Multi-Phase US Spread and Habitat Switching of a Post-Columbian Invasive, Sorghum halepense.

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is a striking example of a post-Columbian founder event. This natural experiment within ecological time-scales provides a unique opportunity for understanding patterns of continent-wide genetic diversity following range expansion. Microsatellite markers were used for population genetic analyses including leaf-optimized Neighbor-Joining tree, pairwise FST, mismatch analysis, principle coordinate analysis, Tajima's D, Fu's F and Bayesian clusterings of population structure.

Development of the first consensus genetic map of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) using genotyping-by-sequencing.

Development of the first consensus genetic map of intermediate wheatgrass gives insight into the genome and tools for molecular breeding. Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) has been identified as a candidate for domestication and improvement as a perennial grain, forage, and biofuel crop and is actively being improved by several breeding programs. To accelerate this process using genomics-assisted breeding, efficient genotyping methods and genetic marker reference maps are needed.

Can evolutionary constraints explain the rarity of nitrogen-fixing trees in high-latitude forests?

Contents 1195 I. 1195 II. 1196 III.

Genome evolution of intermediate wheatgrass as revealed by EST-SSR markers developed from its three progenitor diploid species.

Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey), a segmental autoallohexaploid (2n = 6x = 42), is not only an important forage crop but also a valuable gene reservoir for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

Useful insights from evolutionary biology for developing perennial grain crops.

Annual grain crops dominate agricultural landscapes and provide the majority of calories consumed by humanity. Perennial grain crops could potentially ameliorate the land degradation and off-site impacts associated with annual grain cropping. However, herbaceous perennial plants with constitutively high allocation to harvestable seeds are rare to absent in nature.

Missing domesticated plant forms: can artificial selection fill the gap?

In the course of their evolution, the angiosperms have radiated into most known plant forms and life histories. Their adaptation to a recently created habitat, the crop field, produced a novel form: the plant that allocates an unprecedented 30-60% of its net productivity to sexual structures. Long-lived trees, shrubs and vines of this form evolved, as did annual herbs.

Reactions of Perennial Grain Accessions to Four Major Cereal Pathogens of the Great Plains.

Methods of disease management used in annual grain crops, especially cultural practices designed to disrupt the disease cycle of a particular pathogen, will not necessarily be applicable to perennial grain crops. Resistance to multiple pathogens, therefore, will clearly be important in disease management. The objective of this research was to evaluate disease resistance in 10 perennial grain accessions (one to two accessions of each: perennial wheat (Thinopyrum sp.

Inheritance of Resistance to Stagonospora nodorum Leaf Blotch in Kansas Winter Wheat Cultivars.

Stagonospora nodorum blotch can cause serious yield and quality losses of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in many countries worldwide. Although there are other control methods, host resistance is the most desirable. Three recent Kansas winter wheat cultivars (Betty, Heyne, and 2163) have been developed with moderate levels of resistance to the leaf phase of Stagonospora nodorum blotch.