News

Ancestry tests aren’t just for people or pets anymore. Thanks to DNA-based tracking, researchers at the University of Minnesota have finally traced the family tree of Minnesota’s favorite apple cultivar - the Honeycrisp. Sifting through thousands of DNA markers, Department of Horticultural Science researchers have unwoven the pedigrees of many of the U’s best apple cultivars, following the roots back to their European ancestors and the first days of the breeding program. 

View our seminar recordings from the spring semester. Recordings will be added week by week. Recordings are available for 180 days after the date of the seminar. 

[UMN] Plants that secrete colored nectars are part of an exclusive club. To date, only 70 plants in the world are on that list. The colors lure in pollinators, but more recently they sparked the interest of researchers and industry partners in search of natural colorant options.

The 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is Dr. David Zlezak. Dr. Zlesak will be presenting at our Kermit Olson Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022.

Winter can lead to turfgrass damage and death, causing challenges for turfgrass managers. And with a changing climate, new challenges are cropping up every year. Eric Watkins, a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, is seeking out answers to those challenges, most recently through an $8 million USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant.

We interviewed the graduate students from the Shannon Lab to see what they have been working on.

As Minnesota Gophers we’re proud of the famous apple varieties including Honeycrisp that hail from our great state —but did you know that until 1888 we weren’t able to grow apples here due to the cold climate? That’s when the Uof M began its revolutionary fruit breeding program that has since released nearly 30 varieties of apples enjoyed by apple lovers far and wide. 

Read the full story in the 2021 fall edition of CFANS' Impact (page 6).

Give to the Max Day is Minnesota’s statewide day of giving. This year we are raising money for our graduate students through the Alderman Memorial Graduate Award Fund. 

The Department welcomes Dr. Brandon Miller as our newest faculty member!