Imagine a tractor-size machine that can tell the difference between a vegetable and a weed – and then zaps the unwelcome plant with a laser. It’s not science fiction. It’s being tested in New Jersey by Rutgers University scientist Thierry Besançon. An associate professor with the Department of Plant Biology in the School of Environmental and […]
Commercial Agriculture
Research Center Administrators Society Fall Meeting Showcases Innovation and Collaboration Across New Jersey’s Agricultural Research Network
Rutgers University hosted the 2025 Fall Meeting of the Research Center Administrators Society (RCAS)—a national organization dedicated to the professional development and collaboration of administrators who manage agricultural research and experiment stations across the United States. Held from September 21–24, the meeting welcomed approximately 80 participants from across the United States—from California and Florida to […]
Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program Wins North American Agrivoltaics “Solar Farm of 2025″ Award
The North American Agrivoltaics Awards (NAAA) program announced on August 5 that Rutgers’ work in agrivoltaics had won its “Solar Farm of 2025” award. For the past several years, a project at Rutgers University, the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program (RAP), has been focused on “agrivoltaics,” also known as “dual-use” solar, and is showing that a farm’s […]
Rutgers Unveils New Sweet Bicolor Grape Tomato
After nearly a decade of painstaking research, a new tomato variety is ready for its moment in the sun. “Scarlet Sunrise,” a bicolor grape tomato developed through a long collaboration between Rutgers researchers Peter Nitzsche and Tom Orton, is a sweet, crack-resistant tomato with a golden hue and a reddish blush. Its name is meant to be evocative […]
Plant Breeders Stage a Dogwood Revolution, Creating Hardy Varieties That Sparkle
With the advent of Memorial Day, the treescape in the Northeast has turned mostly green again, the ornamentals’ early spring flowers long dried and scattered. But there’s an exception. The vivid pink Scarlet Fire® dogwood tree, produced through decades of research by Rutgers University-New Brunswick plant breeders, is just starting to bloom. Introduced to consumers […]
Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group Conducts “Stop the Bleed” Training
Two “Stop the Bleed” training sessions for the New Jersey agricultural community were recently conducted by the Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group. The sessions included a presentation on the ABCs of bleeding control and hands-on practice with pressure application, wound packing and use of a tourniquet. This training is timely as blood loss […]
Rutgers Plays Vital Role at the 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention
The 2025 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show, a collaborative effort among the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), and Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), was held from February 4 – 6 at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City, NJ. Each year, RCE plays a leading […]
Plant Biology Professor James White and Team Recognized by Rutgers with Agriculture Innovation Award
James White, Professor in the Department of Plant Biology, was presented with the Agriculture Innovation Award for “innovations regarding endophytic microbes with applications in agriculture” at the first-ever Rutgers Innovation Awards that recognized researchers who have demonstrated excellence by developing a breakthrough idea, process, or technology that has the potential to improve lives and create […]
Ferrero Invests in U.S. Hazelnut Farming with Research Grants to Rutgers and Oregon State University
Investments are the latest in an ongoing commitment to help researchers develop methods for growers increasing hazelnut productivity and sustainability in the U.S. and around the world Ferrero Hazelnut Company (Ferrero HCo), a division of global sweet-packaged food company the Ferrero Group, today expanded its investment in U.S.-grown hazelnuts with a research grant of $180,000 […]
Extension Specialist Cesar Rodriguez-Saona Awarded USDA Grant for Integrated Pest Management of Blueberry
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, extension specialist in entomology, Department of Entomology, is the principal investigator of a two-year, $199,783 grant from the USDA Crop Protection and Pest Management program for the project, “Improving Management of a Key Insect Pest of Blueberries Through Optimization of Pollination Services,” from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026. This grant is […]
