(USDA/ARS) — Add yet another use for cornstarch—besides thickening soups and gravies, making adhesives, soothing skin and removing stains. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Peoria, Illinois, are now using the versatile commodity to make products that can fight insect pests, prevent disease and decay and impart water resistance to surfaces. Underpinning that effort is the team’s use of patented …
New Test Identifies Poisonous Mushrooms
(USDA/ARS) — A simple, portable test that can detect the deadliest of the mushroom poisons in minutes has been developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues. Eating toxic mushrooms causes more than 100 deaths a year, globally, and leaves thousands of people in need of urgent medical assistance. Amanitin is the class of mushroom toxins that cause …
USDA Awards Grants for Animal Disease Prevention
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced they are awarding $10.2 million to support disease prevention and emergency response training and exercise projects as well as targeted projects to enhance laboratory diagnostic capability. The agency is also moving forward with developing the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB). The 2018 …
Georgia Peanut Commission to host Research Report Day
By Clint Thompson Georgia peanut farmers interested in learning more about how their financial support is being used in research projects are invited to the annual Georgia Peanut Commission Research Report Day on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The event will be held at the National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL), located on the UGA Tifton campus off Rainwater Road in …
Home Gardeners Continue to Seek Advice on EDIS
(UF/IFAS) — Only one new title joined this year’s top-10 UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publications, and like five others making the list, it appeals to horticulture interests. In all, the Electronic Data Information Source saw 4.6 million visits and more than 18 million pageviews this year. Here are 2019’s 10 most-visited EDIS publications: The “Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide” is a perennial …
Plum Pox Virus Scientist Now Working on Citrus Greening
One of the lead scientists who helped USDA eradicate plum pox virus is now working on doing the same with citrus greening. Stephanie Ho has the story. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Funded Research Impactful for the Future of the Florida Cattle IndustryOctober 31, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Offers Unique Opportunity For Applied ResearchOctober 24, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays …
Research Probe Ways to Increase Yields of Grain Crops
(USDA/ARS) — Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are working on field trials and genetic studies that could one day double the yields of sorghum, which is one of the world’s most important sources of food, animal feed and biofuel. The efforts follow recent discoveries by ARS scientist Zhanguo Xin, who is based in …
World’s First True Red Spinach Variety Released
(USDA/ARS) — USDA Red, the world’s first true red spinach variety has been developed and released by the Agricultural Research Service. Spinach has always been known as a green leafy vegetable. There are leafy vegetables often called red spinach. But these are actually red-leaf amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) or other plants such as Red Goosefoot (Blitum rubrum), not true spinach (Spinacia …
Deformed Wing Virus Genetic Diversity in U.S. Honey Bees Complicates Search For Remedies
(USDA/ARS) — Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), one of the leading causes of honey bee colony losses, is much more genetically diverse in the United States than previously thought, according to a study published by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in PLoS Biology. The diverse lineages of this virus are all equally bad for bees, and they make it more complicated to …
Hemp, Hops and More Crops Highlight Florida Ag Expo
BALM, FL (UF/IFAS) — Farmers, nursery managers and others can get a glimpse of the latest and greatest UF/IFAS research into tomatoes, strawberries, hemp, hops and ornamental plants at the annual Florida Ag Expo at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Informative sessions will fill the day, with events running from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 21, …