Evolution is complex and difficult to study, but a new software package developed by the AAES offers researchers a better way to simulate how organisms change over time. The new software, called TraitTrainR, builds on work in the field of comparative biology to provide an efficient and effective framework…
A University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture horticulture professor and researcher was recently bestowed the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers…
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…
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…
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, 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…