Michigan State University researcher Bruno Basso, a world-renowned soil scientist and expert in precision agriculture, will receive the 2026 Carl Sprengel Agronomic Research Award from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America.
Basso is a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in the MSU departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, as well as the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. His research is also supported in part by MSU AgBioResearch.
The award is named after Carl Sprengel, a 19th century German botanist known as the father of agricultural chemistry for his revolutionary work on plant nutrition. Honorees are recognized for significant research accomplishments in agronomy that lead to practical adoption, including innovations that boost crop quality, yield and sustainability.
“I’m deeply appreciative of this award, which is also a testament to the hard work of my team and colleagues,” Basso said. “We’ve dedicated our careers to making agriculture more productive for consumers, profitable for farmers and sustainable for the environment. Farming is facing a wider variety of challenges than ever before, and continued innovation will be essential to overcoming them.”