On May 13, the Purdue Center for Plant Biology (CPB), led by Director Josh Widhalm, hosted a research retreat, bringing together approximately 90 attendees for a day of research presentations, networking, and recognition. The retreat featured a poster session with 20 research posters and multiple talks including presentations by Freddie Mildenhall (Varala Lab) and Leo…Read more about Center for Plant Biology Hosted Retreat[Read More]
Former HLA Post-Doctoral Research Associate Dr. Gioia Massa and Professor Emeritus Cary Mitchell, along with collaborators from NASA, federal contractors, and aerospace industry, have published an article in BMC Plant Biology entitled Stress and light spectral quality influence the transcriptome of a tomato crop grown on the International Space Station. The article can be accessed…Read more about New Article from Dr. Gioia Massa, Dr. Cary Mitchell, and Collaborators[Read More]
Freddie Mildenhall (PhD student, Varala lab) won 1st place in the Graduate Student Speaking Award category at ASPB Midwest held at the University of Missouri! He also gave a lightning talk at the 2026 Corteva Plant Science Symposium that occurred one day before the ASPB meeting at the same location.
The Tomato Organic Management and Improvement (TOMI) project led by HLA Prof. Dr. Lori Hoagland collaborated with the Culinary Breeding Network to create a Tomato Zine for the general public. The zine highlights the history of the crop, introduces some basic botanical traits and culinary attributes, and explains how the TOMI project is working to help tomato…Read more about Dr. Lori Hoagland Collaborated to Create Tomato Zine[Read More]
Anna Paltseva recently published a new study in PLOS ONE analyzing 1,290 soil samples across Lafayette, Louisiana, showing that urban soil contamination is highly patchy and strongly influenced by land use, with localized hotspots rather than widespread risk. The findings underscore the importance of site-specific soil testing to better inform urban agriculture and public health…Read more about New Article from Anna Paltseva[Read More]
The Nemali Lab has published a new article in Frontiers in Plant Science. The research was conducted by graduate student, Sangrak Son, with Drs. Lori Hoagland, Amanda Deering, and Jin Wei-Kocsis as committee members. Nutrient release and yield comparison between customized organic and conventional fertilizers in hydroponic lettuce production.
Dr. Avtar K. Handa and his colleagues published a new refereed publication: Meza-Ortega, E.A.; Handa, A.K.; Tiznado-Hernández, M.E.; López-Guzmán, G.G.; Peña-Sandoval, G.R.; Ochoa-Jiménez, V.A.; Berumen-Varela, G. Integrative Bioinformatic, Transcriptional, and Enzymatic Analysis Reveals Differential Regulation of Rhamnogalacturonan Lyase During Postharvest Ripening of Soursop (Annona muricata L.) Varieties. Agronomy 2026, 16, 323.