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Penn State Beaver Associate Professor of Biology Sarah Nilson discovered Allium buridckii, a second species of wild ramps, growing in southwestern Pennsylvania. Credit: Sarah Nilson/Penn State Beaver / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 05, 2025

Second species of wild ramps discovered, solving long-standing debate

Overharvesting has led to conservation concerns for a popular foraged plant, but improved genetic understanding could help conservation efforts, researchers say.

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To see how microbial activity changes near and inside roots, the researchers chose crimson clover, or Trifolium incarnatum, as a test plant. It’s a legume commonly grown as a cover crop in the U.S. Northeast that forms root nodules with bacteria like the one shown here. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 05, 2025

Novel technique reveals insights into soil microbe alarm clock

New study yields clues about when dormant microscopic bacteria and fungi in soil ‘wake up’ and colonize roots, which influences plant growth and health.

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Sahil Pawar, a doctoral candidate in entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, studies how soil salinity, drought and climate change influence the interactions between crops and the pests that feed on them. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 31, 2025

Salty soil, scrappy bugs and shared ideas drive graduate student’s research

Sahil Pawar says that tackling the world’s agricultural challenges is not a task for one person — it requires a collective effort. That grounded view shapes the early-career entomologist’s research, which examines how environmental stressors, such as soil salinity, drought and climate change, influence the interactions between crops and the pests that feed on them.

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Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 24, 2025

Oct. 24 kicks off 'Plants for the People and the Planet' innovation series

This free seminar series, open to the community at-large, will showcase cutting-edge research and diverse perspectives on how plants can shape a healthier, more sustainable future.

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Wild lupine, a plant of conservation concern across most of its natural range in eastern North America, grows along a Pennsylvania roadside. Credit: Isabella Petitta. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 09, 2025

Wild lupine genetics could be key to conservation of species

Researchers at Penn State studying declining populations of sundial lupines in the eastern part of the United States are closer to determining how the plant's genetics could be used to inform reseeding strategies to help with conservation efforts of the blue flowering plant.

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Morels, like this yellow or common morel, Morchella esculentoides, were one of the two most often collected wild mushroom species by respondents to the researchers' survey, with 13% reporting that they harvest them. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 09, 2025

Wild mushrooms harvesters in Mid-Atlantic region collect fungi, build community

Researchers see the emergence of ‘digital mycology community,’ as mushroom foragers seek guidance and band together into groups online to further their knowledge.

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Charlene Shupp Espenshade, executive director of the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, prepares to sample microgreens cultivated at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences during the college’s recent Legislative Research Tour. She is joined by graduate students Auja Bywater and Rishi Ravichandran. Credit: Sean Duke / Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 06, 2025

College of Ag Sciences research tour explores connection between food, health

Government and industry stakeholders got a literal taste of the future of agriculture by sampling hydroponically grown greens at one of several presentations during the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ annual Legislative Research Tour, held Sept. 25 at the University Park campus.

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Oct 06, 2025

Penn State and Ghanaian researchers to host symposium, launch seed grant

The Penn State & Ghana Symposium: The Power of Partnership will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Millennium Science Complex, University Park. The symposium will feature short faculty talks highlighting existing Penn State-Ghana partnerships and opportunities for new collaborations. The event is free and open to the Penn State community.

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The team found that a number of populations of Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria were present on the plants that had developed a resistance against bacterial speck, suggesting they play a role in suppressing the disease. Credit: Dan Gol/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 29, 2025

New clues in how plant microbiomes protect against bacterial speck disease

Bacterial speck is a common disease affecting tomatoes that can result in lower yields for growers. A new study led by researchers at Penn State gives new clues on how a plant’s microbiome can be used to combat the pathogen.

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Penn State doctoral students selected to participate in the Biotechnological and Integrative Opportunities in Microbiome Science doctoral training fellowship, from top left: Erika Biernbaum, Talon Jost, Paula Blanco Ortiz, Jie Feng, Natalie Ford, Jessica Gaydos, Ashley Ohstrom, Shane Connolly, Mackenna Yount, Yara Cavalcante Viera and Kathleen Culhane. Credit: Provided by fellows. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 24, 2025

One Health Microbiome Center awards 11 inaugural doctoral training fellows

Fellows represent the first cohort of the National Institutes of Health-supported doctoral training program in microbiome sciences and biotechnology.

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