soil science News
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
Helping quinoa brave the heat
Quinoa is a healthy food many know and love. As its popularity grows, more farmers are interested in planting it. However, the plant doesn’t do well in high temperatures, so plant breeders are trying to help. Many of the current methods for seeing if a quinoa plant is heat tolerant are time-consuming and expensive. Researchers, led by professor Kevin Murphy at Washington State University, ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
Cranfield collaboration with business recognised at Knowledge Transfer Partnership awards
Cranfield has been shortlisted in three categories for two of its business projects at this year’s prestigious Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) Awards, which celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals and organisations. The University’s work with Produce World, one of the UK’s largest vegetable growers and suppliers, has been nominated for the RCUK Research Base ...
-
Tillage and reduced-input rotations affect runoff from agricultural fields
A new study from researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service provides information about runoff under different management practices and can help farmers choose the practice that is best for them. No-till management practices can reduce soil erosion, but evidence suggests they can also lead to increased runoff of dissolved phosphorus from soil surfaces. Meanwhile, farmers looking to ...
-
Free webinar: Managing nutrients after the drought
Join a panel of experts as they discuss how to practice good nutrient management in the wake of this year's drought Sponsored by the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council and hosted by the American Society of Agronomy The drought of 2012 will long be remembered for its devastating effects on crops across a huge swath of North America's most productive soils. And while late summer rains eased ...
-
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Present 2012 Scholarships and Fellowships
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) announce the following 2012 Scholarships and Fellowships. These awards will be formally presented during their Annual Meetings, Oct. 21-24, 2012 in Cincinnati, OH. American Society of Agronomy Scholarships: The Hank Beachell Future Leader Scholarship, funded through the ...
-
Nutrient Management Plans: A Study in Cause and Effect
It seems practical on the surface. Nutrient management plans (NMPs) should supply plants with ideal amounts of nutrients, minimize runoff, and maintain or even improve the soil condition. And the farmer behind the plan would work with a set of conservation practices designed to reduce harmful pollutants while still obtaining optimal crop yields. However, many U.S. Animal Feeding Operations ...
-
Nitrogen fertilizers` impact on lawn soils
Nitrogen fertilizers from farm fields often end up in aquatic ecosystems, resulting in water quality problems, such as toxic algae and underwater ‘dead zones’. There are concerns that fertilizers used on lawns may also contribute to these problems. All of the lawns in the United States cover an area almost as large as Florida, making turfgrass our largest ‘crop’ and lawn ...
-
American society of agronomy presents 2011 class of fellows
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) will recognize the following individuals at the 2011 Awards Ceremony during their Annual Meeting on Oct. 16-19 in San Antonio, TX, www.acsmeetings.org. ASA has been selecting outstanding members as Fellows since 1924. Members of the Society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Only .3 percent of the ...
-
American society of agronomy announces 2011 award recipients
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) will recognize the following individuals at the 2011 Awards Ceremony during their Annual Meeting on Oct. 16-19 in San Antonio, TX, www.acsmeetings.org. Drew Lyon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Agronomic Extension Education Award. Drew Lyon is the Fenster Professor of dryland agriculture and extension dryland cropping systems specialist at the ...
-
Analyzing agroforestry management
The evaluation of both nutrient and non-nutrient resource interactions provides information needed to sustainably manage agroforestry systems. Improved diagnosis of appropriate nutrient usage will help increase yields and also reduce financial and environmental costs. To achieve this, a management support system that allows for site-specific evaluation of nutrient-production imbalances is needed. ...
-
American society of agronomy
Recycling manure is an important practice, especially for large livestock producers. Manure can be used as fertilizer to aid in crop production, aiding livestock producers that grow their own feed crops. While manure does provide a rich nutrient source for crops, it also can contribute to nutrient leaching and runoff. This can contaminate the surrounding ecosystem and lead to eutrophication of ...
-
Improve crop yield by removing manure solids
Manure has long been used as a crop fertilizer, but the challenge of finding an efficient use of the nutrients found in manure is ever present. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in manure is low in relation to the nutrient needs of most crops. Therefore, crops tend to be overloaded with manure to meet the nitrogen requirement of agricultural crops, but the excess phosphorus from the process can ...
-
Iron deficiency in soil threatens soybean production
An expansion of soybean production into areas where soybean has seldom, if ever, been grown can be problematic for some farmers. Soils having high pH values and large amounts of calcium and/or magnesium carbonate are notoriously iron deficient. Iron deficient soils in the North Central United States are estimated to reduce soy bean production by 12.5 million bushels every year. John Wiersma, a ...
-
Paul Tracy elected to certified crop adviser board
Dr. Paul W. Tracy of Columbia, MO, has been elected to the position of Vice-Chair on the International Certified Crop Adviser (ICCA) Board. He will begin his term in January 2011, and he will become chair in January of 2012. Tracy succeeds Russell Duncan of South Carolina, who will become Chair of the ICCA Board in January 2011. Tracy received a B.S. degree in agriculture from Montana State ...
-
Southern soils mitigate manure microbes
That swine manure sprayed on to fields adds valuable nutrients to the soil is well known. But what is not known is whether all that manure is bringing harmful bacteria with it. A new study looks at the levels of nutrients and bacteria in soils of fields that have been sprayed with manure for fifteen years or more. The research team, composed of scientists from the USDA-ARS Crop Science Research ...
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you