More carbon in soil can control weeds, in some cases
Cornell researchers have tested an ecological tool in the fight to control weeds in silage soybean and corn fields: adding carbon to soil in the form of sawdust and rye hay.
Cornell researchers have tested an ecological tool in the fight to control weeds in silage soybean and corn fields: adding carbon to soil in the form of sawdust and rye hay.
Agriculture
Jul 3, 2024
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Prepared dishes are in high demand in Europe, North America, and Asia due to their convenience. Prepared dishes include industrially produced traditional dishes that belong to the category of finished products and can be ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 25, 2024
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Organic farming can support soil microorganisms that promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests. But not all organic practices are equally beneficial for soil microbes, and it's important to understand farmer motivations ...
Agriculture
Jun 13, 2024
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A spacewalk scheduled for two astronauts outside the International Space Station was canceled by NASA about an hour before it was to begin Thursday morning.
Space Exploration
Jun 13, 2024
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A microorganism (from the Greek: μικρός, mikrós, "small" and ὀργανισμός, organismós, "organism"; also spelled micro organism or micro-organism) or microbe is an organism that is microscopic (usually too small to be seen by the naked human eye). The study of microorganisms is called microbiology, a subject that began with Anton van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of microorganisms in 1675, using a microscope of his own design.
Microorganisms are very diverse; they include bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protists; microscopic plants (called green algae); and animals such as plankton, the planarian and the amoeba. Some microbiologists also include viruses, but others consider these as non-living. Most microorganisms are unicellular (single-celled), but this is not universal, since some multicellular organisms are microscopic, while some unicellular protists and bacteria, like Thiomargarita namibiensis, are macroscopic and visible to the naked eye.
Microorganisms live in all parts of the biosphere where there is liquid water, including soil, hot springs, on the ocean floor, high in the atmosphere and deep inside rocks within the Earth's crust. Microorganisms are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems as they act as decomposers. As some microorganisms can fix nitrogen, they are a vital part of the nitrogen cycle, and recent studies indicate that airborne microbes may play a role in precipitation and weather.
Microbes are also exploited by people in biotechnology, both in traditional food and beverage preparation, and in modern technologies based on genetic engineering. However, pathogenic microbes are harmful, since they invade and grow within other organisms, causing diseases that kill millions of people, other animals, and plants.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA