Plant Pathology
Phytophthora infestans – a fungus-like microorganism called an Oomycete, is responsible for this famine that lasted from 1845-1852 and killed 1 million people.
Irish Potato Famine
This is a characteristic that appears only when an organism inherits two copies of a specific allele—one from each parent—that code for that trait, and are typically hidden, or "masked," when a dominant allele is present. Notable examples include dwarfism in wheat and rice.
Recessive
Invented by an Illinois blacksmith in 1837, this improvement over the cast-iron plows at the time was self-scouring and became known as “The Plow that Broke the Plains.” Today, his company is the largest Ag Machinery company in the world.
John Deere Steel-Tipped Plow
Wheat, Corn, Rice, Bermudagrass (Sorghum, Barley, Ryegrass, Sideoats Grama, Bamboo, Teff, St. Augustine, Switchgrass, Johnsongrass, Dallisgrass, etc. etc.)
Poaceae
Carya illinoinensis – This common nut tree, a relative of hickories and walnuts, is the state tree of Texas, with regional confusion as to how it is pronounced. Commercial growth in the US did not begin until 1880, and surprisingly, Georgia is the #1 producer. Uses include for pies, ice cream, and wood for furniture.
Pecan
Ug99 (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) is a basidiomycete fungi stem rust pathogen of what crop species?
Wheat
Cotton, wheat, potato, and strawberry are crop examples of this type of plant that has more than two sets of chromosomes. It can occur naturally or be induced through breeding techniques, since it can lead to enhancing desirable agricultural traits, such as larger fruit, greater biomass, or increased resistance to disease.
Polyploid
This is the region in the Middle East where it is believed that settled farming first emerged. Some of the earliest human civilizations thrived here and it is where the eight Neolithic founder crops were domesticated (emmer wheat, einkorn, barley, flax, chickpea, pea, lentil, bitter vetch).
Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia)
Sunflower, Chicory, Lettuce, Artichoke (Daisy, Chrysanthemum, etc.)
Asteraceae
Lupinus spp. – These six species of blue/purple-flowered legumes are collectively the state flower of Texas; originally in 1901 the Texas Legislature only recognized one species, L. subcarnosus, but they amended that law in 1971 to include others, like L. texensis. Researchers at Texas A&M have developed maroon varieties of this flower.
Bluebonnet
Cotton Root-Knot ______, Soybean Cyst _______, Reniform _______, and Dagger _______, are notable examples of this microscopic animal “nonsegmented” roundworms that inhabit moist environments and are a major pathogen of plants.
Nematodes
This is the phenomenon where an offspring combines beneficial alleles when two genetically distinct inbred parent lines are crossed, and exhibits a fitness greater than either parent. In crops, such as maize, it often leads to higher yields, better stress tolerance, and increased resistance to pests and diseases. It was first scientifically documented by Shull and East in the early 20th century.
Hybrid Vigor / Heterosis
Anthonomus grandis – This beetle native to central Mexico was responsible for the large-scale decimation of the cotton industry in the Southern US: the invasion began at Brownsville in 1892, and had entered all cotton growing regions by the 1920s. Beginning in 1978, the Eradication Program by 2009 was successful in clearing this pest of all cotton regions, save for South Texas.
Boll Weevil
Soybean, Alfalfa, Green Bean, Peanut (Peas, Winged Bean, Common Bean, Bluebonnet, Mesquite, etc.)
Fabaceae
Bouteloua curtipendula – This perennial, short prairie grass is the state grass of Texas, with spikes that all fall to one side of the stem.
Sideoats Grama
Among the most carcinogenic substances known to man, this toxin derives its common name from the Latin name of its Ascomycete fungi - Aspergillus flavus - and is a serious contaminant of corn, wheat, sorghum, peanuts, hay, and many more. There was a 2021 outbreak in the US from pet food contamination, and 2024 in South Africa – a recall of peanut butter due to contamination.
Aflatoxin
What genetic technique is used to locate specific regions of the genome that control quantitative phenotypic traits, such as yield or drought tolerance, in order to assist plant breeders in crop improvement? It is done by identifying which molecular markers (such as SNPs or AFLPs) correlate with an observed trait.
QTL Mapping
This farm implement, which uses dragged spikes (or discs) on a frame to break up and smooth out the soil surface to prepare the seedbed for planting, actually dates back to Roman times, when they were made from wood.
Harrow
Cotton, Okra, Hibiscus, Durian (Cacao, Turk’s Cap, etc.)
Malvaceae
Vitis spp. – While the cultivated species of this vine (V. vinifera) is native to Europe, most of the species in the genus are native to America, with over half being found in Texas. Texas species of this plant saved the French wine industry by providing resistant rootstock for European varieties susceptible to insects. Mustang ______, common in Texas, has been used to make wines and jellies in its own right, although it can be rather astringent.
Grape
This is the mechanism used by plants to to promote rapid death of cells in a local region surrounding an infection to restrict the spread and growth of microbial pathogens to other parts of the plant.
Hypersensitive Response
Most notably used in sorghum breeding because hand emasculation of countless tiny flowers is infeasible, this is the type of male sterility used to prevent self-crossing so as to produce hybrids. The specific extranuclear genome is maternally inherited, and must be kept around using a maintainer line.
Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS)
This breakthrough chemical process, discovered by a German chemist in 1909, converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) by a reaction with hydrogen (H2) using a finely divided iron catalyst. It is largely responsible for the explosion of crop yields and human population over the 20th century. The scientist responsible won the Nobel Prize in 1918, but history’s view of him is mixed (he also developed the weaponized chlorine gas used in World War I).
Haber Process (Haber-Bosch Process)
Apple, Strawberry, Almond, Peach (Pear, Apricot, Plum, Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, etc.)
Rosaceae
Prosopis glandulosa – This hardy, drought-resistant shrub or small tree is a Texas staple; both valued and reviled, depending on who you ask. Its bipinnate leaves and sharp thorns are distinctive characters. Its seed pods provided the single most important food source to early Texas Native Americans, and today its wood smoke is a signature of Texas barbeque.
Honey Mesquite