@article{morales_repka_swarts_stafstrom_he_sermons_yang_lopez‐zuniga_rucker_thomason_et al._2020, title={Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of a large, diverse population of maize near‐isogenic lines}, volume={103}, ISSN={0960-7412 1365-313X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14787}, DOI={10.1111/tpj.14787}, abstractNote={SUMMARY}, number={3}, journal={The Plant Journal}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Morales, Laura and Repka, A. C. and Swarts, Kelly L. and Stafstrom, William C. and He, Yijian and Sermons, Shannon M. and Yang, Qin and Lopez‐Zuniga, Luis O. and Rucker, Elizabeth and Thomason, Wade E. and et al.}, year={2020}, month={May}, pages={1246–1255} }
 @article{sermons_balint-kurti_2018, title={Large Scale Field Inoculation and Scoring of Maize Southern Leaf Blight and Other Maize Foliar Fungal Diseases}, volume={8}, ISSN={2331-8325}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.2745}, DOI={10.21769/BioProtoc.2745}, abstractNote={Field-grown maize is inoculated with Cochliobolus heterostrophus, causal agent of southern leaf blight disease, by dropping sorghum grains infested with the fungus into the whorl of each maize plant at an early stage of growth. The initial lesions produce secondary inoculum that is dispersed by wind and rain, causing multiple cycles of infection that assures a high uniform disease pressure over the entire field by the time of disease scoring, which occurs after anthesis. This method, with slight modifications, can also be used to study the maize fungal diseases northern leaf blight (caused by Exserohilum turcicum) and gray leaf spot (Cercospora zeae-maydis).}, number={5}, journal={BIO-PROTOCOL}, publisher={Bio-Protocol, LLC}, author={Sermons, Shannon and Balint-Kurti, Peter}, year={2018} }
 @article{sermons_sinclair_seversike_rufty_2017, title={Assessing transpiration estimates in tall fescue: The relationship among transpiration, growth, and vapor pressure deficits}, volume={137}, ISSN={["1873-7307"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.02.003}, abstractNote={Limitations in water availability for irrigation due to drought and water-use regulations necessitate accurate approaches to estimate water use. An energy balance approach is commonly used that is inherently empirical and requires an ill-defined coefficient. An alternative is to use a relationship based on vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and plant growth to predict plant transpiration rate. This study was undertaken to evaluate these approaches for tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). Experiments examined differences in water loss of tall fescue plants when grown in three temperatures with varying vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and with treatments of low nutrition and of growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl, which depressed growth. Within a temperature, the low-nutrition and growth-regulator treatments greatly affected clipping mass, however water loss remained similar. In hydroponic experiments, treatments altering clipping mass did not necessarily change total plant growth. Hence, a challenge to using whole-plant growth for estimating transpiration of this grass is to accurately determine growth only from clipping data. Transpiration was positively correlated with VPD, especially within each temperature, but there were indications that the higher temperature treatments caused decreased plant control over transpiration. The instability of physiological control over transpiration highlights the potential limitations of both equations in estimating transpiration rates.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY}, author={Sermons, Shannon M. and Sinclair, Thomas R. and Seversike, Thomas M. and Rufty, Thomas W.}, year={2017}, month={May}, pages={119–127} }
 @article{sermons_wherley_zhang_bowman_rufty_2017, title={The role of internal and external nitrogen pools in bermudagrass growth during spring emergence from dormancy}, volume={40}, ISSN={["1532-4087"]}, DOI={10.1080/01904167.2016.1264424}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT As bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) transitions from winter dormancy to active growth in spring, nitrogen is essential for new tissue growth. We examined the relative contributions of internally stored nitrogen and that taken up by preexisting and newly produced roots. Field-collected dormant bermudagrass was transferred to a nutrient solution culture system in a growth chamber. Cultures were provided either a non-nitrogen-containing solution or one amended with nitrate labeled with the 15N isotope of nitrogen, which allowed tracking of endogenous and exogenous N pools in all tissues as growth began. Nitrogen in stolon internodes was the largest N source for early growth. Though mass increased at the same rate in both N treatments over 3 weeks of growth, the unfertilized treatment showed early signs of nitrogen deficiency: low tissue N, slowed leaf elongation, and fewer but longer roots. Preexisting roots were active in absorption almost immediately; new roots were produced quickly and had even higher N uptake rates.}, number={10}, journal={JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION}, author={Sermons, Shannon M. and Wherley, Benjamin G. and Zhang, Chenxi and Bowman, Daniel C. and Rufty, Thomas W.}, year={2017}, pages={1404–1416} }
 @article{seversike_sermons_sinclair_carter_rufty_2014, title={Physiological properties of a drought-resistant wild soybean genotype: Transpiration control with soil drying and expression of root morphology}, volume={374}, ISSN={["1573-5036"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11104-013-1757-2}, number={1-2}, journal={PLANT AND SOIL}, author={Seversike, Thomas M. and Sermons, Shannon M. and Sinclair, Thomas R. and Carter, Thomas E., Jr. and Rufty, Thomas W.}, year={2014}, month={Jan}, pages={359–370} }
 @article{seversike_sermons_sinclair_carter_rufty_2013, title={Temperature interactions with transpiration response to vapor pressure deficit among cultivated and wild soybean genotypes}, volume={148}, ISSN={["1399-3054"]}, DOI={10.1111/j.1399-3054.2012.01693.x}, abstractNote={A key strategy in soybean drought research is increased stomatal sensitivity to high vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which contributes to the ‘slow wilting’ trait observed in the field. These experiments examined whether temperature of the growth environment affected the ability of plants to respond to VPD, and thus control transpiration rate (TR). Two soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and four wild soybean [Glycine soja (Sieb. and Zucc.)] genotypes were studied. The TR was measured over a range of VPD when plants were growing at 25 or 30°C, and again after an abrupt increase of 5°C. In G. max, a restriction of TR became evident as VPD increased above 2.0 kPa when temperature was near its growth optimum of 30°C. ‘Slow wilting’ genotype plant introduction (PI) 416937 exhibited greater TR control at high VPD compared with Hutcheson, and only PI 416937 restrained TR after the shift to 35°C. Three of the four G. soja genotypes exhibited control over TR with increasing VPD when grown at 25°C, which is near their estimated growth optimum. The TR control became engaged at lower VPD than in G. max and was retained to differing degrees after a shift to 30°C. The TR control systems in G. max and G. soja clearly were temperature‐sensitive and kinetically definable, and more restrictive in the ‘slow wilting’ soybean genotype. For the favorable TR control traits observed in G. soja to be useful for soybean breeding in warmer climates, the regulatory linkage with lower temperatures must be uncoupled.}, number={1}, journal={PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM}, author={Seversike, Thomas M. and Sermons, Shannon M. and Sinclair, Thomas R. and Carter, Thomas E., Jr. and Rufty, Thomas W.}, year={2013}, month={May}, pages={62–73} }
 @article{carley_goodman_sermons_shi_bowman_miller_rufty_2011, title={Soil Organic Matter Accumulation in Creeping Bentgrass Greens: A Chronosequence with Implications for Management and Carbon Sequestration}, volume={103}, ISSN={1435-0645}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj2010.0335}, DOI={10.2134/agronj2010.0335}, abstractNote={Excessive organic matter (OM) accumulation in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) putting greens, and its restriction of permeability, is one of the most difficult problems in turfgrass management. In this transition zone study, we characterized temporal and spatial aspects of OM accumulation, in an attempt to assess the effectiveness of management and to begin to uncover the processes controlling C sequestration. Root zone samples were collected from sand‐based putting greens at 49 golf courses of various ages, generating 212 individual observations. Organic matter accumulated hyperbolically over time in the top 2.5 cm; apparent critical levels of 40 g kg−1 were exceeded within 5 yr. At a depth of 2.5 to 7.6 cm, accumulation was much slower and linear over time, and critical levels were not reached even after 20 yr. Oxygen levels were never depressed more than 15%, indicating that intensive management of the upper soil profile was successfully allowing gas exchange into the root zone. Carbon accumulated in the soil profile hyperbolically, reflecting changes in the large OM pool near the soil surface. The sequestration rate of 59 g m−2 yr−1 over 25 yr was less than that observed by others examining soil under bentgrass greens in different environments. The evidence indicates that OM and C accumulation are strongly influenced by increasing microbial degradation rates as turfgrass systems age.}, number={3}, journal={Agronomy Journal}, publisher={American Society of Agronomy}, author={Carley, Danesha Seth and Goodman, David and Sermons, Shannon and Shi, Wei and Bowman, Dan and Miller, Grady and Rufty, Thomas}, year={2011}, pages={604} }
 @article{sermons_burton_rufty_2008, title={Temperature response of Benghal dayflower (Commelina benghalensis): Implications for geographic range}, volume={56}, ISSN={["1550-2759"]}, DOI={10.1614/WS-08-029.1}, abstractNote={The noxious weed Benghal dayflower has become a severely troublesome agricultural weed in Georgia in the southeastern Unite States, and there are indications that it is moving northward. Benghal dayflower is glyphosate tolerant and possesses a high degree of reproductive elasticity, making it a formidable threat in many crop systems. The purpose of these experiments was to develop the first temperature response profiles for Benghal dayflower, and use them to evaluate whether temperature might limit its northward invasion into North Carolina and adjacent states on the U.S. east coast. Experiments focused on vegetative and early reproductive growth, stages considered crucial for establishment and competitiveness. Exposure to a range of aerial temperatures revealed that Benghal dayflower growth and production of aerial and subterranean reproductive structures were maximized at 30 C, with sharp declines occurring at cooler temperatures. When exposed to differing root temperatures in hydroponics, with a constant aerial temperature, Benghal dayflower growth did not show the same cool temperature sensitivity, but reproductive performance declined when temperatures decreased below about 29 C. The root temperature responses of several other weed species known to thrive in the climate of this geographic area also were determined. Growth of sicklepod, hemp sesbania, and jimsonweed was more sensitive than Benghal dayflower to cool temperatures, whereas the growth response of velvetleaf was similar. Based on the comparison of the Benghal dayflower temperature responses in controlled environments to (1) seasonal air and soil temperatures in the field, and (2) the temperature responses of agronomic weeds known to thrive in the region, it is concluded that cool temperatures will not restrain the northward spread of Benghal dayflower into North Carolina.}, number={5}, journal={WEED SCIENCE}, author={Sermons, Shannon M. and Burton, Michael G. and Rufty, Thomas W.}, year={2008}, pages={707–713} }