Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Maize and Sorghum for Resistance to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Location: Crop Genetics and Breeding Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Sequential and simultaneous interactions of plant allelochemical flavone, Bt toxin Vip3A and insecticide emamectin benzoate in Spodoptera frugiperda - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Huang, K., He, H., Wang, S., Zhang, M., Chen, X., Deng, Z., Ni, X., Li, X. 2023. Sequential and simultaneous interactions of plant allelochemical flavone, Bt toxin Vip3A and insecticide emamectin benzoate in Spodoptera frugiperda. Insects. 14, 736. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14090736.

Combining ability of experimental maize lines for yield and aflatoxin in the southeastern United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Knoll, J.E., Perla, T.J., Krakowsky, M.D., Guo, B. 2023. Combining ability of experimental maize lines for yield and aflatoxin in the southeastern United States. Crop Science. 63:2793-2806. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21050.

Identification of the flavone-inducible counter-defense genes and their cis-elements in Helicoverpa armigera - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Zhang, Y., Fang, L., Zhang, M., Wang, L., Ni, X., Li, X. 2023. Identification of the flavone-inducible counter-defense genes and their cis-elements in Helicoverpa armigera. Toxins. 15:365. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15060365.

More than 10 years after commercialization, Vip3A-expressing MIR162 remains highly efficacious in controlling major Lepidopteran maize pests: laboratory resistance selection versus field reality - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Wen, Z., Conville, J., Matthews, P., Hootman, T., Himes, J., Wong, S., Huang, F., Ni, X., Chen, J., Bramlett, M. 2023. More than 10 years after commercialization, Vip3A-expressing MIR162 remains highly efficacious in controlling major Lepidopteran maize pests: laboratory resistance selection versus field reality. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. 192:105385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105385.

Evaluation of insect, disease, and bird damage in grain, silage and forage sorghum hybrids in 2022 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Toews, M.D., Dunn, D., Buntin, G. 2023. Evaluation of insect, disease, and bird damage in grain, silage and forage sorghum hybrids in 2022. In D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, and G. Ware (eds). Georgia 2022 Corn, Sorghum, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests. Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Publication. pp. 41-45.

Evaluation of Aspergillus flavus growth and detection of aflatoxin B1 content on maize agar culture medium using Vis/NIR hyperspectral imaging - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Guo, X., Jia, B., Zhang, H., Ni, X., Zhuang, H., Lu, Y., Wang, W. 2023. Evaluation of Aspergillus flavus growth and detection of aflatoxin B1 content on maize agar culture medium using Vis/NIR hyperspectral imaging. Agriculture. 13. Article 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020237.

Insect screening results: multiple insect resistance in 59 commercial corn hybrids-2022 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Toews, M.D., Buntin, G. 2023. Insect screening results: multiple insect resistance in 59 commercial corn hybrids-2022. In: D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, and G. Ware (eds), Georgia 2022 Corn, Sorghum, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests. Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations Annual Publication. pp. 24-27.

Impact of planting date and insecticide application methods on Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestation and forage sorghum yield - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Uyi, O., Reay-Jones, F.P., Ni, X., Buntin, D., Jacobson, A., Punnuri, S., Toews, M.D. 2022. Impact of planting date and insecticide application methods on Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestation and forage sorghum yield. Insects. 13. Article 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111038.

Management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum with early planting and in-furrow flupyradifurone application - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Uyi, O., Ni, X., Buntin, D., Jacobson, A., Reay-Jones, F.P., Punnuri, S., Toews, M.D. 2023. Management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum with early planting and in-furrow flupyradifurone application. Crop Protection. 164. Article 106148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2022.106148.

Host plant resistance, foliar insecticide application and natural enemies play a role in the management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Uyi, O., Lahiri, S., Ni, X., Buntin, D., Jacobson, A., Reay-Jones, F., Punnuri, S., Huseth, A.S., Toews, M.D. 2022. Host plant resistance, foliar insecticide application and natural enemies play a role in the management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13:1006. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1006225.

Estimation of resistance allele frequencies to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in the corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with F2 isolines generated from a mass-mating method - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Yu, W., Head, G.P., Price, P., Brown, S., Cook, D., Ni, X., Reay-Jones, F., Dimase, M., Huang, F. 2022. Estimation of resistance allele frequencies to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in the corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with F2 isolines generated from a mass-mating method. Crop Protection. 161:106054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2022.106054.

Resistance allele frequency to Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa20 in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Louisiana and three other southeastern U.S. states - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lin, S., Oyediran, I., Niu, Y., Brown, S., Cook, D., Ni, X., Zhang, Y., Reay-Jones, F.P., Chen, J., Wen, Z., Dimase, M., Huang, F. 2022. Resistance allele frequency to Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa20 in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Louisiana and three other southeastern U.S. states. Toxins. 14(4):270. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14040270.

A transposon-introduced G-quadruplex motif is selectively retained and constrained to downregulate CYP321A1 - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Zhang, Y., Gao, C., Shen, W., Wang, S., Ni, X., Liu, S., Li, X. 2022. A transposon-introduced G-quadruplex motif is selectively retained and constrained to downregulate CYP321A1. Insect Science. 29(6):1629-1642. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13021.

Evaluation of insect, disease, and bird damage in grain, silage and forage sorghum hybrids in 2021 - (Experiment Station)

Multiple insect resistance in 51 commercial corn hybrids, 2021 - (Experiment Station)

A sorghum genome-wide association study (GWAS) identifies a WRKY transcription factor as a candidate gene underlying sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) resistance - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Poosapati, S., Poretsky, E., Dressano, K., Ruiz, M., Vazquez, A., Sandoval, E., Estrada-Cardenas, A., Duggal, S., Lim, J., Morris, G., Szczepaniec, A., Walse, S.S., Ni, X., Schmelz, E.A., Huffaker, A. 2022. A sorghum genome-wide association study (GWAS) identifies a WRKY transcription factor as a candidate gene underlying sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) resistance. Planta. 255. Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-021-03814-x.

Identification and characterization of MicroRNAs in gonads of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, L., Wang, S., Huang, K., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, M., Huang, J., Deng, Z., Ni, X., Li, X. 2021. Identification and characterization of MicroRNAs in gonads of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Insects. 12:749. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12080749.

Spontaneous transposition of HzSINE1 into CYP321A2 is undetectable in the field populations of Helicoverpa zea - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, S., Chen, S., Dong, S., Zhang, M., Deng, Z., Ni, X., Huang, J., Li, X. 2021. Spontaneous transposition of HzSINE1 into CYP321A2 is undetectable in the field populations of Helicoverpa zea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 24:882-888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2021.07.015.

A dual-luciferase reporter system for characterization of small RNA target gene in both mammalian and insect cells - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Zhang, Y., Li, L., Xie, X., Zhang, M., Ni, X., Li, X. 2021. A dual-luciferase reporter system for characterization of small RNA target gene in both mammalian and insect cells. Insect Science. 29:631-644. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.12945.

Inductive and synergistic interactions between plant allelochemical flavone and Bt toxin Cry1Ac in Helicoverpa armigera - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Wang, S., Zhang, M., Huang, J., Li, L., Huang, K., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Ni, X., Deng, Z., Li, X. 2021. Inductive and synergistic interactions between plant allelochemical flavone and Bt toxin Cry1Ac in Helicoverpa armigera. Insect Science. 28:1756-1765. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.12897.

Assessing spatio-temporal patterns of sugarcane aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestations on silage sorghum yield using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zhang, J., Maleski, J., Schwartz, B., Dunn, D., Mailhot, D., Ni, X., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Toews, M. 2021. Assessing spatio-temporal patterns of sugarcane aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestations on silage sorghum yield using unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Crop Protection. 146: 105681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105681.

Identification and characterization of the masculinizing function of the Helicoverpa armigera masc gene - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Leyao, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Xie, X., Zhang, M., Huang, J., Ni, X., Li, X. 2021. Identification and characterization of the masculinizing function of the Helicoverpa armigera masc gene. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22(16):8650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168650.

Extended investigation of field-evolved resistance of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins in the southeastern United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Yu, W., Lin, S., Dimase, M., Niu, Y., Brown, S., Head, G.P., Price, P.A., Reay-Jones, F.P., Cook, D., Reisig, D., Thrash, B., Ni, X., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Huang, F. 2021. Extended investigation of field-evolved resistance of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins in the southeastern United States. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 183:107560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107560.

Resistance to insect, disease, and bird damage in grain, silage, and forage sorghum hybrids - 2020 - (Experiment Station)

Populations of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) in the southeastern United States are commonly resistant to Cry1Ab, but still susceptible to Vip3Aa20 expressed in MIR 162 corn - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Niu, Y., Oyediran, I., Yu, W., Lin, S., Dimase, M., Brown, S., Reay-Jones, F.P., Cook, D., Reisig, D., Thrash, B., Ni, X., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Zhang, Y., Chen, J., Wen, Z., Huang, F. 2021. Populations of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) in the southeastern United States are commonly resistant to Cry1Ab, but still susceptible to Vip3Aa20 expressed in MIR 162 corn. Toxins. 13(1):63. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13010063.

Non-destructive discrimination of illicium verum from poisonous adulterant using vis/nir hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lu, Y., Wang, W., Ni, X., Zhuang, H. 2020. Non-destructive discrimination of illicium verum from poisonous adulterant using vis/nir hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics. Infrared Physics and Technology. 111: Article 103509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infrared.2020.103509.

Characterization of the first W-unique protein-coding gene for sex determination in Helicoverpa armigera - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Huang, J., Ni, X., Li, X. 2020. Characterization of the first W-unique protein-coding gene for sex determination in Helicoverpa armigera. Frontiers in Genetics. 11:649. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2020.00649.

Classifying Maize Kernels Naturally Infected by Fungi Using Near-infrared Hyperspectral Hmaging - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Chu, X., Wang, W., Ni, X., Li, C., Li, Y. 2020. Classifying Maize Kernels Naturally Infected by Fungi Using Near-infrared Hyperspectral Hmaging. Infrared Physics and Technology. 105: Article 103242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infrared.2020.103242.

Grain, silage, and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect, disease, and bird damage 2019 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Buntin, G., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Toews, M.D., Dunn, D. 2020. Grain, silage, and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect, disease, and bird damage 2019. In: D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, and H. Jordan Jr. (eds), Georgia 2019 Corn, Sorghum Grain and Silage, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests. Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations, Annual Publication. 101-11, pp. 51-59.

Evaluation and classification of five cereal fungi on culture medium using Visible/Near-Infrared (Vis/NIR) hyperspectral imaging - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lu, Y., Wang, W., Huang, M., Ni, X., Chu, X., Li, C. 2020. Evaluation and classification of five cereal fungi on culture medium using Visible/Near-Infrared (Vis/NIR) hyperspectral imaging. Infrared Physics and Technology. 105:Article 103206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infrared.2020.103206.

Essential processing methods of hyperspectral images of agricultural and food products - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Jia, B., Wang, W., Ni, X., Lawrence, K.C., Zhuang, H., Yoon, S.C., Gao, Z. 2020. Essential processing methods of hyperspectral images of agricultural and food products. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems. 198:Article 103936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemolab.2020.103936.

Insect screening results: Multiple insect resistance in 68 commercial corn hybrids, 2019 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Toews, M.D., Buntin, G. 2020. Insect screening results: Multiple insect resistance in 68 commercial corn hybrids, 2019. In: D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, and H. Jordan Jr. (eds), Georgia 2019 Corn, Sorghum Grain and Silage, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests. Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station, Annual Publication. 101-11, pp. 26-30.

Combining host plant resistance and foliar insecticide application to manage Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lahiri, S., Ni, X., Buntin, G., Punnuri, S., Jacobson, A., Reay-Jones, F.P., Toews, M.D. 2019. Combining host plant resistance and foliar insecticide application to manage Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum. International Journal of Pest Management. 67(1):10-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2019.1660830.

Utilising near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to detect low-level peanut powder contamination of whole wheat flour - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zhao, X., Wang, W., Ni, X., Chu, X., Li, Y., Lu, C. 2019. Utilising near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to detect low-level peanut powder contamination of whole wheat flour. Biosystems Engineering. 184:55-68.

Parasitism of Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) by Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the greenhouse and field - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lahiri, S., Ni, X., Buntin, G., Toews, M.D. 2020. Parasitism of Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) by Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the greenhouse and field. Journal of Entomological Science. 55:14-24.

Field-evolved resistance of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) to transgenic maize expressing pyramided Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 proteins in northeast Louisiana, the United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Kaur, G., Guo, J., Brown, S., Head, G.P., Price, P.A., Paula-Moraes, S., Ni, X., Dimase, M., Huang, F. 2019. Field-evolved resistance of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) to transgenic maize expressing pyramided Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 proteins in northeast Louisiana, the United States. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 163:1-20.

Genome size reversely correlates with host plant range in Helicoverpa species - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zhang, S., Gu, S., Ni, X., Li, X. 2019. Genome size reversely correlates with host plant range in Helicoverpa species. Frontiers in Physiology. 10:Article 29.

Grain, silage, and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect, disease, and bird damage, 2018 - (Experiment Station)
Buntin, G., Ni, X., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Toews, M.D., Dunn, D. 2018. Grain, silage, and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect, disease, and bird damage, 2018. In: D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, and H. Jordan Jr., (eds.), Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station Publication 103-10, pp. 65-72.

Multiple insect resistance in 53 commercial corn hybrids, 2018 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Toews, M.D., Buntin, G. 2018. Multiple insect resistance in 53 commercial corn hybrids, 2018. In: D.J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, H. Jordan Jr., and J.L. Day (eds.). Georgia 2018 Corn Performance Tests, Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station Publication 101-10, pp. 32-35.

Recent advancement in near infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging techniques for quality and safety assessment of agricultural and food products in the China Agricultural University - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Jiang, H., Wang, W., Ni, X., Zhuang, H., Yoon, S.C., Lawrence, K.C. 2018. Recent advancement in near infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging techniques for quality and safety assessment of agricultural and food products in the China Agricultural University. NIR news (Near Infrared Reflectance News). 29(8):19-23.

Evaluation of growth characteristics of Aspergillus parasiticus inoculated in different culture media by shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Chu, X., Wang, W., Ni, X., Zheng, H., Zhao, X., Zhuang, H., Lawrence, K.C., Li, C., Li, Y., Lu, C. 2019. Evaluation of growth characteristics of Aspergillus parasiticus inoculated in different culture media by shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging. Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences. 11(5):Article 1850031 (15 pages).

Evaluation of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for detection of peanut and walnut powders in whole wheat flour - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zhao, X., Wang, W., Ni, X., Chu, X., Li, Y., Sun, C. 2018. Evaluation of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for detection of peanut and walnut powders in whole wheat flour. Applied Sciences. 8:Article 1076.

Growth identification of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus by visible/near infrared hyperspectral imaging - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Chu, X., Wang, W., Ni, X., Zheng, H., Zhao, X., Zhang, R., Li, Y. 2018. Growth identification of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus by visible/near infrared hyperspectral imaging. Applied Sciences. 8:Article 513.

Useful bicistronic reporter system for studying poly (A) site-defining cis elements and regulation of alternative polyadenylation - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Deng, Z., Zhang, S., Gu, S., Ni, X., Zeng, W., Li, X. 2018. Useful bicistronic reporter system for studying poly (A) site-defining cis elements and regulation of alternative polyadenylation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 19(1):Article 279.

Grain, silage and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect and bird damage, 2017 - (Experiment Station)
Buntin, G.D., Ni, X., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Toews, M.D., Dunn, D. 2017. Grain, silage and forage sorghum hybrid resistance to insect and bird damage, 2017. In D.J. Mailthot, D. Dunn, H. Jordan, Jr., and J.L. Day (eds), Georgia 2017 Soybean, Sorghum Grain and Silage, and Summer Annual Forages, Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations, Annual Publications. 103-9, pp. 74-80. http://www.swvt.uga.edu/2017/SYSR17/AP103-9-sr-resist.pdf.

Utilisation of visible/near-infrared hyperspectral images to classify aflatoxin B1 contaminated maize kernels - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Kimuli, D., Wang, W., Lawrence, K.C., Yoon, S.C., Ni, X., Heitschmidt, G.W. 2018. Utilisation of visible/near-infrared hyperspectral images to classify aflatoxin B1 contaminated maize kernels. Biosystems Engineering. 166:150-160.

Multiple insect resistance in 59 commmerical corn hybrids - 2017 - (Experiment Station)
Ni, X., Toews, M.D., Buntin, G.D. 2017. Multiple insect resistance in 59 commmerical corn hybrids - 2017. In: D. J. Mailhot, D. Dunn, H. Jordan Jr., and J. L. Day (eds.), Georgia 2017 Corn Performance Tests, Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations, Annual Publication 101-9, pp. 37-40. Athens, GA, November 2017. http://www.swvt.uga.edu/2017/CN17/AP101-9insect.pdf.