As scientists learn more about a deadly parasite’s ability to move from host to host in turkey flocks, a long-standing theory is in question and opens the door to new preventative measures. Histomonas meleagridis, the parasite behind histomonosis…
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Arkansas Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Professors Join International Conservation Leadership Program
Four local conservationists have just begun a year-long journey to improve their professional and leadership skills and better serve their communities and conservation efforts. Two professors and one staff member from the AAES…
Plant-Based Protein Extraction Study to Look at Ultrasound, Fermentation Methods
Food science researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are tapping into the power of soundwaves and fermentation to improve the quality of plant-based proteins…
WATCH: Margaret Worthington – The Art of Plant Breeding | Behind the Discovery
Plant breeding is Margaret Worthington’s dream job. As director of the Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program, Margaret combines the art and science of plant breeding to create new varieties that consumers love and farmers grow in the real world. At the end of the day…
Red Milkweed Beetle Genome Offers Insight into Plant-Insect Interactions
Studying the secrets of how the common red milkweed beetle can safely feed on a toxic plant helps illuminate the ecological, evolutionary and economic impact of insect-plant interactions from a genomic perspective. Although the relationship between the red milkweed beetle and milkweed plants…
2024 Discovery Journal Features U of A Arthropod Museum Update, Undergraduate Research
For Baylie Day, entomology classes and a fascination with the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum led her to create a digital database cataloging more than 1,700 of its specimens. Day’s work is featured in the 2024 issue of Discovery…
LISTEN: Exploring Land Use and Nutrient Availability in Brazil’s Dry Tropics
Dr. Natalie Clay talks about her research on decomposition in Brazil’s dry tropical forests supported by the Fulbright Scholar Program, the world’s largest and most diverse international education exchange program…
Bird Flu’s Growing Impact Calls for Urgent Action at International Summit
As highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to infect more than just birds, scientists and industry professionals want to prevent it from infecting more species and continuing to impact animal and human health, the environment and the economy…
Carrot Surplus Spurs BBQ Sauce for Chef Rios at Arkansas Food Innovation Center
A sweet-and-smokey barbecue sauce designed around surplus carrots is the newest product rolling out from the Expanding Farmers’ Opportunities in Northwest Arkansas program. Rafael Rios, chef at his family’s Yeyo’s El Alma De Mexico in Rogers…
Arkansas Alum DeLaune Returns as Head of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
For Oklahoma native and University of Arkansas alumnus Paul DeLaune, returning to Arkansas to be head of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science, is almost like coming home. DeLaune starts his new job Nov. 25…
New Department Head Nalley Puts Land-Grant Mission Integration High on Priority List
Lanier Nalley, the new head of the agricultural economics and agribusiness department, plans to continue to build on his predecessor’s foundation and work toward a fuller integration of land-grant research, extension and teaching…
September 2024 Arkansas Ag Research Report
A monthly round-up of top stories from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. IN THIS ISSUE: Through the Grapevine: Great things are in store for grapes, Two fields of study combine to form foundational science on forest and stream health, Find out who was named…
Crop Physiologist Larry Purcell Spins Full Circle in Retirement
Larry Purcell might be the most highly educated and scientifically cited bicycle mechanic in America. With certainty, the recently retired Distinguished Professor of crop physiology for the UADA has the admiration of Southern soybean breeders…
Dridi Honored by Poultry Science Association for Research Efforts
Sami Dridi, professor of poultry science, was recognized with the American Feed Industry Association Poultry Nutrition Research Award and the National Chicken Council Broiler Research Award at the 2024 Annual Meeting…
WATCH: Scott Lafontaine – Leading Beverage Innovation | Behind the Discovery
Food safety and nutrition are essential, but taste often drives what we choose to eat. Assistant professor of food science and flavor chemist Scott Lafontaine evaluates and enhances flavors by investigating the chemical drivers…
Red Oaks Take Root in Restoration of Bottomland Hardwood Forests
As trees begin changing colors this fall, a new generation of red oaks will be planted on 40 acres in eastern Arkansas, just a small part of a project that aims to re-establish 600 acres of hardwood forests in the state over the next three to five years…
Multi-State Study Offers Recommendations for Keeping Bermudagrass Greener All Season
Whether it’s a football field, a golf course, or a home lawn, a new multi-state study offers recommendations for keeping some varieties of turfgrass greener, longer. Researchers currently based in six states collaborated…
Finding Nature’s Hidden Threshold for Saltiness in the Space Where Forests Meet Streams
Riparian zones, the areas where forests and streams meet, are intimately connected. Yet a holistic understanding about these zones is lacking because such work requires a combination of aquatic and terrestrial sciences. That is soon to change with the help of a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation grant…
Study Offers Improvements to Food Quality Computer Predictions
Have you ever stood in front of apples on display at the grocery store trying to pick out the best ones and wondered, “Is there an app for this?” Current machine-learning based computer models used for predicting food quality…
Legislators Express Support for Land-Grant Research, Extension Work in Arkansas
Increasing funding for land-grant work in Arkansas agriculture may take some persuasion, considering how few legislators have ties to agriculture or understand the UADA’s impact in every Arkansas county…
LISTEN: How Replanting Forests Can Improve Ecological Benefits and Empower Landowners
We explore the Restoring Bottomland Hardwood Forests project with principal investigator Dr. Nana Tian. Planting begins this fall, and over the next 3 to 5 years, this project aims to restore approximately 600 acres of Arkansas bottomland forests by planting oak species and other hardwoods…
WATCH: Brandon McFadden – Confronting Food System Challenges | Behind the Discovery
There is no shortage of challenges for the food system. From changes in policy to new food technologies, consumers and producers can have a lot to worry about. To consumer economics researcher Brandon McFadden…
Pre-Harvest Marketing, Crop Insurance a Dual Strategy for Business Sustainability
Many things in farming could be considered a gamble, including the weather and pest management, but locking in a price on at least some of the crop doesn’t have to be. Andrew McKenzie said corn and bean farmers considering…
Erf Named Fellow of the Poultry Science Association
In honor of her 35 years of dedication to research and education, Gisela Erf, endowed professor of avian immunology, was recognized as a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky…
Chicken House Electricity Audit Provides Clues to Curbing ‘Peak Demand’
Today’s meat chickens were bred to grow faster with higher feed conversion ratios, but that also makes chicken house climate control even more important. Demand for better climate control, especially ventilation…