No matter the location, plants can experience stress. This can be in your home garden, the local community garden, or on a farm miles away. Stresses include heat or drought, and they […]
How do rootstocks help tomato growers under heat and drought?
What are some current advancements in hop breeding?
Common hop – you might call it hops – is a main ingredient in beer responsible for its rich flavor profile. Craft brewers and larger manufacturers alike are always looking for that […]
Why are certain crops used to make biofuels?
Climate change is one of the top issues of our time. Wind power, solar energy and electric cars grab a lot of headlines as solutions. Biofuels hold promise too, as part of […]
How are new varieties of plants registered and why?
You may see a new variety of vegetable at the grocery store, for example an unusual new lettuce or apple. There are other important new varieties of crops that don’t show up […]
How is drought affecting irrigation water for pecans?
The holidays are a time to bake pecan pies and make salted pecans. And for the more daring, making pralines. And it seems the pecan pie has been around for about a […]
What is sunn hemp and how is it used in agronomy?
Let’s talk about a crop that can grow in inhospitable environments and still provide numerous benefits. It can increase soil organic matter and provide lots of nitrogen. It suppresses plant parasitic nematodes […]
What is the quinoa seed and germplasm collection like?
You may never have heard of quinoa before 2013. That’s when the United Nations ran a campaign to promote awareness of this cereal crop. Now, many people enjoy a bowl of cooked […]
How are vineyards in California following sustainable practices?
Sustainable wine production uses practices that are environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically viable. Grape growers and vintners, the people who make wine, follow sustainable practices throughout California to grow and make […]
How can various cultivars influence the history of a crop?
Not many of us see Model T cars on the road today. This 1920’s era car made car travel accessible for the middle class, but its last production was in 1927. Yet, […]
How can crops that are not grown from seeds be conserved in gene banks?
Plant genebanks, such as the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), conserve vast collections of crops. They are saved for use in breeding and research programs. These collections are primarily conserved as […]