Congratulations to our 2021 photo contest winners!

Since 2014, we’ve asked for submissions to illustrate each Society’s tag line. In 2017, we added two additional categories, “Tools at Work” and “People at Work,” for a total of five categories. This year, judges reviewed more than 111 entries among the five categories.

Photos also go beyond public outreach. Another audience for your photography is funding sources. Many scientists are finding that their grants are better accepted with photos, and many funding bodies are now requiring them. Becoming a better overall communicator—in this case, using photography—can help the future of all your research projects.

Photos make an impact! Look through these photos and their winning descriptions. We think you’ll agree. We hope to see your best photos submitted for the 2022 contest.

Thanks to Society staff for their work on this contest: Karen Brey, Susan Fisk, Chris Flores, Caitlin Heitman, Abby Morrison, and Pat Scullion.

ASA | Agronomy Feeds the World

First Place | Christianah Oladoye

Unraveling for regeneration

The photo illustrates the theme “Agronomy Feeds the World” because seed regeneration is essential to ensure food security and sustainability. Without food regeneration, addressing world hunger would not be possible.

Second Place | Swarupa Nanda Mandal

Preliminary yield trial

The photo depicts a rice field after transplanting as part of a preliminary yield trial experiment on a farm in West Bengal, India. In yield trial experiments, a set of cultivars are assessed for varietal recommendations.

Third Place | Swarupa Nanda Mandal

System of rice intensification

Sustainable intensification of rice production is critical to accomplishing increased demand for foods and mitigating poverty in rice-based farming systems. This is my view (through the lens) of a rice panicle on the day of anthesis. The photo was taken on a farm working on conservation agriculture with rice landraces using the System of Rice Intensification.

CSSA | Plant Science for a Better World

First Place | Derek Lenzen

Maize seedling breaking ground

Looking is the first step. You can learn many things about crops simply by digging down and looking at roots and soil. It’s crucial to know what may be impacting your crop as there are many components and organisms within the soil that can be detrimental to a seedling.

Second Place | Jordyn Bush

There’s no place I’d rather bee

Pollinators don’t ask for much but provide so much. Plant science helps us understand how the flora we harbor supports the fauna on which we depend. Some plants may not be directly useful for providing humans with food but are essential for supporting the animals that keep our ecosystems thriving.

Third Place | Udayakumar Sekaran

Dew—an alternative water source

Dew can help plants rapidly activate photosynthetic activity during desiccation and rehydration as well as help some species survive drought conditions. Dew reduces water stress for plants by reducing transpiration and can be a significant water source in some arid regions.

SSSA | Soils Sustain Life

First Place | Jemila Chellappa

Seed germination

Healthy soils are essential for healthy plant growth and crop production. Soil provides the structural support to plants as well as supply water and nutrients.

Second Place | Madhav Dhakal

The creation

There is something about creating opportunity in nature. See how a tiny bit of dirt mixed with a layer of sand supports these small, green plants.

Third Place | Zenith Tandukar

Earthworms are a farmer’s best friend

Earthworms are called a farmer’s best friend because of the many purposes they serve that improve soil health; and consequently, plant health in the farmer’s fields.

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA | People at Work

First Place | Amo Aduragbemi

For the love of breeding

Wheat emasculation is carried out to cross-pollinate with the desired pollens from another wheat variety that possesses desired traits.

Second Place | Jaya Nepal

I love science and expressing science with photos

Science has evolved, and new tools have made farming easier. However, a good old manual method is often the most suitable method for experiments when we must precisely apply treatments. This is me—topdressing nanocarbon (CNM) to beets—as I evaluate CNM effect on crop, soil, and the environment.

Third Place | Lydia Griffin

Offering in peace

The silhouette of the farmer holding basil represents the peaceful offering that farmers present to people globally. With farmers like this giving a whole-hearted effort to produce, the fight for food should not have to be a fight.

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA | Tools at Work

First Place | Jaclyn Fiola

Texture triangle from the earth

The soil texture triangle is a tool for determining the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in a soil sample. One of my students made his very own texture triangle out of a soil sample and then used the triangle to determine that the soil was more than 60% clay!

Second Place | Udayakumar Sekaran

Variable-rate irrigation system

This photo shows automated irrigation based on real-time soil moisture data using a wireless sensor network. In this study, a prototype wireless sensor network was developed to automate irrigation using a lateral-move irrigation system for cotton. It could help cotton farmers increase water use efficiency.

Third Place | Jemila Chellappa

Soil moisture sensors

Watermark soil moisture sensors are used to measure electrical resistance to determine soil water tension. Soil moisture sensors play a significant role in automating irrigation for several field crops.