In the culmination of more than a decade of research on root traits conducted by Penn State plant scientists, about three tons of seed for common bean plants specifically bred to thrive in the barren soils of Mozambique will be distributed there Dec. 11.
Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named the 2018 winner of the Dennis R. Hoagland Award for his work in improving scientific understanding of crop productivity and plant nutrition to improve production and food security.
A free public lecture titled "The Race to Grow Enough Food for Everyone" will be given by Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition at Penn State, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus.
Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $7 million grant to design a low-cost, integrated system that can identify and screen for high-yielding, deeper-rooted crops. The interdisciplinary team will combine a suite of technologies designed to identify phenotypes and genes related to desirable root traits, with the goal of enhancing the breeding of crop varieties better adapted for nitrogen and water acquisition and carbon sequestration.
Penn State scientists are helping crops survive drought and poor soils by redesigning their roots, from external architecture to internal anatomy.
Selective breeding of maize over the last century to create hybrids with desirable shoot characteristics and increased yield may have contributed indirectly to the evolution of root systems that are more efficient in acquiring nutrients, such as nitrogen, from the soil, according to researchers.
With support from a $5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, an international team led by Jonathan Lynch, professor of plant nutrition in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will establish the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Climate-Resilient Beans. The project will employ novel techniques to accelerate breeding programs for common bean aimed at conferring traits that can increase yield under heat and drought stress.
Ukulima Root Biology Center aims to increase crop yields around the globe.
Jonathan Lynch has made a name for himself doing ground-breaking (pun intended) research on the roots of bean and soybean plants in an effort to improve crop yields in places such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. The professor of plant nutrition in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has worked with colleagues in China, Africa and Latin America to develop bean and soybean varieties with better root systems that produce better yields in low-phosphorus soils -- work that has major implications for the developing world.
Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, snap, green, string, wax, butter beans - all, to a breeder, are varieties of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. It's a staple crop for small and subsistence farmers the world around, yet it grows with varying success. The average yield in some developing countries—500 kilograms per hectare, or less—is often a mere 10 percent of the textbook yield.
"There's not enough fertilizer," explains Penn State plant nutritionist Jonathan Lynch. "Phosphorous, especially, is limiting."
