How do soil microarthropods affect crop production?

Most people rarely think of the thousands, if not millions, of living things they step on every day. Soil mesofauna are the tiny arthropods that live beneath our feet, ranging in size from 100µm to 2mm, which is comparable to a grain of salt. This intermediate size category of soil arthropods includes microarthropods, a group …

How does root depth affect the nearby soil?

Roots are not passive actors in the exchange of nutrients with soil. Their growth helps the plant, and the environment!

Soils and your Thanksgiving meal

As you sit around your Thanksgiving table this year, we thought we’d give you some ideas about current research topics that help bring you your dinner. In addition to the growers who tended your food, perhaps you’ll also be thankful for the research scientists working behind the scenes to help us have a sustainable food …

What are scientists doing to help us grow crops as the climate changes?

There are several factors to address with your question. The first is that we are expecting to continue to feed the world on less land each year. As we continue to build towns and cities on former farm land, we expect more from the farm land that remains. Second, the world’s population is expected to …

Why do farmers use fertilizers?

A large sprayer applies nitrogen fertilizer to a field. The equipment is assisted by technology that optimizes the application of fertilizer—using it only where needed on the field. This reduces cost to the grower. Photo credit: Bill Raun Soils naturally contain many nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, and potassium. These nutrients allow plants to grow. …

What is “precision agriculture” and why is it important?

Question: What is “precision agriculture” and why is it important? Answer: Precision agriculture is one of many modern farming practices that make production more efficient. With precision agriculture, farmers and soils work better, not harder. A better name for precision ag might be “site-specific ag”. Growers are able to take large fields and manage them …