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Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Tobacco field

Jul 12, 2021

New Technique Reduces Nicotine Levels, Harmful Compounds Simultaneously in Tobacco

Four carcinogenic compounds in tobacco were reduced in experiments. 

Ross Sozzani helps pave the way for new gene editing techniques in agricultural crops through her new grant

Jul 2, 2021

CALS Researcher Awarded NSF Grant to Study Activation Domains

Associate Professor Ross Sozzani is one of the principal investigators on a new NSF grant to study activation domains on Arabidopsis plants. 

Families take part in a pre-pandemic Plant Biology for Kids event.

Jun 16, 2021

Cultivating Curiosity and the Next Generation of Plant Scientists

Colleagues Terri Long and Anna Stepanova are part of a national push to highlight plants' contributions to our lives and the potential for rewarding careers in plant sciences. 

Marcela Rojas-Pierce and her team get ready for an Experiment Verification Test at Kennedy Space Center in 2020, pre-pandemic..

Jun 10, 2021

Plants in Space

In June, SpaceX-22 will begin its mission transporting scientific research projects to the International Space Station, including plant biology experiments funded by the North Carolina Space Grant. Meet the NC State scientists behind these studies that will take place in space! 

Ross Sozzani headshot

Feb 8, 2021

PSI Profile: Ross Sozzani, Platform Director for Plant Improvement

The plant improvement platform director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative shares her vision: collaboration, innovative crop technologies and students ready for the workforce. 

Dec 28, 2020

Faculty Focus: Award-winning Advisor Chad Jordan

As one former student wrote, “Whether he was writing recommendation letters, encouraging me to apply for awards, or giving me advice for the future, the role Dr. Jordan played in shaping my career is immeasurable." 

Photo of muscadine grapes on the vine.

Nov 30, 2020

Chemical Compounds in Foods Can Inhibit a Key SARS-CoV-2 Enzyme

Green tea, muscadine grape and dark chocolate chemical compounds inhibit an important SARS-CoV-2 enzyme. 

Andrew Berley in airplane cockpit

Nov 16, 2020

A Peek at the Future

High-achieving student Andrew Berley's goals involve helping solve world hunger. That's why he's added a plant biology major to his studies. 

Skyline of Raleigh North Carolina

Nov 2, 2020

From Sunrise to Startups, Grad Students Plan Futures

Whether it’s organic peanut production, better options for soybean crop rotation or finding new ways to help crops thrive, CALS graduate students are poised to make a difference. 

A corn field in North Carolina

Oct 12, 2020

Grant Continues Support of Crop DNA Replication Research

Two professors in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology recently received a three-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to continue their work of 17 years unraveling how plants control DNA replication and how this influences agronomic traits.