Science briefs

Aphids on a wheat leaf. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

A novel Russian wheat aphid resistance gene: Dn11

August 27, 2026

Genomic information as proxy to deal with the missing comparability between plant phenotypes and breeding values

Genomic information as proxy to deal with the missing comparability between plant phenotypes and breeding values

August 26, 2026

Schematic representation of a soil sample in cryotic conditions. The Sihvola multiphase mix model can be adapted to represent the soil sample in an environment of liquid water in which the other phases exist. Note that while ice and air phases are not depicted as round for ease of visualization, they are mathematically represented as such. Image courtesy of Quentin ''Quinn'' Sapin, Queen's University.

The instrumentation of unfrozen water content: Considering the importance of conversion curves

August 21, 2026

Conceptual model showing how different biochars affect water loss. High-temperature red river gum particles create fast water flow paths that increase early evaporation. High-temperature black wattle particles pull out more water vapor later. Low-temperature black wattle helps block water movement and conserves soil moisture. Image courtesy of Roeline van Schalkwyk and Ailsa G. Hardie, Stellenbosch University.

Biochar type choice matters for limiting evaporation

August 20, 2026

Representative corn plants grown under low (left) and high (right) soil-test potassium (K) conditions in a 41-year field trial on a Coastal Plain sandy loam soil in North Carolina. Despite contrasting long-term soil K management, plants exhibited similar overall growth, illustrating the limited visual response observed under conditions where K-bearing minerals continued to supply K. Photo courtesy of Dionata (John) Filippi, North Carolina State University.

Soil potassium forms may help to sustain crops and reduce the need for fertilizer

August 17, 2026

Cereal cover crops being irrigated. Photo courtesy of Eric Brennan, USDA–ARS.

Simple ways to predict a cover crop’s carbon-to-nitrogen ratio

August 11, 2026

Undergraduate research assistant Keean Mansour manages an automated soil respiration chamber in a Pennsylvania forest. Photo courtesy of Timmy Stehmen.

A night-and-day difference: Why diel patterns of soil CO₂ efflux vary across forests

July 24, 2026

Experimental setup: The stainless-steel soil column setup equipped with moisture, temperature, and redox sensors, along with water and gas samplers. Photo courtesy of Fereidoun Rezanezhad.

Fluctuating water levels accelerate cleanup at petroleum-contaminated sites

July 15, 2026

Genetic gains (a) and genetic variance (b) trends for a simulated wheat line breeding program (with 100 independent simulations). The red line represents the baseline breeding scheme, the blue line represents the evolutionary algorithm (EA) genetic gain breeding scheme, and the green line represents the EA balanced gain breeding scheme (a breeding scheme which aimed to maintain a balance between genetic gains and genetic diversity). Figure courtesy of Torsten Pook.

Optimizing breeding programs through simulation and evolutionary algorithms

July 13, 2026

St. Augustinegrass irrigated at 100% evapotranspiration (ET) in March in South Florida and fertilized either following a summer blackout period or no blackout period. Photo courtesy of I. Alejandra Sierra.

St. Augustinegrass remains resilient under certain irrigation and fertilization restrictions, with or without soil humectants

July 7, 2026

2027 ASA Southern Branch Annual Meeting

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