Science

Science briefs

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

Features

Research assistants, Megan Galvin, left, and Jenna Kokoskie, right, taking samples at the site of the Cover Crop Cocktails experiment at Penn State. Photo by Emma Rice.

Farmer-inspired cover crop research yields more than a decade of insights

August 13, 2026

Head, heart, and hands: The science of effective climate communication

July 29, 2026

Figure 1. Classification of plant nutrients according to essentiality, function, mobility, and common uptake forms.

Understanding the foundations of fertilizer recommendations

July 17, 2026

Soil Riddles

Question mark inside a magnifying glass, laying on soil.

Soil riddles: August 2026

July 31, 2026

Presidents Picks

President's pick with Aaron Lee M. Daigh.

President's pick: SSSA Research August 2026

July 27, 2026

CANVAS Academy

Webinar: Mixed Cover Crops in Corn-Soybean Systems

CANVAS speakers