Measurements and modeling of gene flow in horseweed
Charles Neal Stewart
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The overall goal of the project is to develop an internet decision tool and provide data through experiments and modeling that can be used by regulatory agencies, the industries, farmers and the general public about the potential gene flow (pollen and seed dispersion, deposition and outcrossing) from round-up resistance horseweed and to offer guidelines for the prevention of gene flow under different meteorological and environmental conditions. The detailed objectives are:
- To quantify the gene flow for horseweed;
- To quantify the effects of atmospheric variability and different buffer zones/plants on gene flow;
- To develop and evaluate local and regional atmospheric gene flow models;
- To apply the models under different horseweed source sizes and atmospheric conditions and provide gene flow data for gene biocontainment (e.g., buffer type and size) for use by management agencies and stakeholders;
- To adapt these models into a user-friendly internet tool (GoogleEarth Map based).
Once developed, this tool could be adapted to other plant species. Horseweed field experiments (dynamic pollen and seed production and release, short and long distance transport and deposition and outcrossing) will be conducted and will provide data for the model development and validation. The interfaces and framework of our existing online tool for plant water use will be adapted and modified for this gene flow tool.
Poster
Dual fluorescence protein tagging in horseweed
(pdf 690Kb) The evolution of glyphosate resistance (GR) in weedy species places an environmentally-benign herbicide in peril. Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) with evolved GR has become an especially problematic weed in crop production across the United States and the world. GR horseweed gene flow research has been undertaken to better understand the evolution of resistance and for practical weed control...
Videos
Title: Horseweed GeneFlow Experiments
Description: Horseweed pollen/seed release rates are being measured in a greenhouse in 2013.
The overall goal of the project is to develop an internet decision tool and provide data through experiments and modeling that can be used by regulatory agencies, the industries, farmers and the general public about the potential gene flow (pollen and seed dispersion, deposition and outcrossing) from round-up resistance horseweed and to offer guidelines for the prevention of gene flow under different meteorological and environmental conditions.
Title: Balloon Samplers
Description: Balloon supported Rotorod samplers are used for aerial air quality measurements. The samplers at different heights can measure the vertical profile of the concentrations of pollutants (pollen, particles, and particulate matters).
Title: Balloon Preparation (Atmospheric Gene Flow Experiment)
Description: This is a video showing how we fill a balloon with helium, preparing it for sampling pollen/seeds in the air.
Title: Roto-Rod Sampling (Atmospheric Gene Flow Experiment)
Description: This video shows how we use roto-rod samplers on a tripod to sample the release rate of pollen/seeds along with balloon-hung samplers that are sampling dispersion.
Title: Downwind Balloon Sampling (Atmospheric Gene Flow Experiment)
Description: Here we are using balloons at different downwind distances to sample the vertical pollen/seed dispersions in the air.
