Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Hope for People With Peanut Allergy
If you or someone you know has a peanut allergy, you know how scary it can be. Peanut allergy in the United States has tripled in the last 20 years, and the reason isn’t clear. Fortunately, ARS scientists have come up with a very promising treatment.
Read "A Treatment for Peanut Allergy" to learn more.
A significant part of organic farming is the reduction in pesticide use. However, pesticides are still needed to keep pesky, hungry insects off our growing fruits and vegetables. ARS scientists have created a state-of-the-art machine that can reduce pesticide use between 30 and 85 percent! This laser guided “precision sprayer” evaluates the size, space, and density of the plants or trees and only sprays where needed, cutting down the amount of overspray that occurs when farmers apply pesticides to their fields.
Want to know how to eat better and maintain a healthy diet?
Nutrition experts Dr. Patrice Armstrong and Colleen Sideck, from the National Agricultural Library's Food and Human Nutrition Information Center, answer questions and provide tips and resources for eating better and maintaining a healthy diet.
Healthy eating is healthy living! Find fun, healthy eating tips for kids and teens on Nutrition.gov’s Online Tools and Kids’ Corner pages. Use the games, activities, videos, and apps to make learning about nutrition easy, entertaining, and enjoyable.
Fiber that we eat is known as dietary fiber and it comes mostly from plants. It is important to eat fiber even though our bodies are unable to break it all down during digestion. Dietary fiber strengthens the muscles that keep food moving through our bodies and helps move waste out of our body. Foods that include dietary fiber are whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, whole wheat, beans and peas, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and most fruits.
For more information about fiber, visit the National Agricultural Library website: https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/fiber
Did you know that starting the day with a healthy breakfast can help you stay focused and energized while learning? Choose snack options with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and protein to maximize the healthy eating benefits. Visit Nutrition.gov for healthy breakfast recipes to enjoy with your family.
Did you know healthy snacks can give you energy when you are hungry between meals? Power up with snacks like low-fat yogurt, baby carrots with hummus (bean dip), fruit and nut trail mix, or sliced banana with peanut butter. Visit the Kids in the Kitchen page on Nutrition.gov for tips and recipes for healthy snacking.
Many people are choosing to eat plant-based meals to compliment a healthy lifestyle. However, not all plant-based foods are healthy choices. With some planning, it is easy to combine plant-based foods throughout the day that contain important nutrients like protein, vitamins, and minerals. Pre-planning your meals can help you meet your daily nutritional needs based on your age, weight, and amount of physical activity. A good way to get started on planning healthy plant-based meals is to visit the Nutrition.gov website: https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/basic-nutrition/eating-vegetarian
Did you know 100 trillion bacteria live in your digestive system? Bacteria can enter the digestive system through your mouth and travel to your throat, stomach, and intestines, or gut. The bacteria that live and work together to keep you healthy are called the “gut microbiota.” They help the body break down food, absorb vitamins and minerals, and protect us from getting sick.
We all have bacteria in our body. The food that you eat affects the types of bacteria that live inside of you. Here are four science-based ways to improve the healthy bacteria in your body.
Learn more about the digestive system and health on Nutrition.gov.
Plant Growth and Root Development
Caliche is a shallow layer of soil or sediment in which the particles have been cemented together by mineral matter. Also known as calcrete, hardpan, and duricrust, this layer is a common feature in arid or semiarid areas throughout the world. In the United States, caliche is a familiar deposit in many parts of the Southwest, especially Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. Caliche results from minerals precipitated in soils where evaporation exceeds precipitation, as found in arid regions. The cement is usually calcium carbonate; however, cements of magnesium carbonate, gypsum, silica, iron oxide, and a combination of these materials are known. In some locations there are multiple ancient caliche layers.
Caliche is often a challenge to agriculture. It interferes with proper soil drainage, the formation of plant roots, and it also can contain soluble minerals that are not beneficial to plants. The impermeable caliche prevents plant roots from penetrating to deeper soil layers, which limits the supply of nutrients, water, and space, making it difficult for the plants to develop normally.
The Plant Growth and Root Development project was brought to you by the Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit in Reno, NV.
