Salina beekeepers sell local silflower honey, share knowledge with community
Local Salina beekeeping business AJ Honey Farms, run by husband and wife Allen and Judy Stovall, have built a business that not only offers locally-produced raw silflower (silphium) honey but…
The hidden beauty of the plants that feed the world
From the salad course to dessert, most of the foods on your plate can be traced back to carefully cultivated plants. Even the meat you eat likely comes from animals…
Genetic Analysis of Domestication Parallels in Annual and Perennial Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Routes to Crop Development
Parallels exist between the domestication of new species and the improvement of various crops through selection on traits which favor the sowing, harvest and retention of yield potential and the…
A Perennial Revolution
Since the dawn of agriculture, farmers have hit the reset button every year. That’s because most are dependent on annual crops, frequently working the soil to suppress weeds and nurture…
Silphium and drought tolerance
Land Institute scientist David Van Tassel had spent several years working with the maximilian sunflower, trying to develop yet another candidate for the field of mixed perennials that is the…