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Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences Articles
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Understanding the role of the soil microbiome in plant health
Long-term security of U.S. food and fiber production depends upon healthy soils to produce healthy plants. While scientific understanding of the importance of healthy soils has increased greatly, there remains a knowledge gap when it comes to how the soil microbiome...
Maity awarded $300,000 in support of plant research and agricultural production systems
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) recently awarded Aniruddha Maity a $300,000 grant to research the influences of endophytes and abiotic factors on herbicide resistance development in Italian...
Auburn research looks to boost average peanut yields
U.S. peanut producers have seen peaks and valleys in their yields over the years, prompting researchers at Auburn University to…
Longtime professor becomes American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow
Longtime Auburn University Professor Beth Guertal has joined the ranks of Thomas Edison, W.E.B. Dubois and Margaret Mead with her election as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Auburn research makes Alabama-grown beer possible
Research shows Alabama barley good for beer, rotational crop The first beer ever brewed from Alabama-grown barley made its debut this past fall, and Auburn University...
Researchers battle cotton, soybean pests
by PAUL HOLLISNorth Alabama legislators and agricultural leaders got an update on the 2016 growing season and a review of some of the latest crop research during an open house tour at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in July.“It’s been a mixed bag as...
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center hosts open house tour
by PAUL HOLLISThe Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina hosted an open house tour on July 19 to help inform state legislators and other leaders in agriculture about projects underway at the center. Participants also learned of Alabama...
State’s burgeoning craft beer industry could profit crop producers
Researchers in Auburn’s College of Agriculture have embarked on a project to offer recommendations for farmers in the state who are interested in adding potential profit-makers to their crop mix.
Weaver is strong advocate of GMO technology
by DAVID REARDONDavid Weaver, one of the best known and longest tenured professors in Auburn’s College of Agriculture, is practically a walking encyclopedia of agronomy. This is obvious to the students and colleagues who have had the opportunity to ask him a...
The China experience
David Weaver and nine Auburn agriculture students spend close to six weeks of their lives immersed in the culture and living among the people of China.
The Season earns top honors in national magazine competition
The Season, the official magazine of the Auburn University College of Agriculture, garnered first-place honors this week at the National Agriculture Alumni and Development Association’s awards competition. The award was presented in the magazine competition category...
Canola added to Alabama crop rotations
Alabama Cooperative Extension SystemAUBURN, Ala.—Golden fields lined rural highways in central and northern parts of the state this spring as producers add canola to crop rotations.Alabama Extension Crop Specialist Dennis Delaney said farmers are incorporating the...
Horticulture master's student garners multiple scholarships
Andrej Svyantek, a master’s student in Auburn’s Department of Horticulture, has been awarded four scholarships totaling $9,500 in recent weeks to support his research on sustainable production of wine grapes in Alabama and the Southeast.
First Auburn/AAES–Cuba grants support research collaborations
AUBURN, Ala.— Six research projects that aim to encourage and advance academic collaborations between Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station researchers at Auburn University and scientists at Cuban agricultural universities and research centers are underway, funded...
Rainwater saves time, money for poultry industry
Raising broiler chickens takes water—a lot of water. But rainwater harvesting could substantially reduce Alabama poultry growers’ dependence on municipal water sources or well water, reduce growers’ annual water bill by as much as $16,000 or more, and pay for itself in as few as four to five years.
Status: thrips resistance to cotton insecticide treatments
by RON SMITHThe first major insect we focus on during the cotton production season is thrips. Many have heard and read in recent years about the resistance of thrips to our available seed treatments.Where are we with this issue in Alabama?Just for background, let's...
All revved up
High-achieving double major gearing up to make a difference in the world: while Evie Smith is majoring in Agronomy & Soils and Horticulture, she spends her free time volunteering with aquaponics research at E.W. Shell Fisheries Research Center.
Spring planting time
Farmers throughout Alabama and the Southeast are gearing up for another spring planting season, with expectations running high for more favorable weather conditions and improved commodity prices compared to this past year. A sure sign that it’s planting time is the release of the USDA Prospective Plantings Report in late March—the first indication of what farmers are considering for the coming season.
Technology ensures food safety, from farm to table
by PAUL HOLLIS Imagine a day when a farmer can stand in a field, wave a handheld device over a tomato and detect pathogens immediately, potentially saving lives and billions of dollars. That day might not be far off, thanks to research being conducted by the Alabama...
Graduate council honors Guertal as outstanding mentor
Beth Guertal, turfgrass management professor in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, is one of six Auburn University faculty members campuswide selected by the Graduate Student Council as its 2016 Outstanding Graduate Mentors. The winners were...
College's spring magazine in mailboxes soon
A College of Agriculture alumnus who’s hit the ground running as the college’s new dean and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station director. An Auburn poultry science freshman/entrepreneur who’s burning up the highway with his menagerie of party animals. An alum and...
Auburn Ag Week 2016 set for March 28-April 1
AUBURN, Ala. –Activities ranging from a carnival to free biscuits on the concourse are on the schedule for the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Ag Week 2016 celebration, set for March 28-April 1. The week will kick off Monday, March 28, when Auburn’s Block...
Top scientist for nation's 'Feed the Future' to lecture March 31 in Auburn
The chief scientist for the nation’s efforts to solve global hunger and food insecurity will present a lecture, “The End of Hunger: from Vision to Reality,” in Auburn Thursday, March 31, at 4 p.m. in the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center...
Fasina named interim associate dean for research and assistant director in agriculture
AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn University Alumni Professor and undergraduate program coordinator Oladiran Fasina has been named interim associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture and interim assistant director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station...
AAES high-yield initiative to consider economics, irrigation
Part 2by PAUL HOLLISWhile crops research being conducted by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is attempting to attain high yields with maximum inputs, economics also are being considered, with an eye toward ensuring cost efficiency for farmers.“We...
New soil testing options now available
by PAUL HOLLISAlabama farmers now have new options available when it comes to sampling their soils, including a Soil Quality Index (SQI) and technology that allows for grid sampling.Charles Mitchell, a professor in the College of Agriculture Crop, Soil and...
Researchers battle cotton, soybean pests
by PAUL HOLLISNorth Alabama legislators and agricultural leaders got an update on the 2016 growing season and a review of some of the latest crop research during an open house tour at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in July.“It’s been a mixed bag as...
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center hosts open house tour
by PAUL HOLLISThe Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina hosted an open house tour on July 19 to help inform state legislators and other leaders in agriculture about projects underway at the center. Participants also learned of Alabama...
State’s burgeoning craft beer industry could profit crop producers
Researchers in Auburn’s College of Agriculture have embarked on a project to offer recommendations for farmers in the state who are interested in adding potential profit-makers to their crop mix.
Weaver is strong advocate of GMO technology
by DAVID REARDONDavid Weaver, one of the best known and longest tenured professors in Auburn’s College of Agriculture, is practically a walking encyclopedia of agronomy. This is obvious to the students and colleagues who have had the opportunity to ask him a...
The China experience
David Weaver and nine Auburn agriculture students spend close to six weeks of their lives immersed in the culture and living among the people of China.
The Season earns top honors in national magazine competition
The Season, the official magazine of the Auburn University College of Agriculture, garnered first-place honors this week at the National Agriculture Alumni and Development Association’s awards competition. The award was presented in the magazine competition category...
Canola added to Alabama crop rotations
Alabama Cooperative Extension SystemAUBURN, Ala.—Golden fields lined rural highways in central and northern parts of the state this spring as producers add canola to crop rotations.Alabama Extension Crop Specialist Dennis Delaney said farmers are incorporating the...
Horticulture master's student garners multiple scholarships
Andrej Svyantek, a master’s student in Auburn’s Department of Horticulture, has been awarded four scholarships totaling $9,500 in recent weeks to support his research on sustainable production of wine grapes in Alabama and the Southeast.
First Auburn/AAES–Cuba grants support research collaborations
AUBURN, Ala.— Six research projects that aim to encourage and advance academic collaborations between Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station researchers at Auburn University and scientists at Cuban agricultural universities and research centers are underway, funded...
Rainwater saves time, money for poultry industry
Raising broiler chickens takes water—a lot of water. But rainwater harvesting could substantially reduce Alabama poultry growers’ dependence on municipal water sources or well water, reduce growers’ annual water bill by as much as $16,000 or more, and pay for itself in as few as four to five years.
Status: thrips resistance to cotton insecticide treatments
by RON SMITHThe first major insect we focus on during the cotton production season is thrips. Many have heard and read in recent years about the resistance of thrips to our available seed treatments.Where are we with this issue in Alabama?Just for background, let's...
All revved up
High-achieving double major gearing up to make a difference in the world: while Evie Smith is majoring in Agronomy & Soils and Horticulture, she spends her free time volunteering with aquaponics research at E.W. Shell Fisheries Research Center.
Spring planting time
Farmers throughout Alabama and the Southeast are gearing up for another spring planting season, with expectations running high for more favorable weather conditions and improved commodity prices compared to this past year. A sure sign that it’s planting time is the release of the USDA Prospective Plantings Report in late March—the first indication of what farmers are considering for the coming season.
Technology ensures food safety, from farm to table
by PAUL HOLLIS Imagine a day when a farmer can stand in a field, wave a handheld device over a tomato and detect pathogens immediately, potentially saving lives and billions of dollars. That day might not be far off, thanks to research being conducted by the Alabama...
Graduate council honors Guertal as outstanding mentor
Beth Guertal, turfgrass management professor in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, is one of six Auburn University faculty members campuswide selected by the Graduate Student Council as its 2016 Outstanding Graduate Mentors. The winners were...
College's spring magazine in mailboxes soon
A College of Agriculture alumnus who’s hit the ground running as the college’s new dean and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station director. An Auburn poultry science freshman/entrepreneur who’s burning up the highway with his menagerie of party animals. An alum and...
Auburn Ag Week 2016 set for March 28-April 1
AUBURN, Ala. –Activities ranging from a carnival to free biscuits on the concourse are on the schedule for the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Ag Week 2016 celebration, set for March 28-April 1. The week will kick off Monday, March 28, when Auburn’s Block...
Top scientist for nation's 'Feed the Future' to lecture March 31 in Auburn
The chief scientist for the nation’s efforts to solve global hunger and food insecurity will present a lecture, “The End of Hunger: from Vision to Reality,” in Auburn Thursday, March 31, at 4 p.m. in the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center...
Fasina named interim associate dean for research and assistant director in agriculture
AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn University Alumni Professor and undergraduate program coordinator Oladiran Fasina has been named interim associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture and interim assistant director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station...
AAES high-yield initiative to consider economics, irrigation
Part 2by PAUL HOLLISWhile crops research being conducted by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is attempting to attain high yields with maximum inputs, economics also are being considered, with an eye toward ensuring cost efficiency for farmers.“We...
New soil testing options now available
by PAUL HOLLISAlabama farmers now have new options available when it comes to sampling their soils, including a Soil Quality Index (SQI) and technology that allows for grid sampling.Charles Mitchell, a professor in the College of Agriculture Crop, Soil and...