Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

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At the 18th World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia, Douglas R. Cobos, Ph.D. will be presenting "New Frontiers in Soil Science". The focus is the icy layer of soil underneath Mars' surface being explored during NASA's lander mission; scientists will better understand about life on Mars.

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Dr. Pedro Sanchez will speak at the World Congress of Soil Science. His focus will be the critical role of soil science in the effort to alleviate poverty and malnutrition in parts of Africa through science-based policies combined with community participation and decision making.

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If we can design complex farming systems that are less energy intensive, more resilient in unstable climates, and that begin to out-produce industrial monocultures, the economic advantages may be an incentive to change, says author Fred Kirschenmann, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, in the March-April 2007 issue of Agronomy Journal.

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Scientists report in the Soil Science Society of America Journal that soil color can be used as a simple, inexpensive method to predict measurements of soil organic content to assess soil quality and better understand global carbon cycles.

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For years, researchers have debated the birthplace of the European potato. Recent genetic studies revealed that the earliest known landraces of the European potato contain both Andean and Chilean molecular markers. These findings may change current breeding programs which focus solely on the Andean landraces and not the Chilean landraces, according to scientists at the University of Wisconsin.

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Growers could cut back on fertilizer and reap economic and environmental benefits by using a rapid test recently discovered by scientists to accurately predict nitrogen levels.

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By building upon previous studies of bacteria, UC-Davis researchers have created a formula that quantifies bacterial gene transfer under natural conditions. Scientists believe that these findings will help to increase knowledge about the rates of potentially beneficial and harmful bacterial adaptation in the environment.

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A team of American and Ugandan researchers worked with local farmers to test low-cost soil management alternatives in eastern Uganda. While each alternative soil treatment increased crop output, findings suggest that the best treatment plan varies from farmer to farmer as it is dependent on other factors.

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Before farmers can sell carbon credits, they need to be able to reliably measure the amount of carbon in their soil. Researchers believe that the Century soil model can accurately measure soil organic content in certain land regions.

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In order to halt the pollution of streams with fecal bacteria, researchers must first determine the source of the contamination. By using several methods to analyze water, scientists are able to narrow down potential sources of contamination.