Article Archive

An ARS researcher has developed a way to turn unwanted chicken feathers into biodegradable plastics.

Dec 01, 2020

Purple Sweetpotatoes for Thanksgiving and More

Researchers found a way to preserve purple sweetpotatoes’ beneficial anthocyanin levels during processing.

Nov 23, 2020

Watercolor of Lobelia and Cichorium from the manuscript, Wildflowers of America

The Art in Science

The National Agricultural Library Special Collections houses thousands of treasures that are irreplaceable.

Nov 16, 2020

Animal Disease Research Gets High-Tech New Home

animals

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is a world-class science facility.

Nov 09, 2020

ARS Fights To Reduce Peanut Allergies

human nutrition

ARS is at the forefront of cutting-edge research to improve quality of life for people with peanut allergies.

Nov 02, 2020

Get Popping with Oats!

ARS helped a small company to develop a healthy new snack food made from groats.

Oct 26, 2020

Yield Editor: Improving the Harvest Process

ARS is helping farmers correct and analyze their yield data more efficiently and effectively.

Oct 19, 2020

Getting to the Root of the Matter

Developing superior new pear rootstocks is a research priority at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository.

Oct 13, 2020

Garden with green boxwood shrubs, azaleas, and trees

The U.S. National Arboretum: Where Science Meets Beauty

Now is a good time to take a virtual trip to the U.S. National Arboretum.

Oct 05, 2020

A hand holding three packaged ReGrained bars.

Brewing up Nutritious Ingredients

Researchers are working to develop a processing method to economically dry and mill spent grain into flour.

Sep 28, 2020

Wildfire Mitigation

ARS scientists at the Great Basin Rangeland Research Laboratory in Reno, Nevada are researching wildfire mitigation.

Sep 22, 2020

ARS Joins Effort to Boost Oyster Production

animals

ARS scientists are part of a team working to develop new methods to accelerate selective breeding of oysters.

Sep 14, 2020

High-Tech Tools To Study Chesapeake Bay Watershed

ARS scientists examining how nutrients from agricultural lands can affect the water quality of watersheds.

Sep 08, 2020

Food Preservation Is In The Can

food safety

The National Agricultural Library’s exhibit “How Did We Can” gives us an appreciation of how canning evolved.

Sep 02, 2020

Using Perennial Grasses for Bioenergy and Other Sources

ARS researchers are focusing on perennial warm season grasses for bioenergy.

Aug 24, 2020

Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation

ARS’s Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation commemorates its 20th anniversary.

Aug 17, 2020

Apple Breeding Program Takes Root Across the Country

Apple orchards today can produce about 10 times more than they did 100 years ago, thanks to ARS.

Aug 10, 2020

A detector dog sitting next to a citrus tree

Barking Up the Right Tree: Canines Detect HLB

Specially trained canines may be used to detect citrus greening in orchards.

Aug 05, 2020

A woman digging a small hole in a yard and looking at an app on her mobile phone

Want To Know What’s In Your Soil? There’s An App For That!

The LandPKS mobile app can also be used to identify soil and monitor vegetation in suburban yards.

Jul 27, 2020

Tree Diseases and Prevention – Stubborn Disease

ARS researchers are helping prevent the spread of citrus pathogens.

Jul 20, 2020

New Traps Cut Off Citrus Greening Pests from Hiding Places

Trap controls Asian citrus psyllids in citrus trees growing in residential and commercial landscapes.

Jul 13, 2020

ARS Research in Your Garden

Many ornamental trees and shrubs found throughout the U.S. were developed by the U.S. National Arboretum.

Jul 06, 2020

Science and Serendipity Defeat Invasion of the Air Potato

One of the most aggressive invasive weeds in the southeastern United States may have met its match.

Jun 29, 2020

Bolstering Bees in a Changing Climate

ARS researchers are working to understand the impact of a changing climate on bee health.

Jun 22, 2020

Reusing Water For Field Irrigation

ARS research focuses on safe reuse of wastewater for irrigation and groundwater recharge.

Jun 15, 2020

ARS Takes On the Asian Giant Hornet

An ARS scientist in the Pacific Northwest has joined the hunt for the infamous Asian giant hornet.

Jun 08, 2020

Jorge Ferreira in a field of Artemisia plants

Plant Packs More Punch Against Malaria

New plant contains twice the amount of artemisinin used to manufacture therapies against malaria.

Jun 01, 2020

USDA-ARS Studies Deer Tick Control to Fight Lyme Disease

ARS researchers are working to fight the spread of Lyme disease through the control of deer ticks.

May 26, 2020

ARS Takes on Disruptive Pests in Hackathon

ARS launches its first-ever Hackathon against the most challenging agricultural issues.

May 18, 2020

Caribbean Climate Hub Still Helping Hurricane Recovery

USDA’s Caribbean Climate Hub has worked overtime to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands recover.

May 11, 2020

historical photo of two people talking over a fence

Time for Victory Gardens Again?

The National Agricultural Library has an online exhibit about the U.S. Victory Garden program.

May 04, 2020

USDA-ARS Scientists Study Carbon Sequestration

ARS scientists are studying carbon sequestration.

Apr 27, 2020

Three scientists collecting sensor data in a crop field

Our Planet Earth: Looking to the Future

Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service play a vital role in protecting our environment.

Apr 20, 2020

An ARS scientist observes a citrus seedling inside a test tube

A “Library” for Safeguarding Our Food Supply

ARS laboratory houses the world’s largest collection of genetic resources gathered under one roof.

Apr 13, 2020

Canal Point sugarcane variety test in the commercial production field

A Century of Sugar

The USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station, in Canal Point, FL, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Apr 06, 2020

Mold-free Strawberries? Yes, Please!

ARS scientists are looking for ways to keep strawberries mold free without fungicides.

Mar 30, 2020

A bunch of HoneySweet plums on a branch.

Eradicating the Plum Pox Virus

Plum pox virus—a serious disease capable of devastating stone fruits—has been eliminated in the U.S.

Mar 23, 2020

a monarch butterfly feeds on a New England aster flower

Which Milkweeds Do Monarch Butterflies Prefer?

Female monarchs prefer some milkweed species over others.

Mar 16, 2020

Different colored rice grains arranged in a spiral pattern

Making Rice Even Nicer

Increasing the proportion of bran to grain may enhance whole grain rice's overall nutritional value.

Mar 09, 2020

Molecular geneticist Robert Waterland examining two mice in the lab.

Infant Overnutrition May Lead to Health Problems Later in Life

human nutrition

Overnutrition during infancy could lead to future health problems, including type 2 diabetes.

Mar 02, 2020

Working Across Borders to Fight ‘Mite’-y Big Problems

ARS Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit helped identify mites found in the highlands of Peru.

Feb 24, 2020

What Would Popeye Think?

USDA Red, the world's first true red spinach variety has been released by ARS.

Feb 18, 2020

Biological "Green" Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides

ARS entomologist is developing microbial pesticides for the effective control of mosquitoes.

Feb 11, 2020

ARS scientists review microscope images and data on a computer screen

Insights into Diet, Gut Bacteria, and Chronic Diarrhea

An ARS study provides some insight into how gut microbes interact in ways that can either help or harm us.

Feb 10, 2020

An electron microscope image of a wormlike nematode

What’s Killing Beech Trees?

A chance discovery has turned into effort to understand a scourge that is killing trees by the thousands.

Feb 03, 2020

Tara McHugh with some of the many products researched and developed by her team in the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit

Turning Food Waste into Healthful Delights

ARS team are experts at solving food-manufacturing problems by using cutting-edge processing technologies.

Jan 27, 2020

New Breakfast Cereal Made With ARS Wheat

The main ingredient in a new breakfast cereal is new soft white spring wheat developed by ARS.

Jan 21, 2020

Wiping Out Scrapie in Goats, the Genetic Way

animals

ARS studied goats with a version of the prion gene that has conferred increased resistance to scrapie.

Jan 13, 2020

Under the Microscope: Addressing Iron and Zinc Deficiency Across the Globe

human nutrition

ARS physiologist Elad Tako recently presented "Improving Food Security with Iron-Enriched Cereal Crops."

Jan 07, 2020

Sliced and whole Minnie Finger limes displayed alongside a quarter.

Minnie Finger Lime Makes Its Debut