Science briefs

Top: drone image of a Michigan soybean field showing maturity progression based on planting date. Brown-colored strips represent early-season planting while yellow- and green-colored strips represent mid- and late-season plantings, respectively. Bottom: Soybean plants from plots planted at 124,000 to 519,000 seeds ha-1 (l to r, in increments of 99,000 seeds). These plants show the differences in plant architecture between seeding rate treatments. Photos by Maninder Singh/MSU.

Adjusting Seeding Rate, Seed Treatment, and Planting Date for Soybean Yield and Profit

August 1, 2023

Lettuce growing at the urban farm study site in New London, CT. Photo by Eric Vukicevich.

Contaminant Uptake Varies with Crop and Management Choices in Urban Gardens

July 7, 2023

Genomic-assisted breeding can be incorporated into a traditional reciprocal recurrent selection design to accelerate the development of climate-smart coffee cultivars. Image by Felipe Ferrão.

Developing Climate-Smart Coffee Cultivars

July 7, 2023

A tile drain outlet in Ohio where USDA-ARS scientists measure wa- ter quality. Photo by Jed Stinner, USDA-ARS.

Distinguishing Phosphorus Sources With Edge-of-Field Water Quality Data

July 6, 2023

Counting flowers of soybean plants in Louisiana following nanopar- ticle exposure. Photo by Colin Bonser.

Biodegradable Nanoparticles Safe for Soybean

July 6, 2023

Turtle Mountain Community College student Fynn Pound, a Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI) citizen, identifying grassland plants. A survey showed TMBCI citizens between 18 and 36 years of age correctly identified fewer plants than other age groups. Photo by Stacie Blue.

Plant Blindness Impacts Cultural Knowledge and Identity

July 5, 2023

Top: A tractor spreads organic amendments for the QualiAgro field trial in north-central France in 2017. Photo by Agatha Revallier. Bottom: IROC-Century is a new model with a more sophisticated compost addition scheme, which simulates C, N, P, and K ecosystem flows. Illustration courtesy of Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University.

Better Model for Organic Waste Additions

July 4, 2023

Grasses (left) and dairy manure (right) were two of the organic waste types investigated in this study. Photos by Dirk-Jan Kok.

Timing Impacts Effective Use of Organic Wastes in Agriculture

July 3, 2023

Alfalfa in rotation with annual crops aggressively scavenges nitrogen in the soil and can significantly reduce nitrate contamination of groundwater. Photo courtesy of UNL CropWatch.

Alfalfa in Rotation Reduces Nitrate Leaching Potential

July 1, 2023

Left: Lead author Perejitei Bekewe at a sprinkle infiltrometer. The team took measurements in the spring following wheat harvest and before summer double crop planting. Photo by Jamie Foster. Right: Bekewe (left) and Carlos Serna of Texas A&M's AgriLife Research while soil sampling between summer crop harvest and wheat planting in Beeville, TX. Photos courtesy of Perejitei Bekewe.

Effects of Double Cropping and Reduced Tillage on Texas Wheat Production

June 7, 2023

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