Feature Channels: Agriculture

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Released: 31-Aug-2011 9:00 AM EDT
MTSU Unveils New $4.3 Million Dairy; Then Cows Come Home
Middle Tennessee State University

This fall, as Middle Tennessee State University’s School of Agribusiness and Agriscience begins a second century of educating undergraduate and graduate students, its dairy farm will undergo a ‘moo’-ving experience.

25-Aug-2011 1:00 PM EDT
Unfounded Pesticide Concerns Adversely Affect the Health of Low-income Populations
American Chemical Society (ACS)

The increasingly prevalent notion that expensive organic fruits and vegetables are safer because pesticides — used to protect traditional crops from insects, thus ensuring high crop yields and making them less expensive — are a risk for causing cancer has no good scientific support, an authority on the disease said here today. Such unfounded fears could have the unanticipated consequence of keeping healthful fruits and vegetables from those with low incomes.

25-Aug-2011 1:00 PM EDT
Friend and Foe: Nitrogen Pollution’s Little-Known Environmental and Human Health Threats
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Billions of people owe their lives to nitrogen fertilizers — a pillar of the fabled Green Revolution in agriculture that averted global famine in the 20th century — but few are aware that nitrogen pollution from fertilizers and other sources has become a major environmental problem that threatens human health and welfare in multiple ways, a scientist said here today.

Released: 25-Aug-2011 2:40 PM EDT
Irrigation's Impacts on Global Carbon Uptake
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Globally, irrigation increases agricultural productivity by an amount roughly equivalent to the entire agricultural output of the U.S., according to a new University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

Released: 23-Aug-2011 11:10 AM EDT
Comparing Soybean Production Methods
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Twin-row soybean production is the preferred growing method for growers, but is it more productive than the conventional single-row method?

Released: 23-Aug-2011 11:10 AM EDT
Introducing System Models into Ag Research
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

A new handbook for field scientists and other model users highlights the proper methods of model use.

Released: 17-Aug-2011 1:15 PM EDT
Cryogenic Freezing Can Reduce Weed Growth
Allen Press Publishing

Weed Technology presents (1) original research on weed/crop management systems, herbicides, weed resistance to herbicides, and weed biology; (2) reports of new weed problems, weed-related surveys, and new technologies for weed management; and (3) special articles emphasizing technology transfer to improve weed control. The journal is a publication of the Weed Science Society of America.

Released: 15-Aug-2011 3:55 PM EDT
Study Helps Assess Global Status of Tuna and Billfish Stocks
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William and Mary

A global study by an international team including professor John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science quantifies the threat to tuna and billfish populations around the world.

Released: 15-Aug-2011 8:00 AM EDT
Rye for Biomass May Fit Into Corn and Soybean Rotations
South Dakota State University

A new research project at South Dakota State University looks at growing rye for biomass as part of a corn and soybean rotation.

Released: 12-Aug-2011 4:15 PM EDT
Study Explores Farm Management and Transition Decisions
South Dakota State University

South Dakota State University researchers Kuo-Liang "Matt" Chang and Soo Hyun Cho study the factors driving farm management decisions — including the crucial decision to pass the farm operation to a younger generation.

Released: 12-Aug-2011 11:00 AM EDT
Soy Provides High-Performance Perch Feed
South Dakota State University

South Dakota State University aquaculture research shows soy can provide high-performance perch feed. SDSU professor Michael Brown’s latest work finds that some diets using soy protein concentrates, or SPC, perform as well as fishmeal-based diets.

Released: 11-Aug-2011 3:15 PM EDT
Corn Silage Hybrids and Seeding Rates
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Recent research offers new insight on the silage yield and quality responses of corn hybrids to seeding rates.

Released: 10-Aug-2011 10:40 AM EDT
Researchers Develop Revolutionary Biobased Resins From Crop Materials
North Dakota State University

Several crops produced in the U.S. could play a significant role in biobased resins and coatings recently developed by researchers at North Dakota State University, Fargo. The NDSU researchers have developed a family of resins from renewable raw materials, creating resins that eliminate hazardous components such as formaldehyde and bisphenol-A. The resins are based on sucrose and vegetable oils, and can be varied to perform in many applications and industries.

Released: 3-Aug-2011 3:00 PM EDT
Carbon Hitches a Ride from Field to Market
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

New PNNL research explains how the carbon involved in crop production is unevenly distributed. More populated regions that depend on others to grow their food end up releasing the carbon that comes with those crops, leading those areas to become carbon sources.

25-Jul-2011 10:30 AM EDT
Scientists Map Attack Tactics of Plant Pathogens
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Each year, plant diseases wipe out millions of tons of crops and waste valuable water resources. But a new discovery suggests that all pathogens attack plants via a surprisingly limited number of cellular targets. The finding could help researchers develop disease resistant crops and environmentally sustainable treatments for plant diseases.

Released: 27-Jul-2011 2:00 PM EDT
Bacteria Can "Fertilize" Copper-Polluted Soil
Michigan Technological University

Bacteria taken from a lake used to dump mine waste can help plants grow in soil contaminated by copper.

Released: 26-Jul-2011 5:00 PM EDT
UIC Biologists Poll Pollinators for Urban Agriculture
University of Illinois Chicago

Two University of Illinois at Chicago biologists will canvass Chicago next summer to learn where in the city pollinating bees live and what habitat they require. The information may help urban farmers gain more bountiful yields.

Released: 22-Jul-2011 12:35 PM EDT
SDSU, Boehringer Ingelheim Team Up Against Enterotoxic E. coli
South Dakota State University

South Dakota State University is partnering with animal health leader Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. to develop a new technology to protect pigs against a deadly form of E. coli.

Released: 21-Jul-2011 2:00 PM EDT
Farms of the Future: Bio-Oil, Biochar from Biomass
South Dakota State University

Rural landscapes of the future might have pyrolysis plants instead of grain elevators on every horizon —processing centers where farmers would bring bulky crops such as switchgrass to be made into bio-oil. New research looks at bio-oil and a potentially beneficial co-product called biochar.

Released: 21-Jul-2011 11:50 AM EDT
Grazing Management Effects on Stream Pollutants
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Scientists study the effects of grazing management practices on sediment, phosphorus, and harmful bacteria deposits into pasture streams.

Released: 14-Jul-2011 10:30 AM EDT
Research Finds Link Between Increased Crops and Deforestation in Amazon, but Issue Not So Cut and Dry
Kansas State University

A Kansas State University geographer is part of a research team out to prove what environmental scientists have suspected for years: Increasing the production of soybean and biofuel crops in Brazil increases deforestation in the Amazon. Although this cause-and-effect finding seems fairly straightforward, the issue of deforestation in the Amazon is more complex and more devastating than previously believed.

Released: 13-Jul-2011 10:40 AM EDT
The Future of Cover Crops
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Although beneficial, farmers are often hesitant to use cover crops because of costs, time

Released: 12-Jul-2011 3:50 PM EDT
Implications of Sewage Sludge
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Although considered an environmentally sound disposal method, applying sewage sludge to agricultural lands may leave harmful metals in the soil.

Released: 12-Jul-2011 3:40 PM EDT
Improving Peanut Crops through Genetics
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Researchers utilize core collections of peanut genetics to solve agricultural problems for farmers around the world.

Released: 12-Jul-2011 3:15 PM EDT
Herbicide Resistance, and Weeds, Are Spreading in the United States
Allen Press Publishing

Weed Science is a journal of the Weed Science Society of America, a non-profit professional society that promotes research, education, and extension outreach activities related to weeds; provides science-based information to the public and policy makers; and fosters awareness of weeds and their impacts on managed and natural ecosystems.

Released: 11-Jul-2011 5:00 PM EDT
Breeding Procedure Speeds Up Winter Wheat Variety Development
South Dakota State University

Agricultural producers and waterfowl will benefit from a project at South Dakota State University that uses an innovative plant-breeding technique to shave perhaps two years off the time needed to produce winter wheat varieties for farmers in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America.

7-Jul-2011 3:15 PM EDT
UW-Madison Scientists Played Role in Potato Genome Project
University of Wisconsin–Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are part of an international consortium that has successfully sequenced and analyzed the potato genome. The consortium’s work, which is described in the current issue of Nature, turned up more than 39,000 genes and is expected to speed potato research and breeding projects around the globe.

Released: 30-Jun-2011 4:10 PM EDT
Assessing Agroforestry's Advantages
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operations.

Released: 30-Jun-2011 3:15 PM EDT
Developing Corn for Warmer Climate Is Focus of Research
Iowa State University

The prospect of rising temperatures in Iowa and the Midwest is predicted to lead to a dramatic decline in corn yield. With a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa State University researchers Alan Myers and Tracie Hennen-Bierwagen are looking to develop a corn variety that maintains the region's high yields even as temperatures rise. The study is part of the response within the scientific community to challenges issued by the National Research Council in their report, "New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Lead the Coming Revolution."

29-Jun-2011 3:15 PM EDT
Down-Under Digestive Microbes Could Help Lower Methane Gas from Livestock
Ohio State University

The discovery that a bacterial species in the Australian Tammar wallaby gut is responsible for keeping the animal’s methane emissions relatively low suggests a potential new strategy may exist to try to reduce methane emissions from livestock, according to a new study.

Released: 28-Jun-2011 11:25 AM EDT
Improving Potato Varieties
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Scientists isolate single protein in potatoes responsible for an unhealthy compound produced when cooking at high temperatures.

Released: 27-Jun-2011 10:50 AM EDT
The Cost of Chowing Down Is Going Up Because of International Supply and Demand, Says Agricultural Economist
Kansas State University

Food prices are high worldwide and many factors are causing the increase, according to a Kansas State University agricultural economist.

Released: 27-Jun-2011 8:00 AM EDT
U.S. Soybean Disease Researcher Discussing Collaborative Project with Argentine Scientists
South Dakota State University

Soybean growers in Argentina have something in common with their counterparts in some areas of the northern United States: Problems with a plant disease called northern stem canker.

Released: 24-Jun-2011 3:40 PM EDT
South Dakota Study Suggests Ag Land Values Are Booming
South Dakota State University

Agricultural land values are booming again in the Northern Great Plains, if a South Dakota study is any indication. The latest study from South Dakota State University economists suggests South Dakota land values charted a 16.5 percent increase in 2010-2011.

Released: 23-Jun-2011 1:00 PM EDT
Iconic View of Pollination Only Scratches the Surface of This Ecological Phenomenon
Allen Press Publishing

Pollination typically brings to mind an iconic story of the bee visiting the flower in a lovely meadow. And everyone benefits from this ecological cooperation. But a closer look at the process in rangelands reveals a more complex picture of competition, attraction, negotiation, and, of course, the forces of the wind.

Released: 23-Jun-2011 11:00 AM EDT
Melon's Role in Fruit Genetics
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Scientists practice a method to help discover specific genes that determine fruit traits.

Released: 22-Jun-2011 5:00 PM EDT
Toxic Compounds in Groundwater
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Research is being conducted on degrading a toxic compound found in groundwater systems around the world.

Released: 22-Jun-2011 12:30 PM EDT
Economic Cost of Weather May Total $485 Billion in U.S.
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

The economic impacts of routine weather events can add up to 3.4% of the nation's GDP.

Released: 22-Jun-2011 10:30 AM EDT
Plant Pathologist Finding Kansas Wheat Fields a Molecular Battleground This Season
Kansas State University

A Kansas State University plant pathologist is finding in a statewide study that this year Kansas wheat has also been battling a much smaller opponent: viruses.

Released: 21-Jun-2011 12:00 PM EDT
Breeding Wheat for Blight Resistance
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Scientists turn to an exotic Chinese wheat cultivar in search of disease resistant genetics.

Released: 21-Jun-2011 10:15 AM EDT
In Europe and the U.S., Consumer Views on Cloned Products Breed Different Results
Kansas State University

Not all consumers share the same attitudes toward animal cloning, but the latest research from Sean Fox, Kansas State University professor of agricultural economics, shows that Americans may be more accepting of consuming cloned animal products than Europeans.

Released: 17-Jun-2011 8:40 AM EDT
Imaging Cereals for Increased Crop Yields
University of Adelaide

University of Adelaide computer scientists are developing image-based technology which promises a major boost to the breeding of improved cereal varieties for the harsher environmental conditions expected under climate change.

Released: 16-Jun-2011 4:30 PM EDT
Scientists Seek to Adapt Crops to Climate Change
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Crop Science Society of America releases a position statement that calls for research programs to understand crops’ adaptation to drought, heat, and biological stresses from climate change

Released: 16-Jun-2011 8:30 AM EDT
Societies Establish Climate Change Position
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

The 10,000-plus members of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America develop a position statement on climate change.

Released: 14-Jun-2011 2:30 PM EDT
Unique Gene Combinations Control Tropical Maize Response to Day Lengths
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Tropical maize is a valuable genetic resource that can help scientists identify the specific genes controlling daylight response.

Released: 14-Jun-2011 2:00 PM EDT
Phosphate Sorption Characteristics of European Alpine Soils
Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Research on phosphate sorption of alpine soils is limited, but European researchers have provided new data regarding the impact alpine soils have on catchments of alpine lakes.

Released: 9-Jun-2011 1:00 PM EDT
Engaging High School Students in Soil Science Inquiry
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Educators experiment with a new inquiry curriculum in hopes of better preparing students in solving real world issues.

Released: 8-Jun-2011 4:00 PM EDT
Cotton Genetics - A Work in Progress
Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

Research shows that sufficient genetic variation exists in cotton cultivars to continue improving agronomic performance.



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