A contiguous de novo genome assembly of sugar beet EL10 (Beta vulgaris L.).

A contiguous assembly of the inbred 'EL10' sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) genome was constructed using PacBio long-read sequencing, BioNano optical mapping, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina short-read error correction. The EL10.

Patterns of genetic variation in a prairie wildflower, Silphium integrifolium, suggest a non-prairie origin and locally adaptive variation.

Premise: Understanding the relationship between genetic structure and geography provides information about a species' history and can be used for breeding and conservation goals. The North American prairie is interesting because of its recent origin and subsequent fragmentation. Silphium integrifolium, an iconic perennial American prairie wildflower, is targeted for domestication, having undergone a few generations of improvement.

Nucleic acid damage and DNA repair are affected by freezing stress in annual wheat (Triticum aestivum) and by plant age and freezing in its perennial relative (Thinopyrum intermedium).

Premise: Nucleic acid integrity can be compromised under many abiotic stresses. To date, however, few studies have considered whether nucleic acid damage and damage repair play a role in cold-stress adaptation. A further insufficiently explored question concerns how age affects cold stress adaptation among mature perennials.

Managing risks related to climate variability in rangeland-based livestock production: What producer driven strategies are shared and prevalent across diverse dryland geographies?

Rangeland-based livestock production (RBLP) primarily occurs in drylands where interannual variation in rainfall directly and indirectly affects economies, plant primary productivity (forage production), and livestock reproduction and mortality. Tight ecological and economic links to climate variation constrain production in dryland systems, but producers have a breadth of strategies to reduce climate-related risks and maintain RBLP. Research on these strategies has focused on context-specific tactics linked to specific systems and/or geographies.

Mid-Infrared (MIR) and Near-Infrared (NIR) Detection of Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 IIIB on Barley-Based Artificial Inoculum.

The amount of Rhizoctonia solani in the soil and how much must be present to cause disease in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is relatively unknown. This is mostly because of the usually low inoculum densities found naturally in soil and the low sensitivity of traditional serial dilution assays.

Proteomic Profiling of Sugar Beet () Leaves during Rhizomania Compatible Interactions.

Rhizomania, caused by (BNYVV), severely impacts sugar beet () production throughout the world, and is widely prevalent in most production regions. Initial efforts to characterize proteome changes focused primarily on identifying putative host factors that elicit resistant interactions with BNYVV, but as resistance breaking strains become more prevalent, effective disease control strategies will require the application of novel methods based on better understanding of disease susceptibility and symptom development. Herein, proteomic profiling was conducted on susceptible sugar beet, infected with two strains of BNYVV, to clarify the types of proteins prevalent during compatible virus-host plant interactions.

Rhizosphere interactions, carbon allocation, and nitrogen acquisition of two perennial North American grasses in response to defoliation and elevated atmospheric CO2.

Carbon allocation and N acquisition by plants following defoliation may be linked through plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere. Plant C allocation patterns and rhizosphere interactions can also be affected by rising atmospheric CO(2) concentrations, which in turn could influence plant and microbial responses to defoliation. We studied two widespread perennial grasses native to rangelands of western North America to test whether (1) defoliation-induced enhancement of rhizodeposition would stimulate rhizosphere N availability and plant N uptake, and (2) defoliation-induced enhancement of rhizodeposition, and associated effects on soil N availability, would increase under elevated CO(2).

Contrasting effects of elevated CO2 and warming on nitrogen cycling in a semiarid grassland.

*Simulation models indicate that the nitrogen (N) cycle plays a key role in how other ecosystem processes such as plant productivity and carbon (C) sequestration respond to elevated CO(2) and warming. However, combined effects of elevated CO(2) and warming on N cycling have rarely been tested in the field. *Here, we studied N cycling under ambient and elevated CO(2) concentrations (600 micromol mol(-1)), and ambient and elevated temperature (1.

Modeling the flow of 15N after a 15N pulse to study long-term N dynamics in a semiarid grassland.

Many aspects of nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems remain poorly understood. Progress in studying N cycling has been hindered by a lack of effective measurements that integrate processes such as denitrification, competition for N between plants and microbes, and soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition over large time scales (years rather than hours or days). Here I show how long-term measurements of 15N in plants, microbes, and soil after a one-time addition of 15N ("labeled" N) can provide powerful information about long-term N dynamics in a semiarid grassland.

Projected ecosystem impact of the Prairie Heating and CO2 Enrichment experiment.

The Prairie Heating and CO2 Enrichment (PHACE) experiment has been initiated at a site in southern Wyoming (USA) to simulate the impact of warming and elevated atmospheric CO2 on ecosystem dynamics for semiarid grassland ecosystems. The DAYCENT ecosystem model was parametrized to simulate the impact of elevated CO2 at the open-top chamber (OTC) experiment in north-eastern Colorado (1996-2001), and was also used to simulate the projected ecosystem impact of the PHACE experiments during the next 10 yr. Model results suggest that soil water content, plant production, soil respiration, and nutrient mineralization will increase for the high-CO2 treatment.

Water relations in grassland and desert ecosystems exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2.

Atmospheric CO2 enrichment may stimulate plant growth directly through (1) enhanced photosynthesis or indirectly, through (2) reduced plant water consumption and hence slower soil moisture depletion, or the combination of both. Herein we describe gas exchange, plant biomass and species responses of five native or semi-native temperate and Mediterranean grasslands and three semi-arid systems to CO2 enrichment, with an emphasis on water relations. Increasing CO2 led to decreased leaf conductance for water vapor, improved plant water status, altered seasonal evapotranspiration dynamics, and in most cases, periodic increases in soil water content.

Photosynthetic pathway and ontogeny affect water relations and the impact of CO on Bouteloua gracilis (C) and Pascopyrum smithii (C).

The eastern Colorado shortgrass steppe is dominated by the C grass, Bouteloua gracilis, but contains a mixture of C grasses as well, including Pascopyrum smithii. Although the ecology of this region has been extensively studied, there is little information on how increasing atmospheric CO will affect it. This growth chamber study investigated gas exchange, water relations, growth, and biomass and carbohydrate partitioning in B.