Leveraging landscape architecture for conservation
Alumna Juliahna Mistretta pursues international master’s degree
Digital agriculture
Yin Bao focuses his research on creating novel technologies that make people's lives easier
Problems with rocket salad
UD research finds plants more susceptible to bacterial infections in space
DEPARTMENT OF PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES
We have excellent teaching, research, and outreach programs in the areas of plant biology (cellular, genetics, genomics, microbial, molecular and physiology), agronomy (including pathology, soil management and weed science), horticulture (sustainable landscapes, fruits and vegetables), landscape architecture and environmental soil sciences (biogeochemistry, hydrology and plant-soil interactions). We have a distinguished faculty, known nationally and internationally for their research and outreach, and within UD for their excellence in teaching, advising and mentoring students.
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Featured video
University of Delaware Ph.D. candidate shares her plant science knowledge with Delaware youth: youtube.com/watch?v=IR4xf18Oz0U
Description for featured video
On top of her busy schedule as a University of Delaware Ph.D. candidate, Elizabeth Smith dedicates time to underserved students alongside Wilmington-based organization Four Youth. As part of a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) educational program, she gives Delaware elementary school kids hands-on exposure to the natural world. Smith encourages other UD students to get out into the local community to share knowledge and inspire the next generation. Learn more about the UD Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
Latest news
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Uncovering Earth’s respiration
April 13, 2025 | Written by Nya WynnElizabeth Smith, a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow and UD Plant and Soil Sciences Ph.D. alumna, investigated soil respiration using machine learning to better understand its role in the global carbon cycle. Analyzing two decades of data from multiple datasets, her research revealed unexpected patterns in national and global soil respiration trends. Now a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech, Smith is expanding her computational expertise to study enhanced rock weathering, a technique for carbon capture in agriculture. Passionate about science communication, she also works to make environmental research more accessible, bridging the gap between scientific discovery and public understanding. -
Farm-to-glass brewery
April 02, 2025 | Written by Molly SchaferSince the 1920s, the Hopkins Family has farmed the same plot of land in Havre De Grace, Maryland. David grows the barley, and his son Aaron Hopkins, a UD Class of 2012 UD food and agribusiness marketing and management alumnus, uses it to create a unique range of craft beers. The father and son UD alumni duo are joined in their endeavors by David’s siblings, Alice Hopkins Puckett and Daniel Hopkins, who are co-owners of the farm and managing partners of Hopkins Farm Brewery. -
Meet our new faculty: Christian Dewey
March 25, 2025 | Story by Katie Peikes | Photos by Katie Peikes and courtesy of Christian DeweyNew UD Department of Plant and Soil Sciences faculty member Christian Dewey studies trace elements in the soil, including contaminants such as lead and uranium, and nutrients such as nitrogen. Dewey also studies carbon in soils and how soils work to control the rate flux of various elements into water bodies and ecosystems.
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