Feature Channels: Agriculture

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Three process – or a combination – help nutrients get from soil into your veggies

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The dramatic toll that COVID-19 has taken on the U.S. is apparent, but as caseloads come down and mandates are loosened it has become increasingly obvious how much of an impact the pandemic had on food service workers in industries like the fisheries. A study from the University of New Hampshire looked at the direct and indirect effects of the global pandemic on U.S. seafood workers by tracking cases and outbreaks and found seafood workers were twice as likely to contract COVID-19 as workers in other food industries.

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Two newly released grape varieties, developed collaboratively between Cornell AgriTech and Sun World International, a global fruit genetics and licensing company, offer new flavors for consumers and better growing characteristics for farmers.

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New research from Notre Dame shows large-scale land acquisitions in Ethiopia's Omo River region could threaten water resources downstream to the local farmers and Indigenous populations living along the Omo.

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Most people would say the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been a great couple of years. But for the green industry, like plant nurseries and greenhouses, it’s been a boon. But will the uptick in gardening last once the last coronavirus restrictions are lifted? Probably not to the same extreme levels, according to new research from the University of Georgia. But for some, the introduction to gardening may have been just what they needed to dive into a new hobby.

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Specialized coating allows for a slow release to the plants’ roots

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Arsenic is a major drinking water contaminant, often linked to the bedrock where wells are drilled in the Northeastern part of the United States. However, new research suggests that pesticides used 100 years ago may also be to blame.

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The African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP) published a position paper in the journal Nature highlighting the goals, priorities, and roadmap of the impressive Africa-led effort to sequence the genomes of plants, animals, fungi, and protists that are endemic to the continent of Africa.

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Volatile compounds in wildfire smoke are absorbed by grapes and produce an unpleasant taste called “smoke taint” in wines. A new study provides valuable data and guidelines for using analytical chemistry to identify grapes and wines affected by smoke taint.

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Scientists have produced a map showing where the world’s major food crops should be grown to maximise yield and minimise environmental impact.

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Climate change poses a potentially devastating economic threat to low-income cattle farmers in poor countries due to increasing heat stress on the animals. Globally, by the end of this century those producers may face financial loss between $15 and $40 billion annually.

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Michigan State University’s Thomas D. Sharkey published new research describing what they call a pilot light for photosynthesis. By understanding how plants stay primed to produce sugars in varying degrees of sunlight, Spartans are working toward a future when growers can raise more efficient crops used as food and biofuel.

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Don't miss these articles in our Staff Picks channel

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A new study focuses on the development of cowpea varieties using root characteristics to increase its growth capacity

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Iowa State University veterinarians are sleuthing out all possible avenues that could have contributed to the spread of a bacterial strain among central Iowa pork production facilities. The veterinarians are sequencing the genome of the bacteria, called Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, and developing protocols to contain it.

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Research for this ingredient in traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish

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In a newly published study, scientists showed that five of the compounds are part of a biochemical pathway for synthesis of these important flavor compounds. Using a closely related fruit, Solanum pennellii, scientists found a site on a chromosome essential to produce detectable nitrogenous volatiles in tomatoes, said Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS research assistant professor of horticultural sciences.

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According to a new study by an international team of researchers from IIASA, Japan, and the US, there are various risks associated with the reduction of greenhouse gases, especially in the agriculture, forestry, and land use sectors, that need to be considered when formulating mitigation strategies.

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Iowa State researchers are working to add value to the bioeconomy by using a co-product of bio-oil production to separate and capture nutrients from livestock manure. The nutrients would then be processed into slow-release fertilizer pellets that would be applied to farm fields.

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A new study shows cover crops can improve ecosystem services in water-limited environments

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Boeing has provided the Danforth Center with a $75,000 grant to support K-12 after-school STEAM+Ag curriculum with authentic research experiences at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis, IL.

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Water from showers, bathroom sinks, and showers can safely be reused in yards

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Digital technologies are beginning to make inroads into agriculture in lower-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Precision agriculture has the potential to remove farmers from the local circuits of information and create new dependencies on external commercial services, according to WashU expert Glenn Stone.

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Green Bronx Machine announced today that it has been named Best Brand Campaign, Best Non-Profit Campaign, Best Special Project, Best Local Community Engagement, Best Community Outreach, and Best Innovation in Education, Art, & Culture in the Inaugural Anthem Awards.

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An experiment conducted on 10 farms across the U.S. suggests that crops from farms following soil-friendly practices for at least five years have a healthier nutritional profile than the same crops grown on neighboring, conventional farms. Researchers believe soil microbes and fungi boost certain beneficial minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in the crops.

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Upper Midwest grower network data studied by research group

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A precise approach to selecting and planting cover crops that considers variability within a field will produce better results for farmers.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic enters year three, experts in wildlife health, wildlife trade, and the interface between wildlife and livestock will give a “One Health” briefing on what tangible pandemic prevention needs to look like.

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Soybean is one of the top cash crops grown in South Carolina, but high temperatures during the growing season limit yields and cut into profits.

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Until recently, experts considered it unlikely that the honeybee had survived as a wild animal in Europe.

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Downy mildew affects cucumber crops in South Carolina every year and can cause huge crop losses, but Clemson University researchers say planting early can cut growers’ losses to just about zero.

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Tropical forests are being cleared for agriculture and other uses at alarming rates. While scientists say it is essential to protect old-growth forests and stop further deforestation, studies by an international team of tropical ecologists — including Clemson University professor Saara DeWalt — showed that naturally regrowing forests recover surprisingly fast and can play a role in climate change mitigation.

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Cotton futures are at a 10-year-high and a Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service economist says growers should look at pricing some of their 2022 production if they haven’t already and locking in input costs now if they can.

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Retrieving struvite from wastewater reduces the amount of phosphorus entering the environment, replaces mined phosphorus

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Madagascar is the most important country for vanilla production – the fragrant ingredient that is a favourite flavour for ice cream, cakes and cookies.

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A computer modeling study conducted by Iowa State University scientists show how the emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide have increased from soils over the last century. The newly published research found the expansion of land devoted to agriculture since 1900 and intensive fertilizer inputs have predominantly driven an overall increase in nitrous oxide emissions from U.S. soils.

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The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today that Armando Bravo, PhD, has joined as Assistant Member and Principal Investigator.

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Fusarium is one of the most important fungal plant pathogens, affecting the cultivation of a wide range of crops.

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Recovered phosphorus from wastewater can be reused on farmland

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Campus gardens and farms help address basic needs across the CSU by providing fresh produce for students.

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A new paper published in January by Buffalo State College’s Robert J. Warren II, associate professor of biology, and Stephen Vermette, professor of geography and planning, puts a spotlight on how climate change is affecting fruit growers in the Great Lakes refugia, and what it may mean for the growers going forward. The paper, titled “Laurentian Great Lakes Warming Threatens Northern Fruit Belt Refugia,” was published in the International Journal of Biometeorology.

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The amount of poultry in European diets isn’t conducive to an optimal circular food system, which prioritizes crops that produce healthy foods while reducing or reusing waste streams, new Cornell University research finds.

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One out of three people in a large survey showed signs of exposure to a pesticide called 2,4-D, according to a study published today by researchers at the George Washington University. This novel research found that human exposure to this chemical has been rising as agricultural use of the chemical has increased, a finding that raises worries about possible health implications.