Iowa State University

Department of Agronomy

Kendall R. Lamkey

Lee Burras

Andy Lenssen

Humanity’s Greatest Challenges

• Food security for 9-10 billion by mid-century

– Accessible, affordable, adequate nutrition

– To survive or flourish?

• Sustainable food systems

– Meet demand

– Improve environmental quality and conserve natural resources

– Contribute to economic development and vibrant societies

• Zero population growth, then orderly decline

Iowa Agriculture

Iowa Leads The Nation

#1 Corn Production

#1 Soybean Production

#1 Pork Production

#1 Egg Production

#1 Ethanol Production

#1 in Soil (Water) Erosion

Iowa Land Area• 55,869 square miles = 14,470,004 ha

2011 Crop Area

• Principle Crops = 10,008,685 ha (69% of Land Area)

• Corn = 5,706,067 ha (40% of Land Area)

• Soybeans = 3,783,810 ha (26% of Land Area)

• All Hay = 461,341 ha (3% of Land Area)

• Oats and Wheat = 48,562 ha (0.5% of Land Area) and 8903 ha (0.06% of Land Area)

In 2009, Iowa

• Harvested 5,422,787 ha of corn

• Yielding 11.4 t/ha

• Resulting in 61,819,771 metric tons of

corn

• 61,819,771,000 kg or 136,572,800,000

pounds of corn

• Which would fill 2,731,456 semi trailers

2009 Iowa Crop Data Layer (http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov)

What Is Agronomy

The derivation of the term is from two Greek roots, agros, a

field, and nemein, to handle or manage

the literal meaning of the word being the handling or

management of fields

From: Carleton, M.A. 1908. Development and proper status of agronomy. J. Am. Soc. Agron. 1:17-23

What is Agronomy?

Applying Science To Advance

Crop Production Systems

While Protecting Air, Soil,

And Water Quality

Genetics

Management

Soils

Weather

Agronomy

Crop Production Potential

Some you can Control

They Interact

Agronomy (2014)

• Faculty (76)

– Non-Tenure Eligible (16)• 4 Adjunct Assistant Professors

• 9 Lecturers

• 3 NTER

– Tenured/Tenure Eligible (42)• 7 Tenure-Eligible

• 35 Tenured

– 18 USDA-ARS Collaborators

Agronomy

• 21 Post-Docs

• 309 Graduate Students (Spring 2015)

– 199 Distance MS Students

– 110 Campus Students

• 333 Undergraduate Students (Spring

2015)

Agronomy

• Staff (87)

– 79 Profession and Scientific Staff

• 11 Directly Support the Department

– 8 Merit Staff

• 3 Directly Support the Department

Undergraduate Major

• Agronomy

Graduate Majors

• Agronomy (Distance MS Only)

• Soil Science (MS, Ph.D.)

• Plant Breeding (MS, Ph.D.) + Distance MS

• Crop Production and Physiology (MS,

Ph.D.)

• Agricultural Meteorology (MS, Ph.D.)

• + 7 Interdepartmental Majors

RESEARCH

Plant Breeding

• Sorghum Breeding

• Soybean Breeding

• Corn Breeding

• Genomic Selection

• Double Haploids

• Genomics

• Transformation

• Molecular Biology – Corn and Soybean

Plant Transformation Facility

• Established in December, 1995

• The first public crop transformation facility

• Provides services for corn, soybean and rice

• Served 170 research groups, 88 institutes, 15 countries

Genome editing in maize

• TALEN-mediated mutagenesis leads to stable and heritable genome

modification

• The modified maize line confers the glossy phonotype on juvenile leaf

• The modified maize line is free of transgene

• Publication: Char et al., Plant Biotech J. 2015, doi: 10.1111/pbi.12344

A B

Maize glossy2 gene (gl2):• The Locus gl2 is between

10,624,501 and position

10,627,540 on Chromosome 2;

• Participating in the synthesis-

deposition of the juvenile epidermal

wax layer of maize leaves.

Establishing transformation technology for

common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Photos by Amber Testroet

Agrobacteria-

mediated

transformation

Crop Production and Physiology

• Crop and cropping systems modeling

• Corn and soybean production

• Forage production

• Perennial biofuel production

• Seed physiology

• Rainfed production systems

• Crop physiology

Cropping Systems Modeling

Sotirios Archontoulis

Cropping Systems Modeling

Fernando Miguez

Crop ModelingAndy Vanloocke

Climate and Crop Modeling

Chris Anderson

Climate Risk Assessment

Modeling Biochar Effects on

Soils and Crops using APSIM

S. Archontoulis, I. Huber, F.

Miguez, P. Thorburn, D. Laird

Agricultural Meteorology

• Climate change

• Climate modeling at various scales

• Climate risk assessment

• Wind energy production

Soil Science

• Pedology, land use, informatics

• Soil fertility (N P, K, micronutrients)

• Carbon and nitrogen cycling

(biogeochemistry)

• Soil chemistry

• Soil management

• Soil Physics

CSR2 – Iowa’s new corn suitability rating

C. Lee Burras

Department of Agronomy

Iowa State University

December 04, 2014

CSR2 has three goals:

33

1. The technical goal is to have CSR2 consistent with today’s soil mapping, classification, and government programs.

1. The philosophical goal is to get values proportional to CSR but with greater transparency, consistency & ease.

1. The ancillary goal is to be able to extend CSR2 across boundaries.

2007 – 2.8 T/A 2008 – 8.8 T/A

2009- 3.6 T/A 2010 – 10.6 T/A

R. Cruse – IDEP2 Project

2011 – 4.8 T/A 2012 – 1.8 T/A

2013 – 5.4 T/A 2014 – 8.0 T/A

R. Cruse – IDEP2 Project

Humans = 2.6% Nitrogen

30% of Human’s Nitrogen is

Haber-Bosch-N

= Haber-Bosch N

China & U.S. Africa

= non-industrially synthesized N

World

Understanding N transport and transformation

processes: Key to Sustainable Production

2-15

20-60

2-30

20-60

100

New Faculty Hires Underway

• Soil informatics – modeling/land use

• Soil biology – metagenomics

• Soil fertility / plant nutrition

• Forage cropping systems extension

Extension - Crops

• Administration

• Subject Matter Experts

– Faculty – 14 Faculty in CALS

– Campus Staff – 7

– Field Staff - 11

Extension Faculty

• Michael Owen – weeds

• Bob Hartzler – weeds

• John Sawyer – N Fertility

• Antonio Mallarino – P, K Fertility

• Mark Licht – cropping systems

• Sotirios Archontoulis – cropping systems

• Mahdi Al-Kaisi – soil management

• Elwynn Taylor – weather

• Kathleen Delate – organic agriculture

Improved MSc in Cultivar Development for Africa

KNUST MAK UKZN

Integrated

Breeding

Platform

University of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa)

Will also serve Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia

Makerere University (Uganda)

Will also serve Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana)

Will also serve Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali

Partner Universities in Africa

Faculty Teams and Topics

Course Teams

CROP GENETICS

ISU - Shui-zhang Fei

KNUST - Richard Akromah, Stephen Amoah

MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Sadik Kassim, Settumba Mukasa

UKZN - John Derera, Pangirayi Tongoona, Hussein Shimelis

QUANTITATIVE METHODS

FOR PLANT BREEDING

ISU - Thomas Lübberstedt, William Beavis

KNUST - Richard Akromah, Joseph Sarkodie-Addo, Maxwell Asante

MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Thomas Odong, Margaret Nabasirye

UKZN - John Derera, Julia Sibiya

PRINCIPLES OF PLANT

BREEDING & CULTIVAR

DEVELOPMENT

ISU - Asheesh Singh, Jessica Barb, Arti Singh

KNUST - Richard Akromah

MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Phinehas Tukamuhabwa

UKZN - John Derera, Paul Shanahan

INTRODUCTION TO

QUANTITATIVE GENETICS

FOR PLANT BREEDING

ISU - William Beavis

KNUST - Richard Akromah, Joseph Sarkodie-Addo, Maxwell Asante

MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Settumba Mukasa, Patrick Ongom

UKZN - John Derera, Pangirayi Tongoona, Hussein Shimelis

MOLECULAR PLANT

BREEDING

ISU - Thomas Lübberstedt

KNUST - Richard Akromah, Stephen Amoah

MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson

UKZN - John Derera

https://pbea.agron.iastate.edu/

Livestock International Activities

Animal Science Department has 57 faculty in activities related to animal genetics, reproduction, physiology, nutrition and meat science.

Most faculty have some international activities but in developing countries.

Some faculty work in Latin America, Africa and Asia funded by USAID and other foundations.

Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium

Livestock International Activities

Research activities which have over lap with CIAT activities include:• Genetics of feed efficiency in cattle and pigs• Grazing research • Feeding by products

• Heat stress research in poultry, cattle , sheep, goats and pigs –work in Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania and US.

There is a large project “Center for Sustainable Rural Development” in Uganda partnering with CGIAR centers on pig VC.

Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium

Livestock International ActivitiesMax Rothschild, holds an endowed chair in international

animal science activities and helps to lead activities in department. Also serves on science advisory panel for CRP3.7

Rothschild also serve as co-director for the Global Food Security Consortium.

GFSC is looking for partners to develop new livestock related proposals.

Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium