Federica Brandizzi named 2020 MSU Innovator of the Year
As the world’s population increases and the demand for food continues to rise, the need to improve crop yields only grows, not only for the current consuming population but also for the nearly one billion people whose food supply and resources are currently insecure. Estimates for crop yields to feed the 2050 population call for 50 to 100 percent production increases and at least an additional 500 million-hectares of land to meet future agricultural needs.
Federica Brandizzi, MSU Foundation Professor of plant biology and a member of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab, or PRL, is the recipient of the MSU Innovation Center’s 2020 Innovator of the Year Award in recognition of her research on increasing plant size to maximize the space needed for more crops. Specifically, she is investigating the technology needed to help plant cells soften their cell walls to allow them to expand and grow bigger in the field.
Read the full story at MSUToday.
