News tagged with soil quality
Big clue to future climate change in small plants
Yarrow, it's called, this flowering plant also known as "little feather" for the shape of its leaves. Prized as a garden plant that repels unwanted insects while attracting beneficial ones, it also improves ...
May 19, 2011 |
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Earth's soils are under threat, scientists warn in Nature
The planet's soils are under greater threat than ever before, at a time when we need to draw on their vital role to support life more than ever, warns an expert from the University of Sheffield today in the journal Nature.
Jun 08, 2011 |
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Evidence of increasing antibiotic resistance
A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are reporting disturbing evidence that soil microbes have become progressively more resistant to antibiotics over the last 60 years. Surprisingly, ...
Mar 03, 2010 |
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Corn yields with perennial cover crop are equal to traditional farming
Soil quality, water quality, and possibly even farm profits will all benefit by using a perennial cover crop on corn fields that allows for similar yields to traditional farming methods, according to Iowa ...
Jul 25, 2011 |
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Landfill cover soil methane oxidation underestimated
Landfilled waste decomposes in the absence of oxygen and results in the production of methane. Landfills are classified as the second-largest human-made source of CH4 in the U.S. Additionally, landfill gas contains numerous ...
Apr 27, 2009 |
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Is biochar the answer for ag?
Scientists demonstrate that biochar, a type charcoal applied to soils in order to capture and store carbon, can reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, and inorganic nitrogen runoff from agriculture settings. ...
Aug 02, 2010 |
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Compost filter socks improve runoff from croplands
Water runoff from cropped farm fields can contain large amounts of eroded soil as well as some of the fertilizer and herbicide. Expanding on existing conservation practices, a team of scientists has tested whether compost ...
Jun 21, 2010 |
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Study finds commercial organic farms have better fruit and soil, lower environmental impact
Side-by-side comparisons of organic and conventional strawberry farms and their fruit found the organic farms produced more flavorful and nutritious berries while leaving the soil healthier and more genetically diverse.
Sep 01, 2010 |
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Nitrate stimulates greenhouse gas production in small streams
Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas that has been accumulating in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. It is well known that fertilizer can stimulate nitrous oxide production in soils, but less is known about ...
Mar 30, 2009 |
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Researchers introducing sustainable agriculture practices to improve food security
Two Virginia Tech professors are leading research teams that will work with scientists and small-scale farmers in South America and the Caribbean to increase food production, improve soil quality, and reduce ...
Mar 15, 2010 |
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Peacekeeping creatures help maintain woodland diversity
Common woodland creatures, including woodlice, millipedes and worms, can help ensure the survival of weaker species of woodland fungi, according to new research from Cardiff University.
Sep 20, 2011 |
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A novel strategy to reduce farm runoff will be tested starting in Minnesota
Minnesota will be the nation's first test site for a novel federal program designed to stem the flow of agricultural pollution that is strangling some of the country's great waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf ...
Jan 17, 2012 |
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Long-term study of orchard ground cover management systems
Orchard floor and groundcover management is important to fruit growers, affecting the efficiency of orchard operations, fruit tree performance, and soil quality.
Feb 27, 2009 |
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Study probes sources of Mississippi River phosphorus
In their eagerness to cut nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico, people have often sought simple explanations for the problem: too many large animal operations, for instance, or farmers ...
May 06, 2011 |
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Predicting amount of oil in contaminated soils
Scientists are reporting a new technique for mapping and testing oil-contaminated soils. Traditionally, samples need to be collected from the field and returned to a lab for extensive chemical analysis, costing ...
Jun 09, 2010 |
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