Skip to main content

Discovery that Connects

Science-based innovation for a changing world

Synapsis Vegetable Seed Sale Fundraiser

Every spring, Cornell’s plant breeding graduate student organization Synapsis sells vegetable seeds developed by research programs in SIPS’ Plant Breeding and Genetics Section. Proceeds from sales help support Synapsis activities.

“These cultivars are not only unique and delicious. They are also disease-resistant and high yielding in upstate New York and beyond,” says Ricky Tegtmeier, one of the effort’s organizers.

Varieties available in 2021 (and the researchers who developed them):

  • Honeynut – Miniature butternut squash. (Original cross by Richard Robinson in the ‘80s. Refined by Michael Mazourek and released 2015.)
  • Sweet REBA – Disease-resistant early bush acorn squash. (George Moriarty, Margaret Jahn. Released 2003.)
  • Success PM – Straightneck yellow summer squash. (George Moriarty, Margaret Jahn. Released 2002.)
  • Greenfinger – English-type cucumber. (George Moriarty, Margaret Jahn. Released 2006.)
  • PMR Delicious 51 – Muskmelon. (Mark Henning, Margaret Jahn & Henry Munger. Released 2003.)
  • Hannah’s Choice – Muskmelon. (Mark Henning, Margaret Jahn. Released 2003.)
  • Salt and Pepper – Specialty white cucumber. (Jason Cavatorta, George Moriarty, Michael Glos, Mark Henning, Mary Kreitinger, Michael Mazourek, Henry Munger, and Molly Jahn. Released 2012.)
  • Iron Lady – Triple-resistant organic slicer tomato. (Martha Mutschler-Chu et al. Released 2013.)

All vegetable cultivars currently offered are the products of conventional plant breeding and are not genetically engineered.

This year, all sales will be online and limited to Cornell students, staff and faculty who have been cleared to be on campus.  Visit our online order form for more information. Please place orders by April 15.

Questions? Email Tegtmeier rrt48@cornell.edu or Matthew Siemon mas839@cornell.edu.

graduate students

Recent publications from the SIPS community – February 11, 2021

First South American Record of Winteroxylon, Eocene of Laguna del Hunco (Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina): New Link to Australasia and Malesia

Brea, M., Iglesias, A., Wilf, P., Moya, E., and Gandolfo, M. A. International Journal of Plant Sciences 0:000-000.

Competitive Exclusion and Metabolic Dependency among Microorganisms Structure the Cellulose Economy of an Agricultural Soil

Wilhelm, R. C., Pepe-Ranney, C., Weisenhorn, P., Lipton, M., and Buckley, D. H. 2021. mBio 12:e03099-03020.

Repetitive Overseeding for Ecological Management of Grass Playing Fields

Gannett, M., Bray, N., Lampman, J., Lerner, J., Murray, K., Wallace, V., Yeh, T., Slavens, M., Thompson, G. L., and Kao-Kniffin, J. 2021. HortScience 56:226.

Articulating the effect of food systems innovation on the Sustainable Development Goals

Herrero, M., Thornton, P. K., Mason-D’Croz, D., Palmer, J., Bodirsky, B. L., Pradhan, P., Barrett, C. B., Benton, T. G., Hall, A., Pikaar, I., Bogard, J. R., Bonnett, G. D., Bryan, B. A., Campbell, B. M., Christensen, S., Clark, M., Fanzo, J., Godde, C. M., Jarvis, A., Loboguerrero, A. M., Mathys, A., McIntyre, C. L., Naylor, R. L., Nelson, R., Obersteiner, M., Parodi, A., Popp, A., Ricketts, K., Smith, P., Valin, H., Vermeulen, S. J., Vervoort, J., van Wijk, M., van Zanten, H. H. E., West, P. C., Wood, S. A., and Rockström, J. 2021. The Lancet Planetary Health 5:e50-e62.

Phenotypic Evaluation of Fire Blight Outbreak in the USDA Malus Collection.

Dougherty, L., Wallis, A., Cox, K., Zhong, G.-Y., and Gutierrez, B. 2021.  Agronomy 11:144.

Publications

February 2021 update from SIPS Director Chris Smart

Happy Groundhog Day! I just read that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, predicting 6 more weeks of winter.

Save the Date! If the pandemic is under control AND if the University and the Statler allow AND if we can use discretionary funds… our 2021 holiday party will be December 15, 2021! It seems like a long way off, but I’m taking positive news wherever I can get it. Thanks to Tara Reed for getting us into a post-pandemic mindset.

SIPS-Wide Grad Student Recruitment we will hold a virtual recruitment event this week on February 4 and 5. A huge thank you to our DGS’s, GFA’s and current graduate students that are working to make this virtual event exciting and fun. There is a SIPS-wide virtual social hour at 3 PM Friday so feel free to join in. The social interaction platform wonder.me is being tested TODAY at 4:00 pm – click this link at that time to help test crowd capacity!

Strategic Planning

The SIPS Executive Committee is currently developing a draft outline of our new strategic plan. During the month of February, we will begin discussions of the outline with faculty, students, and staff. I’m looking forward to building out each of our grand challenges.

Spring 2021 Semester Updates

Classes start Monday February 8. If you have technology needs, you can complete this request form from CALS IT. You can also check out the results of a survey on Fall 2020 student learning experiences conducted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. I found the results to be interesting and useful as I think about teaching this spring.

Renovation

Magdalen has added some information on the Plant Science Building Cornice Repair to our ‘Renovation Updates’ webpage. Bottom line – the repair will take longer than originally expected (shocking, I know) and we hope it will be completed by mid-February.

Bradfield renovation is underway:

  • Selective Demolition on the eleventh floor scheduled to begin on the week of February 1, 2021
  • Access to floors 1 – 4 from the Tower Road and Loading Dock stair towers is now blocked

Congratulations to the following people who were recognized with a SIPS Kudos in the last month! Thanks for your effort and passion in support of SIPS.

  • Building Mastery and Skill: Danielle Bushnell
  • Going Above and Beyond: Karin Jantz, Brian Fish, Jessica Townley
  • Strong Team Spirit: Kellie Damann, Sean Murphy, Kevin Ahern, George Stack, Kate Keagle

PLEASE remember to recognize people in our SIPS community that have gone out of their way to enhance our School. All you have to do is complete the brief form here

Take care,

Chris

SIPS Director News

SIPS welcomes Ginny Moore, assistant professor in Plant Breeding & Genetics

head shot of woman in glasses

-Magdalen Lindeberg

SIPS is excited to welcome Ginny Moore, Assistant Professor in the Plant Breeding & Genetics Section. Ginny was the successful candidate for the Breeding for Sustainable Cropping Systems faculty search conducted in the spring and summer of 2020.

Ginny comes to SIPS from the USDA Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab where she was a post-doctoral researcher and project manager for the Legume Cover Crop Breeding (LCCB) network, supported by a NIFA-AFRI postdoctoral fellowship. She earned her PhD in Plant Breeding & Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her research program at Cornell will focus on plant breeding for sustainable cropping systems, encompassing breeding for organic systems, for intercropping and polyculture systems, for pest resistance, and for ecosystem services. She works in a range of species, including cover crops, perennial forages, bioenergy crops, and hemp.

Ginny officially started on February 1, 2021. Her office is located in 259 Emerson Hall and her lab in spaces previously occupied by the McCouch program.

Plant Breeding

Recent publications from the SIPS community – February 4, 2021

Understanding Smallholder Farmers’ Intention to Adopt Agricultural Apps: The Role of Mastery Approach and Innovation Hubs in Mexico

Molina-Maturano, J., Verhulst, N., Tur-Cardona, J., Güereña, D. T., Gardeazábal-Monsalve, A., Govaerts, B., and Speelman, S. 2021. Agronomy 11:194.

Yield and biomass quality of shrub willow hybrids in differing rotation lengths and spacing designs

Gouker, F. E., Fabio, E. S., Serapiglia, M. J., and Smart, L. B. 2021. Biomass and Bioenergy 146:105977.

Comparison of in Vitro and in Planta Toxicity of Vip3A for Lepidopteran Herbivores

Khan, M. H., Jander, G., Mukhtar, Z., Arshad, M., Sarwar, M., and Asad, S. 2020. Journal of Economic Entomology 113:2959-2971.

Interaction of eukaryotic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) with the replication-associated protein (Rep) of cotton leaf curl Multan virus and pedilanthus leaf curl virus

Shakir, S., Jander, G., Nahid, N., Mubin, M., Younus, A., and Nawaz-ul-Rehman, M. S. 2021. 3 Biotech 11:14.

Rhizosphere effect on Pb solubility and phytoavailability in Pb-Contaminated soils

Li, X., Huang, S., and McBride, M. B. 2021. Environmental Pollution 268:115840.

A Novel Grape Downy Mildew Resistance Locus from Vitis rupestris.

Bhattarai, G., Fennell, A., Londo, J. P., Coleman, C., and Kovacs, L. G. 2020. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture:ajev.2020.20030.

Scientific publishing for greater research impact.

Lehmann, J., Bünemann, E. K., Camps-Arbestain, M., and Ruiz Esparza Cataño, M. 2021.  Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 119:1-5.

A proteomic approach reveals possible molecular mechanisms and roles for endosymbiotic bacteria in begomovirus transmission by whiteflies.

Kliot, A., Johnson, R. S., MacCoss, M. J., Kontsedalov, S., Lebedev, G., Czosnek, H., Heck, M., and Ghanim, M. 2020. GigaScience 9.

Comparative transcriptomics of a monocotyledonous geophyte reveals shared molecular mechanisms of underground storage organ formation

Tribble, C. M., Martínez-Gómez, J., Alzate-Guarín, F., Rothfels, C. J., and Specht, C. D. 2021 . Evolution & Development n/a:e12369.

Evaluation of the Concord Crop Load Response for Current Commercial Production in New York.

Bates, T., Jakubowski, R., and Taylor, J. A. 2021. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 72:1-11.

Sex determination through X–Y heterogamety in Salix nigra.

Sanderson, B. J., Feng, G., Hu, N., Carlson, C. H., Smart, L. B., Keefover-Ring, K., Yin, T., Ma, T., Liu, J., DiFazio, S. P., and Olson, M. S. 2021. Heredity.

Development of a Sequential Sampling Plan using Spatial Attributes of Cercospora Leaf Spot Epidemics of Table Beet in New York.

Heck, D. W., Kikkert, J. R., Hanson, L., and Pethybridge, S. J. 2021. Plant Disease 0:null.

Hybrid Cyanobacterial-Tobacco Rubisco Supports Autotrophic Growth and Procarboxysomal Aggregation.

Orr, D. J., Worrall, D., Lin, M. T., Carmo-Silva, E., Hanson, M. R., and Parry, M. A. J. 2020.  Plant Physiology 182:807-818.

Publications

Recent publications from the SIPS community – January 28, 2021

The tricot citizen science approach applied to on-farm variety evaluation: methodological progress and perspectives.

van Etten, J., Abidin, E., Arnaud, D., Brown, E., Carey, E., Laporte, M.-L., López-Noriega, I., Madriz, B., Manners, R., Ortiz-Crespo, B., Quirós, C., de Sousa, K, Teeken, B., Tufan, H.A., Ulzen, J., & Valle-Soto, J. (2020). Lima, Peru: CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB). RTB Working Paper. No. 2021-2. www.rtb.cgiar.org

Season-long characterization of high-cannabinoid hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) reveals variation in cannabinoid accumulation, flowering time, and disease resistance.

Stack, G. M., Toth, J. A., Carlson, C. H., Cala, A. R., Marrero-González, M. I., Wilk, R. L., Gentner, D. R., Crawford, J. L., Philippe, G., Rose, J. K. C., Viands, D. R., Smart, C. D., and Smart, L. B. 2021. GCB Bioenergy n/a.

One Disease Many Causes: The Key Colletotrichum Species Causing Apple Bitter Rot in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, Their Distribution, Habitats and Management Options.

Srđan G. Aćimović, Phillip L. Martin, Fatemeh Khodadadi, Kari A. Peter. 2021. Fruit Quarterly 28 (4) 12 – 21

Bitter Rot of Apple in the Mid-Atlantic US: Causal Species and Evaluation of the Impacts of Regional Weather Patterns and Cultivar Susceptibility.

Martin, P. L., Krawczyk, T., Khodadadi, F., Aćimović, S. G., and Peter, K. 2021. Phytopathology 0:null.

 Interspecific interactions within a vector-borne complex are influenced by a co-occurring pathosystem.

Cruzado-Gutiérrez, R. K., Sadeghi, R., Prager, S. M., Casteel, C. L., Parker, J., Wenninger, E. J., Price, W. J., Bosque-Pérez, N. A., Karasev, A. V., and Rashed, A. 2021. Scientific Reports 11:2242.

Triticum varieties grown as ‘ancient grains’ in New York differ in susceptibility to Fusarium head blight and harbor diverse Fusarium flora.

Fulcher, M. R., Winans, J. B., Benscher, D., Sorrells, M. E., and Bergstrom, G. C. 2021.  European Journal of Plant Pathology.

Fusarium graminearum isolates obtained from wheat and wild grasses in northeastern New York display comparable range of phenotypes, including virulence on crop hosts.

Fulcher, M. R., Winans, J. B., and Bergstrom, G. C. 2021. Journal of Plant Pathology.

 Linkage between species traits and plant phenology in an alpine meadow.

Liu, Y., Li, G., Wu, X., Niklas, K. J., Yang, Z., and Sun, S. 2021. Oecologia.

Structure, Function and Substrates of Clp AAA+ protease systems in cyanobacteria, plastids and apicoplasts; a comparative analysis.

Bouchnak, I., and van Wijk, K. J. 2021.  Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Publications

In memorium: Dick Staples

– David Stern

head shot of man in sweaterIt is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Dick Staples on January 15th, only two weeks shy of his 95th birthday. Dick joined BTI at its Yonkers, NY facility in 1950, as a graduate student, and retired from research at BTI in 1992. He remained actively interested and involved in the institute following retirement, and was a regular attendee at my emeritus “coffee klatches” since I became President. In my opinion, Dick was the absolute embodiment of the spirit of BTI, always supporting the future and reflecting on the past. A brief biography of his career can be found below, and a more detailed tribute will be forthcoming.

Dick Staples came to Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) in 1950. A graduate student in Plant Biochemistry at Columbia University, BTI provided a laboratory and other research facilities. There were four graduate students then; they shared a converted ladies room off the library on the second floor. Later that year, Staples was recalled to active duty in the navy during the Korean War, but returned in 1952 to complete his PhD degree in 1957.

Dick’s thesis dealt with carbon metabolism of uredospores of the bean rust fungus, and it became a life work. At BTI, Staples studied the physiology, metabolism, and cell biology of fungi. This had translated in research experience to studies on the development of pathogenicity traits by fungal pathogens, especially the rust fungi, but has also included Botrytis cinerea and Metarhizium anisopliae. The research involved the cloning of genes for the sensory perception of signals on the substratum responsible for triggering mitosis and appressorium development by the urediospore germling of Uromyces appendiculatus, and the development of cell biology tools for the study of appressorium development.

Staples stopped research at BTI in 1992, when he retired as the G. L. McNew Scientist, Emeritus, but he continued working in Harvey Hoch’s lab at the Geneva Agricultural Research Station until 1999.

In 1981, Staples was a recipient of a “Senior US Scientist” award from the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation, and worked in Aachen, Germany, for a year. A paper he published in 1983 that reported on a family of differentiation-specific genes in the rust fungi was awarded “Citation Classic” by Science Citation Index. In 1984, Dick was elected a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society. The society also gave him the Ruth Allen Award, in 1994, for the discovery with Harvey Hoch, of the signal ridge on the stomatal guard cell that informs most rust fungi where to develop the appressorium for colonization of their host plants.

History, Plant Pathology

The Role of TAs in Cultivating an Inclusive Learning Environment

In an effort to better support our TAs and to make SIPS classes more inclusive and equitable, the SIPS Diversity and Inclusion Council has put together a brand new short training titled, “The Role of TAs in Cultivating an Inclusive Learning Environment.” This interactive workshop will help you understand diversity in the classroom and provide you with inclusive teaching strategies that will help you become a more effective TA for students from diverse backgrounds. You will also get a chance to meet fellow SIPS TAs, learn about additional teaching resources and opportunities, and establish a support network for your teaching endeavors here in SIPS.

This interactive workshop is scheduled for Wednesday February 3rd from 12pm-1:15pm and will be hosted by Joshua Garcia (Horticulture) and Kavya Krishnan (Soil and Crop Sciences), Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation Graduate Fellows and SIPS D&I council members. You may register using this link (https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8vTbN9tVNPrbcl8). If you have any questions, email jag557@cornell.edu

Diversity & Inclusion, graduate students, Horticulture, Soil and Crop Sciences, Teaching

Recent publications from the SIPS community – January 21, 2021

Tracking changes to urban trees over 100 years in Ithaca, NY, USA

Cowett, F, Bassuk, NL, Grace, J and Vorstad, K. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 2021. 47(1): 3-24

AgroTutor: A Mobile Phone Application Supporting Sustainable Agricultural Intensification

Laso Bayas, J. C., Gardeazabal, A., Karner, M., Folberth, C., Vargas, L., Skalský, R., Balkovič, J., Subash, A., Saad, M., Delerce, S., Crespo Cuaresma, J., Hlouskova, J., Molina-Maturano, J., See, L., Fritz, S., Obersteiner, M., and Govaerts, B. 2020. Sustainability 12:9309.

Understanding Smallholder Farmers’ Intention to Adopt Agricultural Apps: The Role of Mastery Approach and Innovation Hubs in Mexico

Molina-Maturano, J., Verhulst, N., Tur-Cardona, J., Güereña, D. T., Gardeazábal-Monsalve, A., Govaerts, B., and Speelman, S. 2021. Agronomy 11:194.

BONZAI Proteins Control Global Osmotic Stress Responses in Plants

Chen, K., Gao, J., Sun, S., Zhang, Z., Yu, B., Li, J., Xie, C., Li, G., Wang, P., Song, C.-P., Bressan, R. A., Hua, J., Zhu, J.-K., and Zhao, Y. 2020. Current Biology 30:4815-4825.e4814.

Evolution of Cellular Differentiation: From Hypotheses to Models

Márquez-Zacarías, P., Pineau, R. M., Gomez, M., Veliz-Cuba, A., Murrugarra, D., Ratcliff, W. C., and Niklas, K. J. 2021. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 36:49-60.

Editorial: Physiological Aspects of Non-proteinogenic Amino Acids in Plants

Jander, G., Kolukisaoglu, U., Stahl, M., and Yoon, G. M. 2020. Frontiers in Plant Science 11.

Population structure of Erysiphe necator on domesticated and wild vines in the Middle East raises questions on the origin of the grapevine powdery mildew pathogen.

Gur, L., Reuveni, M., Cohen, Y., Cadle-Davidson, L., Kisselstein, B., Ovadia, S., and Frenkel, O. 2021. Environmental Microbiology n/a.

 Comparative evolutionary genetics of deleterious load in sorghum and maize.

Lozano, R., Gazave, E., dos Santos, J. P. R., Stetter, M. G., Valluru, R., Bandillo, N., Fernandes, S. B., Brown, P. J., Shakoor, N., Mockler, T. C., Cooper, E. A., Taylor Perkins, M., Buckler, E. S., Ross-Ibarra, J., and Gore, M. A. 2021.Nature Plants 7:17-24.

Host susceptibility factors render ripe tomato fruit vulnerable to fungal disease despite active immune responses.

Silva, C. J., van den Abeele, C., Ortega-Salazar, I., Papin, V., Adaskaveg, J. A., Wang, D., Casteel, C. L., Seymour, G. B., and Blanco-Ulate, B. 2021.  Journal of experimental botany.

Publications

January 2021 update from SIPS Director Chris Smart

Happy 2021! I wish everyone a healthy and joyful year. Please join me in welcoming Lori Huberman, Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology!

Congratulations!

  • Wojtek Pawlowski was promoted to Full Professor, well done Wojtek!
  • The annual MacDonald/Musgrave Awards were given by the Soil & Crop Science Section on December 11. Well-deserving awardees are:
    • Musgrave Award: Leslie Larsen
    • MacDonald Award: Jonathan Russell-Annelli
    • MacDonald/Musgrave Graduate Student Award: Taylor Cyle
  • Barbara McClintock Award for 2020: Congratulations to recipients Brandon Miller, Chase Crowell, Jenna Hershberger, Sarah Jensen, Jack Satterlee, and Daniel Sweeney!
  • Sellew Family Excellence-in-Mentoring Fellowship for 2021: Congratulations to Soil & Crop Sciences graduate student Olenka Zavodna, selected in recognition of her undergraduate mentoring activities

Strategic Planning

Thank you for responding! The SIPS executive committee has had the opportunity to read through all the responses. The survey went out to just under 1000 people and we had about 150 responses including

  • 87 faculty, emeritus, and senior academics – including adjunct and courtesy
  • 32 grad students
  • 6 postdocs
  • 15 technical staff
  • 10 administrative staff

We continue to distill themes from the responses, and I have been using the information as a foundation for building a draft outline of our strategic plan. The data will help to focus our next steps in the process. To give you an idea of the range of answers to some of the survey questions, a condensed version highlighting major themes in the responses can be viewed here. This link does not yet include answers to all questions, as the SIPS Diversity and Inclusion committee will be reviewing responses on how to make our community more inclusive and diverse.

SIPS diversity and inclusion: See the dashboard for Composition of Cornell Students, Staff and Faculty.

Remember, anyone can Report a Bias Incident here.

Fall 2020 Semester Wrap-up

Grades for the fall semester are due by Thursday, January 7. Please prioritize grades for graduating seniors. If you assign an incomplete (INC) or failing grade (F), a required online Failing & Incomplete form must be completed through OLGAA. The form is available 24 hours after submitting the grade in Faculty Center. Instructions on how to submit the online Failing and Incomplete form can be found here.

Spring 2021 Semester Updates

Spring 2021 pre-enrollment is complete. We all need to make sure we have uploaded a course syllabus (a draft is just fine) to the class roster before add/drop opens on February 2. If you have not yet done so, please get a draft to Leah Cook (lcc2@cornell.edu). You can also check out this Guide to Spring 2021 Enrollment. Room assignments have also been completed for the upcoming semester. Please check your course listing one more time and let Leah know immediately about any concerns.

Renovation

For those on the Ithaca campus, you may have noticed a flurry of activity near the conservatory. One of the cornice corners at the top of the Plant Science Building was in critical need of rebuilding. The removal of the damaged parapet and cornice stone is happening now, and rebuilding will start next week. The project completion is expected February 4, 2021.

Bradfield renovation is underway with work currently on floors 1-4.

Congratulations to the following people who were recognized with a SIPS Kudos in the last month! Thanks for your effort and passion in support of SIPS.

  • Building Mastery & Skill: Stephen Snyder
  • Going Above & Beyond: Tami Payne, Leslie Larson, Marius Weigert, Susan Hoskins, Steve Smith, Diane Ayers, Linda Cox, Andrea Gilbert, Tracy Chapman, Judy Kolkman, Bob Turgeon, Kevin Ahern

PLEASE remember to recognize people in our SIPS community that have gone out of their way to enhance our School. All you have to do is complete the brief form here.

Take care,

Chris

SIPS Director News

If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, contact web-accessibility@cornell.edu for assistance.

Skip to toolbar