Plant Sciences Initiative

Researchers with poplar trees in a greenhouse.

Oct 18, 2024

Finding Could Help Turn Trees Into Affordable, Greener Industrial Chemicals

Specific molecular property of lignin in trees determines difficulty of using microbial fermentation to turn trees and other plants into industrial chemicals.

A graphic & data visualization of green and red tomatoes cut in half.

Sep 9, 2024

Precision Sensors: An Innovative Future for Agriculture

Interdisciplinary teams at the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative are innovating sensors to help farmers face emerging plant diseases and climate change.

Portion of a solar panel against a blue sky with clouds.

Aug 7, 2024

Partnership Seeds Two Agricultural Sensor Projects

A new partnership among NC State University’s Institute for Connected Sensor Systems, N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative and Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science has provided seed funding for two interdisciplinary…

Two men standing beside a large bench-shaped robot.

Jun 13, 2024

N.C. PSI Advances AI for Agriculture

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative is leading efforts to put artificial intelligence to work for increased yields, efficiency and sustainability.

Adrian Percy addresses a crowd from a podium

Apr 16, 2024

N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Launches Startup Incubator and Seed2Grow Program

The N.C. Plant Sciences incubator provides lab and office space for emerging companies taking discoveries from plant sciences research and turning them into marketable solutions for agriculture and the environment.

Eli Hornstein in science lab in front of a computer.

Feb 7, 2024

Starting Strong

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s Startup Program provides expertise and resources to help emerging companies bring problem-solving agricultural technologies and services to the marketplace.

Photo of 3D printer bioprinting plant cells.

Oct 14, 2022

3D Printing Plant Cells Shows Promise for Studying Cell Function

Researchers take a big step in showing efficacy of bioprinting plant cells to study cellular communication and viability in a controlled environment.

Sep 2, 2021

NC State and BASF: Dedicated to a Sustainable Future

As partners, NC State and BASF have completed more than 100 research projects together, including plant sciences innovation and crop protection.

May 17, 2021

To Preserve Global Food Security, New Tools Needed to Prevent Plant Disease Pandemics

Global plant disease surveillance and detection systems - along with plant disease modeling - are needed to protect plants - and the food supply.

Aerial of tractor spraying fields at Lake Wheeler farms.

Aug 5, 2020

Seed-funding Grows Agricultural Advancements

GRIP4PSI, a seed-funding program for the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, invests in a better future for growers and consumers alike.

Jun 30, 2020

Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience

An NC State team led by Christine Hawkes is identifying beneficial fungi found in five crops to improve disease and drought resistance.

May 27, 2020

Big Data for Better Sweetpotatoes

An interdisciplinary team is setting out to use artificial intelligence to make sweetpotatoes even more profitable.

Apr 29, 2020

Plant Aid: A Big-Data Project to Detect Plant Diseases Faster

An interdisciplinary team led by professor Jean Ristaino will combine small sensors with big data for faster detection of the diseases plaguing tomato fields. From a hand-held plant disease ‘sniffer’ to a cloud-based database that can alert farmers about the cause of the stress and suggest possible mitigation strategies, the project aims to detect diseases early, improving yield.

Apr 1, 2020

Fertilizer of the Future

Making fertilizer more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Photo of Amy Grunden in NC State's Phytotron.

Jun 12, 2019

Crop Resilience Is Focus of New Interdisciplinary Research

A new international partnership will examine plant-microbe interactions to make crops more resilient.