Martin Williams, Ph.D.

Martin Williams, Ph.D.

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

USDA-ARS ecologist and affiliate professor of crop sciences

Expertise: CORNCORNHerbicide ResistanceHerbicide ResistanceHerbicidesHerbicidesHorticultureHorticultureSoybeanSoybeanVegetable CropsVegetable CropsWeed ScienceWeed Science

Dr. Martin (Marty) Williams helps growers sustainably produce affordable and nutritious vegetables for consumers. He is an international leader in framing high-caliber research, explaining critical problems in weed management and crop production, and delivering solutions to the vegetable seed and processing industries in the U.S. and beyond.


More information: The goal of Williams' lab is to develop knowledge, models, and decision tools that ultimately reduce the risk that climate change and weeds pose to food production systems. His lab utilizes an array of experimental approaches at various spatial and temporal scales, all aimed at building resilience in crop management systems. The over-arching objectives of this project are to 1) improve the understanding of the influence of climate variability on crop and weed management outcomes, and 2) explore the integration of new chemical and non-chemical tactics for managing weeds in Midwest grain and/or specialty crops. See his laboratory web page for more information.


Affiliations: Williams is an ecologist with the Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Housed on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Williams is an affiliate professor in the Department of Crop Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I. 

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Hunt for herbicide solution in snap bean reveals master switch for stress resistance

Waterhemp is a nuisance for any crop producer, but in snap bean fields, the weed’s stem segments can break off during harvest, contaminating the crop with inedible look-alike “pods.” Vexingly, snap bean is harmed by many of the herbicides registered for waterhemp, leaving producers with few chemical solutions.
05-Aug-2024 02:05:50 PM EDT

New genetic vulnerability to herbicide found in nearly 50 sweet and field corn lines

When a sweet corn breeder reached out in 2021 to report severe injury from the herbicide tolpyralate, Marty Williams hoped it was a fluke isolated to a single inbred line. But two years later, after methodical field, greenhouse, and genetic testing, his new Pest Management Science study not only confirms sensitivity to tolpyralate in 49 sweet corn and field corn lines, but also reveals a new genetic vulnerability that may affect corn more generally.
13-Dec-2023 12:05:04 PM EST

The silver bullet that wasn't: Glyphosate's declining weed control over 25 years

A new PNAS Nexus study led by scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign takes a retrospective look at glyphosate efficacy after tolerant crops were commercialized.
05-Dec-2023 09:30:05 AM EST

Sweet corn yield at the mercy of the environment, except for one key factor

A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has identified the top factors accounting for yield variability in processing sweet corn (used for canned and frozen products), including one within the control of processors.
24-Aug-2023 11:05:31 AM EDT

Canned, frozen corn industry struggling across US growing regions

For those whose primary experience with corn is the butter-drenched cob variety, it might come as a surprise that other forms of sweet corn are in trouble. A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analysis shows sweet corn production for frozen and canned products has been steadily shrinking in the U.S. over the past 27 years, particularly in rainfed portions of the Midwest.
10-Jul-2023 11:55:38 AM EDT

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