December 10, 2024
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences celebrated another year of outstanding success and accomplishments in research during the 2024 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 19 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.
December 2, 2024
A delegation of Penn State faculty and graduate students who attended the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, known as COP16, in Cali, Colombia, share about the event and their experiences.
November 27, 2024
In conjunction with National Teach Ag Day, undergraduate students in agricultural and extension education in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently put their budding teaching skills to work during a pilot career immersion event for high school students.
November 22, 2024
In recognition of Penn State’s impactful contributions to cacao and chocolate research — spanning the improvement of the chocolate tree, the social and ecological impacts of cacao cultivation, chocolate manufacturing and marketing, and health benefits — the government of Ecuador presented the University and its College of Agricultural Sciences with a replica of an ancient ceramic vessel.
November 19, 2024
Two best friends who met as undergrads at Penn State never knew how powerful their friendship could be until they joined together to form a Nittany AI Challenge team. With the continued support of the GeoEd Foundation and the Nittany AI Alliance they are developing Project Green Thumb, an application to help builders, homeowners, landscapers plant and maintain native, eco-friendly landscapes that support wildlife.
November 5, 2024
Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, retired this fall after an innovative and impactful 33-year career in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, focused on conducting research to alleviate world hunger and enhance crop production by subsistence farmers in developing countries.
October 24, 2024
The annual Turfgrass Job and Internship Fair at Penn State, held on October 15, 2024, brought together 197 attendees, including students and industry professionals, to connect with 44 exhibitors from across the country. The event featured networking opportunities, mock interviews, and was supported by a Student Engagement Grant, underscoring the university's dedication to career development in the turfgrass industry.
October 23, 2024
Is the floating freshwater fern commonly called Carolina azolla the potential answer to global food insecurity or a possible threat to humanity? On the heels of a study published earlier this year by researchers at Penn State on the plant’s nutrition and digestibility, the team learned of concerns about the plant’s potential toxin content. The researchers joined an international effort to test Azolla and found that it does not contain cyanotoxins, potent toxins produced by a type of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, associated with the plant.
October 11, 2024
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.
October 8, 2024
Faculty members in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have launched a new project to help agricultural producers tackle the challenges of growing microgreens, fast-growing crops that are popular for their year-round availability and high demand in premium markets.
September 26, 2024
The 2024 Penn State Horticulture Show, a popular fall event for families, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19-20 at the Snider Agricultural Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.
September 25, 2024
To better guide farmers managing nitrogen in the soil, a team of Penn State agricultural scientists conducted a new study on dairy manure management strategies for ecosystem services in no-till crop systems. In findings recently published in Agronomy Journal, they report a new strategy that achieves multiple conservation goals while maintaining corn yield: injecting manure into a growing cover crop in early spring.
September 25, 2024
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.
September 24, 2024
Weeds are a major factor limiting yield in organic vegetable and other horticultural crop systems, and the lack of effective biological weed-management solutions is a significant obstacle to the adoption of organic farming practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 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, a microbial-driven process to manage weeds, to support transitioning from conventional to organic production systems.
September 23, 2024
Dennis Decoteau, professor emeritus of horticulture and plant ecosystem health, recently retired from Penn State after a distinguished 26-year career in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
September 12, 2024
Nine Penn State researchers have been named fellows of the Institute of Energy and the Environment for 2024. The program recognizes and assists the exceptional achievements and unparalleled research impacts of highly successful researchers in the areas of energy and the environment. Nominees for the fellowship were submitted by the University community.
September 11, 2024
Peter Landschoot, professor of turfgrass science, retired this fall with emeritus status after serving as the resident turfgrass management specialist for Penn State Extension for 35 years. By all accounts, his work has had an impact both inside and outside the College of Agricultural Sciences.
August 28, 2024
Two Penn State-led research teams have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for projects investigating the ways microbiomes — the microorganisms in a particular environment, such as in soil or a living organism — can affect disease dynamics in agriculture.
August 1, 2024
Leaders from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Phospholutions Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance their collaboration in research and education.
July 24, 2024
There will be a lot going on in and around the J.D. Harrington Crops, Soils and Conservation Building at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 13-15. Exhibits and activities will feature crop management, renewable energy, conservation education and planting demonstrations, as well as the signature hay show.
July 10, 2024
In May, 21 Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences students, mostly undergraduates, embarked on a unique learning journey to Italy, studying grape growing, vinification and wine marketing.
June 26, 2024
Cacao, the chocolate tree, is one of the world’s most important economic crops, generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually. However, cocoa is affected by a range of pests and diseases, with some estimates putting losses as high as 30% to 40% of global production. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State has created a genetic information resource to help plant breeders develop resistant strains of cacao that can be grown sustainably in its native Amazon and elsewhere, such as the tropical latitudes of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
June 20, 2024
Penn State Extension, in collaboration with Cornell University, recently produced four “learn-now” videos aimed at educating grape growers about clean grapevines.
June 20, 2024
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Penn State Extension educators and their network, the football field at Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh has been transformed into a safe facility that promises to be a game-changer for the community.
June 6, 2024
Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology and J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany, has been named director of the Penn State Plant Institute.
May 23, 2024
A faculty member in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences has been named recipient of Research.com’s Plant Science and Agronomy Leader Award for 2024 and is included in the academic platform’s 2024 Ranking of Best Scientists in the Field of Plant Science and Agronomy.
May 21, 2024
The Sustainable Labs Program provides educational support and networking opportunities to labs across Penn State, helping them implement changes to become more energy and resource efficient. Actions taken by participating labs are estimated to result in over $155,000 in savings for the University and reduce about 490 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
May 14, 2024
The Erickson Discovery Grant, which funds independent research projects for undergraduate students, has been awarded to 43 recipients this year.
May 6, 2024
A research team in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a grant of nearly $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund a novel project investigating the molecular and physiological processes that support corn kernel development.
April 22, 2024
States that are associated with signature varietals of wine can realize an economic benefit — some examples are regions in California linked with zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, Oregon with pinot noir and the Finger Lakes region of New York with riesling. Now, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that a wine grape called grüner veltliner could potentially do the same for Pennsylvania.
