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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rutgers Doctoral Student, Jae Kerstetter, Awarded Prestigious SARE Grant
Congratulations to Jae Kerstetter, a Rutgers doctoral student on receiving a 2024 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) graduate student grant for their dissertation research. Titled “Back to Nature: Searching for Novel Sources of Host-Plant Resistance Against Spotted-Wing Drosophila,” their project involves studying the genetic differences between wild and farmed blueberry plants in New Jersey and looking […]
USDA and Rutgers Announce Distance Learning Grant for Food and Agricultural Education
On April 26, USDA and Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural experiment Station (NJAES) leadership announced a $232,378 Distance Learning grant at the university’s Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH) in New Brunswick. Rural Development State Director Jane Asselta was joined by NJAES Executive Director Laura Lawson, and NJAES senior associate directors Peggy Brennan-Tonetta, Wendie Cohick and Brian Schilling […]
Top Provider of Cranberry Varietals in North America, Rutgers’ Breeding Program Welcomes New Director Gina Sideli
Quick quiz: Rutgers is the No. 1 North American provider of which red fruit? No, we are not talking about the Rutgers tomato, although this Thanksgiving staple also pairs well with salads and makes a great sauce. Seven varieties of cranberries developed at Rutgers – grown in bogs from New Jersey to Wisconsin and Massachusetts […]
NJAES Contributes to Sustainability by Harvesting Cranberries
Cranberries are a staple on any Thanksgiving table, and in light of the ongoing climate crisis, NJAES is developing new harvesting techniques to ensure they stay there. The Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension in Chatsworth, New Jersey, a substation of the NJAES, is working to ensure the harvesting of […]
North American Strawberry Growers Association Hosted in New Jersey
The North American Strawberry Growers Association visited New Jersey on August 15 and 16 for its annual tour. Executive Director of the North American Strawberry Growers Association Kevin Schooley, based in Ontario, Canada, organized the tour with suggested stops from Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents, Bill Hlubik, Peter Nitzsche and Gary Pavlis. Tour stops included […]
Thierry Besançon Wins 2023 Weed Science Outstanding Educator Award
Thierry Besançon, associate extension specialist in weed science for specialty crops, received the 2023 Outstanding Educator Award from the Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS). He was also elected vice president of the NEWSS board. Besançon was characteristically modest and credited the support of his Rutgers NJAES colleagues for the recognition he received from the weed science […]
NJAES Awarded USDA Grant to Research Nickel Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility
Nickel is one of the 18 chemical elements classified as essential for plant growth, development and reproduction. However, crops require nickel in only very small amounts. Until recently there has been very little research and extension focus on nickel soil fertility and plant nutrition. In February 2022, Joseph Heckman, extension specialist in soil fertility, postdoc […]
