Dr. Ariana P. Torres (Horticulture & Landscape Architecture / Agricultural Economics) has published a new paper with former MS student Jean Pierre Zavala (now at Texas Tech University) in HortTechnology: “HortCalculator: A Web-based Financial Decision-Support Tool for Midwestern Spinach Production in High Tunnels.“ The paper presents HortCalculator, a free, web-based financial planning tool developed for…Read more about New Publication from Ariana Torres and Jean Pierre Zavala[Read More]
Dr. Ariana Torres recently sat down with host Chad on the How We Grow podcast for an episode titled “The number one reason why crops fail!” During the interview, Dr. Torres breaks down the business decisions behind specialty crop farming. She highlights why growing the crop is only half the job—the other half is knowing…Read more about Dr. Ariana Torres Featured on the “How We Grow” Podcast[Read More]
Former HLA graduate student and post-doctoral research associate Dr. Fatemeh Sheibani, Professor Celina Gomez, Professor Emeritus Cary Mitchell, along with several undergraduate students from HLA and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, have published a research article entitled Development and Validation of Minitron III: A System for Continuous Monitoring of Crop Gas Exchange in Controlled Environments.
Maggie McCullough, Isaac Thompson, and MJ Smith, student gardeners, along with Karen Sullivan, Head Gardener, recently visited the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois. The 385-acre garden showcases a diverse collection of landscapes, including native prairies and woodlands, the Japanese Garden, the English Walled Garden, evaluation displays, and a Roof Garden. The trip provided students…Read more about Student Gardeners Explore the Chicago Botanic Garden[Read More]
Former HLA graduate student and post-doctoral research associate Dr. Fatemeh Sheibani, Professor Celina Gómez, and Professor Emeritus Cary Mitchell have co-authored an article entitled Phasic Environmental Optimization for Indoor-grown Baby and Leafy Greens Utilizing Crop-level Gas-exchange Analysis.
Anna Paltseva received the 2026 Emma Marie Antonie Täuber Award from the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) during the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science held June 7–12, 2026, in Nanjing, China. The award recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to soil science. During the congress, Anna presented her research, “Who Bears the Burden? Trace Element…Read more about Anna Paltseva Receives IUSS Early-Career Award for Soil Science Research[Read More]
Congratulations to Mearaj Shaikh, postdoctoral researcher in the Widhalm Lab, on receiving a Best Poster Award at the 2026 Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA) Annual Meeting. Mearaj was one of eight awardees selected from 95 poster presentations. Mearaj’s poster highlighted research from a joint USDA project between the Dudareva and Widhalm labs focused on…Read more about Mearaj Shaikh Earns Best Poster Honors at PSNA Annual Meeting[Read More]
Celina Gómez recently traveled to Capitol Hill as part of her American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Leadership Program, representing the organization in meetings with staff members from the offices of Representative Jim Baird, Senator Jim Banks, Senator Todd Young, and Representative Mark Messmer. During her visit, Gómez advocated for continued federal support of horticultural…Read more about Celina Gómez Advocates for Horticultural Research on Capitol Hill[Read More]
Members of the Hoagland Lab travelled to Wahington DC for the first ASM: Environment and Applied Microbiology Meeting. Shubham Dubey presented a poster and rapid fire presentation entitled: From Root Metabolites to SynComs: Microbiome-Based Strategies for Tomato Salinity Stress. Elisa Garcia presented a poster called: Did domestication disrupt root-to-shoot microbiome signalling in tomato? Comparing defense…Read more about Hoagland Lab Presented at ASM[Read More]