Have you ever wondered what is in the soil that supports a plant to survive, reproduce, and complete its life cycle? Where do all those nutrients present in your breakfast corn flakes, […]
Why do farmers need to test their soils?
How do nutrients in leaves inform farming practices?
Last fall, I spent hours washing leaves as I would wash my hands – first, I dunked them in soapy water and wiped off any residues. Then I rinsed the leaves with […]
Low-glycemic, high-protein rice – The quest for a perfect food
Rice is a main staple food of more than 2.4 billion people. Rice continues to expand into communities that are traditionally non-rice eating with the increasing levels of cross culture exchange, travel, […]
How do rootstocks help tomato growers under heat and drought?
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 […]
What are anti-nutrients and why are they important for researchers to consider?
Many of us consider the nutritional value of foods as we choose them. For example, you might add some strawberries to your morning cereal to get a boost of vitamin C and […]
How do nutrients get into my vegetables?
Like all living organisms, vegetables need nutrients for their proper growth and development. But where do they get their mineral nutrients from? The answer is soil. Okay, the next question is, how […]
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 […]
Cassava: A plant for all times
If you look across a field in Nigeria, you might see hundreds of midsize trees with green leaves and strange roots being dug up. This tree-looking plant is called cassava. Cassava is […]
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 […]
Tomato production 101: Distinctions beyond the “fruit or vegetable” debate
The American public has long debated whether the tomato is a vegetable or a fruit. This results in an uneasy truce: botanically, it’s considered a fruit, but practically, it’s lumped in with […]