Francesco Di Gioia

Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Science

Francesco Di Gioia

Research Summary

Plant nutrition, plant physiological and biochemical response to environmental and abiotic stress conditions, sustainable vegetable production, agrobiodiversity, agronomic biofortification, food and nutrition security.

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Links

Most Recent Publications

Anaerobic soil disinfestation: a biological tool for soilborne pest management

Joji Muramoto, Peter Henry, Erin Rosskopf, Noriaki Momma, Janet Broome, Francesco Di Gioia, Rachael Goodhue, Renuka Attanayake, Kunzheng Cai, Oleg Daugovish, Jesus Fernandez-Bayo, Stefanie Kortman, Arlene Haffa, Shashika Hewavitharana, Yuso Kobara, Leendert Molendijk, Taowen Pan, Carol Shennan, 2025, Advances in Agronomy

Effects of hot air drying on the nutritional and phytochemical composition of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) microgreens

Marjorie Jauregui, Ezekiel Warren, Francesco Di Gioia, Misha Kwasniewski, Joshua Lambert, 2025, Journal of Food Science on p. e70426

Exposure Time and Cultivar Modulate Supplementary UVA and/or UVB Radiation Impact on Yield Components, Mineral Profile, and Phytonutrient Content of Pea Shoots

Daniel Winstead, Myungjin Lee, Maria De Lima Brossi, Erin Connolly, Francesco Di Gioia, 2025, Journal of Agriculture and Food Research on p. 102178

Radish Microgreen Metabolomic Profile in Response to Zinc Biofortification and Light Intensity

Pradip Poudel, Kristen Jeffries, Jinhe Bai, Christina Dorado, Erin Rosskopf, Francesco Di Gioia, 2025, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Light intensity and Zinc biofortification differentially impact the metabolomic profile of pea microgreens

Pradip Poudel, Kristen Jeffries, Jinhe Bai, Christina Dorado, Erin Rosskopf, Francesco Di Gioia, 2025, Food Chemistry on p. 145146

Vertical hydroponic lettuce: Impact of organic nutrients on antioxidant phytochemicals

Aysha Alkaabi, Eida Almansoori, Mariam ALHebsi, Shamma Aldhaher, Fatima Hassan, Nizar Ali, Khawla Al Shurafa, Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Francesco Di Gioia, Zienab Ahmed, 2025, Annals of Agricultural Sciences on p. 100386

Agronomic Approaches to Zinc Biofortification in Soil and Soilless Crops

Pradip Poudel, Erin Connolly, Francesco Di Gioia, 2025, on p. 225-258

Leveraging by-products of the agri-food industry for the application of anaerobic soil disinfestation in organic high tunnel vegetable production

F. Di Gioia, J. Ono-Raphel, K. Arrington, R. Balaguer, F. Dini-Andreote, Jason Philip Kaye, E. Rosskopf, 2025, Acta Horticulturae on p. 63-70

Spent mushroom compost as an alternative to peat-based soilless media for greenhouse potted basil production

Trevor Johnson, Francesco Di Gioia, 2025, Acta Horticulturae on p. 317-324

Evaluation of alternative soilless growing systems for resource use efficiency, yield and quality performance of multi-leaf lettuce

P. Poudel, F. Di Gioia, 2025, Acta Horticulturae on p. 325-332

Most-Cited Papers

Micro-scale vegetable production and the rise of microgreens

Marios C. Kyriacou, Youssef Rouphael, Francesco Di Gioia, Angelos Kyratzis, Francesco Serio, Massimiliano Renna, Stefania De Pascale, Pietro Santamaria, 2016, Trends in Food Science and Technology on p. 103-115

Sprouts, Microgreens and “Baby Leaf” Vegetables

Francesco Di Gioia, Massimiliano Renna, Pietro Santamaria, 2017, on p. 403-432

Physicochemical, agronomical and microbiological evaluation of alternative growing media for the production of rapini (Brassica rapa L.) microgreens

Francesco Di Gioia, Palmira De Bellis, Carlo Mininni, Pietro Santamaria, Francesco Serio, 2017, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture on p. 1212-1219

Zinc and iron agronomic biofortification of Brassicaceae microgreens

Francesco Di Gioia, Spyridon A. Petropoulos, Monica Ozores-Hampton, Kelly Morgan, Erin N. Rosskopf, 2019, Agronomy

Organic amendments for pathogen and nematode control

Erin Rosskopf, Francesco Di Gioia, Jason C. Hong, Cristina Pisani, Nancy Kokalis-Burelle, 2020, Annual Review of Phytopathology on p. 277-311

Vegetable organosulfur compounds and their health promoting effects

Spyridon Petropoulos, Francesco Di Gioia, Georgia Ntatsi, 2017, Current Pharmaceutical Design on p. 2850-2875

Anaerobic soil disinfestation impact on soil nutrients dynamics and nitrous oxide emissions in fresh-market tomato

Francesco Di Gioia, Monica Ozores-Hampton, Xin Zhao, John Thomas, Patrick Wilson, Zhuona Li, Jason Hong, Joseph Albano, Marilyn Swisher, Erin Rosskopf, 2017, Agro-Ecosystems on p. 194-205

Grown to be blue—antioxidant properties and health effects of colored vegetables. Part ii: Leafy, fruit, and other vegetables

Francesco Di Gioia, Nikolaos Tzortzakis, Youssef Rouphael, Marios C. Kyriacou, Shirley L. Sampaio, Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira, Spyridon A. Petropoulos, 2020, Antioxidants

Culinary Assessment of Self-Produced Microgreens as Basic Ingredients in Sweet and Savory Dishes

Massimiliano Renna, Francesco Di Gioia, Beniamino Leoni, Carlo Mininni, Pietro Santamaria, 2017, Journal of Culinary Science and Technology on p. 126-142

Glucosinolate profile of Eruca sativa, Diplotaxis tenuifolia and Diplotaxis erucoides grown in soil and soilless systems

Francesco Di Gioia, Pinarosa Avato, Francesco Serio, Maria Pia Argentieri, 2018, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis on p. 197-204

News Articles Featuring Francesco Di Gioia

Jul 21, 2025

Simulating the unthinkable: Models show nuclear winter food production plunge

A team led by researchers at Penn State have modeled precisely how various nuclear winter scenarios could impact global production of corn — the most widely planted grain crop in the world.

Full Article

Feb 27, 2025

New computer vision system can guide specialty crops monitoring

The technology applies an internet of things and artificial intelligence to enhance controlled environment agriculture in advanced greenhouse scenario.

Full Article

Nov 03, 2024

More evidence mounts for water fern azolla as global food insecurity solution

Is the floating freshwater fern commonly called Carolina azolla the potential answer to global food insecurity?

Full Article

Oct 23, 2024

Water fern gains more evidence as safe potential global food insecurity solution

International research points to promise and safety of azolla, a plant that can double its biomass in two days and capture nitrogen from the air.

Full Article

Oct 08, 2024

New project to support microgreens producers with risk management education

Faculty members in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have launched a new project to help agricultural producers tackle the challenges of microgreens production.

Full Article

Sep 24, 2024

$1M USDA grant to perfect weed killing method in organic crop production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a four-year, $1 million grant to a team led by plant scientists and an economist from Penn State to investigate anaerobic soil disinfestation to support transitioning from conventional to organic production systems.

Full Article

Nov 21, 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.

Full Article

Aug 25, 2023

Select microgreens in custom diet may help deliver desired nutrients

A diet including a carefully selected assortment of microgreens may help address an individual’s nutritional deficiencies, according to a Penn State researcher who led an international team that evaluated the mineral content in young specimens of many different plant species.

Full Article

May 03, 2023

Biofortification of microgreens with zinc could mitigate global ‘hidden hunger’

When the seeds of plants such as pea and sunflower are biofortified with zinc, the seedlings they quickly produce — harvested as microgreens — could both help to mitigate global malnutrition and boost the odds of people surviving a catastrophe.

Full Article

May 17, 2022

Internet-based precision irrigation system shows promise for fresh-market tomato

An “internet of things” — or IoT — system monitoring real-time data from soil-based sensors to activate an automated precision irrigation setup can conserve water and boost crop production, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

Full Article

Apr 01, 2022

Microgreens are tiny, tasty and packed with nutrients; How to grow them indoors, year-round

Microgreens bring flavor, texture and delight to a meal, especially in times when fresh produce isn’t in season.

Full Article

Oct 19, 2021

Grant to fund research on biological approach to manage soil pathogens and pests

In an effort to boost the profitability and sustainability of organic specialty crop productions, a team of scientists is improving and optimizing a method for controlling soilborne pests and pathogens and promoting soil health that prevents oxygen from entering the soil.

Full Article

Sep 28, 2021

Small but mighty: Microgreens go from trendy vegetables to functional food

Starting decades ago as fashionable, high-value gourmet greens, today microgreens have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional profile and high content of antioxidant compounds. Now, a new study suggests that the tiny plants have the potential to help provide global nutrition security.

Full Article

Jun 16, 2021

Salad will survive climate change. But at what cost?

We made eating greens more convenient. Can we make it truly democratic?

Full Article

Jun 08, 2020

Research team to study food resilience in the face of catastrophic global events

An interdisciplinary team of Penn State professors has received $3 million from Open Philanthropy to study food resilience in the face of potentially catastrophic global events.

Full Article