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Research
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Repurposing poultry processing water for hydroponic use
Researchers at Auburn University recently developed new methods for safely using poultry processing wastewater for food-grade hydroponic crop production. By eliminating pathogens, like salmonella, the research team was able to use wastewater from a poultry processing...
Auburn Biosystems Engineering celebrated for excellence and impact abroad
Auburn University’s Biosystems Engineering faculty and students garnered high honors and awards recognition through a prestigious international organization. Earlier this month, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and their...
Protecting Alabama peaches from bacterial spot
Right in the heart of central Alabama, research is conducted throughout the year to find ways to protect one of the state’s most precious commodities—peaches. Among the...
Warren receives top national award for parasitology research
Postdoc recognized by the American Society of Parasitologists A postdoctoral fellow in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences recently received the...
Your Pond, Your Bug, Your Vaccine
AU researchers work toward getting orally-delivered vaccines to catfish farmers
U.S. Beekeeping Survey reveals highest honey bee colony losses during 2024-2025
The annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey results are in for the 2024-2025 calendar year. In collaboration with Auburn University, the Apiary Inspectors of America, Oregon State University and others, the national survey estimated that 55.6% of managed honey bee colonies were...
Understudied cotton is the focus of Auburn University research on seedling diseases
Cotton is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable plants in the world, with its heart-shaped leaves and branches that explode into powder-white fruit. But it’s also one of the more understudied field crops. “Previously, it was unclear where and which specific...
Alabama Drought Reach strengthens statewide monitoring
Alabama has been a stranger to the rain several times during the past few years. To prepare the state with more than just a forecast, the Alabama Drought Reach (ADR) program provides climate data statewide.
Flourishing forages: Alabama cattlemen’s secret weapon to diversified production
From the Coastal Plain to the Black Belt, Alabama cattle producers are utilizing forage systems to their advantage to meet the challenges of modern agriculture. Alabama ranks 17th nationally in beef cattle, according to the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. Alabama...
Planting shifts into high gear at Alabama agricultural research units
As spring planting shifts into high gear in farmers’ fields throughout the Southeast, few agricultural operations come close to matching the diversity of crops and locations as the outlying units of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn University....
Predicting investment returns for crop irrigation
New model to help farmers make better investment decisions By Danielle Lunny Alabama farmers considering investing in irrigation equipment will soon have a free, comprehensive online tool to help them decide. A new prediction model will combine weather and economic...
Pest management solutions: Faculty and students receive regional recognition
Auburn University graduate students and one faculty member rose above and beyond for this year’s Southern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Awards. For the first time, two Auburn doctoral candidates, Caitlyn Lawton and Rogan Tokach, were honored for their achievements...
Going Green: Blersch’s lab addresses crucial environmental work
By Amy Weaver Contrary to what the name might suggest, the work currently happening in the Green Infrastructure Lab at Auburn has nothing to do with green-colored roads or buildings. No Emerald City here. “Green infrastructure is an approach to managing water and...
Applied biotechnology student receives prestigious internship
Auburn University College of Agriculture student Leah Johnson received a highly competitive collegiate internship with HudsonAlpha, a premier institute for biotechnology. She is the second student from the applied biotechnology major in the Department of Entomology...
Developing high-performing genetic lines and hybrids for the catfish industry
Better breeding ability would make catfish farming more efficient and profitable The $437 million U.S. catfish industry is in need of better genetic and breeding technologies to be competitive with foreign imports. Recently, Auburn scientists have made advances in...
Weed Bionomics Lab leads fight against No. 1 crop pest
Imagine a weed that can produce 600,000 seeds per plant and grow as much as 2.5 inches per day. Such a weed exists, and it’s not being grown somewhere in a secure lab — it’s widespread in the fields of Alabama farmers and throughout the United States. This “super”...
Agricultural grants address problems on Alabama farms
Is growing a cover crop on Alabama farms a solution or a problem for growers in the state who are trying to prevent soil and water erosion losses? A grant funded through the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station research program for the current fiscal year will...
Adhikari to serve as interim associate dean, associate director
Sushil Adhikari will serve as the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s interim associate dean for research and interim associate director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, effective Feb. 16. He replaces Arthur Appel, who stepped into the role of...
Experiment Station researchers leading nutrient management study with $1.3 million grant
Each year, the Alabama poultry industry produces two fully loaded Nimitz-class aircraft carriers’ worth of poultry litter, or about 3.6 billion pounds. Poultry litter is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, and much of the waste product is applied to farmland as a...
Researchers study potential savings from reducing time on feed for weaned pigs
Research made possible by $300,000 USDA-NIFA grant The scale of pork production in the U. S. is such that reducing the average pig’s time on feed by just one day can put $76 million back into pork producers’ pockets. Animal scientists at Auburn University are...
Using thermal imaging to measure peanut physiological characteristics
Auburn-developed method could advance efforts to breed a drought-tolerant peanut Auburn University researchers have devised a new means of measuring the physiological characteristics of peanut plants that should prove to be instrumental in speeding the breeding...
Taking the guesswork out of catfish sperm quality
Catfish farmers may be hurting their profitability by needlessly sacrificing male catfish when collecting sperm for breeding, according to a recent Auburn study. The same study discovered the indicators farmers commonly use to select males for breeding, like head size...
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...
Finding frost-tolerant blueberries for Alabama growers
Alabama blueberry farmers could soon start growing more frost-tolerant cultivars thanks to recent research at Auburn University. Most Alabama growers are still heavily relying on the native species rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum Ait), while producers in neighboring...
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.
U.S. Beekeeping Survey reveals highest honey bee colony losses during 2024-2025
The annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey results are in for the 2024-2025 calendar year. In collaboration with Auburn University, the Apiary Inspectors of America, Oregon State University and others, the national survey estimated that 55.6% of managed honey bee colonies were...
Understudied cotton is the focus of Auburn University research on seedling diseases
Cotton is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable plants in the world, with its heart-shaped leaves and branches that explode into powder-white fruit. But it’s also one of the more understudied field crops. “Previously, it was unclear where and which specific...
Alabama Drought Reach strengthens statewide monitoring
Alabama has been a stranger to the rain several times during the past few years. To prepare the state with more than just a forecast, the Alabama Drought Reach (ADR) program provides climate data statewide.
Flourishing forages: Alabama cattlemen’s secret weapon to diversified production
From the Coastal Plain to the Black Belt, Alabama cattle producers are utilizing forage systems to their advantage to meet the challenges of modern agriculture. Alabama ranks 17th nationally in beef cattle, according to the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. Alabama...
Planting shifts into high gear at Alabama agricultural research units
As spring planting shifts into high gear in farmers’ fields throughout the Southeast, few agricultural operations come close to matching the diversity of crops and locations as the outlying units of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn University....
Predicting investment returns for crop irrigation
New model to help farmers make better investment decisions By Danielle Lunny Alabama farmers considering investing in irrigation equipment will soon have a free, comprehensive online tool to help them decide. A new prediction model will combine weather and economic...
Pest management solutions: Faculty and students receive regional recognition
Auburn University graduate students and one faculty member rose above and beyond for this year’s Southern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Awards. For the first time, two Auburn doctoral candidates, Caitlyn Lawton and Rogan Tokach, were honored for their achievements...
Going Green: Blersch’s lab addresses crucial environmental work
By Amy Weaver Contrary to what the name might suggest, the work currently happening in the Green Infrastructure Lab at Auburn has nothing to do with green-colored roads or buildings. No Emerald City here. “Green infrastructure is an approach to managing water and...
Applied biotechnology student receives prestigious internship
Auburn University College of Agriculture student Leah Johnson received a highly competitive collegiate internship with HudsonAlpha, a premier institute for biotechnology. She is the second student from the applied biotechnology major in the Department of Entomology...
Developing high-performing genetic lines and hybrids for the catfish industry
Better breeding ability would make catfish farming more efficient and profitable The $437 million U.S. catfish industry is in need of better genetic and breeding technologies to be competitive with foreign imports. Recently, Auburn scientists have made advances in...
Weed Bionomics Lab leads fight against No. 1 crop pest
Imagine a weed that can produce 600,000 seeds per plant and grow as much as 2.5 inches per day. Such a weed exists, and it’s not being grown somewhere in a secure lab — it’s widespread in the fields of Alabama farmers and throughout the United States. This “super”...
Agricultural grants address problems on Alabama farms
Is growing a cover crop on Alabama farms a solution or a problem for growers in the state who are trying to prevent soil and water erosion losses? A grant funded through the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station research program for the current fiscal year will...
Adhikari to serve as interim associate dean, associate director
Sushil Adhikari will serve as the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s interim associate dean for research and interim associate director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, effective Feb. 16. He replaces Arthur Appel, who stepped into the role of...
Experiment Station researchers leading nutrient management study with $1.3 million grant
Each year, the Alabama poultry industry produces two fully loaded Nimitz-class aircraft carriers’ worth of poultry litter, or about 3.6 billion pounds. Poultry litter is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, and much of the waste product is applied to farmland as a...
Researchers study potential savings from reducing time on feed for weaned pigs
Research made possible by $300,000 USDA-NIFA grant The scale of pork production in the U. S. is such that reducing the average pig’s time on feed by just one day can put $76 million back into pork producers’ pockets. Animal scientists at Auburn University are...
Using thermal imaging to measure peanut physiological characteristics
Auburn-developed method could advance efforts to breed a drought-tolerant peanut Auburn University researchers have devised a new means of measuring the physiological characteristics of peanut plants that should prove to be instrumental in speeding the breeding...
Taking the guesswork out of catfish sperm quality
Catfish farmers may be hurting their profitability by needlessly sacrificing male catfish when collecting sperm for breeding, according to a recent Auburn study. The same study discovered the indicators farmers commonly use to select males for breeding, like head size...
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...
Finding frost-tolerant blueberries for Alabama growers
Alabama blueberry farmers could soon start growing more frost-tolerant cultivars thanks to recent research at Auburn University. Most Alabama growers are still heavily relying on the native species rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum Ait), while producers in neighboring...
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.