Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Stephenville-TAMU Agr Res Cntr
Non Technical Summary
These genome to phenome initiatives will focus on collaborative science engagement and innovative research projects that will lay the foundation for expanding knowledge concerning genomes and phenomes of crops and animals of importance to the agriculture sector in District 8 of Texas and the United States. This proposed research endeavors will support multiple goals linking the Genome to Phenome across cropping systems and animal research. These initiatives will catalyze and coordinate research linking genomics and predictive phenomics to achieve advances that will generate agricultural productivity and environmental benefits.Furthermore, we will seek to understand how variable weather, microbes, and production systems impact the growth and productivity of specific varieties of crops and dairy to provide greater accuracy in predicting crop and animal performance under variable conditions (such as genomics to phenomics). These endeavors will include research that leverages plant and animal genomic, phenotypic and environmental data through an interdisciplinary framework. This research will lead to a novel understanding of plant and animal processes that affect growth, productivity, and the ability to predict performance. Such data will be leveraged toward the deployment of superior varieties and species to producers and toward improved crop and dairy management recommendations for farmers, ranchers, and dairymen.
Animal Health Component
70%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
15%
Applied
70%
Developmental
15%
Goals / Objectives
Objectives:Native Plants Restoration of native plant communities to rural rangelands and pastures: as non-urban land uses and value have shifted from traditional livestock, timber, and crop production to uses centered on wildlife habitat for recreation and conservation, the demand for native vegetation to support wildlife has increased throughout Texas. The underlying trend in land use change is likely to continue as land values based on aesthetics, recreation, and conservation now vastly exceed agricultural production capability over most of the state. Conversion of non-native pastures, former croplands, and degraded rangelands back to native grassland is a high-priority land management need; and/orReclamation in the energy, transportation, utility, and water development sectors: Texas has become the nation's leader of both oil and gas and renewable energy development; this energy boom, however, has significantly disturbed native soils, watersheds, plants and wildlife. Many landowners demand remediation using native plants to mitigate energy production impacts on private lands. Needs associated with oil and gas pipelines are particularly high at present with as many as 20 new pipelines across the state in coming years. Collectively, these easements will impact hundreds of thousands of acres needing reclamation. Similarly, as Texas' population grows two-fold in the century ahead, significant native habitat impacts associated transportation, utility, and water infrastructure development are inevitable and will increase the demand for post-construction reclamation of native plant communities; and/orUse of native plants for urban and ornamental horticulture: The use of native plants for Texas horticulture is growing in importance. For example, demand for native plants that benefit pollinators of concern such as the monarch, to lessen invasive horticultural plant impacts, and to provide options for xeriscaping and urban water conservation is strong. As urban sprawl and population growth result in rural native habitat loss, mitigating such impacts using native species in urban settings will become critically important. Furthermore, the growing population of the state increasingly desires native landscapes at their home, commercial and municipal landscapes; and/orDairy Production and Waste ManagementResearch and develop sustainable ecosystems for water and waste management by integrating field, laboratory and decision tools to develop management guidelines across soils, crops and water; and/orIntegrate long-term field-scale experiments, laboratory analyses, and model development to improve our knowledge in fundamental processes of soil management and plant phytoremediation of dairy waste phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), pathogens and antibiotics. This will promote the adoption of priority management practices consistent with recommendations across US croplands and pastures; and/orQuantitatively assess soil and water quality impacts of manure application practices and efficacy of management practices in various soils, crops, and climate regimes. These will ultimately provide guidelines for safe and sustainable manure application which will be highly beneficial to NRCS's conservation programs; and/orDetermine early indicators of mastitis using Raman Spectroscopy to evaluate if mastitis can be diagnosed using whole milk and to target detection of early immune system indicators; and/orInvestigate diagnostic mastitic pathogens using Raman Spectroscopy to evaluate if specific pathogens can be isolated from whole milk in both clinical and subclinical mastitic cows. Milk isolates will also be evaluated for both clinical and subclinical mastitis cows. This will ultimately lead to an effective mastitis detection tool.PeanutsGrower profitability is addressed through development of improved cultivars focused on critical issues associated with peanut production. The single greatest concern in this area is drought tolerance; and/orGenomics, bioinformatics, and high throughput phenotyping are critical areas have become less expensive, and we strive to incorporate these technologies to increase our selection efficiency and shorten time to commercialization; and/orImproving human health and nutrition is also a goal our program is uniquely suited to address. Peanut is a highly nutritious food protein source worldwide and has the potential to make an even greater impact on world hunger, malnutrition, and human health.
Project Methods
In addtion to genomics and markers, we are using unmanned aerial vehicles with different sensor types. More exciting, we were recently recognized in Nature Scientific Reports for pioneering work using Raman Spectroscopy. The technologies are begin deployed in wild species peanut to identify traits and move them into elite germplasm. We work to utilize these new technologies to develop varieties for peanut growers in Texas, the Southwest and ultimately the world. Advantages of Raman spectroscopy (RS) are a modern analytical technique that provides information about molecular vibrations and consequently the chemical structure of an analyzed specimen. The Raman effect is based on inelastic scattering of photons by molecules that are excited to higher vibrational or rotational states. The shift in photon energy associated with these interactions provides information about the vibrational modes of molecules characteristic of their chemical structure. RS does not require any dyes or artificial chromophores and can thus be considered a label-free technique. Therefore, RS is a non-invasive, non-destructive spectroscopic technique that provides information about the chemical structure of analyzed specimens. Over the last decade, several companies have developed portable Raman spectrometers, which enabled utilization of RS directly in the field for applications in forensics and minerology. Our ultimate goal is to develop and deploy RS for rapid, non-invasive and non-destructive detection and identification of plant biotic and abiotic stresses. Our findings will enable confirmatory diagnostics of plant stresses directly in the field. Proposed studies will also develop our understanding about mechanism of pathogen-host interactions and structural changes in plants that are taking place upon various biotic and abiotic stresses. This study will be focused on improving plant efficiency and enchanting sustainably of the growing global community by improving crop yield.