Agronomy Research Areas

Crops & the Changing Environment ​

We are on the cutting edge of research to adapt crops to the ever-changing environment. We are developing cropping systems technology to provide a competitive edge for Indiana farmers and the agriculture industry to help feed Indiana, America, and the world on fewer acres of agricultural land.  Our expertise includes environmental sustainability through cropping systems, developing responsible fertilizer and pesticide practices to increase crop yields and reduce contamination, creating and using precision farming technologies, and reducing greenhouse gases through innovative cropping systems.  The genetic discoveries we make will feed the world, improve human nutrition, and provide new uses for plants such as biofuels, building products, and substitutes for plastics.  

Soil & Land Use 

We are committed to ensuring a clean environment for this and future generations. Protecting the soil, water, air, and crops of the world is our ultimate goal.  Our expertise includes developing techniques to clean up contaminated soil and water, designing best practices for management of nutrients and animal wastes, preventing soil erosion and promoting soil and water conservation, using satellite imagery to improve crop production and aid land use decisions, and predicting the impact of global climate change on crops and humans. 

Water, Air & Climate ​

We are dedicated to understanding weather, water quality and quantity, and climatic variability and change, and the associated extremes which pose an enduring challenge in achieving global food security. Our program develops the understanding of these multi-scale changes using innovative studies that range from plant to global scales. Whether it is understanding how urbanization or agriculture intensification changes the environment, unearthing the link between hurricanes and droughts, or guiding how the future cities and agriculture systems should evolve to achieve economic and environmental sustainability, we are at the forefront of pursuing multidisciplinary, high impact research and developing future scientists, agronomists, practitioners and thinkers that can deliver global food security.