As spring planting shifts into high gear in farmers’ fields...
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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...
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...
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 —...
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...
Two Auburn agricultural economists recognized for published works
Two faculty members from the College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology are being honored nationally for their published works. Assistant Professor Wenying Li has received the 2022 Best Economics Paper in Food Safety and...
Auburn project part of $16.2 million innovative plant breeding effort
An Auburn University researcher’s project is part of a $16.2 million U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) effort to address breeding crops for the future. The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program area...
Research examines effects of food proximity on waste
There’s lot of waste in this land of plenty, with an estimated 30% of the edible food produced annually in the U.S. being wasted. This amounts to more than 133 billion pounds and $160 billion worth of food, with a significant portion wasted at the consumer level. This...
Microbiome exploration represents a new frontier of research
With scientific research and discovery occurring at a dizzying rate, it’s difficult to imagine there are frontiers yet to be fully explored, but the microbiome is one. While microbiomes have always existed, little is known about their function in plants and animals....
Student-led study automates redox tracking with rhizosphere camera
What happens in a wetland? It’s a simple question with a not-so-simple answer that Auburn University graduate student Olivia LeFevre started studying as an undergraduate under the direction of Associate Professor Thorsten Knappenberger. “I came to Dr. Knappenberger...
Researcher seeks to understand how cover cropping prevents weather-related planting loss
The agriculture industry in the United States is one of the most vulnerable to climate change because of its reliance on favorable weather. Because of this, an Auburn University researcher is seeking to fill a need for rigorous, quantitative evidence of how cover...
Research shows effects of stricter work requirements for SNAP
As Congress begins debating a new Farm Bill — including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — an Auburn University research project reveals one of the effects of stricter work requirements for participating in SNAP. SNAP provides nutrition benefits to...
Auburn shares in nearly $2.8 million agricultural production systems grant
Auburn University is one of four U.S. universities to share in a nearly $2.8 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The award is part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative-Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural...
Researchers reimagine controlled environment agriculture
While controlled environment agriculture or CEA has the potential to improve access to local, nutritious fruits and vegetables on a year-round basis, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with greenhouse production is five times higher than field-grown produce. For...
Phosphorus shortage could affect worldwide crop yields
While phosphorus is an essential element for plant metabolism and growth, its future supply under elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide is uncertain. A shortage of this important nutrient could lead to lower crop yields, especially in poorer countries. “Our...
Researchers lead $2 million research project to produce hydrogen
Auburn University researchers are leading a $2 million Department of Energy grant that aims to produce hydrogen from blended feedstock such as legacy waste coal, forest residues and municipal solid waste. “The benefits of converting waste coal, biomass and food waste...
Proposal among 2023 JGI Community Science Program awardees
A proposal from Auburn University is one of 19 selected for the 2023 Community Science Program call of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley...
Auburn-developed robotics promising for U.S. forest tree industry
Like many U.S. industries, forest seedling nursery production is dependent on seasonal manual labor, a situation that is becoming untenable due to an acute shortage of workers. However, researchers at Auburn University are working on a robotic system that could...
Graduate Research Poster Showcase to be held Oct. 20
Nearly 80 graduate students in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University will have the opportunity to showcase their research with industry professionals, faculty, staff and their peers at the fifth annual Graduate Research Poster Showcase from 1-5 p.m....
Lecturer asks: What has ag research done for you?
What has agricultural research done for you? It’s a fair enough question, and one that many of us might have a problem answering. But the answers are numerous enough to fill a book or two, which is exactly what Gale Buchanan has done. Buchanan, who spent the first 21...
Study explores plant-based meat alternatives buying habits
A recent study led by Auburn University agricultural economists suggests that plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) might be seen by consumers as a niche product rather than as an actual substitute for meat. “We realized there is very little information about how...
Overcoming barriers to aquaponics in food deserts
It looks like a natural fit: a sustainable system that produces fresh vegetables and fish located in food deserts with marginalized populations. And, while there has been an explosion in the interest surrounding such an arrangement, there are significant technological...
Wenying Li presented prestigious article award
Wenying Li, an assistant professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, has received the 2021 American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) Outstanding Article Award for his work,...
Nanomaterials could make pesticide use more efficient and sustainable
While nearly 4 million tons of conventional pesticides are used annually, only a small amount — 1% to 25% — reach the target organisms, leaving a large proportion released into the environment as a potential hazard. This is due to many factors such as spray drift,...
Research looks at nutrient loss in soybeans
By Jacqueline Kochak Stroll through the humid main corridor at Auburn University’s Plant Science Research Center and you’ll notice potted trees bearing clusters of green bananas and small shrubs with pineapples nestled in the center. Those are for the school children...
Auburn, HudsonAlpha look to the past to develop better crops
In 2020, Auburn’s College of Agriculture hired a historian and storyteller, although his resumé says he’s a geneticist. He was hired to help partner Auburn’s strength in plant breeding with the genome-sequencing renown of Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute for...
Two Auburn agricultural economists recognized for published works
Two faculty members from the College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology are being honored nationally for their published works. Assistant Professor Wenying Li has received the 2022 Best Economics Paper in Food Safety and...
Auburn project part of $16.2 million innovative plant breeding effort
An Auburn University researcher’s project is part of a $16.2 million U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) effort to address breeding crops for the future. The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program area...
Research examines effects of food proximity on waste
There’s lot of waste in this land of plenty, with an estimated 30% of the edible food produced annually in the U.S. being wasted. This amounts to more than 133 billion pounds and $160 billion worth of food, with a significant portion wasted at the consumer level. This...
Microbiome exploration represents a new frontier of research
With scientific research and discovery occurring at a dizzying rate, it’s difficult to imagine there are frontiers yet to be fully explored, but the microbiome is one. While microbiomes have always existed, little is known about their function in plants and animals....
Student-led study automates redox tracking with rhizosphere camera
What happens in a wetland? It’s a simple question with a not-so-simple answer that Auburn University graduate student Olivia LeFevre started studying as an undergraduate under the direction of Associate Professor Thorsten Knappenberger. “I came to Dr. Knappenberger...
Researcher seeks to understand how cover cropping prevents weather-related planting loss
The agriculture industry in the United States is one of the most vulnerable to climate change because of its reliance on favorable weather. Because of this, an Auburn University researcher is seeking to fill a need for rigorous, quantitative evidence of how cover...
Research shows effects of stricter work requirements for SNAP
As Congress begins debating a new Farm Bill — including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — an Auburn University research project reveals one of the effects of stricter work requirements for participating in SNAP. SNAP provides nutrition benefits to...
Auburn shares in nearly $2.8 million agricultural production systems grant
Auburn University is one of four U.S. universities to share in a nearly $2.8 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The award is part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative-Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural...
Researchers reimagine controlled environment agriculture
While controlled environment agriculture or CEA has the potential to improve access to local, nutritious fruits and vegetables on a year-round basis, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with greenhouse production is five times higher than field-grown produce. For...
Phosphorus shortage could affect worldwide crop yields
While phosphorus is an essential element for plant metabolism and growth, its future supply under elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide is uncertain. A shortage of this important nutrient could lead to lower crop yields, especially in poorer countries. “Our...
Researchers lead $2 million research project to produce hydrogen
Auburn University researchers are leading a $2 million Department of Energy grant that aims to produce hydrogen from blended feedstock such as legacy waste coal, forest residues and municipal solid waste. “The benefits of converting waste coal, biomass and food waste...
Proposal among 2023 JGI Community Science Program awardees
A proposal from Auburn University is one of 19 selected for the 2023 Community Science Program call of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley...
Auburn-developed robotics promising for U.S. forest tree industry
Like many U.S. industries, forest seedling nursery production is dependent on seasonal manual labor, a situation that is becoming untenable due to an acute shortage of workers. However, researchers at Auburn University are working on a robotic system that could...
Graduate Research Poster Showcase to be held Oct. 20
Nearly 80 graduate students in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University will have the opportunity to showcase their research with industry professionals, faculty, staff and their peers at the fifth annual Graduate Research Poster Showcase from 1-5 p.m....
Lecturer asks: What has ag research done for you?
What has agricultural research done for you? It’s a fair enough question, and one that many of us might have a problem answering. But the answers are numerous enough to fill a book or two, which is exactly what Gale Buchanan has done. Buchanan, who spent the first 21...
Study explores plant-based meat alternatives buying habits
A recent study led by Auburn University agricultural economists suggests that plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) might be seen by consumers as a niche product rather than as an actual substitute for meat. “We realized there is very little information about how...
Overcoming barriers to aquaponics in food deserts
It looks like a natural fit: a sustainable system that produces fresh vegetables and fish located in food deserts with marginalized populations. And, while there has been an explosion in the interest surrounding such an arrangement, there are significant technological...
Wenying Li presented prestigious article award
Wenying Li, an assistant professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, has received the 2021 American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) Outstanding Article Award for his work,...
Nanomaterials could make pesticide use more efficient and sustainable
While nearly 4 million tons of conventional pesticides are used annually, only a small amount — 1% to 25% — reach the target organisms, leaving a large proportion released into the environment as a potential hazard. This is due to many factors such as spray drift,...
Research looks at nutrient loss in soybeans
By Jacqueline Kochak Stroll through the humid main corridor at Auburn University’s Plant Science Research Center and you’ll notice potted trees bearing clusters of green bananas and small shrubs with pineapples nestled in the center. Those are for the school children...
Auburn, HudsonAlpha look to the past to develop better crops
In 2020, Auburn’s College of Agriculture hired a historian and storyteller, although his resumé says he’s a geneticist. He was hired to help partner Auburn’s strength in plant breeding with the genome-sequencing renown of Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute for...