Cotton is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable plants in the...
Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences Articles
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Auburn research looks to control deer feeding on row crops
When can there be too many deer even for a hunting enthusiast? When that same enthusiast is a row-crop farmer, and the deer are using their fields as an all-you-can-eat buffet. While deer grazing on crops has been a consistent problem for decades, it has escalated in...
Bullard, Brantley named Alumni Professors
Two College of Agriculture faculty members were announced among Auburn University’s five 2024 Alumni Professors Sept. 20. Eve Brantley, a professor and associate director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, is a renowned expert in water quality and...
New short corn not ‘as high as an elephant’s eye’
The line from the classic musical “Oklahoma” that refers to corn being “as high as an elephant’s eye” would not apply to some of the new hybrids becoming available to...
Peanut breeding making strides
The Auburn University peanut breeding program has made significant strides in a surprisingly short amount of time, with one of its varietal releases now commanding 40-50% of the peanut acreage in Alabama.
Lawson part of team shaping Alabama’s State Wildlife Action Plan
Auburn University’s Kelly Homan and Katelyn Lawson have joined forces to assist the state of Alabama in the creation of its 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) revision.
Doing things differently adds to wheat yields
by Joyce Tredaway Ducar The best yields I ever made in wheat averaged 107 bushels per acre, and they were made when I did just a few things differently than in the previous year. First, I controlled my weeds, particularly ryegrass. We have many options to use these...
Extension survey first step in research project on loropetalum disease
Researchers with Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Auburn University are conducting a statewide voluntary survey to determine the reach of a disease affecting loropetalum plants in nurseries. It's the first step in a farm bill-funded research...
Climate variability impacts crop yields
by PAUL HOLLIS Long-term climate change combined with climate variability influenced by El Niño and La Niña phases of ENSO are having a significant impact on corn yields in Alabama, according to a study co-authored by Auburn University researcher Brenda Ortiz. “If we...
Caution is key in using new herbicide systems
by PAUL HOLLIS Promising new herbicide technology could give Alabama farmers a powerful weapon in their battle against pigheaded pigweed, but growers must be alert to the chemicals’ negative impact on nearby crops. The new herbicide-resistance systems—a key topic...
Julie Howe: a passion for chemistry and brewing
by PAUL HOLLISJulie Howe’s passion for craft beers and brewing began when she was pursuing her Ph.D. in soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“Everyone there was drinking beer that tasted better than what I was accustomed to, so I acquired a taste for...
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...
Doing things differently adds to wheat yields
by Joyce Tredaway Ducar The best yields I ever made in wheat averaged 107 bushels per acre, and they were made when I did just a few things differently than in the previous year. First, I controlled my weeds, particularly ryegrass. We have many options to use these...
Extension survey first step in research project on loropetalum disease
Researchers with Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Auburn University are conducting a statewide voluntary survey to determine the reach of a disease affecting loropetalum plants in nurseries. It's the first step in a farm bill-funded research...
Climate variability impacts crop yields
by PAUL HOLLIS Long-term climate change combined with climate variability influenced by El Niño and La Niña phases of ENSO are having a significant impact on corn yields in Alabama, according to a study co-authored by Auburn University researcher Brenda Ortiz. “If we...
Caution is key in using new herbicide systems
by PAUL HOLLIS Promising new herbicide technology could give Alabama farmers a powerful weapon in their battle against pigheaded pigweed, but growers must be alert to the chemicals’ negative impact on nearby crops. The new herbicide-resistance systems—a key topic...
Julie Howe: a passion for chemistry and brewing
by PAUL HOLLISJulie Howe’s passion for craft beers and brewing began when she was pursuing her Ph.D. in soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“Everyone there was drinking beer that tasted better than what I was accustomed to, so I acquired a taste for...
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...