Stephen C. Weller Professor Ph.D. Area of Interest: Weed Science E-mail: CV

Teaching Responsibilities

• HORT 401, Horticulture Production Technology

Research/Scholarship:

Research interests include: use of in vitro systems for selection and biochemical characterization of plant cell responses to herbicides and use of gene transformation systems for plant improvement; growth biology of problem weeds; and field studies involving chemical and cultural methods of weed control in horticulture crops. In vitro studies center on growth characterization and determination of resistance mechanisms of plant cells to glyphosate and photoautotrophic cells to atrazine and transformation of peppermint for herbicide and disease resistance. Weed biology studies involve environmental and inherent genetic variation effects on the growth and herbicide response of perennial and annual weeds. Weeds under study include field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) and atrazine resistant Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). Field research has concentrated on improvement of conventional weed control methods and use of cover crops as an alternative to chemical weed control in vegetable crops. International work involves IPM research in non-traditional vegetable crops in Central America under a USAID funded IPM CRSP project.

Recent Publications:

• Duncan, C.N. and S.C. Weller. 1987. Heritability of glyphosate susceptibility among biotypes of field bindweed. J. of Heredity 78:257-260.
• Masiunas, J.B. and S.C. Weller. 1988. Glyphosate activity in potato (Solanum tuberosum) under different temperature regimes and light levels. Weed Sci. 36:137-140.
• Pinto, J., W.E. Dyer, S.C. Weller and K.M. Herrmann. 1988. Glyphosate induces 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase in potato cells grown in suspension culture. Plant Physiol. 87:891-893.
• Dyer, W.E., S.C. Weller, R.A. Bressan and K.M. Herrmann. 1988. Glyphosate tolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Plant Physiol. 88:661-661.
• Masiunas, J.B. and S.C. Weller. 1989. Weed control between rows of black plastic in muskmelon. Weed Technol. 3:30-32.
• Dyer, W.E., L.M. Weaver, J. Zhao, D.N. Kuhn, S.C. Weller and K.M. Herrmann. 1990. A cDNA encoding 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Solanum nigrum L. J. Biol. Chem. 265:1608-1614.
• Goldsbrough, P.B., E.M. Hatch, B. Huang, W.C. Kosinski, W.E. Dyer, K.M. Herrmann and S.C. Weller. 1990. Gene amplification in glyphosate tolerant tobacco. Plant Sci. 72:53-62.
• Wang, Yunxia, J.D. Jones, S.C. Weller and P.B. Goldsbrough. 1991. Expression and stability of amplified genes encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase in glyphosate tolerant tobacco cells. Plant Mol. Biol. 17:1127-1138.
• Masiunas, J.B., S.C. Weller, R.A. Hayden and J. Janick. 1991. Effect of plant spacing on strawberry yield in two cultural systems. Fruit Variety Journal 45:146-151.
• Smeda, R.J., P.M. Hasegawa, P.B. Goldsbrough, N.J. Singh, and S.C. Weller. 1993. A serine-to-threonine substitution in the triazine herbicide-binding protein in potato cells results in atrazine resistance without impairing productivity. Plant Physiol. 103:911-917.
• Jones, J.D., S.C. Weller and P.B. Goldsbrough. 1994. Selection for kanamycin resistance in transformed petunia cells leads to the coamplification of a linked gene. Plant Mol. Biol. 24:505-514.
• Masiunas, John B., Leslie Weston, and Stephen C. Weller. 1995. The impact of allelopathic rye cover crops on tomato cropping systems. Weed Sci. 43:318-323.
• Jones, J.D., J. M. Hendstrand, K.M. Herrmann, A.K. Handa, and S.C. Weller. 1995. Impaired wound induction of 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase and altered stem development in transgenic potato plants expressing a DAHP synthase antisense construct. Plant Physiology 108:1413-1421.
• Jones, J.D., P.B. Goldsbrough and S.C. Weller. 1996. Stability and expression of amplified EPSP genes in glyphosate resistant tobacco cells and plantlets. Plant Cells Reports 15(6):432-436.
• Chandrashekhar, I. Nimbal, Carla N. Yerkes, Leslie A. Weston, and Stephen C. Weller. 1996. Activity and distribution of sorgoleone in grain sorghum germplasm. J. of Agric. and Food Chem. 44:1343-1348.
• Smeda, R.J., and S.C. Weller. 1996. Use of rye cover crops for weed management in processing tomatoes. Weed Sci. 44:596-602.
• Westwood, J.H. Yerkes, C.N.D., F.P. DeGennaro, and Weller, S.C. 1997. Absorption and translocation of glyphosate in tolerant and susceptible biotypes of field bindweed. Weed Sci. 45:658-663.
• Westwood, J.H. and Weller, S.C. 1997. Cellular mechanisms influence differential glyphosate sensitivity in field bindweed. Weed Sci. 45:2-11.
• Yerkes, C.N., and S.C. Weller. 1996. Diluent volume influences susceptibility of field bindweed biotypes to glyphosate. Weed Technol. 10:565-569.
• Westwood, J.H. and S.C. Weller. Characterization and breakdown of the self incompatibility system in field bindweed. J. of Heredity. 88:459-465.
• Bordelon, B. and S.C. Weller. 1997. Pre-plant cover crops affect weed and vine growth in firwt-year vineyards. HortSci. 32:1040-1043.
• Weller, S.C. and F.D. Hess. 1997. Herbicide Usage and Mode of Action in Weed Management in Horticulture Crops. 1997. ASHS Press.
• Niu, X., P.M. Hasegawa, R.A. Bressan, and S.C. Weller. 1998. Transgenic peppermint plants obtained by co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In Plant Cell Reports 17:165-171.
• Julian, J.W., G.H. Sullivan and S.C. Weller. 1998. Assessment of potential impacts from the elimination of methyl bromide in the fruit and vegetable trade. HortSci. 33:794-797.
• Sullivan, G.H., G.E. Sanchez, S.C. Weller and C.R. Edwards. 1999. Sustainable development in Central America's non-traditional export crops sector through adoption of integrated pest management practices: Guatemalan Case study. Sustainable Development International 1:123-126.
• Li, X., X. Niu, R.A. Bressan, S.C. Weller and P.M. Hasegawa. 1999. Highly efficient plant regeneration of native spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) In Vitro. In Press.
• Niu, Xiaomu, Xia Li, Paola Veronese, Ray A. Bressan, Stephen C. Weller and Paul M. Hasegawa. 1999. Factors affecting Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of peppermint. Plant Cell Reports. In Press.
• Sullivan, G.H., G.E. Sanchez, S.C. Weller, and C.R. Edwards. 1999. Sustainable development in Central America's non-traditional export crops sector through adoptino of integrated pest management practices: Guatemala case study. Sustainable Development International. 1:123-126.
• Li, X., R.A. Bressan, S.C. Weller, and P.M. Hasegawa. 1999. Efficient transformation of native spearming (Mentha spicata L.). In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 35:333-338.
• Zhang, J., M.L. Salas, N.R. Jordan, and S.C. Weller. 1999. Biorational approaches to managing Datura stramonium. Weed Sci. 47:750-756.
• Sullivan, G.H., G.E. Sanchez, S.C. Weller, C.R. Edwards, and P.P. Lamport. 2000. Integrated crop management strategies in snow pea: A model for achieving sustainable NTAE production in Central America. Sustain. Development International 3: 107-110.
• Niu, X., X. Li, P. Veronese, R. A. Bressan, S. C. Weller and P. M. Hasegawa. 2000. Factors affecting Agrobacterium tumefaciens – mediated transformation of peppermint. Plant Cell Rep. 19:304-310.
• Smeda, R. J. and S. C. Weller. 2001. Biology and control of burcucumber. Weed Sci. 49:99-105.
• Weller, S. C., R. A. Bressan, P. B. Goldsbrough, T. B. Fredenburg, and P. M. Hasegawa. 2001. The Impact of genomics on weed science in the 21st century. Weed Sci. 49:282-289.
• Veronese, P., X. Li, X. Niu, S. Weller, R. A. Bressan and P. M. Hasegawa. 2001. Bioengineering mint crop improvement. Plant Cell Tissue Organ Culture. 64:133-144.
• X. Li, Z. Gong, H. Koiwa, X. Niu, J. Espartero, X. Zhu, P. Veronese, B. Ruggiero. R. A. Bressan, S. C. Weller, P. M. Hasegawa. 2001. Bar expressing peppermint (Mentha X piperita L. var. Black Mitcham) Plants are highly resistant to the glufosinate herbicide Liberty. Molecular Breeding. 8:109-118.
• Weller, S. C., G. E. Sanchez, C. R. Edwards and G. H. Sullivan. 2002. IPM CRSP success in NTAE crops leads to sustainable trade for developing countries. Sust. Dev. International. 5:135-138.
• Veronese, P., M. L. Narasimahan, R. A. Stevenson, J. K. Zhu, S. C. Weller, K. V. Subbarao and R. A. Bressan. 2003. Identification of a locus controlling Verticillium disease symptom response in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 35:5743-587.

Book Chapters:

• Weller, S.C., J.B. Masiunas and J. Gressel. 1987. Biotechnologies of obtaining herbicide tolerance in potato. Chapter IV. 4 In, Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry Vol 3: Potato (ed. by Y.P.S. Bajaj). Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg.
• Weller, S.C. and J.R. Frank. 1989. Paul C. Marth and John W. Mitchell. 1994. 2,4-diclorphenoxyacetic acid as a differential herbicide. Bot. Gaz. 106:224-232. In, Classic Papers in Horticultural Science, ed. by Jules Janick, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., pp. 324-336.
• Monaco, T.J., S.C. Weller and F.M. Ashton. Weed Science Principle and Practices, 4th Ed., John Wiley and Sons, NY. January 2002.

Teaching Activity:

HORT 401 Horticultural Production Technologies

Sem. 2. Class 2, lab. 2, cr. 3. prerequisite: HORT 201 and 301.
This course will discuss the theory and practice of technologies used in the production of horticultural crops. Topics include: growth structures, growth media, irrigation, supplemental lighting, pruning, fertilization, crop protection, mechanization, and post harvest handling. Field trips.