Agriculture
Roots and regulations
The unfolding story of Pennsylvania ginseng.
The quest for a healthier tomato
Join plant geneticist Majid Foolad on his quest.
Preserving
Pennsylvania's plants
Weed ecologist Dave Mortensen demonstrates plant preservation.
Blowin' in the wind
On the trail of soybean rust.
Growing health
Nourishing Pennsylvania's farmers and families.
At the root of the apple
The apples you know and love don't come directly from seeds.
Invasive Procedure
When plum pox virus turned up in Pennsylvania, it took a team effort to save the state's fruit industry. The experience could turn out to be invaluable.
Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Jim Finley says too many people forget to look up while walking through forests, which he believes, is where the action is.
Seed Shadows
How do weeds spread from one field to the next? This has become an important question for Dave Mortensen as more crops are being destroyed by weeds.
Bad Morning Glories
Every time Joel McNeal leaves the greenhouse, he must thoroughly check himself for any seeds trying to escape to the outside world. This is because the plant he is growing responsible for millions of dollars of crop damage.
Living Lawns
Most research on suburban lawns has focused on pest management and aesthetic conditions, says Loren Byrne, who prefers to study the lawn as an ecosystem.
Chicken Keel Yield
Chicken keel could be the answer to osteoarthritis, a condition that affects 2 million adults in the U.S.
Moving at the Speed of Goat
Penn State student Lincoln Rodgers travels to Mongolia's Gobi Desert in search of goats-or, more specifically, their hair. A decline in the quality of Cashmere has lead Rodgers to study the DNA of those hairs fine enough to bear this treasured name.
Stopping Ear Rot
Ear rot, caused by fungi that can potentially contain very harmful toxins, wreaks havoc not only on the corn itself but also on the livestock that consumes it.
The Pistachio Man
When it comes to nuts, the obvious choice for Omid Harandi is pistachios. His study of the nuts genetics has generated extensive knowledge on its genome along with the possibility of new, future strains.
Planted in the Past
Plants are at the heart of Lee Ann Newsom's research, and despite being told she couldn't do archaeology in the Caribbean, she has used plant remains to track the movement of humans from South America north through the Caribbean islands.