United States Department of Agriculture

Strawberries grown on red plastic mulch are sweeter and more flavorful than conventionally grown berries, say scientists with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Colored plastic mulches are already starting to appear in some horticulture supply centres. Earlier research has shown that tomatoes ripen faster with red mulch. In this latest research, […] Read more

Paper is gaining on plastic as an ingredient in mulches that are used to grow fruits and vegetables. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service says this is mainly because paper mulch coated in vegetable oil may be cheaper than plastic mulches, which are expensive to remove. Brown paper coated with vegetable oils, […] Read more

American researchers have proved that temperature sensors can be used to detect water stress and manage the delivery of irrigation water. United States Department of Agriculture scientists in Florence, South Carolina, are fine-tuning the controls for sensors on a site-specific, centre-pivot irrigation system. It can independently water and fertilize nearly 700 mini-areas within a 14-acre […] Read more

Researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture and University of Vermont have produced a clone of a purebred Jersey cow whose cells may offer a biotechnological defense against mastitis disease. Geneticist Kevin Wells of USDA said it will be at least another year before the cow, named Annie and born last March, begins producing […] Read more

Scientists have adapted acoustic techniques commonly used by engineers to predict mechanical failures to detect insects hidden in soil and the interior of plants. United States Department of Agriculture researchers from Florida and Oregon and colleagues at Auburn University, University of Florida and Montana State University have developed an acoustic technique that uses sensitive instruments […] Read more

Twenty Russian honeybee queens enjoying a respite on Grande Terre Island in Louisiana may soon be busy helping breed new generations of commercial bees that resist parasitic varroa mites. Agricultural Research Service geneticist Thomas Rinderer and colleagues have been studying the Russian queens since July at a quarantine apiary on Grande Terre. If the Russian […] Read more

Herb oil may be the latest weapon in the battle against smelly and dangerous manure. United States Department of Agriculture microbiologist Vincent H. Varel is using the essential oils carvacrol and thymol to block formation of foul-smelling volatile fatty acids in slurries of cattle feces and urine. Varel has found that as little as one […] Read more

Colorado potato beetles are deceptively beautiful insects, with five shiny black stripes on a yellow background decorating each wing. But this beetle is notoriously destructive. Each year, it and its larvae ravage potato, eggplant and tomato plants. But this pest is also notorious for its ability to develop resistance to insecticides, making biocontrol a viable […] Read more

When it comes to castrating beef cattle, the kindest cut may be the early one. United States Department of Agriculture scientists in Indiana have found calves castrated shortly after birth suffered less stress and recovered faster than those castrated at weaning time. The Indiana lab studies livestock behavior to gauge the stress level in animals. […] Read more

A United States Department of Agriculture research service scientist in Ames, Iowa, has developed a laboratory analysis that might lead to a diagnostic test for the family of diseases that include scrapie and mad cow disease. The disease family, part of the groups called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, is believed to be caused by abnormal proteins […] Read more