Category: Digital Forestry

Integration leads to leap in tech for forest inventory, management

Through integration of aerial and ground-based mobile mapping sensors and systems, a team of Purdue digital forestry researchers has used advanced technology to locate, count and measure over a thousand trees in a matter of hours. “The machines are counting…

NSF funds Purdue researcher’s study of fundamental signals between plants and their environment

Stomata respond to light, pathogens, changes in humidity and, most important for his study, drought conditions. McAdam will investigate if stomatal function varies across plants, and whether this variation might determine where species grow and how well they survive stress.…

Purdue trustees approve $20 million greenhouse expansion

The approved funding supports phase one of a master plan, which consists of demolishing two span-type greenhouses, a work center and storage. A four-season research greenhouse will be built in that space. Conveyors installed in two of the new greenhouse…

First-of-its-kind estimate of the total number of tree species

The global initiative GFBI has steadily grown over the past five years, and its efforts to understand the world’s tree population are bearing fruit. The global tree species estimate follows development of the first global map of tree symbioses, published in the…

Contaminated leafy greens turn purple

The team implemented a machine-learning algorithm to sort and classify the data. “Through our dual pair of hyperspectral cameras, we can achieve full spectrum optical sensing from both the top and sides of a plant,” Yang said. “Purdue’s hyperspectral system…

Purdue research strengthens soybean’s potential in the plant-based protein market

Rainey has singled out traits in soybeans that have economic value to consumers, such as postharvest seed composition and quality. “You can have higher protein, different types of protein with different processing characteristics, and various fatty acid profiles — whether…

Plant scientists find recipe for anti-cancer compound in herbs

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Thyme and oregano possess an anti-cancer compound that suppresses tumor development, but adding more to your tomato sauce isn’t enough to gain significant benefit. The key to unlocking the power of these plants is in amplifying…

Multiscale imaging illuminates the big picture of plant protection

A fter decades in pursuit of plant cellular signaling, a researcher returns to questions raised by his early work — now equipped with advanced technology and the establishment of a $12.5 million institute. In 1998, a Purdue University study challenged…

Detecting the disease resistance of a plant when it is only a seed

Newly identified gene for resistance to root and stem rot accelerates breeding of resilient soybean plants WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – On the sometimes-foggy journey of following genetic traits to breed resilient plants, a newly identified gene lights the way to…

Improving soybeans reduces the cost to farmers and the environment

“We are working to enhance the plant’s efficiency at utilizing the atmospheric nitrogen, so that we can reduce the need for fertilizer,” says Jianxin Ma, who led the study. “This is better for the farmer and better for the environment.”…

Remote sensing, digital tech advance tools for precision forestry

Forest management primarily uses conventional methods that have not changed in decades, including manual measurement of individual trees. This is time consuming and infeasible for large forests, he says. “We want to help transition the field to data-driven, AI-supported precision…

Agronomy professor honored by Crop Science Society of America

T he Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) has announced that Purdue professor Jianxin Ma is its 2021 Fellow Award Recipient. The annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to crop science through education, national and international service and research.         Ma,…