URBANA, Ill. – Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa use fertilizer well below recommended rates for optimal productivity. One reason is lack of trust in the products available from local agri-dealers, says Hope Michelson, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) at University of Illinois.

URBANA, Ill. – The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today an investment of $25 million to launch the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS). The center, a partnership among the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Cornell University, the Boyce Thompson Institute, and the University of Arizona, aims to develop tools to listen and talk to plants and their associated organisms.

URBANA, Ill. – By the end of the century, scientists expect climate change to reduce corn yield significantly, with some estimating losses up to 28%. But those calculations are missing a key factor that could drag corn yields down even further: weeds.

Wetter springs and hotter, drier summers, already becoming the norm in the Corn Belt, put stress on corn during key reproductive stages, including silking and grain fill. But those same weather conditions can benefit the scrappy weeds that thrive in tough environments.

An avocado a day could help redistribute belly fat in women toward a healthier profile, according to a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators.

One hundred and five adults with overweight and obesity participated in a randomized controlled trial that provided one meal a day for 12 weeks. Women who consumed avocado as part of their daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.

URBANA, Ill. - Connections – in any industry – matter. They’ve always mattered to ADM’s Greg Webb, the 2020 Friend of ACES award recipient from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

ACES Dean Kim Kidwell and the college presented Webb with the award during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur this week. Kidwell, Chancellor Robert Jones, and Webb gave remarks during the presentation in the ADM tent.

URBANA, Ill. -- Land is the planet’s limiting resource. We need land for food, biofuel, feed, ecosystem services, and more. But all land is not equal. Concerns about diverting land under food/feed crops to biofuel feedstocks have led to interest in using marginal land to produce these dedicated bioenergy crops for advanced biofuels. Marginal land has typically been defined as land that is of low quality and not in food crop production.

URBANA, Ill. – Seven new faculty members joined the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois in the past year. Their expertise will add to the existing strengths in several academic departments and units, as well as University of Illinois Extension, a key part of the college.

URBANA, Ill. – “See Yourself at ACES” when you join the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Farm Progress Show 2021 in Decatur Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

URBANA, Ill. – Does relationship quality continue to worsen, stabilize, or improve for distressed, help-seeking couples before they receive assistance? A team of researchers sought to answer that question in a new study examining what happens to couples who seek online help for their relationship, but have to wait six months before beginning an intervention program.

Compost—organic material that is added to soil to help plants grow—is widely used by gardeners because it improves soil health and reduces the amount of organic waste in landfills. Although several studies have looked at commercial composts, very few have investigated backyard compost samples. In a new study, researchers have measured the number of pathogens in both types of compost.