With planting in the rearview mirror, Illinois farmers can catch up on the latest science during Agronomy Days from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois growers have long relied on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign crop scientists and Extension specialists to deliver research-backed recommendations that optimize productivity, profitability, and sustainability on the farm.
As the organizer of this year’s Spring Plant Fair at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, I truly enjoyed working with our club to plan an event centered around horticulture on campus. Looking back, we certainly accomplished our goal of educating, entertaining, and sparking a passion for gardening for those who attended.
In the quest to optimize crop productivity across environments, soybean breeders test new cultivars in multiple locations each year. The best-performing cultivars across these locations are selected for further breeding and eventual commercialization.
Illinois landowners could be eligible for $5,000 in free soil analyses and consultation with a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research team in exchange for participating in a historic project seeking to learn how soils have changed over 120 years.
It has long been known that there is a complex interplay between genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping behavior. Recently it has been found that genes governing behavior in the brain operate within flexible and contextually responsive regulatory networks. However, conventional genome-wide association studies (GWAS) often overlook this complexity, particularly in humans where controlling environmental variables poses challenges.
In a changing climate, corn growers need to be ready for anything, including new and shifting disease dynamics. Because it’s impossible to predict which damaging disease will pop up in a given year, corn with resistance to multiple diseases would be a huge win for growers.
In a few years, popcorn could become a standard element in science classrooms across Illinois and the nation.