Some domesticated plants ignore beneficial soil microbes

While domestication of plants has yielded bigger crops, the process has often had a negative effect on plant microbiomes, making domesticated plants more dependent on fertilizer and other soil amendments than their wild relatives.

New test measures corn nitrogen needs with greater accuracy

The soil fertility tests farmers have used for decades to measure nitrogen levels don't account for the vast majority of the nitrogen in soils, so Iowa State University scientists helped develop a new test that yields more ...

Microbes play important role in soil's nitrogen cycle

Under our feet, in the soil, is a wealth of microbial activity. Just like humans have different metabolisms and food choices, so do those microbes. In fact, microbes play an important role in making nutrients available to ...

'Soil photosynthesis' helps to mitigate environmental pollution

NOx gases is the generic term used to refer to the group of gases made up of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, gases that result from burning fossil fuel, and also from forest fires, volcanic eruptions and natural processes ...

Consider soil in fall-applied ammonia rates, study says

Fall-applied anhydrous ammonia may not fulfill as much of corn's nitrogen needs as previously assumed. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, the effectiveness of the practice depends on the soil.

First field measurements of laughing gas isotopes

Thanks to a newly developed laser spectrometer, Empa researchers can for the first time show which processes in grassland lead to nitrous oxide emissions. The aim is to reduce emissions of this potent greenhouse gas by gaining ...

Coated seeds may enable agriculture on marginal lands

Providing seeds with a protective coating that also supplies essential nutrients to the germinating plant could make it possible to grow crops in otherwise unproductive soils, according to new research at MIT.

page 9 from 22