Research

Golden-colored soybeans grow in a field ready for harvest

Feb. 26, 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…

Feb. 25, 2024

Interdisciplinary research team uses AI to create revolutionary food safety technology

Imagine being at the grocery store, picking up a package of strawberries, then giving them a quick scan that will immediately tell you exactly the types and quantities of pesticide residues that are on the fruit before you buy them and bring them home to your family. This may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction film, but a team of interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Missouri have used the power of artificial intelligence to make the technology that would enable this scene a reality. The team, which is led by Mengshi Lin, professor of…
Demi White

Feb. 21, 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. 20, 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…
Drone flying over field

Feb. 6, 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. 1, 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…
Two men in blue jeans and work boots place tubing into the ground of a harvested corn field to collect a water sample

Jan. 29, 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. 28, 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. 25, 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: This internal funding of up to $15,000 supports research, scholarship and creative endeavors that lead to book contracts, juried theatre and music performances, art exhibits, peer-reviewed articles and the generation of pilot data to bolster proposals for external funding. During the 2023-24 academic year, faculty will have two more opportunities to apply for Research Council funding through …

Jan. 9, 2024

MU Center for Agroforestry to host 15th Annual Symposium

The University of Missouri’s Center for Agroforestry’s 2024 symposium, Silvopasture in Practice, is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 17, and will feature a full day of presentations, panels and discussions on long-term silvopasture research, early adopters and innovators, intergenerational land management approaches, regional insights and challenges, and the environmental, economic and social impacts of silvopasture as a land-management strategy.