Latest news from Donald Danforth Plant Science Center on Newswise en-us Copyright 2024 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/danforth-plant-science-center-announces-new-principal-investigator/?sc=rsin /articles/danforth-plant-science-center-announces-new-principal-investigator/?sc=rsin Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:05:18 EST The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today that Kevin Cox, PhD, has joined as an assistant member. Cox will hold a joint appointment as an assistant professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. A native St. Louisan, Cox grew up in Florissant and graduated from Hazelwood Central High School. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/research-collaboration-to-explore-the-impact-of-cover-crops-on-soil-health-and-corn-production-to-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin /articles/research-collaboration-to-explore-the-impact-of-cover-crops-on-soil-health-and-corn-production-to-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:00:00 EST Christopher Topp, PhD, Member and Principal Investigator of the Danforth Plant Science Center and his lab members Marcus Griffiths, PhD and Kong Wong, PhD, have teamed up with colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Kaiyu Guan, PhD, Bin Peng, PhD, and Sheng Wang, PhD, to explore the impact of cover crops on soil health and corn production to improve agriculture sustainability. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/danforth-center-announces-new-assistant-member/?sc=rsin /articles/danforth-center-announces-new-assistant-member/?sc=rsin Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:05:41 EST The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today that Nadia Shakoor, PhD, has joined as Assistant Member. She is an expert in sorghum genetics, a versatile and drought-resistant cereal grain vital for food, feed and fuel in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/danforth-plant-science-center-president-ceo-announces-leadership-transition-plan/?sc=rsin /articles/danforth-plant-science-center-president-ceo-announces-leadership-transition-plan/?sc=rsin Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:05:34 EST Today, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center President and CEO Jim Carrington, PhD, announced he will step down on July 1, 2025. "I've been so fortunate to have had this opportunity over the past 13 years," said Dr. Carrington. "We've been able to do so much because of our exceptional people, our partners and our supporters. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/new-tool-enables-faster-more-cost-effective-genome-editing-of-traits-to-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin /articles/new-tool-enables-faster-more-cost-effective-genome-editing-of-traits-to-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:05:43 EST ST. LOUIS, MO., June 26, 2024 - With the goal of reducing the time and cost it takes to bring an improved crop to the marketplace, research conducted in the laboratory of Keith Slotkin, PhD, and his colleagues in the Plant Transformation Facility at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, was recently published in the scientific journal . Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/st-louis-leaders-build-on-successful-strategies-to-bridge-agtech-innovation-between-latin-america-and-st-louis/?sc=rsin /articles/st-louis-leaders-build-on-successful-strategies-to-bridge-agtech-innovation-between-latin-america-and-st-louis/?sc=rsin Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:05:36 EST Building on efforts to bridge innovation between the St. Louis region and Latin America, a delegation of 10 St. Louis leaders is headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil for the World Agri-Tech South America Summit to showcase the region's strength in agtech and geospatial technologies. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/39-north-marks-its-first-year-of-growth-with-new-collaboration-hub-expanded-team-and-focus-on-critical-infrastructure-to-support-agtech-innovation/?sc=rsin /articles/39-north-marks-its-first-year-of-growth-with-new-collaboration-hub-expanded-team-and-focus-on-critical-infrastructure-to-support-agtech-innovation/?sc=rsin Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:05:48 EST Since the 39 North AgTech Innovation District was established as a nonprofit in April 2023, it has made significant progress on advancing its three strategic pillars: Developing the physical footprint; Supporting the start-up and scale-up of 39 North companies; and Cultivating the development/amplification of the St. Louis agri-food tech narrative. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/pioneering-plant-science-research-paves-the-way-for-deeper-understanding-of-how-the-plant-immune-system-functions/?sc=rsin /articles/pioneering-plant-science-research-paves-the-way-for-deeper-understanding-of-how-the-plant-immune-system-functions/?sc=rsin Mon, 29 Apr 2024 09:05:41 EST Researchers in the laboratory of Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD at the Danforth Plant Science Center and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are conducting pioneering work to discover how plants transmit information, important molecules and viruses between cells. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/danforth-center-selected-as-project-of-a-new-partnership-between-nsf-and-noblereach-emerge/?sc=rsin /articles/danforth-center-selected-as-project-of-a-new-partnership-between-nsf-and-noblereach-emerge/?sc=rsin Thu, 11 Apr 2024 13:05:34 EST In an exciting endorsement of the work being conducted at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, it was recently announced that technology developed by Keith Slotkin, PhD, member, and his laboratory, and funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), was chosen as one of the very first projects of the new NSF/NobleReach Emerge partnership. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/research-collaboration-aims-to-enhance-cereal-crop-resilience-to-acidic-soils-and-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin /articles/research-collaboration-aims-to-enhance-cereal-crop-resilience-to-acidic-soils-and-improve-agriculture-sustainability/?sc=rsin Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:05:53 EST Acidic soil caused by changing climate patterns threatens agriculture sustainability across the globe. But the problem goes far beyond rising temperatures. One major cause for concern is more acidic soil, a product of increasing rainfall. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/multinational-collaborative-research-to-improve-climate-smart-grain-for-ethiopian-farmers-receives-4-9m-grant/?sc=rsin /articles/multinational-collaborative-research-to-improve-climate-smart-grain-for-ethiopian-farmers-receives-4-9m-grant/?sc=rsin Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:00:31 EST The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) have received a $4.9 million grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build on previous advances in gene editing of tef for reduced height and lodging resistance in advanced, farmer preferred tef lines. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/penny-pennington-elected-chair-of-danforth-plant-science-center-board-new-directors-include-blunt-burlin/?sc=rsin /articles/penny-pennington-elected-chair-of-danforth-plant-science-center-board-new-directors-include-blunt-burlin/?sc=rsin Wed, 17 Jan 2024 12:05:23 EST ST. LOUIS, MO., January 17, 2023 -- The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today that Penny Pennington has been elected chair of the Danforth Center Board of Directors. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/research-provides-crucial-insights-into-moss-growth-under-elevated-co2-levels-that-may-benefit-climate-change-models/?sc=rsin /articles/research-provides-crucial-insights-into-moss-growth-under-elevated-co2-levels-that-may-benefit-climate-change-models/?sc=rsin Tue, 14 Nov 2023 07:05:56 EST ST. LOUIS, MO, November 14, 2023 -- Approximately 12,000 species of mosses exist and cover close to four million square miles of earth, equivalent to the size of Canada, and are ecologically and evolutionarily important. Mosses play an essential role in rainwater retention, decreasing plant pathogens and increasing carbon sequestration in soil, thus improving the overall soil health. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/new-discovery-on-how-green-algae-count-cell-divisions-illuminates-key-step-needed-for-the-evolution-of-multicellular-life/?sc=rsin /articles/new-discovery-on-how-green-algae-count-cell-divisions-illuminates-key-step-needed-for-the-evolution-of-multicellular-life/?sc=rsin Mon, 13 Nov 2023 23:05:15 EST ST. LOUIS, MO, November 13, 2023 -- An international research team led by James Umen, PhD, member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has made an unexpected discovery of a biased counting mechanism used by the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas to control cell division. Chlamydomonas cells can grow very large and then divide multiple times in succession. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/teamwork-takes-flight-at-new-field-research-site/?sc=rsin /articles/teamwork-takes-flight-at-new-field-research-site/?sc=rsin Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:00:27 EST It has been just over a year since the Danforth Center acquired the 140-acre farm that became the home of the new Danforth Center Field Research Site. Located in St. Charles, this historic farm is being used as a space for scientists to develop field-based experiments to understand how crops interact with their environment. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/institute-for-international-crop-improvement-early-promise-long-journey-ahead/?sc=rsin /articles/institute-for-international-crop-improvement-early-promise-long-journey-ahead/?sc=rsin Mon, 30 Oct 2023 08:05:38 EST The challenges facing global food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers over the last year may at first appear insurmountable, yet IICI's vital work continues to advance impactful agricultural innovations where they are needed most. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/the-underappreciated-role-of-pods-and-siliques-to-developing-seeds/?sc=rsin /articles/the-underappreciated-role-of-pods-and-siliques-to-developing-seeds/?sc=rsin Mon, 30 Oct 2023 08:05:22 EST Plants harness energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide through a process called photosynthesis which supports the generation of carbohydrates, proteins, and oils that are stored in seeds - like a kernel of corn, a soybean, or a grain of rice. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/new-research-program-seeks-to-predict-detect-and-characterize-nutrient-exchanges-between-maize-and-synthetic-bacterial-communities/?sc=rsin /articles/new-research-program-seeks-to-predict-detect-and-characterize-nutrient-exchanges-between-maize-and-synthetic-bacterial-communities/?sc=rsin Mon, 23 Oct 2023 07:00:43 EST ST. LOUIS, MO, October 23, 2023 -- Sustainable agricultural practices are necessary to mitigate climate change and produce more food, fiber, and renewable fuels. A promising new frontier in agriculture is to promote beneficial interactions with microbes as a sustainable mechanism of providing nutrients to crops. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/st-louis-collaborators-launch-cultivar-stl/?sc=rsin /articles/st-louis-collaborators-launch-cultivar-stl/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 Oct 2023 07:00:09 EST Initiative aims to strengthen partnerships with Latin America to produce healthier and more sustainable food for people and the planet Donald Danforth Plant Science Center /articles/a-conserved-rwp-rk-transcription-factor-vsr1-controls-gametic-differentiation-in-volvocine-algae/?sc=rsin /articles/a-conserved-rwp-rk-transcription-factor-vsr1-controls-gametic-differentiation-in-volvocine-algae/?sc=rsin Wed, 04 Oct 2023 14:05:55 EST This most recent work from the Umen lab gets at the critical control mechanism for sex determination in single-celled and multicellular algae. The capacity to produce distinct mating types (e.g. male and female) is the foundation for reshuffling of genetic material within a species, which maintains genetic diversity and capacity to adapt in different environments. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center