Source: WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY submitted to
OILSEED PENNYCRESS - A NEW CASH COVER-CROP FOR THE MIDWEST
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1019675
Grant No.
2019-69012-29851
Cumulative Award Amt.
$10,000,000.00
Proposal No.
2018-08989
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 1, 2019
Project End Date
Jul 31, 2025
Grant Year
2019
Program Code
[A9201]- Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Recipient Organization
WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
1 UNIVERSITY CIRCLE
MACOMB,IL 61455
Performing Department
School of Agriculture
Non Technical Summary
A reliable, sustainable, and secure biofuels industry in the U.S. requires a diverse portfolio of feedstocks. Dedicated industrial crops which can be easily converted to drop-in fuels are limited in the Midwest region. To address this, our program will develop the oilseed plant pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) to be grown as a winter-annual cash cover crop throughout the U.S. Midwest Corn Belt and in other temperate-region cropping systems. Pennycress is a unique high-yielding oilseed crop that can be grown to: (1) provide environmental benefits including reducing nitrogen runoff and soil erosion from farm fields while providing early-season food sources for pollinating insects, (2) generate income thereby encouraging adoption and strengthening rural communities, (3) integrate seamlessly into existing corn-soybean rotations, and (4) yield up to 2 billion gallons of oil annually that can be easily converted to biofuels. Our program will specifically focus on pennycress variety improvement, agronomic management, environmental impacts assessment, and supply chain seed management. We will develop education and extension networks that enhance pennycress adoption and profitability by providing science-based guidance to producers and other stakeholders, training farmers, workers, and scientists, and highlighting new career opportunities. We fully expect that by the end of this five-year project to have established a set of management criteria to successfully commercialize pennycress as a dedicated oilseed biofuel feedstock grown in multiple Midwestern states. This will include tools and documented knowledge to (1) aid the seed industry in developing a reliable seed-source for planting, (2) provide extension educators and crop consultants with information needed to help farmers manage pennycress production, (3) provide farmers, oil processors, and livestock producers with necessary information to successfully produce and process pennycress seed oil for the biodiesel and aviation fuel industry, and (4) use the spent seed meal as a livestock feed ingredient. Since we recognize the need for regionally-adjusted agronomic practices, a strong emphasis will be placed on working directly with producers and industry. The use of pennycress as a cash cover crop will positively impact the profitability of production agriculture, decrease soil erosion and nutrient runoff thereby protecting water systems, support pollinator health and biodiversity, increase energy security by diversifying the nation's energy portfolio, help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and related climate change, and contribute to the economic health of rural communities.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
60%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2051899106020%
2011899108120%
1025360205010%
5115230101010%
5121899202010%
8066010303010%
9036050302010%
6011899301010%
Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management; 511 - New and Improved Non-Food Products and Processes; 806 - Youth Development; 102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 512 - Quality Maintenance in Storing and Marketing Non-Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
5230 - Feed and feed additives; 1899 - Oilseed and oil crops, general/other; 6010 - Individuals; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions; 5360 - Drainage and irrigation facilities and systems;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 1060 - Biology (whole systems); 2050 - Hydrology; 3020 - Education; 1081 - Breeding; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism; 3010 - Economics; 3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
Our integrated CAP program will optimize off-season pennycress oilseed production by overcoming production and supply chain bottlenecks, with the goal of commercially launching pennycress as a cash cover crop in 2021. In collaboration with farmers, industrial partners, extension specialists, educators, and other stakeholders, our program will focus on; 1) improving pennycress agronomic management, 2) developing additional genetic/genomic resources including the creation of a large mutant gene index for identifying second and third generation domestication traits needed to facilitate stand establishment, improve yield, and enhance economic value, 3) ecosystem services characterization, and 4) life cycle supply chain establishment with an emphasis on post-harvest management of seeds from fields to crusher/processer facilities. We will develop education and extension networks that enhance pennycress adoption and profitability by providing science-based guidance to producers and other stakeholders, training the next generation of farmers, workers, and scientists, and highlighting new career opportunities in Midwestern states. Since we recognize the need for regionally-adjusted agronomic practices, a strong emphasis will be placed on working directly with producers and industry. This relationship will integrate research-based knowledge to improve on-farm economics and highlight environmental benefits. A complete techno-economic analysis will be conducted to assess the impact of double-cropped or relayed oilseed production in the region. ?
Project Methods
Corn Residue Management (CRM). Starting in the spring of 2020, participating intuitions will plant a range of well-adapted corn relative maturities (75-115 CRM). Desiccant applications are targeted for each CRM prior to black layer and grain moistures will be closely monitored to provide optimal harvest date for the corn and sequential no-till planting of the pennycress. Corn yield, test weights, and grain moisture will be collected at corn harvest. Pennycress will be planted via 19-cm spaced skip-row drill, with skip centered on 76-cm at 15 kg ha-1 pure liveseed. Following corn harvest, disk harrow will be used to further break up the corn stover. On the same day, pennycress will be planted. Late fall and spring pennycress coverage across all treatments will be assessed with non-destructive imagining. Well-adapted full-season soybean will be planted into the living pennycress in the spring. Pennycress biomass will be assessed at physiological maturity. Pennycress grain yield will be assessed by hand sampling and combining. Soybean will be harvested in the fall for yield and quality. Seed Treatments. A field trial will be established in OH, IL, and MN to determine the impact of seed treatments on fall establishment, spring crown integrity, and lodging. Treatments will be applied to the same lot of seeds and will include an untreated check, a fungicide seed treatment, an osmotic treatment, and a combination treatment. The treated pennycress seed will be no-till planted in mid- to late-September, with four replications of each treatment at each location. Fall stand counts will be assessed approximately two months after planting. A visual evaluation of crown and root disease will be conducted in early May on 10 plants per plot. Canopy coverage will also be assessed using the Canopeo app. Reproductive parameters of branching and maturation will be assessed and lodging notes will be collected prior to harvest. Plots will be combined mechanically at maturity for yield assessment. Soybean and Pennycress. Pennycress will be directed seeded following small grains with no-till, 19-cm spaced skip-row drill, with skip centered on 76-cm into the remaining small grain residue at 25 kg ha-1 pure liveseed. The following spring a range of full season well-adapted soybean will be no-till planted into the living pennycress. The 76-cm soybean will be planted into the bare ground strips. Three full season soybean maturity groups will be selected for each location. These will include the most common full, mid, and short season soybean maturity groups. Pennycress biomass will be assessed at physiological maturity. Pennycress grain yield assessing both by hand sampling and then combining where subsequent grain yield and oil content will be determined. Soybean will be harvested in the fall for yield and quality. Weed Management. We will evaluate commercial pennycress varieties for their tolerance to likely concentrations of common corn herbicides that will be found in the soils of pennycress fields. Identifying herbicides to which pennycress is less sensitive will allow us to develop herbicide recommendations for the preceding crop that will decrease the likelihood of pennycress injury or death during its establishment. We will test the effects of common corn herbicides used to control summer annual weeds and quantify pennycress population density and biomass in the fall, survival of plants the following spring and pennycress seed yield. Breeding. The crucial traits needed to enhance the commercial viability of pennycress have been identified. The mutations will be used to generate molecular markers to facilitate the rapid stacking of these traits in elite lines and CRISPR Cas9-based gene editing will be used to reproduce the mutations of interest in elite lines. Both methods will be pursued, as gene editing may not be able to reproduce some of the more subtle causative mutations. Elite lines also will be treated with EMS to create additional mutagenized populations. Whole genome will be used to characterize 500 distinct EMS mutagenized lines. Comparative genomics analyses will be used to identify all of the non-synonymous and nonsense gene mutations. This information will be used to generate a searchable gene index to rapidly identify desirable gene mutations. Supply Chain. To assess available acreage for pennycress adoption the following types of environments will be explored. These acres include those where pennycress could be direct seeded into residue-free environments 1) in the southern Midwest where the growing season is longer and corn is harvested early enough; 2) following harvest of short season crops (e.g. silage, sweetcorn); or 3) double cropped with high value crops. During pennycress storage, we will analyze total fat content; fatty acid composition; total protein content; color; content of trace elements such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur; and the amount of macro- and micro-damage to the seed coat by means of NIR. We will evaluate the quantity and composition of oil extracted using a cold press, as well as hexane extraction methods, under different drying conditions. We will further process oil and meal to determine its utility in various fuel, feed, and food applications. We will conduct a thorough shelf life study of pennycress oil. For biodiesel production, we will use heterogeneous catalysts to carry out transesterification and esterification simultaneously. We will determine the yield and conversion using several metal oxide and zeolite solid catalysts. We will also convert pennycress oil into renewable diesel by hydrotreating with bimetallic catalysts on a suitable matrix. We will evaluate the seed meal for glucosinolates and low fiber for palatability as animal feed. A comprehensive analysis of the nutrition value of the meal will be used to apply for regulatory approval for feed and food uses. Ecosystem Services. Compare 2-acre replicated plots with and without pennycress for nitrogen scavenging by analyzing nitrogen flow through new tiles to added to drain each plot into interceptors. Water meters will be placed to measure water volume. Water will be sampled for dissolved reactive phosphorus, total phosphorus, ammonia, and nitrate-nitrogen. Samples are analyzed using EPA-approved methods and QA/QC on a Lachat Flow Injection Analysis instrument. To assess the utilization of pollinator guilds visiting pennycress flowers, pollen on pollinators will be removed and pollen loads and diversity will be assessed twice weekly during flowering of pennycress. Pollen in infused solutions will be stained and evaluated under microscopy. To assess honey bee health, we will determine hypopharyngeal gland size and vitellogenin gene expression levels in honey bees (nurse bees) from hives situated near and far from pennycress fields. Extension/Education and Outreach.Curriculum development is at the core of sound adult education and technology transfer programs. This foundation is central to the educational deliverables outlined in this proposal and the UMN will provide the over-arching Extension leadership to achieve educational continuity across the Midwest. During extension meetings, webinars, and workshops, technical information relevant to the pennycress oilseed production systems will be extended. Educational topics will include: soil nitrogen and carbon cycles, water quality, the role of pollinators, general plant anatomy, concepts of breeding, and statistics. The eXtension platform will be used to broaden the learning and impact across the U.S. Surveys will also be administered at educational events to identify direct changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes surrounding the new cropping systems. Pre and post-meeting surveys will identify near term learning gains and potential changes in behavior. Most importantly, survey finding will be leveraged to improve the education curriculum across the network.

Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences Our 2024 target audiences included Midwestern agricultural producers, focusing on farmers interested in adding a winter cover crop to their existing crop rotations, current soybean producers, and various bioeconomy stakeholders. We also targeted the following groups: Undergraduate Students. We recruited 10 undergraduate students from throughout the Midwest and beyond to participate in our 2024 Integrated Plant Systems--Undergraduate Research Experience. Academic Researchers. IPREFER researchers discussed IPREFER project research activity and findings in numerous meetings with academic colleagues and others. Extension and Education Communities of Practice. IPREFER personnel met with Midwestern education and extension personnel in formal and informal settings. We also engaged with youth through 4H and county fair activities. Interested Public. Through in-person and virtual field days, a website, social media accounts (Twitter and LinkedIn), and a dedicated IPREFER YouTube channel, we actively involved the interested public in our efforts to provide information on pennycress agronomic management, breeding/genetics, and the developing supply chain. Changes/Problems:Our Year 5 activities progressed primarily as we had planned. We did request and receive a No-cost Extension year (Yr. 6). With the many restrictions imposed during the height of the COVID pandemic, many of our partner institutions' proposed travel, outreach, and research activities were not held as initially planned. While the pandemic did not halt professional interactions but made them more challenging to schedule, host, and hold. All of our partner institutions had COVID policies that restricted our ability to be on campus for varying periods during the project period. This resulted in a different expenditure pattern than we had initially anticipated. However, the shift to virtual activities not only reduced costs but also, in some instances, improved efficiencies. We have pooled and reallocated unused funds from years 1- 5 to support ongoing projects to completion, demonstrating our commitment to achieving our goals despite the challenges ongoing projects to completion. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The IPREFER project has focused on the following Communities of interest during Year 5. Academic Community IPREFER supported 7 graduate students at various points during Year 5. Additionally, IPREFER hosted the DOE-funded IPReP project (Using Natural and Induced Variation in Pennycress to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Oilseed Bioenergy Crop Resilience) at the Year 5 meeting. There was significant interaction between IPREFER and IPReP personnel (faculty researchers and graduate students), two leading pennycress research groups. Agricultural Producer Community CoverCress, Inc. IPREFER researchers and extension personnel assisted commercial partner CoverCress, Inc. in conducting numerous informal producer-focused field days. IPREFER personnel also worked closely with CoverCress to create a six-video "CoverCress Training Video Series" designed to introduce working farmers to CoverCress seed and the CoverCress production model. Using videos, we can disseminate information beyond the circle of persons who can attend in-person field days. Undergraduate Student Community IPREFER Project Director Win Phippen included lectures on "Pennycress Production and the IPREFER Project" throughout his Academic Year 2023-24 classes. Undergraduate Research Summer Internship. Hosted the Year 5 IPREFER Undergraduate Research Experience from late May 2024 through the July 2024 Year 4 Annual Meeting. We recruited 10 students from throughout the US (GA - 1, IL - 2, Ireland - 1, LA - 1, MN - 1, MO - 1, NY - 1, PA-1, MD - 1). The interns were placed at CoverCress, Inc. (2), University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (1), USDA-ARS (3), and Western Illinois University (4). The students were able to present their work (poster presentations) to the entire team at the Annual Meeting. Engaging Youth 4-H Youth and Educators Completed the 4-H Cover Crop Science Project Book and led hands-on pennycress activities for 264 youth at Northern Illinois University's STEM Fest. IPREFER personnel engaged with 4-H leaders at the Tazewell County, IL, regional 4-H convening. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The IPREFER project has focused on the following Communities of interest during Year 5. Academic Communities IPREFER collaborators have published their work in academic journals and have attended and presented project findings and updates at numerous professional meetings, seminars, and classroom presentations. Additionally, IPREFER hosted the DOE-funded IPReP project (Using Natural and Induced Variation in Pennycress to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Oilseed Bioenergy Crop Resilience) at the Year 5 meeting. There was significant interaction between IPREFER and IPReP personnel (faculty researchers and graduate students), two leading pennycress research groups. Agricultural Producer Community Focus Groups Conducted focus groups with 14 farmers to learn more about their views on adding pennycress/CoverCressTM to their existing crop rotation systems. While our research team sought information from participants, we were also able to provide producers with information on opportunities for using PC in their cropping rotations, which they will share with the producer community. Field Days Illinois State University 2024 Cover Crop Field Day (April 12, 2024, ISU Research Farm, Lexington, IL. IPREFER collaborators organized a no-cost event to share the latest IPRFER information about pennycress (see flyer). The event included cover crop field tours followed by guided discussions and presentations focused on: Cover crop implementation successes and challenges, and Increasing farm profits, carbon credits, and ecosystem services. Western Illinois University 2024 Pennycress Field Day (May 23, 2024, WIU Agricultural Field Laboratory, Macomb, IL). IPREFER personnel presented information on PC to local producers through plot tours and field day lecture presentations. Additionally, CoverCress, Ic. held stakeholder Field Days in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. IPREFER personnel collaborated with COverCress on these events. CoverCress, Inc. IPREFER researchers and extension personnel assisted commercial partner CoverCress, Inc. in conducting numerous informal producer-focused field days. IPREFER personnel also worked closely with CoverCress to create a six-video "CoverCress Training Video Series" designed to introduce working farmers to CoverCress seed and the CoverCress production model. Using videos, we can disseminate information beyond the circle of persons who can attend in-person field days. Undergraduate Student Community IPREFER Project Director Win Phippen met with prospective undergraduate agricultural students and their families were introduced to PC and the IPREFER project as part of the 2024 Western Illinois University School of Agriculture Open House activities. The Open House included demonstrations of a new plot planter, combine, PC greenhouse plants, and the IPREFER project. Phippen also introduced the IPREFER project to undergraduate students at Western Illinois University. Engaging Youth IPREFER CoPd Alexander J. Lindsey (Ohio State University) created the 4-H, FFA, and Agriscience Curricular Resources on Oilseed Pennycress. The entire curriculum is available online (See: https://u.osu.edu/aginclassroomk12/2022/08/10/4h-ffa-and-agriscience-curricular-resources-on-oilseed-pennycress/). 4-H Youth and Educators IPREFER Extension and education specialists developed the Plants vs. Profits game for 4-H players and persons age 11+. (See https://pvp.cemastprojects.org) As part of the game launch, IPREFER personnel engaged with 496 youth and 27 teachers in Plants v. Profits playtests. The game is being disseminated as part of the nationwide 4-H network. We distributed the Plants vs. Profits game (4-H players and persons age 11+). We completed the 4-H Cover Crop Science Project Book and led hands-on pennycress activities for 264 youth at Northern Illinois University's STEM Fest. IPREFER personnel engaged with 4-H leaders at the Tazewell County, IL, regional 4-H convening. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Governance IPREFER Website.Revise the project website to prepare it to continue as a non-updated website. We will have all materials updated and presented in a manner that makes them accessible but communicates that the site is no longer actively updated. We will provide contact information so interested parties can communicate with project personnel regarding pennycress questions. Citations will be available for all journals and other relevant materials in a manner designed to promote accessibility. Executive Leadership Team Meetings.We will meet with the ELT several times over the course of the No-cost Extension year to ensure that all activities are on track to be completed as promised. Project Outreach.We will continue to participate in pennycress outreach activities with CoverCress as needed. Social Media.We will continue publicizing the project and our work product (journal articles and other material) to the interested public using our "X" and LinkedIn accounts. Agronomy / Crop Management The primary activity will be to complete and revise manuscripts. The WEEDS team will complete a repeat of an experiment focused on "Golden pennycress sensitivity to soybean herbicide carryover and screening for potential postemergence herbicides safe to use in golden pennycress. Breeding and Genetics The focus will be on completing the work needed to expand the PC germplasm base for breeding. Pennycress Ecosystem Services Soybean Cyst Nematode.We will continue field and temperature-controlled growth chamber experiments to assess the ability of SCN to infect, develop, and reproduce on CoverCress under typical growing conditions. Pollinator Experiments.We will complete twopollinator-type experiments. Experiment 1:Collect insects, especially flies, as they visit PC flowers and examine each individual for presence, abundance, and type of adhered pollen. This work will confirm whether certain insect taxa do, in fact, transport pollen of commercial lines of PC. Experiment 2:Collaborate with a Minnesota beekeeper to reexamine whether the proximity of honey bee hives to flowering PC fields benefits honey bees. Data collected in 2021 strongly suggested that hives adjacent to pennycress fields collected considerably more pollen than those located distantly. Pollen collection rates are an index of hive strength. Supply Chain Development We will continue collaborating with CoverCress as they develop producer-focused materials. Outreach, Extension, and Education We will complete our research study,Understanding Producer Perceptions of Risk Related to Cover Crops. We foresee 2 journal articles emerging from this work: one focused on cover crops more generally and one on PC.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Governance Continued weekly meetings with the program manager, monthly meetings with the Executive Leadership Team, and quarterly meetings with the Advisory Board. Held the Year 4 All Hands Annual Meeting at the University of Minnesota. The meeting focused on sharing activities and organizing for Year 5. We hosted the DOE-funded IPReP project (Using Natural and Induced Variation in Pennycress to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Oilseed Bioenergy Crop Resilience). Assisted in the successful recruiting of a summer 2024 intern class. Completed protocols for data management deposits to UMN data banks and Digital Ag Commons. Completed installing a time-lapse video of developing PC plots. The video is available on the IPREFER website. Submitted a No Cost Extension request to NIFA; NIFA granted the request for one additional year to complete the project objectives delayed by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on project universities. In collaboration with IPREFER collaborator Rob Rhykerd (Illinois State University) and ISU staff, the Program Manager organized the final in-person annual meeting July 30-31, 2024, at the Illinois State University in Normal, IL. Project representation continued to stay at an excellent level. The meeting was highly interactive, with extensive poster sessions involving numerous project collaborators, graduate students, and the entire 2024 Undergraduate intern class. Agronomy/Crop Management CRM - Yield Trade-off Leveraging Corn Relative Maturity and Desiccants Early CRM (earlier than common full-season) resulted in improved PC establishment, greater green cover, higher PC yield, and earlier planting of DC soybean. Mid-range CRM yielded as well as full-season CRM and allowed timely PC establishment. The silage corn-PC soybean system had the greatest net economic return. However, the system's net return using mid-range CRM was only slightly lower. PELLET - Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance Black-seeded PC varieties benefitted from gibberellic acid soak to increase germination. Pelleting black-seeded varieties improved establishment over control, which could improve seed size and may affect flowability. Pelleting with GA in the binder solution worked similarly to GA soaking. Golden PC did not increase in germination with seed treatment. Finalized the Seed Science and Technology publication. Finalized and verified datasets in the project database. WEEDS - Tools for Integrated Weed Management Harvested PC in soybean herbicide carryover, potential preemergence herbicides for PC, and herbicides applied post-emergence to PC Analyzed yield data Hosted 3 IPREFER undergraduate research interns. Summarized field herbicide response data collected in the 2023/2024 growing season SELECT Contribute to the Identification and Development of Soybean Varieties Specifically Adapted to Pennycress Inter-cropping Systems Graduate student Lucas Roberts presented SELECT study findings at the 2024 Cover Crop Breeding Network annual meeting. Replicated 4 of the original greenhouse GWAS projects to completion. Analyzed the GWAS soybean allelopathy greenhouse experiment to identify the architecture underlying susceptibility or tolerance to glucosinolate allelopathy in a soybean diversity panel. OILSYSTEMS - Evaluating Agronomic and Economic Performance of Pennycress in Regionally Adapted Cropping Systems Green cover data analysis completed. Continued to focus on plot management. Harvested oilseed plots, dried and threshed. Planted double summer annual double crop following oilseed harvest. Pennycress Seeding Date Trial Using Golden Pennycress Continued managing plots to be able to complete Year 6 work (Planted soybeans in the control and following PC harvest) Completed taking PC databiomass samples (flowering and maturity dates, plant height). Harvested, threshed, and separated PC biomass from seeds and recorded sample weights. PC harvested with combine and seed cleaned. Breeding and Genetics We produced new information on PC genetics. Gene Editing Validation of sinigrin reductions with leading gene candidates in the field conditions. Tested genes for reducing sinigrin in a single field location. The reductions for single or combinations of genes were confirmed without noticeable performance differences between the edits and controls. Validation of reduced shatter trait in the field conditions produced through editing strategy. Gene editing strategy for reduced shatter trait was previously identified, and the field trials at multiple locations confirm this trait inheritance. In-planta HDR conversions for 2 herbicide chemistries have been achieved through the floral-transformation method, and new alleles have been discovered. A previously improved HDR design strategy was shown in protoplast, and the in-planta results confirm the successful HDR conversions for ALS and HPPD. Building tools and resources for increasing throughput. Achieved significant progress on various fronts to accelerate the product deployment timelines and discover new opportunities for CoverCress® improvements. Pennycress Ecosystem Services Nutrient Sequestration. We completed the work needed for 2 manuscripts (soil pore water & PC mineralization relative to other cover crops). We also had an IPREFER-supported master's student graduate in May 2024. Soybean Cyst Nematode. We completed the Yr. 5 Pivot Project. Fall samples for SCN in PC, nutrient-amended PC plots, and reference fallow plots showed no significant difference between SCN levels in any of the treatments, and densities were lower after silage corn this year than in the past year after soybeans. Pollinators and Honeybees. We continued our pollinator analysis activities (differential insect attraction to yellow- and black-seeded PC; analysis of PC flowering phenology using data sets from 4 sites/each of four years (2020-2023). Published 2 manuscripts. Supply Chain Development The team worked closely with CoverCress, Inc. as the company continued its transition from product concept development to optimizing product needs in commercial production and building a path for oil seed cash cover crops. The team worked with CoverCress to assist in: Securing product off-take agreements with Bunge/Chevron AgRenewables and multi-national poultry producer Establishing seed production contracts with multiple regional companies Securing processing and operational agreements for PC harvesting, cleaning, drying, storing, and bagging Building original management systems for field agronomy data capture, seed inventory, pipeline management, a customer relationship platform for the management of commercial and customer operations Outreach, Extension, and Education Undergraduate Research Summer Internship. Hosted the Year 5 IPREFER Undergraduate Research Experience from late May 2024 through the July 2024 Year 4 Annual Meeting. We recruited 10 students from throughout the US (GA - 1, IL - 2, Ireland - 1, LA - 1, MN - 1, MO - 1, NY - 1, PA-1, MD - 1). The interns were placed at CoverCress, Inc. (2), University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (1), USDA-ARS (3), and Western Illinois University (4). The students were able to present their work (poster presentations) to the entire team at the Annual Meeting. Youth Strategy Game. Extension/education specialists developed the Plants vs. Profits game (4-H players age 11+, https://pvp.cemastprojects.org). Cover Crop Science Book. Our Cover Crop Science project book passed National 4-H peer review and now includes accessible versions of all materials for blind or low-vision learners. Program Evaluation. Completed an assessment of our Undergraduate Summer Internship program, evaluating successful learning outcomes (knowledge, cognitive, and interpersonal skills development).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gomes, Victor Emmanuel de Vasconcelos, Kennedy, Ann M., Darcy, Amanda R. & Lindsey, Alexander J. Hormone type, soaking duration and seed coating affect dormancy and germination of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) lines. (2024). Seed Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2024.52.2.03 (Open Access).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Cubins, Julijia. A., Wells, Samantha S., Johnson, Gregg A., Black, Katie L., Perez, Jayleen, Gonch, Ariana, Forcella, Frank & Russ W. Gesch. (2024). Stover removal has minimal impact on pennycress seeded into standing corn. Crop Science, 19. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21242 (Open access).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Yang, Liangcheng, Lubna, Tuba Yasmin, Moklak, Michael A., Gautam, Barsanti, Heller, Nicholas J., Rhykerd, Robert L., Kopsell, David E. & Sedbrook, John C. (2024) Impacts of harvest date and concurrent alkali pretreatment and ensiling on anaerobic digestion of pennycress biomass. Fermentation 10: 96. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10020096 (Open access).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Forcella, Frank, M. Petersen, Perry, William L., Wells, Samantha S., Hard, Alexander, Gesch, Russ W., Mohammed, Yesuf A., Hoerning, Cody, Wesley, Tad L., Ambrosi, Emma & Phippen, Winthrop B. (2023). Flies associated with floral canopies of the new oilseed crop, pennycress, in the Midwestern U.S.A. The Great Lakes Entomologist 56: 154-165. https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2481&context=tgle (Open Access).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Forcella, Frank, Zachary M. Portman, Samantha S. Wells, William Perry, Russ Gesch, Cody Hoerning, Tad Wesley & Winthrop B. Phippen. (2023). Abundance and diversity of bees visiting flowering pennycress, a new oilseed crop in the midwestern USA. The Great Lakes Entomologist 56(1):99-107. https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol56/iss1/13/
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Brakke, Mary & Hauger, Aaron. (2024, June 25). Developing cross-disciplinary Competency through collaborative research. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference, Wooster, OH, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gautam, Liza, Jaikumar, Nikhil, Assato, Carol Kiam, Lima, Arjuman, Bayliss, Ryan, Marlino, Maggie, Darcy, Amanda, Volmar, Abby, Phippen, Winthrop & Sedbrook, John. (2024, Apr. 5). Characterizing and interrogating drought resilience in Thlaspi arvense (pennycress) [Graduate Student Poster Presentation]. United States. Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium. Normal, IL, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Lima, Arjuman, Gautam, Liza, Lu, Xin, Liu, Sarah, Lu, Fachuang, Lu, Xu, Ralph, John, & Sedbrook, John. (2024, Apr. 5). Employing CRISPR genome editing to improve seed meal quality in the oilseed plant pennycress.[Graduate Student Poster Presentation]. Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium. Normal, IL, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sedbrook, John. (2024, Apr. 2) Understanding and Improving Abiotic Stress Resilience in Pennycress, an Emerging Oilseed Cash Cover Crop. [Session Presentation]. DOE GSP Annual Meeting, North Bethesda, MD, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gautam, Liza, Jaikumar, Nikhil, Assato, Carol Kiam, Lima, Arjuman, Bayliss, Ryan, Marlino, Maggie, Darcy, Amanda, Volmar, Abby, Phippen, Winthrop & Sedbrook, John. (2024, Mar. 16-17). Characterizing and interrogating drought resilience in Thlaspi arvense (pennycress). [Graduate Student Poster Presentation]. ASPB Midwest Meeting, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Lima, Arjuman, Gautam, Liza, Lu, Xin, Liu, Sarah, Lu, Fachuang, Lu, Xu, Ralph, John, & Sedbrook, John. (2024, Mar. 16-17). Employing CRISPR genome editing to improve seed meal quality in the oilseed plant pennycress.[Graduate Student Poster Presentation]. ASPB Midwest Meeting, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Roberts, Lucas, Seth Naeve, Samantha Wells & Aaron Lorenz. Next-Gen Oilseed Systems: Exploring soybean traits for relay-cropping into pennycress. 2024 Soybean Breeders Workshop: ? Entomology and Breeding Innovation, St Louis, MO, Feb. 12-14, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Bernards Mark L. & Ramon G. Leon. 2024. Current weed management tools, challenges, and opportunities for the new winter oilseed crops camelina, carinata, and pennycress. Weed Science Society of America 64th Annual Meeting, Abstract #331, San Antonio, TX Jan. 22-24, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia & Yesuf A. Mohammed. Symposium on Nitrogen Management and Environmental Impact in Winter Oilseed Cropping Systems. Forever Green Initiative & University of Minnesota Water Resources Center, Minneapolis, MN, Jan 19, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rhykerd, Rob. Developing pennycress into the oilseed cash cover crop named CoverCress. (Oral presentation) Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) Winter Convention, Peoria, IL, Jan. 16, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gautam, Liza (presenter), Brice Jarvis, Dalton Williams, Ryan Bayliss, Spencer OFlaherty, Amanda Darcy, Autumn Salmon, Shengjung Liu & John Sedbrook. Decreasing seed glucosinolate content in oilseed plant, pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). (Poster presentation). Plant & Animal Genome (PAG) Conference, San Diego, CA, Jan. 13-17, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Domestication of pennycress as a winter oilseed crop and its commercialization as CoverCressTM. (Oral presentation) Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) Conference, San Diego, CA, Jan.13, 2024
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Phillips, Nadia, Sarah Korth & Julia Zhang. Inheritance of four domestication genes in five elite pennycress breeding lines. Poster. 2024, International Plant & Animal Genome Conference/PAG 31, San Diego, CA. Jan 12-17, 2024.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Kocic, Mila I., Phippen, Mary E., Wesley, Tad L. & Phippen, Winthrop B. (2024, Jul 29-31). Impact of Sulfur Fertilization on Sinigrin Levels in Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Kocic-IPREFER-poster-FINAL.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Kwiecien, Gabrielle, Child, Macy, Rai, Krishan, & Chopra, Ratan. (2024, Jul 29-31). Variability of Germination and Vigor of CoverCress� Under Differing Conditions of pH, Light Duration, and Plant Density. [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/G-Kwiecien-Revised-Poster.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Mandell, Dara E., & Bernards, Mark, L. (2024, Jul 29-31). Golden Pennycress Response to the Desiccants Diquat and Saflufenacil [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Dara-Mandell.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Nobal, Jnnea C., Phippen, Mary E., Wesley, Tad L., & Winthrop B. Phippen. Optimizing plant density for maximum seed yield in golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jnnea-Nobal-Poster-FINAL.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Padilla, Andrea, Wesley, Tad L., Bernards, Mark L., & Phippen, Winthrop B. (2024, Jul 29-31). Maturity Group Considerations for Soybean and Pennycress Crop Rotation [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Padilla-poster-FINAL.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sheik, Ellinor, Bernards, Mark, L., Zavada, Michael, & Forcella, Frank. (2024. Jul 29-31). Pollen Loads on Insects Caught Amongst Flowering Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Sheik-2024-Poster.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Weber, Rachel, Codjoe, Jenny, Rai, Krishnan, & Chopra, Ratan (2024. Jul 29-31). Method development to assess gRNA efficiency and ability to impact gene expression via protoplast transformation [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rachel-Weber-Poster.pdf
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Marks, M.David, Chopra, Ratan & Sedbrook, John.C. (2021). Technologies enabling rapid crop improvements for sustainable agriculture: Example pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). Emerg. Topics Life Sci ETLS20200330. 5 (2): 325 -335. https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20200330.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cubins, Julija, A., Wells, Samantha S., Frels, Katherine, Ott, Matthew A., Forcella, Frank, Johnson, Gregg A.,Walia, Mainder K., Becker, Roger L. & Gesch, Russ W. (2019). Management of pennycress as a winter annual cash cover crop: A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 39, 46 (2019): 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-019-0592-0. OPEN ACCESS.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: De Jong, Abigail A., Wesley, Tad L., Phippen, Mary E., & Phippen, Winthrop B. (2024, Jul 29-31). Evaluation of Pennycress Response to Varying Spring Application Rates of Nitrogen [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Abigail-DeJong-Poster-FINAL.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gregory, William E., Gjesvold, Serena, Korth, Sarah, & Zhang, Julia X. (2024. Jul 29-31). Multi-Location Comparison of Pennycress Pod Size and Seed in Advanced Yield Trial Lines [Meeting session]. IPREFER Yr. 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/William-Gregory-Poster.pdf
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Phippen, Winthrop B. (2024, April 14-15). Year 5 CAP Projects [Panel Discussion, Invited Panelist]. Sustainable Agricultural Systems Project Directors Meeting, Madison, WI, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Mohammed, Yesuf A., & Gesch, Russ. (2024, July 30). Seeding date affected golden pennycress seed yield [Poster presentation]. IPREFER Year 5 Annual Meeting, Normal IL, United States
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gautam, Liza (Graduate Student). (2024 June 22-26). Reducing seed glucosinolate content and increasing seed size and oil content in the oilseed plant, pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) [Oral and poster presentation]. ASPB Plant Biology 2024 International Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia X. (2024, January 19). Breeding winter pennycress for the low Input cropping system [Oral presentation]. Symposium on Winter Oilseed Cropping Systems. Forever Green Initiative and the Water Resource Center, St. Paul, MN, United States.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gregory, William, Gjesvold, E. Serena, Korth, Sarah Julia X Zhang. (2024, July 29-31). Multi-location comparison of pod size and seed in advanced pennycress breeding lines [Poster presentation]. IPREFER Year 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia X. (2024, April 30). Domesticating winter pennycress as a cash cover crop. 2024 [Oral presentation]. Hermal Group Meeting, St. Paul, MN, United States.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia X. (2024, May 24). Pennycress breeding and trait introgression. Oral. 2024. Forever Green Initiative Research Updates and Discussion Meetings, St. Paul, MN, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia X. (2024, June 12) Breeding field pennycress as an oilseed winter cover crop. [Oral presentation]. Cover Crop Breeding & Systems Annual Meeting, St. Paul, MN, United States.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Phippen, Mary E., Berhow, Mark A., Brownstein, Korey J., Wesley, Tad L., & Winthrop B. Phippen. (2024). Screening of seeds from wild pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) populations for sinigrin levels using a blood glucose meter and test strips. Industrial Crops and Products, 219, 119082. doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119082.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2024 Citation: Brandhorst, Joseph R.D., Wesley, Tad L., Phippen, Winthrop B. (2024). Evaluating germination rates for short- and long-term storage methods of pennycress seed. Industrial Crops and Products. (In Review).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Forcella, Frank, Ellarson, R., Gesch, Russ W., Hard, Alex, Heller, Nicholas, Jandricic, S., Marks, Michael D., Mohammed, Yesuf, Perry, William, Phippen, Winthrop, Roberts, Lucas, Wells, Samantha S., Wesley, Tad, & Zhang, Julia. (2024). Flowers of black-seeded and yellow-seeded oilseed pennycress (Thlaspi arvense): abundance, timing, and potential pollinator visits. (Submitted: The Great Lakes Entomologist).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Knowles, Marley & Heller, Nicholas. (2024, July 30-31). SCN and pennycress [Poster presentation]. IPREFER Year 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Mackey, K., Heller, Nicholas, Rhykerd, Rob, Perry, William, Wesley, Tad, John, Phippen, Winthrop, & Sedbrook, John. (2024, November 10-13). Cover crops impact soil fertility. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX, United States.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Forcella Frank, Sheik Elinor, & Ellarson, Riley. (2024, July 30). Insects as potential pollinators of pennycress. IPREFER Year 5 Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, United States.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Hagaman, Matthew. (2024, October 2). Plants v. Profits: Learning about soil health through an innovative board game. 2024 NC-AAAE Poster Session Proceedings.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gesch, Russ. (2024). Economic evaluation of integrating pennycress into corn-soybean rotations. (Under review, The Agronomy Journal).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sun, Xiao, Broadman, Kristin, Marks, David, Wyse, Donald L. & Hu, Bo. (2023). Fungal Bioprocessing to Improve Quality of Pennycress Meal as a Potential Feeding Ingredient for Monogastric Animals. Fermentation, 9, 732. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080732.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Winfield,DeMichael D., Dunn, Robert O., Winkler-Moser, Jill K., Cermak, Steven C., Marks, David M. (2024). Characterization, physical properties, and potential industrial applications of high oleic pennycress oil. Industrial Crops & Products, 210, 1118095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.118095
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rocha, Leonardo. Improving the Management of the Soybean Cyst Nematode (*Heterodera Glycines* Ichinohe): From Field Practices to Next-generation Sequencing Approaches. [Doctoral dissertation, Southern Illinois University]. 2024. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/2063/.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Zhang, Julia, Greatens, Nicholas, Arenz, Brett, Flynn, Jennifer, & Anderson, James. (2024). First report of powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum on field pennycress (Thalaspi-arvense) in North America. Plant Disease. [Manuscript submitted for publication on May 5, 2024].


Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience: Our 2023 target audiences included Midwestern agricultural producers, with a focus on farmers interested in adding a winter cover crop to their existing crop rotations, current soybean producers, and various bioeconomy stakeholders. We also targeted the following groups: Undergraduate Students. We recruited 13 undergraduate students throughout the Midwest and beyond to participate in our 2023 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience. Academic Researchers. IPREFER researchers discussed IPREFER project research activity and findings in numerous meetings with academic colleagues and others. Extension and Education Communities of Practice. IPREFER personnel met with Midwestern education and extension personnel in formal and informal settings. Interested Public. Through in-person and virtual field days, a website, a social media accout and a dedicated IPREFER YouTube channel, we provided information on pennycress agronomic management, breeding/genetics, and the developing supply chain. Changes/Problems:With the many restrictions during the COVID pandemic, many of our partner institutions' proposedtravel, outreach, and research activities could not be held as planned.This reduced the number of field day events the program was involved in. We held virtual annual meetings in 2020 and 2021. Overall, the pandemic did not halt professional interactions but made them more challenging to schedule, host, and hold. All of our partner institutions had COVID policies that restricted our ability to be on campus for varying periods. This resulted in a different expenditure pattern than we had initially anticipated. The virtual activity reduced costs and, in some instances, improved efficiencies. We have pooled and reallocated unused funds from years 1-4 to help support ongoing projects in each of the project areas. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate Research Summer Internship. We hosted the 4th cohort of undergraduate interns from late May 2023 through the August 2023 Year 4 Annual Meeting. We recruited 13 students from throughout the US (FL -1, IL - 1, MN - 4, MO - 2; NY - 1, RI - 1, SD - 1, TX - 1, VT - 1). The interns were placed at CoverCress, INC. (2), Minnesota Agricultural Research Institute (1), Ohio State University (1), University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (4), USDA-ARS (1), and Western Illinois University (3). The students were able to present their work to the entire team at the Annual Meeting. Year 4 Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting provided significant opportunities for professional development for all IPREFER participants as attendance was high (Advisory Board members, collaborators, graduate students, and undergraduate interns). In addition, IPREFER invited collaborators from the DOE-funded IPReP project ("Using natural and induced variation in pennycress to improve abiotic stress tolerance and oilseed bioenergy crop resilience") to attend the meeting. This allowed for significant interactions between IPREFER and IPReP personnel, 2 leading pennycress research groups. Project graduate students and postdocs were provided significant opportunities to present their work in professional settings throughout the year (society meetings and academic presentations). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Academic Communities. IPREFER collaborators have published their work in academic journals and have attended and presented project findings and updates at numerous professional meetings, seminars, and classroom presentations. Public Events Illinois State University Cover Crop Fied Day - April 21, 2023, ISU Research Farm, Lexington, IL. IPREFER collaborators organized a no-cost event to share the latest IPRFER information about pennycress (see flyer). The event included cover crop field tours followed by guided discussions and presentations focused on: Cover crop implementation successes and challenges, and Increasing farm profits, carbon credits, and ecosystem services. Western Illinois University 2023 Pennycress Field Day - May 25, 2023, WIU Agricultural Field Laboratory The focus was introducing the new winter annual crop "Field Pennycress" to local producers. IPREFER researchers and industry representatives discussed pennycress from the perspective of a unique short-season crop. Field tours were followed by a discussion of IPREFER's 2022 research findings. Additional Public Events 100,000 attendees were introduced to pennycress and related crops across the 3-day Farm Science Review Event at OSU in August 2022. 1,170 youth were engaged in hands-on pennycress activities at Illinois state and county fairs. 140 high school students and staff were introduced to pennycress, agricultural research, and related careers at the University of Minnesota. 20 high school students and 15 science teachers were engaged in similar programs at Illinois State University and Ohio State University. Nearly 60 faculty, students, and staff engaged in accessible curriculum for blind and low-vision students through a collaboration between Illinois State University's SED 365 course (Advanced Assist Technology For Individuals With Visual Impairment) and ISU's Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Blind and low-vision guides created by Dr. Natalie Shaheen and her students will be made available alongside the 4-H Cover Crop Science Project Book once the peer-review process is complete. Farming Communities. We also worked with 89 farmers who planted pennycress in the Fall of 2022, learning firsthand how to seed CoverCressTM across 8,000 acres. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?PROJECT GOVERNANCE Conduct an in-person Year 5 annual meeting hosted by Illinois State University (July 29-31, 2024). Continue monthly leadership team and quarterly advisory board meetings. Attend Objective Team monthly meetings. Recruit students and mentors for the summer 2024 Undergraduate Internship Program. Work with UMN to complete Data Management activities for all working teams. Continue to expand project and pennycress press and social media coverage. ONGOING ACTIVITIES Agronomy/Crop Management Corn Relative Maturity. The team will continue investigating the trade-off between corn grain yield and maturity by assessing varieties differing in relative maturity in OH, MN, and IL. We will conclude field activities, submit a nearly complete manuscript, and prepare a new publication focused on the economics of CRM data. Corn Residue Management. This study will continue investigating the challenges of establishing pennycress in no-till fields due to excessive corn residue. We will focus on data compilation and analysis of harvested soybean data for Residue Management Version II. We will continue working on a manuscript. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. Work continues on two manuscripts. We will prepare a third manuscript. Tools for Integrated Weed Management. We will focus on objective studies assessing the risk of carryover from common soybean herbicides and multi-active ingredient pre-mixtures on golden pennycress and pennycress growth and development in response to spring-applied herbicides. Soybean Cyst Nematode We will be investigating producer perceptions of soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Researchers will document how pennycress has impacted the presence of SCN in fields with varying rotations over many years to help elucidate the role that pennycress plays in soybean pest cycles. Breeding & Genetics Breeding Soybeans for Intercropping with PC. We will continue data analysis and manuscript preparation and continue field research activities. Graduate student Lucas Roberts will present a research poster about our experiments at the 2023 American Society of Agronomy annual meeting. We will expand the sequencing of the newly stacked genes in the current breeding lines and introduce genotyping of the segregation lines to the breeding program for selection. Utilize marker-assisted selection and CRISPR gene editing to complete introgression of these traits into elite breeding lines. Extend our replicated yield testing program to a cooperative regional program and rapidly identify the best lines for each Midwest location (IL, MN, OH, WI) in conjunction with commercial launch. Perform field evaluations and seed increases of lines with commercial potential. Develop additional genetic/genomic resources for long-term breeding program success. Pennycress Ecosystem Services The Ecosystems Services Objective will strengthen the current work on SCN by studying the impact of pennycress on SCN lifecycles in Illinois. We will also continue our work on pollinators and honeybees, Nutrient Sequestration (Soil Porewater and Soil Fertility, and Subsurface Drainage), and Soil Carbon Sequestration. Supply Chain Development Research Activities Hexane extract oil from pennycress seed at pilot scale to produce low-fat meal comparable to soybean meal. We plan to identify feeding trials with seed or hexane-extracted meal as part of the feed ration. Pelleting hexane-extracted meal for process development and possible feed utilization. AURI's long-term storage study for oil and seed will begin in Year 5. Conduct a seed production planning meeting with dedicated seed partners. Outreach, Extension, and Education. The Outreach, Extension & Education Objective will complete a survey of 500 participants in the central Illinois pennycress commercialization zone. The goal is to understand better producers' perceptions of cover crops and the benefits and risks associated with planting cover crops. We will design a marketing plan to broadly disseminate the 4-H Cover Crop Science Project Book and its accompanying Educator's Guide.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Governance. We continued conducting weekly meetings with the program manager, monthly meetings with the Executive Leadership Team, and quarterly meetings with the Advisory Board. In collaboration with project collaborators at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, the program manager has organized our Year 4 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. We will pilot a new format for the annual meeting designed to encourage and facilitate interaction between meeting participants. We initiated and completed Year 5 contracts with sub-award institutions. Current spending rates have picked up after being slowed due to COVID-19 limiting educational programming, hiring staff, and traveling at most institutions. Agronomy / Crop Management Yield Trade-off Leveraging Corn Relative Maturity and Desiccants. We investigated the trade-off between corn grain yield and maturity by assessing varieties differing in relative maturity in OH, MN, and IL. Activities included harvesting double-crop soybeans, processing samples, compiling data, and preparing a manuscript. Corn Residue Management. We addressed challenges in establishing pennycress in no-till fields due to excessive corn residue. Pennycress establishment and seed yield were compared under various corn residue treatments. The team successfully harvested soybeans at all locations. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. We focused on seed treatment to improve pennycress performance. We are preparing three manuscripts. Tools for Integrated Weed Management. The study involved greenhouse herbicide bioassays and field studies to assess herbicide carryover and its impact on pennycress. Greenhouse bioassay data analysis has been initiated in completion in Year 5. Soybean Varieties Adapted to Pennycress Intercropping Systems. We continued to identify soybean varieties suitable for intercropping with pennycress. Imaging of soybean plants and quantifying seed quality were completed. A manuscript is in preparation. Evaluating Agronomic and Economic Performance of Pennycress. We continued evaluating pennycress performance in regionally adapted cropping systems. Fall establishment data was collected for Year 5 assessments. Pennycress Seeding Date Trial using the Golden Pennycress. We evaluated golden pennycress seeding dates and collected plant density and green cover data. Breeding and Genetics Greenhouse Nitrogen and Sulfur Trials We evaluated combinations of nitrogen and sulfur on potted golden pennycress plants in the greenhouse. Plants were evaluated for total plant height, height of first pod, number of tillers, stem branches, and floral branches, along with seed characteristics of seed size, circularity, density, total seed yield, moisture, and total oil content. Increasing nitrogen applications significantly affected total biomass and seed yield and only a slight decreasing trend in total seed oil content. Sulfur rates had no effect on any of the plant and seed characteristics taken. Controlled crosses. Conducted controlled crosses in the greenhouse for the introgression of the tt8 gene into selected wild winter lines to increase seed size, seed oil content, rosette diameter, and increase the number of seeds per pod. Greenhouse Seed Increase. Increase seed volumes for the previous year's crosses. Also, increased seed volumes for breeding lines and wild populations to generate seed for field trails in YR 5. Lines were evaluated for total plant height, height of first pod, number of tillers, stem branches, floral branches, along with seed characteristics of seed size, circularity, density, total seed yield, moisture and total oil content, seed density, and shape characteristics, oil constituents, and glucosinolate levels in seed. Breeding Line Trials. 28 winter varieties were replicated in field plots. Evaluations were done throughout the growing season to determine germination rate, rosette size, date of first flower, pod height, plant height, maturity date, yield, total oil content and moisture, seed density and shape characteristics, oil constituents, and glucosinolate levels in seed. Glucosinolate Levels in Seed and Roots. Developed a quick and cost-effective wet chemistry method to evaluate the glucosinolate levels (Sinigrin) in pennycress seed. With variable seed coat colors, a new method was needed to evaluate sinigrin levels in seed that would not be impacted by seed coat color. The current method of NIR is influenced by seed coat color and thickness. We are also developing a method to determine sinigrin levels in roots, which could be useful for understanding microbiomes and root disease resistance. Bulk Seed Increase. Seed increase plots were planted for tt8-t/ARV1. WIU increased 2,000 lbs. of tt8-t/ARV1 to supply next year's agronomic and supply chain studies. Pennycress Ecosystem Services Cover crop benefits include reductions in weeds, erosion, nitrogen (N) loss, and pest species while improving soil fertility, soil organic matter (SOM), and pollinator resources. We have examined how pennycress affects many of these components. Our results suggest pennycress has similar responses to other cover crops and, if implemented widely, would meet the EPA goals of nutrient loss reduction while also providing many other ecosystem benefits without affecting pest species such as soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Effects of Pennycress on SCN. In field microplots and small plot field trials, pennycress was a host for SCN. However, the number of females that develop on pennycress and the fecundity of SCN was significantly lower than observed in soybean. In the literature, once soil temperatures reach 13.9 °C, SCN juveniles are prevented from becoming adults and reproducing. Research is lacking if these juveniles can continue developing once temperatures exceed 13.9 °C. This question has emerged due to the interest in pennycress, cover crops, or controlling winter annual weed hosts. Further research is needed to determine what happens to juveniles that invade pennycress in the fall and during fluctuating soil temperatures in the spring. Pennycress could act as a trap crop for several cycles of invasion during the fall and spring. Pollinators and Pennycress. Pollinator use of pennycress is extensive, with many bees and flies visiting pennycress but are affected by surrounding land use. Pollinator diversity is high on pennycress, with 28 species of bees and 50 species of flies found. Large numbers of 2 fly families that prey on soybean aphid were found, but one family whose larvae feed on seeds and seedlings was found. Pennycress attractiveness was also affected by the genetically edited line with gold-seeded tt2 preferred, suggesting a difference in lines. Supply Chain Development. We continued our focus on research and activities that ultimately serve to enable a variety of pathways for pennycress/CoverCress™ commercialization. Objective contributors have compiled a diverse list of significant research and commercial topics: Alternative Markets Plant-Based Lubricants vs Synthetic Lubricants Bioproducts Fertilizers Anaerobic Digestion Pennycress Meal Markets: End-Use & Competition Life Cycle Assessment - Winter Cover Crops Value Creation - Feed Values of Pennycress Operational SOPs - Cleaning & Dehulling of Pennycress We continue investigating regulatory processes and approvals, focusing on managing timelines: GRAS, AAFCO, RFS/RIN, etc. Outreach, Extension, Education The 4-H Cover Crop Science Project Book and its accompanying Educator's Guide are currently undergoing national 4-H peer review. A variety of lab experiences and other agriscience curricular materials are available through Ohio State University's Ag in the Classroom web page. Resources include pennycress staging, seed depth, and dormancy labs, as well as a seed treatment case study.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Roberts, Lucas. Battle of the Oilseeds: Allelopathy Tolerance in a Soybean Pennycress Intercropping System. (Poster). World Food Prize Graduate Student Posters. Des Moines, IA, Oct. 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Phippen, Win J., John Sedbrook & W.David Marks. Advancements in breeding pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) as a sustainable feed and fuel source. Bajwa, D.S. and M.T. Berti Eds. 2022. Integrating technology with industrial crops and their products for a sustainable bioeconomy. 33rd Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Program and Abstracts. Bozeman, MT, Oct. 9-12, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Phippen, Mary & Win Phippen. Development of a rapid assay for total glucosinolate content in Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) seed by measurement of enzymatically released glucose using a blood glucose meter and test strips. (Poster) Integrating technology with industrial crops and their products for a sustainable bioeconomy. 33rd Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Program and Abstracts. Bozeman, MT, Oct. 9-12.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Developing pennycress into an oilseed cash cover crop named CoverCress. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Plant Science Innovation. Lincoln, NE, Oct. 26, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Developing pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) into an oilseed cash cover crop named CoverCress. BloNo Interfaith Green Team Speaker Series / Seminar and question/answer session. Normal, IL, Nov. 3, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carlock, Hannah, G., Mark L. Bernards, Tad L. Wesley & Winthrop B. Phippen. (2022). Intercropping soybean and corn into golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 7, 2022. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/144173.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mohammed, Yesuf, Russell W. Gesch, Samantha S. Wells, Nicholas Heller, Alex Lindsey & Winthrop B. Phippen. (2022). Corn Hybrid Evaluation to Facilitate Early Pennycress Establishment and Enhance Soybean Double Cropping in the Midwest. [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 8, 2022. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/143563.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Heller, Nicholas, Alex Lindsey, Mark L. Bernards, Winthrop B. Phippen, Yesuf Mohammed, Samantha S. Wells, Alexander Hard, Russell Gesch, Rashmi Dangol & Bethany Wohrley. (2022). Black-Seeded and Golden Pennycress after Silage and Grain Corn. [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 8, 2022. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/143379
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Wesley, Tad L., & Winthrop Phippen. (2022) Use of Gibberellic Acid to Improve Fall Stand Establishment of Oil Seed Pennycress as a Cash Cover Crop. [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 9, 2022. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/142977.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bernards, Mark. L. (2022). Golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) response to simulated herbicide carryover. [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Nov. 9, 2022. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/146085.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Progress towards the domestication of pennycress in the US Midwest. (Online Seminar). USDA ARS, Peoria, IL, USDA ARS. Dec. 1, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Duarte, Claudia J. Brent S. Heaton & Mark L. Bernards. (2022). Golden pennycress response to simulated carryover of Group 14 soybean herbicides. North Central Weed Science Society Proceedings 77:76. St. Louis, MO. Dec. 1, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bernards, Mark. L. & Brent S. Heaton. (2022). Fitting pennycress grown as a cash cover crop into a corn and soybean rotation  herbicide considerations. North Central Weed Science Society Proceedings 77:192. St. Louis, MO. Dec. 1, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Developing pennycress into the oilseed cash cover crop named CoverCress. (Seminar). Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden, Dec. 9, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: OFlaherty (Undergraduate Student). Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) seed size mutants affect oil accumulation differently. Symposium Poster Presentation, Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium, Normal, IL, Mar. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Developing Future Oilseed Systems: Characterizing Soybean Traits Relevant for Pennycress Intercropping. [Poster]. Plant & Animal Genome Conference, San Diego, CA. Jan. 8-12, 2023. https://pag.confex.com/pag/xxix/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/44275
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sedbrook, John C. Progress toward commercialization of the new oilseed crop, domesticated pennycress (aka CoverCress). Conference Poster, Gordon Research Conference on Plant Lipids, Galveston, TX, Feb. 1, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gautam, Liza (Graduate Student). Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) seed size mutants affect seed oil accumulation differently. Conference Poster, Gordon Research Conference on Plant Lipids, Galveston, TX, Feb. 1, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Phippen, Win. Pennycress-development and opportunities. Invited speaker, Agtech Connect. Feb. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sedbrook, John C. Rapidly domesticating pennycress into an oilseed cash cover crop by leveraging decades of plant research. Seminar, USDA AG2PI Virtual Field Day, Online Presentation, Mar. 15, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kiam Assato, Carol K. (Graduate Student). Interrogating drought resilience in the winter oilseed crop pennycress. Symposium Poster Presentation: Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium, Normal, IL, Mar. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Roberts, Lucas (Graduate Student). IPREFER Q3 Research Poster, SELECT EXPERIMENT. University of Minnesotas College of Food, Agricultural, & Natural Resource Sciences Research Symposium, St. Paul, MN, Mar. 16, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gautam, Liza (Graduate Student). Improving pennycress seed glucosinolate, seed size, and seed oil domestication traits. Symposium Oral Presentation, Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium, Normal, IL, Mar. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Roberts, Lucas. (Graduate Student). Summary: Three years of the IPREFER SELECT experiment. UMN Forever Green Initiative, St. Paul, MN, Mar. 24, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jaikumar, Nikhil (PostDoc). Resilience under Heat Stress in Natural Variants and CRISPR Gene-Edited High Oleic Acid Lines of the Oilseed Plant Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). Symposium Poster Presentation: Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium, Normal, IL, Mar. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bayliss, R. (Undergraduate Student). Decreasing glucosinolate content in oilseed plant pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). Symposium Poster Presentation, Illinois State University Phi Sigma Research Symposium, Normal, IL, Mar. 24, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Lindsey, Alex, Nasib Koirala. D. Barker, Russ Gesch, Yesuf Mohammed, Nicholas Heller, Alex Hard, Samantha Wells, Win Phippen, & Pamela Tas. 2023. Seed pelleting did not improve fall establishment of oilseed pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). [Poster]. ICR23  Innovations in Climate Resilience: Battelle Conference, Columbus, OH, Mar. 28, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Zhang, Julia, X. (2023). Winter pennycress breeding. A presentation to the MN Senate Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee and MN House Agriculture Finance & Policy Committee. Forever Green Initiative Tour, St. Paul, MN, Apr. 5, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Phippen, Win. 2023. Domesticated Pennycress; a new, climate-smart renewable fuel feedstock. Invited speaker for USDA Personnel at Clean Fuels Alliance America. Online Presentation, Apr. 12, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sedbrook, John C. Understanding and Improving Abiotic Stress Resilience in Pennycress, an Emerging Oilseed Cash Cover Crop. Conference Oral Presentation, DOE GSP Annual PI Meeting, Bethesda, MD, Apr. 18, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Marks, M.David. (2023). Pennycress domestication and breeding. A presentation to the MN Clean Water Council, Forever Green Initiative Meeting & Field Day, St. Paul, MN, May 15, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Meyer, Ryan T., Nicholas J. Heller, William L. Perry. 2023. Potential of the Novel Winter Cash Crop Pennycress to Reduce Nutrient Loss From Subsurface Drainage in Agriculture. Society for Freshwater Science, Brisbane, Australia, May 17, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gautam, Liza (Graduate Student). Improving pennycress seed glucosinolate, sed size, and seed oil domestication traits. Conference Oral Presentation, American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwest Meeting, Ames, IA, Apr. 23, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sedbrook, John. 2023. Developing Field Pennycress into the new oilseed cash cover crop named CoverCress. Oral presentation. American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) Meeting & Expo, Denver, CO, May 2, 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sedbrook, John. 2023. Agricultural Biotechnology Innovations Leading Change Around the Globe. Example: Domesticated Pennycress. Symposium Oral Presentation. Early Career and Innovative Start-ups Symposium. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting, July 29, 2023
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gautam, Liza. 2023. Improving pennycress seed glucosinolate, seed size, and seed oil domestication traits. Symposium Oral Presentation & Poster Presentation: Early Career and Innovative Start-ups Symposium. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting, July 29, 2023.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Forcella, Frank, Zachary M. Portman, Samantha S. Wells, William Perry, Russ Gesch, Cody Hoerning, Tad Wesley & Winthrop B. Phippen. (2023). Abundance and diversity of bees visiting flowering pennycress, a new oilseed crop in the midwestern USA. The Great Lakes Entomologist 56 (1):99-107. https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol56/iss1/13/
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Al Sulaimi, Rawan, Ali Macknojia, Mohammad Eskandari, Asghaar Shirani, Barsanti Gautam, Wonkeun Park, Payton Whitehead, Ana Paula Alonso, John C. Sedbrook, Kent D. Chapman, Diana Berman, 2023. Evaluating the Effects of Very Long Chain and Hydroxy Fatty Acid Content on Tribological Performance and Thermal Oxidation Behavior of Plant-Based Lubricants. Tribology International, p.108576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2023.108576
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Phippen, Win & Tad L. Wesley. Advances in pennycress breeding in a southern breeding program at WIU. (Poster). USDA-CAP- IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Yang, Liangcheng, Lucas D. Lamont, John C. Sedbrook, Nicholas J. Heller and David E. Kopsell. (2022) Anaerobic Digestion of Cereal Rye Cover Crop. Fermentation 8(11):617. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8110617.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Mohammed, Yesuf, Russ Gesch, Samantha Wells, Nicholas Heller, Alex Lindsey, Alexander Hard, Winthrop Phippen & Bethany Bedeker. 2023. Yield tradeoffs of early corn harvest to enhance pennycress establishment. Agron. J. 115:4 (May 5, 2023) 1762-1775. Doi: 10.1002/agj2.21370
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Meyer, Ryan T., Nicholas J. Heller, Robert L. Rhykerd, Alex W. Hafner & William L. Perry. 2023. Biomass, nitrogen, and carbon loss from the novel oilseed pennycress relative to annual ryegrass and cereal rye. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 9 (1) (Article Published online: 24 May 2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSearch?AllField=el+oilseed+pennycress+&SeriesKey=oafa20
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Koirala, Nasib, David J. Barker, Russ W. Gesch, Nicholas J. Heller, Alexander W. Hard, Samantha S. Wells, Winthrop B. Phippen, Alexander J. Lindsey. 2023. Seed pelleting and storage effects on germination of Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) Crop Sci. First published: 10 August 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21077. OPEN ACCESS
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Marchiafava, Danny, Shahriar Mahmud, Brice Jarvis, Win Phippen and John Sedbrook. Suppression of acetyl CO-A carboxylase regulatory gens BADC1, BADC2, and BADC3 using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to increase oil production in Thlaspi arvense) pennycress. (Poster). USDA-CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kelly, J., T.L. Wesley and W. Phippen. Effect of gibberellic acid treatment on wild and golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). (Poster). USDA-CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gautam, Liza, Win Phippen & John Sedbrook. Engineering larger seed size to domesticate pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). (Poster). USDA-CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Forcella, Frank, Russ Gesch, Alexander Hard, Cody Hoerning, Yesuf Mohammed, Bill Perry, Win Phippen, M. Peterson and Z. Portman. Ecosystem Services of Pennycress Production: Pollinators. (Poster). USDA-CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Exposito-Alonso, M. S. Rhee, D. Marks, R. Chopra, D. Nusinow, C. Topp, D. Jacobson, P. Handakumbura, W. Phippen, K. Sanguinet, A. Gschwend and J. Sedbrook. Interrogating pennycress natural and induced variation to improve abiotic stress tolerance and oilseed bioenergy crop resilience. (Poster). USDA- CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Brandhorst, Joseph, Tad L. Wesley, Mary E. Phippen and Win Phippen. Multi-state analysis of elite pennycress varieties. (Poster). USDA-CAP-IPREFER 3rd Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Aug. 2, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Phippen, Win. New Cash Cover Crop for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Illinois State University Energy for a Sustainable Future Seminar Series (a campus-wide and nationally posted virtual seminar). Invited inaugural speaker. Illinois State University, Sep. 21, 2022.


Progress 08/01/21 to 07/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Our 2022 target audiences included Midwestern agricultural producers, with a focus on farmers interested in adding a winter cover crop to their existing crop rotations, current soybean producers, and various bioeconomy stakeholders. We also targeted the following groups: Undergraduate Students. We recruited undergraduate students throughout the Midwest and beyond to participate in our 2022 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience. Academic Researchers. IPREFER researchers discussed IPREFER project research activity and findings in numerous meetings with academic colleagues and others. Extension and Education Communities of Practice. IPREFER personnel met with Midwestern education and extension personnel in formal and informal settings. Interested Public. Through in-person and virtual field days, along with a dedicated IPREFER YouTube channel, we provided information on pennycress agronomic management, breeding/genetics, and the developing supply chain. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic continued to limit in-person interaction during project year 3. However, we experienced far fewer interruptions in activities during the second half of 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate Summer Internship Program We hosted the 3rd year of our undergraduate internship program from late May to early August 2022. We were able to recruit 8 students despite the difficulties presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, we were able to post 3 interns with the EEO team, where the interns conducted educational research. Six of the 8 interns were female. Three interns were placed at Illinois State University; two were at Western Illinois University, two at the University of Minnesota, and one at CoverCress. The students attended weekly group meetings as a team. IPREFER collaborators, as well as industry and other academic professionals, presented at each of these meetings. All the interns will present their research at a poster session at the IPREFER annual meeting in August 2022. Graduate Students and Post Docs Throughout the past year, 19 graduate students and three postdocs participated in the IPREFER project. Five of these students completed their studies during project year 3. We were concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic limited graduate student participation in professional meetings. As a means of better integrating the students into the IPREFER project, we created a webpage dedicated to our graduate student, post-doc, and fellow cohort. This allowed students to share their personal stories, their research, their skill sets, and their professional aspirations. This effort was well received. IPReP (Using natural and induced variation in pennycress to improve abiotic stress tolerance and oilseed bioenergy crop resilience) is a DOE-funded PC headed by IPREFER CoPd John Sedbrook. IPREP project leadership and collaborators attended the IPREFER 2021 annual meeting, which allowed significant sharing of knowledge between PC researchers. IPREP will also attend the 2022 IPREFER Annual Meeting. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Academic Communities. IPREFER collaborators have published their work in academic journals and have attended and presented project findings and updates at numerous professional meetings. Popular Press. IPREFER team members and the project have been featured in farm community publications throughout the project's region and the Midwest. These articles are featured on the IPREFER website and shared via social media (Twitter & LinkedIn). We have hosted field days at Illinois State University and Western Illinois University. CoverCress has had extensive contact with growers at their field days, where IPREFER personnel has often participated. We shared information about the IPREF project at the annual NIFA CAP meeting (Kansas City, April 2022). Project Director Win Phippen gave an invited presentation on project management. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Governance Conduct an in-person Year 4 annual meeting hosted by the University of Minnesota (July 31-August 2, 2023). Complete evaluations of the Year 3 annual meeting and provide feedback to organizers, collaborators, and Advisory Board members. Continue monthly leadership team and quarterly advisory board meetings. Attend Objective Team monthly meetings. Recruit students and mentors for the summer 2023 Undergraduate Internship Program. Evaluate expansion of advisory board to include producers. Work with UMN to compete Data Management protocols for all working teams. Publish four issues of the internal project newsletter (The PennyPulse) Continue to expand press and social media coverage. Agronomic Management Corn Relative Maturity. We will continue to evaluate different CRM hybrids on PC establishment and yield and assess yield tradeoffs between corn and PC. Corn Residue Management. We will continue to develop BMPs for the fall transition from corn to PC. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. We will continue to study how to improve PC germination and establishment using seed treatments. Breeding Soybeans for Intercropping with PC. 1) We will determine the extent of cropping system-by-variety interactions in soybean germplasm adapted to the Upper Midwest; 2) Identify traits that may be important for adapting soybeans to a PC intercropping system that can be selected in a monoculture system. Pennycress Sensitivity to Herbicide Carryover Update. We will continue to study the effects of residual corn herbicides on the growth and productivity of the following PC crop. Breeding and Genetics. Southern. We will continue to work on exploring genetic solutions for improving seed germination, stand establishment, early maturity, and harvestable yields. Northern We will continue to introgression of domestication traits in elite breeding lines. These lines will form the foundation of the UMN breeding program and will contribute to improved yields and increased stability under variable environmental conditions. We will perform replicated yield testing trials for the best lines identified from various breeding programs. We will continue testing and stacking in value-added traits, including higher total seed oil, larger seed size, and high oleic oil. We will continue to exploit the utility of the mutant gene index and other plant genetic material. We will test for the heritability of the phenotypic traits identified in year 4 within the mutant populations and natural crosses. Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services SCN Complete our second season of microplot research and publish the results from the first two years. Establish field sites at Belleville and Carbondale with golden seed PC. Pollinators Collect the second year of data comparing black-and golden-seeded PC attractiveness to pollinators. Collect the second year of data comparing honeybee hive strength for hives close to and distant from flowering PC fields during spring. Publish a manuscript about bee diversity and abundance associated with PC flowers. Complete the final draft of the manuscript about fly diversity and abundance associated with PC flowers. Carbon Sequestration Conduct an additional year of soil analyses. Begin a manuscript documenting changes after three years. Cover Crop Potential Complete manuscripts on nutrient immobilization and plan new experiments based on annual meeting feedback. Monitor PC establishment and effects on nutrients and weeds but emphasize collecting data on subsurface drainage. Change the N amendment to a rye cover crop, possibly allowing a direct comparison of PC to rye cover crops. Supply Chain Development CoverCress will engage with industry stakeholders and regulatory agencies to secure final approvals for CoverCressTM commercialization. CoverCress will complete the build-out of its digital agronomic and business systems to provide a pathway for commercial realization. CoverCress will increase growth targets for participating farmers, commercial acres, and yield expectations. AURI and CoverCress will continue to perform long-term studies for storage, stability, and treatment of seed, grain, oil, and meal The Supply Chain team will continue to share best practices for developing pathways and enablers for the commercialization of PC and CoverCressTM. Education, Extension, and Outreach Obtain national 4-H adoption of the Cover Crop Science project book in the fall of 2022. Offer a Youth Field Day, "Engaging Youth in Sustainable Cropping System Development," in September 2022. Host additional field days in 2023. Revise the field day evaluation form to gather data about more specific learning outcomes from field days. Host the interns from the fourth cohort of the IPREFER IUndergraduate Internship program. Host another table at the 2022 Illinois State Fair. Publish implementation guides for the Cover Crop Science project book for formal and informal learning spaces.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Governance Content added to the program website, including pieces on summer interns, recent publications, field day programs, and education videos. Continued conducting weekly meetings with the program manager and monthly meetings with the Executive Leadership Team and quarterly meetings with the Advisory Board. Initiated and completed Year 4 contracts with sub-award institutions. Current spending rates have been slow due to COVID-19 limiting educational programming, hiring staff, and traveling at most institutions. The program manager, in collaboration with CoverCress staff organized our first in-person annual meeting (July 31- August 2, 2022) hosted by COverCress at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. Agronomic Management Corn Relative Maturity (CRM). We evaluated different CRM hybrids on PC establishment and yield and assessed yield tradeoffs between corn and PC and productivity of double-crop soybean. Results showed that earlier corn harvest facilitated by earlier CRMs led to timely PC planting that improved fall stand establishment. Corn Residue Management. We are assessing BMPs in the fall transition from corn to PC. We found none of the methods of managing corn residue were effective at improving PC establishment except for removing the residue altogether. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. This study focused on improving germination and establishment using seed treatments, including seed pelleting. Seed pelleting did improve germination characteristics. Still, those benefits diminished when storage exceeded3 months, eventually leading to loss of seed vigor and germination compared to non-pelleted treatments. Breeding Soybeans for Intercropping with PC. Study goals are to determine the extent of cropping system-by-variety interactions in soybean germplasm adapted to the Upper Midwest; 2) Identify traits that may be important for adapting soybeans to a PC intercropping system that can be selected in a monoculture system. Current key findings include a strong cropping system-by-variety interaction and the finding that traits such as maturity and plant height drive yield more in the intercropping treatment compared to the monoculture treatment. Pennycress Sensitivity to Herbicide Carryover Update. The crop rotation proposed for PC is to follow corn and precede soybean. Residual herbicides provide more consistent weed control in corn but may impact the growth and productivity of the following PC crop. In field studies conducted over 3 different years (Macomb IL) no herbicides applied at 1X/2X rates in corn reduced the yield of the following PC crop compared to the control (no residual herbicide) treatment. Based on current labeling, many herbicides don't allow for PC planting following corn. Widespread PC planting will require herbicide registrants to develop the data to allow the use of residual herbicides in the crop preceding PC. Breeding and Genetics Northern Developing Germplasm. We have successfully developed germplasm using mutagenesis and natural germplasm. Sequencing Support. Our team successfully led the sequencing support granted by JGI. Overcoming Lodging Issues. To overcome PC lodging issues, we are developing semi-dwarf lines. To understand semi-dwarf standability, we performed experiments with the wild-type and a semi-dwarf line along with different nitrogen regimes. PC yields are positively correlated with nitrogen rates, but lodging was severe in the wild type. However, the semi-dwarf PC line did not lodge even with high nitrogen application rates. Improving Establishment. PC establishment can be improved using the yellow-seed trait. We created lines with key domestication traits, which we will evaluate forcommercialization potential over the next few years. Southern. We collected growth data on plants (field plots) with various genotypes (single CRISPR-induced mutations and combinations), including those conferring reduced glucosinolate, reduced dormancy, better stand establishment, larger seed size, higher total seed oil, along with natural populations. Some plant lines with poor seed set in growth chambers performed well in the field. A few plant lines that appeared indistinguishable from wild type in growth chambers matured later than wild type in the field. We made good progress in stacking new genetic combinations aimed at attaining target glucosinolate levels in combination with other core domestication traits. We completed 8 location grow outs (IL, OH, WI, MN) of top 10 breeding lines, including 3 CoverCresscommercial varieties. All 3 commercial Lines outperformed all lines at all locations. Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services Soybean Cyst Nematode. Completed first microplot in 2021, which showed that PC allowed SCN invasion and reproduction, but the number of eggs/cyst were much lower than observed on hosts like soybean. Pollinators. We submitted a manuscript on bee abundance and diversity associated with flowering crops of black-seeded PC and wrote the first draft of a manuscript describing fly abundance and diversity associated with flowering crops of black-seeded PC. We initiated comparisons of insect (pollinator) abundance/diversity between black-seeded PC and newly bred golden-seeded PC. Cover Crop Potential. PC shows potential as a cover crop by: Reducing weed biomass by over 50% Immobilizing nitrate in soils by nearly >45 % and soil porewater by >75% while not affecting ammonia or phosphorus. Reducing export of subsurface drainage water by >75 % and dissolved nitrates by 50% Carbon Sequestration. Carbon accumulation in the top 3 cm is increasing significantly after 3 years under PC and is comparable to Pea Clover Radish Oat and Rye. We collected soil cores in the fall and spring. Fall cores are processed, and spring work is ongoing. Supply Chain Development AURI's business development meetings include a Minneapolis-based oilseed processor, a global animal/pet care company, Millborn Seeds, and the Regenerative Ag Alliance to discuss new opportunities for pennycress oilseed projects. CoverCress, Inc.: Raised $26 million ( Series C-1 investment round) Announced a farm-to-fuel agreement with Bunge and Chevron Partnered with a large poultry integrator to confirm safety and palatability in broiler chickens (4% inclusion rate) Raised significant crop awareness (multiple industry conferences, media appearances, and stakeholder engagements) Education, Extension, and Outreach 77 youth across Illinois showed cover crop projects in county fairs in 2022. The 3rd cohort of Iundergrad interns was hosted across the project, with 8 interns, 3 of which conducted educational research with the EEO team. A former IPREFER intern, mentored by A. Lindsey, published a staging guide in Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Management. Research conducted within the context of the internship fosters an understanding of how interdisciplinary competence develops during mentored research experiences. Hosted a table at the 2021 Illinois State Fair's STEM Playground, allowing us to introduce PC to a statewide audience, including state legislators. In the fall of 2021, IL Extension educators were trained on the Cover Crop Science project book. Winter virtual meetings reached 240 farmers. Field days held throughout central Illinois and Missouri reached over 80 farmers. The PC staging guide was converted to a ppt file for classroom use.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Koirala, Nasib, David Barker, Carin A. Helfer, Winthrop B. Phippen, Nicholas Heller, Alexander W. Hard, Wells, Samantha & Alexander J. Lindsey. A process to enhance germination of a wild pennycress variety. 2022. Seed Science & Technology, Vol. 50 (2), August 2022, 195-205(11). https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2022.50.2.03. OPEN ACCESS
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Nunn, Adam, Isaac Rodr�guez-Ar�valo, Zenith Tandukar, Katherine Frels, Adri�n Contreras-Garrido, Pablo Carbonell-Bejerano, Panpan Zhang, Daniela Ramos-Cruz, Katharina Jandrasits, Christa Lanz, Anthony Brusa, Marie Mirouze, Kevin Dorn, Brice Jarvis, John Sedbrook, Donald L. Wyse, Christian Otto, David Langenberger, Peter F. Stadler, Detlef Weigel, M. David Marks, James A. Anderson, Claude Becker & Ratan Chopra (corresponding author). 2022. Chromosome-level Thlaspi arvense genome provides new tools for translational research and for a newly domesticated cash cover crop of the cooler climates. Plant Biotechnology. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13775. OPEN ACCESS
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Tandukar, Zenith, Ratan Chopra, Katherine Frels, Brett Heim, M.David Marks & James A. Anderson. 2022. Genetic dissection of seed characteristics in field pennycress via genome-wide association mapping studies. The Plant Genome, 00, e20211. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20211.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Verhoff, Kyle, Win Phippen, Nicholas Heller, Alex Lindsey. 2022. Winter-type oilseed pennycress crop staging guide. Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass, 8, e20165. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20165
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Ott Matthew A., G. Gardner, Krishna M. Rai, D.L. Wyse, M.David Marks & Ratan Chopra. (2021). TRANSPARENT TESTA 2 allele confers major reduction in pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) seed dormancy. Industrial Crops & Products. 174, 114216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.114216 OPEN ACCESS
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Phippen W. B., R. Rhykerd, J. C. Sedbrook, C. Handel, and S. Csonka. 2022. From Farm to Flight: CoverCress as a Low Carbon Intensity Cash Cover Crop for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production. A Review of Progress Towards Commercialization. Frontiers in Energy Research 10:1-11. Doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2022.793776
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2022 Citation: Forcella Frank, Z.M. Portman, Samantha S. Wells, William Perry, Russ Gesch, Cody Hoerning, T. Wesley, Alex Hard & Win Phippen. 2022. Bees visiting flowering pennycress, a new oilseed crop. (In review).


Progress 08/01/20 to 07/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences in 2021 included Midwestern agricultural producers, especially current soybean producers and producers interested in adding a winter cover crop to their rotations, and bioeconomy stakeholders. We have also targeted the following groups: Undergraduate Students. We recruited undergraduate students throughout the Midwest to participate in our 2021 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience. Academic Researchers. IPREFER researchers discussed IPREFER project research activity and findings in numerous meetings with academic colleagues and others. Extension and Education Communities of Practice. IPREFER personnel met with Midwestern education and extension personnel in formal and informal settings. Interested Public. Through the use of virtual field days shared in real-time and through a dedicated IPREFER YouTube channel, we provided information on pennycress agronomic management, breeding/genetics, and supply chain management. We also reached the interested public through several articles in the agriculture press, the popular press, and participating university alumni publications. We were also able to keep Illinois elected representatives updated on project activities through field days and on-campus activities. Changes/Problems: COVID-19 Like all American institutions, our project partners have been affected by COVID-19/pandemic restrictions in the classroom and at in-person gatherings. While Western Illinois University, Illinois State University and our commercial partner CoverCress, Inc were able to host a number of in-person events, other institutions, the University of Minnesota relied primarily on virtual (web-based field days). These disruptions were manageable and we are on track to complete our five year project commitments. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?2020 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience (IPS-URE) We hosted the second year of our undergraduate nternship internship program from from late May to early August 2021. We increased the number of participants from 8 to 12 through more assertive recruiting of students and improved methods for recruiting project mentors. Three interns were female, and three interns were from groups tradditionally traditionally underepresented in STEM internships. We hosted four interns at the University of Minnesota, three at CoverCress, Inc. (St. Louis), two at Western Illinois University, and one each at Illinois State University and The Ohio State University. The students attended weekly group meetings as a team. IPREFER collaborators as well as industry and other academic professionals presented at each of these meetings. All the students presented their project results via their own five-minute lightning round video at the IPREFER annual meeting in August 2021. At the virtual annual meeting, the students participated in a panel discussion regarding their summer research experience. A WIU plant breeding student working on the iPREFER project was selected for participation in the 2022 WIU recruitment campaign. April 28, 2021 Graduate Students and Post Docs Throughout the past year, 16 graduate students and three postdocs participated in IPREFER. Three students graduate and two more graduate students are joining the program in AY 2022 as well as a visiting Fulbright Scholar from Egypt. These individuals have had multiple opportunities to grow professionally through participation in professional and project meetings where they were exposed to industry and other professionals. Graduate student Zenith Tandukar (University of Minnesota) was named a "Next Generation Scientist for Biodiesel." Education, Extension, and Outreach Objective Held meetings with MN 4H educators in Worthington, MN. Educators expressed interest in using educational materials and activities related to pennycress and cover crops in general. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. IPREFER collaborators have published their work in academic journals and have attended and presented project findings and updates at numerous professional meetings. Popular Press. IPREFER team members and the project itself have been featured in farm community publications throughout the project's region and the Midwest at large. Education, Extension, and Outreach Objective Held a pennycress research tour in Minnesota in mid-June 2021. Conducted hands-on activities at the 2021 Illinois State Fair's STEM Playground. Social Media. We also curate a YouTube channel and an IPREFER Twitter account to draw interested partiesto the IPREFER website and IPREFER publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Administration Year 3 - Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts Hold a virtual annual (all hands) meeting in St. Louis in August 2022. Continue to improve the IPS-URE internship based on what we have learned in the first two years of this program. Continue to monitor the data management activities. Continue to update and improve the project website. Attend USDA-NIFA CAP meetings in Kansas City in Spring 2022. Add a producer to the Advisory Board. 3.1 Agronomic Management Year 3 - Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts Yield Tradeoffs Leveraging CRM. We will completely duplicate of the CRM Study in 2021-2022, giving us astatistically robust enough data set to help determine the corn residue effect and make more informed management recommendations. Yield Tradeoffs Leveraging CRM. Earlier corn harvest (i.e., early CRMs) generally resulted in greater pennycress plant densities in the fall, indicating improved establishment. Fall establishment varied considerably across locations. Corn Residue Management. The corn for cycle 2 is growing, and we are preparing to compare black-seeded pennycress to golden pennycress in the corn residue management study, which will be planted this fall. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. We conducted two lab studies to assess seed treatments to improve germination of pennycress varieties, which currently is one of the major limitations for its commercialization. Treatment with GA before planting can increase germination for wild pennycress improved lines, though it may be less effective for golden pennycress lines. The third phase examining field establishment at 10 sites will use a subset of experiment 2 treatments --both a golden and wild pennycress line to expand current results. 3.2 Breeding and Genetics Northern Breeding -Year 3 Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts Continue to introgression of domestication traits in elite breeding lines. These lines will form the foundation of the UMN breeding program and will contribute to improved yields and increased stability under variable environmental conditions. Perform replicated yield testing trials for the best lines identified from various breeding programs. We plan to provide 4 lines - MN106, MN106(f/r/i), MN106(tt2-1) and MN17077-2. Continue testing and stacking in value-added traits, including higher total seed oil, larger seed size, and high oleic oil. Continue the development of the mutant gene index and other plant genetic material. Test for heritability of the phenotypic traits identified in Year 2 within the mutant populations and natural crosses. Southern Breeding - Year 3 - Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts We will continue work on the goals outlined above, along with exploring genetic solutions for improving seed germination at varying soil planting depths and reduced soil moisture. Activities may be constrained as we are back to wearing masks and social distancing in the lab due to the COVID delta variant. Everyone in the lab has gotten vaccinated, although breakthrough infections are causing some problems. bjective 3.3 Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services Year 3 - Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts Cover Crop Potential. To observe a response in many of the parameters we are measuring it takes up to 3-5 years to establish large enough stands of soil organic carbon. We also need to have better establishment of fall pennycress biomass that will bolt earlier in the spring to reduce nutrients and weeds earlier in the season. So, we will continue to monitor changes for the next two years. Continue cover crop rotation and estimation of yields and weed suppression with golden pennycress. Continue analysis of soil fertility and organic carbon content. Estimate pore water nutrient reductions with more robust fall germinated golden pennycress. Obtain nutrient loads and water loss estimates from pennycress and reference plots and potentially add sampling equipment for the N amended pennycress plots. Write manuscripts. Pollinators Finish analyses of pollinator diversity data from 2020 (Rosemount only) and 2021 (Lexington, Rosemount, & Morris). This includes: Estimate weather influences on both flower development and insect visitation. Examine taxonomic specificities of bees and flies by specialists. Write manuscripts. Continue honeybee pollen collection / hive strength experiment(s). Carbon Sequestration Continue to monitor fall and spring carbon sequestration. Objective 3.4 Supply Chain Development. Year 3Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts The team will provide Golden Grain Pennycress to Agronomy and Breeding as projects shifts to growing pennycress varieties with improved genetics. CoverCress, Inc. will feed CoverCress to broiler chickens to determine if and what grain treatments are necessary for inclusion in feed. AURI and CoverCress will continue to perform long term storage and treatment studies The Supply Chain Objective team will conduct additional economic modeling with trials carried out with multiple grain handling partners at scale. Objective 3.5 Education, Extension, and Outreach Year 3Planned Activities, Outcomes, and Impacts Complete national 4-H adoption of the Cover Crop Science project book. While this process is independent of Illinois adoption, we will gather further feedback from Illinois 4-H staff to aid us in national adoption. Engage 10-20 more 4-H clubs in hands-on activities and invite them to submit Cover Crop Science projects to 2022 4-H fairs. When youth choose to complete Cover Crop projects, we will provide support at every step of the research process. Host three or more Cover Crop Science SPecial INterest (SPIN) Clubs. This series of workshops will let us give youth insight into all the potential benefits of pennycress as a crop. Host Cohort #3 of the IPREFER IPS-URE program. We will continue to seek a more diverse cohort supporting a greater number of IPREFER objectives. Conduct hands-on activities at the 2022 Illinois State Fair's STEM Playground. This will be an ideal opportunity to introduce pennycress to a statewide audience, including state legislators. Collaborate with IPREFER leaders to make field day events family-friendly. By integrating activities for youth, we can encourage more farmers and members of the public to attend. Host hands-on workshops at two or more conferences for educators or professional symposia. By sharing stories of our success, we can disseminate our resources through third parties. Host a collection of native pennycress seed in collaboration with the Illinois Farm Bureau and other partners during Spring/Summer 2022. This work will let us support the work of the IPREFER breeding team while communicating the value of research conducted by IPREFER. Add material to the golden pennycress staging and management guides (Ohio State University). Conduct a field day in Ohio. Collaborate with IPREFER colleague Matthew Leiphon (AURI) regarding FFA interest in working with winter oilseed crops. Expand IPREFER 4-H efforts in Illinois to disseminate education materials to 4-H educators in Minnesota. Conduct evaluations of IPREFER field days.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Administration Held a virtual annual (all hands) meeting on Aug. 3-4, 2020. Continue to improve the project website. Continue monthly meetings with the Exec. Leadership and Advisory Board quarterly meetings. Worked with Purdue on land-use change assessments for CI scoring for biodiesel/ renewable fuels. Completed guidelines and descriptors for plant breeding and agronomy studies for depositing data in UMN data banks. IPREFER collaborators received two patents. Patent No. US 2021/0084936 A1. Mar. 25, 2021. Low Glucosinolate Pennycress Meal and Methods of Making and Patent No. US 10,709,151 B2. Jul. 14, 2020. Low Fiber Pennycress Meal and Methods of Making. Objective 3.1 Agronomic Management. Yield Tradeoffs Leveraging CRM. Earlier corn harvest generally resulted in greater pennycress plant densities in the fall, indicating improved establishment. Fall establishment varied considerably across locations. Corn Residue Management. The objective is to identify BMPS in maximizing pennycress establishment in the fall and subsequent yield in the spring. The treatment with the most management of the corn stover (which included vertical tillage) improved yield at most sites. Pennycress in four stover management treatments (after grain corn harvest) largely germinated in the spring, flowered later and had lower yields than the silage treatment. Pennycress following silage corn arrived at each growth stage a week or more before the rest of the experiment and was harvested earlier. Novel Seed Treatment for Improved Pennycress Performance. Conducted two lab studies to assess seed treatments to improve germination of pennycress varieties, a majorcommercialization limitation. GA treatment before planting can increase germination for wild pennycress improved lines, and it may be less effective for golden pennycress lines. Evaluation of Soybean Physiology in Response to a Pennycress Relay Intercropping System. Planted 40 soybean accessions, breeding lines, and commercial varieties in three replicates over two years in two central MN locations under monoculture and pennycress intercropping conditions. Traits analyzed: canopy coverage, plant height, flowering time, lodging, yield, and several plant architectural traits. On average, soybean yield decreased by 5% when intercropped after pennycress, but a couple accessions showed improvements over monoculture control. Through dissecting yield components, we found, on average, soybean plants were shorter, had an increased number of branches, and an increased number of pods/branches after being intercropped. Tools for Integrated Weed Management. Looked at herbicide carryover from corn to pennycress in the field and greenhouse and conducted pennycress response to pre-and post-emergence applied herbicides. Greenhouse: some herbicides reduced pennycress stand at doses close to use rate in corn or soybean but had little effect at doses similar to the amount of herbicide expected in the soil 3-4 months after application. Field studies: no differences in stand counts among corn herbicide applications, pennycress stands were denser when following silage corn than corn for grain. Treflan tt8-t/ARV1 Germination Trial - No difference in germination or stand establishment and no difference in seed yield/oil content. Treflan on research/breeding plots can be used to control fall weeds when conventional tillage methods are used. GA Timing - Applied Gibberellic Acid (GA3) to wild/golden pennycress to determine the optimal soaking time to improve germination. All GA treatments on ARV2032 showed significant improvement in germination and an increasein yield/oil content. None of the GA treatments on tt8-t/ARV1 showed significant improvements in germination/yield/oil content. N Timing Study - 50 lbs. N fall application at planting increased yield/oil content (ARV2032) significantly compared to the no N application but had no significant difference compared to the spring applications. N applications had no significant effect on any variables in tt8- t/ARV1. Objective 3.2 Breeding and Genetics Northern Lines identified via traditional breeding maintain high-quality characteristics in multistate field testing. Sufficient seeds of a triple mutant containing the reduced shatter trait along high oleic were produced to begin larger-scale seed increases. Identified an industrial partner to test the high oleic acid pennycress oil for the production of bioproducts. We have identified the best low glucosinolate mutant line lacking the detrimental traits Stacking of the good low glucosinolate mutation with reduced shatter and high oleic oil to produce a quadruple mutant. Continued backcrossing of lines containing the domestication traits to the parental MN106 line to reduce residual mutation load lingering from the original classical mutagenesis procedure. Southern Generated CRISPR mutations in three genes whose loss of function was predicted to increase seed size. The CRISPR-induced low fiber trait (golden seeds trait) has been field-tested in multiple genetic backgrounds, including top Covercress lines, at multiple field sites and continues to perform very well. In multistate strip trials, we performed a GA dosage study on a golden seed line alongside a natural dark-seed line . The golden seeds germinated equally well with/without GA treatment unlike dark seeds that needed GA to germinate. Showed proof of concept that another gene can be mutated to reduce pod shatter without compromising plant growth/seed yields. Conducted trials at WIU: Variety Trials; Bulk Seed Increase; EMS Trial;NCERC Ethanol Research; AURI Supply Chain;ISU Decomposition study Objective 3.3 Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services Cover Crop Potential Monitored fall/spring soil fertility and soil organic matter to determine pennycress effects on soil nutrients. Monitored soil pore water in fall/spring to determine nutrient immobilization. Established automated samplers and began to assess nutrient loads lost from pennycress and reference plots. Pollinators Monitored pollinator populations at Morris and Rosemont, MN, and Lexington, Il during pennycress flowering season. Sampled honeybee pollen collection from hives near and distant from pennycress plots. Carbon Sequestration Established replicated plots to examine carbon sequestration under treatments of increasing C:N ratios of a) clover, radish, oats, b) pennycress, and c) cereal rye compared to reference or no cover crop. Sampled fall, spring, and summer soil organic matter as percent loss on ignition and a suite of other soil parameters. Objective 3.4 Supply Chain Development. Completed ILUC, carbon intensity, and economic studies. CoverCress/WIU delivered over 300lbs of Golden Grain pennycress to AURI for testing. AURI has preliminary data around grain drying, storage, and processing. AURI has completed an initial analysis of pennycress seed, meal, and oil for feed value. CoverCress has preliminary data for commercial seed treatments and long-term storage studies. Developed relationships with several experienced grain handling partners to pressure test planting/harvest at scale. Objective 3.5 Education, Extension, and Outreach Hosted 12 undergraduate students in the Undergraduate Research Experience program. Improved the IPS-URE application process and received significantly more applications than in our first year. Substantially completed the 4-H Cover Crop Science project book. Engaged five 4-H clubs in activities introducing pennycress as a valuable new crop. Reached over 200 youth/adults at five county 4-H fairs. Evaluated of IPREFER public events and the IPS-URE program.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Betts, K., Wells, S.S., Sarangi, D., Bernards, M.L., Wyse, D.L. 2021. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) response to herbicides applied postemergence. Weed Science Society of America, Annual Meeting Proceedings 60:20.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Esfahanian, Maliheh, Tara J. Nazarenus, Meghan M. Freund, Gary Mcintosh, Winthrop B. Phippen, Mary E. Phippen, Timothy P. Durrett, Edgar B. Cahoon & John C. Sedbrook. 2021. ⿿Generating pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) seed triacylglycerols and acetyl-triacylglycerols containing medium-chain fatty acids.⿝ Energy Res. January 28, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.620118/full. doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2021.620118. Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.620118/full#supplementary-material
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Jarvis, B.A., T.B. Romsdahl, M. McGinn, T.J. Nazarenus, E.B. Cahoon, K.D. Chapman & J.C. Sedbrook. (2021). ⿿CRISPR/Cas9-induced fad2 and rod1 mutations stacked with fae1 confer high oleic acid seed oil in pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.).⿝ Frontiers Plant Sci. 12:652319. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.652319.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Joseph M. Jez, Christopher N. Topp, M. David Marks, Ratan Chopra, John C. Sedbrook; Technologies enabling rapid crop improvements for sustainable agriculture: example pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). Emerg Top Life Sci 21 May 2021; 5 (2): 325⿿335. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20200330 https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20200330.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Johnson, Jacob W., Brent S. Heaton & Mark L. Bernards Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Population and Growth Following Corn Treated with Group 27 Herbicides. (Poster). Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL. Spring 2021. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Exhibit-A.pdf
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gesch, R.W. (2020) ⿿Closing agronomic and breeding gaps for the commercialization of camelina and pennycress.⿝ Invited presentation, Assoc. for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC) Webinar Series, September 8, 2020.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Brownfield Ag News. Rhiannon Branch. Aug. 14, 2020. Domesticated Pennycress: A new cash cover crop in development. https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/domesticated-pennycress-a-new-cash-cover- crop-in-development/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Illinois Farmer Today. Phyllis Coulter. Oct. 2, 2020. More dollars go into developing pennycress. https://www.agupdate.com/illinoisfarmertoday/news/crop/more-dollars-go-into- developing-pennycress/article_e60236fe-028e-11eb-803e-d756825d3a06.html
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: WEEK News (Television and on-line). Alex Menke. Oct. 12, 2020. Cashing in on Pennycress. https://week.com/2020/10/12/cashing-in-on-pennycress/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: The Pantagraph. Lenore Sobota. Oct.13, 2020. ⿿Wonder weed⿿ research at Illinois State University called a ⿿game changer.⿿ https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/watch-now-wonder-weed- research-at-illinois-state-university-called-a-game-changer/article_0982bba5- b904-501b-918a-5dd12becd438.html
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Brakke, Mary and Rebekka Darner. 2020. Using undergraduate research experience to enhance interdisciplinary competency in agricultural sciences. Innovative/Learner- Centered Teaching Poster Presentation. American Association of Agricultural Educators North Central Region/National Learner-Centered Teaching Conference. Oct. 14 - 16. 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chopra, Ratan, Folstad, Nicole & M. David Marks. (2020). ⿿Combined genotype and fatty-acid analysis of single small field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) seeds increases the throughput for functional genomics and mutant line selection.⿝ Ind Crops Prod., 156: 112823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112823.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: John Sedbrook. (2021). Cooperative Governance of Gene Editing (with a focus on pennycress). Zoom Presentation, hosted by Dr. Nicholas Jordan, University of Minnesota, May 13, 2021.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: McConville, Daniela R., Claudia R. Bland, Brent S. Heaton & Mark L. Bernards. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Response to Simulated Carryover of Group 27 Herbicides in the Greenhouse. (Poster). Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL. Spring 2021. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Exhibit-B.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stufflebeam, Nathan L., Mason R. Blickenstaff, Claudia R. Bland, Brent S. Heaton & Mark L. Bernards. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Response to Simulated Carryover of Group 15 Herbicides in the Greenhouse. Poster). Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL. Spring 2021. https://www.iprefercap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Exhibit-C.pdf
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Heller, Nicholas. 2020. ⿿Grain corn to pennycress transitions ⿿ Cash cover crop in crop rotations.⿝ ASA/CSSA/SSSA Annual Meeting (Virtual). Fall 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Heller, Nicholas. 2020. ⿿Agronomic considerations for pennycress after corn.⿝ Integrated Plant Biology and Bioenergy Symposium, Illinois State University. Fall 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Heller, Nicholas. 2020. ⿿Intercropping corn and soybean in Illinois.⿝ Integrated Plant Biology and Bioenergy Symposium, Illinois State University. Fall 2020.
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hoerning, C. (2020). Evaluating Winter Annual Oilseeds as Alternative Hosts to Heterodera Glycines. Unpublished manuscript, University of Minnesota.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 20221 Citation: Illinois Farmer Today. Coulter, Phyllis. July 1, 2021. ⿿New crop establishes new harvest season.⿝ https://www.agupdate.com/illinoisfarmertoday/news/crop/new-crop-establishes-new-harvest-season/article_89d463ca-d920-11eb-90d4-c309e8bdddde.html.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Reuters. Nickel, Rod & Karl Plume. May 26, 2021. ⿿Stinkweed to false flax: oilseeds race to reap biofuel bonanza.⿝ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/stinkweed-false-flax-oilseeds-race-reap-biofuel-bonanza-2021-05-26/.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Jacksonville Journal-Courier. McDaniel-Ogletree, Samantha. May 7, 2021. ⿿A new crop soon could grow an additional source of revenue for Illinois farmers.⿝ https://www.agupdate.com/illinoisfarmertoday/news/crop/new-crop-establishes-new-harvest-season/article_89d463ca-d920-11eb-90d4-c309e8bdddde.html.


Progress 08/01/19 to 07/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences in 2020 include Midwestern agricultural producers, especially current soybean producers and producers interested in adding a winter cover crop to their rotations, and bioeconomy stakeholders. We have also targeted the following groups: Undergraduate Students. We recruited undergraduate students throughout the Midwest to participate in our 2020 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience. Academic Researchers. IPREFER researchers participated in numerous meetings where the IPREFER project research activity and findings were discussed. Extension and Education Communities of Practice. IPREFER personnel met with Midwestern education and extension personnel in formal and informal settings. Interested Public. Through the use of virtual field days shared in real-time and through a dedicated IPREFER YouTube channel, we provided information on pennycress agronomic management and breeding. We also reached the interested public through several articles in the agriculture press and participating university alumni publications. Elected Officials. Illinois representatives (state and national) were introduced to the project through on-campus visits at IPREFER participating universities. Changes/Problems:During Q3 (Feb-Apr) and Q4 (May-July) we experienced some delays and difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.The disruptions were for the large part minor and we should be able to complete all commitments over the five years of the project. Agronomic Management Ohio State University A foreign national graduate student has had his entry to the United States delayed due to COVID-19 visa and travel disruptions. University of Wisconsin-Platteville Breeding and Genetics Illinois State University All in-person field days were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. We have begun creating field day videos in lieu of in-person field days. We were unable to conduct undergraduate research on herbicide impacts due to all students being sent home for the spring 2020 semester. Education, Extension and Outreach We remain unable to conduct in-person workshops due to the COVID-19 outbreak. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We hosted an internship program, the 2020 Integrated Plant Systems - Undergraduate Research Experience (IPS-URE) from late May to early August 2020. There were 5 (IPS-URE) Research Fellows and 3 Interns. The fellows were entirely supported by the IPREFER project and the interns worked in IPREFER labs and were supported by other funding from IPREFER Collaborators. 5 IPS-URE were hosted at the University of Minnesota, 2 at CoverCress, Inc. (St. Louis), and 1 at The Ohio State University. The students attended weekly group meetings as a team. IPREFER collaborators as well as industry and other academic professionals presented at each of these meetings. All the undergraduate students presented at the IPREFER annual meeting in August 2020. They gave a five-minute prerecorded talk on their research project and then participated in a panel discussion regarding their summer research experience. Eight graduate students have participated in the project and have had multiple opportunities to grow professionally through participation in professional and project meetings where they were exposed to industry and other professionals. Members of the Education, Extension and Outreach Objective met with local teachers in the Normal, Illinois region and shared opportunities for using cover crops to teach traditional science content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES IPREFER collaborators have published in academic journals and have attended and presented at numerous professional meetings. INTERESTED PUBLIC(s) Virtual Field Days. While the Coronavirus pandemic did interrupt some outreach efforts, IPREFER did host virtual field days in Illinois and Minnesota. The virtual field day recordings are available on the IPREFER YouTube channel. Publications. IPREFER was featured in several magazine publications, including JohnDeere's Furrow and Illinois Farmer Today. Social Media. We also curate a YouTube channel and an IPREFER Twitter account designed to draw interested parties to the IPREFER website and IPREFER publications. TEACHERS Held meetings with local teachers (Normal, IL) and shared opportunities for using cover crops to teach traditional science content. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project Administration Conduct a virtual second annual meeting (Aug. 3-4, 2020). Highlighting previous years' accomplishments and organize Year 2 activities. Increase awareness of the IPREFER project through our website, and YouTube and Twitter social media outlets. We will also redesign the website to reflect increased product development and create a project photo library. Conduct bi-annual research meetings for each objective team during winter 2021. This will allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of the research objectives for each project objective. Work more closely with corporate partner CoverCress to better understand what is needed for pennycress commercialization and how to integrate these needs into the university research setting. Oversee the implementation of a data management plan. Our goal is to avoid data 'dumps' on the general public and get the entire team working in concert. Objective 3.1 Agronomic Management In Year 2, all sites plan on harvesting corn, applying treatments, and planting pennycress. In addition, agronomy team members will plant pennycress seed increases. In Minnesota, we will plant the pennycress for the SOYSELECT project in fall 2020. In Year 2, the entire Agronomy Team will meet to discuss Year 1 findings and make any need adjustments. For example, the breeding core provided new genetics for the agronomy team's next series of studies. The MN team planted the increase of the new line. During our annual meetings, the team will assess and deploy the next round of agronomic projects. Objective 3.2 Breeding and Genetics We will continue to develop elite breeding lines for domestication trait introgression. These lines will form the foundation of the UMN breeding program and will contribute to improved yields and increased stability under variable environmental conditions. We will continue testing and stacking in value-added traits, including higher total seed oil, larger seed size, and high oleic oil. We will work on the development of the mutant gene index and other plant genetic material. We will continue the multi-state trials of the top ten breeding lines at nine sites in the Midwest including four in Illinois, two in Minnesota, two in Ohio, and two in WIsconsin. Objective 3.3 Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services Install six automated ISCO samplers to estimate nutrient losses in subsurface drainage systems by November 2020. Establish robust stands of fall germinated pennycress to provide a more significant potential weed reduction and nutrient immobilization. Sample fall and spring soil organic matter and fertility. Soil organic carbon will be sampled at multiple depths to better estimate soil organic carbon changes and add to an assessment of the carbon intensity score for pennycress. Sample dissolved nutrients in soil pore water in the fall and spring as this may respond faster than dissolved nutrients in subsurface drainage water. Establish a robust relationship between manual plant biomass and nitrogen content with drone imagery and determine carbon and nitrogen immobilization. Sample subsurface drainage losses of water and dissolved nutrients to determine differences in nutrient loads between treatments. Sample soybean cyst nematodes to determine if populations or races change in pennycress treatments. Objective 3.4 Lifecycle Supply Chain Development Assign responsibility and deadlines to conduct each of the needed studies that cover the whole supply chain. Have project partner Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) do the needed research around grain drying, storage, and processing. Complete LCA and economic studies. Objective 3.5, 3.6 Education, Extension and Outreach Host Cohort 2 of the IPREFER 2020 Integrated Plant Systems - research experience for undergraduates. Establish Cover Crop Science as a 4-H project category for the 2021 4-H County Fair exhibitions. Engage 10-20 4-H clubs in hands-on activities and invite them to submit Cover Crop Science projects to the 2021 4-H fair. Host three Cover Crop Science SPecial INterest (SPIN) Clubs. Host hands-on workshops at two or more conferences for educators. Present IPREFER educational outcomes or developed curricula at professional symposia. Host a collection of native pennycress seed in collaboration with the Illinois Farm Bureau and other partners during Spring/Summer 2021.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project Administration Held first annual meeting in Normal, IL hosted by Illinois State University (ISU) on Aug. 11-13, 2019. Hired Program Manager, Anne Kinzel. With Anne's previous experience managing a NIFA-CAP project, we were able to hit the ground running. We established a project website: www.IPREFERCAP.org and a social media presence (Twitter (@IPREFER_CAP) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClIn60frdoFUyXGF1pVH0SQ). We created a project media kit to acquaint the media with IPREFER. The project was featured in a number of articles in ag-centric publications, including Illinois Farmer Today and The Furrow (John Deere) as well as in daily print media. We established a program governance scheme by creating an Executive Leadership Team and establishing a five-member Advisory Board. We created a project newsletter, the PennyPulse. The newsletter, hosted by MailChimp, is published bi-monthly. The goal is to keep project participants committed and connected to the broader goals of the project. We completed a contract with Southern Illinois University (SIU)for our project's first program pivot to conduct much-needed experiments on soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Objective 3.1 Agronomic Management. Our teams were able to deploy three of the four agronomic studies. The agronomy team planted corn for both CRM and DISK at all sites except in Wisconsin, where COVID-19 restrictions adversely impacted activities. Corn provides the setup for both the Corn Relative Maturity (CRM) and DISK (Corn Residue Management) project treatments slated for fall 2020. In addition to the CRM and DISK project rollouts, We were able to plant pennycress in (fall 2019) for the SOYSELECT project (i.e. evaluates relayed soybean phenotypes and cultivars in pennycress for imported performance) at two sites. Soybean was relayed into the pennycress and monitored throughout the summer. We will harvest soybean this fall. The PELLET project was put on hold until the fall of 2021. More time is needed to developviable pennycress seed pelletization protocols. The Univ. of MN and USDA-ARS offered their plant growth facilities to pre-screen pelleted pennycress seed. Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN). It became apparent that IPREFER had to conduct research to determine pennycress's impact on SCN populations under field conditions in the corn-soybean production system. Objective 3.2 Breeding and Genetics We successfully identified and stacked genetic changes conferring seed reduced erucic acid, reduced glucosinolate, and reduced fiber. These CRISPR-edited plants grow like wild type in growth chambers, have been confirmed to be CRISPR-construct-free, and will be planted in the field this September 2020. We successfully field-tested various stacked traits combinations forming the basis of commercial lines to be marketed by CoverCress, Inc. We successfully identified and stacked genetic changes conferring seed reduced erucic acid, reduced glucosinolate, reduced PUFA, and reduced shatter. We have achieved broader and more in-depth communication and data-sharing with our academic and commercial partners. This communication has helped all parties improve our breeding programs and line selection criteria and fine-tuned research objectives. Objective 3.3 Characterization of Pennycress Ecosystem Services. Established nine replicate 2-acre plots with independent subsurface drainage (tile) and tile interceptors for sampling water discharge and nutrient loads and automated sampler platforms and enclosures. Established treatments of pennycress and spring amended nitrogen pennycress to compare to non-cover crop reference plots. Sampled soil fertility, organic carbon, and soil pore water in spring and fall and identified two races of soybean cyst nematodes from fall samples. Formed a collaboration to use drone imagery to obtain whole plot plant biomass and nitrogen sequestration along with a 2 cm digital elevation model to assess soil losses. Ordered automated samplers to estimate subsurface drainage nutrient loads and water discharge. Objective 3.4 Lifecycle Supply Chain Development. We put together the supply chain team, including members from all related and external institutions. We started designing the whole supply chain structure and needed projects around it. We focused on economic analysis, carbon-related analysis (LCA), and carbon-intensity scores. We designed needed studies around grain cleaning, drying, and processing. We managed COVID-19 limitations to conduct meetings and field days. Objective 3.5, 3.6 Education, Extension, and Outreach Hosted eight undergraduate students in the 2020 IPS-URE program. Conducted an inventory of existing cover crop lessons in the national Ag-in-the-Classroom database. Met with local teachers and shared opportunities for using cover crops to teach traditional science content. Led Cover Crop Trivia activity for 100+ 4-H members during the annual Clover Clinic learning event in Peoria, IL. Wrote four of the 12 planned lessons for the 4-H Cover Crops project book. Obtained IRB approvals to evaluate various IPREFER education and outreach efforts, including public events (i.e., field days) and the 2020 IPS-URE program See Exhibit C. Reached over 200 people during the three-day virtual field days.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chopra, Ratan, Evan. B. Johnson, Ryan Emenecker, Edgar B. Cahoon, Joe Lyons, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Erin Daniels, Kevin M. Dorn, Maliheh Esfahanian, Nicole Folstad, Katherine Frels, Michaela McGinn, Matthew Ott, Cynthia Gallaher, Kayla Altendorf, Alexandra Berroyer, Baraem Ismail, James A. Anderson, Donald L. Wyse, Tim Ulmasov, John C. Sedbrook, and M.David Marks. Identification and stacking of crucial traits required for the domestication of pennycress. Nat Food, 1 (2020): 8491. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-019-0007-z.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Britt, Anne B. From stinkweed to oilseed. Nat Food 1 (2020): 84-91. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-019-0016-y
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sedbrook, J.C. and T.P. Durrett. Pennycress, carbon wise: Labeling experiments reveal how pennycress seeds efficiently incorporate carbon into biomass. J. Exp. Botany, 71 (2020): 2842-2846. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraa136
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tyl, Catrin, Lee DeHann, Katherine Frels, Prabin Bajgain, M.David Marks and James A. Anderson. Emerging crops with enhanced ecosystem services: Progress in breeding and processing for food use. Cereal Foods World, 65, 2 (2020). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/CFW-65-2-0016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Frels, Katherine. Genetic diversity of field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) reveals untapped variability and paths toward selection for domestication. Oral presentation. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Annual Conference, September 2019. Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Frels, Katherine. Unlocking Pennycress Potential: Rapid Domestication through Breeding and Bioinformatics at the University of Minnesota. Poster presentation. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Annual Conference, September 2019. Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Chopra, Ratan. Progress Toward the Identification and Stacking of Crucial Domestication Traits in Pennycress. Oral presentation. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Nov. 10-13, 2019. San Antonio, Texas.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ott, Matthew. Acceleration of Flowering Time and Maturity in a Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Line and Identification of the Causative Gene. Oral presentation. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Nov. 10-13, 2019. San Antonio, Texas.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ott, Matthew. Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Yield Peaks at Low Nitrogen Rate. Poster presentation, ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Nov. 10- 13, 2019. San Antonio, Texas.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Phippen, Winthrop. B., Sedbrook, John, Marks, David M. & M.Scott Wells. 2019. Program to Commercialize Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.). Advancement of Industrial Crops Annual Meeting. September 7-12, 2019. Tucson, Arizona.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Moore, S., M.S. Wells, M. Wilson, R. Gesch and R. Becker. Double-cropping short-season high-value summer annuals with pennycress. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (In review).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hoerning, Cody, Wells, M. Scott, Gesch, Russ, Forcella, Frank, Wyse, Donald. Yield tradeoffs and weed suppression in a winter annual oilseed relay?cropping system. Agron.J, 112, 4: (July/August 2020): 2485-2495. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20160
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Frels, Katherine. New cash cover crops in the Forever Green Initiative. Green Lands Blue Waters Conference, Minneapolis, MN, November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wells., M.S. New Cash Crop Opportunities: Pennycress and Beyond. 32nd Annual Integrated Crop Management Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. December 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sedbrook, John. Employing CRISPR Gene Editing and EMS Mutagenesis to Rapidly Domesticate Pennycress As an Oilseed-Producing Cash Cover Crop. ASA, CSSA & SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 12, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gesch, R.W. Closing agronomic and breeding gaps for commercialization of pennycress and camelina. Invited Presentation, Cargill Foods Innovation Team, Plymouth, MN, January 23, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Phippen, Winthrop B. "IPREFER: New USDA-NIFA CAP Program Overview." Presentation at Carinata 2020 and SPARC Annual Meeting, Tampa Bay, FL, February 25-26, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hagaman Matthew & Rebekka Darner. "Hands-on with Cover Crops & Biofuels: How Cover Crops are Changing Education & Agriculture." Bradley University STEM/STEAM Conference for K-12 Educators: Innovations in K-12 STEM education and Green Chemistry. Peoria, IL, Mar. 7, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Williams, Dalton "Elucidating the roles of the HIGH ALOPHATIC GLUCOSINOLATE (HAG) genes in glucosinolate production in pennycress (Thlaspi arvense)." Illinois State University Cell and Molecular Biology Seminar series, Normal, IL, Mar. 25, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tandukar, Zenith. Understanding the genetic basis of natural variation in seed size and oil content in Pennycress (Poster presentation). Plant and Animal Genome Conference, San Diego, CA, January 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Tandukar, Zenith. Understanding the genetic basis of natural variation in seed size and oil content in Pennycress. National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Tampa, FL, January 2020.