Silphium integrifolium, or Silflower, is a potential perennial oilseed and forage crop that offers numerous ecosystem benefits, including acting as a pollinator resource and reducing erosion due to its deep root system. It is also a drought-resistance crop. These ecosystem services make Silflower an exciting perennial crop to develop, which can help overcome the challenges of generating food for a rapidly growing population in a changing world.

PhD student Kelsey Peterson (Plant and Microbial Biology), in a project called “Characterizing Wild Populations of Silphium integrifolium to Improve Breeding Outcomes,” is aiming to use large phenotypic and genetic datasets to answer questions about diversity of key domestication traits in wild populations of Silflower. Understanding and characterizing domestication traits, such as yield, perenniality, pest resistance, and pathogen resistance, will enable breeders to overcome current barriers and prepare for future breeding challenges.

Some funding for this project was provided by a 2022 University of Minnesota Informatics Institute MnDRIVE PhD Graduate Assistantship. The UMII MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship program supports U of M PhD candidates pursuing research at the intersection of informatics and any of the five MnDRIVE areas:

  • Robotics, Sensors and Advanced Manufacturing
  • Global Food Ventures
  • Advancing Industry, Conserving Our Environment
  • Discoveries and Treatments for Brain Conditions
  • Cancer Clinical Trials

This project is part of the Global Food Ventures MnDRIVE area.

Research Computing partners:

  • University of Minnesota Informatics Institute

Complete list of 2022 UMII MnDRIVE PhD Graduate Assistantships.

 

Silflower blossom and leaf with blight