Complementary Mutations: A Rollercoaster of Scientific Discovery

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.

Rodolphe Barrangou, professor and co-founder of TreeCo, with genome edited poplars.

Jun 1, 2020

NC State Spin-off TreeCo To Breed a Better Forest

TreeCo, start-up company founded by by two NC State researchers, is setting out to revolutionize the forestry industry by combining insights from tree genetics with the power of genome editing.

May 27, 2020

Big Data for Better Sweetpotatoes

An interdisciplinary team led by Cranos Williams is setting out on a three-year project to use artificial intelligence to make sweetpotatoes even more profitable. The team will image hundreds of thousands of sweetpotatoes to increase the percentage of sweetpotatoes grown that are USDA grade 1.

May 27, 2020

Generational Generosity Supports Agribusiness Breakthroughs

Growing up in Rocky Mount, Bill Culpepper planned to go back home after graduation, but the Vietnam War and his introduction to agribusiness changed his plans and his life. Now, he and his family -- three generations Wolfpack strong -- are making a significant gift to the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative to support future agribusiness breakthroughs.

The new greenhouse at Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in western North Carolina.

May 26, 2020

Topping-off for Tomato Breeding

NC State’s tomato breeding efforts, led by Dilip Panthee, just got a boost in the form of a new 1440-square-foot greenhouse at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center.

Owen Wagner (far left) and other foundational supporters for the Plant Sciences Initiative during the Plant Sciences Building groundbreaking on September 6, 2019.

May 13, 2020

Partner Profile: North Carolina Soybean Producers Association

The North Carolina Soybean Producers Association was one of the first commodity groups to pledge their support for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI). Owen Wanger, CEO of the association, shares why it supports the N.C. PSI.

Soybean plants in a laboratory with colorful tubes in the background.

May 11, 2020

CRISPR Plants: New Non-GMO Method to Edit Plants

Wusheng Liu has developed a new way to get CRISPR/Cas9 into plant cells without inserting foreign DNA. This will allow for precise genetic deletions or replacements for specialty crops, without GMO regulatory hurdles.

May 7, 2020

Faculty Focus: Holland Wins International Maize Genetics Award

Jim Holland, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service plant breeder and geneticist based in NC State’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, received an international maize genetics award for his decades of research on corn diversity and breeding in disease resistance.

Craig Yencho and Bernard Yada ’14, Ph.D., survey sweetpotato vines at a research farm outside Kampala, Uganda.

May 4, 2020

NC State Researchers Continue Improving Sweetpotatoes for Africa

Craig Yencho and his team recently received part of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue their work improving sweetpotatoes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The genomic tools developed through the three-year, $15-million-dollar grant will also improve sweetpotato breeding for North Carolina farmers.

Apr 29, 2020

Plant Aid: A GRIP4PSI Big-Data Project to Detect Plant Diseases Faster

An interdisciplinary team led by professor Jean Ristaino will combine small sensors with big data for faster detection of the diseases plaguing tomato fields. From a hand-held plant disease ‘sniffer’ to a cloud-based database that can alert farmers about the cause of the stress and suggest possible mitigation strategies, the project aims to detect diseases early, improving yield.

N.C. PSI News