Science briefs

Science briefs

Tar spot lesions on a corn leaf. As the disease progresses, the black lesions will increase in size and coalesce. Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2021, at a field trial in Coldwater, MI. Photo courtesy of Harkirat Kaur.

Tar spot’s hidden cost to silage corn yield and nutritive value

November 21, 2025

Photo.

Complementary phenotyping approaches for studying genetic basis of maize root system architecture

November 17, 2025

Clockwise from top: Aerial image of the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Aspirational Cropping System Experiment (photo courtesy of Ruben Ulbrich, KBS LTAR); Red clover cover crops in maturing wheat (photo courtesy of G. Philip Robertson, KBS LTAR); and canola being harvested from a five-crop regenerative cropping system experiment (photo courtesy of Gavin Hutchings, KBS LTAR).

Regenerative transition costs are tractable

November 17, 2025

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) image of wheat chromosomes revealing the location of wheatgrass chromosome segments (red, labeled with arrows) that impart resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus, Triticum mosaic virus, and stem rust race Ug99. Photo courtesy of Dr. Dal-Hoe Koo, Kansas State University.

FISHing for plant chromosomes

November 13, 2025

Comparison between raw yield data collected by a combine (left) and cleaned yield estimates for an on-farm trial (right). The white-shaded area in the cleaned map represents the experimental border. Image courtesy of Caio dos Santos and Data-Intensive Farm Management.

How we process yield monitor data in on-farm experiments matters

November 10, 2025

Jessica M. Anton, first author of the study, collecting sediment for isotope analyses. Photo courtesy of Deb Jaisi, University of Delaware.

A new proxy for tracking residual phosphorus sources in the environment

November 6, 2025

In a new Crop Science article, researchers evaluated seed yield in different parts of soybean plants that were provided high or limited N. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Nitrogen supply affects soybean yield differently within the canopy

October 28, 2025

Healthy barley kernels (top) and kernels infected with Fusarium head blight. Photo courtesy of Brian Steffenson, University of Minnesota.

Global barley collection provides genetic insights on resistance to devastating fungal pathogen

October 24, 2025

In phenomics, specific sensors are used to analyze different plant traits. These sensors range in affordability, so researchers outlined which ones are the most accessible in a recent The Plant Phenome Journal review. Illustration courtesy of Valerio Hoyos-Villegas, Michigan State University.

Affordable phenomics for crop breeders

October 20, 2025

Greenhouse experimental setup of column culture to study the root system architecture of buckwheat. Plants were grown in polyvinyl chloride pipes, which were filled with equal amounts of soil and sand. Photo courtesy of S. M. Zargar, Diksha Singh, and P. A. Sofi, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir.

Investigating root system architecture to make climate-resilient buckwheat

October 17, 2025

Notice: 2026 Annual Elections

Call for Papers: Phenomics of Germplasm Collection

Call for Papers: Advancement of Fate and Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Vadose Zone