agriculture soil News
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High levels of glyphosate in agricultural soil: ‘Extension of approval not prudent.’
There has been a great deal of discussion about the use and extension of the approval of use of glyphosate as a herbicide. Glyphosate is the most used herbicide in Europe. In 2016 the approval by the European Commission for the use of this agent expired. However, an extension of approval of use is currently being discussed. One of the conditions of this is that the agent cannot have a negative ...
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10 Frequently Asked Questions about soils
Why are soils important? Soils are the basis of life for a large number of plants and animals. Next, to their importance for biodiversity, soils are the essential substrate on which most agricultural plants grow. It means that this is where the food we eat comes from. In addition to that, soils play an important role in the structuration of the ground, which is essential for any sort of ...
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How much water is used for irrigation in European agriculture?
Agriculture plays a large role in the management of water in the EU. However, there is little consistent information on water use in irrigation. New EU supported research has estimated how much water is used for irrigation in European countries, providing a framework to analyse agricultural pressures on water quantity. Water scarcity is an increasing problem in the EU and the situation is ...
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New irrigation strategies for pecans in humid climates
Georgia is the largest pecan producing state in the U.S. Although this humid region receives an average of 127 cm or more rainfall annually, periods of moisture stress can occur during the pecan growing season, particularly during August and September when pecans are in the kernel-filling stage and water demand is at its peak. Pecan producers throughout the region depend on irrigation strategies ...
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A new tool to assess nitrogen and phosphorus flow in agriculture
MITERRA-EUROPE is a new tool that models the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus, among other key pollutants, used in agriculture across all 27 Member States at regional, country and EU-27 levels. It can be used to calculate the effects of different strategies to minimise excess pollution. Many regions in the EU-27 use more nitrogen and phosphorus in agriculture than is required. The main sources ...
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Soil Health Films Document Conservation Work of Southwestern Farmers and Conservationists
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) has released two short films that showcase the efforts of farmers and conservationists in the San Luis Valley of Colorado to address agricultural challenges through improved soil health. “There are a lot of resources regarding soil health in the midwestern and eastern regions, but we identified an opportunity to share the unique challenges ...
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Study by ARS microbiologist in Texas shows farming practices’ benefits to soil quality
The first evaluation of alternative farming practices—based on changes in soil microbes—in the Texas High Plains has been done by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. Soil microbiologist Veronica Acosta-Martinez has also done a similar analysis for land in USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a first nationally. Changes in microbes can give a relatively early indication as to ...
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Integrating animal and crop production can reduce nutrient leaching from agricultural fields
Nutrient leaching, the movement of plant nutrients from soil to water, can have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems due to eutrophication, which reduces the oxygen available in water, causing species and habitat loss. Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA), which is based on ecological principles and integrates crop production and animal husbandry, may limit this effect. This study ...
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Africa, India to boost agricultural technology cooperation
[CHENNAI] Africa and India will boost cooperation in agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a view to achieving food security by 2015. The Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the European Market Research Centre (EMRC) this month, to facilitate ICRISAT's ...
By SciDev.Net
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Iowa’s Corn Farmers Celebrate Soil & Water Conservation Week
Iowa has 71,665 miles of streams and more than 11,000 different types of soil. Both resources are precious to the productivity of our state. Farmers celebrate soil and water every day but, Soil and Water Conservation Week April 28 to May 2, is a good time to recognize Iowa’s innovations to conserve both soil and water resources. “We haven’t reached perfection, yet” said ...
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Agricultural Bacteria: Blowing in the Wind
It was all too evident during the Dust Bowl what a disastrous impact wind can have on dry, unprotected topsoil. Now a new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. Using a powerful DNA sequencing technique, called ...
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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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BiOWiSH™-Hydroponic receives Organic Certification
July 18, 2011 For Immediate Release CHICAGO, IL - The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has certified BiOWiSH™-Hydroponic as an organic material. BiOWiSH™-Hydroponic is a commercial fertilizer that helps stimulate microbial activity, increase nutrient availability and improve plant vigor, while preventing sludge build-up and problematic scaling in dripper lines, ...
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No-till improves near-surface soil properties
Near-surface soil aggregate structural properties such as aggregate size distribution, stability, strength, and wettability determine the extent to which a soil will erode under water or wind erosive forces. Knowledge of aggregate structural properties is especially important in semiarid regions, such as the Great Plains, where low precipitation, high evaporation, and variable biomass production ...
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Europe rejects GM crops as new report highlights 20 years of failures
All 19 government requests for bans of GM crop cultivation have gone unchallenged by biotech companies, pathing the way for two thirds of the EU’s farmland and population to remain GM-free [1]. The growing opposition to GM crops coincides with a new Greenpeace report reviewing evidence of GM environmental risks, market failures, and increased pesticide use [2]. Greenpeace EU food policy ...
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Grass-based farming systems: Soil conservation and environmental quality
Crop selection and sequence can have a profound effect on the environment and on farm profitability. According to Chapter 7, “Grass-based Farming Systems: Soil Conservation and Environmental Quality” by Jeremy W. Singer, Alan J. Franzluebbers, and Douglas L. Karlen in the book, Grassland Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture, the basis for a productive agricultural system should ...
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Black Worm Castings/VermaPlex Can Replace Harmful Chemical Fertilizers
Whether you have a farm or home garden, the health of the soil directly correlates to the quality of the fruit and vegetables. The healthy soil movement is centered around bringing attention to the fact that fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are killing our soil and seeping into our food supply. Our soil is depleted of essential nutrients, fungi and bacteria due to decades of agricultural ...
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Dutch university uses PlantCare technology
Dutch university Wageningen UR uses PlantCare equipment for soil moisture research in their greenhouse horticulture facilities in Bleiswijk, The Netherlands. 6 PlantCare wireless sensors, for recording soil moisture and soil temperature, and a PlantControl CX wireless data logger with modem, for sending the data to an email address, are being used. PlantCare’s worldwide patented sensor ...
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S3 Enterprises Announces the S3 Legacy Project
S3 Enterprises, a shortline farm equipment manufacturer located in Swift Current, SK, announced the release of the S3 Legacy Project on December 1, 2020 through its social media accounts. In a world where people care about how their food is produced, the S3 Legacy Project logo helps consumers identify products, services, and best practices that contribute to agricultural stewardship. The S3 ...
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Newly Revised Ohio Agronomy Guide for Sale
A lot can change in 12 years. That’s why the 2005 edition of the Ohio Agronomy Guide was just revised to offer the most up-to-date guidelines for planting corn, soybeans, wheat and forages in Ohio, managing the pests they attract and enriching the soil in which they grow. All the guidelines offered in the book are specific to Ohio and based on research in Ohio fields. If a farmer, forced ...
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