Iowa State University
Department of Agronomy
Kendall R. Lamkey
Lee Burras
Andy Lenssen

Humanity’s Greatest Challenges
• Food security for 9-10 billion by mid-century
– Accessible, affordable, adequate nutrition
– To survive or flourish?
• Sustainable food systems
– Meet demand
– Improve environmental quality and conserve natural
resources
– Contribute to economic development and vibrant
societies
• Zero population growth, then orderly decline

Iowa Agriculture

Iowa Leads The Nation
#1 Corn Production
#1 Soybean Production
#1 Pork Production
#1 Egg Production
#1 Ethanol Production
#1 in Soil (Water) Erosion

Iowa Land Area
• 55,869 square miles = 14,470,004 ha
2011 Crop Area
• Principle Crops = 10,008,685 ha (69% of
Land Area)
• Corn = 5,706,067 ha (40% of Land Area)
• Soybeans = 3,783,810 ha (26% of Land
Area)
• All Hay = 461,341 ha (3% of Land Area)
• Oats and Wheat = 48,562 ha (0.5% of Land
Area) and 8903 ha (0.06% of Land Area)

In 2009, Iowa
• Harvested 5,422,787 ha of corn
• Yielding 11.4 t/ha
• Resulting in 61,819,771 metric tons of
corn
• 61,819,771,000 kg or 136,572,800,000
pounds of corn
• Which would fill 2,731,456 semi trailers

2009 Iowa Crop Data Layer (http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov)

What Is Agronomy
The derivation of the term is from two Greek roots, agros, a
field, and nemein, to handle or manage
the literal meaning of the word being the handling or
management of fields
From: Carleton, M.A. 1908. Development and proper status of agronomy. J. Am. Soc. Agron. 1:17-23

What is Agronomy?
Applying Science To Advance
Crop Production Systems
While Protecting Air, Soil,
And Water Quality

Genetics
Management
Soils
Weather
Agronomy
Crop Production Potential
Some you can Control
They Interact

Agronomy (2014)
• Faculty (76)
– Non-Tenure Eligible (16)
• 4 Adjunct Assistant Professors
• 9 Lecturers
• 3 NTER
– Tenured/Tenure Eligible (42)
• 7 Tenure-Eligible
• 35 Tenured
– 18 USDA-ARS Collaborators

Agronomy
• 21 Post-Docs
• 309 Graduate Students (Spring 2015)
– 199 Distance MS Students
– 110 Campus Students
• 333 Undergraduate Students (Spring
2015)

Agronomy
• Staff (87)
– 79 Profession and Scientific Staff
• 11 Directly Support the Department
– 8 Merit Staff
• 3 Directly Support the Department

Undergraduate Major
• Agronomy

Graduate Majors
• Agronomy (Distance MS Only)
• Soil Science (MS, Ph.D.)
• Plant Breeding (MS, Ph.D.) + Distance MS
• Crop Production and Physiology (MS,
Ph.D.)
• Agricultural Meteorology (MS, Ph.D.)
• + 7 Interdepartmental Majors

RESEARCH

Plant Breeding
• Sorghum Breeding
• Soybean Breeding
• Corn Breeding
• Genomic Selection
• Double Haploids
• Genomics
• Transformation
• Molecular Biology – Corn and Soybean

Plant Transformation Facility
• Established in December, 1995
• The first public crop transformation facility
• Provides services for corn, soybean and
rice
• Served 170 research groups, 88 institutes,
15 countries

Genome editing in maize
• TALEN-mediated mutagenesis leads to stable and heritable genome
modification
• The modified maize line confers the glossy phonotype on juvenile leaf
• The modified maize line is free of transgene
• Publication: Char et al., Plant Biotech J. 2015, doi: 10.1111/pbi.12344
A B
Maize glossy2 gene (gl2):
• The Locus gl2 is between
10,624,501 and position
10,627,540 on Chromosome 2;
• Participating in the synthesis-
deposition of the juvenile epidermal
wax layer of maize leaves.

Establishing transformation technology for
common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Photos by Amber Testroet
Agrobacteria-
mediated
transformation

Crop Production and Physiology
• Crop and cropping systems modeling
• Corn and soybean production
• Forage production
• Perennial biofuel production
• Seed physiology
• Rainfed production systems
• Crop physiology

Cropping Systems Modeling
Sotirios Archontoulis
Cropping Systems Modeling
Fernando Miguez
Crop Modeling
Andy Vanloocke
Climate and Crop Modeling
Chris Anderson
Climate Risk Assessment

Modeling Biochar Effects on
Soils and Crops using APSIM
S. Archontoulis, I. Huber, F.
Miguez, P. Thorburn, D. Laird

Agricultural Meteorology
• Climate change
• Climate modeling at various scales
• Climate risk assessment
• Wind energy production

Soil Science
• Pedology, land use, informatics
• Soil fertility (N P, K, micronutrients)
• Carbon and nitrogen cycling
(biogeochemistry)
• Soil chemistry
• Soil management
• Soil Physics

CSR2 – Iowa’s new corn suitability rating
C. Lee Burras
Department of Agronomy
Iowa State University
December 04, 2014

CSR2 has three goals:
3
1. The technical goal is to have CSR2 consistent with today’s
soil mapping, classification, and government programs.
1. The philosophical goal is to get values proportional to CSR
but with greater transparency, consistency & ease.
1. The ancillary goal is to be able to extend CSR2 across
boundaries.

2007 – 2.8 T/A 2008 – 8.8 T/A
2009- 3.6 T/A 2010 – 10.6 T/A
R. Cruse – IDEP2 Project

2011 – 4.8 T/A 2012 – 1.8 T/A
2013 – 5.4 T/A 2014 – 8.0 T/A
R. Cruse – IDEP2 Project

Humans = 2.6% Nitrogen
30% of Human’s Nitrogen is
Haber-Bosch-N
= Haber-Bosch N
China & U.S. Africa
= non-industrially synthesized N
World

Understanding N transport and transformation
processes: Key to Sustainable Production
2-15
20-60
2-30
20-60
100

New Faculty Hires Underway
• Soil informatics – modeling/land use
• Soil biology – metagenomics
• Soil fertility / plant nutrition
• Forage cropping systems extension

Extension - Crops
• Administration
• Subject Matter Experts
– Faculty – 14 Faculty in CALS
– Campus Staff – 7
– Field Staff - 11

Extension Faculty
• Michael Owen – weeds
• Bob Hartzler – weeds
• John Sawyer – N Fertility
• Antonio Mallarino – P, K Fertility
• Mark Licht – cropping systems
• Sotirios Archontoulis – cropping systems
• Mahdi Al-Kaisi – soil management
• Elwynn Taylor – weather
• Kathleen Delate – organic agriculture

Improved MSc in Cultivar Development for Africa
KNUST MAK UKZN
Integrated
Breeding
Platform

University of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa)
Will also serve Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia
Makerere University (Uganda)
Will also serve Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana)
Will also serve Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali
Partner Universities in Africa

Faculty Teams and Topics
Course Teams
CROP GENETICS
ISU - Shui-zhang Fei
KNUST - Richard Akromah, Stephen Amoah
MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Sadik Kassim, Settumba Mukasa
UKZN - John Derera, Pangirayi Tongoona, Hussein Shimelis
QUANTITATIVE METHODS
FOR PLANT BREEDING
ISU - Thomas Lübberstedt, William Beavis
KNUST - Richard Akromah, Joseph Sarkodie-Addo, Maxwell Asante
MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Thomas Odong, Margaret Nabasirye
UKZN - John Derera, Julia Sibiya
PRINCIPLES OF PLANT
BREEDING & CULTIVAR
DEVELOPMENT
ISU - Asheesh Singh, Jessica Barb, Arti Singh
KNUST - Richard Akromah
MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Phinehas Tukamuhabwa
UKZN - John Derera, Paul Shanahan
INTRODUCTION TO
QUANTITATIVE GENETICS
FOR PLANT BREEDING
ISU - William Beavis
KNUST - Richard Akromah, Joseph Sarkodie-Addo, Maxwell Asante
MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson, Settumba Mukasa, Patrick Ongom
UKZN - John Derera, Pangirayi Tongoona, Hussein Shimelis
MOLECULAR PLANT
BREEDING
ISU - Thomas Lübberstedt
KNUST - Richard Akromah, Stephen Amoah
MAK - Richard Edema, Paul Gibson
UKZN - John Derera

https://pbea.agron.iastate.edu/

Livestock International Activities
Animal Science Department has 57 faculty in activities related
to animal genetics, reproduction, physiology, nutrition and
meat science.
Most faculty have some international activities but in
developing countries.
Some faculty work in Latin America, Africa and Asia funded by
USAID and other foundations.
Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium

Livestock International Activities
Research activities which have over lap with CIAT activities
include:
• Genetics of feed efficiency in cattle and pigs
• Grazing research
• Feeding by products
• Heat stress research in poultry, cattle , sheep, goats and pigs –
work in Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania and US.
 There is a large project “Center for Sustainable Rural
Development” in Uganda partnering with CGIAR centers on pig VC.
Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium

Livestock International Activities
Max Rothschild, holds an endowed chair in international
animal science activities and helps to lead activities in
department. Also serves on science advisory panel for
CRP3.7
Rothschild also serve as co-director for the Global Food
Security Consortium.
GFSC is looking for partners to develop new livestock
related proposals.
Department of Animal Science and Global Food Security Consortium