Plant gene discovery could enhance plant growth, reduce fertilizer needs and phosphate pollution
Scientists have uncovered the genes that enable plants to interact with beneficial soil dwelling fungi and to access phosphate delivered to the roots by these fungi...

Using A Companion Crop To Control Weeds Organically
Organic soybean producers may be able to use winter cereal rye as an inter-seeded companion crop to control weeds, according to research led by a Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) crop and soil scientist.

Pest Control Breakthrough From A Spider's Stomach
DNA found in a spider's stomach could herald a breakthrough in the fight against farm pests, which cause millions of dollars of damage to crops.

Plant Pathologists Evaluate Eco-friendly Alternatives To Methyl Bromide
Alternatives to a powerful pesticide that was found be an ozone depletor are now being evaluated in agricultural production areas of Florida, say plant pathologists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

Controlled alternate partial root-zone irrigation: its physiological consequences and impact on water use efficiency
Controlled alternate partial root-zone irrigation is a new irrigation technique and may improve the water use efficiency of crop production without significant yield reduction...

Grain yields with limited water
Plant reproduction is sensitive to water deficits, especially during the early phases when development may cease irreversibly even though the parent remains alive.

Irrigation scheduling: advantages and pitfalls of plant-based methods
This paper reviews the various methods available for irrigation scheduling, contrasting traditional water-balance and soil moisture-based approaches with those based on sensing of the plant response to water deficits.

Growing Crops To Cope With Climate Change
Scientists at the UK's leading plant science centre have uncovered a gene that could help to develop new varieties of crop that will be able to cope with the changing world climate.

Preserving The Grain Crop Finger Millet
Seeds of finger millet, a staple grain in parts of Africa and India, are now being preserved and studied by scientists.

Food-crop Yields In Future Greenhouse-gas Conditions Lower Than Expected
Open-air field trials involving five major food crops grown under carbon-dioxide levels projected for the future are harvesting dramatically less bounty than those raised in earlier greenhouse and other enclosed test conditions.

Double crops, cut the acreage by 2010, predicts scientist
Imagine two crops of corn or soybeans each growing season. Plant in March, harvest in July. Plant another crop, harvest in November.

Helping Beneficial Fungi Work
Certain fertilizers can actually inhibit beneficial, naturally occurring fungi that help plants use water and nutrients while suppressing diseases, according to a scientist.

With Just A Sprinkle, Plants Soak Up More Selenium
Because of their ability to sop up selenium, some plants have been enlisted in efforts to clean up soils and wastewater that have an excess of this potentially toxic element.

How Will Rising CO2 Affect Nitrogen Use?
Wheat grown under elevated levels of carbon dioxide over the next half-century will need slightly more nitrogen to grow, but not as much as previously predicted, according to a two-year study.

New Protection For Peanuts From Aflatoxin
Peanut farmers now have a biological pesticide for protecting their crops from fungi that produce aflatoxin.

Fight Between Genetically Modified Organisms And The Bugs They Repel May Not Be Over
For all the promise of crops genetically modified to resist pests, the miracles of the laboratory are only good until the bugs outsmart them.

Great Plains Farmers Are Diversifying
The days of growing wheat every other year or two and leaving the ground bare the rest of the time are a thing of the past in the Great Plains states.

Genome Study Of Beneficial Microbe May Help Boost Plant Health
In a study expected to greatly benefit crop plants, scientists have deciphered the genome of a root- and seed-dwelling bacterium that protects plants from diseases...

Fight Weeds With Plant Pathogens
Although plant pathogens are typically viewed as detrimental, plant pathologists say plant pathogens may be a successful, eco-friendly tool for managing weeds.

Management to reduce nitrogen losses in animal production
This review quantifies N losses for various animal production strategies and to discuss the major management options available for reducing these losses.