The same substance that paints the sky with the Northern Lights also appears to enhance plant growth and insect defense, according to a new study. Food science and entomology researchers from the AAES teamed up to harness plasma…
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New Cotton Grading Score App Aims to Improve Yield Stability
Fred Bourland has another score to settle with cotton, and this time it’s coming with a technical punch. The professor of plant breeding and genetics for the AAES is working on his third cotton grading score to help cotton breeders in their unceasing…
J.O. Ware’s Rare Reference Book on American Upland Cotton Released Online
A rare 77-page reference book on American upland cotton has been made available online by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “Origin, Rise and Development of American Upland Cotton and Their Status at Present” by J.O. Ware
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Researchers Recognized As Top-Cited Scientists
Seventeen Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers are among those ranked as the world’s most-cited scientists, an indication of their impact across multiple fields of inquiry.
Conference Explores Sensory Cues Beyond Food Preference
An international conference that explores the impact of sensory cues such as lighting and aroma will be hosted by the UADA’s Sensory Science Center at the end of February. Sensory cues can affect perceptions and behaviors…
Machine Learning Maps Animal Feeding Operations to Improve Sustainability
Understanding where farm animals are raised is crucial for managing their environmental impacts and developing technological solutions, but gaps in data often make it challenging to get the full picture…
Chicken ‘Woody Breast’ Detection Improved With Advanced Machine Learning Model
It’s called “woody breast” and for consumers it can mean a chewier chicken sandwich, but for the industry it can mean up to $200 million annual yield loss. Chaitanya Pallerla with hyperspectral imaging camera and woody breast chicken meat…
Second-Gen Land-Grant Poultry Veteran Barton Takes Helm of Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
A veterinarian with deep experience in poultry science, animal welfare and disease prevention was recently named the director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
More Than Demand Driving Super Bowl Chicken Wing Price Increase This Year
The nearly 1.5 billion chicken wings fans are expected to consumer during Sunday’s Super Bowl watch parties will cost more this year, and it is more than just the demand driving the increase….
How Flooding Soybeans in Early Reproductive Stages Impacts Yield, Seed Composition
With an increasing frequency and intensity of flooding events and an eye to capitalize on a common rice production technique, soybean breeders are on a quest to develop varieties with flood tolerance at any stage in the plant’s development…
Behavioral Economist Aims to Bridge Information Gap Between Farmers, Consumers
Most people go to the grocery store for food. Behavioral economist Shijun Gao goes for research. Gao’s passion for learning where food comes from, how it’s produced and how consumers make choices about the foods they buy led him to pursue a career in agricultural economics…
Herbicide-Resistant Trait Patented in Conventional Grain Sorghum
Grain sorghum is widely grown in arid environments as an animal feed grain, but weedy grass control in the crop is a big challenge due to limited post-emergent herbicide options. A joint effort between the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas A&M AgriLife Research…
New Software Package Drives Deeper Understanding of Trait Evolution
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…
Worthington Wins a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
A University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture horticulture professor and researcher was recently bestowed the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers…
How Do Road Salts Impact Roadside Microorganisms?
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…
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…
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…
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…
$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…
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…
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…
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…