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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 […]
Study: Ground-level ozone reduces maize and soybean yields
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Despite government regulations, ground-level ozone – an odorless gas that forms as polluting nitrogen oxides drift in sunlight across the countryside – continues to threaten crop quality and yield. In a new study, researchers quantify this loss from historical yield data for the first time. They show that over the last 30 […]
Pineapple genome offers insight into photosynthesis in drought-tolerant plants
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — By sequencing its genome, scientists are homing in on the genes and genetic pathways that allow the juicy pineapple plant to thrive in water-limited environments. The new findings, reported in the journal Nature Genetics, also open a new window on the complicated evolutionary history of grasses like sorghum and rice, which share […]
Study identifies chemical in diet that determines a honey bee’s caste
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A closer look at how honey bee colonies determine which larvae will serve as workers and which will become queens reveals that a plant chemical, p-coumaric acid, plays a key role in the bees’ developmental fate. The study, reported in the journal Science Advances, shows that broad developmental changes occur when honey […]
Master Naturalists needed to preserve Illinois’ environment
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Adults who have a passion for the outdoors – and are interested in sharing that with others – are needed statewide as volunteers in the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program. The program educates residents about Illinois’ natural resources, and connects them with volunteer opportunities to assist with environmental conservation and […]
Chill-tolerant hybrid sugarcane also grows at lower temperatures, team finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — U.S. farmers have long hoped to extend sugarcane’s growing range northward from the Gulf coast, substantially increasing the land available for sugar and biofuels. Several hybrid canes developed in the 1980s have proved hardy in cooler climes, surviving overwinter as far north as Booneville, Arkansas. But until now, no one had tested […]
Study: Groundwater from aquifers important factor in food security
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Thirsty cities, fields and livestock drink deeply from aquifers, natural sources of groundwater. But a study of three of the most-tapped aquifers in the United States shows that overdrawing from these resources could lead to difficult choices affecting not only domestic food security but also international markets. Where does the water go? […]
Study: Crop rotation-resistant rootworms have a lot going on in their guts
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After decades of effort, scientists are finally figuring out how insects develop resistance to environmentally friendly farming practices – such as crop rotation – that are designed to kill them. The researchers say their insights will help develop more sustainable agricultural practices. In their study, published in the journal Evolutionary Applications, the […]
Plant breeder boosts soybean diversity, develops soybean rust-resistant plant
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It took decades of painstaking work, but research geneticist Ram Singh managed to cross a popular soybean variety (“Dwight” Glycine max) with a related wild perennial plant that grows like a weed in Australia, producing the first fertile soybean plants that are resistant to soybean rust, soybean cyst nematode and other pathogens […]
New method helps map species’ genetic heritage
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Where did the songbird get its song? What branch of the bird family tree is closer to the flamingo – the heron or the sparrow? These questions seem simple, but are actually difficult for geneticists to answer. A new, sophisticated statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois and the […]
Bioenergy crops could store more carbon in soil
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In addition to providing renewable energy, grass crops like switchgrass and miscanthus could store some of the carbon they pull from the atmosphere in the soil, according to a new study by University of Illinois researchers. The study compared soil dynamics – the ratio of carbon to nitrogen and microbial activity – […]