Progress 07/01/06 to 06/30/11
Outputs
During the final year of the project three (3) University of Puerto Rico (UPR) students participated in the North Dakota State University (NDSU) summer intern program, for a total of twenty-five (25) students participating in the program over the life of the project. In addition to two previous faculty short courses (workshops), a day-long workshop on the "Use of the Software Package InfoStat in Analysis of Data" was offered on two different occasions to a total of 24 faculty members. These faculty members are expected to more effectively participate on graduate student research committees in plant breeding and agricultural sciences in general. The purchase of final important pieces of equipment for the molecular marker laboratory was completed. This has permitted the teaching of a molecular marker course that includes carrying out assignments in the laboratory. It has also allowed more undergraduate and graduate students to develop research projects in this area. During the final year, stipends were given to three (3) additional M.S. students (for a total of seven) to help support their graduate studies. A stipend was also given to a former UPR student who is nearing completion of her Ph.D. at NDSU. Three undergraduate students (for a total of ten students during the project) received research stipends and most presented their work at a campus student research day. The plant breeding recruitment brochures and bookmarks were revised and new copies printed and distributed during campus fairs and during visits to high schools. We estimate that we have had some sort of contact (visits to classrooms, attendance at campus open-house activities, agricultural fairs, etc.) with more than 2000 young people during the life of the project, promoting the study of agricultural science and/or plant breeding. Students and project directors have made several short videos on subjects relating to plant breeding as well as a general agricultural science recruitment video. PRODUCTS: Stipends were given to ten undergraduate students during the semester they participated in their own research project. Partial stipends (assistantships) were given to seven M.S. students and one Ph.D. student. Twenty-five students received stipends to participate in a summer intern program at North Dakota State University. Laboratory, greenhouse and field equipment was purchased with project funds, including a -80 freezer, microcentrifuge, ph meter, gravity oven, evaporative cooler, thermocycler, computer proyectors and computers. Four faculty short courses were offered on (1) basic plant breeding and evaluation of natural resources, (2) use of molecular markers and (3) use of statistical packages for data analysis [offered two times]. Participants received course materials, a statistical program for installation on their computers, and course certificates. skills knowledge. Recruitment videos and materials (informational brochures, bookmarks) aimed at high school and freshman/sophomore undergraduate students were developed. Educational videos on topics related to plant breeding, genetics and natural resources have been developed and their links placed on the project's webpage. New laboratory exercises were developed for a molecular marker course. An outside area (cement planting banks) has been renovated near the main agricultural sciences building that is used to maintain plant materials used in class assignments for the undergraduate plant breeding course. OUTCOMES: The purchase of laboratory, greenhouse and field equipment related to plant breeding, molecular markers and genetic resources has enabled both graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico to conducted new types of research and expand the number of laboratory exercises in various courses. Student stipends paid to seven (7) M.S. students and one (1) Ph.D. student financially assisted these students in pursuing their education in plant breeding and genetics while at the same time providing experience in teaching, research and/or outreach. Twenty-five (25) students learned about temperate agriculture, improved their English language skills, gained new research skills and made valuable future professional contacts while participating in the summer intern program at North Dakota State University. Ten (10) undergraduate students gained a greater understanding of the principles and procedures of plant breeding research and developed a variety of greenhouse, field and laboratory research skills. Twenty-five (25) students visited research stations of seed companies in Puerto Rico and learned what employment opportunities exist in the plant breeding industry on the island. Six (6) students where able to travel outside of Puerto Rico to national professional meetings, improving their English language and networking skills, and learning more about agricultural sciences from attending meeting presentations. Eight (8) more students had similar experiences attending state professional meetings. Four (4) of these students gained the experience of presenting their research at these professional meetings, learning how to effectively prepare poster and oral presentations. Thirty-two (32) faculty members gained new knowledge of plant breeding, evaluation of genetic resources, use of molecular markers, and/or statistical analysis of data during four different faculty short courses, enabling these professors to be more effective advisors or members of graduate committees, better mentors of undergraduate research projects and better classroom teachers. Students enrolling in plant breeding courses, as well as undergraduate and graduate students doing research, are making more efficient use of their time and carrying out research and laboratory learning not previously available, as a result of the purchase of both large and small laboratory, greenhouse and field equipment. Six (6) undergraduate students have pursued graduate training (most in plant breeding) after participation in either undergraduate research or internships supported by this grant. One M.S. graduate student supported by this project is close to completing her PhD in plant breeding. The project directors have become much more effective teachers, mentors (for both students and colleagues), recruiters and educational innovators as a result of participating in this project. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The PDs and project-supported graduate students participated in two to four public activities during each year of the project, including the annual campus agricultural fair and the annual campus open house aimed at high school students. Our booth consists of plant breeding materials teaching basic concepts of plant breeding to the public, informative brochures and bookmarks, and a video presentation. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The summer intern program has been so well received at the Plant Sciences Department at North Dakota State University (NDSU) that NDSU funded four (4) UPR students during the summer of 2011 (post-grant). NDSU hopes to continue to identify funding to sponsor at least a couple of students from the University of Puerto Rico each summer. We will continue to add links to website of new student and faculty produced videos relating to plant breeding using the video cameras purchased under this grant. We will also continue to add other educational material.
Impacts
The success of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR)-North Dakota State University summer intern program has generated a great deal of interest among other mainland-based institutions to develop similar programs with UPR students. We have hosted visits by at least five other institutions to discuss future collaborations based on the model used under this grant, in areas expanding out from our original focus on plant breeding. One of these institutions has obtained funding to begin a formal summer intern program in corn breeding and genetics and the first UPR students have participated in the program. The various HSI projects at UPR-Mayaguez, including this project, are having a positive long term effect on our teaching program by exposing many faculty, including those without HSI support, to the many educational ideas and innovations funded by this program. This in turn stimulates creativity among our faculty and has a long-term positive effect on our program. The mindset and outlook of faculty who participate directly in HSI projects are forever changed for the positive. The HSI project experience makes us better educators and mentors of other educators. Thus, the entire program "pays forward" far beyond the actual time-span of the project.
Publications
- McPhail-Medina, Robert. 2010. Herencia de la resistencia a papaya ringspot virus-w en cultivares tropicales de calabaza (Cucurbita moschata). M.S. Thesis. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
- Rios-Rodrigues, Julian , and L. Wessel-Beaver. 2010. Fruit age affects germination of seed of Capsicum chinense. XV Sigma Xi Student Poster Day, 8 April 2010, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
- Wessel-Beaver, Linda, Feiko H. Ferwerda, Richard D. Horsley. 2010. Plant breeding recruitment and education: A Puerto Rico-North Dakota collaborative initiative. Annual meeting of North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, PennState University, University Park, Pennsylvania, June 2010.
- Wessel-Beaver, L., F.H. Ferwerda, R.D. Horsley. 2009. University of Puerto Rico-North Dakota State University collaborative initiative for plant breeding education. Poster Abstracts, Third Annual Plant Breeding Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, August 3-5, 2009. p. 20.
- Wessel-Beaver, L., F.H. Ferwerda, R.D. Horsley. 2009. Plant breeding recruitment and education: A Puerto Rico-North Dakota State University collaborative initiative. HortScience 44(4):1018.
- Sierra-Rivera, L. G., L. Wessel-Beaver, G. Rosa-Valentin, J.C.V. Rodrigues. 2009. Inheritance of resistance to zucchini yellow mosaic virus in tropical pumpkin. HortScience 44(4):1180.
- McPhail-Medina, R., L. Wessel-Beaver, J.C.V. Rodrigues. 2009. Inheritance of papaya ringspot virus resistance in temperate and tropical genotypes of pumpkin. HortScience 44(4):1157-58.
- McPhail-Medina, R., L. Wessel-Beaver, J.C.V. Rodrigues. 2009. Herencia de la resistencia a papaya ringspot virus en varios cultivares tropicales de calabaza (Cucurbita moschata). Annual meeting of the Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, Nov. 13, 2009, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
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Progress 07/01/08 to 06/30/09
Outputs
Two graduate and 6 undergraduate students completed their summer 2008 internship at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in early August. In October they participated in an informational/promotional seminar that was also attended by the coPD from NDSU. The seminar drew about 40 undergrad and graduate students from various departments, including Biology. A total of 9 applicants were interviewed by project directors in February 2009 and 5 students were selected for the 2009 program. Students spent May 24 to August 8 at NDSU working on various plant breeding related research projects. The intern program combines both laboratory and field experiential learning in plant breeding. Additional funds from various sources were leveraged in order to increase the number of participants from 2 (original budget) to 5. Travel funding was provided to 1 undergraduate and 8 graduate students who attended the two-day annual meeting of the Puerto Rican Society for Agricultural Sciences in November 2008. Five students gave research presentations. Three of those presentations were of research partially supported by this grant. During fall semester, 2 high school students were mentored for science fair projects. In spring semester, 2 undergraduate students carried out research projects supported by the grant and presented their research at the 5th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference sponsored by the College of Agriculture. Presentations on plant breeding and genetic resources were made to approximately 300 students in grades 9 to 12 during visits to high schools and a FAA camp in the spring semester. Brochures and other information were distributed at two campus and three experiment station open houses. The project web site (http://academic.uprm.edu/pltbreed) continues to be updated and two educational blogs have been developed. Twelve faculty attended a 3 day course titled "Basic Concepts of Plant Breeding and Management of Genetic Resources". Molecular marker equipment used during the workshop included some items recently purchased by the grant. This equipment was also used by 3 undergraduate and 5 graduate students during the year. The short course met a project objective of providing faculty, specifically faculty without a doctoral degree, with opportunities for professional improvement. Participants in the course will now be better prepared to serve as members on graduate committees of plant breeding students. PRODUCTS: A partial travel stipend was given to the PD to attend the annual meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science in July 2008 where the PD spoke at each business meeting of plant breeding related working groups to update them on the activities of Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee. Travel stipends were given to 1 undergraduate and 8 graduate students to attend the annual meeting of the Puerto Rican Society for Agricultural Sciences in November 2008. Two high school students were mentored for science fair projects. One student attended the International Science Fair as an alternate for Puerto Rico. Five students gave oral presentations on their research. Stipends and research funding was given to 2 undergraduate students carry out research projects. Both students presented their research at the 5th Undergraduate Research Conference. Partial research assistantships were given to 3 graduate students during the 08-09 academic year. One graduate student finished her M.S. degree and is employed with USDA-NRCS. Informational brochures and/or bookmarks were prepared and distributed to an estimated 800 individuals (K-12 students, parents, university students, and others) during a number of campus and experiment station activities and school visits. Materials for a three day faculty short course on "Introduction on Use of Molecular Markers for Genetic Resources" were developed and the course was offered to 10 (8 faculty and 2 staff) participants in March 2009. Internship stipends were given to 3 undergraduates and 2 graduate students who spent the summer of 2009 at North Dakota State University in the summer internship program. Travel expenses were also paid. OUTCOMES: Despite the employment opportunities that exist in Puerto Rico in the multinational agronomic seed industry, many of our students at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez (UPRM) have in the past been unaware of the importance of including a plant breeding course or field experience in plant breeding in their undergraduate education. From 1996 to 2006 the undergraduate plant breeding course at UPRM had an average enrollment of 11.6 students. Since the signing of the collaborative agreement between UPRM and North Dakota State University (NDSU) in the fall of 2005, following by the beginning of this current grant in support of that agreement in 2006, interest in plant breeding among both undergraduate and graduate students has increased due to both the direct participation of students in project activities as well as well as the overall publicity the project has generated. The plant breeding course taught in the fall of 2006, 2007 and 2008 has had an average enrollment of 18 students (about a 50% increase over the 1996 to 2005 period). Of the 18 students enrolled in the fall 2008 undergraduate plant breeding course, 8 (>40%) are students who have participated in some HSI project activity during the past two years. Some have been interns in the Summer Intern Program at NDSU, others are students who were not selected for the program but hope to apply again, and still others are students who participated in undergraduate research or attended the Plant Breeding Career Day. The NDSU Summer Intern Program has been the single most successful activity supported by this grant. Many students participating in other project activities aspire to be selected as a summer intern. Interns have gained valuable on-the-job experience (especially field experience), have learned new language skills (most student have gone to NDSU with very minimal English language abilities), and learned a great deal about agronomic crops with which our students have little experience (but which are important to the multinational seed companies on the island). For those students looking for a job in the near future, these skills will them much more employable than similar students without these skills. The types of skills being acquired by participants in the intern program (especially general agricultural knowledge and English language skills) can be applied to careers in a variety of agricultural fields, not just to plant breeding. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The web site (http://academic.uprm.edu/pltbreed) continues to be updated. The website address is included on all promotional materials developed by the project. Two educational blogs (http://blogs.uprm.edu/alzamora/) and (http://blogs.uprm.edu/lbeaver/) have been developed. Two thousand bookmarks and 500 brochures have been printed and approximately 700 bookmarks and 200 brochures were distributed this past year. A fall semester seminar was attended by 40 students who listened to presentations given by the students who participated in the 2008 North Dakota State Summer Intern Program. Posters and flyers posted in various areas of the College of Agricultural Sciences and in the Dept. of Biology promoted the 2009 intern program. The PD met with plant sciences or plant pathology department chairs from 9 different Midwest universities to promote future initiatives (especially internship programs) between UPRM and these institutions. A poster about the project was presented at the annual meeting of the Puerto Rican Society for Agricultural Sciences. FUTURE INITIATIVES: It is anticipated that activities similar to those carried out under this project will continue beyond this project's funding period. A proposal has been submitted to the AFRI program in collaboration with the University of Illinois for an internship program similar to our present program with North Dakota State University. A number of other universities indicated that they are very interested in recruiting undergraduate students for summer internships. We plan to hold an informational seminar each fall semester to inform our students of the variety of internship programs available, not just in plant breeding but in all areas of plant and soil sciences.
Impacts
Demand for plant breeders and their assistants, especially in the private sector, outstrips supply. Five major seed companies carry out plant breeding activities in Puerto Rico (PR), where about 130 industry positions at the BS and MS level require at least some knowledge of plant breeding. Outside of PR strong demand for all levels of preparation in plant breeding exists. Since this project begun over 1200 students have received information about plant breeding via visits to kiosks or open house activities, 400 high school students have been introduced to plant breeding during classroom visits, 51 university students have had formal classroom training (15 wk course) in plant breeding, and 35 students have gained plant breeding research experience during a semester at the University of PR (UPRM) or 11 weeks at North Dakota State University (NDSU). At least 40% of the students enrolled in the current undergraduate plant breeding course at UPRM became interested in plant breeding via activities sponsored by this project, 5 students who participated in the project as undergraduates are now pursuing M.S. degrees at UPRM, and 8 former UPRM students are currently enrolled in graduate school at NDSU (2 in the M.S. program and 6 in the Ph.D. program). Although not all of these students are former participants in this project, the strong interest in pursuing doctoral studies at NDSU is a result of excitement generated by the UPRM-NDSU collaboration supported by this grant.
Publications
- Giseiry Rosa-Valentin, Luis G. Sierra-Rivera, Linda Wessel-Beaver and Jose Carlos Rodrigues. 2008. Inheritance of resistance to zucchini yellow mosaic potyvirus in tropical pumpkin. Memorias Reunion Cientifica Anual Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, 21 al 22 de noviembre de 2009, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. http://www.sopcapr.com. p. 15. (abstract)
- Carlo-Acosta, Sonia I. y James S. Beaver. 2008 Uso de leguminosas tropicales como cultivos cobertores en siembras de citricas. Memorias Reunion Cientifica Anual Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, 21 al 22 de noviembre de 2009, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. http://www.sopcapr.com. p. 6. (abstract)
- Ramirez Madera, Axel, James S. Beaver, David Sotomayor Ramirez y Consuleo Estevez de Jensen. 2008 Respuesta de la habichuela (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) a la inoculacion con Rhizobium y fertilizacion nitrogenada. Memorias Reunion Cientifica Anual Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, 21 al 22 de noviembre de 2009, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. http://www.sopcapr.com. p. 8. (abstract)
- Crespo, Arnelis, Brian M. Irish, Linda Wessel-Beaver, y Ricardo Goenaga. 2008. Caracterizacion fenotipica de una coleccion de germoplasma del mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota [Jacq.] H.E. Moore & Stearn) del USDA-ARS TRAS. Memorias Reunion Cientifica Anual Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, 21 al 22 de noviembre de 2009, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. http://www.sopcapr.com. p. 11. (abstract)
- Wessel-Beaver, Linda, Richard D. Horsley y Feiko H. Ferwerda. 2008. Capacitacion de futuros fitomejoradores: Una iniciativa colaborativa entre UPR-Mayaguez y North Dakota State University. Memorias Reunion Cientifica Anual Sociedad Puertorriquena de Ciencias Agricolas, 21 al 22 de noviembre de 2009, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. http://www.sopcapr.com. p.33. (abstract)
- Acevedo Gonzalez, Melissa, Linda Wessel-Beaver y Feiko Ferwerda. 2009. Flujo de genes entre una calabaza silvestre y la calabaza domesticada probado por estudios morfologicos y moleculares. 5ta Jornada Cientifica Subgraduada. 13 de mayo de 2009. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p. 11. (abstract)
- Toro Torres, Nehyra y Linda Wessel-Beaver. 2009. Comportamiento de familias seleccionadas de aji dulce durante su primera etapa de crecimiento. 5ta Jornada Cientifica Subgraduada. 13 de mayo de 2009. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p. 16. (abstract)
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Progress 07/01/07 to 06/30/08
Outputs
Various national studies document the declining number of students studying plant breeding, and the declining capacity of universities to educate students in that field, despite the fact that improved varieties of crops developed by plant breeders are the basis of our national food and fiber supply. Demand for plant breeders and plant breeding assistants, especially in the private sector, outstrips supply. Five major global seed companies carry out plant breeding activities in Puerto Rico (PR), where about 130 industry positions at the BS and MS level require at least some knowledge of, or experience in, plant breeding. Outside of PR a strong demand for all levels of preparation in plant breeding (including PhD) exists. Since this project begun over 1000 students have received information about plant breeding via visits to kiosks, 200 high school students have been introduced to the possibility of a future career in plant breeding during classroom visits, 35 students have had formal classroom training in plant breeding, 8 undergraduates and 3 graduate students have gained plant breeding research experience, and 16 students have gained both field and laboratory experience during the summer at North Dakota State University (NDSU). At least 40% of the students enrolled in the undergraduate plant breeding course at the University of PR at Mayaguez (UPRM) became interested in plant breeding via activities sponsored by this project, 3 former project participants are now pursuing M.S. degrees, 5 UPRM students have been accepted in the PhD program at NDSU, including a student funded by this project. Two more students are accepted for 2009. Three of those 7 students are former project participants. All are students who became interested in pursuing an advanced degree because of the excitement generated by the collaboration between UPRM and NDSU supported by this grant. PRODUCTS: Materials for a three day faculty short course on "Basic Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources" were developed and the course was offered to 24 (12 faculty and 12 staff) participants in August 2007. Travel stipends were given to 5 graduate students to attend the annual meeting of the Puerto Rican Society for Agricultural Sciences in November 2007. One student gave an oral presentation and another gave a poster presentation. A travel stipend was give to a graduate student to travel and give an oral presentation at the annual meeting of the "Programa Cooperativa Centroamericana para el Mejoramiento de Cultivos y Amimales" in April 2008. Stipends and research funding was given to 5 undergraduate students from two departments (Agronomy and Soils, Horticulture) to carry out research projects during the second semester of 2007-08. A report was prepared by an external review team that visited the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM) in January 2008 to review the plant breeding education and research program. The report summarizes the current status of the plant breeding education and research program, including the HSI project, at UPRM and makes recommendations for future improvements. Partial research assistantships were given to 2 graduate students during the 07-08 academic year. An informational kiosk on studies and careers in plant breeding was set up at a campus open house for high school students. Informational brochures and bookmarks were prepared. An estimated 500 high school students visited the kiosk during an open house. Transportation and educational materials were supplied to 23 undergraduate and graduate students who attended the 2008 "Plant Breeding Career Day" at Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Breed Seed. Internship stipends were given to 5 undergraduates and 2 graduate students (from three departments) who spent the summer of 2008 at North Dakota State University in the summer internship program. Travel expenses were also paid. Partial travel stipends were given to the PD to attend the "Second National Plant Breeding Workshop" and business meeting of the Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee (PBCC) (a "forum for leadership regarding issues, problems and opportunities of long-term strategic importance to the contribution of plant breeding to national goals.") and the annual meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science where the PD spoke at each business meeting of plant breeding related working groups to update them on the activities of PBCC. A travel stipend was given to the co-PD to attend the annual meeting of NACTA. OUTCOMES: Despite the employment opportunities that exist in Puerto Rico in the multinational agronomic seed industry, many of our students at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez (UPRM) have in the past been unaware of the importance of including a plant breeding course or field experience in plant breeding in their undergraduate education. From 1996 to 2006 the undergraduate plant breeding course at UPRM had an average enrollment of 11.6 students. Since the signing of the collaborative agreement between UPRM and North Dakota State University (NDSU) in the fall of 2005, following by the beginning of this current grant in support of that agreement in 2006, interest in plant breeding among both undergraduate and graduate students has increased due to both the direct participation of students in project activities as well as well as the overall publicity the project has generated. The plant breeding course taught in the fall of 2006, 2007 and 2008 has had an average enrollment of 18 students (about a 50% increase over the 1996 to 2005 period). Of the 18 students enrolled in the fall 2008 undergraduate plant breeding course, 8 (>40%) are students who have participated in some HSI project activity during the past two years. Some have been interns in the Summer Intern Program at NDSU, others are students who were not selected for the program but hope to apply again, and still others are students who participated in undergraduate research or attended the Plant Breeding Career Day. The NDSU Summer Intern Program has been the single most successful activity supported by this grant. Many students participating in other project activities aspire to be selected as a summer intern. Interns have gained valuable on-the-job experience (especially field experience), have learned new language skills (most student have gone to NDSU with very minimal English language abilities), and learned a great deal about agronomic crops with which our students have little experience (but which are important to the multinational seed companies on the island). For those students looking for a job in the near future, these skills will them much more employable than similar students without these skills. The types of skills being acquired by participants in the intern program (especially general agricultural knowledge and English language skills) can be applied to careers in a variety of agricultural fields, not just to plant breeding. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The web site (http://academic.uprm.edu/pltbreed) continues to be updated. The website address is included on all promotional materials developed by the project. An educational blog (http://blogs.uprm.edu/lbeaver/puertoricoplantbreeding) is under development. Two thousand bookmarks and 500 brochures have been printed and approximately 500 bookmarks and 200 brochures were distributed this past year. A fall semester seminar was attended by 45 students who listened to presentations given by the students who participated in the 2007 North Dakota State Summer Intern Program. Posters and flyers posted in various areas of the College of Agricultural Sciences and in the Dept. of Biology promoted the 2008 intern program as well as the "Plant Breeding Career Day" held in April. Letters were sent out to 20 high schools in the western area of Puerto Rico inviting schools to use project directors for classroom talks, science fairs, etc. Project Directors participated in the "Open House" sponsored by the Office for Academic Affairs and attended by about 2,000 high school students. Posters and educational materials were available in booths set up by the Departments of Agronomy & Soils and Horticulture. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The College of Agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM) has submitted a proposal for a Ph.D. program in four areas of agriculture, including plant breeding. It is anticipated that activities similar to those carried out under this project will continue beyond this project's funding period. Discussions are already ongoing to develop a similar collaborative initiative with North Dakota State University, and possibly other universities, in the areas of soil science, weed science and plant pathology.
Impacts
Various studies document the declining number of students studying plant breeding despite the fact that improved varieties of crops developed by plant breeders are the basis of our national food and fiber supply. Demand for plant breeders and their assistants, especially in the private sector, outstrips supply. Five major seed companies carry out plant breeding activities in Puerto Rico (PR), where about 130 industry positions at the BS and MS level require at least some knowledge of plant breeding. Outside of PR strong demand for all levels of preparation in plant breeding exists. Since this project begun over 1000 students have received information about plant breeding via visits to kiosks, 200 high school students have been introduced to the possibility of a career in plant breeding during classroom visits, 35 students have had formal classroom training in plant breeding, and 27 students have gained plant breeding research experience either at the University of PR (UPRM) or at North Dakota State University (NDSU). At least 40% of the students enrolled in the undergraduate plant breeding course at UPRM became interested in plant breeding via activities sponsored by this project, 3 former project participants are now pursuing M.S. degrees, and 5 UPRM students have been accepted in the PhD program at NDSU. Two more students are accepted at NDSU for 2009.The strong interest in pursuing advanced degrees are a result of the excitement generated by the collaboration between UPRM and NDSU supported by this grant.
Publications
- Wessel-Beaver, L. and J. Torres. 2008. Fitomejoramiento: Mejorando los cultivos de nuestra tierra. Tri-fold brochure. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, Printing Office.
- Linares-Ramirez, Angela. 2008. Response to phenotypic recurrent selection for resistance to Diaphania hyalinata L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in tropical pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne). M.S. Thesis, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus.
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Progress 07/01/06 to 06/30/07
Outputs
The first year of activities consisted of the development of new plant breeding courses (and the purchasing of equipment needed to enhance the laboratory facilities available to students), the promotion of careers in plant breeding (including participation in a week-long campus agricultural fair and the development of a website), supervising student research in plant breeding (both at the undergraduate and graduate level and including research carried out both in Puerto Rico and in a summer internship program at North Dakota State University), and faculty professional improvement (including faculty participation in a grantsmanship workshop and in national meetings concerning plant breeding careers, and the development of a three day short course to be offered in Puerto Rico for M.S. level faculty who work in the area of plant breeding and/or genetic resources). A total of twelve students were directly involved in this project either by receiving funding for research
assistantships or stipends or receiving small grants for research supplies. Five of these students spent the summer (11 weeks) participating in active plant breeding research projects at North Dakota State University. Project directors were able to leverage additional funding in order to increase the number of participants from two (as originally proposed) to five students. This was the single most successful project activity because of its impact both on the individual students and as a way to generate new interest in the project, in plant breeding research and in careers in plant breeding. Approximately 1000 students visited the project's booth during a week-long agricultural fair. The project's booth including pamphlets and other written information as well as demonstrations of pollinating techniques used pumpkin and tomato as model crops. In general, the project's objectives for the first year were completed. Overall, project activities have created new interest in careers in
plant breeding among students.
PRODUCTS: Materials (lecture notes, class exercises, and take-home assignments) were developed for a new course (entitled "Introduction to Genomics"). The course is currently being offered as a temporary course but the paperwork needed to make it a permanent course has been prepared and submitted. Two informational seminars were offered during the first semester of the 2006-07 school year to promote participation in undergraduate plant breeding research projects either at UPR-Mayaguez or in the North Dakota State (NSDU) Summer Internship Program. These seminars consisted of presentations by the students that participated in the NDSU Summer Internship program during the summer of 2006, followed by a question and answer session. A NDSU co-PD participated in one of the seminars. Research stipends and/or research grants, for purchase of research materials, were made available to seven undergraduate and graduate students. Five stipends were given to undergraduate students to participate
in an eleven week summer internship program at North Dakota State University (NDSU) Fargo, ND. Student research projects included work involving plant breeding in summer squash, pumpkins, barley, wheat, corn, and common beans. A booth was developed for a campus agricultural fair ("Cinco Dias con Nuestra Tierra") that included exhibits and informational brochures pertaining to careers in plant breeding and about the science of plant breeding. The materials (posters and brochures) developed for this booth can be used for future activities, including the annual campus agricultural fair. New equipment was purchased and older equipment was repaired for the molecular marker and plant breeding teaching laboratories. The major equipment included two incubators and the repair of two thermocyclers. While we had expected to have all equipment included in the original proposal purchased and running by the end of the first year, we have not met that objective. The main reason for this has been the
fact that the space for both laboratories (Plant Breeding and Molecular Markers) only became available at the initiation of the project. Now that the basic laboratory spaces are up and running, we hope to acquire the remaining equipment. Materials for the first faculty short course were developed. This is one of three 3-day short courses that will be held during the life of the project (one per year). The courses are aimed at providing professional improvement for faculty and staff whose preparation is only up to a M.S. degree and who participate in research, education and/or extension activities involving plant breeding and evaluation of plant genetic resources. The first short course will be held during August 2007. Materials were purchased and a curriculum developed for a 45 minute classroom visit for either middle schools or high schools. The theme of the program is agricultural biodiversity and the importance of genetic resources. In addition, two small gardens have been
developed on campus in order to produce a constant supply of flowers that are used in school visits to explain the basic mechanics of how controlled pollinations are made in a plant breeding program.
OUTCOMES: The new genomics course was offered for the first time during the first semester of the 2006-07 academic year to six graduate students, most of whom are working on M.S. degrees in plant breeding. The course offers education in a subject matter area in which our program was previously deficient. Four undergraduate students from three different departments (Agronomy and Soils, Horticulture and Crop Protection) designed and completed research projects during the second semester of 2006-07. One middle school student carried out a science fair project. Two graduate students received partial research assistantships. Five undergraduate students (again from three departments) spent the summer at North Dakota State University in the summer internship program. The project originally proposed to support three undergraduate stipends, one graduate assistantship and two summer internships per year (supporting a total of 6 students). However, the project staff was able to leverage
additional sources of funding that provided twice as many students to participate (12 students in total) during this first year. An estimated 1000 students from grade schools and high schools in Puerto Rico visited the project's booth during the four-day agricultural fair on campus. Twenty-three faculty and staff members have confirmed their plans to attend the first plant breeding short course planned for August 2007. This is twice as many participants as originally expected.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: A web site (http://academic.uprm.edu/pltbreed) was developed and additional Internet resources will be constructed. The web site includes basic information about the project, project participants and project activities. Approximately 350 educational bookmarks introducing the science of plant breeding, 100 brochures detailing the activities of a plant breeder, 75 brochures explaining the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez - North Dakota State University Collaborative Plant Breeding Program, and 10 posters announcing and promoting the basic plant breeding course were distributed or posted during the year.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: No future initiatives have been defined.
Impacts
The new course that has been developed under this project (Introduction to Genomics) expands the course offerings available for students in the M.S. program in plant breeding. The equipment added to the laboratories will assure that our students are exposed to current laboratory techniques. Both of these developments will make our plant breeding program more attractive to students outside of the College of Agricultural Sciences who could potentially be recruited into our program. The plant breeding short courses will enable the participating professors and scientists to improve mentorship of students in the area of plant breeding and genetic resources. The materials developed for school visits are easily transferable to middle or high school science teachers to use in their own curricula. Of all the activities supported by this project, the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Summer Internship Program likely has the greatest potential impact in the short and long
term. The exposure to a new culture, language (Spanish being the first language of all the participating students) and agricultural systems (a temperate system rather than a tropical system known to the students) offers participants the opportunity to develop skills that will serve them for the rest of their careers. Several of the students are now interested in pursuing graduate work at NDSU or in the UPRM-NDSU collaborative graduate program.
Publications
- Macchiavelli, Sofia, L. Wessel-Beaver and R. Macchiavelli. 2007. Quality and shelf-life of fresh cut tropical pumpkin. HortScience 42(4):1019 (abstract)
- McPhail-Medina, Robert A., Linda Wessel-Beaver and Jose Carlos Rodrigues. 2007. Mechanical inoculation methods of zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) in Cucurbita moschata. Sigma-Xi Poster Day. April 26, 2007, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. (abstract)
- DeLong, A. and L. Wessel-Beaver. 2006. Inheritance of precocious yellow fruit color in tropical pumpkin. Abstracts of the annual meeting of the Puerto Rican Society for Agricultural Sciences, Nov. 10, 2006, Guayanilla, PR. p. 17.
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