In April 2021, four Michigan State University plant scientists met at an undisclosed area on campus to dig up a bottle containing seeds buried more than 144 years ago by MSU botanist William J. Beal. Fast forward to 2023, more than two years after the seeds were excavated from their secret location, molecular genetic testing …
Specialty crop researchers at Michigan State University and representatives from the MSU Innovation Center are gearing up for the Great Lakes EXPO in Grand Rapids next month, where the latest AgBio technological innovations will be on display. These research products and discoveries largely result from the economic benefits of technology transfer, a process that offers …
Few people likely realize that agriculture is the second largest industry in Michigan, employing almost 25 percent of the workforce in the state. Michigan is also the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, thanks to the variety and volume of specialty crops that are grown here. It should be little surprise then, that …
The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has authorized two infrastructure projects critical to the future of Michigan food production and agriculture. Substantial renovations and additions to the Plant Sciences Greenhouses are being made as well as the construction of an updated, state-of-the-art Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center, with the state of Michigan providing …
Younsuk Dong, an assistant professor and Extension specialist at Michigan State University’s Department of Biosystem and Agricultural Engineering, has been recognized by MSU Extension with the 2023 Innovative Technology Award for his LOCOMOS technology. LOCOMOS (Low-Cost Monitoring System) uses affordable sensors and monitoring tools to provide real-time data on soil moisture levels, allowing farmers to …
In plants, the jasmonate, or JA, signaling pathway helps plants control their defense responses to environmental stresses. Like the human body, plants respond differently to individual threats. Just as people wouldn’t get a fever due to a sprained ankle, plants deal with harmful elements in particular ways. A study from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory …
Michigan State University researcher Bruno Basso suggests that advanced plant sensors can provide farmers with real-time data on soil, crops, and weather. However, their uptake remains slow due to high costs and complexity. Furthermore, extreme weather events driven by climate change are decreasing yields. While sensors could and would help farmers adapt to the new …
Funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Program was established in 2012 in order to accelerate the creation and transfer of new technologies from Michigan’s institutions of higher learning into the commercial market by way of licenses to existing companies or startups. …
Michigan State University plant biologists have made a discovery that could help turn a natural kill switch in plant cells into a “life switch” that helps crops better survive the challenges presented by climate change. At its core, though, this is a fundamental finding, shared in the journal Nature Plants, that has implications across biology for …
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the Michigan State University-Department of Energy (MSU-DOE) Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) a $12 million DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences competitive renewal grant to continue research in photosynthetic energy capture, conversion and storage. The three-year grant (2023-2026) will allow PRL scientists to continue in their mission to understand …
