U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research: Wyndmoor, PA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    About ERRC
                        Greetings from the Director
                                    Directions/Lodging
                                    History and Accomplishments
                    Our Work
                        Biomass Pyrolysis Research
                                    IPMP 2013
                                    IPMP Dynamic Prediction
                                    IPMP Global Fit
                                    Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP)
                                    Predictive Microbiology Information Portal (PMIP)
                                    PoultryFARMSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania Eastern Regional Research Center Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research Research





- Heller, Wade
- 2023
- 2022
- Publications
- Soil and Air (212)
- Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement (301)

Research Project: **Location:
                            Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research** Project Number: 8072-12000-014-000-D
                        
                        Project Type: In-House Appropriated Start Date: Nov 10, 2021
                        
                        End Date: Nov 9, 2026 **Objective:**
                        
                        Objective 1:  Determine the impact of management practices on AMF community dynamics and AMF colonization efficiency of crops, and the resulting impact on crop yield and quality.

Sub-objective 1.A: Determine optimal AMF inoculum composition for production of sweet corn and winter squash under organic and conventional management practices.

Sub-objective 1.B: Identify the impact of soil microbial dynamics caused by farm management practices on outcomes of AMF inoculations.

Objective 2:  Determine the physiological and transcriptional responses of AMF to phytochemical signals and environmental conditions promoting spore germination and growth.

Sub-objective 2.A:  Evaluate whether abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid are signals that activate carbon uptake by AM fungi.

Sub-objective 2.B:  Evaluate whether hypoxia is a physiologic condition that activates carbon uptake by AM fungi, either acting alone or in combination with signals derived from root exudates. **Approach:**
                        
                        For Obj. 1A, a greenhouse trial will be conducted to evaluate the infectivity
potential of nine different AMF species on sweet corn and winter squash seedlings. Seedlings will be harvested at 10 and 30 days after germination for analysis of root colonization and biomass measurements. Colonization will be measured by root staining/microscopy and molecular methods. Biomass measurements and mineral nutrient content will be analyzed.

For Obj. 1B, the three top-performing AMF isolates from 1A will be selected for
field trials. Field trials will be conducted within the Rodale Institute’s Vegetable Systems Trial (VST). Tillage systems consist of two organic and two conventional systems, and within each pair one utilizes plastic mulch for weed suppression and the other utilizes a cover crop. Mycorrhizal yield response will be evaluated. The field trial will be repeated a second year, and the results will be used to design a larger field study.

For Obj. 2A, spores of R. irregularis will be used in immobilized cell cultre in
phytagel M medium with 13C labelled glucose, AA, DHA,and Myr-K media amendments.
Growth and sporulation will be monitored. Lipid uptake will be assessed by
fluorescence microscopy, and uptake of carbohydrates will be measured by NMR. Based on biomass yield and uptake/labeling of 13C, an RNA-Seq experiment will be designed to capture genes differentially expressed in response to the amendments.

For Obj. 2B, spore germination and hyphal growth responses of two AMF species,
Gigaspora gigantea and R. irregularis, will be evaluated in response to partially
purified root exudates and reduced oxygen conditions (hypoxia). Carbohydrate and
lipid uptake will be measured by NMR and fluorescence microscopy as in 2A.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov