Managing our water resources is essential. Clean water is essential for drinking, agriculture, energy, recreation, aquatic habitats, and other uses, but America’s water resources face complex issues such as climate change, pollution, and increasing demand. Many farmers, communities, and leaders are concerned about water scarcity and quality. Research guides effective solutions. Researchers at land-grant universities and partners across the U.S. are working …
Controlling pests and protecting pollinators
Most agricultural systems in the Northeast rely on pesticides to ensure high yields and profits, but pesticides can pose risks to essential pollinators and environmental health. To reduce reliance on pesticides, scientists are exploring ways to harness natural plant defenses, such as emitting chemicals that slow insect feeding, inhibit infections, call beneficial insects to their aid, or warn other plants. …
Sustainable solutions to bee health
Bees provide essential pollination for many of the nut, berry, fruit, vegetable, and seed crops grown in the U.S. To supplement wild bee pollination, farmers often rent managed honey bee colonies. Demand is skyrocketing, but catastrophic die-offs are threatening the supply of healthy honey bee colonies. Parasitic mites, pathogens, pesticide chemicals, nutritional deficits, and environmental conditions have contributed to the …
Mitigating the impacts of agrochemicals
Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agrochemicals are used on farms to protect crop yield and quality and in urban and residential settings to control pests and weeds. Despite important uses, agrochemicals can leach into soil and groundwater or flow into surface waters, where the chemicals can adversely affect human and environmental health. Agrochemicals can also accumulate in edible organisms, creating …
Managing controlled environments efficiently
In controlled environmental agriculture, plants are grown inside a greenhouse or other type of enclosure where growers can maintain optimal growing conditions, such as light, temperature, humidity, water, and nutrients. In the northeastern climate, controlled environments play a vital role in year-round production, but growers need more information about how to fine-tune their environments to achieve optimal plant growth and …