December 19, 2018
Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading an initiative that will provide selected doctoral students with the opportunity for extensive study on gender and its relationship to agricultural production.
December 18, 2018
Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil's surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ants could save farmers fuel and labor costs, as well as preserve water and improve soil quality.
November 28, 2018
In the culmination of more than a decade of research on root traits conducted by Penn State plant scientists, about three tons of seed for common bean plants specifically bred to thrive in the barren soils of Mozambique will be distributed there Dec. 11.
November 19, 2018
Lost Creek Golf Club in Juniata County is unusual because a high quality, extremely productive wild trout stream runs through it, and Penn State turfgrass scientists recently developed a nutrient management plan for the course to protect the creek.
November 13, 2018
By temporarily silencing the expression of a critical gene, researchers fooled soybean plants into sensing they were under siege, encountering a wide range of stresses. Then, after selectively cross breeding those plants with the original stock, the progeny "remember" the stress-induced responses to become more vigorous, resilient and productive plants, according to a team of researchers.
October 26, 2018
Three students from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences traveled to Hartford, Connecticut, in September for the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
October 25, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dollar spot — the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses — is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers. An aggressive and destructive disease caused by the fungal pathogen Clarireedia jacksonii, dollar spot overwinters in plant tissues, often re-emerging in multiple epidemics throughout the year over the spring, summer and fall. The symptoms on highly maintained, closely mown turf typically consist of small patches of bleached plants that are unsightly and can affect playability of putting greens or fairways.
October 12, 2018
A fall favorite of residents from Centre County and beyond, the Penn State Horticulture Show, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 20 and 21 at Penn State's University Park campus.
October 3, 2018
Registration is open for the second Northeast Cover Crop Council Conference, which will be hosted by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Nov. 15-16.
September 25, 2018
Curtis Frederick really digs potatoes. And that's a good thing considering that the 2009 graduate of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is enjoying a career as a senior agronomist at Sterman Masser Inc., a large, family-owned potato company, in Sacramento, Pennsylvania.
September 21, 2018
The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Program recently awarded nearly $233,000 in funding to support new and ongoing fruit research and extension projects in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The grants will support projects aimed at enhancing pest management, production efficiency and fruit quality.
September 21, 2018
Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, recently was named the J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany. The Styer Professorship is intended to supplement departmental support for outstanding faculty and further the scholar's contributions to teaching, research and service.
September 13, 2018
If the majority of dairy farms in Pennsylvania fully adopt conservation best-management practices, the state may be able to achieve its total maximum daily load water-quality target for the Chesapeake Bay, according to researchers.
August 28, 2018
Zachary Dashner, a doctoral student in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, was one of 17 recipients chosen by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, or FFAR, to receive the inaugural FFAR Fellow Award.
August 27, 2018
Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among an interdisciplinary team dedicated to elevating Hondurans — especially women — by teaching them how to diversify their farm operations to improve family diet and income, while advancing gender equality.
August 21, 2018
The Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council recently established three graduate fellowships in the College of Agricultural Sciences in honor of three alumni of the turfgrass program.
August 20, 2018
Dylan Schoemaker's desire to grow as a student and a leader served as the springboard for him to dive into the many opportunities provided through Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. One of those pursuits is his appointment as campus ambassador for Agricultural Future of America.
August 9, 2018
Hannah Hunsberger, a senior majoring in plant sciences, traveled to Ireland this past spring as a student in an embedded course that examined how the country and its agriculture were affected by the Irish Potato Famine of 1845.
July 31, 2018
Research underway at the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center on the University Park campus is focusing on the effectiveness of a neonicotinoid insecticide — imidacloprid — in controlling grub populations.
June 25, 2018
Climate projections indicate more warming will occur in the Northeast than other sections of the United States, and that has implications for corn crops and dairy farms in the region by 2050, researchers warn.
June 7, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In a perfect world, everyone would have access to nutritious, affordable food. However, as Rick Bates knows, there is no such thing as utopia when it comes to food security, as millions of people around the world have limited food resources. One of those places is Cambodia in Southeast Asia, one of the world's poorest countries, where the rural poverty rate is 24 percent, and 40 percent of children younger than 5 are chronically malnourished, making them vulnerable to significant health problems.
June 5, 2018
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recently recognized recipients of the Outstanding Senior Award and Outstanding Student Awards for the 2017-2018 academic year.
May 30, 2018
Zachary Dashner, a doctoral student in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been invited to take part in the U.S. Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security in June at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
May 16, 2018
Use of the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 could help to breed cacao trees that exhibit desirable traits such as enhanced resistance to diseases, according to plant scientists. The cacao tree, which grows in tropical regions, produces the cocoa beans that are the raw material of chocolate. Reliable productivity from cacao plants is essential to the multi billion-dollar chocolate industry, the economies of producing countries and the livelihoods of millions of smallholder cacao farmers.
May 16, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Department Executive Officers (DEO) Program has gained five additional Fellows from the Penn State ranks. The BTAA is the academic consortium of the Big Ten universities. Through its leadership program, participants who have demonstrated leadership ability through University administrative assignments or through other significant leadership positions in public, private or professional organizations, are aided in further developing their leadership and managerial skills. Erin Connolly, head, Department of Plant Science, College of Agricultural Sciences.
May 14, 2018
Rob Crassweller, professor of horticulture and extension tree-fruit specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has received the 2018 American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Extension Educator Award.
May 10, 2018
Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the 2018 winner of the Dennis R. Hoagland Award for his work in improving scientific understanding of crop productivity and plant nutrition to improve production and food security.
May 9, 2018
Use of the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 could help to breed cacao trees that exhibit desirable traits such as enhanced resistance to diseases, according to Penn State plant scientists.
April 30, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State President Eric Barron presented 11 awards to more than 30 graduate students in recognition of outstanding achievement during the annual Graduate Student Awards Luncheon held April 25 at the Nittany Lion Inn. The following students received awards. Articles about this year’s award recipients are linked below, by award category. Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award: Kirsten Lloyd, doctoral student in horticulture.
April 30, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State President Eric Barron presented 11 awards to more than 30 graduate students in recognition of outstanding achievement during the annual Graduate Student Awards Luncheon held April 25 at the Nittany Lion Inn. The following students received awards. Articles about this year’s award recipients are linked below, by award category. — Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award and Distinguished Doctoral Scholar Medal: Mitchell Hunter, doctoral student in agronomy.
