Research
Plants Return from Space in Microgravity Research Projects
The plant biology experiments of two NC State researchers are back on Earth after spending weeks at the International Space Station. Marcela Rojas-Pierce, a professor, and Imara Perera, a research professor, sent plant biology experiments to space in early June. Now, the projects have returned, and Rojas-Pierce and Perera will study how these plants have reacted and adapted to new and extreme environments.
Irish Potato Famine Pathogen Stoked Outbreaks on Six Continents
North Carolina State University researchers continue to track the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe.
To Preserve Global Food Security, New Tools Needed to Prevent Plant Disease Pandemics
Plant diseases don’t stop at a nation’s borders and miles of oceans don’t prevent their spread, either. That’s why plant disease surveillance, improved plant disease detection systems and predictive plant disease modeling – integrated at the global scale – are necessary to mitigate future plant disease outbreaks and protect the global food supply.
Preserving Sweetpotato Exports
Thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service NC State scientists including PI, Lina Quesada-Ocampo, and IR-4 Project experts will examine how to continue North Carolina-grown sweetpotatoes to Europe despite European Union regulations lowering fungicide tolerances.
Farm-Level Study Shows Rising Temperatures Hurt Rice Yields
A study of the relationship between temperature and yields of various rice varieties, based on 50 years of weather and rice-yield data from farms in the Philippines, suggests that warming temperatures negatively affect rice yields.
Hamilton Chiango: Drought and Physiological Changes in Maize
Hamilton Chiango from Mozambique presented his USDA-FAS Borlaug Fellowship findings for a CALS SAIGE International Seminar. The fellowship focused on finding genotypes that can resist dry soil as a result of drought, which would be a significant success for the future of farming in Mozambique.
Invasive Flies Prefer Untouched Territory When Laying Eggs
The finding raises questions about how the flies can tell whether a piece of fruit is virgin territory – and what that might mean for pest control.
Intercontinental Study Sheds Light on the Microbial Life of Sourdough
In a study of 500 sourdough starters spanning four continents, scientists have garnered new insights into the environmental factors that contribute to each sourdough starter’s microbial ecosystem, and how different types of microbes influence both a sourdough’s aroma and how quickly the sourdough rises.
Shedding Light on the Secret Reproductive Lives of Honey Bees
Research at NC State and the University of British Columbia shows that there are trade-offs between sperm viability and the expression of a protein involved in the insect’s immune response.
Advancing Food Security and Food Safety through International Collaborations, a Seminar with Dr. Tawanda Muzhingi
The seminar with Dr. Tawanda Muzhingi from the International Potato Center highlights the impact of international collaboration in advancing food safety techniques to introduce the high nutrition orange flesh sweetpotato into the African market and impact food security.