Detect red crown rot (RCR) hotspots with satellite imagery, evaluate commercial products, and study how those treatments influence the interaction between RCR and soybean cyst nematode to improve disease management in soybean fields.

Evaluate the effectiveness of PRE and POST herbicide programs, with and without cereal rye, for weed control in early-planted no-till soybeans to help farmers maintain yield and manage resistance under tight application windows.

Develop integrated weed management strategies that combine cover crops, herbicides, and tillage to control herbicide-resistant waterhemp, protect soybean yields, and support long-term sustainability.

Develop and test bioherbicides that specifically target palmer amaranth (pigweed) and waterhemp without harming soybeans, while creating a commercialization roadmap to provide farmers with a cost-effective, sustainable weed control option.

Assess how cover crops influence lesion nematode populations and their impact on soybean yield through field and greenhouse studies, while identifying and evaluating the pathogenicity of different lesion nematode species found in Illinois.

Compare how different cover crop species and mixtures, combined with two termination timings, affect corn and soybean performance in rotation to help refine regional recommendations for farmers and advisors.

Characterizing and developing new high-yielding winter wheat varieties with early maturity – an important trait that enables earlier planting of double-crop soybeans to maximize yield potential.

Determine which nutrients and in what quantities are remobilized within soybean plants through tissue testing to improve the accuracy and timing of in-season nutrient recommendations and maximize yield.