Impacting Quality through Preservation, Enhancement, and Measurement of Grain and Plant Traits

Quality and quantity of grain and their products can be enhanced by application of engineering principles to cultivar development, crop monitoring, harvesting, marketing, handling, storage, and processing. Our objectives are the following: 1. Develop technologies and techniques to rapidly evaluate grain quality that increase breeding efficiency and improve marketability. A. The application of automated single kernel deoxynivalenol (DON) analysis to aid breeders in studying Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance mechanisms in wheat. B. Develop spectroscopic methods for rapid phenotyping to detect barley yellow dwarf (BYD) virus infection and resistance. C. Develop fourier-transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy methods to measure grain traits. D. Develop a rapid, non-destructive method to predict bread quality of hard red winter wheat (HRW) at the first point of sale. E. Develop imaging and near-infrared and visible spectroscopy instrumentation for sorting haploid and hybrid maize seeds. F. Develop integrated measurement systems for rapid and efficient phenotyping of seeds. G. Develop automated single kernel and bulk analysis methods to determine damage levels in wheat kernels caused by the Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps. 2. Enable stored grain management practices that enhance grain quality, mitigate effects of changing climates, and prevent insect infestations. A. Determine the accuracy, safety enhancements, and labor reduction of automated insect monitoring probe traps. B. Develop improved grain aeration and fumigation strategies for insect-pest control in stored grain. C. Determine the effect of time in storage and aeration on stored grain packing factors. Pre-harvest quality can be improved through rapid phenotyping technology that relates phenotypic traits to plant genetics. Post-harvest quality can be improved though methods to measure grain traits and methods to enhance storage conditions. Changing climates are expected to produce extreme weather conditions, leading to a need for accelerated breeding programs and improved storage technology to maintain and improve yields and quality. Our unique facilities include the ability to study climate change influences on plant physical, physiological and morphological status through our expertise in instrumentation combined with use of our grain storage facilities and access to greenhouses.