Tiffany Lee - UNL Research and Economic Development

People holding sorghum plants toward camera
(From left) James Schnable, Rebecca Roston and Toshihiro Obata hold young sorghum plants outside of the Bioscience Greenhouses on City Campus. The researchers are part of a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to try to boost the cold tolerance of sorghum, and eventually corn and other crops, by harnessing the power of the plant’s circadian rhythms. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing)

Husker Researchers Aim to Help Crops Survive Cold Snaps

February 29, 2024
UNL researchers are examining the way sorghum defends itself against low temperatures and comparing it to the cold tolerance characteristics of foxtail millet to find answers on improving crop resilience. 

Read more

Through a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team is developing ways to maximize sorghum potentials across the United States.
Figure 1. Through a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team is developing ways to maximize sorghum potentials across the United States.

Nebraska Team Merges Machine Learning, Plant Genetics to Maximize Sorghum Potential

August 22, 2019
Sorghum is emerging as a star player in the biofuels industry. With its water use efficiency, resistance to heat, and low cost of seed, it could outpace corn, with a little boost from improved genetics. To aid that, a UNL team was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant to work on a rapid, efficient method for characterizing its gene functions.

Read more

Rebecca Roston, assistant professor of biochemistry, holds a pea plant outside the Beadle Hall greenhouses. Roston, who recently earned a National Science Foundation CAREER award, is studying how more than 30 species of plants respond to freezing. (Photo by Craig Chandler)
Rebecca Roston, assistant professor of biochemistry, holds a pea plant outside the Beadle Hall greenhouses. Roston, who recently earned a National Science Foundation CAREER award, is studying how more than 30 species of plants respond to freezing. (Photo by Craig Chandler)

NSF Award Boosts Research into Freeze-Tolerant Crops

March 8, 2019

For some plants — like corn — below-zero temperatures trigger a cascade of lethal damage. For others, the damage isn't permanent. UNL biochemist Rebecca Roston is working to identify key properties so one day more freeze-tolerant crops might be developed.

Read more