News

Apr 16, 2024

Yellow-eyed grasses may have more insect visitors than previously thought

Scientists previously believed that a family of flowering plants called yellow-eyed grasses didn’t attract many insect visitors, but the recent discovery of a fungus that hijacks the plant and forms fungal “pseudoflowers” has researchers rethinking this assumption.

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Apr 04, 2024

New sunflower family tree reveals multiple origins of flower symmetry

The sunflower family tree revealed that flower symmetry evolved multiple times independently, a process called convergent evolution, among the members of this large plant family, according to a new analysis.

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Mar 20, 2024

Novel method to measure root depth may lead to more resilient crops

As climate change worsens global drought conditions, hindering crop production, the search for ways to capture and store atmospheric carbon causing the phenomenon has intensified.

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Feb 16, 2024

Common plant could help reduce food insecurity, researchers find

Fast-growing aquatic fern has the nutritional content to serve as a potentially vital food source after a catastrophe and could be relevant now

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Feb 05, 2024

Newly identified protein helps flowers develop all the right parts

Flowers rely on a newly identified protein to develop properly with all of their organs, according to the research team who made the discovery.

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Feb 01, 2024

Edge habitats along roads and power lines may be key to conserving rare plants

Edge habitats created by natural or human-caused disturbances provide prime opportunities for encouraging the establishment and reproduction of rare native plants, the researchers reported in a new study published in Plant Ecology

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Dec 08, 2023

Novel tool informs land use and nutrient control in troubled waters

Penn State researchers develop 3D agro-hydrologic model to simulate water, nutrient transport through entire watersheds.

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Nov 28, 2023

College of Ag Sciences recognizes faculty, staff for research achievements

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lauded outstanding accomplishments in research during the 2023 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 1 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

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Oct 27, 2023

Predicting nationwide crop water availability by understanding soil influences

A USDA grant will fund Penn State researchers to incorporate satellite, sensor and soil core data into predictive models of nationwide crop water availability

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Oct 30, 2023

Plant pathologist to research plant diseases in organic vegetables

Sharifa Crandall will use a $800,000 grant from the USDA’s Organic Transitions initiative to study methods to suppress soilborne pathogens in vegetable high tunnels.

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