CPSC

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research that aims to connect the dots between quantitative and molecular genetics and improve crop breeding.

Drought stress has long been a limiting factor for crop production around the world, a challenge exacerbated by climate change.

For more than a century­, scientists have targeted a key plant trait known as water use efficiency (WUE) to help crops grow with less water and avoid suffering from drought stress. Greater WUE can help plants avoid drought stress – but for most crops it’s also associated with lower productivity when water is plentiful.

When giant ragweed takes hold in a crop field, the towering weed reduces yield and sends plumes of its famously allergy-inducing pollen into the air. There are few tools available to thwart the menace, especially for farmers growing non-GMO soybeans. Now, some Wisconsin farmers are left with even fewer options. 

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture is investing in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research that could expedite the development of climate-resilient corn. 

ACES professors Shadi Atallah and Andrew Margenot are among 15 Illinois faculty selected for the 2024-25 Emerging Research Leaders Academy by the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute. Designed for mid-career faculty to achieve research success, the program provides vital leadership and team science training to pursue large, multi-PI grants, lead campus research initiatives, enhance their own research programs, and u

Jack Mason, an undergraduate student in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, won a hackathon competition at Plant Biology 2024, a yearly conference held by the American Society of Plant Biologists.

Waterhemp is a nuisance for any crop producer, but in snap bean fields, the weed’s stem segments can break off during harvest, contaminating the crop with inedible look-alike “pods.” Vexingly, snap bean is harmed by many of the herbicides registered for waterhemp, leaving producers with few chemical solutions. 

The Illinois farming community is invited to hear about the latest research-based tools and practices this summer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign during the annual Agronomy Days series, hosted by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), the Department of Crop Sciences, and Illinois Extension.

The pathogen that causes bacterial spot is very good at what it does. Forming small lesions on the rinds of pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, and other cucurbits, it mars the fruits’ appearance and ushers in secondary pathogens that lead to rot and severe yield loss. The bacterium, Xanthomonas cucurbitae, is so successful that it has had no reason to evolve through time or space.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Professor Emerita Lila Ann Vodkin, a pioneering figure in plant genetics and the former Charles Adlai Ewing Chair of Soybean Molecular Biology in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) died on June 20, 2024, at the age of 73.