Plant Biology

First-Ever Conceptual Model Explains Variations in Agricultural N2O Emissions

2025-01-25

Nitrous oxide (N2O) has long been agriculture’s sustainability Achilles heel. While only making up 6% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, N2O has 300 times the heat-trapping ability ofcarbon dioxide (CO2) and stays in the atmosphere for about...

Long/Ort step back from RIPE leadership roles they helped create

2025-02-03

After decades of impactful and prolific research, two photosynthesis trailblazers are passing the torch, Stephen Long and Donald Ort are retiring from their leadership roles for the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project at the...

Quantifying life history difference in tropical plant communities can help in predicting changes in population size

2025-01-27

Headshots of James O'Dwyer and Kenneth Jops

A University of Illinois team recently published new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences based on their ongoing work on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), a key research site...

Center for Advanced Study appoints seven professors to permanent faculty

2024-12-18

A collage of headshots of the professors in the article

The Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has appointed seven new members to its permanent faculty. CAS professors are selected based on their...

Rubisco's role in global food security

2024-12-17

A field of two-foot-tall sorghum plants at sunset. The sky has streaks of pink and blue.

As global food demand continues to grow, researchers are exploring multiple strategies to boost crop productivity. While engineering plant enzymes and biochemical pathways that are more efficient remains a transformative goal, this review highlights another promising approach: increasing Rubisco...

Climate-ready crop: RIPE team shows increase in food mass through photorespiratory bypass in elevated temperatures

2024-12-04

man and a woman in white lab coats hold containers with young green plants in a lab setting.

A team from the University of Illinois has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may provide greater food security for families dependent on potatoes, as these are...

Prominent global change scientist joins crop sciences, plant biology at Illinois

2024-12-02

Globally recognized as one of the most influential modern scientists, Elizabeth “Lisa” Ainsworth has been named Professor and C.A. Ewing Chair of Crop Physiology in the Department of...

New Greenhouse Will Accelerate CABBI Bioenergy Research

2024-11-22

A group of individuals cutting a giant ribbon

A new greenhouse custom-designed to support research at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) is now open at the University of Illinois Research Park. The Plant Biology Innovation Greenhouse (PBIG) features unique cutting-edge capabilities that are already benefiting...

Six Illinois scientists rank among world's most influential

2024-11-19

Collage of headshots of the six professors that were highly ranked

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Six researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2024 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes researchers and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence, as reflected through their publication...

Study: Mesophyll conductance doubles in soybean domestication, providing opportunity to be enhanced through selective breeding

2024-10-29

A man and a woman working in a field together

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and...

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