Research

March 30, 2024

School of Natural Resources researcher works to develop guidelines for industrial hemp producers in Missouri

In the early 20th century, Missouri was a leader in hemp production, ranking second in the nation.  Still, after more than a century of the crop being categorized as a controlled substance, the rich knowledge Missouri farmers had of the crop was lost. Researchers at the University of Missouri are now working to learn how to recapture the value that growing industrial hemp could provide for the state’s farmers. “We are looking at this like a new crop, and, like any new crop, there are ups and downs,” said Gurpreet Kaur, assistant research professor at MU’s School of Natural Resources.
Mizzou's historic columns

March 5, 2024

2024 CAFNR Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program Winners Announced

The third batch of proposals funded by CAFNR’s Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program has been announced. The Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program supports nascent, collaborative, multi transdisciplinary research with the goal of developing a competitive proposal for federal funding. The following proposals were selected (listed by the PI, Co-PI/s and title of the project): Mandy Bish (Plant Science and Technology); Characterization of Soil Microbial Communities Across Ecoregions as a Step TowardsImproving Soil Health Indicators Gary Stacey (Plant Science and Technology), collaborator from Yeshiva University; Development of Novel Calcium Sensors Chung-Ho Lin (School of Natural Resources), Isa Kupke (School of Natural…
Golden-colored soybeans grow in a field ready for harvest

Feb. 27, 2024

Growing a legacy: Leading the way in soybean breeding

Over the past several decades, the soybean breeding program at Mizzou, which is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Division of Plant Science and Technology, has emerged as a leader in the field. “The breeding programs at MU both here in Columbia and at the Fisher Delta Research Center are really known as the leaders in conventional and herbicide resistant cultivar development as well as understanding the genetic architecture of seed composition traits, soybean cyst nematode resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance among others” said Andrew Scaboo, assistant professor and soybean breeder in the Division of…
Demi White

Feb. 22, 2024

Plant Sciences student Demi White selected as MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grant Recipient

White, a junior majoring in plant sciences with a minor in microbiology, will be conducting an independent research project under the mentorship of Soyon Park.
A medium-skinned woman with long, black hair and brown eyes smiles. She is wearing a coral colored blouse and sits in a sun-filled cafe.

Feb. 21, 2024

Postdoctoral fellow spotlight: Q&A with Ranjita Sinha

What is your research focus?  My research is focused on understanding the physiological and molecular responses of plants to different combinations of abiotic stresses. While growing in field, crops are frequently challenged with various stresses, simultaneously or sequentially, negatively impacting overall yield and farmer’s earnings. I have been studying the impact of stresses that are predominantly present in fields, such as salt, heat, soil pollutants, high-light, drought, and their different combinations on crops such as rice, maize, soybean, and model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana. I am working to decipher the molecular responses of plants to stress combinations. Combinations of different…
Drone flying over field

Feb. 7, 2024

Smart agriculture: Farming in the digital age

Mizzou’s new Digital Agriculture Research and Extension Center will enhance research, education and outreach in emerging digital technologies for farming.

Feb. 2, 2024

Graduate Student Spotlight: Q&A with Angelica Crosby

What is your research focus?  I will be studying nutrient management in cotton grown in a peanut-cotton rotation. Why does this field interest you?  Peanuts are still relatively new to the state, but we are seeing a lot of our cotton producers take interest and including them in their field rotations already. We know that peanuts as a leguminous crop host nitrogen-fixing bacteria and it is important for our growers to know how that could be affecting their cotton production in terms of fertilizer application. Why did you decide to come to Mizzou?  I have actually worked for the MU…
Two men in blue jeans and work boots place tubing into the ground of a harvested corn field to collect a water sample

Jan. 30, 2024

Grant to expand water testing capabilities for northern Missourians

A USDA grant is funding a new water testing facility at MU’s Lee Greenley Jr. Memorial Farm
A pond sits with corn growing in the foreground and rolling hills with hay bales in the background on a cloudy day

Jan. 29, 2024

MU to expand outreach and technical assistance to Missouri land-owners for conservation practices through NRCS grant

A pair of grants totaling $1.4 million will fund eight new positions located throughout the state and impact more than 20,000 acres of Missouri farmland.

Jan. 26, 2024

Three CAFNR faculty awarded MU Research Council Grants

The University of Missouri’s Division of Research, Innovation and Impact awarded the second round of Research Council Grants in December to 16 faculty members, three of which call CAFNR home. The CAFNR faculty awarded and their projects are: Lesa Beamer, Professor, Biochemistry, Obtaining Preliminary Data on Enzyme Structure for CryoEM StudiesGlyphosate Dreams Samniqueka Halsey, Assistant Professor, Natural Resources, Identifying Tick-Borne Pathogen Prevalence Among Prairies in Central Missouri Zipei Zhang, Assistant Professor, Food Science, Development of Novel Bioflim Inactivation Adjuvants to Enhance Food Safety This internal funding of up to $15,000 supports research, scholarship and creative endeavors that lead to book…