Science News

Palmer amaranth seedlings emerging from the soil
By Emily Matzke

For the past 25 years, many farmers across Nebraska have relied on the chemical glyphosate for weed control to have a successful crop harvest. rows of young soybeans with the soil between rows covered in Palmer amaranth seedlings

Insect net sweeping through canola flowers
By Kaine Korzekwa

Farmers pay attention to many aspects of their crops. They carefully track how much water they are giving them and the amount of fertilizer they are using. But what about how many bees and butterflies are visiting?

Hoverfly pollinating canola flower

field of colorful barley varieties
By Emily Matzke

Climate change is a global issue. It affects our environment and our food supply.

field of barley with mountain in background

Increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events influence crop yields and where crops can live. These events limit the number of crops humans can use.

Two types of shrub willow growing side by side
By Adityarup "Rup" Chakravorty

Renewable energy demand and consumption is at an all-time high in the United States.

Shrub willow – a quick-growing woody crop – can be an excellent source of renewable bioenergy. The crop is harvested and turned into wood chips, which can be used for heat, mulch, animal bedding, biochar, and biofuel.

Stevia plants growing in trays in the greenhouse.
By Eric Hamilton

It’s a fact - humans love sugar. For those of us who also like to watch our calories, sugar substitutes can help.Stevia plants growing in trays in the greenhouse.

Some zero-calorie or low-calorie sweeteners have attracted bad reputations for containing unnatural ingredients. But there are also natural sweeteners derived from plants, like stevia.

dumptruck dumping compost onto the ground in a field.
By Kaine Korzekwa

In the dry air and soil of Texas’ Southern High Plains, improving soil health can be tough. We usually think of healthy soil as moist and loose with lots of organic matter. But this can be hard to achieve in this arid area of Texas.

dumptruck dumping manure compost onto the ground in a field

Research field with small, rectangle plots of chickpea plants. Each small plot has a different level of greenness. Rolling hills in the background.
By Emily Matzke

In recent years, hummus has become a pop culture food phenomenon, drawing praises from dieticians for the health benefits and chefs for the flavor.

Woman smiling squatting down by plants in a field

However, the core ingredient, the chickpea, has had its production threatened.

lettuce in brown bottles
By Adityarup "Rup" Chakravorty

Carbon nanotubes are tiny. They can be a hundred thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. But they have huge potential.

tubes between lettuce growing

Products manufactured using carbon nanotubes include rebar for concrete, sporting goods, wind turbines, and lithium batteries, among others.

man inspecting quinoa plant in field
By Eric Hamilton

Your morning cereal or oatmeal. The bread on your sandwich. The corn chips for your snack, and the cookies for dessert. Not one would be possible with the humblest of ingredients: the seed.

Seeds such as wheat, rice and corn directly provide about 70% of the calories eaten by people every day. And they ultimately provide nearly every morsel of food, either by providing feed for livestock or by being grown into fruits and vegetables. It’s no overstatement to say that without seeds, civilization would be impossible.

Yam plants growing on stakes
By Rachel Schutte

Yams are a staple food in West Africa, which produces over 90% of the world’s yams each year. Yams play a key role in the food security, economic income, and traditional culture for the region.

Yams at market in Ghana