Protecting turfgrass from fungal foes
UD researchers report new understandings in how microbes protect plants
Community conservation
Alumnus Brian Griffiths supports Indigenous Peruvian Amazon community goals
Helping gardens and interns grow
UD Botanic Gardens' Andrew Adams: Curator of plants and students
Outdoor classroom
Vegetable science classes give students hands-on experience in growing their own food
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
Innovation at UD: Harsh Bais: youtube.com/watch?v=ZMsIF6rPcek
University of Delaware inventor Harsh Bais is a plant biologist, known for his research developing a beneficial bacterium that can help boost plant defenses, water retention and more. Here, Bais—who was named an Innovation Ambassador at UD earlier this year—shares some of what he’s learned about invention along the way.
Read the UDaily feature.
Latest news
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Growing resilience
February 17, 2026 | Written by Molly Schafer | Photos courtesy of Carol LongThis year, Winterthur celebrates its 75th anniversary; the estate was incorporated as a museum in 1951. The 60 acres of wild gardens were created in the early 1900s by horticulturist Henry Francis du Pont. Distinguished alumna Carol Long is the garden manager at Winterthur, where portions of the grounds are home to some of the oldest trees in Delaware. Long discusses the changes in the natural world she has observed throughout her 34-year career. -
Protecting turfgrass from fungal foes
February 11, 2026 | Written by Karen B. Roberts | Photos by Evan Krape and courtesy of Charanpreet Kaur/the Bais lab | Photo illustration by Jeffrey C. ChaseUniversity of Delaware researchers report new understandings in how microbes protect plants. In new research in the journal Plant Stress, UD Plant Biology Professor Harsh Bais on colleagues report the effect of a University of Delaware-developed beneficial bacterium on dollar spot suggests implications for the manufacturing of biological treatments for the fungal disease. -
Community conservation
January 28, 2026 | Written by by Katie Peikes | Photos courtesy of Brian Griffiths and by Dylan Francis, Elizabeth Benson and Wilfredo Martinez | Photo illustration by Katie YoungBrian Griffiths, a UD Class of 2016 alumnus with degrees in plant science and environmental engineering, has made a career out of going to the Peruvian Amazon and supporting rural and Indigenous communities with wildlife management goals. A trip to the Peruvian Amazon in his undergraduate years set him on a career path exploring conservation, and how humans are connected with their natural world.
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