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Soil management and crop productivity closely tied

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Symposium summarizes USAID’s Feed the Future gains, goals

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In a new study, researchers at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service have calculated how much chicken litter farmers need to apply to cotton crops to maximize profits.

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Assessing multiple biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes

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International Year of Pulses highlights role of sustainable crops, nutritious foods

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The health of upriver streams, or headwaters, is vital to the function and biodiversity of downstream waters. By 1990, farm pollution in Northern Ireland had damaged over half of these small tributaries. Reforms started in 1990 have made progress.

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Conference tour tells story of desert resilience

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Agriculture and soil science fit with environmental health

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Wastewater from oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – is often laden with salts and can spill, contaminating soils. In a recent study, researchers at North Dakota State University tested a method that extracted a large percentage of the salt present in soils contaminated by brine spills.

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High value cropping systems to be discussed

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Several solutions adaptable by agricultural systems to be discussed

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New frontiers of soil and plant sciences may grow crops in space

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Plant diversity in intercropping leads to more diversity below ground too. Researchers work to find the right combination for optimal crop and soil performance.

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Although small in acreage planted, they have high nutritional and environmental value

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Unleashing the creativity of farmers and agroecologists

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Farmers have been using a mix-and-match approach to practices for growing their organic veggies. Which combination of practices was best, however, was uncertain. Recent research sheds light on long-term effects of different combinations to productivity and soil.

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Understanding root zone-soil interaction key to increasing sustainability

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Separating evaporation measurements from transpiration could be a key to better management practices

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Range of climate, soil forming factors and geologic history created arid southwest

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Researchers at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation are working to harness the power of endophytes. The initiative, Forage365, aims to help farmers provide livestock with year-round grazing.

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Good soil, water and environmental factors cannot overcome poor seed quality

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A modest but versatile crop, cowpeas may provide an answer to demands on grower resources—and international appetites.

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Agronomists, and crop and soil scientists to meet in Phoenix this November

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Pulses, and in this case dry peas, are a flexible crop with many benefits. They work well for growers when rotated with other crops, delivering long-term benefits to the soil. They are wide adaptable for various rainfall zones. And, this new research shows they can even be planted in fall, a time when growers often have time for field work.

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A few strains of wild soy are able to fight the kudzu bug by limiting the ability of its nymphs, or young, to survive. The next step is to identify which gene gives the soybeans this defense mechanism.

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Cover crops offer many choices, many benefits

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A survey of university turf students regarding social media use and attitudes suggests ways to increase student engagement.

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Excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff can enter surface waters with devastating effects. Algal blooms and fish kills are a just a couple of possible consequences. But riparian buffer zones – areas of grasses, perennials, or trees – between farmlands and streams or rivers can help.

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Researchers develop an affordable way to monitor rivers and stream flow, 24/7, using open source products.

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Research comparing pastures with multiple types of plants to those with less variety shows surprising results in land productivity and soil health.

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Researchers begin collaboration on research as a result of 2013 Fukushima symposium

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Erosion, human activities challenge beach ecosystems

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Researchers reduce the amount of nitrogen that moves downstream from fields with woodchip-filled trenches, bioreactors. Bacteria that live in them neutralize the nitrogen threat to downstream waters.

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Researchers look into the practice of alley cropping, planting long-term tree crops alongside short-term cash crops, for sustainability.

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Summer is a time for beach fun! As you head out to the beach this holiday weekend, consider what secrets lie within the glistening beach sand! The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) July 1 Soils Matter blog post explains the many roles beach sands play in keeping ecosystems running.

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A recent study has compiled and analyzed data from 25 previous studies. Researchers honed in on factors that influence how much ammonia dairy barns emit.

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Knowing what physical traits a plant has is called phenotyping. Because it is such a labor intensive process, scientists are working to develop technology that makes phenotyping much easier. The tool is called the Phenocart, and it captures essential plant health data. The Phenocart measures plant vital signs like growth rate and color, the same way a Fitbit monitors human health signals like blood pressure and physical activity.

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Antibiotics and manure. You probably don’t think of them at the same time. But across North America, manure and antibiotics often share the same pile. Researchers find out how quickly antibiotics delivered in animal feed break down in manure applied as fertilizer to fields.

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As you read this, a NASA satellite orbits around planet Earth, gathering data on — of all things — soil moisture. By using numerous instruments here on Earth, researchers are helping NASA determine the accuracy of its Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, satellite. At the same time, they are working to ensure the methods and instruments they are using on the ground are also comparable.

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Planting nitrogen-fixing crops, such as peas, in rotation with wheat crops can dramatically reduce the variability of farmers' income with a high-yield, high-protein harvest.

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Most U.S. homes are full of familiar household products with an ingredient that fights bacteria: triclosan. Most of the triclosan is removed in waste water treatment plants. However, a U.S. Geological Survey found the antibacterial in nearly 58% of freshwater streams. What does that mean for the food and soil irrigated with water from streams?

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The recent NAS report on genetically engineered crops aligns with statements from Agronomy and Crop Societies: Scientific research overwhelmingly shows GE crops are safe and pose no significant health or environmental risks.

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Once the world's largest steel working mill, Steelworkers Park in Chicago has become the proving grounds for rehabilitating unforgiving slag with biosolids and dredged sediments.

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Researchers in Brazil found the teamwork of intercropping improved soil qualities and diversified farm income.

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Conservation farming techniques can maintain crop yields and at the same time protect against soil degradation. Researchers practiced the tenets of soil conservation while growing pulses over a 12- year-experiment.

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pH of soil affects the soil health – and your plants’ health, too

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A team of researchers examined the impact of intellectual property protection of seeds in a new study. They found intellectual property protection benefits both plant breeders and society.

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Cows in Brazil might start bellowing "leguuume" rather than "moo." Researchers there found tree legumes in a silvopastural system provide an important and affordable source of nitrogen to replenish the soil.

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New field research measured how far common bacteria—including Salmonella and E. coli—are likely to travel downwind from manure application sites. Proper spacing can ensure food safety.

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Most of us think nothing of rainfall or where it goes, unless it leads to flooding or landslides. But soil scientists have been studying how water moves across or through water soil for decades. Daniel Hirmas, a professor at University of Kansas, and his team may be taking the study of “soil hydrology” to some exciting new territory. Territory that may help soil scientists manage water resources better.