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

Advances in Plant Sciences Research News

Bhabesh Dutta examines an onion plant in a greenhouse. CAES News
UGA tops $600M in R&D expenditures for first time in history
For the first time in its history, the University of Georgia topped $600 million in research and development expenditures in fiscal year 2024. Its $628.1 million in expenditures represents a 10% increase year over year and yet another record high in R&D activity, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth for the university. “The University of Georgia is embracing its role as one of America’s top public research universities, and I am grateful to everyone who is helping us advance this vital mission,” said President Jere W. Morehead.
CAES researchers explore ways to abate PFAS in water and soil CAES News
CAES researchers explore ways to abate PFAS 'forever chemicals'
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the nation’s first drinking water standard for “forever chemicals,” a group of persistent, human-made chemicals that can pose a health risk to people at even the smallest detectable levels of exposure. The new rules are part of efforts to limit pollution from these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which can persist in the environment for centuries. Supported by a nearly $1.6 million grant from the EPA, researchers from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are developing improved, cost-effective treatment systems with advanced technologies for removing PFAS.
UGA Blueberry Series CAES News
In the Peach State, UGA blueberry research is driving a fast-growing market worldwide
From bringing more than 50 varieties to market to monitoring the growing economic impact of the blueberry, this series dives into the multidisciplinary University of Georgia research behind the top-10 Georgia commodity. “The UGA blueberry breeding program has been a key to the success of launching a significant commercial blueberry industry in Georgia in the 1980s and helping sustain it for four decades,” said Scott NeSmith, professor emeritus in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Soybeans at a UGA research farm