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

The findings are a step in identifying beneficial microorganisms that potentially could be used to improve mushroom harvests and prevent disease, the researchers said. Credit: Harshal S. Hirve/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 27, 2025

Harnessing mushroom microbiomes for better crop development

Microorganisms collected from the material in which button mushrooms are grown may benefit the development of future fungi crops, according to a study led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and published in the journal Fungal Biology.

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Samples for the study were collected by researchers from Penn State, the Forest Service and other partners around the Oregon ash range, extending from California, Oregon and Washington into British Columbia. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 09, 2025

Ash tree variability may offer restoration path post-beetle decimation

Researchers found that genetic diversity is key to breeding ash trees resistant to emerald ash borers and rising temperatures.

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Jan 28, 2025

New Annual Summit Focuses on Graduate Student Resiliency

Earlier this month, the Huck Institutes, in partnership with the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State, hosted the Inaugural Huck Institutes T32 Summit.

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Using a new method to turn stripped-down plant cells into other types of cells, a team led by Sarah Pfaff, postdoctoral scholar in biology at Penn State, explored how structures called banding patterns in cell walls can increase their stability. They also studied how the assembly of these patterns goes astray in mutant plants, which could inform methods to break down plant cells for biofuels. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 01, 2024

Stem cell-like approach in plants sheds light on specialized cell wall formation

New method reprograms isolated plant cells to form other cell types.

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Findings from this study suggest that azolla is food safe and has the potential to safely feed millions of people due to its rapid growth while free-floating on shallow fresh water without the need for nitrogen fertilizers. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 25, 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.

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Oct 14, 2024

Penn State researchers earn funding for sustainable weed and insect management

Three Penn State research teams have received awards totaling $1.78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate climate-smart approaches to pest control in agriculture.

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A new program offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will provide growers with knowledge that can help them succeed in the expanding market for microgreens. Credit: Francesco Di Gioia/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 09, 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.

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While the findings are preliminary, the work is a promising first step in finding new therapies against tuberculosis, according to the researchers. Credit: Mathias Katz/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 02, 2024

Plant compound used in traditional medicine may help fight tuberculosis

A compound found in African wormwood — a plant used medicinally for thousands of years to treat many types of illness — could be effective against tuberculosis.

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Francisco Dini-Andreote, assistant professor of plant science, was named the Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 26, 2024

Plant scientist named Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology

Francisco Dini-Andreote, assistant professor of plant science in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, has been awarded the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology.

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In anaerobic soil disinfestation, after organic amendments are mixed in, the soil is irrigated to saturation and covered with impermeable plastic, as shown here, creating no-oxygen conditions that suppress weeds.

Sep 25, 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.

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