Progress 09/01/13 to 12/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The project was presented (orally with a PowerPoint presentation) at three conferences: 1) The Indigenous Farming Conference held near Calaway, Minnesota in 2016. Approximately 80 Native Americans from the US and Canada attended the presentation and participated in the taste test which was corn muffins made from several varieties the maize we harvested and ground into cornmeal; 2) The Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Annual Meeting held March 2016 in South Dakota and approximately 30 non-Native American people attended that presentation and taste test; and 3) FALCON (First American Land Grant Consortium) in November 2016. That presentation was attended by approximately 40 Indigineous people, and approximately 100 native and non-native people studied the poster which was in separate location. An average of 6 Native Americans from 4 tribal colleges (Nueta, Hidatsa, Sahnish College formerly known as Fort Berthold Community College, Stone Child College, Turtle Mountain Community College, and United Tribes Technical College) participated in the monthly educational webinars/conference calls. Approximately 8 community volunteers and UTTC staff (3 Native American, 3 non-Native American) assisted in sorting viable seeds, seedbed preparation, hand planting, weeding, harvest, shelling, weighing and moisture testing. One work study student (Native American) worked on the project consistently and VISTA volunteers assisted in (1 Native American, 1 non-Native American) in all phases of the project. Both commented on the amount of knowledge they gained and the beneficial experience from the work, which led both of them to begin gardening on their own. Changes/Problems:A change in the staff at United Tribes Technical College left only one technician to participate part-time in the project for the second season. The loss of a director and the technician at Fort Berthold Community College (now Nueta, Hidatsa, Sahnish College) during the third growing seasons resulted in other participants taking time from their busy schedules to complete weed control, harvest and data collection. Weeds were a problem at each site and due to a lack of proper equipment, weed control was difficult, mostly ineffective and time consuming. Raccoons harvested UTTCs second crop, resulting in no data. A crop was planted the following season to allow for a third year of data collection. Fencing is essential to keep out deer, who did damage but not extensively. Specific fencing to keep out raccoons would have been helpful. Gophers, pheasants and black birds also caused damage by either taking the seed out of the soil before it germinated, or digging up the seed from the seedling, consequently uprooting the plant. Human damage also occurred, and fencing may have alleviated that. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided excellent opportunities for training and professional development. Monthly webinars, held in conjunction with a monthly conference call were invaluable for sharing knowledge, experiences and ideas among the participating tribal college staff members and the lead researcher. Having a professional, experienced plant breeder available at anytime by telephone or email, and on site when needed, provided education and experience leading to increased knowledge and ability of Tribal College staff in the plant breeding arena. The ability of doing plant breeding research was greatly enhanced by all of the participating Tribal College staff members. Presenting the project at regional conferences provided experience in preparing visual aids as well a giving a research presentation. In addition to annual tours, each participant gave innumerable one-on-one talks about the project resulting in a region-wide interest in plant breeding, now that it was being completed by existing staff members, with a professional researcher always available and sharing his knowledge and experiences. This resulted in increased ability to present information to a variety of audiences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each of the tribal college newsletters featured the project in at least one issue. Final results of the project will be featured in each Tribal College newsletter to be released early in 2017. An article is being prepared for submission to the Tribal College Journal. A more scientific article will be prepared and submitted to the Great Plains Research Journal. Other publications, such as the Prairie Naturalist, are being considered for additional submission of articles. Short articles will be submitted to local newspapers revealing the publishing of an article in a journal. The project is being submitted for presentation at the Indigineous Farming Conference in Minnesota, the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Annual Conference, and the Tribal Local Foods Conference, all in 2017. A follow up survey will be completed in several of the tribal reservation communities and also at each participating Tribal College. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project was not funded at the full requested amount. As a result, the goals and objectives were decreased to three objectives in 2013. Following is a list of the accomplishments for each objective: Objective 1: Determine culturally relevant breeding objectives. Culturally relevant breeding objectives were determined early in the project by conducting surveys in several tribal reservation communities and the four participating Tribal Colleges. United Tribes Technical College staff collected and analyzed the data for use and distribution in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest regions. Objective 2: Increase plant breeding capacity of Tribal College faculty and staff. The webinars/teleconferences were held monthly and hour long educational sessions were led by the NPSAS plant breeder at each session. Participants were the designated faculty and staff from the four participating Tribal Colleges. Topics were from the full range of plant breeding, including history, experimental design, planting, breeding and harvesting techniques, pest control, weed control, data collection and analysis, and storage. The result was a huge increase in the plant breeding capacity of approximately 6 Tribal College faculty and staff members. Objective 3: Initiate Maize breeding. Variety trials of 80 varieties of maize/corn, replicated three times, were conducted at each Tribal College with guidance and assistance in all phases from the NPSAS plant breeder. The final year 50 of those varieties were selected for growing. Data collection is near completion for final analysis that will allow for choosing parent varieties to select for future breeding projects.
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience continues to include Land Grant program staff, college instructors and interested community members affiliated with the 4 Tribal colleges that have collaborated on this project; United Tribes Technical College (UTTC); Stone Child Community College (SCCC); Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC); and Nueta, Hidatsa, Sahnish College (NHSC) formerly known as Fort Berthold Community College. Changes/Problems:Staffing changes at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College and United Tribes Technical College and long term vacancies did complicate and slow the processes for this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Faculty and staff participated in a variety of professional development opportunities to further their expertise in maize research, research methods, and sustainable agriculture. NPSAS scientist, Dr. Frank Kutka conducted monthly webinars (teleconferences). Other training included the Intertribal Agriculture Council annual meeting and an Indigenous Farming Conference. North Dakota Farmers Market and Gardening Association Annual Meeting 12th Annual Indigenous Farming Conference in Callaway, Minnesota North Dakota Garden Expo Corn Pollination Workshop Intertribal Agriculture Council annual meeting Gardening workshops from North Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Program The UTTC Agroecology Extension Educator joined the Customer Focus Group of the ARS Great Plains Research Station located in Mandan, North Dakota. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?News articles and photo stories are shared in thecampus newsletter,published quarterly with 1,600 print copies distributed nationally as well as electronic copies shared by all staff, faculty and students. Project summaries are provided at conferences attended by the agroecology staff. Land Grant program exhibits at conferences and events include highlights of the maize project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Data will be collected and analyzed from the 2015 harvest. As an additional year of data is needed for this research, a no-cost extension was requested and granted. At the present time, the grant will expire in August, 2016. As harvest and data collected will not be completed until December, 2016, an additional no-cost extension may be needed. Attractive informational signs will be developed and installed along the walking trail and at the research garden showcasing this project. Brochures about the research project will be updated, printed and made available. A poster will be made for use in presentations, as well as posted in highly visible areas of the building. This project is on the agenda of the NPSAS annual winter conference to be held in Aberdeen, South Dakota in January, 2016. Project progress and results to date will be presented at other workshops whenever possible. Participants will continue to prepare and submit articles to college and local newspapers, participating college's websites, and use tribal social networking to showcase our events and activities. A poster and handouts will be prepared.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Revised Objectives and brief accomplishments for 2014: External review of the proposed "Plant Breeding for Sustainability and Seed Sovereignty" project (August 2013) raised questions and concerns about the proposal as described in the project initiation. In accordance with the recommendations of the reviewers, we refocused our proposal as follows: Description of the proposed activities: The first step in the plant breeding process is to identify project objectives. Our two-year project will begin with a survey of faculty and staff at collaborating colleges and NGOs, farmers, and gardeners, focusing on Native Americans to determine plant breeding objectives, desired varieties and acceptable forms of crop improvement, as well as the plant breeding knowledge and experience among our target audience (Objective 1). We will throughout the project increase the capacity of Tribal College faculty and staff to design and complete plant breeding projects and agronomic evaluations via staff trainings and planning discussions facilitated by the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) staff plant breeder with input from agronomist and plant breeders from 1862 Land Grant Universities and private breeding projects (Objective 2). Our next step in the plant breeding process will be to conduct a preliminary evaluation of maize germplasm available from the USDA collection and Native collections (along with commercial check varieties) for culturally, ecologically, and economically important traits as a prelude to more intensive selection and variety development with this species. Replicated regional trials will be carried out through two summers at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC), Fort Berthold Community College - renamed Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC), and Stone Child College (SCC) with the guidance of the NPSAS staff plant breeder and collaborating agronomists and plant breeders (Objective 3). Objective 1. Determine culturally relevant breeding objectives. During fall 2013 a survey was written and process identified and approved through the UTTC Institutional Review Board to survey students, elders attending reservation senior centers, attendees at community powwows, the attendees at the First Americans Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON), Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and members of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) to determine culturally and economically appropriate breeding goals for this project. Questions determined the current level of interest in growing traditional native crops, especially maize; the desired market classes and qualities of traditional native crops; the pests and diseases of greatest concern; the abiotic stress tolerances of greatest concern; the desire to focus on heritage varieties vs. looking at germplasm more broadly; the acceptability of using exotic parents as source of improved traits; the acceptability of plant breeding and selection with traditional crops; the acceptability of molecular techniques, the acceptability of collaboration with other community members. UTTC collected and analyzed the data. Objective 2. Increase plant breeding capacity of Tribal College Faculty and Staff. TCU faculty and staff were interviewed regarding their current plant breeding knowledge and their feelings about its usefulness for addressing the needs of agriculture on the northern plains. The NPSAS plant breeder facilitates monthly teleconferences for project coordination and training in agronomy and plant breeding. Contributing to these discussions are; 1862 Land Grant University agronomists and plant breeders, and Seed We Need a private maize breeding project using the National Plant Germplasm System. We also hold an annual plant breeding workshop in the field at UTTC with the NPSAS plant breeder providing training for maize nursery management and pollination. This is a learn by doing course of study in plant breeding for all participants and will lay the groundwork for the ongoing use of plant breeding for addressing needs in the regional and national food system. The project will conclude with a survey of collaborating faculty and staff to determine the degree to which they have increased their plant breeding abilities and changed any opinions about its utility. Objective 3. Initiate Maize Breeding. Because of its historical and present importance to both Native and Immigrant peoples, and because the NPSAS plant breeder is a maize breeder, we will begin with maize. During the winter of 2013-2014, Multiplicacion de Semillas will increase seeds and generate test crosses in Chile. Additional nursery work will take place at the UTTC maize nursery in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 UTTC, TMCC, NHSC, and SCC will evaluated 80 varieties of maize (40 Native varieties, 10 check varieties, test crosses of each with a double cross hybrid tester) in experimental plots planted in three replicates per location using an ALPHA design (resolvable randomized complete block design) to control for spatial variation. Plots are 1/500th of an acre (two rows, 30" row spacing, 17.5' long) and planted by hand by collaborating TCU faculty and staff and the NPSAS plant breeder. Varieties are evaluated for early vigor, flowering, plant and ear height, lodging, and general health. Ears are hand-picked and weighed with a portable balance and a twenty-ear subset in the field and brought indoors for drying, reweighing, shelling, and estimation of yield and grain moisture at harvest. UTTC and NPSAS team members assisted local collaborators during this process. A digital grain moisture meter was used for a comparison of techniques. Grain samples were ground and taste tested by collaborators, their students, and participating community members. UTTC and NPSAS staff will use a mixed analysis and report all the data to the group in fall of 2015. These data and results will be used to help choose germplasm suitable for re-release per se and for further intensive selection and variety improvement in maize to meet the identified breeding objectives identified in objective 1. Concurrent with the variety evaluation, the NPSAS plant breeder and UTTC agroecologist will initiate selection and inbreeding among the Native varieties in order to develop S1 and S2 lines from this valued germplasm. Together with the population and test cross data, these lines will help provide a base for further recurrent selection and variety development of high yielding, desirable varieties. Plant data from the 240 maize plots at each tribal college was collected during the harvest event in 2014. After drying, the harvested maize was shelled with cooperation from community, student and staff volunteers, and data was recorded. After a preliminary evaluation of the maize germplasm, seed of fifty (50) of the eighty (80) varieties of historical maize were sent to Chile for seed increase; then distributed to the four participating tribal colleges (TC) for a replicated planting in the spring of 2015. Planting was a cooperative effort.
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Currently, we are building capacity in plant breeding among land grant educators and technicians in the partner 1994 land grant tribal colleges. Community involvement including student, staff, faculty and volunteers is encouraged when possible. Changes/Problems: Our major issue is that the project sites have directors that are over worked and sometimes the work doesn't get done on time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? PARTICIPANTS The co-project director coordinated monthly tele-conference meetings with 1994 land grant tribal college partners which include Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, ND; Stone Child College, Box Elder, Mt; Turtle Mountain Community College, Fort Totten, ND; United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Bismarck, ND; and a plant breeding consultant from Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS). Following the monthly meetings, the NPSAS consultant provides monthly PowerPoint lessons in corn biology, genetics, and the theory and techniques of plant breeding. The co-project director packaged seed for all four partners with assistance from college students and staff. The NPSAS consultant also provided hands on instruction to each college in planting their VT plots. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Powerpoints and newsletters. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Keep moving forward with the project and cut back on the number of varieties planted due to work load of participants.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
OUTPUTS We have variety trials (VTs) of eighty types of corn established at four 1994 Land Grant Tribal Colleges in North Dakota and Montana. Varieties under evaluation include traditional landraces, exotic landraces and populations, testcrosses, and hybrid checks. In collaboration with our 1994 partners, we developed and conducted a survey of tribal communities to determine acceptable and relevant breeding objectives for corn. Monthly tele-conference meetings with seven or more regional tribal college educators, include training segments to enhance greater understanding of plant breeding theory, technique and application. Hand pollination techniques were practiced at the lead tribal college corn nursery. Partners will collectively harvest one tribal college corn nursery to learn research techniques for evaluating sets of criteria. Each tribal college corn VT will be harvested and evaluated. Evaluation and survey data collected will be analyzed and shared amongst the partners to complete the first year of building plant breeding capacity within the four 1994 Land Grant Tribal Colleges. OUTCOMES/IMPACT A group of 1994 land grant tribal college educators and a plant breeding consultant from a regional farming group established VTs by increasing seeds and making crosses in a winter nursery in Chile, packing seeds, preparing about an acre of land for planting at each college, and then laying out rows and planting in May. 1994 Land Grant Tribal Colleges continue to maintain corn VTs for harvest in October. Tribal college educators learned how to package seed for planting randomized plots, how to plant the VTs, and how to maintain evaluation plots throughout the summer months. Harvest time will provide opportunity to learn evaluation and data collecting techniques for a wide variety of agronomic and grain quality parameters. Results from the community surveys will guide our plant breeding discussions.
Publications
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