The OceanObs'09 conference (21-25 September 2009, Venice, Italy) celebrated a decade of progress in implementing an initial ocean observing system focused on ocean physics and carbon, identified the scientific and societal benefits it has enabled, and looked forward to the coming decade. The conference called for full implementation and sustaining of the planned physical and carbon observing system, and highlighted a wealth of opportunities to extend the system to include comprehensive integrated observations, data sharing, analysis and forecasting of the biogeochemical state of the ocean and the status of marine biodiversity and ecosystems.The executive summary of the conference (Section 1) outlines the key accomplishments of the conference in highlighting societal needs for a sustained ocean observing system, identifying opportunities and challenges. Section 2 describes the process of community input that culminated in the conference and the papers in these proceedings. Section 3 provides our view of key opportunities and challenges for components of the ocean observing system identified by the conference participants through the Plenary Papers and Community White Papers. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ocean information for societyThe global oceans influence mankind in profound ways. They hold 97% of all water on Earth, and half of the surface of our planet is made up of the high seas, under the legal jurisdiction of no one nation, but under the common stewardship of all. The oceans absorb about a quarter of ongoing human emissions of greenhouse gases, preventing stronger warming of the atmosphere, but as a consequence are acidifying, with growing but still uncertain impacts on marine ecosystems.The health of ocean ecosystems and their ability to sustain ecosystem services and societal benefits are threatened by human activity: through pollution, nutrient loading, harvesting of marine resources, habitat destruction, increasing CO 2 concentration and ocean acidification, and by global changes in ocean temperature, stratification, and biogeochemistry. Management of these threats to the oceans is critical to sustaining benefits to society for both present and future generations, and requires better understanding, models, assessments, and therefore observation of the natural state and of how these threats are changing the ocean.Coastal populations exposed to ocean-related natural hazards such as tsunamis and storm surges, as well as longer-timescale sea level rise, are projected to grow rapidly. Early warning systems, as well as accurate regional projections that underpin adaptation and mitigation strategies, depend on real-time sharing of ocean observations. Global forecasts of marine hazards built on observations also support the more than 90% of internationally-traded goods that are transported by sea.Ocean dynamics play a key role in regulating and modulating the hydrological cycle and climate on timescales of weeks to decades, and good ocean observations, analyses, and forecast systems provide key information for decision...

Selection for flood‐tolerance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is mainly phenotypic. With the development of new molecular breeding tools, our research objective was to assess the effect of different selection methods at the F4:5 and F4:6 stages on the response to flood tolerance and yield at F4:6 stage. Four breeding populations were subjected to six selection treatments: (a) flood tolerance screening using hill‐plots (VIShill); (b) flood tolerance screening using long rows (VISrow); (c) genomic selection using population‐specific training (GShill); (d) genomic selection using broad‐based training population (GSrow); (e) marker‐assisted selection (MAS); (f) advanced based on agronomic adaptation under nonflooded conditions (random selection, RND). The top 15% lines within were tagged for selection, except for MAS that was adjusted based on recovery of desired haplotype. The complete base populations (BP) were advanced into flood and yield trials to determine probability of discard (POD), tolerance index (TOL), and seed yield. Analysis of variance was conducted across populations, and means were separated via Dunnett to the BP. Results indicated significantly different responses for flood tolerance (POD and TOL) across selection methods (p < .0001), with VISrow and GSrow consistently having better tolerance selections than the BP (p < .0001). In addition, lines selected by RND had lower tolerance than BP (p = .0053 and .0618 for POD and TOL, respectively). Moreover, no significant differences were observed among selection treatments (p = .6797) for yield. In conclusion, when breeding for flood tolerance, selections under standard agronomic practices are inadequate, and genomic selection (GSrow) or field screening using long rows (VISrow) are favored selection methods.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] breeding involves crossing and inbreeding for multiple generations to develop genetically stable lines. The long generation times cause early generations to be the major bottleneck in soybean breeding. Here we tested the effect of red and blue light (RB) and full-spectrum white light (FS), coupled with 12-h light (29˚C) vs. 12-h darkness (27˚C) photothermal conditions, on the growth and development of soybean lines and breeding materials of diverse maturity groups (MGs) in a context of speed breeding. We observed that RB light vs. FS light reduced plant height but did not affect vegetative biomass, pods and seeds per plants, nor the ability to meet a minimum of one seed per plant. Overall, the RB treatment reduced the interval planting to physiological maturity by 1.5 d vs. the FS treatment. The period between planting and harvest of mid-and late-maturity soybean ranged from 63 to 81 d, vs. ∼120 d observed in field conditions. Also, days after planting (DAP) to R7 was dependent on soybean MG. The use of RB light, coupled with photothermal conditions herein reported, would allow to advance up to five generations of U.S.-adapted soybean under a controlled environment instead of the one to three generations currently possible. This methodology is simple and easily scalable, for it maintains stable growing conditions throughout the crop cycle and it allows for simultaneous planting and harvesting within the same growth room. This could have a significant impact in genetic gain of U.S. soybean breeding programs.

Current field screening methods for soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)] flood tolerance are time-and labor-intensive. The purpose of this research was to develop a method of screening soybean in a low-O 2 and CO 2 -rich treatment using hydroponic culture in a greenhouse setting. Growth media, solution, and plant response were evaluated at various days after termination of gas treatment (DAT). Initially, a flood-susceptible genotype at early vegetative stage was subjected to a hypoxic treatment, displacing O 2 by bubbling CO 2 into the system for 5 d. The methodology was tested with 33 soybean genotypes, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-plant analysis development (SPAD), and foliar damage score (FDS) were measured. Then, the reaction of 17 genotypes was compared between hydroponic and field conditions. Expanded clay pebbles were identified as the best substrate for the screening method, as germination rate was not different from control. Gas treatment was shown to affect the level of dissolved O 2 in solution and to elicit phenotypic responses, of which NDVI was the most effective for differentiating germplasm, with an average of 0.29 and 0.69 for the CO 2 treatment and ambient air control, respectively (p < .0001). Also, repeatability of NDVI response across genotypes was 94.5%. Finally, preliminary field validation supported the ability of this new hydroponic methodology to separate susceptible and tolerant genotypes under hypoxia and water-logged conditions.

Soybean production in the U.S. Mid-South relies heavily on irrigation with 85% of soybean surfaces irrigated in Arkansas. Reduction in irrigation due to water quantity restrictions will significantly affect soybean seed yield, making variety selection increasingly important. The objective of the study was to assess if irrigation onsets at different reproductive stages affect wilting, seed yield, and key agronomic traits on determinate maturity group 5 (MG 5) soybean. One-hundred sixty-five F4-derived populations of recombinant inbred lines with determinate growth habit, similar maturity, and contrasting wilting potential were planted in an augmented strip-plot design in four environments as a single replicate. Four irrigation onsets were applied at R1 (initiation flower), R2 (full bloom), R3 (initiation pod), and R4 (full pod) using an atmometer. Results indicated significant differences in wilting and yield but no significant differences in maturity, protein, oil concentration, and 100-seed weight across different irrigation onsets. There was no significant difference between the fast and slow wilting genotypes across different irrigation onsets for each trait. Allowable depletions measured in this study indicated that both fast and slow wilting soybean genotype determinate MG5 can tolerate high allowable depletion with no significant yield penalty at R3 growth stage in silt loam soil.