Agronomy

Many urban gardeners know that adding ingredients like compost and mulch to their soil has great benefits. But it can be difficult to know what to add and why. Researchers at Purdue University gathered scientific evidence about one specific soil addition, leaf mold compost, and how it benefits tomato plants.

Underneath the surface, plant roots are hard at work. Roots, of course, are how plants get water and minerals from the soil. But digging into how different root systems affect crop yields has been challenging for researchers.

Planting cover crops is a beneficial agricultural practice. One of their many benefits is to cover soil for times when farmers cannot plant cash crops like corn and soy – over the winter, for example.  But it is not as simple as just growing cover crops in between growing seasons. Farmers have multiple decisions to make about optimizing cover crop production.

Spills and leaks of petroleum products wreak havoc on the environment. They can contaminate soils and pose significant threats to humans, animals, plants, and soil microbes. Cleaning up petroleum contamination can be energy and time-consuming, however, one of the fastest methods of decontaminating soils is called thermal desorption.

“When it rains, it pours.” This phrase is meant to mean that bad news comes in waves. Unfortunately, that’s true with real rain, too. While rain is usually welcome for various reasons, in developed area like cities and towns, it can produce a big problem: polluted runoff.

Lentils are an important and popular food in many parts of the world. They are also a nutritional powerhouse. This versatile legume is a great source of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber, and high in mineral nutrients and vitamins like iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B.

Understanding how a crop will grow in various places is key to getting more farmers to grow it. Rye is a cereal grain grown in parts of Europe, and although not a commonly grown crop in other regions, its characteristics make it a valuable option for farmers.

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are a common vegetable crop sold at local pumpkin patches and farmers markets. They are also used in commercial production (like canned pumpkin). In 2019, the value of harvested pumpkin was worth $180 million.

There’s a widespread problem in rice growing that you’ve probably never heard of. Rice plants that face elevated temperatures can produce “chalky grains” that are easily crushed during the milling process. This leads to lost profits because the price is lower for chalky grains than undamaged grains.

If you’ve ever looked at food labels in your local grocery store, you’ve probably seen soy listed as an ingredient. Even though soy is widespread in our foods, that doesn’t make the production of soy any easier for growers. One challenge facing soy growers is flooding.