The Plant Management Network (PMN), an innovative website designed for plant and agricultural professionals, is pleased to welcome the University of Minnesota as its 25th university partner.

"This partnership will greatly enhance our research, education and extension missions by providing an excellent image database, access to four science-based applied research journals, and links to numerous fact sheets, web-based agricultural resources, and field trial publications," said Nancy Ehlke, Professor and Head of the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota.

PMN publishes multi- and inter-disciplinary information, in addition to making partner-provided information available and easily accessible. "Although there are many good web sites in individual states that support the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), I see PMN as an image-rich, easy-to-use national resource that many of our state and regional faculty can access for both publishing articles, and disseminating timely insect, disease, and weed management information," said Bill Hutchison, Professor and Extension Entomologist at the University of Minnesota. "PMN is also being used by several industry and clientele groups, including Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs)," Hutchison said.

Full access to PMN for all faculty, students, and staff, both on and off campus, is one of the many benefits of partnering. "Having searchable full-text access to the four peer-reviewed journals, in addition to the images database and indexed web resources truly makes it one-stop shopping for University of Minnesota students,
staff and faculty. The journals are a great mix of peer-reviewed articles, news, views, guides, and trial results," said Katherine Allen, Plant Sciences Librarian at the University of Minnesota Libraries. "The Plant Management Network is an innovative and invaluable tool pulling together subject-related resources from a variety of formats. Having this information accessible from a single site makes it an easy referral for librarians to anyone interested in plant health and management," added Allen.

The University of Minnesota’s College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences is consistently ranked among the top five colleges of agriculture in the world and is home to faculty and students who are recognized as global leaders in their fields. The University of Minnesota Libraries are among the University's and the state's greatest strategic assets. Housed in five major facilities and 11 branch sites on the three Twin Cities campuses, the Libraries provide collections, access, and service to students, researchers, and citizens of Minnesota and beyond.

Other PMN partners include: Syngenta Crop Protection, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Valent BioSciences Corporation, PBI/Gordon Corporation, Campbell Scientific, The American Phytopathological Society, American Society of Agronomy, American Society for Horticultural Science, Canadian Phytopathological Society, Canadian Society of
Agronomy, CAST, Crop Adviser Institute, CropLife America, Crop Science Society of America, Entomological Society of America, National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants, NCSRP Plant Health Initiative, Potash & Phosphate Institute, and the Weed Science Society of America. PMN's partners also include a growing list of U.S. state land-grant university colleges of agriculture.

PMN publishes four science-based applied journals -- Applied Turfgrass Science, Crop Management, Plant Health Progress, and Forage and Grazinglands -- and includes an image database, three field trials publications, a plant science database of more than 4,000 fact sheets and other web-based resources, a soybean rust information center, and a monthly newsletter. PMN also offers continuing education units to Certified Crop Advisers through its education and training center.