Progress 02/01/22 to 08/24/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Engaged undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty at Virginia Tech in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) in our applied technologies from objectives 1-2 and the creation of our illustrated videos from objective 3. Also engagedstakeholders/farmers, faculty researchers, USDA scientists, and graduate students (over 50 participants)at the Ohio State UniversityAgricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH at the all day field day event proposed in objective 3. The efforts were to enhance public awareness of the phopshorus crisis through a series of talks and demonstrations (large and small-scale). Changes/Problems:My advisor, Dr. Glenda Gillaspy, is moving herlaboratory fromVirginia Tech to University of Wisconsin-Madison (July to August 2023). Given this, we have been working with John Erickson and the AFRI team to complete the necessary steps for the grant transfer. While moving the laboratory to University of Wisconsin-Madisonwill likely delay progress (especially for research objectives 1-2), this move should not cause any major changes to the objectives themselves. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has so far engaged one post-doctoral researcher (PD), one research scientist, and one undergraduate student.Training: The research scientist and undergraduate student have assisted in the transformation and maintenance of pennycress and Arabidopsis transgenics. Before this opportunity, the undergraduate student had not been involved in plant biochemistry research. Through their work in our laboratory, this student has become proficiently skilled in growing and screening laboratory plants, collecting and analyzing phenotypic data (imaging, measuring, etc), performing assays to quantify the amount of P present in a sample, and other aspects of plant biochemistry and genetics. The post-doctoral researcher has also been engaged in planning, developing, and implementing Extension activities through BMP Field Day. This was a highly enriching and educational experience, allowing this professional to gain experiences in but not limited to: hosting events across universities, disseminating information from the university to the general public and farmers across counties through a network of newspapers, radio stations, extension offices, and companies, leading demonstrations and demonstration sessions, a poster session, a seminar series, and coordinating this with a variety of researchers, farmers, caterers, and other professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?BMP Field Day, March 2023 Audience:farmers and stakeholders from Wayne and surrounding counties, faculty and USDA scientists based in OARDC, graduate students and young professionals, citizens of Wooster, Ohio,and the Mayor of Apple Creek, Ohio. Information was disseminated through seminars, a poster symposium, small and large scale, hands-on fielddemonstrations, illustrated videos on youtube, and online over Zoom. The seminar components of BMP Field Day are accessible here:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ox1wDvKiE8x5ZT7j9XgC5OkGf-8BqjrAandhttps://bmpfieldday.carrd.co/ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As the Gillaspylaboratory is movingfrom Virginia Tech to University of Wisconsin-Madison (July to August 2023)we aim to complete objective 3 by finishing the remaining videos/resources as well as the final, published website as well as finish the screening process for lines described in objectives 1-2.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Phosphorus crisis presents a major challenge to food security. While Phosphorus (P) is critical for crop growth, P is a nonrenewable and increasingly limited resource. Our global population is fed at the expense of the remaining mineable P reserve, which may be depleted in 30 years. Further, fertilizer runoff from farmland and urban areas poses a dangerous problem as increased nutrients in watersheds toxifies our water supply and aquatic ecosystems. Time is running out to preserve our P supply. New and innovative strategies that reduce fertilizer inputs and watershed pollution are key to securing the global food supply and protecting the environment. Emerging evidence shows plants use inositol pyrophosphates (PPInsPs) as signaling molecules to detect P. My preliminary work demonstrates altering PP-InsPs can decrease plant P accumulation with a limited growth trade-off or cause plants to hyperaccumulate P. I propose to translate knowledge on this pathway into a strategy to reduce fertilizer inputs and reclaim P polluted soils. I will achieve this in three distinct aims. (1) First, I will artificially increase PP-InsPs to determine how this impacts crop requirements for fertilizer. (2) Additionally, I will engineer P-accumulating crops and convert them into a novel biochar product to assess crop P reclamation potential. (3) Further, I have developed an Extension strategy to spread awareness of the P crisis and agricultural sustainability on the local, regional, national, and global level. Ultimately, this integrated research and Extension project will enhance P usage to protect the global food supply and environment. This integrative project combines research and extension to remedy the impending P crisis. First, this research translates fundamental discoveries I have made with inositol pyrophosphate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana in two crop species to enhance plant Phosphorus-use efficiency and reclaim Phosphorus from polluted environments. The extension portion of this project will allow me to engage a wide variety of stakeholders regionally and globally in topics surrounding P usage, climate change, and how fertilizer impacts the environment. To achieve these goals, we have the following specific objectives: Objective 1. Research: Enhance phosphate-use efficiency (PUE) in two crop species and assess whether we can develop crops with a reduced need for fertilizer This objective is 50% complete. I have selected three plant species for this project: a laboratory model species, Arabidopsis, as well as two crop species, pennycress and soybean. The two crop species are the major focus of this project. We have constructed the appropriate gain-of-function genetic constructs and transformed these into Arabidopsis and Pennycress plants. We hypothesize will reduce the plant's need to acquire P from the soil. The Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center has constructed the proposed vectors and has introduced them into soybean Williams82. We are currently screening seeds for these lines and aim to have homozygous plants to work this mid 2023. Once homozygous plants have been recovered, we will assess Phosphorus Use Efficiency (PUE) in all transgenics of these three plant species. Objective 2: Research. Develop two crop species that accumulate high amounts of P from the environment Appropriate gain-of-function genetic constructs that encode genes that impact that plant's ability to hyperaccumulate P have been assembled and have been transformed into all three plant species. Similar to objective 1, the two crop species, pennycress and soybean, are the major focus of this project. Once homozygous plants have been obtained, we will assess alterations in PP-InsPs and genes involved in P sensing. We have obtained soybean ipk1 mutants seeds from the University of Missouri. These are older seed stocks that unfortunately have a very poor germination rate; thus, efforts are on-going to recover this germplasm. If we cannot recover this germplasm, we will still have our gain of function plants that support thisobjective. I estimate that this work is 50% completed. Objective 3. Extension. Completed proposedfield day (BMP Field Day)onMarch, 29, 2023 at the OSU OARDC in collaboration with the OSU Extension Water Quality Team, Dr. Jim Owen (USDA Research Horticulturist), and Brian Gwin (Special Projects Lead, CFAES, OARDC). All information regarding the event can be found here:https://bmpfieldday.carrd.co/Overall, this full dey event was very successful, bringing in over 50 attendees. Attendees included but were not limited to: farmers and stakeholders from Wayne and surrounding counties, faculty and USDA scientists based in OARDC, graduate students and young professionals, citizens of Wooster, Ohio,and the Mayor of Apple Creek, Ohio. Entrance and exit surveys revealed that BMP Field Day got attendees to think more about the importance of phopshorus and it's roll in the enviornment. While apprioximately 70% of attendees were aware of the impact that phosphorus caused on the watersheds and algal blooms, none of the attendees had noted that they were aware of the phopshorus supply chain anf how it is a limtied resource. Based on the small and large scale demonstrations, most attendees noted that they are interested in making adjustments to their nutrient management plans (mainly for farmers who already used fertilizers).BMP Field Dayinvolved a diverse range of speakers from various disciplines (agronomists, molecular biologists, economists, extension agents, stakeholders, and more). The content will include a series of presentations that highlight difference aspects of P-use efficiency and -use inefficiency, interactive surveys, and field site demonstrations. We have created four fully illustrated and narrated videos for the video series. We are working with undergraduate students in the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business to develop a website and publish these resources to be freely accessible. We have also published a few of these videos on youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@Phyte4Food These videos address what P is and why it's important, the P crisis, how P cycles through the environment, how P and nutrients impact plant growth, and phytoremediation strategies we can use to protect the environment. Our original plan was to have ten illustrated videos, but we have decided to combine some of the original videos into 7 videos and add some podcasts to the series. We have subsequently decided to create 5 podcasts in lieu of the videos, because this will allow us to expand on more information presented in the illustrated videos. These podcasts will include interviews with a variety of professionals with expertise in these specific areas. The scripts for the remaining videos are finished and the illustrations and podcasts are in progress. These videos and podcasts will be uploaded and freely distributed to the public early 2023. Online distribution streams will include a specific website made and maintained by our lab group for these videos, the VT extension website, the American Society of Plant Biologists official website, YouTube, and various social media/podcast platforms. I estimate that this work is about 60% completed.
Publications
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Progress 02/01/22 to 01/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Engaged undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty at Virginia Tech in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) in our applied technologies from objectives 1-2 and the creation of our illustrated videos from objective 3. Also engaged researchers and stakeholders at the USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, IL in applied technologies from objectives 1-2. The efforts to deliver science-based knowledge through three seminars and a poster presentation at an interdisciplinary agricultural technologysymposium. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has so far engaged one post-doctoral researcher (PD), one research scientist, and one undergraduate student. Training:The research scientist and undergraduate student have assisted in the transformation and maintenance of pennycress andArabidopsistransgenics. Before this opportunity, the undergraduate student had not been involved in plant biochemistry research. Through their work in our laboratory, this student has become proficiently skilled in growing and screening laboratory plants, collecting and analyzing phenotypicdata (imaging, measuring, etc), performing assays to quantify the amount of P present in a sample, and other aspects of plant biochemistry and genetics. Professional Development: The PD presented research at two Virginia Tech (VT) seminars and at the USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, IL. PD attended the CRU Phosphates 2022 conference in Tampa, FL to network with members of the global phosphates community, meet with industry stakeholders, and learn about the current state of the global P economy. PD presented work and research plans at the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA) conference at Virginia Tech to amulti-disciplinary group of stakeholders as well as students and faculty in the VT College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Both the PD and undergraduate student attended the Virginia Tech Research and Extension Experiential Learning (VT-REEL) Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) Tour June 2022, an event that provided students and faculty the opportunity to engage with researchers and extension agents across Virginia. This opportunity was especially important for the undergraduate student and gave him a better perspective on the importance of extension in agriculture and all the steps involved from how food goes from the farm to the market. Additionally, this has also been a fantastic learning experience forthe PD and undergraduate student to learn and develop the best methods to present complicated, scientific ideas into videos for a general public audience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Three seminars/presentations Virginia Tech Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Seminar Series, April 2022 Audience: Faculty, post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students with a diverse range of experiences in genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. This seminar was especially interesting to them given the focus in plant science and how we can translate laboratory discoveries into solutions/products for farmers. Virginia Tech Translational Plant Sciences Seminar Series, May 2022 Audience:Faculty, post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students with a background in plant sciences and biotechnology. A lot of students in this track are becoming more interested in translating research activities into solutions/products for farmers. USDANational Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, IL, October 2022 Audience:Research scientists and staff at the USDA NCAUR. Interested in learning more about the Phosphorus crisis and the translational/outreach strategies. Poster symposium Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA) conference, Blacksburg, VA, March 2022 Audience:Faculty, post-doctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A lot of students in this track are becoming more interested in translating research activities into solutions/products for farmers. There were also SouthwestVirginianstakeholders present at this conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: we will finish screening our plants and will obtain homozygous plants. As we obtain these lines, we will assess P use efficiency by measuring the total P content in the plant biomass when grown under different conditions. Additionally, we will assess the seed properties of these plants. We hypothesize that by altering the InsPs in specific areas of the plant, we can decrease the amount of P allocated to seeds. Objective 2: we will finish our screening and will have the materials necessary to assess P reclamation potential of transgenic soybean and pennycress plants. We will assess this by growing these plants under a variety of P conditions that imitate field conditions and assess their P reclamation potential. Objective 3:we will complete the remaining illustrated videos and podcasts. Additionally, we will have held both BMP field days and will analyze data from the interactive stakeholder surveys from the beginning, middle, and end of the event to gauge the awareness of the P crisis and fertilizer usage.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Phosphorus crisis presents a major challenge to food security. While Phosphorus (P) is critical for crop growth, P is a nonrenewable and increasingly limited resource. Our global population is fed at the expense of the remaining mineable P reserve, which may be depleted in 30 years. Further, fertilizer runoff from farmland and urban areas poses a dangerous problem as increased nutrients in watersheds toxifies our water supply and aquatic ecosystems. Time is running out to preserve our P supply. New and innovative strategies that reduce fertilizer inputs and watershed pollution are key to securing the global food supply and protecting the environment. Emerging evidence shows plants use inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs) as signaling molecules to detect P. My preliminary work demonstrates altering PP-InsPs can decrease plant P accumulation with a limited growth trade-off or cause plants to hyperaccumulate P. I propose to translate knowledge on this pathway into a strategy to reduce fertilizer inputs and reclaim P polluted soils. I will achieve this in three distinct aims. (1) First, I will artificially increase PP-InsPs to determine how this impacts crop requirements for fertilizer. (2) Additionally, I will engineer P-accumulating crops and convert them into a novel biochar product to assess crop P reclamation potential. (3) Further, I have developed an Extension strategy to spread awareness of the P crisis and agricultural sustainability on the local, regional, national, and global level. Ultimately, this integrated research and Extension project will enhance P usage to protect the global food supply and environment. This integrative project combines research and extension to remedy the impending P crisis. First, this research translates fundamental discoveries I have made with inositol pyrophosphate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana in two crop species to enhance plant Phosphorus-use efficiency and reclaim Phosphorus from polluted environments. The extension portion of this project will allow me to engage a wide variety of stakeholders regionally and globally in topics surrounding P usage, climate change, and how fertilizer impacts the environment. To achieve these goals, we have the following specific objectives: Objective 1.Research: Enhance phosphate-use efficiency (PUE) in two crop species and assess whether we can develop crops with a reduced need for fertilizer This objective is 40% complete. I have selected three plant species for this project: a laboratory model species,Arabidopsis, as well as two crop species, pennycress and soybean. The two crop species are the major focus of this project. We have constructed the appropriate gain-of-function genetic constructs and transformed these intoArabidopsisand Pennycress plants. We hypothesize will reduce the plant's need to acquire P from the soil. The Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center has constructed the proposed vectors and has introduced them into soybean Williams82. We are currently screening seeds for these lines and aim to have homozygous plants to work this early/mid 2023. Once homozygous plants have been recovered, we will assess Phosphorus Use Efficiency (PUE) in all transgenics of these three plant species. Objective 2:Research. Develop two crop species that accumulate high amounts of Pfrom the environment Appropriate gain-of-function genetic constructs that encode genes that impact that plant's ability to hyperaccumulate P have been assembled and have been transformed into all three plant species. Similar to objective1, the two crop species, pennycress and soybean, are the major focus of this project. Once homozygous plants have been obtained, we will assess alterations in PP-InsPs and genes involved in P sensing. Wehave obtained soybeanipk1mutants seeds from the University of Missouri. These are older seed stocks that unfortunately have a very poor germination rate; thus, efforts are on-going to recover this germplasm. If we cannot recover this germplasm, we will still have our gain of function plants that support this objective. I estimate that this work is 35% completed. Objective 3.Extension. Implement a two-part Extension strategy to increase public awareness of the Phosphorus crisis First Best Management Practice (BMP) field day organized and scheduled to take place March 29th, 2023. Originally to take place August 2022 at Virginia Tech (VT) Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) however we found that holding this event at OSU OARDC to be an optimal location and venue to disseminate information pertaining to the P crisis. We will be collaborating with OSU USDA scientist and our lab's collaborator, Dr. Jim Owen, to organize and host this field day. Our event will involve a diverse range of speakers from various disciplines (agronomists, molecular biologists, economists, extension agents, stakeholders, and more). The content will include a series of presentations that highlight difference aspects of P-use efficiency and -use inefficiency, interactive surveys, and field site demonstrations. Our second BMP field day is tentatively set for July 2023. The location will be one of the OSU Extension Water Quality Centers in Ohio. The goals of this BMP will remain the same but will emphasize the impact of P on water quality and aquatic environments. We have created four fully illustrated and narrated videos for the video series. These videos address what P is and why it's important, the P crisis, how P cycles through the environment, how P and nutrients impact plant growth, and phytoremediation strategies we can use to protect the environment. Our original plan was to have ten illustrated videos, but we have decided to combine some of the original videos into 7 videos and add some podcasts to the series. We have subsequently decided to create 5 podcasts in lieu of the videos, because this will allow us to expand on more information presented in the illustrated videos. These podcasts will include interviews with a variety of professionals with expertise in these specific areas. The scripts for the remaining videos are finished and the illustrations and podcasts are in progress. These videos and podcasts will be uploaded and freely distributed to the public early 2023. Online distribution streams will include a specific website made and maintained by our lab group for these videos, the VT extension website, the American Society of Plant Biologists official website, YouTube, and various social media/podcast platforms. I estimate that this work is about 40% completed.?
Publications
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