Expression of the nitrate transporter gene OsNRT1.1A improves yield and accelerates maturation. Using nitrogen fertilizer increases crop yields, but excess runoff causes environmental pollution. Moreover, in grains such as rice, large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer can delay flowering, leaving the crop vulnerable to late-season cold weather. A recent study in The Plant Cell identified a … Read more
Why did you join ASPB? Why do you continue to be a member? We need to know the answers to these questions. As I mentioned in my first President’s Letter, there has been a slow but continuous erosion in membership over the past decade. It is vital that we understand what you value most about … Read more
I believe science can help us develop solutions to global food insecurity. I study the effects of drought on maize roots at the University of Missouri, and I hope my findings will contribute to improving crop resilience as rainfall patterns change in the Midwest. Currently, I am represented in Congress by an anti-science politician, U.S. … Read more
By Lauren Broccoli (Lewis-Burke Associates) The Trump Administration released its fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget request overview this morning that did not include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and provided scant details on other research programs. While we wait on NSF and DOE budget specifics, I wanted to share USDA numbers. As expected, … Read more
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will host a workshop on the integration of 21st Century technologies into farming practices to maximize crop yields and meet the rising global demands for food, fuel, and fiber. The workshop, entitled The Energy-Smart Farm: Distributed Networks for Highly Variable and Resource Constrained Crop … Read more