Floods drown Asia's rice bowl

Massive floods have ravaged vast swathes of Asia's rice bowl, threatening to further drive up food prices and adding to the burden of farmers who are among the region's poorest, experts say.

Making tomorrow's bioenergy yeasts strong

Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other rough, fibrous, harvest-time leftovers may soon be less expensive to convert into cellulosic ethanol, thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists' studies of a promising new ...

What counts is the water that actually enters plant roots

To help farmers make the best use of limited irrigation water in the arid West, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers are helping farmers determine how much water major crops actually need.

Soybean genetic treasure trove found in Swedish village

The first screening by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists of the American ancestors of soybeans for tolerance to ozone and other stresses had an eye-opening result: The world superstars of stress resistance ...

Invasive bugs cause tremendous damage in Maryland

Two invasive insects from Asia are poised to cause millions of dollars in destruction in Maryland and throughout the United States. Although no definitive methods exist to stop them just yet, University of Maryland researchers ...

Chesapeake Bay pesticides: Some diminish, some persist

Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are identifying factors that influence pesticide levels in the Chesapeake Bay airshed, including traces of "legacy" pesticides that still linger even though they are ...

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