Evaluating Perennial Sunflower for Wildlife and Food Uses Michael B. Kantar1, Kevin Betts1, Robert M. Stupar1, Brent Hulke2 & Donald Wyse1 1Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota [email protected] 2USDA-ARS Northern Crop Science Laboratory (612-625-6719) Flow Cytometry Breaking Tuber Dormancy Abstract Experimental Objectives •Interspecifc sunflower populations have a high degree of sterility •This was done to increase breeding spped by allowing multiple The objective of this research is to use current 1) Assess the variation and stability of and irregular pairing during meiosis that may lead to variation in generations per year genetics and plant breeding techniques to chromosome number in interspecific chromosome number, genome size and stability. introgress genes for perennial habit from sunflower populations and parental •The best cold treatment for braking tuber dormancy was exposure Helianthus tuberosus L. (2n=6x=102) into sunflower lines. •Flow cytometry measures variation in genome size of parents and to 2̊ C for eight weeks domesticated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., lineages informs overall genome stability 2n=2x=34). H. tuberosus is part of the secondary 2) Assess the relationship of perennial, •The most effective plant hormone for breaking dormancy was •Genome size might be useful as an efficient and inexpensive gibberellic acid gene pool of sunflower and has been used as a agronomic, and fertility phenotypes in donor of many disease resistance traits making it marker for identifying perennial plants at the seedling stage interspecific sunflower populations. •Some genotypes break dormancy without any treatment; however an excellent donor for perennial habit. Because of •To examine chromosomal variation several perennial sunflower most (67%) require a pretreatment previous success in gene transfer from H. 3) Artificially break tuber dormancy to populations: are available interspecific F1 (187), intermated F1 tuberosus, we believe we will be successful in have multiple generations per year. (200), backcrossed F1 (120 (both perennial and annual), 1 selfed transferring perennial habit into annual sunflower, BC1F1), and 18 H. tuberosus parents. This study will identify thus creating a perennial sunflower with high 4)Advance the current interspecifc meiotically stable genotypes. enough yield to attract blackbirds and divert them sunflower populations. away from commercial fields.

Influence of 2 º C cold treatment on days to Influence of ethelyene, a cytokinin and gibberellic emergence of 12 interspecific sunflower genotypes. acid on days to emergence of 12 interspecific If there is no time to emergence for a sunflower sunflower genotypes. Crossing Schemes genotype that particular genotype did not 2009 Field Results germinate with the particular cold treatment. Fifteen traits were scored on 187 F1 hybrids (H.tuberosus x Conclusions from 2009 Field Results H. annuus) and 18 H. tuberosus parents in 2009 and 2010 in •Pollen fertility was not significantly correlated with any trait St. Paul, Minnesota and in 2010 in Rosemount, Minnesota. Background The plants were planted in a randomized complete block •Early flowering was negatively correlated with tuber yield and flower size Perennial plants naturally allocate more design with three replications. resources into perennial organs (asexual) rather Phenotypic correlations •Head diameter was positively correlated with seed yield and a high tuber than seed (sexual). However, this difference in number allocation can be overcome because perennial plants have more time to assimilate resources than •Tuber characteristics were highly heritable while remaining characteristics annual plants and may divert resources to both were not.. sexual and asexual reproduction (Cox et al., 2002; DeHaan et al., 2005), so there is no reason why a •Many important characteristics correlate indicating that use of a selection perennial plant cannot be selected for increased index may be the best way to create better breeding populations seed yield. In addition, if the yield of a perennial crop is 70% of its annual counterpart the two Next Steps to Advance the Populations stands would be equally profitable over their Heritability Trait Values •Identify meiotically stable F1 plants using flow cytometry lifespan (Bell et al., 2008). Recent work has shown that the genetics of perenniality (developing of •Continue selection in intermated F1 plants perennial organs) may not be as complex as previously believed, with only few (1 or 2) •Identify good parental combinations of H. tuberosus and H. annuus quantitative trait loci (QTL) needed (Wang et al., 2009; Sacks et al., 2003; Hu et al., 2003). Perennial References systems reduce the environmental impact of Bell, Lindsay, Felicity Byrne, Mike A. Ewing, and Len J. Wade. 2008. A Preliminary whole-farm economic analysis of perennial wheat in an Australian dry agricultural systems through reduction in fall land farming system. Agricultural Systems; 96, 166-174. Cox, T.S. , M. Bender, C. Picone, D.L. Van Tassel, J.B. Holland, E. C.Brummer, B.E. Zoeller, A.H. Paterson, and W. Jackson. 2002. Breeding Perennial grain tillage, input costs and soil erosion. In addition, crops. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 21(2): 59-91. perennial crops provide living ground cover for DeHaan, L.R., D.L. Van Tassel, and T.S. Cox. 2005. Perennial grain crops: A synthesis of ecology and plant breeding. Renewable Agriculture and Food longer periods during the year decreasing loss of Systems, 20(1), 5-14. Hu, F.Y, D.Y. Tao, E. Sacks, B.Y. Fu, P. Xu, J.Li, Y.Yang, K. McNally, G.S. Khush, A.H. Paterson, and Z.-K. Li. C 2003. Convergent evolution of nitrogen from the soil (Hulke and Wyse, 2008). perenniality In rice and sorghum. PNAS, 100(7), 4050-4054.

Hulke, Brent S. and Donald L. Wyse. 2008. Using Interspecific hybrids with Helianthus tuberosus L. to transfer genes for quantitative traits into cultivated sunflower, H. annuus L. Proc. 17th International Sunflower Conference 729-731, Cordoba, Spain.

Wang R., S Farrona, C Vincent, A Joecker, H Schoof, F Turck, C Alonso-Blanco, G Coupland, MC Albani. 2009. PEP1 regulates perennial flowering in Arabis alpina. Nature; 459: 7245, 423-7. 4 Funding Funding for the this project came in part from the University of Minnesota NSA Research Forum January 12-13, 2011 Agricultural Experiment Station , the Pioneer Graduate Student Fellowship and the National Sunflower Association