Science briefs

Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals the molecular fingerprints of potassium in different soil types, helping researchers distinguish between "locked" mineral forms and plant-available nutrients. Photo courtesy of Yao-Tung Lin, National Chung Hsing University.

Mapping potassium availability in diverse Taiwanese soils

March 16, 2026

Experimental site at the Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (IFMS) in Nova Andradina, Brazil. Image courtesy of Elcio Ferreira dos Santos, IFMS.

Conservation management systems improve soil health and crop yields in tropical sandy soils

March 13, 2026

Mineral samples used as standards for fitting of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data, including biotite (trioctahedral mica; black platy mineral at lower left). Details of the method are described in Kurokawa et al. (2025). Photo courtesy of Kohei Kurokawa, Kyoto Prefectural University.

Soil K-bearing minerals: Key sources of plant-available potassium

March 12, 2026

Photo courtesy of Flickr/C.K. Hartman. CC BY 2.0.

Historic wheat-yield trendlines in the southern Great Plains

March 11, 2026

Researchers at Wageningen University produced a leek reference genome that can be used to improve the effectiveness of breeding efforts and result in more resilient varieties. Photo courtesy of Bejo Zaden B.V.

The leek genome and its pattern of genetic exchange during reproduction

February 19, 2026

Two-dimensional (2D) imaging of soybean root system. Image courtesy of Sujata Bogati, first author on the study.

Modern soybean breeding has indirectly created plants with larger, less plastic roots

February 18, 2026

Field installation of soil sensors used in the study. Monitoring of CO₂, O₂, soil moisture, temperature, and water potential was done at multiple depths in a basalt-amended soybean field. Photo courtesy of Yan Zhu.

Enhanced rock weathering changes cropland soil physical properties and carbon dioxide emissions

February 13, 2026

Soil organic matter can be conceptually separated into (1) pedogenic-controlled baseline and (2) contemporary management-controlled root-zone enrichment components. Photo courtesy of Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS.

Root-zone enrichment targets in the southeastern United States

February 11, 2026

A rover equipped with a cosmic-ray neutron sensing system for soil moisture mapping, representing one of several geophysical tools applied in agriculture. Photo courtesy of Trenton E. Franz, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Trends in agricultural geophysics

January 20, 2026

Winter cover crops growing in a cotton–corn rotation system at the R. R. Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville, MS. Photo courtesy of Wei Dai, postdoctoral research associate and first author on the study.

Cover crops enhance carbon and nitrogen storage in soil microaggregates

January 20, 2026

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