New RegenPGC publication hits the “Streamosphere”

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RegenPGC Ph.D. student Memiş Bilgici, joined by RegenPGC colleagues Sara Lira, Lucas Borras, Ken Moore & Thomas Lübberstedt, has authored a new academic publication for the academic journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

The article, Trends in stomatal density and size in maize hybrids representing 100 years of long-term breeding for yield* highlights four main research findings:

  • Modern hybrids had higher stomatal density but lower total stomatal pore area than historical hybrids.
  • Across 27 Pioneer hybrids, stomatal density was negatively correlated with stomatal size, length, width, and leaf area.
  • Over the past 100 years, the total stomatal pore area on leaves decreased, while stomatal density increased as leaf area declined, revealing a connection between these two patterns.
  • Total stomatal pore area was negatively correlated with release-year atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature anomaly (°C) over the past century.

According to Memiş, “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first crop-focused study to show century-scale changes in stomatal traits associated with long-term maize breeding for yield.”

*Bilgici, Memiş, Ebrahimi, Elnaz, Prada de Miranda, Leticia, Lira, Sara, Borras, Lucas, Young, Thomas, Yavuz, Recep, Moore, Kenneth J., Dixon, Philip, & Lübberstedt, Thomas. (2026). Trends in stomatal density and size in maize hybrids spanning 100 years of long-term yield breeding. Front. Plant Sci., 17:1829321. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1829321

New research informs how corn and perennial groundcover can coexist

Amina Moro in the lab

Today, we honor RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Amina Moro and her work on corn’s “Shade Avoidance Response.” Iowa State University – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recognized Amina’s work by featuring her in the article, “New research shows finding the ‘sweet spot’ is key to successful groundcover systems.” See: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/2026/new-research-shows-finding-sweet-spot-key-successful-groundcover-systems

Amina’s work informs how corn behaves when perennial groundcover is located in proximity to it. As the article specifies, “The practical applications of this research are clear. By maintaining a small buffer zone – around 25 centimeters – farmers can prevent early stress signals in corn while still benefiting from soil protection.”

According to Amina, “Farmers do not have to choose between improving soil health and maintaining yield,” Moro said. “With the right combination of spacing, hybrid selection, and management practices, it is possible to design systems where corn grows efficiently while the soil remains protected.”

Learn more about the science behind Amina’s work in her recently published paper in the Journal of Agronomy, “Spatial Proximity to Perennial Groundcover Triggers Shade Avoidance Responses in Corn” (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/16/7/729).

It’s raining awards!

Memis Bilgici Award

They keep coming! Here is another award for a member of our RegenPGC Graduate Education Community. This time, it’s Memiş Bilgici who received an Iowa State University Research Excellence Award (REX).

Per the University, the award’s purpose is to “[…] recognize outstanding research accomplishments as documented in their dissertations. These students are also expected to be academically superior and able not only to do research but also to develop a well-written product. The intent of REX program is to recognize “the best of the best” graduating students who have submitted theses and dissertations.”

Congratulations to Memiş and his supervisor, Prof. Thomas Lübberstedt this significant achievement and recognition.

From Memiş: “I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Prof Thomas LübbLübberstedtd to the RegenPGC community, with whom I have had the privilege to collaborate. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and excited to continue learning, building, and contributing to sustainable maize breeding, perennial ground cover systems, and controlled environment phenotyping.”

Another honor for the RegenPGC grad student community

Yes, we are a research project, but we never forget that we are in the business of educating the next generation. In the summer, we mentor prospective STEM Education school teachers [See more at: https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/2023-ret-reu-programs-copy/]. But, all year round, our team mentors a talented group of graduate students in our Graduate Education Community.

Today, we celebrate Memiş Bilgici from our Breeding & Genetics Objective[See more at: https://www.regenpgc.org/objective-2-plant-breeding-and-genetics/], who presented this poster and was awarded a travel grant to Hawai’i: (Bilgici Memiş, Yu-Ru Chen, & Thomas Lübberstedt. (2025, May 19–23). Do we need dedicated maize varieties for perennial groundcover systems? [Poster]. 2025 National Association of Plant Breeders Annual Meeting, Kona, Hawa’i, United States).

Learn more by reading Memiş’ Poster Abstract at https://napbannualmeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NAPB_2025_Booklet_Digital_VF2.pdf, Poster #50.

Jack Moran thesis is available for download

Jack Moran Master's Thesis

RegenPGC graduate student Jack Moran’s master’s thesis, Improving the establishment of Kentucky Bluegrass as a perennial groundcover, is now available to download at https://lnkd.in/gRUhFFDs

Jack’s key research takeaway is: “Strategies such as using Hydroloc™ seed treatment and optimizing seed ratios and rates can significantly improve the establishment of Kentucky bluegrass as a perennial groundcover in corn production.”

Additional topics discussed include:
– Seed treatments for crop establishment
– Impact of irrigation on plant growth
– Economic considerations in agricultural practices

Learn more about Jack and the entire RegenPGC Graduate Education Community at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education-copy/

Reporting research makes it real!

“Above all else, show the data.” (Edward R. Tufte). We agree! This is why we share our progress reports and all our research updates. Our Year 4 Q3 report shows our team moving towards our goal of “creating well-adapted PGC systems for a range of farm operations that require low labor inputs, provide significant ecosystem benefits, increase row crop resiliency, and have similar economic profiles as conventional row crop practices.”

You can check out our Year 4 Q3 report here. We think you will also conclude that we continue demonstrating strong momentum, with significant achievements across all five research objectives and four cross-cutting themes. RegenPGC is effectively transitioning from foundational research to practical application and knowledge transfer, positioning itself well for Year 5!

Seed Science Center recognizes RegenPGC’s Amina Moro

Amina Moro in the lab

This article is a reprint from the Iowa State University Seed Center, originally published online May 6, 2025.

Shedding Light on Shade Avoidance: Seed Scientist Studies Corn’s Early Stress Signals | Seed Science Center

AMES, IA – In the glow of the Seed Science Center’s growth chambers, graduate student Amina Moro is hard at work uncovering how corn responds to one of its earliest stress signals—shade.

Moro, an international student from Ghana and a graduate assistant to Professor Susana Goggi, is investigating the Shade Avoidance Response (SAR) in corn. This phenomenon, triggered when corn perceives competition from nearby plants, causes the crop to adjust its growth—often in counterproductive ways.

“When corn senses that it’s being shaded by nearby vegetation, it reacts quickly,” said Moro. “It starts reallocating energy to grow taller or change its leaf angles in an effort to capture more light. But that comes at a cost—less energy goes into producing strong roots or healthy grain.”

Her research focuses on how SAR is triggered when corn is grown in proximity to perennial grasses, specifically rye. These interactions are particularly relevant as farmers increasingly adopt cover cropping systems for soil health, which often include species like rye.

“In our study, we’re trying to pinpoint the exact distance at which corn begins to detect the presence of rye and initiates the shade avoidance response,” explained Moro. “We planted the corn and rye in separate containers and placed them at different distances from one another to isolate above-ground competition.”

By using controlled lighting and a strategic container setup, Moro can monitor changes in red to far-red light ratios—the signal plants use to detect nearby competitors. This enables her to identify not only when SAR is triggered but which parts of the corn plant respond first.

“We’re looking at how the plant reallocates its resources—whether it prioritizes stem elongation, leaf development, or other changes,” she said. “Ultimately, we hope this data helps farmers and researchers better understand how to manage competition in early corn development without sacrificing yield.”

As Moro continues her work, she’s optimistic about how these findings could inform smarter planting strategies in diversified cropping systems.

“Coming from Ghana, where smallholder farmers often grow multiple crops together, I understand how important it is to make intercropping work,” she said. “I’m excited to contribute research that could help make these systems more productive and sustainable.”

About the Seed Science Center

The Seed Science Center at Iowa State University is a national and international center of excellence in seed research, education, technology transfer, and global seed programs.

 Contact: Cynthia Hicks, Seed Science Center, 515-296-5386, cghicks@iastate.edu

Lübberstedt receives ISU 2025 Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award

Thomas Lubberstedt Headshot

Dr. Thomas Lübberstedt, RegenPGC Co-Project Director of our Breeding and Genetics Objective, has been honored by his peers with the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Science 2025 Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award.

In the RegenPGC project, Dr. Lṻbberstedt is the co-leader with Dr. Shui-zhang Fei of our Breeding and Genetics Objective, where his work focuses on evaluating maize x PGC (GxM) interactions.

Among Dr. Lübberstedt’s many talents is his ability to attract excellent graduate students, including many international students. He is currently working with RegenPGC graduate student Memiş Bilgici and PostDoc Yu Ru Chen. Throughout his career at ISU, Dr. Lübberstedt has been a major or co-major professor for 41 doctorate students and 21 master’s degree students. Additionally, he has supervised 17 postdoctoral researchers and 83 visiting scientists and students.

In 2024, Dr. Lübberstedt was also awarded the ISU Award for Achievement in Intellectual Property. This award recognizes individuals or teams of faculty and professional and scientific staff for outstanding university-based achievements in producing intellectual property.

Graduate students are our Research Project’s Superpower

Marvel and D.C. Comics have a lot of superpower characters; we have our Graduate Education Community! Granted, our 19 grad students don’t wear flashy tights, but they represent the future of ag sciences, and we think they have some serious superpowers driving our perennial groundcover research forward at a fast clip.

Meet Sagar Dahal, the newest member of our Graduate Education Community. Sagar is a PhD student in Agricultural Economics with academic interests in price analysis, futures and options, risk management, and commodity markets. Sagar will be working with RegenPGC CoProject Director Dr. Amani Elobeid.

Sagar holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal, and an MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His master’s thesis, “Exploring the Presence of Nonlinear Deterministic Dynamics in Commodity Prices,” reflects his deep interest in understanding complex market behaviors.

During his Masters’ studies, Sagar worked as a Graduate Research Assistant, where he gained experience in academic writing, data management, and analysis. He also gained teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant for Applied Econometrics and Introduction to Microeconomics.

Sagar enjoys listening to music, watching movies, hiking, and camping in his free time. Learn more about Sagar and his colleagues at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education/.

Philip Rockson is the latest RegenPGC student to earn a Master’s degree

Please join us in congratulating RegenPGC graduate student Philip E. Rockson (Rockson) on the acceptance of his Master’s thesis at Iowa State University, “Visualization of agricultural field operations,” available at https://lnkd.in/g-w-tkAd.

Rockson was mentored throughout by RegenPGC Project Director Dr. Dave Raj Raman and was also assisted by RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Daniel Andersen. Rockson is now working on adding a Ph.D. to his list of accomplishments. We are pleased that he has chosen Iowa State University for his Ph.D. studies. You can learn more about Rockson and his RegenPGC Graduate Education Community colleagues at https://lnkd.in/gMHFKXMk.

Before joining the Iowa State University graduate student community, Rockson earned a degree in Agricultural Engineering in Ghana. Afterward, he gained his first experience working with national farms. As he pursued his interests in technology, Rockson had the opportunity to work with startups, gaining valuable experience in industry. Eventually, he joined the technology division of a bank with a presence across Africa, where he worked on developing services and applications. Seeking to delve further into agriculture, engineering, and technology, Rockson returned to school to explore research opportunities in regenerative and precision agriculture. We are so pleased that he found a home with the RegenPGC research team!