Department  of
Plant  and  Soil  Science

NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2020

Welcome to the PSS Newsletter!

For ongoing coverage of department news and access to an archive of past Newsletters, check out the PSS Newsroom online.

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AWARDS  &  PUBLICITY

A community garden in the Heart of Lubbock neighborhood comes to the PSS department

In late September, the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden was donated to the Department of Plant & Soil Science. The garden was established 7 years ago by Beth Roesler – a doctoral student with the Department of Natural Resources Management – as a way to unite the community and encourage healthy living through access to green space, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and opportunities to learn gardening skills.    READ MORE >

Agriculture mentorship program directed by Catherine Simpson

Headed by PSS’s Catherine Simpson, the MASTERS program (which stands for Mentoring Agriculture Students through Training, Experiential learning and Research Skills) is designed to train and educate underrepresented and first-generation agriculture students with a focus on horticultural crops and water challenges. Through a USDA grant and partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center in Arizona, MASTERS will provide students with support, mentoring, training, and professional-development opportunities in sectors which are critical for the future of agriculture.    READ MORE >

Noureddine Abidi wins the DNFI Innovation Award

Dr. Noureddine Abidi has been awarded the 2020 Discover Natural Fibres Initiative Innovation Award. The Discover Natural Fibres Initiative (DNFI) is an international organization formed with the goal to promote the use of natural fibers, and the award is a competitive designation which recognizes the individuals and institutions behind the most exciting achievements in the natural fiber sector around the world. The award highlights Abidi’s work on developing bioplastics from low-grade cotton, providing a biodegradable and waste-reductive alternative to conventional methods.    READ MORE >

Chuck West has been named a TTU Integrated Scholar

Dr. Chuck West has been named one of Texas Tech University's Integrated Scholars for 2020. The award recognizes faculty members who are dedicated to bringing research, teaching, and service together in their work. For West, this holistic approach informs how he presents research to his students and engages with the agricultural community in the South Plains area.    READ MORE >


EVENTS

PSS Fall 2020 Virtual Seminar Series welcomes Dr. Nele Verhulst of CIMMYT

The Graduate Student Council’s Seminar Series is a virtual affair this fall, and the first presentation is imminent. On Thursday, October 29th from 4-5PM, the series will kick off with Dr. Nele Verhulst. Verhulst is a cropping systems agronomist with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and will be discussing innovation, conservation agriculture, and sustainable intensification.    READ MORE >

A second seminar will be delivered on November 12th from 3-4PM by Dr. Rattan Lal, 2020 World Food Prize Laureate.

Horticulture Society Pansy Sale continues through November 6th

The 2020 Pansy Sale is taking place through November 6th. Flats of 18 four-inch pansies are available for $27, and the sale's proceeds will go toward supporting the TTU Horticulture Society in their operations. Orders can be emailed to heather.taylor@ttu.edu with "Pansy Sale" in the subject line. Once ordered, the pansies can be picked up at the TTU Greenhouse, and delivery is available for Lubbock residents.    READ MORE >

In case you missed it...

... the Texas Tech University Dairy Barn had its grand re-opening this month. On October 16, one of the oldest buildings on campus (and a part of the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources) celebrated the end of renovations which brought its function into the 21st century. The renovations turned the Dairy Barn into a hub for collaboration and events through the introduction of office spaces, small group meeting spaces, and a multi-purpose loft space on the second floor.    READ MORE >


RECENT  PUBLICATIONS

- Bhattarai, B., Singh, S., West, C. P., Ritchie, G. L., & Trostle, C. L. (2020). Water depletion pattern and water use efficiency of forage sorghum, pearl millet, and corn under water limiting condition. Agricultural Water Management, 238 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106206

- Jackson, M., Portillo-Quintero, C., Cox, R., Ritchie, G., Johnson, M., Humagain, K., & Subedi, M. R. (2020). Season, classifier, and spatial resolution impact honey mesquite and yellow bluestem detection using an unmanned aerial system. Rangeland Ecology and Management, 73(5), 658-672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.06.010

- Katuwal, K. B., Cho, Y., Singh, S., Angadi, S. V., Begna, S., & Stamm, M. (2020). Soil water extraction pattern and water use efficiency of spring canola under growth-stage-based irrigation management. Agricultural Water Management, 239 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106232

- Lin, Z., & Guo, W. (2020). Sorghum panicle detection and counting using unmanned aerial system images and deep learning. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.534853

- Alejo-Jacuinde, G., González-Morales, S. I., Oropeza-Aburto, A., Simpson, J., & Herrera-Estrella, L. (2020). Comparative transcriptome analysis suggests convergent evolution of desiccation tolerance in selaginella species. BMC Plant Biology, 20(1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-020-02638-3

- Ojeda-Rivera, J. O., Oropeza-Aburto, A., & Herrera-Estrella, L. (2020). Dissection of root transcriptional responses to low pH, aluminum toxicity and iron excess under pi-limiting conditions in arabidopsis wild-type and stop1 seedlings. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.01200

- Pabuayon, I. L. B., Lewis, K. L., & Ritchie, G. L. (2020). Dry matter and nutrient partitioning changes for the past 30 years of cotton production. Agronomy Journal, 112(5), 4373-4385. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20386


For a deeper cut, visit the departmental list of publications.

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Department  of  Plant  and  Soil  Science

NEWSLETTER | OCTOBER 2020


Texas Tech University, Department of Plant and Soil Science
Box 42122
Lubbock, TX 79409

806 _ 742 _ 2838

Dec 22, 2020