Advances in Plant Sciences

UGA plant scientists provide the tools for more adaptable, advanced plant varieties that lead to food security and sustainability around the world. Researchers in pest and disease management, crop production, and turf science find solutions for the grand challenges we face globally. Research spanning advances in plant sciences include the following:

Pest/Disease Management
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Specialty Crops
Crop Management
Plant Growth and Growing Process
Grass Sciences and Management
Plant Implications for the Public

Species used to develop interspecific hybrid populations: (A) Asclepias tuberosa (mother), (B) A. curassavica, (C) A. fascicularis, (D) A. incarnata, (E) A. hirtella, (F) A. purpurascens, (G) A. syriaca, and (H) A. speciosa. (HortScience horts 56, 7)

CAES News

UGA research on milkweed breeding featured on the cover of HortScience

The research, led by College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences doctoral candidate Mary Lewis and horticulture professor Matthew Chappell, focused on breeding a milkweed plant with commercially desirable traits that would support pollinators.

Assistant Professor Li Yang works in a controlled environment growth room for Arabidopsis thaliana research.

CAES News

CAES researcher receives $1.75 million to study age-related disease resistance — and the molecular link between aging and immunity

Like people, plants face challenges from microbial pathogens throughout their lifespan. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided Li Yang, an assistant professor of plant immunity at the University of Georgia, with the Maximizing Investors’ Research Award (MIRA) totalling $1.75 million to continue his research on the molecular mechanisms of age-related resistance in plants.

Hemp is the same species as marijuana (Cannabis sativa), and the only difference is a legal one: Plants with less than 0.3% of the chemical that gives users a “high”— tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — are hemp, and anything over 0.3% THC is marijuana.

CAES News

Burgeoning hemp industry faces growing pains

When you buy something at the store, you have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting no matter where you buy it — a Coke is a Coke, Oreos are Oreos — and whether you buy them in Atlanta or Seattle doesn’t really change what you get. Farmers are in a similar position when they choose what to plant, but in the burgeoning field of industrial hemp, it turns out that things are much more complicated.

Nutrient-enhancing research

Organic practices could benefit farmers in developing countries

University of Georgia researchers found using a local soil inoculant - an organic, sustainable practice for farmers in developing countries - can increase zinc in soybeans.