crop-science

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In 2013, funding challenges were at the forefront for Michigan State University AgBioResearch, weakening the ability to support efforts at its strategically located research stations around the state. The organization was still enduring the residual effects of the Great Recession, and difficult decisions were imminent. As a result, AgBioResearch leaders assembled a committee…

The objective of this study was to develop calibration equations for a rising plate metrer (RPM) to estimate herbage mass in irrigated ryegrass/white clover (RGWC) swards with varying proportions of plantain. A 32-ha area, divided into 0.3-ha paddocks, was randomly allocated to three treatments sown with increasing plantain seeding rates: (i) RGWC with no plantain, (ii) RGWC + 3 kg/ha and (iii) R…

Sustainable intensification of horticultural systems requires effective weed management strategies that reduce reliance on synthetic herbicides while maintaining crop productivity. Agroecological practices, particularly the use of multispecies cover crops, are increasingly recognized as promising tools to reconcile weed suppression with environmental sustainability. This study assessed the effect…

Treatment of ‘Pikantni’ feed bean plants at the 10 cm shoot stage with the broad-spectrum growth stimulant Biolane and the semi-synthetic film-forming plant growth regulator N¹-Acetyl-5-Methoxykynuramine (AMK) with antioxidant activity induced significant morphogenetic changes. The agents substantially accelerated the growth of the above-ground biomass, particularly from the branching stage onwar…

Abstract Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with crops, enhancing nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. However, their responses to agronomic practices such as cover cropping and microbial grain inoculation remain poorly understood under field conditions. For maize, one of the world’s most important crops, it is still unclear how these management strategies influence AMF…

Abstract Background Uranium (U) contamination poses a serious threat to ecosystems. Phytoremediation offers an eco-friendly solution but is often limited by metal toxicity in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can enhance plant tolerance and improve phytoremediation efficiency, while their specific interaction with polyamine (PA) metabolism under U stress remains unclear. This study inves…

This study aims to develop and evaluate a deep learning-based mobile application for the automated classification of ornamental plants, addressing challenges associated with visual similarity among species and environmental variability during image acquisition. The proposed system utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based on the MobileNetV2 architecture, selected for its lightweight str…

Food Tank explores 10 dryland crops that improve biodiversity and food security to carry us toward a more resilient future. The post The 10 Crops That Can Turn Arid Lands Into Biodiversity And Food Security Hotspots appeared first on Food Tank .

Indoor strawberry production eliminates soil contact entirely, removing the pathogen vector rather than managing it downstream. The post Growing Strawberries Indoors Commercially: The Answer to Field Berry’s Biggest Problem? appeared first on iGrow News .

Scientific Reports, Published online: 23 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-54410-6 Harnessing salt tolerance and C 4 -like traits from the halophyte wild species Oryza coarctata into cultivated rice ( Oryza sativa L.)

You’re on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you’ve been tasked with establishing the first self-sustaining food crop on a Martian settlement. You’re nervous because you’re using a new type of fungi called beneficial fungi, which you’re told will help enhance Martian regolith, enabling it to be used for growing crops. You were privately told that doing this will not only get a high school name…

Abstract Plants have developed adaptive strategies to combat dehydration, including forming associations with microbes, which help plants cope with drought by altering hormone levels, enhancing antioxidants, or improving water uptake. Selaginella species, the resurrection plants, can endure desiccation and revive with rehydration. Here, we investigated the bacteriome of leaves and roots of S. con…