivar development programs released 14 cultivars or crop germplasm lines during 2016 (Table 1).

Research programs in crop science, horticulture, plant pathology, entomology and other disciplines continue to utilize the genetic resources of the S-009 unit in both basic and applied research projects designed to address the needs of Georgia and U.S. agriculture. Projects currently underway involving the S-009 germplasm include:

1) Evaluation of the available seashore paspalum (warm-season turfgrass) collection for salt tolerance and the development of molecular markers that could be used by breeding programs to improve salt tolerance in grasses.

2) Evaluation of seashore paspalum assessions for tolerance to dollar spot disease (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa).

3) Evaluation of a portion of the zoysiagrass germplasm collection for salt tolerance.

4) Identification of genes and pathways involved in Cucurbit disease resistance.

5) Identification of QTLs associated with important traits in watermelon.

6) Translational genomics for enhancing disease resistance in plants, an internet-facilitated education program for training plant breeders.

7) Inheritance of P. capsici resistance in pepper.

8) Sequencing plant genomes in soybean, peanut, common bean, pigeonpea, chickpea, and seashore paspalum.

9) Genetic analysis of shattering of the sorghum inflorescence.

10) Transmission genetics of Sorghum halepense x S. bicolor crosses.

11) Genome-wide association study of sorghum growth and development.  

12) Genetic diversity and population structure of finger millet.

13) Ploidy level and genetic diversity in the genus Paspalum, group Disticha

14) Natural variation in genes potentially involved in plant architecture and adaptation in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.

15) Evaluation of pigeon pea germplasm for wildlife applications.

16) Genomic approaches to capture novel alleles in cultivated peanut.

17) Translational genomics to reduce pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination of peanut.

18) Phenotyping and genotyping of RIL populations for gene discovery and marker development.

19) Improving peanut seed quality by molecular definition of stress thresholds permissive for aflatoxin contamination

In summary, the S-009 unit remains a critical component of our research and cultivar development programs in Georgia.

Guam1. Evaluation of germplasm adaptation to Guam’s climate

i. Leafy lettuce (Lactuca sativa)Germplasm evaluation of lettuce cultivars is an on-going project at the University of Guam. Heat tolerance, slow bolting, and reduced bitterness are the main characteristics for germplasm selection. Twelve lettuce cultivars were evaluated in the aquaponics system at University of Guam Triton Farm to study their growth and harvest yield from April to June in 2016. Seven cultivars had green to light green leaves while five cultivars had red leaves, red with green hearts or red speckles on green leaves. After six weeks of cultivation, Cv. Tropicana, green cultivar, produced the heaviest head (536g fresh weight). Among greens, ‘Starfighter’ (431g) produced the second heaviest head, followed by ‘Nevada’ (331g), ‘Tango’ (285g), ‘Muir’ (243g), ‘Panisse’ (240g), and Adriana (204g). Red cultivars weighed ‘Red fire’ (281g), ‘Cherokee’ (274g), ‘Lollo Rossa’ (183g), ‘Mottistone’ (159g), and ‘Skyphos’ (127g). The project will be continued.

ii. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)Eighteen tomato cultivars were studied at five commercial farms in Guam in Fall 2015 and continued to dry season of 2016 to determine resistant lines against Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV) by Dr. R. Schlub, Extension Plant Pathologist. This trial was a repeat of a 2014 trial. Multiple lines of viruses in addition to AYVV were found and continued to study identification of diseases.

iii. Sorrel or Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) was obtained from the University of the Virgin Islands. The project started with 11 lines. On June 8, 2016, 20 seeds of each variety were sowed. Out of the 11 lines, only seven germinated: ‘Unique Leaf 128,’ ‘100 Pink,’ ‘Black Open Fruit TTB,’ ‘245xTTB,’ ‘186316 Dark Red,’ ‘Standard Red Jak’ and ‘Day Neutral KDN.’ The cultivars that did not germinate were: ‘Large Fruit TTB,’ ‘Dwarf 97’ and ‘Striped.’ Seedlings of seven germlines were transplanted in Guam cobbly clay soil at Guam Agriculture Experiment Station Yigo Farm on June 30, 2016 to test the adaptability to Guam’s environment, maturity, plant size, color of calyx. ‘Day Neutral KDN’ was the first to produce calyx at 78 days after transplanting (DAT) while ‘Standard Red Jak did not produce calyx until 153 DAT. The rest of the cultivars took about 15 to 17 weeks (105 to 119 DAT) after transplanting to produce calyx. Color of calyx varied. ‘Unique Leaf 128’ produced a light green calyx and ‘100 Pink’ produced a bright red calyx. The other cultivars had dark red calyx. ‘Day Neutral KDN’ defoliated at 100 DAT which was two weeks after calyx formation. Major insects found in the trial were mealy bugs and aphids.

iv. Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea)A variety trial of four lines of Chinese kale were tested in March to June 2016 by Joseph

Tuquero, Extension horticulturist at University of Guam. The experiment was conducted using randomized complete block design (RCB) with three replications in Guam cobbly clay soil at Guam Agriculture Experiment Station Yigo Farm. Cultivars evaluated were: ‘Peth Nam Eak,’ Yho Fa,’ ‘Emperor’ and ‘Green Leaf.’ Cultivar ‘Green Leaf’ matured early less than 30 days after transplanting (DAT), initiating flowers. However, this cultivar produced the least fresh weight as marketable yield. Three other cultivars produced about the same yield with the similar size as marketable vegetable at 54-57 DAT. Two insect pests, unidentified whitefly species (Family: Aleyrodidae) and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) were observed. A fungal disease, Alternaria spp. was also observed.

v. Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum)A variety trial of bell peppers was conducted during March to June 2016 by Joseph

Tuquero, Extension horticulturist at University of Guam. The experiment was conducted using randomized complete block design (RCB) in Guam cobbly clay soil at Guam Agriculture Experiment Station Yigo Farm with three replications including five cultivars: ‘California Wonder,’ ‘King Arthur F1,’ ‘Intruder F1,’ ‘Chinese Giant’ and ‘Gourmet F1.’ Seedlings were transplanted on March 24, 2016 and growth characteristics were observed. Harvest yield was examined from May 19 to June 27, 2016. Green mature sized fruits were harvested for yield data. Attempts to harvest marketable yield of fully ripe fruits resulted in mostly diseased fruits due to anthracnose fruit rot. Insect infestation of thrips (Thrips spp.) and mite (Steneotarsonemus

pallidus) were observed. Marketable fruits of all cultivars were slightly smaller than their respective advertised sizes in commercial seed catalogue. High temperature (32°C) and high humidity (80-100%) of Guam’s condition may have contributed to early maturity, small fruit size, and high incidence of anthracnose fruit rot. ‘Intruder F1,’ ‘King Arthur F1’ and ‘Chinese Giant’ had higher percentage of marketable yield than ‘California Wonder’ and ‘Gourmet F1.’ b. Outcomes / Impact:The search for new germlines and commercial cultivars with tolerance and pest resistance will assist growers in choosing locally adapted vegetable crops to promote their farming operation in Guam.

KentuckyRecent germplasm requests for material housed at Griffin and sent to requesters in Kentucky during 2016 includes sorghum, cowpea, mungbean, bambara groundnut, several pepper species, annual clover, Rhodes grass, and sweet potato. A total of 255 accessions were sent to KY in 2016, a decrease from the 326 sent in 2015. Nine people in Kentucky received seed from Griffin, but two order (peppers and Vigna species) accounted for 244 of the accessions. Steve Smith of Brandywine Seed Farms received the Vigna accessions. He lives in Kentucky, but works at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. A Chinese pepper breeder working at the University of Kentucky received 176 pepper accessions. Others receiving accessions include Dr. Ardra Kachroo in Plant Pathology at U.K. and a bee person interested in annual clover for honeybees.

The following table summarizes numbers of accessions from Griffin sent to Kentucky during 2009-2016:

RecipientYear Univ. of KY Other KY Univ. Private/other Total2009 38 1 30 692010 4 25 4 332011 83 0 11 942012 66 3 17 862013 29 160 32 2212014 27 31 59 1172015 43 66 217 3262016 177 70 (APSU) 8 255

LouisianaSorghum germplasm was requested for transformation and tissue culture experiments. Germplasm of Capsicum and several legumes were requested. The service provided by the repository was reported as very efficient and materials of high quality. Several papers have been published and acknowledgments made. Panicum accessions were evaluated under field conditions; unfortunately these were not well adapted to southeast Louisiana conditions. Further research is underway on Panicum. Several sweetpotato lines imported from Uruguay were found to have desirable skin characteristics not previously seen. These lines have a deep red skin which retains color when scratched. It is possible this represents a valuable trait for production sweetpotato. These lines were treated for viruses by APHIS and are now being made available to

the provider in Uruguay and plans are moving forward to include these materials in the collection.

MississippiGermplasm requested from GRIN during 2015-2016 were used for various research and extension activities. During this time period 84 requests were made from the S-009 Unit by nine entities in Mississippi. As a result of these requests, 36 plant accessions were supplied to university scientists, USDA scientists, consultants, seed companies, gardeners, and citizens of Mississippi. The most requested crops were: peppers, various hibiscus species (including okra), sweetpotato and gramagrass species.

The greatest number of requests by a single entity were made by USDA-ARS. Pepper (Capsicum) accessions were requested by private individuals for personal use. Sweetpotato requests were made by Mississippi and Alcorn State Universities for collaborative research being conducted at both locations.

North CarolinaGermplasm introduction from the Southern Regional Station is an important component of the plant breeding efforts at NC State University. Plant breeders in Crop and Soil Sciences, Horticulture and Forestry conduct research on strawberry, blueberry, brambles, tree crops, ornamentals, maize, soybean, peanut, cotton, tobacco, small grains, turfgrasses, sweet potato, cucurbits, and other crops. Breeding efforts largely concentrate on improving disease and insect resistance, abiotic stress resistance, and quality factors into improved breeding lines and cultivars with high yields. Wild species are important components of the wheat, peanut and several other programs.

The Plant Breeding Consortium supports the graduate program as well as plant breeding projects as a funding source. Dr. Charles Stuber, the Consortium Director, is retiring on July 1, 2017 and the college is seeking permission to replace his position by early 2018. A senior scientists with expertise in the area of quantitative genetics / applied genomics will be sought who will also assume the role of Director of the North Carolina State University Plant Breeding Consortium.

In addition to germplasm and cultivar development, the Plant Pathology Department manages a micro-propagation unit to assure that strawberry and sweet potato germplasm and root stocks are virus free. This unit is critical for maintaining disease-free cultivars in North Carolina.

Brambles: A program with blackberry and raspberry is attempting to adapt germplasm to North Carolina environments. White drupelet disorder is a significant problem in ripening blackberries (Rubus sp.). The commercial industry has zero tolerance for white drupelets on harvested fruit and to identify genes that are differentially expressed between white and black drupelets, blackberry fruits in different ripening stages undergo RNA-seq analysis.

Cotton: The research focus of the cotton program is developing germplasm, genetic stocks, and mapping genomic resources for enhancing the cotton productivity. Methods were developed and germplasm screened to identify sources of thrips resistance and interspecific segregating populations were then developed in pima cotton (G. barbadense). Interspecific hybrids are being developed to introgress genes for improved cotton fiber quality and yield. The program is leading a multi-institutional Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) initiative in Upland cotton and a diversity panel of 360 accessions was evaluated for lint yield, fiber quality and flowering time.

Cucumber: The cucumber breeding project at NC State has been working on developing new hybrids of the pickling type for use by North Carolina growers. Research is continuing on resistance to downy mildew in cucumber, and parthenocarpy in cucumber.

Cut flowers: The cut flower breeding program is emphasizing efforts to improve zinnias and Eucomis. Efforts are being made to develop Z. violacea cultivars with powdery mildew resistance and cultivars of Eucomis with stronger flower racemes to reduce lodging.

Maize: Projects are investigating Latin American accessions identified in the Allelic Diversity GEM project and germplasm has both historic interest and potential economic value. Genetic diversity is being investigated using molecular markers for a very large array of agronomically important traits. The Ga1-s allele is the foundation of both dent-sterile popcorns and identity-preserved organic field corns where it is used as a genetic barrier to prevent pollen contamination. Its known genetic susceptibility to another allele at the same locus is problematic for the sustainability of Ga1-s corn of any type. The Ga1-M allele overcomes Ga1-s, opening any system using it to potential contamination. Resistance to Ga1-M was discovered in several Mexican racial accessions (Jal78 and about a half dozen other Mexican accessions) and have been backcrossing such resistance to several in-breds.

Shrubs: Butterfly bush is being bred for compact and sterile forms with reduced or no invasive potential. Traditional cultivars are very vigorous and challenging to manage in a home landscape. Raspberries are being adapted to all climates found in North Carolina, with emphasis on superior horticultural traits and long shelf life.  Redbud is being bred for weeping and compact forms encompassing the range of leaf variants (purple leaf, variegated leaf, golden leaf) and flower color variants. Hybridization of eastern redbud with Texas redbud is incorporating genes for drought and heat tolerance from the Texas forms into eastern redbuds.

Arachis species : Collections of Arachis cultivars and wild species are being maintained in the peanut program. An Arachis species collection is being maintained as a backup the USDA materials and 432 are currently propagated. 200 Arachis species accessions were planted in a field nursery and additional plants of Arachis accessions are being propagated in the greenhouse for seed increase. Seeds of 165 entries from the 2015 nursery were sent to the S-0009 unit for storage. Efforts are being made to introgress tomato spotted wilt virus and both early and late leaf spot resistances from A. cardenasii and A. diogoi into cultivated peanut germplasm. The PI for this project is has reduced efforts from a full time to a half-time appointment and he plans to retire in 2019.

Peanut breeding efforts are being made to pyramid genes for disease resistances into single genotypes, investigate the inheritance of Sclerotinia blight and tomato spotted wilt virus resistances, develop drought resistant genotypes, and higher yields. Introgression lines with Arachis species germplasm are now in more than 99% of the NCSU breeding lines in the cultivar development program and are the source of leaf spot, Sclerotinia, tomato spotted wilt virus and insect resistances. Tom Isleib, the peanut breeder, is planning to retire in March, 2018 and a replacement for his position is currently being advertised.

Small grains: The wheat breeding program is utilizing wild species to introgress genes for scab and other diseases into the cultivated species. Both breeding lines and cultivars are being released for the North Carolina environment. Genes were validated that confer resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in the varieties NC-Neuse and Bess. These varieties are being heavily utilized as sources of

resistance in south eastern wheat breeding programs. Also, the Eastern Regional Small Grains Genotyping Laboratory at NCSU is involved in use of markers to characterize germplasm and deployment of genes by marker-assisted selection.

Soybean: The soybean breeding program is concentrating on utilizing exotic germplasm to improve drought resistance and to breed for altered fatty acid profiles. Significant progress has been made during recent years to increase yields of non-GMO cultivars. The state supported soybean breeding position is vacant and the time frame for refilling the vacancy remains uncertain.

Strawberry: The objectives of the strawberry breeding program are to maintain germplasm, select improved genotypes for anthracnose resistance, superior horticultural traits, and different maturity levels. The strawberry breeder has not been rehired since J. Pattison left the university in 2014. Rubus and Fragaria breeding programs are operating with reduced capacity and in jeopardy of shutting down.

Sweet potato: Research emphasis for sweet potatoes is to develop disease and insect resistances in table-stock cultivars and to develop specialty-type sweet potatoes with improved root quality. Efforts are being made to improve resistances to insects and pathogens by utilizing wild and/or related plant germplasm as a source of commercially important traits. In addition, the breeding program is selecting ornamental types for urban landscapes.

Tobacco: The U.S. collection of cultivated and wild Nicotiana species is maintained at NCSU and numerous seed requests have been received by U.S. and international individuals and organizations. The tobacco breeding program continues to develop hybrids for both the flue-cured and burley markets with enhanced disease and virus resistances. New cultivars are expected to serve as an important resource for producing tobacco products with significantly reduced levels of nornicotine.

Tomato: The tomato breeding program at NC State University aims to improve tomato fruit quality, disease resistance and stress tolerance by conventional and molecular breeding methods. Current emphasis is to combine resistances for early blight, late blight, fusarium wilt, bacterial wilt, tomato spotted wilt virus, tomato mosaic virus and root knot nematode. Conventional and molecular approaches are adopted to improve the tomato for fruit quality, fruit smoothness, size and color.

Turfgrasses: The turfgrass breeder is working to improve turf sustainability by developing cultivars that require reduced inputs and that are capable of tolerating biotic and environmental stresses. Specific projects include breeding for drought tolerance in tall fescue, breeding for cold tolerance in St. Augustine grass and Bermuda grass, evaluation of St. Augustine grass germplasm for gray leaf spot resistance, evaluation of zoysia grass germplasm for large patch resistance, and developing EMS mutants in centipede grass. Dense linkage maps of St. Augustinegrass and Zoysiagrass have been developed and are currently being used to tag traits of interest.  Over 5,000 centipedegrass lines have been developed through efforts in mutation breeding. Evaluation of these materials for drought and cold tolerances, aggressiveness and turf quality have led to 92 lines being evaluated for possible cultivar release.

Stevia: A new stevia breeding project was initiated at NCSU. Stevia produces steviol glycosides, which are sweeteners that do not affect blood glucose and makes these compounds attractive to

people on carbohydrate-controlled diets. The objectives of the program are to develop cultivars for the southeastern region of the U.S. with disease, lodging and cold stress tolerance.

Watermelon: Germplasm of watermelon is being developed with resistance to bacterial fruit blotch, and inheritance of citrulline content are being studied. Watermelon populations with orange flesh, canary yellow flesh, small fruit, high yield, high quality, and gummy stem blight resistance are being selected for use in cultivar development. Breeding is continuing on eastern shipping cantaloupes, sprite melons and canary melons.

OklahomaIn the last reporting period, 801 plant accessions maintained at the USDA ARS Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit at Griffin, GA were distributed to organizations or individuals in Oklahoma, according to the plant germplasm distribution record. The requested plant germplasm in 2016 included Arachis hypogaea, Sorghum bicolor, Cynodon species. Receivers of the plant accessions include researchers at Oklahoma State University and USDA-ARS laboratories, seed companies, and residents in the state.

Puerto RicoEighteen quenepa (Melicoccus bijugatus) cultivars are in the twelfth year of evaluation. In 2016 fruit production was poor in Lajas (2.5% of the trees fruited) but fairly good at Juana Diaz (47.5% of the trees fruited). Yields in Juana Diaz ranged from 0 lb/tree to 297 lb/tree, with a mean of 105.5 lb/tree. 'Cesar Ramos' was the highest yielding cultivar in Juana Diaz. In a field evaluation of six orange pulp sweet potatoes planted at Corozal in October 2015, the best yield was with 'P.R. 469' with 77.5 kg/ha of marketable roots, followed by 'Beauregard', 'Red Glow', 'Gold Jewel', 'P.R. 485' and 'Scarlett', with 71.2, 53.6, 23.8, 13.9 and 4.8 kg/ha, respectively. There was little difference in root weevil damage among cultivars, with an average of 13.3% of the total marketable roots affected. A two cycle evaluation of four banana varieties with no chemical control for black sigatoka was completed. The best yield was obtained by 'Grand Nain' with 12.5 kg/bunch, followed by 'FHIA 2', 'Yangambii' and 'Nino Enano' with 11.6, 10.5, and 4.5 kg/bunch, respectively. The variety with greatest tolerance to black sigatoka was 'FHIA 2' with a severity index of 8.5, followed by 'Yangambii', 'Grand Nain' and 'Nino Enano' with 17, 22 and 32, respectively. Citrus germplasm collections are being maintained in screenhouses at Isabela and Rio Piedras, and the collections were tested for citrus greening, Citrus Tristeza Virus, HLB and Phytophthora. This germplasm is available for citrus producers. Germplasm evaluation experiments are being conducted with 'Nova' mandarin and 'Pera', 'Trovita', 'Marr's Early' and 'Hamlin' oranges. A survey for the detection of Phytophthora fungus was conducted at commercial citrus farms with different rootstocks in Lares and San Sebastian and at experimental plantings at UPR substations at Isabela, Corozal and Adjuntas. Two Phytophthora species, Phytophthora nicotianae and P. citricola, were identified as the cause of foot rot and root rot in citrus trees in Puerto Rico. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. citricola affecting citrus in Puerto Rico. Evaluations for foot rot and root relative susceptibility were performed in the greenhouse. Results obtained identify rough lemon as very susceptible to foot rot in citrus caused by P. nicotianae and P. citricola, whereas ‘HRS-812’ and ‘Swingle Citrumelo’ were essentially unaffected, perhaps due to their inheritance from Poncirus trifoliata, a major source for resistance to Phytophthora. For the root rot evaluations, 'HRS-812' and 'Swingle' showed the best performance in inoculations, with P. nicotianae showing significant differences among 'Carrizo'

and 'Cleopatra', which were very susceptible. For inoculations with P. citricola, 'Carrizo', 'Swingle' and 'HRS-812' were tolerant in comparison with 'Cleopatra'. The data obtained from these greenhouse studies are a valuable source of information to help identify available rootstocks with tolerance to the species of Phytophthora affecting citrus in Puerto Rico. 'HRS-812' and 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstocks represent alternatives to the 'Cleopatra' mandarin which is the only germplasm used as rootstock in Puerto Rico. Two field collections of Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit) have been established, one with 40 accessions in Lajas and another with 30 accessions in Isabela. Plants in those collections are being characterized and will serve as a germplasm bank for propagation of selections of interest, for either scientific research and/or for release to growers. Additionally, two replicated field experiments have been established, one at Lajas and another at Isabela, comparing five selections of Artocarpus altilis in each location. Plant height, leaf number and chlorophyll concentration are evaluated regularly. Some trees fruited lightly in 2016.

South CarolinaI. Germplasm Received from the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit, Southern

Regional Plant Introduction Station, Griffin, GA:

The following list of germplasm was received by 24 different researchers/individuals in SC during the 2015-2016 period. The overwhelming majority of materials requested were for Citrullus (USDA – Charleston) and Sorghum (Clemson University).

Genus # of accessionsAbutilon 1Arachis 10Benincasa 25Capsicum 297Citrullus 2141Cucurbita 325Cynodon 5Indigofera 1Lagenaria 150Panicum 1Pueraria 1Solanum 1Sorghum 2594Tubocapsicum 1Vigna 1Zoysia 3

Total 5559

II. Germplasm Uses

Several of the minor material requests were by private citizens who dabble in plant breeding, as well as academics using the materials for instructional purposes. Included in this latter category, some of the materials were used for cultivation purposes at the Sustainable Carolina Farm & Gardens at the University of South Carolina. These plants were grown for the purpose of food production in the garden (which serves as a resource site for various student projects), and produce was sold at the USC Farmers Market. Of the major requests: a) Citrullus - Researchers at ARS/USDA have been evaluating the Citrullus colocynthis accessions for resistance to whiteflies and potyviruses and have been crossing them with watermelon cultivars. Since it is a distinct desert species it is not readily crossed with watermelon cultivars, but they have been able to obtain a few seeds. The Citrullus lanatus sbsp. lanatus are being evaluated for root capacity compared with watermelon cultivars. They have also been evaluating accessions for resistance to Fusarium wilt and root knot nematodes. b) Sorghum - Approximately 2,500 diverse sorghum accessions were requested by Clemson researchers to develop large mapping panels for genome-wide association studies.  The diversity panels encompassed the five major botanical races of sorghum as well as all ten intermediates.  Several plant introductions were used to incorporate useful genetic variation into the gene pools of biomass and grain breeding populations.  These accessions provide sources of disease resistance and unique biomass/grain quality characteristics.  Wide crosses from this new material were made to develop segregating populations to enable future selections on marginal soils in the southeastern USA.  Additionally, two introductions, PI 534155 and PI 655986, were requested to increase seed stocks of these accessions within the Sorghum Association Panel. C) Cucurbita - The requested accessions were evaluated for tolerance to crown rot caused by Phytophthora capsici. The first round of screening was completed and the lines that were found to be most tolerant to P. capsici are being re-evaluated. Since most of the cucurbits are not homogeneous for resistance to diseases, the materials will continue to be screened and selected for at least five generations prior to release as a resistance source.

TexasSeveral projects involved forage grass breeding. Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp) cultivars were evaluated for diversity using SSR markers. Crosses were attempted between flaccidgrass (Cenchrus flaccidus) PI lines and Napiergrass. The crosses were not successful due to low pollen production by the flaccidgrass. Switchgrass PI lines were used in various studies looking at GxE interactions across continental gradients. Evaluation of plant-microbe-soil interactions was also included in these switchgrass studies.

The peanut mini-core was screened for novel disease resistance, early maturity and unique seed composition traits. Several peanut PI lines were used to validate published molecular markers.

Pepper PI lines were used in a project for resistance breeding and mapping of genes for resistance to tobacco etch and powdery mildew. Capsicum baccatum has proved to contain several resistance genes for both disease and insect pests but the introgression of those genes into commercial cultivars is a challenge.

Sorghum germplasm lines were evaluated for both forage and grain production. The elite forage lines will be further studied for yield, lodging and sugarcane aphid response. Elite grain types were identified in the medium maturity range. One very positive comment was noted from a

commercial sorghum breeder. “All the material made available from USDA ARS provides our company and many other seed companies with diversity that we cannot acquire any where else and is an invaluable resource for these purposes.”

Sesame accessions were acquired for evaluation of plant type, seed shattering, seed color and seed quality.

Eleven plant introduction lines of yellow serradella and the cultivar Uniserra were evaluated at Overton, TX in 2015-2016. Differences were noted in winter survival, winter growth, date of flowering and seed production. Lines were identified with both high forage production potential and rapid spring growth rates.

Studies with cowpea PI lines continued in 2016 with objectives to identify germplasm with high biomass production and seed production by late September in northeast Texas.

VirginiaGermplasm from S9 was acquired in Virginia by researchers at Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, Hampton Sydney College as wells as several hobbyists and private enterprises

Virginia Tech Aureliano Bombarely requested the following:22 accessions of commercial petunias (P. hybrida: 14;) and wild species (P. axillaris: 2;

P. integrifolia: 1; P. exserta: 1; Unidentified: 1) were requested with the goal of study the domestication of the petunia species. We measured genome size and we are in the process of genotyping the samples using a reduced representation approach.

55 Artemisia species were requested with the goal of exploring their trichome transcriptomic profiles in relation to their artemisin content. However, we could not optimize the artemisin quantification in the laboratory so we did not continue with the project.

17 accessions of wild begonia were requested with the goal to study the domestication of the wax begonia as an ornamental crop using a reduce representation approach. We measured the genome size of the different accessions. We also performed a cross between the accession OPGC 2737 (B. fisheri) and the commercial accession Cocktail Red obtaining an F1 population.

Ten Thymus (Thymus kotschyanus and Thymus spp) accessions were requested to study: 1- Genome size variation across the genus; 2- Gene space estimation using RNA-Seq. The goal of the project was to generate preliminary data to study the climatic adaptation of this genus in relation to their genome architecture. This collection was complemented with data from 22 other Thymus species supplied by Mr. Aboozar Soorni. One publication is in production as result of this exploratory project.

55 different Nicotiana accessions representing the Suaveolentes clade were requested to study the origin of N. benthamiana. Also we’ll study the adaptation of N. benthamiana to drought and high temperature conditions, comparing it with close related species. Two different experiments will be performed: 1- Genome size estimation; 2- Transcriptomic response under abiotic stress (drought and high temperatures). This exploratory project is a part of a more extensive analysis of the Nicotiana genus in collaboration with other laboratories.

Maria Balota requested the sorghum germplasm for a germination test. Some of this seed was planted in the field and in the laboratory for a germination and early growth testing.

Virginia State University -- Harbans Bhardwaj received 470 accessions of Vigna radiata (Mungbean) to identify locally adapted germplasm

Various accessions of eggplant, peanut, pepper, cucurbit, watermelon, etc., have been requested by educators at primary educational institutions for demonstration gardens.

Publications

Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit

Bhattarai, G., Shi, A., Qin, J., Weng, Y., Morris, J.B., Pinnow, D.L., Buckley, B., Ravelombola, W., Yang, W., Dong, L. 2017. Association analysis of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) resistance in the USDA cowpea germplasm collection. Euphytica. 213:230-242.

Dean, L.L., Jiang, T., Tang, Y.Y., Dang, P.M., Wang, M.L., He, G.H., Lamb, M.C.,Holbrook Jr, C.C., Ozias-Akins, P., Chen, C.C. 2017. Association mapping of SSR markers to sweet, bitter and roasted peanut sensory attributes in cultivated peanut. Meeting Abstract. v. 9.

Dida M.M., Wanyera N, Harrison-Dunn M.L., Bennetzen J.L., Devos K.M. (2008) Population structure and diversity in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) germplasm.  Tropical Plant Biology 1:131-141. 

Harrison, M.L., Robacker, C. 2016. Cultivar development in Little Bluestem. UGA Turfgrass and Landscape Research Field Day. p. 30-31.

Harrison, M.L., Robacker, C. 2016. Little Bluestem 'Hit Parade' series adds pop of color to native landscapes. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. Poster #1522.

Harrison, M.L., Robacker, C., Hawkins, S. 2016. Pests in ornamental grasses. UGA Turfgrass and Landscape Research Field Day. p. 42.

Jarret, R.L., Bauchan, G.R., Oswald, W.W., Arumuganathan, K., Shields, J.P. 2017. Notes on Citrullus spp.: Pollen morphology, C values, and interspecific hybridization. Crop Science. 57:856-864.

Levi, A., Jarret, R.L., Kousik, C.S., Wechter, W.P., Nimmakayala, P., Reddy, U. 2017.Genetic Resources of Watermelon. In Grumet R., Garcia J., and Katzir N. (eds.) Geneticsand Genomics of Cucurbitaceae, Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models. SpringerInternational Publishing AG. (Book Chapter) doi:10.1007/7397_2016_34.

Levi, A., Simmons, A.M., Massey, L.M., Coffey, J., Wechter, W.P., Jarret, R.L., Tadmor, Y., Nimmakayala, P., Reddy, U. 2017. Genetic diversity in the desert watermelon Citrullus colocynthis and its relationship with Citrullus species as determined by high-frequency

oligonucleotides-targeting active gene markers. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 142(1):47–56. doi:10.21273/JASHS03834-16.

Wang, M.L., Dzievit, M., Chen, Z., Morris, J.B., Norris, J., Barkley, N.A., Tonnis,B.D., Pederson, G.A., Yu, J. 2017. Genetic diversity and population structure of castor(Ricinus communis L.) germplasm within the U.S. collection assessed with EST-SSRmarkers. Genome. 60:193-200.

Wang, M.L., Harrison, M.L., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Davis, J., Irish, B.M. 2017.Total leaf crude protein, amino acid composition and elemental content in the USDA-ARSbamboo germplasm collection. Plant Genetic Resources. doi: 10.1017/S1479262117000053.

Wang, M.L., Irish, B.M., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Davis, J., Hotchkiss, M.W., Harrison, M.L. 2017. Exploring bamboo leaf nutrient value in the US NPGS germplasm collection. Austin Food Sciences. 2(1):1030.

Wang, M.L., Morris, J.B., Dzievit, M., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Chen, Z., Yu, J.,Pederson, G.A. 2017. Establishment of the U.S. castor (Ricinus communis L.) corecollection using seed chemical composition analysis and genotyping with EST-SSRmarkers. Plant and Animal Genome. [Abstract] Paper No. P0118.

Wang, M.L., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Tallury, S.P. 2017. Identification of natural high-oleate mutants from the USDA Peanut Germplasm Collection. Meeting Abstract. WED01. National Association of Plant Breeders – August 7, 2017 – Davis, CA.

Georgia

Braman, S.K., P .L. Raymer, M. Harrison-Dunn and S. Nair.  (2013) Antibiosis Among Selected Paspalum Taxa to the Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).  J. Entomol. Sci.  49:11-20.

Clevenger, J. and P. Ozias-Akins. 2015. SWEEP: A tool for filtering high-quality SNPs in polyploid crops. G3 5: 1797-1803.

Clevenger J, Chu Y, Chavarro C, Agarwal G, Bertioli DJ, Leal-Bertioli SCM, Pandey MK, Vaughn J, Abernathy B, Barkley NA, Hovav, R, Burow, M, Nayak, S, Isleib, T, Holbrook, CC, Pandey, M, Varshney, RK, Ozias-Akins, P. 2016. Signatures of selection and tetrasomic recombination in peanut resolved by genome-wide SNP genotyping. Mol Plant http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2016.11.015.

Clevenger, JP, Marasigan, K, Liakos, B, Sobolev, V, Vellidis, G, Holbrook, CC, Ozias-Akins, P. 2016. RNA sequencing of contaminated seeds reveals the state of the seed permissive for pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination and points to a potential susceptibility factor. Toxins 8:317.Clevenger, J, Y Chu, L Arrais Guimaraes, T Maia, D Bertioli, S Leal-Bertioli, P Timper, CC Holbrook, P Ozias-Akins. 2017. Gene expression profiling describes the genetic regulation

of Meloidogyne arenaria resistance in Arachis hypogaea and reveals a candidate gene for resistance. Sci. Rep. 7: 1317 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-00971-6.

Harris-Shultz, Karen; Raymer, Paul; Scheffler, Brian E.; and Arias, Renée S. (2013) Development and characterization of seashore paspalum SSR markers and identification of markers potentially associated with salt tolerance. Crop Sci. 53:6 2679-2685.

Luis, J.M., P. Ozias-Akins, C.C. Holbrook, R.C. Kemerait, Jr., J.L. Snider and Vasilis Liakos. 2016. Phenotyping Peanut Genotypes for Drought Tolerance. Peanut Science 43:36-48.

Meru G. & C. McGregor (2013) Genetic mapping of seed traits correlated with seed oil percentage in watermelon. HortScience 48:8 955-959

Prothro J, Abdel-Haleem H, Bachlava E, White V, Knapp, S & CE McGregor (2013) Quantitative trait loci associated with sex expression in an inter-subspecific watermelon population. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 138(2):125–130.

Guam

Tuquero, J., J. Bamba, M. Marutani, P. Wall. 2016. “Guam Crop Charts.” Food Plant Production Cooperative Extension & Outreach, College of Natural & Applied Sciences, University of Guam. FPP-01. 12p.

Tuquero, J. 2016. “Chinese Kale (Brassica oleracea), Cultivar Group alboglabra; A Potential Commercial Crop for Guam.’ Food Plant Production Cooperative Extension & Outreach, College of Natural & Applied Sciences, University of Guam. FPP-02. 4p.

Tuquero, J. and J. Bamba. 2016. “Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum); A Potential Commercial Crop for Guam.” Food Plant Production Cooperative Extension & Outreach, College of Natural & Applied Sciences, University of Guam. FPP-03. 5p.

Kentucky

Billman, Eric, Goff, B. M., Baldwin, B., Prince, K. and Phillips T.D. 2017. Effects of Vegetative Cool-Season Grasses on Forage Removal by Dairy Cattle. Agronomy Journal 109(4), 1-11.

Guo, J., McCulley, R. L., Phillips, T.D., and McNear, Jr. D. H. 2016. Fungal endophyte and tall fescue cultivar interact to differentially effect bulk and rhizosphere soil processes governing C and N cycling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 101 (October 2016), 165-174.

Saikkonen, K., T.D. Phillips, S.H. Faeth, R.L. McCulley, I. Saloniemi, and M. Helander. 2016. Performance of endophyte infected tall fescue in Europe and North America. PLOS ONE 11(6):e0157382. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157382

Louisiana

Okada, R., Kiyota, K., Moriyama, H. Fukuhara, T., and Valverde, R. A. 2017. Molecular and biological properties of an endornavirus infecting winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus). Virus Genes 53:141-145.doi: 10.1007/s11262-016-1398-7

Okada, R., Kiyota, E., Sabanadzovic, S., Moriyama,H., Fukuhara, T., Saha, P., Roossinck. M. J., Severin, A.,  and Valverde, R. A. 2011. Bell pepper endornavirus: molecular and biological properties and occurrence in the genus Capsicum. Journal of General Virology 92:2664-2673

North Carolina

Andres R.J, D.T. Bowman, D.C. Jones, V. Kuraparthy. 2016. Major leaf shapes of cotton: Genetics and agronomic effects in crop production. Journal of Cotton Sci. 20:330–340.

Andres, R.J, V. Coneva, M.H. Frank, J.R. Tuttle, S.W. Han, L.F. Samayoa, B. Kaur, L. Zhu, H. Fang, D. Bowman, M. Rojas-Pierce, C.H. Haigler, D.C. Jones, J.B. Holland, D.H. Chitwood, and V. Kuraparthy. 2016. Modifications to a late meristem identity -1 gene are responsible for the major leaf shapes of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). bioRxiv 062612; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/062612.

Bassil, N., B. Gilmore, K. Hummer, M. Dossett, T. Mockler, S. Filichkin, M. Peterson, C. Finn, J. Lee, G. Fernandez, P. Perkins-Veazie, C. Weber, R. Agunga, E Rhodes, J.C. Scheerens, K. Lewers, J. Graham, F. Fernández-Fernández, and S.J. Yun. 2014. Genetic and Genomic Resources in Black Raspberry. Acta Hort. 1048:19-24.

Beck, J. E., Schroeder-Moreno, M. S., Fernandez, G. E., Grossman, J. M., and Creamer, N. G. (2016). Effects of cover crops, compost, and vermicompost on strawberry yields and nitrogen availability in North Carolina. HortTechnology 26:604-613.

Bertioli, D., S.B. Cannon, L. Fronenicke, X. Liu, A.D. Farmer, E.K.S. Cannon, S. Dash, G. Huang, D. Gao, J. Cleavenger, L. Ren, M.C. Moretzsohn, K. Shirasawa, W. Huang, B. Vidigal, B. Abernathy, Y. Chu, C. Niederhuth, P. Umale, A.C. Guerra, A. Kozik, K.D. Kim, M. Burrow, R.K. Varshney, X. Wang, X. Zhang, N. Barkley, P. Guimaraes, S. Isobe, B. Guo, B. Schmitz, J. Schmutz, B. Liao, H.T. Stalker, S.C.M. Leal-Bertioli, B. Scheffler, S. Jackson, P. Ozias-Akins, X. Xun, and R. Michelmore. 2016. The genome sequences of Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaënsis, the diploid ancestors of cultivated peanut. Nature Genetics 48:438-449.

Bertioli, D.J., S.C. Leal-Bertioli, and H.T. Stalker. 2016. Pp. 147-162 In: Peanuts: Genetics, Processing, and Utilization. H.T. Stalker, and R.F. Wilson, editors. Academic Press and ACOS Press. Waltham, MA.

Bradish, C.M., E. Overbaugh, J. Ballington, G.E. Fernandez, and N.V. Bassil. 2016. Comparative diversity analysis of southeastern Rubus germplasm through molecular and pedigree techniques. Acta Hort. 1127:157-161.

Bradish, C.M., G.E. Fernandez, J.M. Bushakra, P. Perkins-Veazie, M. Dossett, N.V. Bassil, and C.E. Finn. 2016. Evaluation of vigor and winter hardiness of black raspberry breeding populations grown in the southeastern US. Acta Hort. 1133:129-134.

Bradish, C.M., J.M. Bushakra, M. Dossett, N.V. Bassil, C.E. Finn, and G.E. Fernandez. 2016. Genotyping and phenotyping heat tolerance in black raspberry. Acta Hort. 1127:321-324.

Chandra, A., S.R. Milla-Lewis, and Q. Yu. 2017. Molecular Adv. in Zoysiagrass. Crop Sci. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2016.09.0822

Cui, J-Y., H. Miao, L-H. Ding, T. C. Wehner, P-N. Liu, Y. Wang, S-P. Zhang, and X-F. Gu. 2016. A new glabrous gene (csgl3) identified in trichome development in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). PLoS ONE 11:1-13.

Dia, M., T. C. Wehner and C. Arellano. 2016. Analysis of genotype X environment interaction (GxE) using SAS programming. Agron. J. 108:1838–1852.

Dia, M., T. C. Wehner, R. Hassell, D. S. Price, G. E. Boyhan, S. Olson, S. King, A. R. Davis and G. E. Tolla. 2016. Genotype x environment interaction and stability analysis for watermelon fruit yield in the United States. Crop Sci. 56:1645-1661.

Dia, M., T. C. Wehner, R. Hassell, D. S. Price, G. E. Boyhan, S. Olson, S. King, A. R. Davis, G. E. Tolla, J. Bernier and B. Juarez. 2016. Value of locations for representing mega-environments and for discriminating yield of watermelon in the U.S. Crop Sci. 56: 1726-1735.

Dia, M., T. C. Wehner, P. Perkins-Veazie, R. Hassell, D. S. Price, G. E. Boyhan, S. M. Olson, S. R. King, A. R. Davis, G. E. Tolla, J. Bernier and B. Juarez. 2016. Stability of fruit quality traits in diverse watermelon cultivars tested in multiple environments. Horticulture Res. 3 (16066):1-11. Supplementary information.

Hammons, R.O., D. Herman, and H.T. Stalker. 2016. Pp. 1-26 In: Peanuts: Genetics, Processing, and Utilization. H.T. Stalker, and R.F. Wilson, editors. Academic Press and ACOS Press. Waltham, MA.

Horne, D.W., M.S. Eller, and J.B. Holland. 2015. Responses to recurrent index selection for reduced Fusarium ear rot and lodging and for increased yield in maize. Crop Sci. 56:85-94.

Jones, Z.G. and M.M. Goodman. 2016. Susceptibility of Dent-Sterile popcorn to the Ga1-M gametophyte factor. Crop Sci. 56:2594-2599.

Jones, Z.J. and M.M. Goodman. 2016. Identification of maize-derived dominant gametophyte factors. Euphytica 209:63-69.

Kaur, B., R.J. Andres, and V. Kuraparthy. 2016. Major leaf shape genes, laciniate (LL-A2) in diploid (Gossypium arboreum) and okra (LO-D1) in polyploid Upland (G. hirsutum) cotton, map to an orthologous genomic region. Crop Sci. 56:1095-1105

Kim, M.J., P. Perkins-Veazie, G.E. Fernandez. 2016. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of organically grown fresh market blackberries. Acta Hort. 1133:353-356.

Kimball, J.A., T.G. Isleib, W.C. Reynolds, M.C. Zuleta, S.R. Milla-Lewis. 2016. Combining ability for winter survival and turf quality traits in St. Augustinegrass. HortScience 51:810-815.

Koehler, A. M., J. A. Brown, B. Huber, T. C. Wehner and H. D. Shew. 2016. First report of Tomato spotted wilt virus  in Stevia rebaudiana  in North Carolina. Plant Dis. 100:1251

Lennon, J., M. Krakowsky, M. Goodman, S. Flint-Garcia, P. Balint-Kurti. 2016. Identification of alleles conferring resistance to gray leaf spot in maize derived from its wild progenitor species teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis). Crop Sci. 56:209-218.

Lou, L. and T.C. Wehner. 2016. Qualitative inheritance of external fruit traits in watermelon. HortScience 51:487-496.

Milla-Lewis, S.R., K.M. Young, C. Arellano, and Y.J. Cardoza. 2017. Tolerance in St. Augustinegrass germplasm against Blissus insularis, Barber (Hemiptera: Blissidae). Crop Sci. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2016.05.0361

Moore, K.A., A.J. Patton, B.M. Schwartz, M.C. Zuleta, G. Aranaz, and S.R. Milla-Lewis. 2017. SSR allelic diversity shifts in zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) cultivars released from 1910 to 2016. Crop Sci. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2016.06.0452

Nelson, P.T., M.D. Krakowsky, N.D. Coles, J.B. Holland, D.M. Bubeck, J.S.C. Smith, and M.M. Goodman. 2015. Genetic characterization of the North Carolina State University maize lines. Crop Sci. 56:259-275.

Olukolu, B., Y. Bian, B. De Vries, W. Tracy, R. Wisser, J. Holland, and P. Balint-Kurti. 2016. The genetics of leaf flecking in maize and its relationship to plant defense and disease resistance. Plant Physiology 172:1787-1803

Perkins-Veazie, P., G. Ma, G.E. Fernandez, C.M. Bradish, J.M. Bushakra, N.V. Bassil, C.A. Weber, J.C. Scheerens, L. Robbins, C.E. Finn, and M. Dossett. 2016. Black raspberry fruit composition over two years from seedling populations grown at four US geographic locations. Acta Hort. 1133:335-338

Perkins-Veazie, P., J. Pattison, G.E. Fernandez, and G. Ma. 2016. Fruit quality and composition of two advanced North Carolina strawberry selections. Intern. J. Fruit Sci. 16:(Sup 1):220-227.

Saito, B.C., L.Q. Silva, A. da Costa, and M.M. Goodman. 2016. Resistance of corn inbred lines to foliar diseases in two planting dates. International Journal of Environmental & Agricultural Research 2:21-28.

Stalker, H.T., R.F. Wilson (eds.) 2016. Peanuts: Genetics, Processing, and Utilization. Academic Press and ACOS Press. Waltham, MA. 478 pp.

Stalker, H.T., S.P. Tallury, G.R. Seijo, and S.C. Leal-Bertioli. 2016. pp. 27-66. In: Peanuts: Genetics, Processing, and Utilization. H.T. Stalker, and R.F. Wilson, editors. Academic Press and ACOS Press. Waltham, MA.

VandenLangenberg, K. and T. C. Wehner. 2016. Downy mildew disease progress in resistant and susceptible cucumbers tested in the field at different growth stages. HortScience 51:984-988.

Wang, Y., K. VandenLangenberg, T. C. Wehner, P. A. G. Kraan, J. Suelmann, X. Zheng, K. Owens, and Y. Weng. 2016. QTL mapping for downy mildew resistance in cucumber inbred line WI7120 (PI 330628). Theor. Appl. Genet. 129:1493–1505.

Xue, S., P.J. Bradbury, T. Casstevens, and J.B. Holland. 2016. Genetic architecture of domestication-related traits in maize. Genetics 204:99-113.

Zhang, S., S. Liu, H. Miao, M. Wang, P. Liu, T. C. Wehner, and X. Gu.  2016. Molecular mapping and candidate gene analysis for numerous spines on the fruit of cucumber. J. Heredity 107:471-477.

Zhou B., H. Luo, and R. Qu. 2016. Expression of the shrimp antimicrobial peptide penaeidin 4-1 confers resistance against brown patch disease in tall fescue. Plant Tissue Cell Org. Cult. 125:599-603. 

Zhou, B., A. Bailey, C.L. Niblett, and R. Qu. 2016. Control of Rhizoctonia solani in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) by host induced gene silencing. Plant Cell Reports 35:791-802. 

Oklahoma

Chang, D., Y.Q. Wu, L.L. Liu, S.Y. Thames, H.X. Dong, C. Goad, S.Q. Bai, S. Makaju, and T.L. Fang. 2016. QTL mapping for tillering related traits in two switchgrass populations. The Plant Genome. doi:10.3835/plantgenome2016.01.0010

Niu, L.F., C.X. Fu, H. Lin, T. Wolabu, Y.Q. Wu, Z.Y. Wang, and M. Tadege. 2016. Control of floral transition in the bioenergy crop switchgrass. Plant, Cell, and Environment. 39:2158-71. doi: 10.1111/pce.12769.

Xiang, M.Y., J.Q. Moss, D. Martin, K.M. Su, B. Dunn, and Y.Q. Wu. 2016. Evaluating the salinity tolerance of clonal-type bermudagrass cultivars and an experimental selection. HortScience 52:185-191.

South Carolina

Boyles RE, Cooper EA, Myers MT, Brenton Z, Rauh BL, Morris GP, Kresovich S. 2015. Genome-wide Association Studies of Grain Yield Components in Diverse Sorghum Germplasm. The Plant Genome 9(2): 10.3835/plantgenome2015.09.0091.

Boyles RE, Pfeiffer BK, Cooper EA, Rauh BL, Zielinski KJ, Myers MT, Brenton Z, Rooney WL, Kresovich S. 2016. Genetic Dissection of Sorghum Grain Quality Traits Using Diverse and Segregating Populations. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 27:1-20.

Brenton ZW, Cooper EA, Myers MT, Boyles RE, Shakoor N, Zielinski KJ, Rauh BL, Bridges WC, Morris GP, Kresovich S. 2016. A Genomic Resource for the Development, Improvement, and Exploitation of Sorghum for Bioenergy. Genetics 204(1):21-33.

Coffey JL, Simmons AM, Shepard BM, Levi A. 2016. Vertical Y-tube Assay for Evaluation of Arthropod Response to Plant Materials. J Agric Urban Entomol 32(1):7-12.

Coffey JL, Simmons AM, Shepard BM, Tadmor Y, Levi A. 2015. Potential Sources of Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Resistance in Desert Watermelon (Citrullus colocynthis) Germplasm. HortScience 50(1):13-17.Levi A, Jarret R, Kousik S, Wechter WP, Nimakayala P, Reddy U. 2017. Genetic Resources in Watermelon. Grumet R, Katzir N, Garcia-Mas J (Eds.), Genetics and Genomics of Cucurbitaceae, Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models, Vol. 20, Springer International Publishing AG 2017, DOI 10.1007/7397_2016_34.

Levi A, Simmons AM, Massey L, Coffey J, Wechter WP, Jarret RL, Tadmor Y, Nimmakayala P, Reddy UK. 2017. Genetic Diversity in the Desert Watermelon Citrullus colocynthis and its Relationship with Citrullus Species as Determined by High-frequency Oligonucleotides-targeting Active Gene Markers. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 142(1):47-56.

Levi A, Coffey J, Massey L, Guner N, Oren E, Tadmor Y, Ling KS. 2016. Resistance to Papaya Ringspot Virus-Watermelon Strain (PRSV-W) in the Desert Watermelon Citrullus colocynthis. HortScience 51(1):4-7.

Levi A, Harris-Shultz KR, Ling KS. 2016. USVL-370, a Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus–Resistant Watermelon Breeding Line. HortScience 51(1):107-109.

Thies JA, Ariss JJ, Hassell RL, Buckner S, Levi A. 2015. Accessions of Citrullus lanatus var. citroides are Valuable Rootstocks for Grafted Watermelon in Fields Infested with Root-Knot Nematodes. HortScience 50(1):4-8.

Thies JA, Ariss JJ, Kousik CS, Hassell RL, Levi A. 2016. Resistance to Southern Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in Wild Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides). Journal of Nematology 48(1):14-19.

Texas

Moore, K.A., W.C. Reynolds, Y. Wu, M.M. Schwartz, K.E. Kenworthy, and S.R. Milla-Lewis. 2017. SSR allelic diversity of bermudagrass cultivars released from 1950 to 2016. Crop Sci. (submitted)

Smith, G.R. and F.M. Rouquette, Jr. 2016. Evaluation of yellow serradella for southern forage systems. ASA-CSSA-SASS Intl. Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

Virginia

Bhardwaj, H. L. and A. A. Hamama (2016). "Evaluation of the US Mothbean Collection for Seed Yield Potential in Virginia and Nutritional Composition of Freshly Harvested Seed." Horttechnology 26(6): 820-824.

Acharya, B., et al. (2016). "Evaluation of sorghum germplasm for resistance to grain mold and mycotoxin contamination in the Mid-Atlantic." Phytopathology 106(12): 47-47.