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The fall armyworm is a pest that devours crops like corn and cotton. Since 2016, it has spread from the Americas to Africa, Asia, and Australia, leaving agricultural destruction in its wake.

Many farmers use insecticide to control the worm but knowing how much and what kind to apply can be a challenge. Researchers at ARS are conducting experiments to help answer these questions and more, in part by tracking the migration patterns of the moth. Watch this video to learn more.

An Apple For Your Teacher ... and You!

What hasn’t ARS done for apples? From the ground up, we’ve invented disease-resistant rootstocks, environmentally friendly pest control methods, picker-friendly harvesting methods, better storage atmospheres, and natural preservatives to keep apple flesh from browning after cutting. ARS maintains an experimental orchard in Geneva, NY, devoted to bringing you even better apples for the future.

Listen to our podcast Apples - Ripe for the Picking.

Apples in a growth chamber.
Photo courtesy of Chris Dardick, ARS Plant Molecular Biologist

ARS and NASA Partner to Produce Apples in Space

Feeding astronauts on long space missions requires more than just leafy greens and tomatoes. Healthy diets call for rich sources of vitamins and antioxidants that primarily come from fruits such as oranges, peaches, cherries, or pears, but many of our healthiest fruits that grow on trees are not compatible with spaceflight.

Researchers at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV, had previously developed dwarf, continually flowering plum trees that can be grown like tomatoes. Now they have taken this research one step further by engineering Gala apple trees that do the same. These dwarf flowering apples are even parthenocarpic, meaning they don’t need to be pollinated to set fruit and are seedless — making them potentially perfect for busy astronauts with little time to farm.

These space apples are being tested in the EPCOT Biotechnology Lab at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s here that USDA scientists are showcasing their work with NASA in custom-made plant growth chambers that mimic growing conditions on the International Space Station.

Check out "Growing Food in Space: The Final Frontier" for more information on the efforts of ARS and NASA to feed astronauts in space.

USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

Not a fan of broccoli? Peppers have you seeing red?

Well, you might want to reconsider passing on those veggies and others. New research by a team of ARS scientists in Grand Forks, ND, reveals that increasing the quantity of vegetables in a person’s diet, even briefly, can have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing. That’s such a powerful message, and it’s something that is within people’s control. Learn more about the study.

Harvesting Energy: A New Approach

Agriculture and energy development are often thought of as competing land uses, but ARS researchers in Las Cruces, NM, are working on a new concept called agrivoltaics that could provide a win-win for everyone involved. Rather than land being used for growing crops and raising livestock or hosting solar panels, the researchers believe it can be used for both, with panels situated several feet off the ground. At that height, they can provide shade for both plants and animals, improving animal health and shielding plants from the harshest sun. At the same time, the presence of plants underneath could also help the panels to function more efficiently. Does the future of farming include harvesting solar rays along with crops? Find out and learn more about this exciting new approach.

Good News Coffee Drinkers, There's an App for That! 

Hawaii’s unique climate and volcanic soils make it an ideal growing location for several distinctive crops, including coffee and macadamia nuts. Recently, however, Kona coffee—one of Hawaii's most legendary and valuable agricultural crops—has been under increasing threats from two economically devasting foes, coffee berry borer and coffee leaf rust.

Coffee leaf rust is a fungal pathogen that results in severe defoliation. Until 2020, Hawaii was the only major coffee producing region that was free of coffee leaf rust. The coffee berry borer,  an insect pest that causes millions in losses of coffee beans each year, was discovered in Hawaii in 2010.

The delicious macadamia nut, another one of Hawaii's legendary crops, is also under threat from insect infestations and diseases. Early detection and identification of these threats is crucial.  

Now, a team of ARS researchers in Hilo, HI, is providing growers with new apps to help manage these threats. Check out the apps.

A honey bee on a yellow flower.

Bees are essential to supporting both agriculture and ecosystems. But they are vulnerable to a number of different diseases that can endanger them and the plants they pollinate. Scientists at ARS are exploring solutions to help boost bees’ defenses and keep them buzzing.

Learn more about how researchers study disease in bees, and how they investigate possible treatments in the video A Honey Bee's Life.

Cattle grazing in Great Basin area
Cattle grazing in Great Basin area. (Photo by Ben Sitz, Boise District Bureau of Land Management).

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Boise, ID, are using cattle to promote ecological restoration of western rangelands overrun by invasive grasses, such as cheatgrass and medusahead. The practice known as prescribed grazing, is intended to have livestock feed on the harmful grasses at specific places and times to promote protection from wildfires and enhance rangeland conservation.  

Scientists at the Northwest Watershed Research Center in Boise, are working on a project to restore damaged rangelands using flexible management approaches. The project is part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network of coordinated research sites across the nation that develop new management strategies focusing on agricultural productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being in conjunction with climate change.

“Cheatgrass and medusahead are two invasive annual grasses that are very problematic in the Great Basin and other areas of the west because these species are highly flammable,” said Pat Clark, ARS rangeland scientist. He added that the presence of these grasses causes more frequent wildfires, which often become megafires of 100,000 acres or more.

“We’re using prescribed cattle grazing as a tool that’s readily available on the landscape and applying it in a way that we can do this year-in and year-out,” Clark said. “We expect this will reduce annual grass presence and allow desirable plant species like perennial bunchgrasses and sagebrush to recover.

“We’ve been doing what’s called High-Intensity Low Frequency (HILF) grazing and it’s part of our LTAR Common Experiment, which contrasts prevailing and aspirational agricultural practices,” he explained.

The ARS team also conducted a more targeted grazing approach to protect people and resources from cheatgrass-fueled wildfires. Starting in 2017, Clark’s team partnered with western cattle ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management on a 5-year project to “evaluate the efficacy of targeted cattle grazing for fuel break creation and maintenance,” within the Great Basin areas of Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. While this project ended in 2023, ARS continues to collaborate with numerous livestock ranchers and growers to develop more lasting efforts to preserve and restore U.S. rangelands. – Tami Terella-Faram, ARS Office of Communications

Going For Gold with Good Nutrition

Celebrate the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics and Get Ready for 2028 in LA!

While the Summer Olympics and Paralympics have come to a close, continue to follow ARS to hear from USDA Attorney Mary Zoldak as she shares the value and impact of training hard to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Watch our very own 2028 Olympic Hopeful – USDA Attorney Mary Zoldak 

It’s difficult enough for any athlete to train and compete in one event, can you imagine training for five separate Olympic events? 

Watch USDA Attorney Mary Zoldak as she trains while preparing for the five events of Modern Pentathlon that includes: fencing, freestyle swimming, cross country running, laser pistol shooting and the new obstacle course race, which replaces equestrian show jumping performed at the LA Games in 2028.  As we recently witnessed, becoming an Olympian or Paralympian requires more than natural ability, it takes proper coaching, endless practice, perseverance, and, of course, good nutrition. A common thread that connects top-notch athletes from around the globe is eating a healthy balance of foods.

We here at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service are conducting groundbreaking research to help provide athletes of all ages with the nutritional fuel that keeps their competitive engines running at peak efficiency. 

Mary Zoldak’s Road to the 2028 LA Olympic Games

4X Olympian Lauryn Williams Talks About Nutrition

Team USA Paralympians competing in Para Powerlifting and Para Athletics share the value of good nutrition.

Check Our Olympic Highlights!

We're talking to Olympians, Team Trainers, and Dieticians to learn how good nutrition keeps our top athletes fueled!  

 

External Video

Eating Healthy, It’s A Race in Which You Can Excel

Visit Nutrition.gov To Live Your Best Life

Good Nutrition Can Accelerate Your Performance

Changes in Food Choices that Improve Performance

Food Groups that Keep You in Top Shape

Eating Right to Compete at the Highest Level

Adding Science to Your Diet

Team USA Shoutouts to ARS Scientists

Learn More About ARS Nutrition Research

Muscle Up To Some Protein Every Day

ARS researchers explore how regular protein consumption can ward off disability in older adults.

Leafy Greens Support Healthy Brains

Study found link between adequate brain level concentrations of vitamin K in elderly adults and better cognitive function.

Stress and Diet Influence Health

Nutritional habits may at least partly explain why some people are more or less resilient to stress and stress-related disease risk.

Taste Perception Can Affect Food Choices

ARS funded research at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that taste perception could influence diet quality.

Flavonoids May Slow Onset of Alzheimer’s

A USDA-funded research suggests that diets high in flavonoids may protect cognitive health.

Eating Late? Watch For Excess Calories

ARS researchers investigate whether late evening eating leads to higher energy intake.

Stay Fit and Healthy

Good nutrition is important for everyone, not just Olympic athletes. 

For tips on eating right, check out our Nutrition Corner and find healthy meal planning and recipes at Nutrition.gov

Check out these videos on Research for Healthy Eating and Living

 

Want To Be A Scientist?

Careers for new scientists span a variety of disciplines in agriculture. Becoming a scientist requires dedication, creativity, and a strong desire to learn new things! Scientists provide new approaches and new technologies needed by consumers, producers, and industry. Want to know more? Check out the categories below; then, if you want, take a quiz!


 

An agronomist studies crops and soils and how they interact—and how farmers can get them to interact differently to grow better crops and keep the soil healthy. The crops may be field crops like corn, horticultural crops such as lilies and azaleas, aquatic (water) crops like cranberries, or conservation and pasture crops such as grass and clover.
Read about this kind of research:
ARS Research Prepares Farm Soil During Farming's 'Off-Season'


 

 

 

 

 

Veterinarian Ray Waters collects a blood sample from an elk.

An animal scientist studies animal husbandry—the breeding and raising of livestock, such as cattle for milk and meat production. Animal scientists are always looking for better answers to many questions: What's the most nutritious and economical diet to feed a cow or a steer or a lamb or a chicken? What's the best way to try to make sure an animal mother has the most or the healthiest babies? Some animal scientists, such as veterinarians, also study livestock diseases and how to identify, cure or prevent them.
Read about this kind of research:
Animal Ethics, Agriculture, and Food Production.


 

 

 

Biologist Karen Scott

A biologist studies living things, like plants and animals and microorganisms. Biologists examine the what's, where's, when's, why's and how's of these creatures. Ditto, for their requirements to stay alive and kicking and make seeds or eggs or whatever else it takes to produce a new generation. The many kinds of biologists include botanists, who specialize in plants, and zoologists, who specialize in animals. Some biologists specialize in the places where things live, such as the soil or the water—or even the insides of some other creature—like you!
Read about this kind of research:
Building a Better Bean


 

 

 

Botanist Charles Bryson using a dissecting microscope

A botanist is a scientist who works with plants. He or she might specialize in one particular plant, like potatoes, or do research in how some plants are related to one another—like wild and modern strains of plants like tomatoes or wheat. A botanist can identify and describe different plants and seeds so others can tell exactly how they differ from and resemble each other. Another specialty might be plant habitats (where plants grow) and habits—not habits like drinking too many sodas, but how the plant grows, such as a vine that creeps along the ground rather than sending up a thick, strong stem. 
Read about this kind of research:
The Duke of Herbs (and Medicinal Plants)


 

Chemist Pei Chen prepares extracts from teas

 

A chemist studies matter—any physical substance, such as a solid, gas or liquid. Chemists study the chemicals that make up matter, its properties or basic characteristics, its various parts, and changes in its makeup in response to conditions like light and heat.
Read about this kind of research:
Scientist of Many Talents Champions Planet-Friendly Products
Witch Hazel Spells Trouble for Harmful Microbes


 

 

 

 

 

ARS engineers assess the automatic control of a hydraulic gate.

An engineer examines and tests the properties of matter and the sources of power in nature, with the goal of making new, better and more useful structures, machines and other products. There are many different types of engineers. Those in agriculture include civil, industrial, genetic, electrical, mechanical, chemical, hydraulic, electronic and agricultural engineers. An agricultural engineer, for instance, creates and improves ways—often related to farm machinery—to produce more and better food and fiber for us.
Read about this kind of research:
Watch What You Eat… From Space 
ARS Scientists Are Employing Manure to Help Dairy Farmers Tackle Climate Change


 

 

Entomologist Steve Hanlin working with a hive of bees.

An entomologist digs up—sometimes literally—all kinds of information on insects, because these six-legged critters affect just about every aspect of agriculture—as well as daily life. So, it's important that entomologists know all they can about insects: the good, the bad and the ugly bugs. Where do certain insects live, what do they eat, and how do they survive the winter? How do they defend themselves from their enemies? In agriculture, some insects are bad guys—like boll weevils or corn earworms. Others, like bees, are critical to making honey and moving pollen—the powdery stuff that one flower gets from another so a fruit will form.
Read about this kind of research:
Biological "Green" Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides
Do Bugs Bug You?
ARS Works to Establish Lady Beetles in Hawaii


 

Food technologist Tara McHugh examines fruit- and vegetable-based edible films

A food scientist, or food technologist, looks for better ways to select, preserve, process, package and distribute food products, including the ingredients that go into them. A food scientist also must have extensive knowledge on the nature, composition and behavior of food, such as what happens to its flavor, color or nutritional properties when cooked or placed in storage. Biology, microbiology, chemistry and engineering are just some of the diverse fields of study that food science draws on to ensure safe, high-quality consumer products.
Read about this kind of research:
The Nuts and Bolts of Peanut Breeding
Egg-splaining Egg Safety
Turning Food Waste into Healthful Delights


 

 

Horticulturist Fumiomi Takeda clamping primocanes on trellis wire.

You might think of a horticulturist as part scientist and part artist. This scientist specializes in growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants, such as the kind in your yard or park. Part of this job includes coming up with new or different kinds of plants.
Read about this kind of research:
Researchers Harness the Sun’s Rays to Fight Strawberry Disease 
A New Way To Train Blackberry Canes


 

 

 

 

 

Hydrologist Bill Kustas checks the position of a sensor on a micrometeorological tower.

A hydrologist studies water and its properties, particularly as it behaves as rainfall or in lakes, streams and even in soil. A hydrologist's top interests include where water can be found and the cycle of its movement: from the time it lands on the Earth as rain or other precipitation, to its travels on, through and under the land and its eventual return to the ocean.
Read about this kind of research:
Water Vision 2050
ARS, NASA Join Forces To Monitor Earth's Water Supply


 

 

 

 

Microbiologist Tim Welch examines cultures for the bacterium that causes weissellosis in fish.

A microbiologist is someone who studies living things—and parts of living things—that are so small that you usually need a microscope to look at them. Sometimes a microbiologist studies these very small life forms by looking at how big groups of them change and grow.
Read about this kind of research:
Advancements Against African Swine Fever Virus
Healthier Waterways, Healthier You
Secret Ingredient Improves Backyard Dining


 

 

 

 

Using a microscope, a scientist counts and identifies weed seeds extracted from soil samples.

A microscopist is a unique investigator who specializes in seeing things super—"up close and personal." He or she uses a microscope to explore things invisible to the naked eye, like plant and animal cells, bacteria and viruses.
Read about this kind of research:
Electron & Confocal Microscopy Unit


 

 

 

 

 

 

ARS nematologist David Chitwood examines slides in the USDA Nematode Collection.

A nematologist is a scientist who studies worms—but not earthworms. Instead, this scientist studies worms called nematodes or roundworms. These worms don't have segments like the earthworm does. Many of them are parasites that live on or inside animals or plants and cause trouble for them. So, you can see why agriculture would need this type of scientist.
Read about this kind of research:
A Suit of Armor for Biopesticides
 


 

 

 

Nutritionist Julie Hess.

A nutritionist is a scientist who deals with nourishment—what you and I and other living things need to eat and drink in order to live and grow and stay healthy.
Read about this kind of research:
Stress and Diet Interact to Influence Health 
Scientists Build a Healthy Dietary Pattern Using Ultra-Processed Foods
Eating Late? Watch Out For Excess Calories


 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecologist Mary Williams examines a corn plant.

A plant ecologist works with the big picture: the combination of many factors that affect how plants grow, such as climate, soil and other living things. Each influences whether or not a plant grows to be healthy and productive. 
Read about this kind of research:
The Sweet Discoveries of the Sweet Corn Hybrid


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plant geneticist John Stommel examines an eggplant.

Plant geneticists work with a plant's genes to search for and strengthen—or weaken—certain traits, like its tolerance to cold or the size or sweetness of its fruit. They also work to improve breeding methods and ways to make sure that future generations of a particular plant will have the traits farmers want it to have.
Read about this kind of research:
Pleasing Peppers for Garden and Plate
Getting to the Root of the Matter
New Cultivars Sweeten Sugar Industry


 

 

 

 

Plant pathologist Alina Puig examines the leaves of a cacao plant.

A plant pathologist studies diseases of plants and looks for ways to prevent them or wipe them out when they show up. Plant pathologists also see how diseases mess up a plant's growth and development or cause damage to crops after they're harvested, or when they're transported to market or stored. 
Read about this kind of research:
For The Sake Of Chocolate: ARS Continues Its Labor Of Love In Cacao Plant Research
Researchers Harness the Sun’s Rays to Fight Strawberry Disease


 

 

 

 

Plant physiologist Kay Walker-Simmons examines club wheat heads.

A plant physiologist studies the life processes in plants. Plants look like they basically just sit there in the soil. But they can be very busy with photosynthesis, taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, and responding to light, temperature, moisture, insect pests and chemicals—to name only a very few. A plant physiologist might specialize in one particular process or become an expert in one particular plant.
Read about this kind of research:
Using Ancient Apples to Improve the Future of Apple Breeding


 

 

 

 

Soil scientist Marife Corre prepares to analyze soil samples from a riparian buffer

A soil scientist studies ... uh, take a wild guess. He or she seeks to understand how soils form and their basic qualities or properties. For example, soils differ from place to place in part because they contain different ratios of clay, silt and sand. This can affect which plants can grow, how well they can grow, and what farmers may need to do differently to get the best results.
Read about this kind of research:
Want To Know What’s In Your Soil? There’s An App For That!
The Significant Impacts of Carbon Sequestration on Soil Health

 

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