Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are well known as primary vectors of malaria. But a new study suggests that Anopheles species, including some found in the United States, also are capable of carrying and transmitting an emerging pathogen, Mayaro virus, which has caused outbreaks of disease in South America and the Caribbean.
Penn State research aimed at combating white-nose syndrome in bats has received funding from the Bats for the Future Fund. Virologist Marilyn Roossinck, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, received a grant of more than $263,000 to study how a virus that infects the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome influences the virulence of the fungus.
"Real trees are part of an outdoor ecosystem, and there is always a chance that insects may be brought indoors with a tree, and the spotted lanternfly is no exception," said Tanner Delvalle, a horticulture extension educator based in Berks and Schuylkill counties. "However, the risk is small and should not be a reason for anyone to forego having a live holiday tree."
Many vendors at farmers markets take inadequate precautions to prevent the spread of foodborne illness, and they should be trained to reduce food-safety risks, according to Penn State researchers who completed the final phase of an innovative five-year study.
Citizens are important allies in the fight against the spotted lanternfly, a war that is being waged in 13 counties -- Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill.
The Penn State Mushroom Short Course recently marked its 60th year of providing mushroom growers with researched-based information and expertise aimed at advancing the industry.
Dollar spot — the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses — is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers.
Licensing a technology created in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State startup Phospholutions developed a soil-amendment product called RhizoSorb. The product aims to reduce phosphorus runoff and enhance plant root depth, decreasing the amount of both water and fertilizer needed to have healthy plants.
After seven years of analyzing a number of consumption, distribution, production, and other aspects of the Northeast U.S. food system, researchers from Penn State and 10 other universities and organizations have made significant gains in understanding the extent to which the region can increase production of certain foods, and potentially better meet the food needs of low-income populations in the locations they studied.
The Penn State Beekeepers Club, which was founded in 2013, brings together beekeeping enthusiasts and those who simply are interested in learning about and sharing the beekeeping hobby.
College of Agricultural Sciences volunteer development council co-chair and alumnus Daniel Eichenlaub and his wife, Barbara, have established the Dan T. Stearns Landscape Contracting Program Endowment to honor Stearns, J. Franklin Styer Professor Emeritus, and to provide funds for student enrichment activities.
In an innovative study that promises to reduce production costs for the most potent form of vitamin K — Menaquinone-7, Penn State researchers have developed a novel method to enhance the fermentation process that creates the supplement by agitated liquid fermentation in a biofilm reactor.
An innovative youth outreach program led by Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of York County is helping youngsters "escape" into a world of flowers, wildlife, water and fun.
Warm, wet weather is predicted to continue through the rest of September and most of October in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Great Lakes regions, and those soggy conditions likely will result in a subdued foliage display, according to a Penn State forest expert.
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners have been lending their time and expertise to aid in the spotted lanternfly battle.
Curtis Frederick really digs potatoes. And that's a good thing considering that the 2009 graduate of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is enjoying a career as a senior agronomist at Sterman Masser Inc., a large, family-owned potato company, in Sacramento, Pennsylvania.
The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Program recently awarded nearly $233,000 in funding to support new and ongoing fruit research and extension projects in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The grants will support projects aimed at enhancing pest management, production efficiency and fruit quality.
Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, recently was named the J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany. The Styer Professorship is intended to supplement departmental support for outstanding faculty and further the scholar's contributions to teaching, research and service.
Despite many decades of annual brook trout stocking in one northcentral Pennsylvania watershed, the wild brook trout populations show few genes from hatchery fish, according to researchers who genotyped about 2,000 brook trout in Loyalsock Creek watershed, a 500-square-mile drainage in Lycoming and Sullivan counties celebrated by anglers for its trout fishing.
Appreciating insects' influence in popular culture will be the focus of Penn State's 2018 Great Insect Fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Snider Agricultural Arena on the University Park campus. The event is sponsored by the entomology department in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
The farther away from a city a person is raised, the more likely they are to climb the economic ladder. Economists also found that community characteristics associated with upward mobility actually have different effects in rural and urban locations.
To aid homeowners in reducing spotted lanternfly populations, Heather Leach, Penn State's spotted lanternfly extension associate, offers management recommendations based on life cycle and season.
Soil may be a natural filter that can act as a tertiary treatment for wastewater, preventing antibiotics from contaminating groundwater, according to researchers who conducted a study at Penn State's Living Filter.
As an undergraduate in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Casey Branstetter participated in a unique scholars program, an experience that she said was instrumental in launching her professional career with AgChoice Farm Credit.
Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading a new "faculty learning community" — called Global Learning in Agriculture — comprised of faculty members who are interested in advancing global knowledge through new methodologies and technologies.
In a state with more than 12 million people and robust agricultural and resource-extraction industries, the water quality in Pennsylvania's more than 86,000 miles of streams and rivers is always a dicey proposition. But a statewide volunteer group marshaled by Penn State Extension is starting to make a difference.
Penn State is asking visitors to campus, especially those coming from southeastern Pennsylvania, to take precautions before traveling to help reduce the spread of the spotted lanternfly.
Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among an interdisciplinary team dedicated to elevating Hondurans — especially women — by teaching them how to diversify their farm operations to improve family diet and income, while advancing gender equality.
Jillian Barskey, an environmental resource management major in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, aspires to reduce game-day waste by serving as this year's student sustainability coordinator for Intercollegiate Athletics and Penn State's Sustainability Institute.
In the world of plant-feeding insects, who shows up first to the party determines the overall success of the gathering; yet viruses can disrupt these intricate relationships, according to researchers at Penn State.
