Browsing by Author "Coldren, Cade (TTU)"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Biochar Influences Phytochemical Concentrations of Viola cornuta Flowers(2023) Regmi, Abishkar (TTU); Poudyal, Shital; Singh, Sukhbir (TTU); Coldren, Cade (TTU); Moustaid-Moussa, Naima (TTU); Simpson, Catherine (TTU)Edible flowers are a rich source of phytochemicals with potential health benefits. Yet, changes in production practices can influence the phytochemical composition of edible flowers. Practices such as the addition of biochar have been used to affect growing media properties as well as to conserve peat resources. However, there is little known about how biochar affects the phytochemical composition of edible flowers. To determine if biochar affects phytochemicals in Viola cornuta, four cultivars were subjected to different rates of biochar, with and without fertilizer. At the rate of 10% biochar and without fertilizer application, flower polyphenol and flavonoid concentrations were decreased by 10–20% in two cultivars. However, at 25% biochar, flower polyphenol concentrations varied widely. When fertilizer was added, no effects of biochar were seen. Phytochemical characterization of unfertilized plants further revealed that while increased rates of biochar reduced concentrations of certain antioxidant compounds, these compounds were increased when fertilizer was added. Overall, fertilization can counteract some of the negative effects of biochar on Viola cultivars, resulting in higher nutritional quality and an increase in bioactive compounds produced, providing an ability to replace the peat moss with biochar.Item Cross-species transferability of Solanum spp. DNA markers and their application in assessing genetic variation in silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) populations from Texas, USA(2020) Singleton, Joshua James (TTU); Mangat, Puneet Kaur (TTU); Shim, Junghyun (TTU); Vavra, Cody (TTU); Coldren, Cade (TTU); Angeles-Shim, Rosalyn B. (TTU)Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.) is an invasive species that has successfully spread outside its native range to become a noxious weed in 21 states in the United States and 42 countries worldwide. The successful establishment of S. elaeagnifolium outside its native habitat indicates its innate ability to adapt to a multitude of environments. Phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic adaptation have been identified as key mechanisms underlying the adaptive success of invasive species. Whereas phenotypic plasticity allows a species to buffer changes in the environment by altering its phenotypic attributes within the short term, genetic adaptation is responsible for the longer-term adaptability of plants to heterogeneous environments and is dependent on the amount of genetic variation present in the species. In this study, we screened DNA markers that are specific to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Solanum lycopersicoides Dunal for their interspecific transferability to S. elaeagnifolium and determined the applicability of the transferable DNA markers in assessing the extent of genetic variation in populations from Lubbock, Littlefield, and Blackwell, TX. Of the 187 markers screened, 78 successfully amplified targets in S. elaeagnifolium, indicating the evolutionary conservation of marker loci across S. lycopersicum, S. lycopersicoides, and S. elaeagnifolium, despite their genetic divergence millions of years ago. Genotyping of S. elaeagnifolium populations using 50 DNA markers that consistently amplified clear bands in more than 60% of the plants identified nine polymorphic markers with 0.014 to 0.621 polymorphism information content. Genetic diversity analysis by DNA marker profiling established genetic variation among populations and within individuals of different populations. Unweighted paired group method with arithmetic mean analysis grouped the plants into six clusters that are generally defined by selection pressures unique to each collection site. Results of the study indicate the capacity of S. elaeagnifolium for genetic differentiation in response to variable selection pressures within the same geographic region.Item Effects of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments on Cotton Seedling Physiology, Nutrition, and Growth(2024) Sehrish, Aqeela (TTU); Parajulee, Megha; Vyavhare, Suhas; Coldren, Cade (TTU); Laza, Haydee (TTU); Simpson, Catherine R. (TTU)Plant growth and physiology can be affected by environmental and chemical factors that have the potential to influence yields. Among the factors that influence plant growth, neonicotinoid seed treatments have shown significant effects on plant growth, particularly in cotton. The dual benefits seen from neonicotinoids on plant growth and insect control show promise in improving cotton yields but little is known about how different seed treatments affect seedling physiology. A greenhouse experiment was undertaken to investigate how three neonicotinoid seed treatments (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid) affect the physiology and growth of cotton seedlings in controlled environmental conditions. A randomized complete block design was used to examine seed treatments and an untreated control. Cotton seeds were treated, grown, and evaluated for physiological changes until the fifth true leaf-stage and measurements were taken at each of these stages. Data were collected on plant height, shoot fresh weight, leaf area, root length, and root biomass. In addition, chlorophyll pigments and nutrient analysis were performed on cotton seedlings. The seedlings of imidacloprid treated seeds had greater height, shoot fresh mass, leaf area, and relative growth rate by the fifth true leaf stage compared to other treated plants; however, clothianidin showed comparative performance at earlier stages in plant development that equilibrated over time. While all neonicotinoid seed treatments showed positive effects, imidacloprid showed the most potential as a bioactivator on plant growth.Item The Negative Effects of High Rates of Biochar on Violas Can Be Counteracted with Fertilizer(2022) Regmi, Abishkar (TTU); Singh, Sukhbir (TTU); Moustaid-Moussa, Naima (TTU); Coldren, Cade (TTU); Simpson, Catherine (TTU)Increasing costs and environmental issues regarding excessive use of peat moss is impacting the horticultural industry. Biochar is a valuable substrate additive that has the potential to reduce the use of peatmoss in greenhouse production. However, its varying effects on ornamentals requires that individual species and cultivars of crops must be evaluated to determine the threshold for benefits. Viola cornuta is a high value ornamental crop; however, information on how different rates of biochar rates affect productivity and physiology of Viola cultivars in container production is not known. To determine if biochar rates could increase the productivity of Viola, we mixed a peat-based substrate with 10, 25, and 50% (w:w) hardwood biochar in two studies on four cultivars. Without fertilizers, 10 and 25% biochar improved plant biomass, growth, root length, and flowering, but 50% biochar was found to have negative effects on plant growth and flowering. Cultivars varied in their response to biochar rates. When fertilizer was applied in the second experiment, biochar rates did not impact growth parameters or flowering. These results suggest that up to 25% biochar can be used in Viola production without detrimental impacts. However, 50% biochar can be used with the addition of fertilizer without negatively affecting plant growth. Biochar can have a short-term impact on the growth characteristics of Viola plants in container production, but fertilization and growing period of Viola may influence these effects. These results indicate that biochar could be the suitable replacement for peat moss, with up to 50% biochar rate in Viola production reducing the environmental and economic burden for peat moss.