Soil moisture is the quantity of water contained within the unsaturated zone of soil, typically expressed as volumetric water content or gravimetric water content, and is a central variable in hydrology, agronomy, and land–atmosphere interaction studies. It governs soil hydraulic conductivity, matric potential, and the partitioning of precipitation into infiltration, runoff, and evapotranspiration. Soil moisture strongly regulates plant water availability, microbial activity, and biogeochemical cycling, and is measured using in situ sensors (e.g., time-domain reflectometry, capacitance probes), lysimeters, or remotely sensed estimates from microwave and thermal observations. It is a key state variable in land surface models, drought monitoring systems, and climate and weather prediction frameworks.
Researchers report some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That's the conclusion of a team led by Penn ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 30, 2026
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Researchers have conducted a conservation genomics study on two critically endangered island oaks—Quercus bawanglingensis and Quercus pseudosetulosa. They assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes and revealed how natural ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 26, 2026
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Climate warming is intensifying terrestrial water scarcity and drought risks worldwide. Meanwhile, rising atmospheric CO2 reduces plant stomatal conductance—the openness of leaf pores that governs both CO2 intake and water ...
Environment
Jun 26, 2026
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Soils that are exposed to prolonged drought often develop desiccation cracks, which impact soil properties and exacerbate moisture loss through evapotranspiration. Now, a study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 18, 2026
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12
As climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity place growing pressure on agriculture, scientists are looking for new ways to help crops germinate and grow more efficiently while reducing environmental impact. A new ...
Biotechnology
May 31, 2026
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76
University of Missouri researchers are exploring ways to grow sweet corn more efficiently to help American farmers cut costs. In a recent study, scientists from Mizzou's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources ...
Agriculture
May 5, 2026
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Climate change is making Canada's seasons more erratic, its weather more extreme and its ecosystems less predictable—and UBC Okanagan scientists have now produced the first national map of exactly where that unpredictability ...
Environment
Apr 22, 2026
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As water supplies shrink and food demand grows, new interdisciplinary research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln offers a practical way for farmers to manage irrigation more efficiently while protecting their bottom ...
Other
Apr 17, 2026
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It's a well-established fact that forests and water are deeply connected. For decades, paired-watershed experiments—a scientific method for evaluating land-use impacts on water quantity or quality—have shown that when we ...
Environment
Apr 4, 2026
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83
Advanced technology can help farmers get to the root of a growing problem—overwatering in an era of increasing drought and water scarcity. A new UC Riverside system can map soil moisture tree by tree, so growers water only ...
Biotechnology
Apr 2, 2026
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