Researchers suspect beneficial fungi increase plant productivity and protect from disease

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Researchers suspect beneficial fungi increase plant productivity and protect from disease
Lime is a very important soil amendment used to grow crops. To help ensure the correct amount is applied where it is needed most, the Clemson University Precision Agriculture Team has developed the Reverse Lime Rate Calculator.
Global warming can result in the spread of peatland vegetation in the Arctic. An international research group has discovered signs of ‘proto-peat’, which may be the beginning of new peatlands.
Preliminary research focuses on biochar application to two evergreen tree species
Researchers in Florida find that split nutrient application improves tree growth and yields
Benefits positive but impacted by management, environment
Weathering of rocks and organic matter important in soil formation
Both frozen carbon dioxide and organic matter are important forms of soil carbon
Soil on Mars is different than soil on Earth, and exploration is helping us learn more
Rocky soils pose challenges for crops, and new research aims to understand how their roots adapt
Researchers test new, inexpensive device to provide critical information
Important contribution to the ongoing climate policy discussion
Important contribution to the ongoing climate policy discussion
Your morning cup o’ Joe depends on healthy soil
Educating the public about soil can help us protect the natural resource
Researchers identify which lima bean inoculants provide economical and environmental benefits
A Bowling Green State University researcher hopes to impact Lake Erie’s water quality by using dredged sediments from the lake and adding them to farm soils.
A new $10 million grant aims to help the U.S. dairy industry become at least carbon neutral while supporting farmer livelihoods – providing important insight for New York state, which ranks fourth in milk production nationwide.
Microbes “breathing in rust” plays an important role in soils
Abby Kinchy, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will seek to learn how can people try to reduce the harms caused by lead in the soil of their communities with the support of a Scholars Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Wildflowers found to absorb runoff just as effectively as turfgrass, among other benefits
The diverse collection of microbes known as protists are understudied, but their impact on ecosystems and agriculture could be huge.
An Iowa State University agronomist is developing new computer models of soil erosion and topography changes, requiring both innovative big-data technology as well as painstaking validation of soil measurements in the real world. The National Science Foundation recently awarded Bradley Miller an early career development grant to support the research.
Windstorms, less organic matter on topsoil and soil degradation among issues
Long-term studies allow for betting understanding of agroecosystem change
Exposure to soil microorganisms, human health closely related
Manure improves soil and microbe community
Human health and ecosystems could be affected by microbes including cyanobacteria and algae that hitch rides in clouds and enter soil, lakes, oceans and other environments when it rains, according to a Rutgers co-authored study.
Soil aeration and water infiltration among benefits ants provide
An international group of leading fertiliser and soils experts have published a major review of the status of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in agricultural systems around the world.
Root architecture, formation play key roles in modifying soil
Plants, animals, and microorganisms contribute to unique ecosystem
Benjamin Z. Houlton, the dean of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, joined a panel helping to identify key pathways for terrestrial carbon dioxide removal that merit further investment.
Two Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers, one a world-leading authority on microorganisms and their impact on soil and human health, and the other an expert on coastal ecosystem restoration, have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Growing crops in stony soils can be challenging, but feasible
A Cornell University project will develop worm-like, soil-swimming robots to sense and record soil properties, water, the soil microbiome and how roots grow.
Contaminated soils – and foods – influenced by soil factors
Prescribed burning allows team to study soil biochemistry in sagebrush ecosystems
Researchers are working to help cacao farmers manage harmful cadmium levels in the soil.
Wetlands are characterized by saturation levels, hydric soils, and hydrophytic plants
A new study found patterns in how soil organic matter forms across a wide range of climate types. Understanding how soils break down or preserve organic matter is important because organic matter plays a central role in the kind of services soils can provide, such as whether they make good agricultural soils or if they can sequester carbon to slow climate change.
The demand for sustainable infrastructure has builders searching for an alternative to concrete’s large carbon footprint. Now, scientists have created a new building material using local soil, and will present their results today at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.
Dung beetles provide many important functions to ecosystems
Scientists use a smartphone camera to easily measure soil density — a key metric for analyzing our soils
Various types of microbes are key ingredients to healthy soil
Unique geography allows for wide variety of soils
Insects can be both beneficial and harmful to agricultural land
Research investigates how fluorine levels affect beneficial soil microbes
Areas where landslides are common make hydric soil identification tricky
How can some of world’s biggest problems – climate change, food security and land degradation – be tackled simultaneously? Some lesser-known options, such as integrated water management and increasing the organic content of soil, have fewer trade-offs than many well-known options, such as planting trees, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Global Change Biology.