Dr. Suat Irmak is a member of a scientific team who published a paper in a prestigious journal of Nature, online here. The paper is titled “Pollen-mediated gene flow from glyphosate-resistant common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis Sauer): Consequences for the dispersal of resistance genes (D. Sarangi, A.J. Tyre, E.L. Patterson, T.A. Gaines, S. Irmak, S.Z. Knezevic, J.L. Lindquist, and A.J. Jhala).” The research was carried out under the leadership of Dr. Amit Jhala with his former Ph.D. student Dr. Debalin Sarangi as part of Dr. Sarangi’s Ph.D. research at the South Central Agricultural Laboratory. The research quantified pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) from glyphosate-resistant (GR) to -susceptible (GS) common waterhemp using a concentric donor-receptor design. In an extensive research campaign, more than 130,000 common waterhemp plants were screened and 26,199 plants were confirmed resistant to glyphosate. Frequency of gene flow from all distances, directions, and years was quantified with a double exponential decay model. Amplification of the target site gene, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), was identified as the mechanism of glyphosate resistance in parent biotype. It was determined that the EPSPS gene amplification was heritable in common waterhemp and can be transferred via PMGF, and also correlated with glyphosate resistance in pseudo-F2 progeny. This is the first report of PMGF in GR common waterhemp and the results are critical in explaining the rapid dispersal of GR common waterhemp in Midwestern United States.
Dr. Irmak stated that the paper makes a significant contribution to the scientific community and is an excellent example of integrating different scientific disciplines for enhancing scientific understanding and addressing real world issues. Some data from one of Dr. Irmak’s 11 NEBFLUX (Nebraska Surface Water and Energy Flux Measurement, Modeling, and Research Network) flux towers was used in the research. Dr. Irmak added that it is always a pleasure for him to interact and work with Dr. Jhala and his team.