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Staff and Projects
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Individual research project scientists, titles, durations, and objectives for the Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO, include:

 

Kristin D. Bilyeu, Lead Scientist; Hari B. Krishnan, and Jason Gillman

Gene Discovery and Designing Soybeans for Food, Feed, and Industrial Applications

01/24/2018 to 01/23/2023

 

Objective 1:  Identify new soybean alleles, or effective combinations of existing genes, that positively impact commercially relevant oil or meal traits; work with breeders to incorporate them into modern backgrounds; confirm their expression or effectiveness under field conditions; and determine value in food or feed applications.
 
Objective 2:  Identify and verify new genomic regions in soybean associated with improved stress tolerance, seed constituent (oil and protein), and quality traits, and use genomic strategies such as genetic mapping and genome analysis to make new genes rapidly available to breeders. 

Objective 3:  Develop novel strategies to increase concentrations of S-containing amino acids and to reduce levels of trypsin inhibitor and allergens; work with breeders to develop soybean germplasm that combine these genes in high protein backgrounds to meet the animal nutrient requirements. 

 

Doug Allen, Lead Scientist.

(Located at the DonaldDanforthPlantScienceCenter. St Louis, MO)

Soybean Improvement through Quantitative and Computational Assessments of Phenotypic and Genotypic Diversity of Elemental, Central Carbon Metabolism, and Lipid Profiles

07/23/2018 to 07/22/2023

 

Objective 1:  Identify genes governing elemental accumulation in plants, elucidate factors affecting co-regulation of elemental accumulation, and link those to allelic variation in existing soybean germplasm.

Sub-objective 1.1:  Develop bioinformatics tools to identify candidate genes from GWAS experiments. (Non-hypothesis driven)
Sub-objective 1.2: Rapidly identify novel genes underlying elemental accumulation in plants.   (Non-hypothesis driven)
Sub-objective 1.3: Profile seeds from diverse locations to identify environmental parameters effect on soy elemental composition.

Objective 2:  Develop novel analytical methods to understand the dynamics that underpin lipid metabolism to guide metabolic engineering efforts for lipid production in seeds. 

Sub-objective 2.1:  Characterize acyl-acyl carrier protein levels to assess the dynamics of lipid metabolism (Non-hypothesis driven)
Sub-objective 2.2:  Characterize glycerolipid pools in developing seeds for development of lipid flux maps (Non-hypothesis driven)

Objective 3:  Assess central carbon metabolism in metabolically altered plant tissues, and develop strategies that can be used to assess plant metabolic changes for improving agriculturally-relevant seed composition traits or yield.

Sub-objective 3.1:  Characterize changes in central and lipid metabolism during the course of development (non-hypothesis driven)

 

Yong-Qiang An, Lead Scientist.

(Located at the DonaldDanforthPlantScienceCenter. St Louis, MO)

Soybean Seed Quality Improvement through Translational Genomics

03/12/2018 to 03/11/2023

 

Objective 1:  Develop and make available new approaches to evaluate gene functions in gene networks and verify these tools by examining previously identified gene networks in soybean. 

Objective 2:  Discover, characterize, and make available genes for industry-relevant protein and oil traits from new and existing genetic populations created through various methods, such as fast neutrons, conventional crossing, reverse genetics (TILLING), or mining exotic diversity contained in the USDA National Plant Germplasm System. 

 

Sherry Flint-Garcia, Lead Scientist, Bruce E. Hibbard, and Jacob Washburn

Genetic and Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Complex Agronomic Traits in Grain Crops

02/20/2018 to 02/19/2023

 

Objective 1: Identify genetic and physiological mechanisms controlling growth under drought in maize, wheat, and related species.
• Sub-objective 1.1: Characterize the genetic regulation of maize root growth responses to soil water-deficit stress.
• Sub-objective 1.2: Determine the roles of plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GA) in the regulation of wheat root responses to water deficit.
• Sub-objective 1.3: Characterize the genetic networks that link transcription factor expression and metabolism central to cellular protection during dehydration in a C4 resurrection grass.

Objective 2: Characterize corn for natural rootworm resistance, rootworm larvae for Bt tolerance, and artificial diets for improved understanding of rootworm biology and management.
• Sub-objective 2.1: Systematically screen exotic and Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) germplasm, identify potential sources of western corn rootworm (WCR) resistance, verify resistance, and move into adapted germplasm.
• Sub-objective 2.2: Characterize heritability and other traits of rootworm larvae with Bt tolerance.
• Sub-objective 2.3: Evaluate northern corn rootworm (NCR) development on larval Diabrotica diets and develop a diet toxicity assay for NCR.

Objective 3: Identify genetic and physiological mechanisms governing response to artificial selection in cereals and related species.
• Sub-objective 3.1: Develop an experimental evolution maize population to characterize adaptation to selective pressures at the genomic level in maize and related species.
• Sub-objective 3.2: Quantify the importance of epistasis with novel Epistasis Mapping Populations.
• Sub-objective 3.3: Develop, implement, and validate statistical methods to better understand traits controlled by multiple genes acting in concert.

Objective 4: Develop and characterize germplasm to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying nutritional and food traits in maize.
• Sub-objective 4.1: Screen and develop maize germplasm for traits important in food-grade corn.

Objective 5: Identify genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying maize adaptation to the environment to enhance its productivity.
• Sub-objective 5.1: Develop and evaluate germplasm segregating for adaptation to high elevation.
• Sub-objective 5.2: Evaluate diverse maize hybrids in multi-location trials as part of the Genomes To Fields Genotype x Environment Project.