Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MARYLAND
(N/A)
COLLEGE PARK,MD 20742
Performing Department
Plant Science & Landscape Architecture
Non Technical Summary
The primary work of this Program is to carry out small grains and soybean variety testing as well as addressing pressing needs identified by four state commodity boards. The Program also aims to assist faculty with their pathology and breeding programs as well as other specific plot-scale needs. The Program is almost entirely funded through cost reimbursement from faculty, commodity board grants and stakeholder donations. Routine crops involved are barley, soybeans, triticale and wheat. In general, the Center is able to plant, harvest, analyze data and generate reports on projects totaling over 3,000 small plots across five separate University of Maryland Research and Education Centers. Our assistance to the Small Grains Breeding Program has reached over 1,500 breeding headrows annually and is anticipated to expand greatly in the near future.Primary Mission: To provide precise, unbiased, phenotypic and agronomic data on germplasm, crop varieties, chemicals and cropping systems that are being marketed, targeted for marketing, or otherwise implemented by producers in Maryland.The Program currently collaborates with six University faculty, three University departments, three federal organizations, four state commodity boards, four research level one universities, and a wide range of plant breeders and seed dealers which totals not less than 25 separate entities.The Program primarily employs a small plot research design that utilizes uniform experimental units that minimize the background "noise" that often plagues field research. Theoretically, small plot research enhances the researcher's ability to detect true and repeatable differences among the experimental treatments. Small plot research enables researchers to evaluate many treatments in a small area of land and thus minimizes the land resources required for field plot research. The protocols of the Program are designed to replicate producer management practices as closely as possible and are carried out under Maryland environmental conditions. This makes data generated directly applicable to producers in the Mid-Atlantic region. The plot sizes utilized in this experiment design frequently require specialized or small-scale research plot equipment.This Program also supplements their research team with specialized technical support and general laborers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Primary Mission: To provide precise, unbiased, phenotypic and agronomic data on germplasm, crop varieties, chemicals and cropping systems that are being marketed, targeted for marketing, or otherwise implemented by producers in Maryland.The Program currently collaborates with six University faculty, three University departments, three federal organizations, four state commodity boards, four research level one universities, and a wide range of plant breeders and seed dealers which totals not less than 25 separate entities.To perform tests that evaluate the performance of small grains, corn, soybeans, fungicides and herbicides in five physiographic regions that represent the vast majority of arable land in Maryland.Conduct genetic characterizations and phenotypic evaluations of the conserved crops and related wild species for commercially important genetic and agronomic traits.To assist in the development of new varieties of winter wheat, grain barley, malting barley, and triticale with increased disease resistance, high yield, and high quality for Maryland.Carry out the misted Fusarium Head Blight (scab) nursery for the University of Maryland: Nursery evaluates germplasm, new and current varieties of winter wheat and barley for their degree of resistance to scab under Maryland's environment.To increase cool season small grains and cover crop planting options available to Maryland producers through new germplasm releases and impartial evaluation of new and commercial varieties.
Project Methods
The Program primarily employs a small plot research design that utilizes uniform experimental units that minimize the background "noise" that often plagues field research. Theoretically, small plot research enhances the researcher's ability to detect true and repeatable differences among the experimental treatments. Small plot research enables researchers to evaluate many treatments in a small area of land and thus minimizes the land resources required for field plot research. The protocols of the Program are designed to replicate producer management practices as closely as possible and are carried out under Maryland environmental conditions. This makes data generated directly applicable to producers in the Mid-Atlantic region. The plot sizes utilized in this experiment design frequently require specialized or small-scale research plot equipment. This Program also supplements their research team with specialized technical support and general laborers.Yield Trials: Co-project director, Dr. Nicole Fiorellino, collaborates with PI Wight in performing local evaluation of commercially available and experimental hybrids and varieties in replicated and controlled state trials. This is the only way that growers can obtain unbiased information on the best performing varieties under Maryland's conditions. Tests are conducted at Quantico, Salisbury, Queenstown, Clarksville, and Keedysville to provide statewide evaluations and allow producers to choose cultivars most suited to their environments, cropping systems, and needs.Experimental Breeding Line Evaluation and Advancement: Co-project director Dr. Vijay Tiwari's small grains germplasm development program utilizes the assistance of the program of Dr. Wight for evaluation of experimental material under field conditions in the state of Maryland. Dr. Tiwari's methods require creating mutants and making crosses between lines with desirable genetic traits. This approach is the most sound, but takes several generations of breeding work from the time a cross is made to the release of a new variety. Therefore, continuing hatch support is essential for the success of this project.Small Grains Misted Fusarium Head Blight Nursery: With the assistance of Dr. Nidhi Rawat, the tests will be conducted in head to row plots with three replications at University of Maryland - Beltsville research facility. Corn seeds heavily infested with Fusarium graminearum strain GZ3639 will be used as sources of inoculum. High humidity conditions will be maintained using the misted irrigation system established by Dr. Jason Wight at the University's Beltsville farm location. Weekly evaluations for FHB severity, incidences, and indices will be made. At maturity, harvested seeds will be analyzed for Fusarium damaged kernels (FOK), test weight, and Deoxynivalenol also known as Vomitoxin (DON) content. Statistical analysis will be done and results will be presented in a manner easily understandable and usable by the growers.To replicate producer practices, seed weight and DON will be measured from samples taken from combine-harvested material. This will include measurements of FOK, seed weight, and DON (at a USWBSI accredited testing facility). Analysis of DON takes significantly longer than the other measurements, so DON results will be posted after the initial results.Experimental Design and Analysis: The Least Significant Differences, coefficients of variance, and rank of dependent variables for each phenotype/line/variety will be determined using either the SAS or NCSS statistical packages.Corn: Hybrids are arranged in a randomized complete block experimental design with three replications at five Research and Education centers across the state (WMREC, CMREC - Clarksville, LESREC - Poplar Hill, LESREC - Salisbury, WyeREC).Each plot consists of four, 30-inch rows that will be ~32 feet in length. The plots are planted using a John Deere 1750 planter equipped with coulters and trash-wheels for no-till planting and modified planter units manufactured by Clewell Precision Machine, Inc., Milton, PA for planting research plots. Starter fertilizer is applied in a 2X2 placement. The seeding rate is 30,000 seeds/acre. Standard recommendations for fertility and pest management practices is used at each location. Planting date is dependent upon weather but generally begins ~April 25 at the three Eastern Shore locations and is completed by May 15 at the two locations west of the Chesapeake Bay. The two center rows of each plot will be harvested with a Massey Ferguson 8-XP plot combine equipped with a Harvest Master HM 800 grain gauge (Juniper Systems) that records yield, grain moisture content and test weight. Harvest normally begins by mid-September and is completed by mid-October.Small Grains: The five locations of wheat(WMREC, CMREC - Clarksville, LESREC - Poplar Hill, LESREC - Salisbury, WyeREC) and two locations of barley (CMREC - Clarksville &WyeREC) are established for the yield trials each year. Tillage methods will reflect what is commonly performed on production farms near the plot locations. All tests will be planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Entries will be evaluated in 7 row plots that are 18 feet in length and trimmed to 13 feet & 4 inches prior to harvest. A row spacing of 6 inches will be used. A seeding rate of 33 seeds per row foot will be used. All planting dates will be as close to the Hessian fly-free date as possible. Recommended fertility and pest control measures will be followed in the establishment and management of all tests. The following data will be collected on each entry: grain yield, test weight, heading date, moisture content at harvest, mature plant height, lodging, and occurrence and severity of disease.