Stories

Soybean plants grow in a field

Feb. 27, 2024

CAFNR soybean breeding team publishes groundbreaking discovery in fight against the crop’s biggest pest threat

Soybean cyst nematodes are small, parasitic worms that live within the soil and attack nearby plants, and they are a particular problem for soybean farmers in Missouri and across the nation. There has mostly been only one genetic mechanism used to fight these pests for the last four decades, but a Mizzou soybean breeder’s team have unlocked a key to creating a soybean plant that holds the power of increased resistance within its DNA. “Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are the number one pest in soybeans,” said Andrew Scaboo, assistant professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology and co-leader…
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…
Jesse hall and the columns

Feb. 19, 2024

CAFNR welcomes new faculty — Spring 2024

Five new faculty members join CAFNR for the spring 2024 semester

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

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…

Jan. 10, 2024

CAFNR Ag-celerator for Agricultural Technologies (CAAT) winners announced

The CAFNR Ag-celerator for Agricultural Technologies (CAAT) is a translational research funding opportunity for faculty in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR).
Three people, one female and two male, posing for a photo.

Dec. 18, 2023

CAFNR Students Selected as Missouri Farm Bureau Ambassadors

Madison Meyer, sophomore plant sciences major, and Caleb Simpson, freshman agribusiness management major, were named the 2024 Missouri Farm Bureau Ambassadors at the 109th Missouri Farm Bureau annual meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks during the first weekend in December.

Dec. 18, 2023

CAFNR Student Award Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad

Carlee Long, senior in agribusiness management, and Kenny Henk, sophomore in plant sciences, have received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.