Science briefs

Greenhouse experimental setup of column culture to study the root system architecture of buckwheat. Plants were grown in polyvinyl chloride pipes, which were filled with equal amounts of soil and sand. Photo courtesy of S. M. Zargar, Diksha Singh, and P. A. Sofi, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir.

Investigating root system architecture to make climate-resilient buckwheat

October 17, 2025

Soybeans emerging within a cereal rye cover crop strip trial near New Market, IA. Left: Cereal rye residue. Right: No cover crop. Photo courtesy of Teresa Middleton, Iowa State University.

Two sides to the cover crop coin

October 9, 2025

Aerial imagery captures the distinct effects of two organic amendments—rice straw and biochar—applied at varying rates as a partial substitute for chemical fertilizer. Contrasts in canopy development demonstrate that both the type and the application rate of the amendment significantly influence rice growth patterns, highlighting the two amendments as potential sustainable fertilizer alternatives. Labels indicate one representative replication of a treatment from a randomized field trial.

Rice straw and biochar reduce reliance on fertilizer

October 9, 2025

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Transfer learning: a powerful tool to improve genomic prediction accuracy

October 8, 2025

Texas A&M's maize field early in the growing season (College Station, TX). Photo courtesy of Fatma Ozair.

Improvements in grain yield performance prediction for maize hybrids

September 23, 2025

Predictive ability overestimates the relative accuracy of phenomic prediction (PP) versus genomic prediction (GP) models. Colored dots correlate with different traits tested in each case study. (A) Differences between estimated PP and GP accuracies are plotted against their estimated predictive abilities. Points to the right of the line are where the accuracy of these PP models tends to be overestimated compared with GP models, even when the PP models are actually less accurate (lower right quadrant).

Do not directly compare cross-validation results between genomic and phenomic predictions

September 23, 2025

Some of the seed diversity found in lentil. Photo courtesy of Derek Michael Wright.

Breeding potential for increased protein in lentil

September 22, 2025

Dr. Deniz Istipliler, a researcher at Ege University in Turkey, collecting leaves for hyperspectral imaging in Lincoln, NE as part of a collaborative project with the Nebraska-based Schnable and Yang labs. Photo courtesy of the Schnable Lab, University of Nebraska—Lincoln.

Leaf spectra can predict hybrid vigor in maize

September 22, 2025

Robusta coffee beans make up a large portion of the global coffee market, yet they are relatively understudied. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Robusta coffee yields are limited by magnesium on smallholder farms in the Ecuadorian Amazon

September 22, 2025

Sebastián Bravo Peña, first author on the study and Ph.D. candidate in the Soil Physics and Land Management Group (SLM) at Wageningen University & Research, taking soil samples with Dr. Dorota Dec, collaborator on the project from the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Soils (IIAS) at the Austral University of Chile. Image courtesy of Dr. José Dörner, IIAS.

Volcanic soil structure dynamics shape water retention variability

August 20, 2025

Notice: 2026 Annual Elections

Call for Papers: Phenomics of Germplasm Collection

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