Plant Institute News | Plant Institute | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Mycelium of phytophthora palmivora, which can give rise to cacao black pod disease, grows from an agar plug, infecting a cacao leaf 48 hours after inoculation. Credit: Mark Guiltinan/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 24, 2025

Gene editing, traditional crossbreeding produce disease-resistant cacao plants

Novel approach could revolutionize sustainable chocolate production while addressing global food security, researchers report.

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Study first author, Marjorie Jauregui, a pilot plant research technologist at Penn State, found that radish microgreens, no matter at what temperature they were dried, retained a significant portion of nutrients. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 19, 2025

Hot air drying largely preserves nutritional composition of radish microgreens

Inexpensive, low-tech process preserves plant compounds that provide health benefits; offers potential insight into producing microgreens food powder supplements.

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Sep 19, 2025

NSF STAIR launches inaugural undergrad internship in research administration

Five students from a national pool of more than 600 will spend 10 weeks learning from Penn State subject matter experts in research administration.

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If beekeepers use organic management practices over time, they even can produce 50% more honey than when following conventional management practices, according to the researchers. Credit: Simon Kadula/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 19, 2025

Organic beekeeping can be even more profitable than conventional methods

Organic beekeeping can support healthy and productive honey bee colonies, and a new study led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences found that adopting organic honey bee colony management is not only profitable, but in some cases, it can be even more profitable than conventional management.

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The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences at Penn State University Park. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 16, 2025

Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences names 2025-26 seed grant recipients

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has selected eight research teams that span 12 departments across six colleges to receive 2025-26 seed grant funding.

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Mike Campbell, distinguished professor of biology at Penn State Behrend, serves as director of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center. Credit: Penn State Behrend / Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 09, 2025

Erie research vineyard provides opportunities for Behrend students

At Penn State Behrend’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center, students gain hands-on experience studying the science behind grape growing while supporting vineyards across Pennsylvania and New York.

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Zinc enrichment and light intensity affect the nutritional composition of radish microgreens, shown here. The researchers found that high light intensity decreased the production of plant-defense compounds while it increased the production of antioxidants. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Aug 26, 2025

Fine-tuning zinc supplementation, light exposure to boost microgreens’ nutrition

Microgreens, which are young, edible plants that only take one to three weeks to harvest, are more than garnish at trendy restaurants — they could be the answer to global hunger, according to plant scientists at Penn State.

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The team's research, conducted on mouse-ear cress — scientific name Arabidopsis thaliana, pictured — and fava beans, or Vicia faba, revealed that sugars, along with maleic acid, a chemical involved in energy production, act as crucial messengers that control how and when plants “breathe” and “eat." Credit: Sarah Assmann / Penn State. Creative Commons

Aug 25, 2025

Messenger signals that cue plants to ‘eat’ and ‘breathe’ revealed for first time

A new study by an international team of scientists led by Penn State researchers reveals for the first time the molecular messengers that control how and when plants “breathe” and “eat,” which could have implications for agriculture.

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Although the researchers looked far back into time in conducting their study, they suggest the findings may have implications for the future. Credit: Manfred Richter from Pixabay. All Rights Reserved.

Aug 19, 2025

Corn root traits evolved with both human-driven, natural environmental changes

Study shows plants adapted to farming and irrigation with root changes that helped corn adjust to low nitrogen and deeper water, making them key to the success of its domestication.

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The findings provide a better understanding of the viruses that could help lead to better disease control in the future, according to the researchers. Credit: meriç tuna on Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Aug 14, 2025

Study offers new insight into mixed virus interactions in plants

New research led by researchers at Penn State examined what happens when two common viruses — tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot orthotospovirus (INSV) — infect the same plant.

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