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ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Approximately 90% of plants have a mutualistic symbiosis with soil fungi, known as a mycorrhizal relationship. The plants and fungi exchange nutrients through the plant's roots. Mycorrhizae…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Before plants can be used as a food source for interplanetary missions, research must be conducted to determine the effects of microgravity on the growth of plants. This experiment was condu…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Leafy vegetables like Malabar spinach require optimal soil moisture (SM) to ensure steady physiological activity, improved nutrient uptake, and higher leaf yield. Excessive water application…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Weed infestations are considered as the most prominent biotic stressors threatening crop yields globally, contributing to 25-40% of annual crop losses. Currently, synthetic herbicides are mo…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The AnisGuard project was born from the urgent need to combat the contamination crisis caused by filamentous fungi in coffee beans from Brazil, a threat that compromises food safety through…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Up to 17% of cropland worldwide is contaminated with at least one toxic heavy metal, with lead and copper among the most prevalent contaminants. While some remediation methods exist today, t…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Yaupon Holly and Yerba Mate are two economically important, caffeine-producing holly (i.e., Ilex) species in America. Yaupon Holly is native to North America and Yerba Mate is native to Sout…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
As our population increases our Global Food Production has to increase by 70% before 2050 according to the FAO. This goal is very difficult to reach with biotic stresses like pathogens causi…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
A significant amount of the world's water supply is used in agriculture, and many countries around the globe are experiencing severe water scarcity. Much of that water can be saved by utiliz…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
OPIHI is a participatory science project where students survey the rocky intertidal, a unique coastal system in Hawai‘i connecting land and sea, to identify limu (algae) visually. Native lim…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The most common threat to agricultural settings is the infestation of insect pests, leading to the destruction of crops. Modern-day agricultural systems lack the intricate living systems tha…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
In 2024, corn losses due to weather and fire events exceeded $3.85 billion in the U.S. alone. Corn is critical for livestock feed, fuel, and trade, but yield variability causes supply instab…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to accelerate global warming, contributing to plastic pollution, microplastics contamination, and food insecurity. This research investigates integrated car…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Global agricultural sustainability is currently threatened by the inefficient use of chemical fertilizers, which often leach into ecosystems as pollutants rather than being absorbed by crops…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The increasing dependence on conventional chemical pesticides for agricultural pest control has raised serious environmental and health concerns, in addition to the growing resistance develo…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Citrus greening (Huanglongbing, HLB) is the most devastating citrus disease, causing a 75% production decline and billions in losses. Oxytetracycline (OTC), the only approved antibiotic, is…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The ongoing outbreak of the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused the destruction of 125 million acres of pine forests across North America, increasing wildfire risk and…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
All living organisms, including plants, have evolved under the influence of the naturally occurring geomagnetic field (GMF). Numerous studies have described the biological effects of magneti…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Global food demand requires sustainable strategies to enhance cereal productivity beyond conventional agricultural inputs. The apocarotenoids beta-Cyclocitral (beta-CC) and 3-OH-beta-Cycloci…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Ventenata is an invasive grass species known for disrupting native ecosystems and agricultural lands. Currently, there are few methods of controlling this species, including chemical sprays,…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Increasing concentrations of metals in groundwater and waterways that are leached from coal ash ponds threaten aquatic life and drinking water quality. Phytoremediation poses a potential sol…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
The conservation of biodiversity in forests is a major challenge globally. Efficient methods for identifying high biodiversity forests are needed to preserve threatened species. This study e…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Modern agriculture faces two challenges: managing agro-industrial waste and reducing reliance on synthetic agrochemicals. The integration of materials science and agricultural biotechnology…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Abiotic stresses reduce global crop yields by up to 70%, threatening global food security. While stress-responsive pathways are well studied, the role of deubiquitination in plant developmen…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Global warming has led to a significant escalation of the rate of coral bleaching, with 90% of reefs projected to experience bleaching annually by 2050. Coral bleaching often occurs when mar…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Harmful agricultural practices have degraded topsoil and reduced organic matter, leaving farmers reliant on costly and damaging soil amendments. This threatens the ability to produce food fo…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
As Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive weed species, expands its global presence, it generates significant yield losses of up to 50% in Zea mays L., destabilizing economies and altering soi…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Gymnopodium floribundum (Dzidzilché) is a tree species of strategic importance for apiculture in the Yucatán Peninsula, a region that produces 35% of Mexico’s national honey output. Despite…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Fusarium species are plant pathogens that reduce crop yields and contaminate food with harmful mycotoxins. Because long-term reliance on chemical fungicides can lead to resistance and enviro…
ISEF · 2026
Plant Sciences
Carnegiea gigantea (Saguaro cactus) plays a significant role both ecologically and culturally in the Sonoran Desert region of Arizona. However, this magnificent and unique cactus species fac…