News

Mar 25, 2021
Three Huck Students Collect Grad School Awards
Two students from the intercollegiate graduate degree program in plant biology and one from ecology have been named among the recipients of prestigious 2020-21 Penn State Graduate School awards.
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Mar 08, 2021
New Appointments to Build on Excellence in Graduate Training
Two familiar faces within the Huck's graduate program system will be adding new roles to support the Institutes' portfolio of extramurally-funded programs.
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Feb 18, 2021
Silencing the alarm
An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.
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Feb 02, 2021
Newly discovered trait helps plants grow deeper roots in dry, compacted soils
A previously unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots capable of punching through dry, hard, compacted soils, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest that harnessing the inherited characteristic could lead to crops better able to deal with a changing climate.
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Jan 04, 2021
Discovery of chemical clue may lead to solving cacao's black pod rot mystery
The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a novel study.
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Oct 23, 2020
Grafting with epigenetically-modified rootstock yields surprise
Novel grafted plants—consisting of rootstock epigenetically modified to “believe” it has been under stress joined to an unmodified scion, or above-ground shoot—give rise to progeny that are more vigorous, productive and resilient than the parent plants.
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Sep 23, 2020
Huck Institutes Seeks Director of Graduate Training Initiatives
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is searching for a Penn State faculty member interested in overseeing a number of training programs for master's and doctoral students.
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Sep 16, 2020
Liana Burghardt awarded Tansley Medal for excellence in plant science
Assistant Professor of Plant Science recognized for outstanding research contributions early in her career.
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Aug 25, 2020
Bull elected fellow of American Phytopathological Society
Carolee Bull, professor of systematic bacteriology and plant pathology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been elected as a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, an honor given to members in recognition of distinguished contributions to the discipline of plant pathology.
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Aug 21, 2020
Flavonoids' presence in sorghum roots may lead to frost-resistant crop
Flavonoid compounds — produced by the roots of some sorghum plants — positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.
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