Science briefs

One field location of the Big BIT experiment. Pictured is each tester set in addition to the reference set. Approximately 2,500 maize lines were crossed with one of each tester set (an inbred line that matures relatively early, mid, or late) to assess more than 7,600 hybrid combinations for different agronomic and harvest traits. Photo courtesy of Corteva Agriscience.

The Big BIT maize experiment: One of the largest predictive breeding validation studies

December 26, 2025

The overall methodology for developing pedotransfer functions (PTFs) using a deep neural network (DNN) with various optimization methods for estimating the soil water retention curve (SWRC). Image courtesy of Yong He, Zhejiang University.

Finding the right fit: A better way to model crucial soil water data

December 15, 2025

Development of galls in soybean roots caused by southern root-knot nematode. Photo courtesy of Caio Canella Vieira, University of Arkansas.

Major QTL in soybean suppresses southern root-knot nematode populations under field conditions

December 10, 2025

Tar spot lesions on a corn leaf. As the disease progresses, the black lesions will increase in size and coalesce. Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2021, at a field trial in Coldwater, MI. Photo courtesy of Harkirat Kaur.

Tar spot’s hidden cost to silage corn yield and nutritive value

November 21, 2025

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Complementary phenotyping approaches for studying genetic basis of maize root system architecture

November 17, 2025

Clockwise from top: Aerial image of the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Aspirational Cropping System Experiment (photo courtesy of Ruben Ulbrich, KBS LTAR); Red clover cover crops in maturing wheat (photo courtesy of G. Philip Robertson, KBS LTAR); and canola being harvested from a five-crop regenerative cropping system experiment (photo courtesy of Gavin Hutchings, KBS LTAR).

Regenerative transition costs are tractable

November 17, 2025

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) image of wheat chromosomes revealing the location of wheatgrass chromosome segments (red, labeled with arrows) that impart resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus, Triticum mosaic virus, and stem rust race Ug99. Photo courtesy of Dr. Dal-Hoe Koo, Kansas State University.

FISHing for plant chromosomes

November 13, 2025

Comparison between raw yield data collected by a combine (left) and cleaned yield estimates for an on-farm trial (right). The white-shaded area in the cleaned map represents the experimental border. Image courtesy of Caio dos Santos and Data-Intensive Farm Management.

How we process yield monitor data in on-farm experiments matters

November 10, 2025

Jessica M. Anton, first author of the study, collecting sediment for isotope analyses. Photo courtesy of Deb Jaisi, University of Delaware.

A new proxy for tracking residual phosphorus sources in the environment

November 6, 2025

In a new Crop Science article, researchers evaluated seed yield in different parts of soybean plants that were provided high or limited N. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Nitrogen supply affects soybean yield differently within the canopy

October 28, 2025

Webinar: Developing Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork Settings

Webinar: Early Career Award Opportunities in Agronomy, Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences

Call for Papers: Phenomics of Germplasm Collection

Call for Papers: Advances in Monitoring Soil Water Content

Call for Papers: Advancement of Fate and Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Vadose Zone