When you buy your packet of squash seeds each spring, you plant them in the ground, and expect plants to sprout! It seems like an easy process, but there’s a lot of […]
What are the factors that determine seed germination?
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Do crops have different metabolisms – like people?
Are you friends with a person who can eat anything they want and still not gain weight? Part of that could be in how their body metabolizes the food they eat. Of […]
Why do we need to keep breeding new crop varieties?
Global warming and changes in the amount – and location – of water, are key factors in the need to continue crop breeding programs. In addition, there are many diseases that affect […]
Why do some farm fields look messy after harvest?
That’s the stubble – basically scalped stalks – and other scraps left in the field. The farmer has left this stubble on the field intentionally…but it’s not always possible to do. Let’s […]
How do breeders know which part of the DNA corresponds to the trait they are breeding for?
You most likely know that all living things have DNA. This ladder-like, complex, molecule found in each cell carries the genetic information to control growth and functioning of that organism. DNA is […]
Fun facts about cranberries for Thanksgiving!
Cranberries are an essential part of many a Thanksgiving meal in the U.S. and Canada. The annual family debate is about the best way to eat the beautiful, red fruit. Whether you […]
How do they make those crazy designs on Major League Baseball outfields?
As you tune into the World Series, you may see some interesting designs in the baseball outfield. Or, perhaps you have seen the dark and light pattern of turfgrass on football fields […]
What’s the difference between hay and straw?
There are a lot of fun sayings out there that involve the word “hay”. “We better make hay while the sun shines.” “It is time to hit the hay,” and so on. […]
Call of the wild sunflower
Did you know that sunflowers are the only major global crop that is native to the United States? And, that this native plant has about 64 species and subspecies that grow wild […]
The Cranberry: a very American berry
Native Americans used wild cranberries harvested from their natural habitats and introduced them to settlers hundreds of years ago. Today, most of the cranberries that people eat come from wild selections that […]