@article{huber_wehner_2023, title={Heritability and genetic variance estimates for agronomic traits and glycoside yield in four elite stevia breeding populations}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1435-0653"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20940}, DOI={10.1002/csc2.20940}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={CROP SCIENCE}, author={Huber, Brandon M. and Wehner, Todd C.}, year={2023}, month={Mar} }
 @article{huber_louws_hernandez_2021, title={Impact of Different Daily Light Integrals and Carbon Dioxide Concentrations on the Growth, Morphology, and Production Efficiency of Tomato Seedlings}, volume={12}, ISSN={["1664-462X"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.615853}, DOI={10.3389/fpls.2021.615853}, abstractNote={Indoor growing systems with light-emitting diodes offer advantages for the growth of tomato seedlings through uniform and optimized environmental conditions which increase consistency between plants and growing cycles. CO2 enrichment has been shown to improve the yield of crops. Thus, this research aimed to characterize the effects of varied light intensities and CO2 enrichment on the growth, morphology, and production efficiency of tomato seedlings in indoor growing systems. Four tomato cultivars, “Florida-47 R,” “Rebelski,” “Maxifort,” and “Shin Cheong Gang,” were subjected to three different daily light integrals (DLIs) of 6.5, 9.7, and 13 mol m–2 d–1 with a percent photon flux ratio of 40 blue:60 red and an end-of-day far-red treatment of 5 mmol m–2 d–1. The plants were also subjected to three different CO2 concentrations: 448 ± 32 (400-ambient), 1010 ± 45 (1000), and 1568 ± 129 (1600) μmol mol–1. Temperature was maintained at 24.3°C ± 0.48/16.8°C ± 1.1 (day/dark; 22.4°C average) and relative humidity at 52.56 ± 8.2%. Plant density was 1000 plants m–2 until canopy closure. Morphological measurements were conducted daily to observe the growth response over time. In addition, data was collected to quantify the effects of each treatment. The results showed increases in growth rate with increases in the DLI and CO2 concentration. In addition, CO2 enrichment to 1000–1600 μmol mol–1 increased the light use efficiency (gDM mol–1applied) by 38–44%, and CO2 enrichment to 1600 μmol mol–1 did not result in any additional increase on shoot fresh mass, shoot dry mass, and stem extension. However, the net photosynthetic rate obtained with 1600 μmol mol–1 was 31 and 68% higher than those obtained with 1000 and 400 μmol mol–1, respectively. Furthermore, the comparison of the light and CO2 treatment combinations with the control (13 mol m–2 d–1–400CO2) revealed that the plants subjected to 6.5DLI–1600CO2, 9.7DLI–1000CO2, and 9.7DLI–1600CO2 treatment combinations exhibited the same growth rate as the control plants but with 25–50% less DLI. Furthermore, two treatment combinations (13.0DLI–1000CO2 and 13.0DLI–1600CO2) were associated with the consumption of comparable amount of energy but increased plant growth by 24–33%.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE}, publisher={Frontiers Media SA}, author={Huber, Brandon M. and Louws, Frank J. and Hernandez, Ricardo}, year={2021}, month={Mar} }
 @article{huber_hernandez_2021, title={Optimizing production of 'Fascination' and 'Carnivor' transplants for grafting using lower daily light integral and higher CO2}, volume={1302}, ISSN={["2406-6168"]}, DOI={10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1302.14}, journal={II INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON VEGETABLE GRAFTING}, author={Huber, B. and Hernandez, R.}, year={2021}, pages={103–109} }
 @article{huber_wehner_2021, title={Performance of 16 Stevia rebaudiana seed cultigens for glycosides and yield in North Carolina}, volume={277}, ISSN={["1879-1018"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109803}, abstractNote={Currently, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) seeds are available to growers from many sources, but the origin of these populations is often unknown. Since stevia is a natural outcrosser, populations are heterozygous and heterogeneous. We were interested to characterize germplasm from 16 sources of stevia seeds for traits including yield, glycosides, and plant morphology, and then identify trait correlations. The cultigens evaluated were obtained from garden seed companies and commercial sources, and the trials were conducted for two years at two field locations. To quantify plant morphological traits, objective measurements were collected at two intervals to determine stem height, branching width, and leaf area. In addition, we screened for lodging and disease resistance, and yield before flowering stage. The cultigens tested were highly variable for yield and steviol glycosides, suggesting that a diverse genetic base is found among the population which is readily available to growers and breeders. High-yielding cultigens for biomass and glycoside concentration were identified. Cultigens with the highest yield and stability over years were seed-derived progeny from ‘Katupyry’, sourced from Stevia Store, and represent genetics useful in breeding for increased biomass. Cultigens with the highest glycoside level were NC-1003 and NC-1022, seed grown from Seed Savers, and could be used to improve desirable glycosides. This study highlights readily available seed cultigens that can be used to develop elite breeding populations.}, journal={SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE}, author={Huber, Brandon M. and Wehner, Todd C.}, year={2021}, month={Feb} }