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New Genetic Engineering Toolset Produces Better-Modified Plants Faster, Easier

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

A sandy field of soybeans

Jun 30, 2020

Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience

An interdisciplinary team led by Christine Hawkes is identifying beneficial fungi found in five key crops with the aim of using them to help plants fend off diseases and tolerate drought stress. 
A woman and man conversing at a conference

Jun 30, 2020

Becky Boston: A Distinguished 30-Year CALS Career

“Once I got to NC State, I was extremely happy in the department. ...I had the resources I needed to pursue my research. I could attract really good graduate students. I liked the courses I taught and I found that it was a really great fit for me,” Boston said. “From the time I arrived here, there's always been a very cooperative and collegial research community of people being willing to help and people doing excellent science.” 
A group of students in a corn field as the sun sets. (From Summer 2019)

Jun 22, 2020

CALS Researchers Return to the Bench and Field

As NC State ramps up the Research Restart process, here’s how three researchers from across the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are returning to the lab bench and test field after time away due to COVID-19. 
Seedlings with mutations in genes involved in making a plant growth hormone have curly cotyledons, the first two “leaves” of a plant shoot, or short roots. (Labeled seedlings on black)

Jun 3, 2020

Complementary Mutations: A Rollercoaster of Scientific Discovery

NC State researchers discover a new genetic mutation that could “fix” another mutation in the same gene, an enzyme involved in making a plant growth hormone — after a rollercoaster of ups and downs. 
Many reaches toward plants being grown under LED lights in an indoor farm.

May 7, 2020

Growing Upward

On his path toward a career in international development, Mark Watson has built an expansive portfolio. He's earned three majors, two minors and two concentrations; gained research experience in Lima, Peru, and at NC State; and developed and led a student club on the cutting-edge practice of vertical farming. 
Man filming two children indoors, digging into a bucket of soil.

Apr 24, 2020

Bringing Science Home

Plants4Kids provides K-5 students with easy hands-on experiments they can do at home. 
Boxes of gloves, safety goggles and masks in a lab.

Apr 8, 2020

CALS Donates Protective Equipment, Supplies to Area Hospitals

CALS researchers donated truckloads of personal protective equipment including disposable gloves and N95 masks to area medical systems. Learn why two of them decided to give. 
Aerial of tractor spraying fields at Lake Wheeler farms.

Mar 30, 2020

Fertilizer of the Future

An interdisciplinary team led by Katharina Stapelmann is setting out on an ambitious three-year project to completely rethink how nitrogen-based fertilizers are produced and used. From on-farm fertilizer production to on-demand, precision irrigation, their project aims to cut energy use, protect the water supply and increase yields. 
Dunaliella saltwater algae

Dec 16, 2019

Salty Algae Leads to Sweet Success

NC State University professor Heike Sederoff started studying saltwater algae more than a decade ago as part of a project to use algae to make biofuel. This research led to a recent paper in the journal Nature and a biofuels patent application. 
Anna Stepanova and Jose Alonso in a room for growing plants.

Nov 8, 2019

New Genetic Engineering Toolset Produces Better-Modified Plants Faster, Easier

NC State researchers share a new set of genetic engineering tools that makes modifying large plant genes faster and easier. This should improve the precision and reliability of the foundation for innovations in pest resistance, yield increases and growing season extensions.