Soil Types News

September 28, 2023

Top Headlines

By Air, Rain and Land: How Microbes Return After a Wildfire

Sep. 25, 2023 — Ecological disturbances like wildfires disrupt microbial communities. Researchers found that dispersal played a pivotal role in re-establishing surface-level ...

How Can the Use of Plastics in Agriculture Become More Sustainable?

Sep. 25, 2023 — It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics. 12 million tons are used every year. But what about the consequences for the environment? An international team of authors addresses this question in a recent study. The research shows ...

Nanoparticles Made from Plant Viruses Could Be Farmers' New Ally in Pest Control

Sep. 21, 2023 — Engineers have devised a new solution to control a major agricultural menace, root-damaging nematodes. Using plant viruses, the researchers created nanoparticles that can deliver pesticide molecules ...

We Could Sequester CO2 by 'Re-Greening' Arid Lands, Plant Scientists Say

Sep. 21, 2023 — Reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere will take more than cutting emissions -- we will also need to capture and store the excessive volumes of already-emitted carbon. A team of plant scientists argue that arid lands such as deserts could be one ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:38am EDT

Ancient Amazonians Intentionally Created Fertile 'Dark Earth'

Sep. 20, 2023 — A new study suggests patches of fertile soil in the Amazon, known as dark earth, were intentionally produced by ancient Amazonians as a way to improve the soil and sustain large and complex ...

16 Strange New Parasitoid Wasp Species Discovered in Vietnam

Sep. 19, 2023 — Researchers have discovered 16 new species of strange-looking parasitoid wasps from the Loboscelidia group. The study also revealed for the first time the unique parasitic behavior of a captive ...

Gene Required for Root Hair Growth, Nitrate Foraging Found in Grasses

Sep. 19, 2023 — Scientists have found a plant gene that drives the growth of root hairs, the tiny structures that help plants find water and nutrients in the soil. The gene, dubbed 'BUZZ,' causes faster-growing, ...

Range of Pesticides, Including Neonicotinoids, Found in Pollen of Different Bee Species

Sep. 19, 2023 — New research paints a worrying picture for the different species of bees that provide multi-million-euro pollination services in Ireland each yea. ...

Auxin Signaling Pathway Controls Root Hair Formation for Nitrogen Uptake

Sep. 11, 2023 — Root hairs represent a low-cost strategy to enhance nutrient uptake because they can significantly increase the nutrient-acquiring surface of plant roots. While primary and lateral roots are ...

Capturing Carbon in Savannas: New Research Examines Role of Grasses for Controlling Climate Change

Sep. 7, 2023 — New research shows that, in addition to trees, humble grasses also play an essential role in capturing ...

Switching from Harmful to Helpful Fungi

Sep. 6, 2023 — Mold and diseases caused by fungi can greatly impact the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. However, some fungi benefit their hosts by aiding plant survival. Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) is a root ...

Agriculture Study Delivers Unexpected Results: Cover Crops and Roots

Sep. 6, 2023 — Farmers usually plant so-called cover crops after harvesting their main crop in the Fall. This prevents erosion of the soil and nutrient leaching. The roots of these crops also stabilize the ...

Flowering for Naught: 120 Years With Nothing to Show

Sep. 1, 2023 — Flowering for some plants is a yearly occurrence, for others, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A widespread species of bamboo in Japan, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, takes this one-time ...

Newly Discovered Fungus Helps Destroy a Harmful Food Toxin

Aug. 31, 2023 — Patulin is a harmful mycotoxin produced by fungi typically found in damaged fruits, including apples, pears, and grapes. In a recent breakthrough, researchers identified a new filamentous fungal ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Super Antifreeze in Cells: The Ability to Survive in Ice and Snow Developed in Animals Far Earlier Than We Thought

Sep. 11, 2023 — More than 400 million years ago, an insect-like animal called the springtail developed a small protein that prevents its cells from ...

How to Help Prevent Childhood Stunting

Aug. 30, 2023 — A new study shows that adding zinc to farmland soil can help prevent childhood stunting, a condition due to chronic undernutrition that is associated with poor brain development and long-lasting ...

After Chernobyl Nuclear Accident: The Wild Boar Paradox, Finally Solved

Aug. 30, 2023 — While the contamination of deer and roe deer decreased over time as expected, the measured levels of radioactivity in the meat of wild boar remained surprisingly high -- higher than the half-life of ...

Wildfire, Soil Emissions Increasing Air Pollution in Remote Forests

Aug. 29, 2023 — Nitrogen dioxide levels in remote forest areas are increasing, and wildfire and soil emissions are likely the reasons why, finds a new ...

Soils Forming on the Branches of Trees Are an Overlooked Forest Habitat

Aug. 25, 2023 — A study on 'canopy soils' on old trees in Costa Rica shows they are important habitats and carbon stores that cannot easily be ...

Could Microplastics in Soil Introduce Drug-Resistant Superbugs to the Food Supply?

Aug. 23, 2023 — A new review argues ever-present microplastics could promote gene transfer among microbes, potentially resulting in greater antibiotic resistance. The review calls for more research on ...

Fire, Disease Threatening Sanctuary Plants for Australian Wildlife

Aug. 22, 2023 — New research has revealed Australia's iconic grasstrees -- known as 'yaccas' -- play a critical role in protecting wildlife from deadly weather extremes, thereby ensuring their ...

Climate Win-Win: Study Quantifies Benefits of Enhanced Weathering

Aug. 21, 2023 — Applying ground-up silicate rock to Midwestern farm fields can capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide and prevent it from accumulating in the atmosphere, according to a new study that ...

Tardigrades: The World Is Crawling With This Highly Resilient Creature

Aug. 14, 2023 — They're found on Mount Everest, in the deep seas, aboard the International Space Station and thousands of them have even crash landed and been spilled onto the moon. The microscopic water bear ...

Chemicals from Maize Roots Influence Wheat Yield

Aug. 11, 2023 — Maize roots secrete certain chemicals that affect the quality of soil. In some fields, this effect increases yields of wheat planted subsequent to maize in the same soil by more than 4%. While the ...

Soil Microbiome, Earth's 'Living Skin' Under Threat from Climate Change

Aug. 11, 2023 — Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better ...

Astonishing Complexity of Bacterial Circadian Clocks

Aug. 4, 2023 — Bacteria make up more than 10% of all living things but until recently we had little realization that, as in humans, soil bacteria have internal clocks that synchronize their activities with the ...

In the Treetops: Ecologist Studies Canopy Soil Abundance, Chemistry

Aug. 4, 2023 — Ecologists examined the distribution patterns of canopy soils, and their soil properties, across Costa Rican forests. The researchers suggest canopy soil may store more carbon than previously ...

Scientists Dig Into Wildfire Predictions, Long-Term Impacts

Aug. 2, 2023 — Wildfires are an ancient force shaping the environment, but they have grown in frequency, range and intensity in response to a changing climate. Scientists are working on several fronts to better ...

Genome Analysis of 46,000-Year-Old Roundworm from Siberian Permafrost Reveals Novel Species

July 27, 2023 — Some organisms, such as tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes, can survive harsh conditions by entering a dormant state known as 'cryptobiosis.' In 2018, researchers found two roundworms ...

Soil Microbes Help Plants Cope With Drought, but Not How Scientists Thought

July 25, 2023 — In a multi-generation experiment, researchers found microbes helped plants cope with drought, but not in response to plants' cries for help. Instead, the environment itself selected for ...

Study Improves Understanding of How Bacteria Benefit Plant Growth

July 24, 2023 — Scientists have found that competition between strains of beneficial bacteria in the soil degrades the service that the bacteria provide to their ...

Bats Struggle During Organic Farming Transition

July 20, 2023 — Bat activity falls as farms make the transition to organic agriculture, new research ...

Engineering Plants for a Changing Climate

July 20, 2023 — Climate change is affecting the types of plant varieties we can cultivate, as well as how and where we can do so. A new collection of articles in the open access journal PLOS Biology explores the ...

The Legacy of Past Disturbance Shapes Coastal Forest Soil Stability

July 18, 2023 — Coastal forests are increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. New experimental research examined how soils change when transplanted between parts of a tidal creek that ...

Monday, September 11, 2023