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Is the future of agriculture digital?
With colleagues at several institutions, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign crop sciences professor Stephen Moose will lead the development of a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems. With $25 million in newly announced funding, the center “will create an Internet of Living Things to learn the intimate biological language […]

Less salt, more protein: Researchers address dairy processing’s environmental, sustainability issues
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers say the high salt content of whey – the watery part of milk left behind after cheesemaking – helps make it one of the most polluting byproducts in the food processing industry. In a new study, chemists demonstrate the first electrochemical redox desalination process used in the food industry, removing and […]

New imaging, machine-learning methods speed effort to reduce crops’ need for water
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have developed and deployed a series of new imaging and machine-learning tools to discover attributes that contribute to water-use efficiency in crop plants during photosynthesis and to reveal the genetic basis of variation in those traits. The findings are described in a series of four research papers led by University of […]

Nutrient-rich human waste poised to sustain agriculture, improve economies
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The future connection between human waste, sanitation technology and sustainable agriculture is becoming more evident. According to research directed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign civil and environmental engineering professor Jeremy Guest, countries could be moving closer to using human waste as fertilizer, closing the loop to more circular, sustainable economies. A new […]

Study: Domestic control of COVID-19 takes priority over international travel bans
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Since COVID-19 reached global pandemic status, many countries have faced containment pressures from both domestic and international transmission after experiencing multiple epidemic waves. But according to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign urban and environmental economics expert, taming domestic transmission of the novel coronavirus ought to be prioritized […]

Beneficial arthropods find winter sanctuary in uncultivated field edges, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Many species of ground-dwelling beetles, ladybugs, hoverflies, damsel bugs, spiders and parasitic wasps kill and eat pest species that routinely plague farmers, including aphids and corn rootworm larvae and adults. But the beneficial arthropods that live in or near cropped lands also are susceptible to insecticides and other farming practices that erase […]

Study: Fluorescent light clarifies relationship between heat stress and crop yield
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists report that it is possible to detect and predict heat damage in crops by measuring the fluorescent light signature of plant leaves experiencing heat stress. If collected via satellite, this fluorescent signal could support widespread monitoring of growth and crop yield under the heat stress of climate change, the researchers say. […]

Not just CO2: Rising temperatures also alter photosynthesis in a changing climate
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Agricultural scientists who study climate change often focus on how increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will affect crop yields. But rising temperatures are likely to complicate the picture, researchers report in a new review of the topic. Published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, the review explores how higher temperatures influence plant […]

Brain gene expression patterns predict behavior of individual honey bees
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An unusual study that involved bar coding and tracking the behavior of thousands of individual honey bees in six queenless bee hives and analyzing gene expression in their brains offers new insights into how gene regulation contributes to social behavior. The study, reported in the journal eLife, reveals that the activity profile […]

How has COVID-19 affected food insecurity in the US?
Craig Gundersen is the ACES Distinguished Professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Gundersen, who studies the impact of food assistance programs on public health, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about COVID-19-related food insecurity. How much has COVID-19 affected food insecurity in […]

Three Illinois scientists rank among world’s most influential
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Three faculty members at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2020 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes leading researchers in the sciences and social sciences from around the world. It is based on an analysis of journal article publication and citation data, an objective […]

Genomic study reveals evolutionary secrets of banyan tree
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The banyan fig tree Ficus microcarpa is famous for its aerial roots, which sprout from branches and eventually reach the soil. The tree also has a unique relationship with a wasp that has coevolved with it and is the only insect that can pollinate it. In a new study, researchers identify regions […]