Agricultural & Forestry Science

A machine acquired by Mahfuzur Rahman, University of Arkansas assistant professor of food science, is used to treat rice seeds with cold plasma for a study examining its effects on plant growth and protection from the fall armyworm. Image Credit: Image courtesy of Rupesh Kariyat
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Cold Plasma Seeds: Boosting Plant Health and Reducing Pesticides

Scientists treat seeds with cold plasma, measure impact on plant growth, insect defense The same substance that paints the sky with the Northern Lights also appears to enhance plant growth and insect defense, according to a new study. Food science and entomology researchers from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station teamed up to harness plasma and measure its effects on rice seed. The project began after Mahfuzur Rahman, assistant professor of food science, acquired a machine that produces cold plasma. Known…

Agricultural & Forestry Science

Scientists Identify Genes for Larger Tomatoes and Eggplants

Bigger, tastier tomatoes and eggplants could soon grace our dinner plates thanks to Johns Hopkins scientists who have discovered genes that control how large the fruits will grow. The research—led by teams at Johns Hopkins University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory—could lead to the development of new varieties of heirloom tomatoes and eggplants, including those that help support agriculture in areas around the world where local varieties are currently too small for large-scale production. Findings were published in the journal Nature. “Once…

Working on a bioreactor. Manuel Gutjahr. ATB
Agricultural & Forestry Science

High-Value Biorefinery Concept Reduces Waste and Boosts Innovation

What does it mean if our economy works without fossil raw materials such as oil and gas? The logical answer is that we will have to create value almost exclusively with biological, renewable resources. This so-called bioeconomy presents us with major challenges, both locally and globally. Researchers from Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam recently published a concept paper in the scientific Biofuel Research Journal, which combines common bioeconomy models into a comprehensive concept. They describe what…

Image Credit: Xiujie LIU, Kai HUANG, Chengcai CHU
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Nitrogen’s Role in Transforming Plant Root Systems

In soil, nitrogen (N), an essential macronutrient for plant growth, exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. This necessitates plants to grapple with a complex array of environmental conditions in their quest for N sustenance. Roots, as the pivotal organs in N acquisition, manifest a remarkable morphological plasticity, including variations in the length and density of primary roots, lateral roots, and root hairs, in response to the form and content of available N, which is termed N-dependent root system architecture (RSA). For cultivated crops, the…

YoungA. Nipumuflowers. Image Credit: Abbo et al., 2025/PhytoKeys
Agricultural & Forestry Science

New Manzanita Species Discovered and Facing Threats

Famously twisted shrub mainly grows in California A new species of manzanita — a native California shrub famous for its twisted branches and wildfire resilience — has been discovered on the central coast, but its survival is already threatened by urban development that could destroy much of its fragile population. The discovery is detailed in a new study published in PhytoKeys, where researchers used genetic analysis to confirm the plant as a distinct species. Named Arctostaphylos nipumu to honor the…

A honeybee doing the waggle dance to entice her sisters to a tasty food source. Image Credit: Photo by Roger Schürch for Virginia Tech.
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Honeybee Dance Styles Impact Food Foraging Success

Researchers in the Department of Entomology found that the secret to the bees’ success in food gathering is all in the “waggle.” As far as animals go, honeybees are world-class dancers. While not as deep and complex as a Super Bowl half-time show, the bees’ moves, known as the “waggle” dance, convey very specific food foraging instructions to their nestmates. The direction the dancer moves explains to other bees which way to go, and the duration of the waggle dance,…

Researchers turned to glass beads to produce an environmentally compatible, sustained-release fertilizer. Image Credit: Adapted from ACS Agricultural Science & Technology, 2025, DOI: 10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00243
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Glass Fertilizer Beads: A Sustainable Nutrient Delivery System

Agricultural fertilizers are critical for feeding the world’s population, restoring soil fertility and sustaining crops. Excessive and inefficient use of those resources can present an environmental threat, contaminating waterways and generating greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology have addressed those challenges with glass fertilizer beads. The beads control nutrient release, and the researchers say they’re environmentally compatible. “The results show that glass fertilizers can be tailored to plant needs, slowly and…

Becca Muenich, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering. Image Credit: U of A System Division of Agriculture photo.
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Machine Learning Enhances Sustainability in Animal Feeding Operations

Model predicts presence of animal feeding operations with 87 percent accuracy. Understanding where farm animals are raised is crucial for managing their environmental impacts and developing technological solutions, but gaps in data often make it challenging to get the full picture. Becca Muenich, biological and agricultural engineering researcher, set out to fill the gap with a new technique for mapping animal feeding operations. Without proper control strategies, the waste generated by these operations can pose significant ecological harm, Muenich said,…

The National Champion Tree Program will begin taking nominations for new Champion Trees on February 28. Crowned champions, like Frémont’s Cottonwood National Champion in Arizona (pictured), will appear in the 2025-2026 register. Image Credit: Photo credit: Brian Kelley, Gathering Growth Foundation, with permission from American Forests.
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Nominations Open for U.S. Champion Trees This February

The National Champion Tree Program to take nominations for next register through August  The National Champion Tree Program (NCTP) will take nominations for new Champion Trees on its website starting February 28. The list of eligible tree species for the 2025-2026 register includes more than 1,200 species of trees native and naturalized to the U.S., a steep increase from the 900 species eligible for the 2024 register. It is available online in the Register of Champion Trees. Nominations for potential Champions will stay…

The study’s lead author, Sara Gonzalez, and co-authors Hadley Kerr and Maggie Aydlett, record phenotyping data at WHOI’s Environmental Systems. Image Credit: ©Woods Hole Oceanographic
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Heat-Resistant Kelp Strain Discovered by Woods Hole Scientists

A new strain of kelp can help support sustainable farming  Like most aquatic vegetation, kelp is being negatively impacted by climate change. Warming ocean temperatures have led to shorter growing and harvesting seasons, including for sugar kelp, one of the most commonly farmed kelp species. The loss of kelp populations can significantly impact ecosystems, and potentially the growing demand for sustainably farming food, feed, fertilizer, medicine, and cosmetics. To give kelp a chance against climate change, scientists from the Woods…

Shadi Atallah studied forest landowners’ willingness to pay for invasive species control. Image Credit: College of ACES
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Understanding Landowner Motivation to Control Invasive Species

Many U.S. forests are privately owned, particularly in the Eastern and North Central part of the country. This makes control of invasive plants and pests challenging because efforts must be coordinated across landowners. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how differences in ownership motivation affects willingness to control, and how economic incentives can be implemented most efficiently. “Some own the land for recreational purposes, some own it because they want to produce timber, and some are…

Australian Innovation Sifts Space for Cosmic Mysteries
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Australian Innovation Sifts Space for Cosmic Mysteries

Wajarri artist, Judith Anaru, painted a fast radio burst as part of a series commissioned by CSIRO to celebrate the research being undertaken with CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country. Image Credit: Judith Anaru, CRAFT, 2019 The first trial of an Australian-developed technology has detected mysterious objects by sifting through signals from space like sand on a beach. The first trial of an Australian-developed technology has detected mysterious objects by sifting through signals from space like sand on a…

A smallholder farm in Vihiga County in Western Kenya.
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Kenya Study Unveils Complexity of Tree-Planting Schemes

Research with smallholder farmers in Kenya shows that tree-planting schemes must account for complex local issues and preferences. Tree planting is central to many countries’ climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation goals, and Kenya alone plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. Adding trees and shrubs to farmland (called agroforestry) can boost biodiversity, carbon storage, soil health, food production and income. But many tree-planting schemes overlook diversity and promote a narrow range of species. The new study – led by…

Agricultural & Forestry Science

Winter Storm Lothar: Impact on Swiss Forests and Innovation

On the morning of December 26, 1999, the winter storm “Lothar” swept across Switzerland, knocking down around 14 million cubic meters of wood, three times the annual logging volume. WSL experts answer numerous questions about how the forest is doing 25 years later. Citations: “Lothar showed us the damage that extreme events can cause. In the Swiss Plateau, the extent of the damage was unprecedented. Today we would say, ‘inconceivable’.” Thomas Wohlgemuth, disturbance ecologist at WSL “A windthrow event shakes…

Satellite image showcasing humus changes and soil fertility monitoring.
Agricultural & Forestry Science

Humus Observation from Space: A Giant Peek into Mankind

The humus content of soils is one of the most important indicators of soil fertility. Detecting humus changes by sampling soils is very time-consuming and expensive. A new method enables the direct observation of humus changes with satellite images. Posing a threat to soil fertility and sustainable farming, the humus stock of agricultural soils in Germany is declining. Researchers from the Thünen Institute of Farm Economics have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by demonstrating that changes in humus content can be…

Agricultural & Forestry Science

New Tool Helps Identify Thriving Plants for Better Yields

With growing concerns over climate change and overpopulation, we urgently need to boost agricultural productivity. With the goal of creating a way to easily tell whether a plant is thriving or dying, a leaf-mounted sensor was created by researchers at Tohoku University. This small but mighty technology could help improve crop yields and resource management in order to meet ever-growing demands. Extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rain, and droughts stress plants, which can reduce crop yields and threaten the…

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