Betalains are a group of compounds that are major natural food colorants used by the food processing industry. These secondary compounds are found in only a few orders of plants with the Caryophyllales being the source of several domesticated crops. In particular, the family Chenopodiaceae in general and table beets...
Root rot diseases are a major constraint to bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
production around the world. Both snap beans and dry beans are affected. Root rot diseases can be caused by a variety of pathogens; however, Fusarium solani is a common causal agent. Fusarium root rot is a primary yield...
Many stakeholders involved with stream restoration in the Pacific Northwest have discussed the potential benefits of using beaver dam construction activities (Castor canadensis) as a management tool to improve degraded stream habitat for anadromous salmon species. In addition, there has been growing interest in using nuisance beavers, primarily controlled by...
Streams across the western United States are impaired from human alterations that have reduced freshwater habitat by simplifying channel complexity and disconnecting floodplains (Knox et al., 2022; Waples et al., 2008; Wohl, 2014). Climate change is likely to continue exacerbating these risks by warming summer surface stream temperatures (Crozier et...
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) comes in a huge assortment of fresh and dried varieties, including snap beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans. Together, these and other market classes provide a third of the daily dietary protein in some cultures, particularly in Africa, Asia, and developing nations in the Americas....
The persistent color (pc) trait in snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) belongs to a member of the cosmetic stay-green gene family. It is considered very desirable by snap bean breeders for its impacts on pod quality. Persistent color imparts a uniform dark-green color to pods and expresses in seeds as...
Symbioses are a spectrum of interactions between organisms living in closeassociation. These intimate interactions range from mutualism, in which bothorganisms benefit, to parasitism, where one organism benefits at the expense ofthe other. Horizontal gene transfer is the acquisition of genes independent ofvertical transmission and demonstrably promotes the transition of bacteria...
Effective management of urban forests is vital to society due to the numerous ecological, economic, and social benefits they provide. In many cities, management efforts are commonly supported by citizen advisory groups, which are often generically referred to as “tree boards” within the urban forestry context. Very little is known...
The advent of synthetic adhesives has transformed the structural applications of wood. However, a persistent issue in adhesively-bonded wood products has been moisture durability. When designing wood based composites, moisture durability will depend on both the wood phase and the adhesive phase. A key question, therefore, is how does one...
Snap beans are the vegetable form of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with low fiber, stringless and round, succulent pods that are eaten in the immature stage. Seed companies commit significant resources to maintaining purity and uniformity of snap bean cultivars. While some variability may be introduced through outcrossing (beans...
Centaurea solstitialis L. (yellow starthistle) and C. × moncktonii Britt. (meadow knapweed) are members of the genus Centaurea in the Asteraceae family. Both species have become serious management concerns as invasive species in North America, often displacing native vegetation and costing land managers millions of dollars to eradicate. Seven plants...
Black stain root disease (BSRD) is a vascular wilt disease of conifers caused by three varieties of the native, insect-vectored fungal pathogen, Leptographium wageneri (L. wageneri var. wageneri, L. wageneri var. ponderosum, and L. wageneri var. pseudotsugae). Although morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics differ among the three varieties of L....
Transformation is a major bottleneck for genetic engineering and gene editing in forest tree species. This includes most genotypes of Populus and Eucalyptus, which are some of the world’s most widely-cultivated genera of plantation forest trees. To provide new tools for transformation, I tested the transcription factor-protein chimera consisting of...
Managers of forest and plantation ecosystems are encountering growing problems involving plant pathogens and the expanding geographic ranges of these pathogens. Historically unexposed stands are exceptionally vulnerable when a non-native pathogen is introduced because these pathogens can cause devastating disease in a host population that lacks co-evolved resistance mechanisms. One...
European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a diploid with 11 pairs of chromosomes (2n = 2x = 22), monoecious, dichogamous and wind-pollinated. Eastern filbert blight (EFB) caused by Anisogramma anomala is a serious disease of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) in North America, and infection leads to cankers that girdle branches...
In watersheds across the American Pacific Northwest, changes in the cultural and regulatory landscape have increased pressure to restore and protect populations of anadromous fish. But restoration of anadromous fish populations constitutes a ‘wicked problem’, relentless in character, affecting diverse stakeholder groups, and defying ‘once and for all’ solutions (Weber...
Conservation conflicts may develop on restoration sites with multiple species recovery objectives. For example, on Pacific Northwest prairies, the co-planting of the diploid cytotype of the common native wildflower Castilleja hispida with the endangered wildflower C. levisecta has resulted in putative Castilleja hybrids on restoration sites, prompting fears that genetic...
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) is a species with high phenotypic plasticity and a broad distribution that, in the last decade, has experienced climate stress-induced mortality called Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD). In order to help mitigate the effects of SAD in the future, we need a better understanding of aspen’s...
Surface water and groundwater interactions are a key component in the functioning of stream ecosystems. Exchange of water between the stream and the hyporheic zone creates habitat for aquatic organisms and serves as a control for stream biogeochemical, thermal, and flow processes. This study takes a multi-method field-based approach to...
It is uncertain how predicted changes in climate will impact vegetation responses and plant species’ distributions because the physiological mechanisms underlying thresholds for damage are not well understood, and responses to stress vary by functional type and developmental stage. Thus, it is crucial to investigate physiological responses to heat and...
European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is an important crop Oregon's Willamette Valley, producing 99% of the hazelnuts grown in North America and brings over US $60 million dollars to the region annually. Hazelnuts are rich in fiber and vitamins, as well in demand by consumers due to their popularity as...
Understanding the mechanisms of disease in forest pathology is a critical component to learning how to most efficiently manage tree diseases like Swiss needle cast (SNC). SNC is an economically important, fungal disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) that is prevalent in coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. This...