Creating new and improved plant varieties

The path from wild weed to the carefully cultivated vegetables that fill our refrigerators is not always a straightforward tale of domestication. Different cultures have different priorities and growing conditions, and sometimes crops are domesticated more than once.

Muscadines are often recognized for their disease and insect resistance, but recent research has shown that the South’s native grapes are vulnerable to parasitic nematodes.

When it comes to the goal of feeding the world’s growing population, the only certainty is that it will take a multipronged approach.