United for a Challenging Future: Merging Applied and Basic Agricultural Sciences for Agriculture Intensification Seminar and Round Table Discussions
The 2009 Drought Center Symposium and Roundtable Discussion focuses on “United for a Challenging Future: Merging Applied and Basic Agricultural Sciences for Agriculture Intensification.” Current population trends and environmental issues present challenges to producers that feed the world. The SDSU Drought Tolerance Center is striving to link basic and applied research techniques to finding practical solutions to current and foreseeable problems. This meeting is an extension of a series of in-house roundtable discussions entitled “The Future of Agriculture in a Changing World,” held on the SDSU campus this past winter. Over 200 faculty and staff participated in the roundtables, communicating their concerns and questions regarding Pest Impacts, Natural Resource Stewardship, and the Role of Molecular Biology. This meeting brings researchers, South Dakota commodity group representatives, and industry together to discuss priorities.
August 26th, 2009
Session 1: Using molecular biology to increase yields and better
understand ecosystems
Needs
for establishing common goals, world needs and perspectives
David Clay, Plant Science, South Dakota
State University
Whole
genome transcriptional and chromatin response to drought stress, and role
of ATX1, a histone N-methyltransferase
Mike Fromm, Director, Plant Genome Research
Center, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Using
molecular biology to improve our understanding of plant competition
Dave Horvath, USDA/ARS Fargo, ND
Improving
wheat for abiotic/biotic stress environments
Bill Berzonsky, Plant Science, South
Dakota State University
Isolation
and characterization of thematic families of soybean promoters
John Finer, The Ohio State University,
Co-founder OBIC
Improving
plant responses to stress: what are we going to express and how are we
going to express it?
Paul Rushton, Drought Tolerance Center, Biology Department, South Dakota
State University
Roundtable
Discussion: Questions and Answers
Paul Rushton, Mike From, Bill Berzonsky,
John Finer, Dave Horvath
A
Molecules-to-Landscape Approach to Agricultural Solutions
Tom Schumacher, Plant Science Department,
South Dakota State University
Development
of proteomic and biotechnological tools for our crop improvement
Jai Rohila, Drought Tolerance Center,
Biology Department, South Dakota State University
Unused Genes for Crop Improvement
Xingyou Gu, Drought Tolerance Center, Plant
Science Department, South Dakota State University
Biomass
Crops in South Dakota: The role of genomics and molecular biology in the
development of feedstocks
Jose Gonzalez, Drought Tolerance
Center, Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University
Genomics
facilitated Germplasm Enhancement
Wanglong Li, Drought Tolerance Center,
Biology Department, South Dakota State University
Roundtable
Discussion: Questions and Answers
Tom Schumacher, Jai Rohila, Xingyou Gu, Jose Gonzalez, Wanglong Li
Session 2: Research
needs and round table discussion
Current and future needs
Corn
research needs
Bryan Jorgenson, South Dakota Corn
Utilization Council
Soybean
research needs
David Iverson, South Dakota Soybean
Research and Promotion Council
Wheat
research needs
Bill Ferguson, South Dakota Wheat
Commission
Industry
perspective
David Songstad, Monsanto
South
Dakota Needs
Nathan Sanderson, South Dakota Department
of Ag
Roundtable
Discussion: Questions and Answers
Bryan Jorgenson, David Iverson, Bill Ferguson, David Songstad, Nathan
Sanderson
August 27th, 2009
Session 3: Understanding Linkages Between Soil Biology and Plant Productivity
Challenges
of improving our understanding of agricultural systems
Dan Forgey, Gettysburg, SD
Bacterial
cyanogenesis and its role in biocontrol of plant parasitic nematodes
Chris Taylor, The Ohio State University
Managing
insect pests ecologically: the importance of biodiversity in farmland
Jonathon Lundgren, USDA/NCARL, Brookings,
SD
Root
exudates: Beacons for soil microbes
Senthil Subramanian, Drought Tolerance
Center, Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University
Roundtable
Discussion: Questions and Answers
Dan Forgey, Chris Taylor, Jonathon Lundgren, Senthil Subramanian
On-farm
production and utilization of mycorrhizal fungi
David Douds, USDA/ARS, Wyndmoor, PA
Soil
Microorganisms and their potential use in sustainable agriculture
Heike Bücking, Biology Department,
South Dakota State University
Response
of soil bacterial communities to change
Volker Brözel, Biology Department,
South Dakota State University
DNA
Markers and Disease Resistance in Wheat
Jeff Stein, Plant Science Department,
South Dakota State University
Roundtable
Discussion: Questions and Answers
Volker Brözel, David Douds, Heike Bücking, Jeff Stein
Wrap
Up/Summary Comments
Bill Ferguson, Keith Alverson, David Songstad, David Gillen