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Researchers Discover a Unique Bacterial Property, Potential Target for Treating and Diagnosing Lyme Disease
With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), Virginia Tech researchers have discovered a unique property in the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, making it a…
Impact
Treating Mastitis with Good Bacteria
Since 2009, the U.S. goat industry has experienced a 57% increase in dairy operations, according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service. Today, U.S. goat milk sales exceed $90 million. However, like all dairy animals, goats are…
Impact
Building STEM Pathways for Students of Color
A shortage of skilled graduates with science degrees in natural resources exists in the United States, creating a need for the next generation of natural resource scientists. To help meet this need, and to encourage more students of…
Impact
Researchers Reveal Strategies to Help Dairy Farmers Adapt to Climate Change
Dairy farmers in the Northeast facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting…
Impact
Destructive Onion Virus Evolving, Spreading
Iris yellow spot virus is continuing to pose a danger to onion crops by evolving and spreading, according to research from Washington State University (WSU) virologists. Named for its original host plant, Iris yellow spot has…
Impact
Microbe Sneaks Past Tomato Defense System, Advances Evolutionary Battle
When we think of evolution, many of us conjure the lineage from ape to man, a series of incremental changes spanning millions of years. But in some species, evolution happens so quickly we can watch it in real time. That’s the case…
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Incorporating Alfalfa in Forage Systems Could Lead to Environmental Benefits
When implementing grazing management strategies, one of the key tools to success is using temporary fencing technology, courtesy of University of Georgia by Justin Burt. Alfalfa, once a dominant forage in Georgia, is the third-highest…
Impact
With Modified Mashing Process, Gluten-Free Grains Can Produce Quality Beers
Using a modified, lower temperature mashing procedure to retain enzyme activity, brewers can use malts from gluten-free grains to produce high-quality beers, according to Penn State University researchers who conducted a new…
Impact
New “Onion Devourer” Bacteria Found by University of Georgia Researchers
University of Georgia (UGA) researchers have identified a new species of bacteria, which they have named Pseudomonas alliivorans — from “allium vorans,” which translates as onion devourer or eater. As part of a multistate, four…
Impact
Researchers Develop Ice Cube That Doesn’t Melt or Grow Mold
Researchers have developed a new cooling cube to cut down on cross-contamination, that won't melt, is compostable, and plastic-free, courtesy of Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have…
Impact
Adaptive Swarm Robotics Could Revolutionize Smart Agriculture
Image of aerial drone; courtesy of Getty Images. Texas A&M University researchers are working to establish a configurable, adaptive, and scalable swarm system consisting of unmanned ground and aerial robots designed to…
Impact
Study Finds Deer May Be Reservoir for SARS-CoV-2
Young white-tailed fawn, courtesy of Getty Images. More than 80 percent of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of Iowa between December 2020 and January 2021 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The percentage of SARS-CoV-2…
Impact
As-Needed Pesticide Use Brings Wild Bees, Increases Watermelon Yield Without Reducing Corn Profits
Purdue University researchers found as-needed pesticide use increased pollination from wild bees and increased watermelon yield. Image courtesy of Purdue University’s Tom Campbell. Many farmers rent beehives to pollinate crops, but…
Impact
Study Predicts Two Popular American Foods Surprisingly Resilient to Climate Change
A stand of potatoes and tomatoes at a market, courtesy of Adobe Stock. A new study led by researchers at the University of Florida predicts that the supply chains for two of Americans’ most popular plant-based foods,…
Impact
Plant-Based Jet Fuel Could Reduce Emissions by 68 Percent
Field of carinata in full bloom in Seminole County, Georgia, courtesy of Ramdeo Seepaul, (North Florida Research & Education Center, University of Florida). After four years of searching, scientists have found a new plant-based…
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Novel Lighting System Designed for Machine Vision Module of Agricultural Robots
Machine vision demonstration, courtesy of Penn State University. A novel camera system using active lighting devised by Penn State University researchers may be a crucial step in developing machine vision systems that allow…
Impact
Researchers Look for Ways to Boost Bee-Friendly Practices
Honey bee on an almond flower, courtesy of Adobe Stock. Almonds are big business in California, which grows 80 percent of the world's crop with a value of $5.62 billion. To get those almonds to grow, farmers need bees to pollinate…
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Microgreens Go from Trendy Vegetables to Functional Food
Sprouts of micro green broccoli, courtesy of Adobe Stock. Starting decades ago as fashionable, high-value gourmet greens, today microgreens have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional profile and high content of…
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Advanced Model and Field Data Add Up to Better Cover Crop Management
Image of cover crop of winter rapeseed; courtesy of Getty Images Cover crops are widely seen as one of the most promising conservation practices, improving soil health while also removing carbon from the atmosphere. But while the…
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Increasing Food Security on the U.S. Virgin Islands
Mango, avocado, and papaya trees, courtesy of University of the Virgin Islands. As Virgin Islanders mobilize to increase their food security, the University of the Virgin Islands’ Caribbean Green Technology Center and the Community…
Impact
A Study of Nutrient Return Speed in Sorghum-Sudangrass Varieties
Image of field of sorghum sudangrass; courtesy of Adobe Stock. University of Kentucky (UK) senior Brandon Dooley is studying whether sorghum-sudangrass with a brown midrib trait adds nutrients back to soil quicker than varieties…
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Key to Controlling Mosquitoes May Reside in Their Gut Microbiota
Like many other mosquito species, the common house mosquito requires certain vitamins to grow. These nutrients are extremely unstable in aquatic environments, and UGA researchers have found that gut microbes have to produce these…
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Diverse Land Cover Boosts Yields for Major U.S. Crops
Aerial drone image of fields with diverse crop growth; courtesy of Getty Images. Diverse land cover can boost yields for major U.S. crops like corn and wheat, a new study shows. The findings run counter to previous assumptions that…
Impact
Researchers Identify a Gene that Regulates the Angle of Root Growth in Corn
The discovery of a gene that regulates the angle of root growth in corn is a new tool to enable the breeding of deeper-rooting crops with enhanced ability to take up nitrogen, according to an international team of researchers, led by…
Impact
Nitrous Oxide Emissions Coming from Legume Cover Crops, Manure, Can Be Reduced
Nitrogen input from legume cover crops and manure prior to corn planting made the corn phase of rotations the main source of nitrous oxide emissions. Corn field image courtesy of Adobe Stock. The application of manure after the…