Agriculture
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Illinois growers are running out of options in fight against waterhemp
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Resistance to multiple herbicides is the new norm for populations of waterhemp, a common agricultural weed. With their herbicide options dwindling and nothing new on the horizon, Illinois growers must be strategic in how they manage waterhemp-infested fields, says a University of Illinois expert on crop weed management. “So many decisions that […]
Study: Future drought will offset benefits of higher CO2 on soybean yields
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An eight-year study of soybeans grown outdoors in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere like that expected by 2050 has yielded a new and worrisome finding: Higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations will boost plant growth under ideal growing conditions, but drought – expected to worsen as the climate warms and rainfall patterns change – will […]
Measure of age in soil nitrogen could help precision agriculture
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – What’s good for crops is not always good for the environment. Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plants, can cause problems when it leaches into water supplies. University of Illinois engineers developed a model to calculate the age of nitrogen in corn and soybean fields, which could lead to improved fertilizer application techniques […]
Kidwell named College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences dean
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Kimberlee Kae Kidwell will serve as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences effective Nov. 1, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Currently the executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington […]
U. of I. alumna Temple Grandin elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Temple Grandin, a University of Illinois alumna and a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Grandin is one of 213 new members, which include scientists, artists, writers, philanthropists, and civic and business leaders. The new members will be inducted […]
Study suggests commercial bumble bee industry amplified a fungal pathogen of bees
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists hoping to explain widespread declines in wild bumble bee populations have conducted the first long-term genetic study of Nosema bombi, a key fungal pathogen of honey bees and bumble bees. Their study, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that N. bombi was present in the U.S. as […]
Giant reed is a photosynthetic outlier, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Arundo donax, a giant reed that grows in the Mediterranean climate zones of the world, isn’t like other prolific warm-weather grasses, researchers report. This grass, which can grow annually to 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in height, uses a type of photosynthesis that is more common to crop plants like soybeans, rice […]
Consumer perception of organic foods affected by food type and where they’re sold
The organic food industry has grown from fresh produce and grains to snack foods and condiments – from farmers markets to supercenters. Has this new variety in organic products, and the availability of them, affected consumers’ perceptions? A University of Illinois researcher and her team designed an experiment to provide insight on some of the […]
Study: Second-generation biofuels can reduce emissions
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Second-generation biofuel crops like the perennial grasses Miscanthus and switchgrass can efficiently meet emission reduction goals without significantly displacing cropland used for food production, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Illinois and collaborators published their findings in the inaugural edition of the journal Nature Energy. The researchers call […]
Seven Illinois researchers rank among the world’s most influential
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Seven University of Illinois researchers have been named to the Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list for 2015. The list includes “some of the world’s most influential scientific minds,” according to a statement from Thomson Reuters. “About 3,000 researchers earned this distinction … ranking among the top 1 percent most cited for […]
Export of wood pellets from US to EU more environmentally friendly than coal
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As the export of wood pellets from the U.S. to the European Union has increased six-fold since 2008, questions have been raised about the environmental impact of the practice. According to a new paper from a University of Illinois expert in environmental economics, even after accounting for factors ranging from harvesting to […]
Links between hunger and health lead to recommendation that doctors screen patients for food insecurity
Almost 50 million people in the United States are food insecure – that is, they lack access to adequate food because of limited money or other resources. University of Illinois economist Craig Gundersen and University of Kentucky’s James P. Ziliak examined recent research on food insecurity and its association with poor health, and offer suggestions […]