soil science News
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Effect of afforestation on soil fungal community structure is greater than spatial distance
Afforestation is an important strategy to enhance terrestrial carbon sink. It alters regional landscapes and affects microbial processes in soil ecosystems. In particular, soil fungi, which play an important role in carbon and nitrogen cycling, could be greatly affected. However, at a watershed scale, the changes of soil fungal communities under afforestation could not only be influenced by host ...
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IAgrE Fellow & CEnv Jane Rickson Honoured
Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) Fellow and Chartered Environmentalist Professor Jane Rickson wins a 2021 Top 50 Women in Engineering Award. IAgrE Fellow Jane Rickson, Professor of Soil Erosion and Conservation at Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, Cranfield University, has been honoured with a Top 50 Women in Engineering Award from the Women’s Engineering Society. The ...
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Salmon provide nutrients to Alaskan streambanks
Adult Pacific salmon spend a great portion of their life in the ocean. But their life began along the banks of freshwater streams. Their life will end there, as well. These important steps in the lifecycle of salmon play a role in the health of streambank ecosystems. David D’Amore and a team of scientists studied how different soils respond to the delivery of “salmon-derived ...
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Microbes play important role in soil’s nitrogen cycle
Under our feet, in the soil, is a wealth of microbial activity. Just like humans have different metabolisms and food choices, so do those microbes. In fact, microbes play an important role in making nutrients available to plants. A recent review paper from Xinda Lu and his team looks at different roles that various soil microbes have in soil’s nitrogen cycle. Lu is a researcher at ...
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Cover crops can benefit hot, dry soils
The Southern High Plains of the United States have low annual rainfall. When it does rain, though, intense storms can cause severe soil erosion. Strong winds also strip away valuable topsoil. Usually grown during seasons when primary crops aren’t cultivated, cover crops can include legumes such as pea and hairy vetch, or grassy crops like oats and barley. Cover crops do more than just ...
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Preparing Plants for our Future Climate
Planning is something we all do. As individuals, we may be planning for next weekend or our future retirement. Farmers and plant breeders are also planning for a future. The crops we currently depend on will need grow under different conditions – due to climate change. Some weather conditions are easy to control. Scientists can set the temperature in a greenhouse and control how much ...
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Do soils need a low-salt diet?
Doctors often tell their patients to reduce their salt intake as part of a healthy lifestyle. When we start looking at food labels, we may find salt in surprising places – like baked goods, drinks and canned foods. While you may try to keep an eye on your personal salt intake, you have probably never given much thought to how much salt there is in the soil under your feet. As many people ...
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Forest soils recovering from effects of acid rain
Before the United States 1970 Clean Air Act, rainfall all over the country was acidic. As precipitation would fall from the sky, it would mix with gases from industrial plants, emissions from cars, and especially coal and fossil fuel consumption. That caused the water to become acidic – also called “acid rain.” Besides the air pollution hurting plants and humans, this acid rain ...
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Drones effective tools for fruit farmers
People have used the phrase “drone on and on” for a long time. Webster’s dictionary defines this figure of speech as “to speak for a long time in a dull voice without saying anything interesting.” Yet, in agriculture, drones aren’t dull, at all! Farmers use drones to be more efficient. Drones help farmers improve yields and stay ahead of problems before they ...
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Star fruit could be the new “star” of Florida agriculture
It’s not just oranges that grow in Florida. Carambola, or star fruit as most in the United States call it, is gaining popularity. One researcher from Florida International University is researching how cover crops can help the sustainability of star fruit farms.“Tropical fruit production has become a prominent practice in Miami-Dade County,” says Ariel Freidenreich. “For ...
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Helping plant nurseries reduce runoff
You may have heard how excess nutrients, such as phosphorus, can run off of crop fields. This can cause harm when the nutrients end up in rivers and lakes. However, there are other sources of excess nutrients you might not think of, such as the pots nursery plants come in. Before being shipped to farmers and garden centers, many tree crops and ornamental plants are grown in pots at nurseries. ...
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New product innovations by CID Bio-Science to debut at international conference
New tech will be the focus of US firm CID Bio-Science, Inc. at the 2019 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, one of the largest global gatherings of scientists and researchers in the plant and environmental science community in November. The conference, Embracing the Digital Environment, is being organized by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil ...
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New PED Talks Video Series Digs into Soil Health
A series of 10-to-15-minute, science-centered “PED Talks” on soil health has been posted on YouTube. Soil peds are aggregated particles of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. Like their namesake, PED Talks combine soil-related topics including explanations of soil health, how we can improve it, and the progress that’s being made to ensure we have the healthy soils necessary to ...
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Foundation for Agronomic Research Names John D. Jones Director
Washington, D.C. – The Fertilizer Institute today announced the selection of John D. Jones as the Director of the Foundation for Agronomic Research. Jones will provide oversight of the 4R Research Fund, coordinate a 4R Researcher network, and support other strategies to advance 4R nutrient stewardship. The 4R Research Fund is a science-based research initiative aimed at improving ...
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Mineral content of soils key to physical and chemical behavior
Many aspects of the physical and chemical behavior of soils are directly related to the minerals present. “This includes shrink-swell behavior, soil structure, availability of nutrients, and the fate of contaminants that enter the soil,” according to Judith Turk, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The “Soil Mineralogy” symposium at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure ...
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Treating citrus greening with copper: Effects on trees, soils
Citrus greening is a major challenge for Florida growers. The disease destroys the production, appearance, and economic value of citrus trees and their fruit. Trees decline and die within three years. Researchers at the University of Florida and other institutions are searching for cures and treatments to reduce citrus greening effects. The “Influence of Foliar Copper Application Rate on ...
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Carbon cycling in forest soils research presented
Just as individual humans have different microbial communities in their guts, the microbial communities living in soils vary from site to site as well. Recent research compared the decomposition rates of wood stakes over eight sites to gain an understanding of soil microbes in forests. The activity of soil microbes can also tell a story of the value of carbon storage in soil. The ...
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Mining for answers on abandoned mines
Soil scientist Jim Ippolito believes in local solutions to local problems. The problem he’s working on is contaminated soils near abandoned mines. In the western United States 160,000 abandoned mines contaminate soils in the region. Ippolito, associate professor of soil science at Colorado State University, hopes to solve this problem with biochar, a charcoal-like substance that can ...
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Quality Organic Fertilizers & Soil Amendments at an Affordable Price
Our health starts with our soil. If the soil in our farms and gardens is depleted of life because of chemical and fertilization, the food will be sterile and not healthy. They key to a healthy body, soul, and mind is organically grown food that is full of life. “When the things we put into our bodies are healthy, our bodies are able to utilize the nutrients with very little energy. This ...
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Writing an equation for soil success
Soil isn’t one size fits all. It may look the same under your feet – but under a microscope, that’s a different story. A plant’s roots, tiny bugs – these things can tell one soil from another quite easily. Soil scientists typically measure different aspects of soil — how much air it contains, how well it retains water, heat, and more — to determine if it ...
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