Zhanyuan Zhang, a research associate professor of plant sciences and director of the MU Plant Transformation Core facility, partnered with research scientists at Dow AgroSciences to engineer soybean plants that can tolerate an alternative herbicide that may help slow the spread of superweeds, such as tall waterhemp.
Plant Sciences ⋅ Page 33
Greater Yields, Fewer Emissions
New farming method reduces nitrous oxide greenhouse gases
Can farmers reduce a gas thought to contribute to global warming and increase production simply by adopting a new tillage practice? A research agronomist at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources thinks he has found the way.
A Suspicious Insect
MU entomologist studies a bug that may transmit a flesh-eating disease
Is a little-known predator insect that lives its life underwater in the tropics the cause of an outbreak of a mysterious flesh-eating disease? Robert Sites, entomologist and professor of entomology at the University of Missouri, recently returned from Tanzania with specimens that may help other scientists and physicians answer that question.
A Closer Look at Plant Genetics
MU plant scientists receive a $3 million boost from National Science Foundation
Plant genetics research at the University of Missouri got a boost In November with the receipt of three new Plant Genome Research Program awards totaling $3 million from the National Science Foundation.
A Turf War on Bacteria?
Sports field tests at MU may curtail athlete infections
Student and professional athletes seem to get more and more serious infections from their bumps and bruises. Is it the grass? Scientists at the University of Missouri are testing different brands of artificial turf to study the effects of heat and bacterial growth on the surfaces, which are widely used on high school, college and professional sports fields.
Healthier Snacks through Improved Soybeans
A genetic change could reduce trans-fats in our favorite foods
A research team, led by plant scientists at the University of Missouri, has created a soybean variant that produces oil that does not have to be hydrogenated before going into food – adding no trans-fat.
‘Weeding Out’ Midwestern Vineyards
Researchers tackle a growing problem to enhance the wine industry
Indulging in a glass of wine seldom conjures images of weeds. For the growing number of Midwestern grape growers cultivating their vineyards, such images come frequently to mind.
Raymond Schroeder, 1912-2010
The father of MU employee benefits and friend to horticulture passes
Raymond Schroeder, known as the chief architect of University of Missouri benefits, passed away in Feb. 12, 2010 at the age of 97. At the time of his retirement in 1982, he had been a member of the faculty of the University of Missouri Department of Horticulture for 48 years. He served as its chairman for 27 years. All University…
Soybean Hero
Henry Nguyen elected as AAAS fellow
Henry Nguyen, director of the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology at the University of Missouri, was recently elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Nguyen was honored for his distinguished research contributions in plant genetics and genomics, and his leadership in plant abiotic stress, most notably in drought tolerance. AAAS fellows are elected annually for…
MU Plant Science corn research published in Science magazine
Two University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources faculty members’ work has been showcased in Science. Published in the journal’s August issue, the co-authors’ two articles describe a massive genetic resource geneticists and breeders can use to unlock the basis of corn diversity.