http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) -- The virulence of plant-borne diseases depends on not just the particular strain of a pathogen, but on where the pathogen has been before landing in its host, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS). http://phys.org/news254038941.html Biology Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:23:00 EST news254038941 (Phys.org) -- A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has shown researchers and plant breeders a better way to handle the massive amounts of data being generated by plant molecular studies, using an approach that should help speed up development of improved crop varieties. http://phys.org/news253968988.html Biology Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:10:01 EST news253968988 Cotton is going high-tech in New Orleans, La., where a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists is continuing a long tradition of innovative research on the prized natural fiber. http://phys.org/news253963767.html Nanotechnology Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:29:40 EST news253963767 (Phys.org) -- Diagnostic tests that rapidly detect disease-causing viruses in animals and humans are being developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists using a new technology called "surface-enhanced Raman scattering," or SERS. http://phys.org/news253268840.html Chemistry Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:27:26 EST news253268840 Even the smallest quantity of Salmonella may, in the future, be easily detected with a technology known as SERS, short for "surface-enhanced Raman scattering." U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Bosoon Park at Athens, Ga., is leading exploratory studies of this analytical technique's potential for quick, easy and reliable detection of Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens. http://phys.org/news253268765.html Biology Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:26:13 EST news253268765 The trade in live plants from around the world has become a major industry in the United States, with new imports now valued at more than $500 billion annually. According to a study conducted by researchers at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, however, what has proved to be a boon for the economy has also been shown to have devastating effects on the environment. http://phys.org/news253206525.html Biology Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:09:02 EST news253206525 The red imported fire ant, one of the most horrifying of the foreign species that have established themselves in the United States, appears to be in retreat. http://phys.org/news252724192.html Biology Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:10:02 EST news252724192 In work that could cut back on insecticide use, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have found a way to distinguish aphids that spread plant viruses from those that do not. http://phys.org/news252659671.html Biology Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:14:51 EST news252659671 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers with the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., design, develop and improve analytical methods for measuring nutritional components in the food supply. The Beltsville center is part of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. http://phys.org/news252056285.html Chemistry Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:38:14 EST news252056285 Global demand for meat, milk and eggs has tripled in the past four decades and is expected to double by 2050. Increased global livestock production has great impacts on the environment and increases global warming. A major new European research project at the University of Copenhagen aims to identify and develop innovative solutions and technologies to handle and utilise the huge quantities of animal waste from livestock production. In Denmark, 34 million tons of animal manure are produced annually. http://phys.org/news250512317.html Space & Earth Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:45:22 EST news250512317 (PhysOrg.com) -- We aren't the only species that like tropical vacation spots. Japanese beetles plague parts of the Azores, and Oriental fruit flies infest some of French Polynesia. But U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are turning to nature to combat these invasive pests. http://phys.org/news249549132.html Biology Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:12:51 EST news249549132 (PhysOrg.com) -- Wood chips can significantly stem nitrate flow from crop fields into the surrounding watershed, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study. http://phys.org/news248947919.html Biology Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:40:01 EST news248947919 A more cost-effective, longer-lasting selenium supplement for livestock may soon be available, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist. http://phys.org/news248597981.html Biology Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:59:47 EST news248597981 Thanks to investigations by scientists-turned-detectives with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other agencies, potato growers in the western United States and abroad now know the identities of the pathogen-insect duo responsible for outbreaks of the costly tuber disease known as "zebra chip." http://phys.org/news248343636.html Biology Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:30:01 EST news248343636 (PhysOrg.com) -- A specific gene in corn seems to confer resistance to three important leaf diseases, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their university colleagues. http://phys.org/news247394042.html Biology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:30:01 EST news247394042 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have found that a commercial vaccine is effective against leptospirosis in cattle. http://phys.org/news247219370.html Biology Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:20:01 EST news247219370 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cattle that graze on rangelands in the western United States may soon have a new forage option, thanks to work by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist. http://phys.org/news246707494.html Biology Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:10:04 EST news246707494 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are making sure that money spent on sustaining and repairing arid rangeland ecosystems is spent on programs that work. http://phys.org/news246526581.html Biology Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:36:28 EST news246526581 A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has discovered what may be an effective tool for cleaning up soils and waterways in parts of California's San Joaquin Valley: a drought-tolerant cactus. http://phys.org/news246181572.html Space & Earth Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:10:03 EST news246181572 A recent analysis led by ecologist Bethany Bradley at the University of Massachusetts Amherst suggests that climate change predicted for the United States will boost demand for imported drought- and heat-tolerant landscaping plants from Africa and the Middle East. This greatly increases the risk that a new wave of invasives will overrun native ecosystems in the way kudzu, Oriental bittersweet and purple loosestrife have in the past, members of the international team say. http://phys.org/news244907701.html Biology Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:55:08 EST news244907701 WALNUT CREEK, Calif.-An invasive weed just now taking hold in the Delta could clog water delivery pumps and marinas on a scale never seen here before, but state officials say they are nearly hamstrung in trying to deal with it. http://phys.org/news243771669.html Biology Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:00:04 EST news243771669 Research shows that it takes about eight years from the time public research funds are invested in technology development to the time the technology is first implemented. In the agricultural sector it can take as long as 15 years before full adoption by stakeholders occurs. Because many technologies in the agricultural world become obsolete in 15 years, it becomes increasingly important to find ways to move technology more rapidly from research to adoption. http://phys.org/news242912916.html Biology Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:50:01 EST news242912916 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are showing Arizona cotton growers how to reduce their dependence on broad-spectrum insecticides by controlling sweetpotato whiteflies with greener alternatives. http://phys.org/news242394301.html Biology Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:45:43 EST news242394301 The great majority of today's domesticated turkeys may not be able to fly, but their ancestors sure got around. The quintessential New World bird, Meleagris gallopavo, was already an Old World favorite by the time colonists in North America first celebrated any Thanksgiving feasts. Today's turkey researchers are investigating the big bird's genetic heritage and biology as part of an effort to improve several aspects of its cultivation. http://phys.org/news241261530.html Biology Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:05:38 EST news241261530 New rice varieties that offer new options for U.S. growers and expanded market opportunities for the U.S. rice industry have been developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and cooperators. http://phys.org/news239275547.html Biology Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:26:13 EST news239275547 The complexity of the zebra chip disease of potatoes, a vector-borne disease that is a growing industry concern recently drew Dr. Arash Rashed to the program directed by Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist. http://phys.org/news238312517.html Biology Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:55:31 EST news238312517 Research performed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and published recently in the journal Crop Science has demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades. http://phys.org/news237734404.html Biology Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:20:14 EST news237734404 Huge, slimy snails from Africa have overrun a Miami-area town and the US government said Tuesday a potent pesticide is the best way to get rid of their exploding numbers. http://phys.org/news237615091.html Biology Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:11:41 EST news237615091 A scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is exploring how rangeland ecologists could use high-resolution digital panoramas to track landscape changes. http://phys.org/news235740925.html Space & Earth Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:36:31 EST news235740925 (AP) -- Think of farms and images of tractors and combines come to mind. But what about laptops, smart phones and tablets? http://phys.org/news233551022.html Technology Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:29:19 EST news233551022