Texas Tech University's Department of Plant & Soil Science will launch its 2023 Plant & Soil Science Student Research Symposium, featuring more than 30 oral presentations and posters from both undergraduate and graduate research scholars.

The academic unit's annual program will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Apr. 19) in the Texas Tech University Dairy Barn.

Session 1

• Hopi Avinash Shrestha (Ph.D. Plant Breeding & Genetics) Novel genetic variation for reduced glanding identified in the cotton landrace
• Shivani Kathi (Ph.D. Horticulture) Increasing vitamin C in arugula and broccoli microgreens
• Raavi Arora (Ph.D. Soil Science) Influence of legume inclusion on greenhouse gas emissions from pasture systems in the Southern High Plains of Texas
• Megan Mills (M.S. Weed Science) Axant Flex cotton response to Topramezone in the Texas High Plains

Session 2

• Lauren Selph (Ph.D. Soil Science) Crop rotation and cover crop effects on soil moisture in a transitional organic system
• Lois Nwoko (M.S. IGCAST) An improved method for protoplast isolation and gene-editing from soybean root, callus and transgenic hairy-roots
• Jonah Trevino (Ph.D. Horticulture) Evaluating community garden signage and elements
• Katherine Coyle (M.S. Soil Science) Investigating adsorption capacities of WWTP products and their potential use as fertilizer

Session 3 (Posters: 1:30 -3 p.m.)

• Cary Hicks (B.S. Crop Science) Investigating a putative immune receptor specific to grapevine fanleaf virus strain GHu infection and symptom development
• Christian Stephens (B.S. Plant Breeding & Genetics) Marker-assisted introgression of QTLs regulating number of grains and primary branching in rice towards yield improvement
• Koy Stanley, Victoria Winkler & Aliah Cardenas (B.S. Crop Science/Soil Science) Temperature and flooding impacts on nutrient release from soils treated with swine waste
• Madeline Jordan (B.S. Horticulture) Genetic variation of stomatal density in corn
• Mei Gill (B.S. Soil Science) Soil physical quality indicators as affected by long-term pasture management practices
• Nick Wilson (B.S. Crop Science) Effects of seed technology and microbial inoculums on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization in cotton
• Bandana Osti (M.S. Plant Breeding & Genetics) Impact of cold stress on sphingolipid and glycerol lipid profile of upland cotton during seed germination (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
• Megan Mills (M.S. Weed Science) Palmer amaranth control with Isoxaflutole applied preplant incorporated or preemergence in cotton
• Preetaman Bajwa (M.S. Crop Science) Effect of planting dates and seeding densities on growth and yield of Industrial hemp in West Texas
• Sharandeep Chahal (M.S. Plant Ecology & Conservation) Nutrient niches of orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF)
• Adil Khan (Ph.D. IGCAST) Transcriptome analysis of high-temperature stress in sorghum seed development
• Alethia Brito-Bello (Ph.D. IGCAST) Green microalgae as a source of biopesticides to improve agricultural practices
• Aqeela Sehrish (Ph.D. Horticulture) Efficacy of neonicotinoid seed treatment under water-stress in cotton seedlings
• Arjun Kafle (Ph.D. Horticulture) Effect of deficit irrigation and biochar application on growth, physiology, yield, and water productivity of cucumber in West Texas
• Arjun Ojha Kshetry (Ph.D. IGCAST) Tissue-culture-free genetic transformation and gene-editing in plants
• FNU Pallavi (Ph.D. IGCAST) Deciphering the dynamics of sugarcane aphid resistance mechanism in sorghum
• Hector-Rogelio Najera-Gonzalez (Ph.D. IGCAST) Development of a chemical switch to improve phosphorus assimilation and usage efficiency in plants
• Lauren Selph (Ph.D. Soil Science) Allelopathic cover crops for palmer amaranth control in a semi-arid organic system
• Leonidas D'Agostino (Ph.D. IGCAST) Developing single nucleus transcriptome technology for the study of soybean root nodulation
• Mylea Lovell (Ph.D. IGCAST) Synthetic tetraploidization as a strategy to face abiotic stresses in crops
• Sanjida Keya (Ph.D. IGCAST) Exogenous salicylic acid helps to mitigate saline stress in cotton
• Zhiyuan Liu (Ph.D. IGCAST) Develop PACE markers for waxy-sorghum Marker-Assisted Selection

Contact: Lindsey Slaughter, Associate Professor of Soil Microbial Ecology/Biochemistry, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-1345 or lindsey.slaughter@ttu.edu

0413NM23/ For a detailed schedule and details about the 2023 Plant & Soil Science Student Research Symposium, please click here