Delayed silking relative to pollen shed, measured as the anthesis–silking interval(ASI, the period between pollen shed and silking), is a good indicator of response toabiotic stresses in maize (Zea mays L.). This research was conducted to investigatehow ASI is affected by nitrogen (N) and water availability and to assess the utility ofASI to indirectly predict grain yield (GY) under contrasting water and N treatments.Two experiments were conducted in Hancock, WI, in 2018 and 2019. One experiment (Diverse hybrids) included 302 hybrids resulting from the cross of diverseinbred lines by a single tester evaluated at four different treatment levels resultingfrom combining nonlimited and low N with nonlimited and low water treatments.The second experiment (NSS FAC) included a set of 408 hybrids derived from thecross of biparental doubled-haploid lines from 13 factorial populations and evaluatedunder nonlimited and low N treatments. Anthesis and silk time in growing degreedays, and GY (Mg ha−1) were measured. Genomic prediction was assessed using agenomic best linear unbiased prediction model, and predictive ability was calculatedas the correlation between genomic predictions and adjusted means in the differenttreatments. Predictive ability ranged from .15 to .49 for NSS FAC and from .06 to.51 for Diverse hybrids across traits and treatments. The ASI was a good indicatorof stress and showed higher heritability than GY in the limited treatments for bothexperiments; however, it did not improve yield predictability.

Fresh water is increasingly limited due to climate change. One way to reduce freshwater use by irrigated agriculture is to breed plants that can produce adequate yieldswith less water. A wild tomato, Solanum habrochaites, is more water stress tolerantthan cultivated tomato, S. lycopersicum L. Our study aimed to fine map quantitativetrait loci (QTL) for maturity, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE)-related traits(shoot dry weight and carbon isotope discrimination, ∆13C) on chromosome 9 in S.habrochaites using a set of 21 sub-near isogenic lines (sub-NILs). These sub-NILsand controls were evaluated in field experiments grown under full and reduced irrigation treatments across 2 yr. Genotype × environment interactions were significant, sothe data was separated into subsets of environments for further analyses. SignificantQTL were detected for 20 trait–environment combinations. All QTL were partiallyor completely coincident. The presence of the S. habrochaites allele at QTL wasassociated with later maturity, lower yields, and greater WUE. However, yield and∆13C exhibited no or low correlations with each other, suggesting these traits couldbe selected for improvement independently during breeding. Two of 21 sub-NILsshowed superior performance for WUE and yield compared to controls. These twogenotypes may prove useful in breeding programs to improve the WUE of tomatocultivars without negative effects on yield.

This study explores the potential of Spanish germplasm for the development ofhybrids adapted to southern Europe, a new region for hybrid barley (Hordeum vulgare). A set of 140 locally adapted, advanced breeding lines, developed in a Spanishpublic breeding program, were evaluated for their potential to widen the germplasmavailable for hybrid barley development. A subset of 24 lines was introduced intothree-way hybrid combinations and tested in a field trial network of four locationsand 2 yr. The hybrid performance of the rest of the lines was estimated based ongenomic prediction models. No three-way hybrid exceeded the best check. We succeeded in identifying lines with high general combining ability, which could producepromising two-way hybrids. Some were among those tested in the field, whereasothers resulted from genomic predictions, validating the strategy followed of mining locally adapted breeding lines. Rachis brittleness detected in field trials revealeda low but detrimental effect of the presence of alternative brittle mutations in thehybrid combination. The success of hybrid breeding in southern Europe requires further investigation of the underlying heterotic patterns, and appropriate management of brittle genes through prebreeding, to widen the germplasm accessible for hybridbarley breeding.

The symbiotic relationship between soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)] roots andbacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) lead to the development of nodules, importantlegume root structures where atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is fixed into bio-availableammonia (NH3) for plant growth and development. With the recent development ofthe Soybean Nodule Acquisition Pipeline (SNAP), nodules can more easily be quantified and evaluated for genetic diversity and growth patterns across unique soybeanroot system architectures. We explored six diverse soybean genotypes across threefield year combinations in three early vegetative stages of development and reportthe unique relationships between soybean nodules in the taproot and non-taprootgrowth zones of diverse root system architectures of these genotypes. We foundunique growth patterns in the nodules of taproots showing genotypic differences inhow nodules grew in count, size, and total nodule area per genotype compared tonon-taproot nodules. We propose that nodulation should be defined as a function ofboth nodule count and individual nodule area resulting in a total nodule area per rootor growth regions of the root. We also report on the relationships between the nodulesand total nitrogen in the seed at maturity, finding a strong correlation between the taproot nodules and final seed nitrogen at maturity. The applications of these findingscould lead to an enhanced understanding of the plant-Bradyrhizobium relationshipand exploring these relationships could lead to leveraging greater nitrogen use efficiency and nodulation carbon to nitrogen production efficiency across the soybeangermplasm.

Recent technological advances in high-throughput phenotyping have created newopportunities for the prediction of complex traits. In particular, phenomic predictionusing hyperspectral reflectance could capture various signals that affect phenotypesgenomic prediction might not explain. A total of 360 inbred maize (Zea mays L.) lineswith or without plant growth-promoting bacterial inoculation management undernitrogen stress were evaluated using 150 spectral wavelengths ranging from 386to 1,021 nm and 13,826 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Six prediction modelswere explored to assess the predictive ability of hyperspectral and genomic data forinoculation status and plant growth-related traits. The best models for hyperspectralprediction were partial least squares and automated machine learning. The Bayesianridge regression and BayesB were the best performers for genomic prediction. Overall, hyperspectral prediction showed greater predictive ability for shoot dry mass andstalk diameter, whereas genomic prediction was better for plant height. The prediction models that simultaneously accommodated both hyperspectral and genomic dataresulted in a predictive ability as high as that of phenomics or genomics alone. Ourresults highlight the usefulness of hyperspectral-based phenotyping for managementand phenomic prediction studies.

Vegetative filter strip characteristics such as perenniality drive hydrology and subsequent ecosystem services. However, the extent and the potential for forage–biomasscrops to improve water quality, provide fodder, and optimize nutrient cycling inmultifunctional systems is unknown. We evaluated (a) how species, perenniality,and plant community composition are linked to water quality; and (b) the multiuseforage–biomass potential of filter strips. Whole plots were species [eastern gamagrass(Tripsacum dactyloides), Kernza [or intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium)], silphium (Silphium integrifolium), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), andwinter wheat (Triticum aestivum)], with split-plots receiving 0 or 5.6 Mg ha−1 broilerlitter. Rainfall simulations were conducted at 5 cm h−1 (until 30 min of continuousrunoff) in summer and fall of 2019 and 2021 with dual forage and biomass harvestsoccurring 2019–2021. Kernza and silphium had the lowest biomass regrowth afterforage harvests relative to native grasses, suggesting they would not be ideal multifunctional forage–bioenergy crops. Among all soil–plant–water variables, canonicalcorrelations indicate poultry litter (.97), and soil phosphorus saturation (.77) werethe most influential variables for water quality. Water quality score, FWQ, which isinversely related to runoff water quality, was lowest for switchgrass (0.03) and greatest (P ≥ .05) for eastern gamagrass and wheat (1.77 and 3.33, respectively), but notdifferent from Kernza (0.98) and silphium (0.31). Therefore, switchgrass resulted inthe best water quality scores and highest forage–biomass yields, with Kernza andsilphium also showing promise for reducing sediment and nutrient loads followingpoultry litter applications in multifunctional filter strip systems.