Progress 01/15/24 to 01/14/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience at this stage of the project is composed of two groups. The first target audience is the M.S Fellow cohort that are completing their programs and research projects. This group is the primary recipient of mentoring from project PI's and is leading the research and outreach efforts. The second target audience consists of stakeholders within the Plant, Soil, and Natural Resource sciences that are affiliated with the fellowship recipient graduate training program. Specifics of the crop science stakeholder groups (four Fellows are researching potato, one researching blueberry), main target audience were Pacific Northwest growers, crop consultants, the processing industry, and other academics. Changes/Problems:No problems were encountered and no major changes were made to this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and Professional development opportunities are listed in each NNF Fellows narrative in the accomplishment section of this report. As indicated in earlier narrative, the Fellows in the program have been providing mentorship and training to undergraduate and high-school students, community groups, and stakeholders, as well as providing opportunities for their own development as scientists and Extension agents. Specific opportunities include: developing research skills (e.g., next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, plant breeding and genomics tools, crop physiology, nutrient management, etc.); knowledge of and experience working on Branch Experiment Stations and campus environments; and building professional networks and soft skills though interaction with a diverse stakeholder community at grower education events and field days, and peers at professional meetings (see Other Products section for activity details). In the fall 2022, we provided a course entitled "Growing Successful Leaders in Agriculture Seminar Course - Guest Lecture Based". The leaders from universities, USDA-ARS, farms, agricultural consulting company, and growers' associations gave talks. This curriculum offered mentorship opportunities for the students to facilitate the development of leadership and communication skills. We are pleased to report numerous awards that the Fellow's have received and are encouraged by the acceptance of multiple Fellows into Ph.D programs or are planning to continue working in the plant science and natural resources realms. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information and results have been disseminated to clientele within the region through talks at grower education events and field days, tours, and to scientific peers via presentations at professional society meetings. Results have also been disseminated through stakeholder networks via informal conversations at grower education meetings, field visits, one-on-one, newsletters, phone calls, etc. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will have graduated the final M.S fellow in the program.We are also aiming tocomplete all writing and deliverables for the students research projects.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Andrea Retano has successfully defended her M.S degree (December 2023). She has completed all coursework with a grade point average of 3.96 of 4.0. Her thesis research focused on evaluating locally sourced biochar and grape pomace compost as potential soil amendments for organic blueberry production in Eastern Oregon and Washington. As a product of her thesis, we are aiming to have two manuscripts accepted for publication in early 2025. Andrea has become an integral member of the OSU department of Horticulture and to the NNF cohort. She is engaged in activities that broaden her skillset as a leader, as well as enrich others, such as the following activities: Co-chair in the Horticulture Graduate Student Council; Co-organizer graduate student spring seminar series; College of Agricultural Sciences Strategic Action Plan for Inclusive Excellence Committee; and Congressional graduate student representative for Oregon Student Association: Join Task Force for Underrepresented Students in Higher Education. She presented to large audiences at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, American Society for Horticultural Science, and the International Society for Horticultural Science Vaccinium symposium. . Andrea led a blueberry pruning workshop with the Oregon State Small Farms Extension Service in Polk and Marion County, which were delivered in both English and Spanish sessions. Andrea's efforts have resulted in three awards (Travel Award, Dr. Ernest Bergman Fellowship award (2)). Additionally, her accomplishments as a M.S Fellow have been recognized by other faculty in the region, which has earned her an acceptance to a Ph.D program in a worldwide recognized USDA research program. Andrea has now completed the first year of her Ph.D program. Alexander Butcher graduated in Fall 2023. Alexander is currently the chair of the Entomology Club at OSU, and has been featured in two outreach articles. He has been awarded one research grant from the Agricultural Research Foundation, and has received two awards for Professional Development and Scholarly Presentations. Alexander is currently in the second year of a Ph.D program in the Horticulture Department at Oregon State University. Abigail Moore completed her M.S. degree in from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in Plant Breeding and Genetics in March 2024. She currently works as a Research Assistant in a cancer research laboratory at Oregon Health and Science University. Jack Pieper successfully defended his thesis in the 2024 spring term. His research has focused on trials conducted in grower's fields, which has afforded significant knowledge of field-based environments. In addition, to grower field trials focusing on potato potassium fertilization, he has also participated in projects related nitrogen fertilization as well as other projects, such as grass seeds, sweet corn, pea, wheat, and soybean, etc. Over the two years of the Fellowship, Jack has been exposed to campus environments and experimental station-based work to create a robust understanding of his research and the greater needs in the agricultural realm. He has also been able to mentor seasonal students interested in multi-disciplinary production sciences. After graduation, Jack is working at a private company as an agronomist. Tucker Hoffman is beginning the second year of his program and is making good progress with his coursework, maintaining a 3.66 GPA. Tucker's research focuses on investigating the efficacy of low-tech, process-based restoration techniques on stream biota as well as other groups associated with floodplains, including native bees and amphibians. Not only has Tucker developed a strong graduate project, but he has already collected one season of field data and is well on his way to compiling a dataset for a meta-analysis that will form a chapter of his dissertation. In addition, Tucker produced a peer-reviewed Extension publication and submitted a journal manuscript for review. He also presented a poster at the national meeting of the Ecological Society of America, and was a co-author on two other presentations (one at the Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference in Portland, Oregon and the other at OSU's Hermiston Farm Fair). Trenton BerrianTrent's final defense occurred in the fall term of 2023 in which he presented his research on testing thiamin (vitamin B1) as an immunity inducer in potato against bacterial and fungal pathogens. His research involved field trials on an organic producer farm in Sisters, OR, who had major issues with potato common scab. During his training, Trent delivered four presentations to regional and national audiences that consisted of producer stakeholders and academic researchers. On a local level, engaging with industry was his priority, with tours to Lamb Weston, Threemile Canyon Farms, Farm Boys potato farm, Fox Island Elite Seed Farm, Cleaver agriculture hemp processing plant, and Ordnance brewery. He mentored four undergraduate students. During his tenure at OSU, Trent received several awards, including a Western SARE Graduate Student Award (GW22-239), the Anita S. Summers Travel Award (twice), and the Drs. James and Stella Melugin Coakley Award. Since graduation, Trent has been working as a biological technician in the Department of the Interior for National Parks Service and Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Torabian, S., J. Pieper, R. Qin, C. Noulas, V. Sathuvalli, B. Charlton, S. Dara, and R. Spear. 2024. Potassium fertilizer source, rate, and application method on potato production in the Columbia Basin of Oregon. Agronomy J. Under review.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Berrian T, Fabian M, Rogan C, Anderson J, Clarke C, and A Goyer. 2024. Investigation of the effectiveness and molecular mechanisms of thiamin priming to control early blight disease in potato. Under Review (Revised version) in Phytopathology
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Berrian TW, Fabian ML, Rogan CJ, Anderson JC, Clarke CR, and A Goyer. 2024. Thiamin priming to control early blight in potato: investigation of its effectiveness and molecular mechanisms. bioRxiv 2024.09. 06.611704 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.06.611704v1.abstract
- Type:
Other Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Hoffman, T.D., S.R. Mitchell, S.J. DeBano, C. Adams, and D.E. Wooster. 2024. Vegetarians, Predators, and Parasitoids: An Introduction to the Lesser-Known Wasps of Oregon. An Oregon State University Extension Publication. EM 9426. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9426-vegetarians-predators-parasitoids-lesser-known-wasps-oregon
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Butcher, A., J. Lee, R. Paul, and S.I. Rondon. 2024. Effects of elicitors on plant host selection by adult Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). J. of Insect Sc. (accepted).
Butcher, A., G. Shrestha, and S.I. Rondon. 2024. Geocoris punctipes (Say) feeding preference. J. of Insect Sc. (in review).
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Butcher, A. and S. I. Rondon. 2024. Using Y-tube to elucidate the preference of Leptinotarsa decemlieana Say. Am. Pot. Res. (in review).
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Progress 01/15/23 to 01/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience at this stage of the project is composed of two groups. The first target audience is the M.S Fellow cohort that are completing their programs and research projects. This group is the primary recipient of mentoring from project PI's and is leading the research and outreach efforts. The second target audience consists of stakeholders within the Plant, Soil, and Natural Resource sciences that are affiliated with the fellowship recipient graduate training program. Specifics of the crop science stakeholder groups (four Fellows are researching potato, one researching blueberry), main target audience were Pacific Northwest growers, crop consultants, the processing industry, and other academics. Changes/Problems:No problems were encountered and no major changes were made to this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and Professional development opportunities are listed in each NNF Fellows narrative in the accomplishment section of this report. As indicated in earlier narrative, the Fellows in the program have been providing mentorship and training to undergraduate and high-school students, community groups, and stakeholders, as well as providing opportunities for their own development as scientists and Extension agents. Specific opportunities include: developing research skills (e.g., next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, plant breeding and genomics tools, crop physiology, nutrient management, etc.); knowledge of and experience working on Branch Experiment Stations and campus environments; and building professional networks and soft skills though interaction with a diverse stakeholder community at grower education events and field days, and peers at professional meetings (see Other Products section for activity details). In fall 2022, we provided a course entitled "Growing Successful Leaders in Agriculture Seminar Course - Guest Lecture Based". The leaders from universities, USDA-ARS, farms, agricultural consulting company, and growers' associations gave talks. This curriculum offered mentorship opportunities for the students to facilitate the development of leadership and communication skills. We are pleased to report numerous awards that the Fellow's have received and are encouraged by the acceptance of multiple Fellows moving on to Ph.D programs or are planning to continue working in the plant science and natural resources realms. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information and results have been disseminated to clientele within the region through talks at grower education events and field days, tours, and to scientific peers via presentations at professional society meetings. Results have also been disseminated through stakeholder networks via informal conversations at grower education meetings, field visits, one-on-one, newsletters, phone calls, etc. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?By the next reporting period, we anticipate that 5 of the 6 NNF Fellows will have graduated with M.S degrees and will be working to publish and disseminate their findings. One remaining Fellow will have completed his first year of study.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Andrea Retano has completed the second year of the program. She has completed all coursework with a grade point average of 3.96 of 4.0. Her thesis research focuses on evaluating locally sourced biochar and grape pomace compost as potential soil amendments for organic blueberry production in Eastern Oregon and Washington. The research project is completed as of Aug. 2023 and data is being processed and written into her thesis that will be defended in Dec. 2023. As a product of her thesis, we are aiming to have two manuscripts accepted for publication in early 2024. Andrea has become an integral member of the OSU Department of Horticulture and to the NNF cohort. She is engaged in activities that broaden her skillset as a leader, as well as enrich others, such as the following activities: Co-chair in the Horticulture Graduate Student Council; Co-organizer graduate student spring seminar series; College of Agricultural Sciences Strategic Action Plan for Inclusive Excellence Committee; and Congressional graduate student representative for Oregon Student Association: Join Task Force for Underrepresented Students in Higher Education. She is also the direct mentor for two high school students that are assisting in her research. She presented at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America in late 2022. Andrea led a blueberry pruning workshop with the Oregon State Small Farms Extension Service in Polk and Marion County, which were delivered in both English and Spanish sessions. Andrea's efforts have resulted in three awards (Travel Award, Dr. Ernest Bergman Fellowship award (2)). Additionally, her accomplishments as a M.S Fellow have been recognized by other faculty in the region, which has earned her an acceptance to a Ph.D program in a worldwide recognized USDA research program. Her Ph.D program will start after the successful M.S defense in December 2023. Alexander Butcher has completed the second year of the Fellowship program and has completed all coursework. He is scheduled to defend his thesis on September 18, 2023. Alexander is currently the chair of the Entomology Club at OSU, and has been featured in two outreach articles. He has been awarded one research grant from the Agricultural Research Foundation, and has received two awards for Professional Development and Scholarly Presentations. Upon successful completion of his M.S program, he will immediately begin a Ph.D program in the Horticulture Department at Oregon State University. Abigail Moore will start the fall term of her third year and has completed all required coursework for degree completion (in Plant Breeding and Genetics). She continues to conduct research on Potato Powdery Scab, focusing on identifying QTL associated with disease resistance in potato. She has also attempted to sequence the genome of the powdery scab pathogen, Spongospora subterranea. Abigail conducted research at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center and participated at grower education events (n = 2) and field days (n = 2). She also attended and presented a poster of her research at Plant Health 2023, the Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society. Jack Pieper has completed all coursework and is scheduled to defend his thesis in the 2023 fall term. His research has focused on trials conducted in grower's fields, which has afforded significant knowledge of field-based environments. In addition, to grower field trials focusing on potato potassium fertilization, he has also participated in projects related nitrogen fertilization as well as other projects, such as grass seeds, sweet corn, pea, wheat, and soybean, etc. Over the two years of the Fellowship, Jack has been exposed to campus environments and experimental station-based work to create a robust understanding of his research and the greater needs in the agricultural realm. He has also been able to mentor seasonal students interested in multi-disciplinary production sciences. Tucker Hoffman is starting his first term as a USDA NNF Fellow. As such, this yearly progress report will contain his biography as our first NNF REEport did for other first term Fellows. Tucker grew up in rural northern California, being the son of a timber faller. Tucker's childhood home offered ample opportunities to pursue his budding interests in nature and science. After finishing high school, Tucker began his college education as a biology major at Simpson University in northern California. His college career was interrupted when he decided to join the US Navy. His service in the Navy not only introduced him to a variety of geographical locations, but also a diversity of people and cultures. In addition, while in the Navy he developed leadership skills by managing teams of sailors responsible for all the logistics associated with transporting crews and maintaining a vehicle fleet to service the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. After finishing his military service, Tucker returned to pursue his undergraduate degree, beginning in OSU's Rangeland Science. Because of his wife's employment, Tucker then moved to Utah, where he finished his BS in Wildlife at Utah State University. Tucker's success finishing his undergraduate degree was particularly notable as a first-generation college student. Tucker brings a variety of research experiences to the program, beginning with his work in Dr. Serkan Ates' lab in Rangeland Sciences at OSU. This experience ignited a passion for research, and he applied for and was awarded an OSU Branch Experiment Station Internship in 2021. Working with Dr. Sandra DeBano on projects related to native pollinators in orchards and forested systems, Tucker developed his own independent project focused on wasps - one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of insects. He successfully completed his internship by finishing his data collection, analyzing his results, writing up a paper, and presenting his project in a poster at the OSU CAS Undergraduate Research Symposium. Tucker has continued his efforts to disseminate his work, both through a journal article and an Extension publication. In addition, Tucker began developing ideas for his graduate project with Drs. David Wooster and Sandy DeBano, in which he plans to investigate the efficacy of low-tech, process-based restoration techniques on stream biota and floodplain associated taxa, such as native bees and amphibians. Tucker's goal is to complete a PhD program in wildlife and work in the natural resources field to develop sustainable solutions that maximize ecosystem services in the face of a growing world population and dwindling natural resources. Tucker's early successes at OSU has earned him the prestigious Provosts Fellow award that will subsidize his first year of study, and the NNF Fellowship will provide support for his second and final year of his M.S. program. Trent Berrian has finished the second year of the Fellowship, including all coursework with a grade point average of 3.97 of 4. Trent's final defense is scheduled for the fall term of 2023 in which he will present his research testing thiamin (vitamin B1) as an immunity inducer in potato against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Over the last year, Trent has delivered four presentations to regional and national audiences that consist of producer stakeholders and academic researchers. On a local level, engaging with industry has been his priority, with tours to Lamb Weston, Threemile Canyon Farms, Farm Boys potato farm, Fox Island Elite Seed Farm, Cleaver agriculture hemp processing plant, and Ordnance brewery. He has mentored four undergraduate students. After his defense, Trent plans on continuing to a Ph.D program or exploring job opportunities with the USDA related to plant pathogens.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Moore, A., Novy, R., Yilma, S., Charlton, B., Frost, K., and V. Sathuvalli. 2023. QTL Mapping of Powdery Scab Resistance in Potato. Phytopathology (in press).
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Progress 01/15/22 to 01/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The short-term target audience of our project is the Cohort of National Need Fellowship (NNF) Mater of Science (MS) students that are directly supported by the program.This cohort consists of five students that were recruited for the training project. In addition, the NNF fellows mentored undergraduate students over the 2022 Summer to gain mentorship experience and to positively influence other students about plant and natural resource sciences. The additional target audience, in the long-term, are regional agriculture and natural resource professionals who are engaging with the NNF fellows to help prepare them for the workforce. The workforce development opportunities are intended to support critical areas of the Plant production TESA which are currently in need of trained professionals. As a result of the training program, NNF fellows are being prepared to enter the skilled workforce as well as conducting research and extension activities that directly inform plant production stakeholders. All of the target audiences reached in this reporting year of this project are located in rural areas, which are in need of assistance to maintain agricultural and natural resource competitiveness. Efforts made throughout the project year, included three graduate level one credit classroom courses specifically developed for the NNF program. The courses consisted of: 1) Foundations for Success - This course explores ways in which graduate training can maximize scientific and professional success. Topics covered include time management, organizing ideas/thoughts, communication skills, interpersonal relationships, leadership and networking, elements of scientific writing and review, and career planning; 2) Growing Successful leaders - A seminar course focused on developing skills necessary to effectively assume leadership roles in today's agricultural and natural resource industries. Each week, a leader in industry, extension, or research delivered a guest lecture on their perspective of the qualities and skills of successful leaders in their field. Guest lectures reflected a wide diversity of individuals involved in agriculture and natural resources; and 3) Emerging Issues in Agriculture and the Environment - This class will helped students analyze, process, and share relevant information in a variety of scientific readings. Every week, a student summarized the key points of a paper and led a 45-minute discussion. The students were able to encourage scientific discussion and come up with general conclusions. Topics spanned relevant issues related to food, agriculture, and natural resources. In addition to the NNF courses, fellows completed the full curriculum of graduate courses required by the OSU graduate school. Fellows visited regional production facilities and met with professionals to help provide insights about career paths and qualities that the industry desires in the skilled workforce. The Fellows also mentored other undergraduate students as well as high school students to gain leadership experience. Changes/Problems:No changes or problems have occurred. One student startedthe program late but this does not change the goals and objectives of the program or training experience. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Fellows part of the NNF program and the high school and undergraduate students that were mentored have all been afforded professional development opportunities that have been highlighted in detail in other sections of this report. Training in forms of coursework, presentations, leadership, professional shadowing, scientific research and extension, and teamwork have been provided. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through professional and regional extension meetings, one on one engagements, conferences, field days, tours, and group meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, five of the NNF fellows will have completed the program in its entirety. One of the NNF fellows was delayed in the program start, and that student will officially join the program in Fall 2023. The delayed student did participate in the 2022 NNF coursework so he could be a part of the full program cohort.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Significant accomplishments have been completed regarding training to reach the target audience. This information is listed in detail in prior sections. Accomplishments from each of the five NNF students are listed below. Jack Pieper: All coursework has been completed, except for one remaining course for the Winter term titled, "Soil Fertility Management". Once the course is completed, the program requirements for the MS degree will be completed. Research was completed in September and is being prepared into a thesis and conducting data analysis for the field trial. The field trial involved testing potassium fertilizer rates, sources, and application methods to different potato varieties commonly grown in Northeastern Oregon and Eastern Washington. Results have been presented in an oral and poster methods at the Soil Science Society of America conference in Baltimore, Maryland. A poster was presented at the OSU Hermiston potato field day. Andrea Retano: Andrea Is currently completing her first term of her second year of the program. She is approximately 90% done with all her coursework. Her thesis research focuses on evaluating locally sourced biochar and grape pomace compost as potential soil amendments for organic blueberry production in the Eastern Oregon and Washington. She completed her greenhouse study and her first harvest of her field study in July of 2022 and is currently working on the data analysis of both studies. Andrea will complete the last harvest of her field study in the summer of 2023. She is working on her thesis and journal articles and hopes to have two manuscripts accepted for publication. Andrea participated in a department seminar where she presented a 50-minute talk on the importance of soil parameters and her thesis work. Additionally, Andrea was invited to guest lecture about soil health and organic systems for the introduction to organic gardening course at Chemeketa Community College in spring of 2022. Early in November, she attended the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America 2022 annual meeting, where she presented a poster of her early thesis work. Andrea co-led a blueberry pruning workshop with the Umatilla Master Gardeners in Hermiston, Oregon in February of 2022. She plans to lead another blueberry pruning workshop in February 2023 for the Oregon State Small Farms Extension Service in Polk and Marion County, where she will be providing both an English and Spanish session. Alexander Butcher: 42 out of the required 45 credit hours have been completed and is currently enrolled for 12 credit hours. Two years of data have been collected with all initial research objectives completed. New objectives have been determined from results and additional funding is being sought. Figures generated from data have been presented at the Entomological Society of America's 2023 Joint International Conference in Vancouver British Columbia. A seminar outlining the work and results has been conducted at Oregon State University hosted by the Crop Science Department. The student has attended and presented at the Entomological Society of Americas Pacific branch and Joint International Conference as well as the Pacific Northwest Insect management conference. Presentations have been delivered at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Centers Potato field day both in 2021 and 2022. He has attended an agrobusiness tour through Oregon state Universities Crop leadership Club. He has also organized and presented at a potato field day at the Hermiston Agricultural research and extension center. The student is seeking to extend this study into a PhD program evaluating the novel delivery mechanism of black solider fly frass to integrate elicitors in potato cropping systems. This extension would be facilitated by a corporate partner Chapul Farms. Trent Berrian: All coursework has been completed to fulfill the requirements of the MS degree. Research is underway testing thiamin (vitamin B1) as an immunity inducer in potato against bacterial and fungal pathogens as well as exploring thiamin as it relates to plant defense in Arabidopsis thaliana. Many more experiments need to be completed but we are on our way to showing how thiamin foliar application affects disease development of Alternaria solani in potato. Presentations delivered include: Berrian T, Clarke C, Goyer A (2022) Testing thiamin as an immunity inducer against common scab in potato. 106th Annual Meeting of the Potato Association of America. Missoula, MT. 17-21 July. Oral presentation. BerrianT, Goyer A (2022) Thiamin (vitamin B1) priming to control for potato common scab. Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Potato Field Day. Hermiston, OR. 22 June. Poster presentation. PAA (potato association of America) 106th Annual Meeting. See above for citation. Graduate student competed in the Frank L Hayes Graduate Student Research Award Competition (no placement). HAREC Potato field day (citation above), working with Rainshadow Organics (an organic producer out of central Oregon) on their potato production and how to mitigate the loss of yield/marketability due to pathogen challenges. Abigail Moore: Abigail just finished the fall term of her second year and is ~65% finished with her coursework. In addition to majoring in Plant Breeding and Genetics, she is also pursuing a minor in Biological Data Sciences. Her research project addresses two gaps in our understanding of Powdery Scab of potato. One component of her research seeks to gain insight into the life cycle and genetic architecture of the powdery scab pathogen, which is not well documented. For this, she is sequencing the genome of the obligate biotrophic pathogen that causes this disease, Spongospora subterranea. So far, she has purified S. subterranea resting structures from host tissue, extracted high molecular weight DNA, and sequenced the DNA on the PacBio Sequel IIe system to generate long-read sequences. She is currently assembling the S. subterranea genome. A second component of her research is to identify host resistance to powdery scab and develop molecular markers for powdery scab resistance in the potato genome. For this, she has phenotyped powdery scab resistance of multiple varieties in a greenhouse experiment earlier this year, planted populations of mapping crosses, and is currently preparing to grow two mapping populations in the greenhouse to use for QTL mapping. Abigail has given multiple talks during her first year: a 30-minute department seminar, a poster presentation at the HAREC Potato Field Day, as well as a 15-minute oral talk at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Potato Association of America.
Publications
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Progress 01/15/21 to 01/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences differed in the two main stages of the project within the first year. Within the first stage, recruitment of Fellows, the target audience was a wide range of prospective graduate students within the United States. To accomplish this, project PD's posted graduate recruitment advertisements in scientific societies, minority student success entities, social media, college and departmental websites, and through PD professional networks. The recruitment activities were very successful in attracting high-quality candidates with a significant pool of candidates representing minorities. The second target audience was after the six graduate student National Needs Fellows (NNF) were selected and accepted the fellowship. The target audience in this stage of the project consisted of stakeholders within the Plant, Soil, and Natural Resource sciences that are affiliated with the fellowship recipient graduate training program. We have completed orientations with the NNF and the professional mentorship and academic advising committees. Changes/Problems:We did not encounter any major challenges that warranted project changes. The Covid pandemic did present barriers that the project PD's overcame by adjusting curriculum and extension activities to virtual programming. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training has primarily been focused on starting coursework in a traditional learning environment, which is on track with theproposed activitiesprior to NNF students engaging with the off-campus extension center in Spring 2022. As a complement to the traditional learning environments, the NNF students have had the opportunity to join campus-based groups and attend conferences related to their specific disciplines, such as the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research annual conference which was attended by NNF student Andrea Retano. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?At this early time point, no results have been generated. Students have been recruited, accepted, and are all in their 2nd term of coursework. The members of the project and those that have been disseminated information through the orientation and other communications include: Professional mentor committee Affiliation Greg Harris RDO, Threemile Canyon Farms Jafe Weems Syngenta Gina Grey IRZ consulting Natalie Kinion OSU Extension Regional Director Steve Potts ConAgra, Hermiston Greg Silbernagel Oregon Water Resources Cheryl Shippentower Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Gene Shippentower (connection issues, not present) CTUIR Tom Demianew Regional Water Quality Specialist Oregon Department of Agriculture Kate Ely CTUIR NNF Faculty Affiliation Scott Lukas Horticulture Aymeric Goyer Botany and Plant Pathology Kenneth Frost Botany and Plant Pathology Sandy DeBano Fish and Wildlife David Wooster Fish and Wildlife Silvia Rondon Crop and Soil Science Ruijun Qin Crop and Soil Science Sagar Sathuvalli Crop and Soil Science NNF Students Affiliation Andrea Retano Horticulture Trent Berrian Botany and Plant Pathology Abigail Moore Crop and Soil Science Alexander Butcher Crop and Soil Science Emma Manuel Fish and Wildlife Jack Pieper Crop and Soil Science What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will be executing the off-campus learning environment outcomes, and engaging with stakeholders and the professional mentoring committees. Students will have completed a majority of their coursework and will have one summer of field research leading to their respective MS Thesis projects completed. NNF students will have also had the opportunity to mentor undergraduate students in their programs.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Within the initiation year of the project, the following accomplishments are listed below according to each of the three main project goals. engage students A significant accomplishment in this project goal to date is the recruitmentand acceptance of six M.S graduate fellows. Below are brief biographies for each of the NNF cohort, the respective PD's and academic home departments. Andrea Retano, Department of Horticulture. Advised by project PD Scott Lukas. Originally from Culver, Oregon, Andrea is a first-generation Mexican American student in her first year of the Horticulture Master's program at Oregon State University. Andrea is advised by Dr. Scott Lukas' in his sustainable horticulture lab at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hermiston, Oregon. Her research evaluates organic amendments to the soil to improve organic matter content in sandy Hermiston soils and make them more suitable for growing organic blueberries. Andrea earned her undergraduate degree from Oregon State University with a major in Environmental Sciences and a focus on sustainability, resources, and conservation in 2020. She was the first of her immediate family to graduate from a university and will be the first with a graduate degree. Andrea plans to move on to a PhD program upon completing her Master's. She hopes to continue investigating and manipulating agriculture practices through plant physiology for optimal and (most importantly) sustainable plant production that is feasible and accessible to growers and industry members throughout the United States. Trent Berrian; Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Advised by Co-PD Aymeric Goyer. Trent is a Masters student in Aymeric Goyer's lab in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. He completed his bachelors of science with majors in biology and anthropology at the University of Oregon in 2019. Since then he has worked in ecological restoration and with USDA - APHIS before joining the Goyer lab in 2021. His research project focuses on the molecular mechanisms of thiamin (vitamin B1)-mediated plant resistance to diseases, and on the potential use of thiamin application to prime plant immunity for the management of important crop diseases in potato. Emma Manuel; Department of Fisheries & Wildlife. Co-advised by Co-PD's Sandra DeBano and David Wooster. Emma grew up in Call, a small, agricultural community in eastern Texas. They started their college career at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. At Lamar they grew interested in entomology and ecology and attended a two-week field course in Belize to study tropical marine biology and watershed ecology. Emma then transferred to Texas A&M where they received a B.S. degree in Entomology in May 2021. While attending Texas A&M they were employed at the university's extensive insect collection and conducted a senior research project on belowground plant-insect interactions. At OSU, Emma is examining the impact of human-induced low river flows on aquatic invertebrates, plants, and algae. Emma is a non-binary student and a member of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community. Jack Pieper; Department of Crop and Soil Science. Advised by Co-PD Ruijun (Ray) Qin. Jack grew up on a 700 acre farm in Southeast Iowa. On the farm, he and his family grow corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa, and rye in conjunction with a 50 head cow-calf operation. In high school, Jack started taking courses related to agronomy and soil science as well as participating in the World Food Prize programs. From writing about solutions to reduce child labor in Africa's Ivory Coast to interning 2 months on an organic farm in Costa Rica, the World Food Prize introduced Jack to the world of agriculture on a global scale. Both the technical knowledge from courses in high school and the global perspective from the World Food Prize programs inspired Jack to study Agronomy and Global Resource Systems at Iowa State. Throughout his time at Iowa State, he was able to get a glimpse of what graduate school is like while working in a soils lab for four years. The time working in that lab motivated him to continue studies after graduating from Iowa State. After graduation, Jack transitioned from the Mid-west to the Pacific Northwest to start his graduate research as Oregon State where related to potato nutrient management with Dr. Ray Qin at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Abigail Moore; Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Co-advised by Co-PD's Kenneth Frost and Sagar Sathuvalli. Abby is a first generation graduate student and a recent graduate from Ohio University. She is working under Dr. Ken Frost and Dr. Sagar Sathuvalli on potato powdery scab. Her project has a strong focus on genomics and has two main components. The first involves mapping powdery scab resistant loci to the potato genome and the second aims to sequence and assemble the genome of Spongospora subterranea, the pathogen responsible for powdery scab. Alexander Butcher; Department of Crop and Soil Science. Advised by Co-PD Silvia Rondon. Alexander is working with Dr. Silvia I. Rondon, Professor and Extension Entomology Specialist and current director of the OSU Integrated Pest Management Center. Alexander's research will be focusing on the use of synthetic elicitors to activate targeted plant immune responses against insect herbivores and pathogens. During his first summer at OSU, he got involved in several projects including the host selection of a well known predator when exposed to two important potato pests and helping collect field data in long-standing landscape experiments. Prior to his work at OSU, he graduated from Portland State University with a BS in Science with a major in Biology. His undergraduate studies focused on Evolutionary Biology and Ecology. In addition, he is an alumnus from Le Cordon Bleu Academy of Culinary Arts. He worked as a chef for a decade where he become passionate about agriculture and the food industry. All of the six NNF Fellows have completed their first academic term (Fall 2021) and have started their second term (Winter 2022) of traditional on-campus courses. The majority of the students have also identified research projects and are working with project collaborators in Corvallis to conduct respective projects described above. The cohort of all six students is scheduled to return from campus in Corvallis to the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC) on June 14th to initiate the research, mentorship, and programming efforts for the project at the off-campus research center. 2) include industry producers The students were not able to do the previously scheduled in-person orientation in the Summer of 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. However, a virtual orientation with all of the NNF students, all project PD's and the professional mentoring committee was present. Within the virtual orientation, all members provided detailed introductions of themselves and their role in the project. Questions were presented to allow for discussion between the students, project PD's and the professional mentoring committee. It was a very successful event that engaged all of the project members and has already been fruitful in opening new lines of cooperative efforts with stakeholders, researchers and students. When the cohort arrives in Spring/Summer of 2022 to HAREC the in-person site visits and other program efforts will be initiated. 3) provide a well-rounded curriculum At this early point in the program, NNF Fellows have only had the opportunity to start campus-based courses in Corvallis under the traditional learning environment umbrella. When the cohort returns in June 2022, the off-campus activities will be initiated which include mentorship and training of undergraduates in each respective program.
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