Science briefs

Researchers assessed the degree to which randomization across breeding cohorts could improve selection accuracy using simulations based on real genotypic data from University of Illinois wheat breeding lines. Photo by Ann Marshall, USDA-ARS.

Randomization across breeding cohorts reduces confounding environmental effects, improving selection accuracy

May 14, 2026

Groundwater sampling campaign (October 2023). Dr. Rob Jamieson and PhD student Lindsay Johnston collect water from monitoring wells around the trench for analysis of inorganics, nutrients, and microbiological parameters. Photo courtesy of Débora Boratto.

Can soil-based treatment systems be used for community wastewater treatment in the Arctic?

May 7, 2026

Dr. Simon Fraher holding a 'Covington' sweetpotato, the major U.S. sweetpotato cultivar. 'Covington' is resistant to Fusarium wilt disease and is widely known for its resistance to other pests and diseases, agronomic performance, and culinary quality. Photo courtesy of D'Lyn Ford, North Carolina State University.

The genetic basis behind Fusarium wilt resistance in ‘Covington’ sweetpotato cultivars

April 23, 2026

Transmission electron microscopy images of a cross-section of an immature cotton nanocomposite fiber at increasing magnifications. Top left: Overview of a single fiber. Top right, bottom left, and bottom right: High magnification views of the cotton lumen (yellow box) and the secondary cell wall (red box), showing a dense, high concentration of silver nanoparticles in the lumen and a lower concentration in the cell wall. Photo courtesy of Yang Mu, Louisiana State University.

How immature cotton became a defense against superbugs

April 20, 2026

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Measuring what matters: How sampling methods shape water quality decisions

April 16, 2026

Field plots in southeastern Indiana with cereal rye cover crops (green) growing alongside plots without cover crops in a no-till corn–soybean system. Photo courtesy of Yichao Rui, Purdue University.

A decade of rye cover crops builds stronger soils

April 10, 2026

Guide National Geopark in Qinghai, China. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Soil phosphorus mapped across China’s drylands to guide future management

April 8, 2026

Theoretical and empirical outcomes of comparisons between sets of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially methylated genes (DMGs). The statistical significance of the intersection of these sets was assessed by a hypergeometric test. Image courtesy of Peter Civan, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE).

Is transcription directly regulated by DNA methylation in plants?

April 6, 2026

Dissolved organic matter used to produce models of Al in organic association. Right: Dissolved organic matter flocculated with Al ions as a model of Al in organic association. Photos courtesy of Thilo Rennert, University of Hohenheim.

Oxalate-extractable aluminum in temperate soils—an indicator of aluminum hydroxides?

March 24, 2026

Illustration showing how different Zn fertilizers behave in neutral soil. Zinc sulfate and chelated Zn move farther from the application point and remain more available in the soil solution, whereas Zn oxide and mixed formulations quickly associate with soil minerals, such as iron and aluminum oxides, limiting zinc movement and availability to plants. Illustration courtesy of Sevendeep K. Chahal, Kansas State University.

Chemical speciation governs zinc mobility and plant availability in neutral soils

March 18, 2026

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