The grand challenge of the 21st century is to sustain 10 billion people in a degraded global environment. A central element of that effort will be the development of climate-resilient agroecosystems that can provide food, fiber, and fuel at a reduced environmental cost. Water limitation is the single greatest limit to plant growth and this will worsen in the future because of global climate change. Low soil fertility is a primary barrier to food security in developing nations and in rich nations intensive fertilization is a primary cause of environmental pollution. A better understanding of root function and root health, including root associations with symbionts, will open avenues to create new resilient crops and agroecosystems, and improved management of natural ecosystems, that are urgently needed.
Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology
Supporting research and training on plant roots and their associated rhizospheres
News
Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows
Three faculty members, representing three different Penn State colleges, have been named Huck Leadership Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.
Q&A: Unifying the microbiome sciences for global health and sustainability
Recently, members of Penn State's One Health Microbiome Center published an article in the American Society for Microbiology’s flagship journal, mBio. In this Q&A, a few of the paper’s authors discussed how the center is leading the charge to breakdown traditional disciplinary silos and expand the One Health focus to include more than just pathogenic microbial threats.
Isolated Torrey pine populations yield insights into genetic diversity
Researchers find a few genes that allowed trees from insular populations to adapt to local conditions may inhibit their adjustment long term to a new location.
News
Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows
Three faculty members, representing three different Penn State colleges, have been named Huck Leadership Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.
Q&A: Unifying the microbiome sciences for global health and sustainability
Recently, members of Penn State's One Health Microbiome Center published an article in the American Society for Microbiology’s flagship journal, mBio. In this Q&A, a few of the paper’s authors discussed how the center is leading the charge to breakdown traditional disciplinary silos and expand the One Health focus to include more than just pathogenic microbial threats.
Isolated Torrey pine populations yield insights into genetic diversity
Researchers find a few genes that allowed trees from insular populations to adapt to local conditions may inhibit their adjustment long term to a new location.
Are drones the future of tree fruit production? Researchers investigate
A team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is addressing the growing interest among tree fruit growers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast in adopting drone-based spraying systems for high-density apple and peach orchards.