Browsing by Subject "Interspecific"

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    Evaluating an interspeccific Helianthus annuus x Helianthus tuberosus population for use in a perennial sunflower breeding program
    (2013-05) Kantar, Michael Benjamin
    Global population is projected to reach nine billion people by 2050, and the human population will need an adequate food supply and methods for sustainable production. Over the past century, agriculture has greatly increased crop yields and productivity. However, this increase in productivity has often come at the expense of long term environmental sustainability through overuse of fossil fuel-based fertilizers, and the depletion of fresh water and arable land. Addressing environmental damage is essential for the production of adequate food. Future cropping systems will need an increased emphasis on ecosystem services. Ecosystem services can be incorporated into the landscape by increasing nutrient and water efficiency in major crops, adjusting agronomic practices (timing and duration of irrigation and nutrient applications), and by using perennial crops. Perennial crops show promise as a sustainable agricultural production tool that provides ecosystem services (maintaining healthy soil, controlling erosion, improving water quality, and enhancing wildlife habitat). Perennial crops could also provide economically viable cropping option to farmers. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an ideal crop for perennialization because of existing genetic resources and a wide variety of end-uses. The objective of this research was to evaluate interspecific hybrids between perennial Helianthus tuberosus L. (2n=6x=102) and annual Helianthus annuus L. (2n=2x=34) for perenniality and agronomic traits; assessing their utility in developing a perennial seed crop.
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    Interspecific grafting of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) onto wild eggplant (Solanum torvum) for increased environmental tolerances
    (2013-09) Petran, Andrew J.
    Two tomato scions (`Celebrity' and `CLN3212A') were grafted onto eggplant rootstock to determine the effect of interspecific grafting on flood and drought tolerance of tomatoes. Wild eggplant Solanum torvum was selected as the interspecific rootstock of interest, and was compared against `Maxifort', self-grafted and non-grafted control rootstock in flood stress, drought stress, and optimal soil moisture conditions. Plant height, internode length, and stomatal resistance of all scion/rootstock combinations in each environmental condition were measured for 25 days. No significant differences in plant height, internode length and stomatal resistance among related scion genotypes occured in optimal conditions. In flood conditions, CelebrityxS.torvum had significantly shorter height and internode length, and reduced visible symptoms of deoxygenation stress. Drought conditions revealed that plants grafted on all rootstock genotypes except S. torvum had permanently wilted by day 22, while no plants grafted onto S. torvum wilted for the duration of the experiment. Further research is needed to determine if the observed resistance to flood and drought conditions conferred by S. torvum would also effect flower bud initiation, fruit set and yield.