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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Informing landscape decisions
September 18, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photo by Kathy F. AtkinsonAleena Sabir is a senior studying landscape architecture. Over the summer, she researched campus maintenance related to planting for UD’s grounds crew. She inventoried plants and worked to create a landscape maintenance plan related to species in an area of campus called The Grove. Her work is the start of a landscape maintenance plan that will directly impact campus. -
Student research yields fresh ideas for historic Wilmington burial ground
September 12, 2025 | Article and photo by Beth MillerUD junior Jackson Whitcomb, an honors student and landscape architecture major, focused his summer research project on Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington. In August, he presented findings and suggestions for new trees and other plantings, ideas for walking trails and improved burial aisles, as well as respectful ways to beautify areas. -
Alpine garden intern
September 04, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photos courtesy of Jackson FoxUD landscape architecture student gets hands-on experience with Colorado horticulture. Jackson Fox, University of Delaware Class of 2027, a Wilmington native, interned nearly 2,000 miles west of home at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado. His internship focused on saving and showcasing alpine plants. The environment he worked in was very different from Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, where he works seasonal jobs.
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