Salt is essential to keeping our roads and walkways safe when it snows. But when salt is washed off the roads, how does it impact nearby microorganisms? Water quality researcher Shannon Speir and her students have been conducting studies…
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A Way Forward in Breeding Rice to Withstand High Nighttime Stress
Rice plants can deal with the heat during the day, but when the sun goes down, they need to chill out. Developing rice with tolerance to higher nighttime temperatures has become a focus for rice breeders because studies are showing nights…
LISTEN: Rice Innovation at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center
Dr. Burcham shares NERREC’s mission to help farmers achieve greater profitability and sustainability and to educate the public about the importance of rice and agriculture in Arkansas. He discusses the significance of NERREC’s location and agronomic characteristics…
Andrew Maust Wins 3-Minute Thesis Competition Breaking Down Non-Alcoholic Beer Research
Andrew Maust, a Ph.D. student in food science, recently won the University of Arkansas’s 3-Minute Thesis competition. The 3-Minute Thesis competition challenges graduate students to present a simple and compelling speech about their research…
Arkansas Clean Plant Center Leads Global Effort to Wipe ‘Phantom Agents’ from Pathogen Regulatory Lists
Wiping “phantom agents” from a list of suspected plant pathogens would improve agricultural efficiency and food security by updating regulations on international shipment of pathogen-free plant materials destined to countries where they are needed…
WATCH: Brian Haggard – Understanding Water Quality | Behind the Discovery
Brian Haggard is on a mission to analyze and protect one of our most vital resources — water. As a professor in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and director of both the AWRC and the Water Quality Lab…
December 2024 Arkansas Ag Research Report
A monthly round-up of top stories from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. IN THIS ISSUE: USDA-NIFA grant helps scientists combat southern root-knot nematode, Weed scientist honored by USA Rice, Diversity in Action Magazine features bioinformatics specialist…
Making Arkansas Wine Better with Time in Austria
A future chapter in Amanda Fleming’s story as a winemaker and researcher takes her to Graz University of Technology in southeast Austria. Fleming, a food science Ph.D. student in the University of Arkansas’s Dale Bumpers College…
Arkansas Poultry Industry Sees Reduced Disease Impact, Job Market Woes
Despite a decrease in the influence of highly pathogenic avian influenza — HPAI — on Arkansas’ poultry industry, restructuring and closing of plants have posed increased challenges in the poultry producer…
LISTEN: Research Development and Writing Competitive Grants
“I love research and being a part of … this process of being able to help faculty get funding for their research,” said Dr. Keith Berry Jr. In this episode, we are joined by the AAES’ first-ever research development specialist. Berry shares an overview…
$791,000 Grant to Support Future Nematode-Resistant Soybean Varieties
Causing an estimated $160 billion in damages globally each year, one of agriculture’s biggest enemies is too small to see without a microscope. Plant-parasitic nematodes feed on agricultural crops at their roots, reducing yields and profits for producers…
Diversity in Action Magazine features UA bioinformatics specialist Aranyak Goswami
The boundaries of artificial intelligence and machine are broadening daily, with researchers worldwide finding new ways to apply the tool in science. Aranyak Goswami, a bioinformatics specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture…
Norsworthy Honored with Rice Industry Award
Jason Norsworthy’s origin story as a weed scientist began on a truck farm in south Arkansas, and was told through the unnumbered long, hot hours spent at the end of a gooseneck hoe chopping weeds…
New Probiotic Shown to Improve Digestion in Poultry and Swine
A novel probiotic in both poultry and swine feed that promises to improve gut health and weight-gain efficiency may have another benefit: allowing the animals to unlock more of the nutrients of soybean in their diets. The probiotic, which is a beneficial bacterium…
REDI-NET Launch Brings New Line of Defense Against Emerging Diseases
Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station helped develop an early warning system for the military to help identify the next contagion. Imagine a researcher in a lab in Kenya testing a water sample, looking at microorganisms under a microscope…
November 2024 Arkansas Ag Research Report
A monthly round-up of top stories from the AAES. In this issue: Poultry scientists are working on a vaccine for necrotic enteritis, a multi-billion-dollar problem. Exploring new approaches to combat bovine respiratory disease. Drought mapping project shows driest spots …
WATCH: Samantha Robinson – Smarter Decision-Making with Data | Behind the Discovery
Samantha Robinson, a statistician and educator, turned a childhood love for numbers into a career. Robinson is an associate professor in the Center for Agricultural Data Analytics and the School of Human Environmental Sciences…
Hot Water Best for Sanitizing In-Shell Pecans, Sanitizers Prevent Cross-Contamination
Before those sweet and savory pecans make their way into your pecan pie or other holiday treat, they may go through an antimicrobial wash to reduce pathogens. But why would that be needed? “In‐shell pecans are typically harvested after falling from trees to the ground…
LISTEN: Grape Expectations – Breeding the Future of Grapes and Muscadines
Dr. Renee Threlfall shares her work on a USDA-funded project to develop a new generation of muscadine grapes. Known for their resilience and unique flavor, muscadines are being hybridized with bunch grapes to combine each species’ best qualities…
USDA-NIFA Grant Aims to Bring More Job Possibilities for Neurodivergent Individuals
With the help of a nearly $500,000 grant, Arkansas food safety expert Kristen Gibson is working to increase job opportunities for neurodivergent individuals. Gibson, a professor of food safety and microbiology and director of the Arkansas Center for Food Safety, received the grant from the USDA…
A Greenhouse Gas-Negative Future for Agriculture Presented at UN Climate Change Conference
As delegates from around the world convene in Baku, Azerbaijan for the U.N. Climate Change Conference, a new report suggests that agriculture could become greenhouse gas negative. Marty Matlock, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering…
Exploring New Approaches to Combat Bovine Respiratory Disease
It’s commonly known in the cattle industry that bovine respiratory disease is the most costly illness affecting cattle in North America. Despite extensive research and treatment efforts over the years, it continues to lead to high rates of sickness and death…
Geospatial Mapping Study Shows Drought Trend in Ag-Dominated Arkansas Delta
The Delta, a regional powerhouse for Arkansas agriculture built by river flows, is showing a trend of increasing droughts. Using satellite imagery, AAES researchers comprehensively analyzed drought dynamics over five years to reveal this and…
Finding a Preventative Solution to a Billion-Dollar Poultry Problem
The poultry industry loses up to $6 billion annually due to necrotic enteritis, a preventable intestinal disease in poultry, including broiler chickens. AAES poultry science researcher is evaluating a new possible solution using a novel vaccine combined with a bile acid regimen…
LISTEN: A Berry Big Deal: Merging Traits for Taste and Toughness
New research is exploring combining the best traits of traditional table grapes with muscadines to create disease-resistant, flavorful grapes consumers will love. Dr. Margaret Worthington, explains the project she co-leads to create a new grape variety…