This study was conducted to determine if supplemental irrigation and/or application of soil amendments rich in organic matter can improve root growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Root length density (RLD) and root dry matter production of potato were studied under two levels of supplemental irrigation (nonirrigated check vs. moderate irrigation) and two levels of soil amendments [none vs.

Rainfall in the northeastern United States can be erratic, causing fluctuations in the supply and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). To address these problems, yield and quality of potato were studied during three growing seasons to determine their response to soil management treatments designed to increase soil organic matter. The soil management treatments, consisting of rotation crop [oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Porter vs. green manure] and annual soil amendment applications [none vs. 22 t ha-1 compost and 45 tha-t manure from beef cattle (Bos taurus L.)], were tested in combination with supplemental irrigation treatments (none, reduced, and moderate) on a Caribou gravelly loam (fine-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Haplorthod). The green manure consisted of pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Trapper), oat, and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) seeded at 168, 56, and 34 kg ha-1 , respectively. After a single season, the amendments increased soil organic matter, K, Mg, Ca, cation exchange capacity, and aggregation. Modified-Morgan soil-test P increased and bulk density de· creased after two amendment applications. Total yields were significantly increased by the amendment treatment [8.6 t ha-1 (23% ), 1993; 8.1 t ha-1 (27%), 1994; and 4.0 t ha-1 (11%) for 1995], and U.S. No. 1 yields were similarly affected. The amendments increased tuber decay incidence during all 3 yr. Irrigation treatments significantly increased total yields by 10 t ha-1 (36%) in 1994 and 11.6 t ha-1 (37%) in 1995, while significantly reducing specific gravity and increasing tuber size. Irrigation also increased tuber decay incidence in 2 of 3 yr. During the time course and under the conditions of this study, the green manure rotation crop had no significant effect on yields or tuber quality compared with the oat rotation. In contrast, soil amendment and supplemental irrigation proved to be management tools that could rapidly affect productivity in this agricultural system. P OTATO TUBER YIELD AND QUALITY can be reduced by water stress occurring at any time during the growing season (Adams and Stevenson, 1990;Stark and Wright, 1985), so a continuous water supply is generally recommended from tuber initiation to maturity (Miller and Martin, 1983). Water stress during tuber initiation

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis could help to identify suitable molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding (MAB). A mapping population of 124 F5:7recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross ‘TAM 112’/‘TAM 111’ was grown under 28 diverse environments and evaluated for grain yield, test weight, heading date, and plant height. The objective of this study was to detect QTL conferring grain yield and agronomic traits from multiple mega-environments. Through a linkage map with 5,948 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 51 QTL were consistently identified in two or more environments or analyses. Ten QTL linked to two or more traits were also identified on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 4B, 4D, 6A, 7B, and 7D. Those QTL explained up to 13.3% of additive phenotypic variations with the additive logarithm of odds (LOD(A)) scores up to 11.2. The additive effect increased yield up to 8.16 and 6.57 g m−2 and increased test weight by 2.14 and 3.47 kg m−3 with favorable alleles from TAM 111 and TAM 112, respectively. Seven major QTL for yield and six for TW with one in common were of our interest on MAB as they explained 5% or more phenotypic variations through additive effects. This study confirmed previously identified loci and identified new QTL and the favorable alleles for improving grain yield and agronomic traits.

TAM 114' (Reg. No. CV-1146, PI 686860), a hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar with the experimental designation of TX07A001505, was developed and released by Texas A&M AgriLife Research in 2014. TAM 114 is an F 6 -derived line from the cross 'TAM 111'/TX98A0050 made at Bushland, TX, in 1999. TAM 114 is an awned, medium-maturing, semidwarf wheat with red glumes. It was released primarily for its extrastrong baking properties as indicated by longer bake mix time, excellent mixing tolerance, and good loaf volume. TAM 114 has signiicantly higher grain yield than that of TAM 111 and 'TAM 112' in the Texas High Plains under both irrigated and dryland environments. It is high in grain volume weight, is resistant to leaf, stripe, and stem rusts, has a moderate level of resistance to Hessian ly biotypes GP and vH9, and has good acid soil tolerance. Compared with TAM 111 and TAM 112, which are currently the two most widely grown cultivars in Texas, TAM 114 has higher grain yield, higher grain volume weight, better leaf and stripe rust resistance, and better bread baking properties. It will provide a good complement to other hard red winter wheat cultivars for wheat producers, millers, and bakers and ultimately for consumers of wheat products in the southern US Great Plains.

Leaf and stripe rusts (caused by Puccinia triticina Erikss. and P. striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Erikss., respectively) are major disease problems in South Texas, Rolling Plains, and the Blacklands area of Texas where hard red winter wheat (HRW; Triticum aestivum L.) is a major crop, and wheat producers in these areas require rust‐resistant cultivars. A significant breeding objective in South Texas is to develop HRW cultivars with robust resistance to both rust pathogens. Among these HRW cultivars is ‘TAM 305’ (Reg. No. CV‐1108, PI 674514), which was developed and released by Texas A&M AgriLife Research in 2012. TAM 305 was derived from the cross TX97V3006/TX98V6239. The original cross, designated X00VC230, was made at College Station, TX, in 1999. TAM 305 was released not only for its leaf, stripe, and stem rust (caused by P. graminis Pers.:Pers. f. sp. tritici Erikss. & E. Henn.) resistance but also because of its excellent grain yield in the Blacklands and South Texas. Milling and baking quality characteristics of TAM 305 were rated by the USDA–ARS‐Hard Winter Wheat Quality Laboratory in Manhattan, KS. Comparisons to the HRW quality targets showed that TAM 305 has average milling yield, very good wheat and flour protein, minimal mixing time, excellent water absorption and loaf volume, but below average mixing tolerance.