Lincoln, NE

PROGRAM: Ph.D., Plant and Soil Sciences

I had the privilege of attending the International Bean Improvement Cooperative (BIC) and North American Pulse Improvement Association (NAPIA) Biennial Meeting hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This multi-day event hosted students and researchers from across the globe that study a multitude of legume species. I presented a poster entitled "Assessing the Role of Pollen Release and Stigma Exsertion in Lima Bean Yield". This first part of my research aimed to examine the relationship between pollen counts, stigma exsertion, and yield in lima beans under both normal and heat-stressed conditions. Stigma exsertion is not discussed often in legumes and may play a role in decreased pod set and seed formation in lima beans as increased nighttime temperatures disrupt floral development. I was able to develop an effective protocol for stigma removal and storage for later analysis as well as train a deep-learning based object detection model, YOLOv11-X, for pollen detection and counting. The pollen staining, imaging, and automated counting methods developed here may serve as useful tools for future studies on pollination biology and specifically for breeding programs targeting heat resilience.

Besides discussing my research, I had the opportunity to network with other students and researchers who work on legumes and lima beans specifically. I valued discussing the current efforts on lima bean research as well as feedback on steps I should take on my own research. I was able to attend seminars discussing wide scopes of study such as genomics and plant breeding, genetic improvement, and biotic stress. Overall, attending the BIC & NAPIA Biennial Meeting provided a great learning experience that helped identify current work as well as possible future work in legume research. This experience has inspired my continued efforts in research as well as my own professional growth as a graduate student.