Feature Channels: Agriculture

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Leaf-cutter ants, which cultivate fungus for food, have many remarkable qualities.

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In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists led by The Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published the completed corn genome in the Nov. 20 journal Science, an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world’s growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.

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A series of studies carried out at the University of Haifa have found that rodent, reptile and ant lion species behave differently on either side of the Israel-Jordan border.

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New website on sustainable landscaping developed by WIU horticulture professor addresses a rapidly evolving area responding to environmental issues, including global climate change. This new instructional tool and content-rich website helps deliver the information people need to make informed choices.

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A Congressional educational briefing and wine tasting Nov. 19 in Washington, DC, will shed light on how the balance of vineyard management and site selection blend together to provide distinctive grapes which can allow for unique wine characteristics.

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Agricultural soils accumulate trace metals from waste and fungicide application. Regulations for soil concentrations of these potentially plant-toxic elements consider the individual elements, but not their interactions. This study evaluates whether the copper-zinc interaction in soils is additive as defined by the toxicity response in crops.

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The impact of airborne nitrogen released from the burning of fossil fuels and wide-spread use of fertilizers in agriculture is much greater that previously recognized and even extends to remote alpine lakes, according to a study published Nov. 6 in the journal Science.

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Pesticides, unfortunately, are not without risk to those who labor in the fields and orchards, planting, tending and harvesting crops -- and this risk increases for Mexican farmworkers.

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The world's greatest wines are the result of synergy among grape variety, human input, and terroir -- a term defined as the vineyard site, soil, and climate. Experts will discuss terroir with an emphasis on soil science on Nov. 4 in Pittsburgh, PA at the Annual Meeting of the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA.

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The new book, “Organic Farming: The Ecological System,” combines farmer experience with the latest scientific research to better understand the role of organics in modern agriculture.

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Most land-use changes occurring in the continental United States reduce vegetative cover and raise regional surface temperatures, says a new study by scientists at the University of Maryland, Purdue University, and the University of Colorado in Boulder.

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Nanotechnologists and Biologists advance germination of seeds by adding carbon nanotubes in the growing medium, an enhancement with implications for plant-based biofuel production.

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Plant breeding industry stakeholders discuss public-private partnerships; commercialization strategies now driving public programs; the impact of foundations in targeted support for cultivar development; and national and global programs that may help build industry capacity and public support in a Nov. 5 symposium in Pittsburgh.

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A lecture on Nov. 3 in Pittsburgh will highlight the role of phosphorus in wetlands, including the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxia zone/dead zone in the Mississippi River basin. In addition to an overview of current research, suggestions for realistic management techniques that balance wetland ecosystems and landscape functions will also be discussed.

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A distinguished group of international experts in agricultural research, science policy, and soil science will present daily lectures under the common theme of sustainability during the 2009 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meetings, Nov. 1-5 in Pittsburgh, PA.

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A recent study at Oregon State University has shown that native bumble bee species have high pollination and seed production levels in red clover. These findings offer promise for alternative crop pollinators, as the population of European honey bee in the US declines

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New research indicates that astronauts will soon have their own gardens aboard the International Space Station with the ability to grow vitamin A-rich carrots in space, according to a study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

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Plants may not have eyes and ears, but they can recognize their siblings, and researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered how.The ID system lies in the roots and the chemical cues they secrete.