By: Jessica Ryan
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are helping poultry farmers protect their flocks and their employees, while improving poultry production. ARS researchers recently developed an indoor air scrubber that purifies the air in chicken houses and reduces ammonia levels by 87% to 99%. 

High levels of ammonia pose problems for poultry and agricultural workers. Ammonia, which is released from litter in poultry houses, reduces birds’ body weight gain, causes poor feed conversion, and makes birds more susceptible to viral diseases. In addition, ammonia exposure can pose health risks to agricultural workers. 

Poultry manure accounts for 27% of atmospheric ammonia emissions in the United States, representing a significant loss of nitrogen that could otherwise be used as fertilizer for crop production. 

ARS Research Soil Scientist Philip Moore poses next to the indoor air scrubber. (Photo by Jerry Martin, ARS)

Currently, farmers use poultry litter acidifying amendments such as adding aluminum sulfate, known as alum, to litter to reduce ammonia levels in poultry houses. However, the amendments only last up to three to four weeks. Ammonia scrubbers offer an alternative solution; however, current systems only treat exhaust air. As a result, they provide no direct benefits to poultry production and are not cost-effective. 

To find a more economical solution for farmers, researchers from the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit in Fayetteville, AR, designed and patented a full-scale prototype of an indoor air scrubber that can be easily installed in a poultry house to purify the air and save valuable nitrogen. The scrubber has a fast sand filter that removes particulate matter from the scrubbing solution to prevent the nozzles from clogging – a problem that existing air scrubbers have in animal facilities with heavy dust. 

“In study trials at our testing facility, our scrubber purified the amount of air in a 40 foot by 400-foot chicken house every 30 minutes and reduced ammonia levels by 87% to 99%, depending on the ammonia concentration and the air flow rate at which it is operated,” said ARS Research Soil Scientist Philip Moore. 

The indoor air scrubber. (Photo by Philip Moore, ARS)

Moore and his research partners are planning to test the air scrubber in commercial poultry houses in the near future. 

In addition to measuring ammonia levels, the researchers will look at how effectively the air scrubber can remove dust and pathogens from the air, such as viruses responsible for avian influenza and other pathogens that cause foodborne illnesses.

“This innovative technology could transform livestock production in poultry and potentially swine housing operations by improving animal welfare and worker safety, reducing disease transmission risks, and increasing farm profitability and environmental sustainability,” said Moore. 

The study was published in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research and done in collaboration with the ARS Poultry Research Unit at Mississippi State University, MS, and the University of Delaware’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

By: Jessica Ryan
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are helping bee keepers protect their colonies by studying the effectiveness of combining a widely used mite-killing pesticide with an agent that inhibits the ability of the destructive Varroa mite to tolerate the pesticide. 

Honey bees play a crucial role in U.S. agriculture, with the value of crops that require pollination estimated at more than $20 billion annually in the U.S. Varroa mites, also known as Varroa destructor, are a force to be reckoned with in the honey bee world. The dangerous and parasitic mite of bee colonies causes bodily harm and spreads deadly viruses that have led to major colony losses across the country. 

A preferred method to control Varroa mite populations is amitraz, a pesticide that is highly toxic to Varroa mites but safe for honey bees, when used as instructed. However, a recent ARS study found that Varroa mites are becoming increasingly resistant to amitraz due to a genetic mutation. Thus, bee keepers are now seeking more effective methods for controlling Varroa mite populations.

 
Adult honey bee with a Varroa mite on its back. (Photo by Stephen Ausmus, ARS)

In a new study, ARS and University of California, Davis (UC Davis) researchers explored a new way to increase the efficacy of amitraz, even in amitraz-resistant mites. The researchers conducted a proof-of-concept study in a laboratory setting by combining amitraz with a compound used in research to understand how certain pesticides are tolerated in organisms, like the Varroa mite. 

“This compound inhibits a naturally occurring process that prevents certain chemicals, like pesticides, from accumulating inside cells,” said Julia Fine, a Research Entomologist at the Pollinator Health Research Laboratory in Davis, CA.  “If a chemical toxicant can’t reach a high enough concentration in a cell, it won’t have a toxic effect in the organism. Previously, we didn’t know if this process was part of how Varroa tolerate amitraz exposure.” 

A magnified image of live varroa mites on a honey bee pupa host. (Image by Julia Fine, ARS)

Through a collaboration with UC Davis, Fine found that using the inhibiting compound in combination with amitraz increases amitraz toxicity and was even effective against amitraz-resistant mites. These findings open a promising new line of research that may lead to the development of novel synergists that can be used to control Varroa mites in combination with amitraz or other miticides. Increasing the efficacy of amitraz treatments, especially the initial application, may help bee keepers save time and money. 

“Better amitraz formulations can decrease the need for additional treatments, lower the selection pressure on the mite population, and decrease the economic burden on bee keepers as they protect their colonies,” said Fine. 

Fine noted that the inhibitor used in the research is not specific to Varroa. It can also negatively affect the ability of honey bees to tolerate pesticide exposures. 

“Now that we know this process is important to amitraz tolerance in Varroa, the next step is to develop synergists that specifically inhibit this process in Varroa without affecting honey bees.” 

The research was conducted in collaboration with the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, and ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA. This research was supported by a Honey Bee Health Grant through the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) and the Pollinator Partnership (P2) to Professor Sascha Nicklisch of UC Davis.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

By: Tami Terella-Faram
Email: tami.terella-faram@usda.gov

ARS scientists in Corvallis, OR, in collaboration with Oregon State University, developed a disease surveillance platform that could improve U.S. agriculture by unlocking the future of plant health. PathogenSurveillance is an innovative, open-source software tool that can quickly analyze and identify novel microbial variants based on DNA sequences.

The automated PathogenSurveillance pipeline is an innovative workflow tool to help scientists respond in real-time to emerging, or re-emerging, invasive pathogens and pests. The surveillance platform will improve plant health and aid in reducing the spread of new and emerging diseases in agronomic, urban, and forest ecosystems.

“This genomics pipeline revolutionizes plant health, allowing us to identify any microbe, pest, or pathogen in just minutes-to-hours once there is a genome sequence,” said Nik Grunwald, ARS research plant pathologist at the Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit in Corvallis. “The genomic pipeline can be used for real-time biosurveillance of known, or unknown, pathogens relatively quickly, which lessens the barrier to adoption and use of PathogenSurveillance drastically.”

A Camellia plant infected with Phytophthora nemorosa, which causes leaf blight. (Photo by Nik Grunwald, ARS plant pathologist).

Grunwald added that, since everything is sequence-based, this tool can be used to monitor the evolution of pest/pathogens in real-time, providing insights into how populations change, variations emerge, and new invasions occur. The platform can also be easily deployed to identify a specific pathogen, or to monitor the emergence of new disease strains or variants.

“Samples are sent to a local lab, and the resulting genome is sequenced and uploaded to the pipeline software system for identification,” Grunwald said. “Variation in genomes can thus be monitored over time and space by comparing genomes.”

This allows PathogenSurveillance to be used by labs or clinics with little computational experience, and it provides “unprecedented capability for in-field or point-of-care diagnosis of pests and pathogens,” according to Grunwald.

The PathogenSurveillance platform also enables scientists to input one to several hundred population samples of small-to-modest genome sizes, including bacteria, fungi, insects, and nematodes for pathogen surveillance and identification.

The program output is also intuitive for the user because it can provide graphs of genetic diversity and create reports in the form of an interactive HTML document.

“This will be a benefit to researchers, disease clinics, and diagnosticians in their work to identify clonal, or other types of variants such as the UG99 stem rust, or NA2 of sudden oak death,” added Grunwald.

Scientists can download the PathogenSurveillance software tool at: https://nf-co.re/pathogensurveillance/1.0.0/.

Research link: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.31.685798v2

By: Maribel Alonso
Email: arspress@usda.gov

In a groundbreaking study, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) redefined the value of roots in industrial hemp, providing new opportunities for industrial hemp growers and opening new avenues for pediatric cancer research.

While the above ground part of Cannabis sativa L. plants, or industrial hemp, is widely recognized for its broad range of uses, including fiber production and grain (as a source of protein and oil), its roots have often been unutilized. This is because, until now, they were not considered to hold significant value.

Dr. Korey Brownstein, a research chemist with the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL, noticed a strange substance showing up in his analysis as he was studying the chemical composition of hemp roots. Intrigued by these findings, Brownstein led a team of researchers to further investigate and analyze this chemical substance to determine its precise structure.

Hemp root. Image Provided by USDA PGRU Hemp Germplasm Lab - Tyler Gordon Dan Meyers and Zach Stansell

The analysis showed the substance was multiple compounds (four in total) that researchers predicted through structural modeling to be neolignans – natural products with similar structures formed during the plant’s biological processes. Although molecules with similar properties have also been found in other plants, such as paper mulberries and a tree native to Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, this is the first time such molecules have been isolated from hemp roots.

The research team spent three years isolating and purifying these compounds—a process they described as ‘complex and increasingly difficult.’  Due to potential activities of the molecules, the researchers were determined to understand their nature and uncover the complete narrative behind them.

The team also collaborated with scientists at the Pediatric Oncology Laboratory at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, where a team of researchers found that these molecules showed moderate activity in killing pediatric cancer cells (cytotoxic effect) in the laboratory setting. Refining and understanding the effect of this molecule on pediatric cancers will open new alternatives for children’s cancers that are unresponsive to current therapies.

Hemp root. Image Provided by USDA PGRU Hemp Germplasm Lab - Tyler Gordon Dan Meyers and Zach Stansell

“We believe this new discovery offers industrial hemp growers a potential new revenue stream from a part of the plant that was previously overlooked,” said Brownstein. “Unlike crops such as corn or soybeans, which have multiple uses, hemp has been limited in scope. But if we treat hemp as a multi-use crop, we can expand its applications and market—paper, grain, fiber, and now, potentially, pharmaceutical compounds from the roots. The discovery of these compounds adds value to this commodity.”

The findings, published in a peer-reviewed journal, marks the first time these specific neolignans have been isolated from hemp and linked to possessing cytotoxic effects on pediatric cancer cell lines.

The team’s next steps include scaling up compound extraction for larger, more controlled functional studies. They aim to explore a broad array of cancer cell lines to assess the therapeutic potential of these neolignans in greater depth.

“This is about opening new doors,” Brownstein emphasized. “We’re expanding the possibilities for using the whole industrial hemp plant. By adding value to the roots, we’re giving farmers more stability and more reasons to invest in this emerging crop.”

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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By: Maribel Alonso
Email: Maribel.Alonso@usda.gov

Researchers at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are helping American wheat farmers fight a devastating crop disease.

Researchers released a new spring wheat germplasm line with resistance to Fusarium head blight. This challenging fungal disease leads to significant annual economic losses in cereal crop production, estimated at $2.7B over the period from 1998 to 2000, and poses health risks to consumers.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), or scab, is the number one fungal disease impacting small-grain cereal production in the U.S., particularly wheat and barley. The primary cause of the disease is the fungus Fusarium graminearum L., although it can also be triggered by multiple strains or species of Fusarium.  

FHB pathogens produce a toxin that contaminates the grain and flour, leading to production losses as it poses health risks for humans and animals. Over the years, it has become clear to farmers, researchers, and breeders that the most effective way to control this disastrous disease is by enhancing cereal crops with genes that show resistance to FHB. However, the source of effective resistance to FHB is currently limited in wheat and barley. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new resistance genes that could be used to fight the disease, especially in durum wheat and barley.  

In a scientific breakthrough led by ARS Research Geneticist Xiwen Cai with the Wheat, Sorghum, and Forage Research Unit in Lincoln, NE, scientists at ARS and the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station leveraged insights from previously published studies to develop a new spring wheat germplasm line named ‘WGC002.’ This germplasm carries a novel gene [Fhb7^The2] found in wild grass that provides significant resistance to Fusarium under diverse environments. The scientists used plant breeding techniques to select genes with the desired traits from wild grass in their breeding lines, which have now been successfully integrated into different market classes of U.S. wheat.   

Plant image of the spring wheat with FHB resistance gene Fhb7 (left) and its chromosome image (right). The terminal green segments on two chromosomes contain Fhb7. Photos provided by Xiwen Cai. 

“This is a significant discovery because there are very few resistance genes currently available. This marks the first effective FHB resistance gene identified in wild species that has been bred into spring, winter, and durum wheat,” said Cai. “Moreover, this gene exhibits what we refer to as an additive effect, meaning it enhances and strengthens the resistance level of another gene.”

WGC002 Spring Wheat Germplasm has already been utilized by many wheat breeding programs locally and around the world. ARS scientists in Lincoln, NE, have now been deploying this novel FHB resistance gene in elite varieties of winter, spring, and durum wheat.

Scientists anticipate a substantial reduction in U.S. economic losses from wheat crops affected by FHB within just a few years if farmers begin growing new varieties with this resistance gene.

WGC002 was developed with financial support from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the US Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, and USDA-ARS CRIS Project.

This research was part of a series of collaborative studies conducted by ARS scientists and partners to identify FHB resistant genes in wheat and wild relatives. Multiple genes have been found to be resistant to FHB, but only two of them [Fhb1 and Fhb7] have been used and characterized as effective sources of resistance in breeding for wheat variety development. Selecting multiple genes simultaneously to provide robust and durable resistance is a common and effective practice in this effort.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Jessica Ryan
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and their university partners are helping U.S. tomato growers fight a devastating crop disease. Researchers found that a tomato line developed 30 years ago is showing good resistance to the emerging tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), a virus that has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage to the tomato industry in the United States and worldwide. 

ToBRFV infects tomato, pepper, and similar crops by distorting leaves and discoloring fruit, resulting in yield loss. The virus is seed-borne and overcomes the resistance genes in current commercial cultivars. It can easily spread when healthy plants come in contact with contaminated equipment, hands, clothing, or infected plants or plant parts. The most effective way for farmers and growers to manage the virus is through prevention of contact with the virus, including cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and maintaining clean growing areas.  

Tomato infected by tomato brown rugose fruit virus with brown rugose on fruits (top) and mottle mosaic on leaves (bottom). (Photo by Kai Ling, ARS)

“To minimize the impact of ToBRFV, it is crucial to identify new sources of genetic resistance that can be used to breed virus-resistant tomato cultivars,” said Kai Ling, an ARS research plant pathologist at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, SC. “While prevention is important, deploying cultivars with resistance genes is the criticalstrategy to combat tobamoviruses.”

 According to a recent study published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, Ling and his research team found that a tomato line (tomato^NN) expressing the tobacco N gene that was developed in the 1990s shows resistance to ToBRFV. The tomato^NN line was created by ARS plant molecular geneticist Barbara Baker and her colleagues at the Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany, CA. 

She and her team isolated the N gene from a wild tobacco relative that confers resistance to the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and developed the TMV-resistant tomato^NN line. 

Ling and his colleagues discovered that the tomato^NN line is resistant to ToBRFV at 22°C (71.6°F), but the resistance decreases at higher temperatures, such as 30°C (86°F), which is characteristic of several resistance genes, including N-mediated TMV resistance.     

“As we look at the possible virus-resistant tomato cultivars, it is important to understand the role that temperature plays in production,” said Ling. “Temperature is a significant environmental cue that greatly influences host-pathogen interactions. Further study is needed to identify the role of temperature in the genetice resitance to tomato^NN.” 

The study’s findings bring researchers one step closer to controlling ToBRFV. 

“The results described in this paper highlight the significant potential of using the tomato^NN line to breed tomato cultivars resistant to ToBRFV and offers a new approach to managing this important disease for a beloved food staple,” said Ling. 

The research was done in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Davis; and Iowa State University. 

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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By: Jessica Ryan
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are opening new markets for America’s fruit growers. Fruit flies are major economic and quarantine pests that impact fresh fruit production and impede international trade. Flies lay their eggs on fruits, making the infested fruit their host, resulting in millions of dollars in damage annually. For international trade, fruits must undergo quarantine treatment or other mitigation measures to control possible infestation by fruit flies and other high-risk pests. 

In Hawai’i, ‘Lisbon’ lemons and ‘Persian’ or ‘Tahiti’ limes, both commercially popular cultivars, are new crops recently planted on the rich-soil island of Maui. Currently, the fruit is being sold locally, but harvest volumes may eventually surpass local demand. Export from Hawai’i is an option to best utilize production of high quality lemons and limes. 

Persian Limes. (Photo by Peter Follett, ARS)

ARS researchers evaluated whether the Hawai’i-grown lemons and limes can serve as hosts for Mediterranean fruit flies, Oriental fruit flies, and melon flies. In the studies, host status testing was conducted using no-choice laboratory and field cage tests as well as field collection of fruits. Their research findings show promise in the safe overseas export of commercial quality and non-damaged Lisbon lemons and Persian limes. 

“We inspected the fruits and found that the non-damaged fruits are natural non-hosts of fruit flies and pose a low risk of moving fruit flies during overseas export,” said Peter Follett, a research entomologist at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, HI. 

Follett added that Hawaii may be able to develop an export protocol based on non-host status or a systems approach to reduce the pest risk to an acceptable level for trading partners. 

As beloved citrus fruits with several nutritional benefits, lemons and limes are in demand worldwide. These research findings should make it easier and more economically beneficial for growers to export these fruits to a multitude of markets.   

The studies were conducted in collaboration with the ARS Southeastern Fruit and Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, GA, and the ARS  San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, CA. 

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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WASHINGTON, August 12, 2025 – Five employees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have been honored with Service to America medals for their groundbreaking research and dedication to solving agricultural challenges that affect the nation every day, from field to table.

Since 2001, the Partnership for Public Service has celebrated nearly 800 public servants through the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, also known as the Sammies. This premier awards program for career federal employees is considered the Oscars of public service and shines the spotlight on remarkable accomplishments that benefit the nation and improve the daily lives of all Americans.

The USDA 2025 Sammies honorees and a summary of their accomplishments are below:

• Research Soil Scientist Yakov Pachepsky, Ph.D., and Research Leader Moon S. Kim, Ph.D., (ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md.) were honored for their foodborne illness prevention research, which is achieved by drones, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to solve contamination challenges in water, soil, and at processing facilities across the nation. Their research team’s efforts leveraged engineering and environmental science to create solutions for agriculture, including the closely monitored Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, by developing detection technologies that can identify contamination in chicken coops and free-range poultry areas.
• Research Physical Scientist Kyle Knipper, Ph.D., (ARS Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Unit in Davis, Ca.) was honored for developing satellite-based models that measure the evaporation of water from soil and plant surfaces and transforming traditional irrigation practices so farmers have better irrigation scheduling and crop health. His research is specifically far-reaching due to two projects (GRAPEX and T-REX) that use remote sensing of evapotranspiration to preserve groundwater for grapes and tree crops, respectively. This breakthrough research was able to reduce water usage by up to 25% in some vineyards.
• Distinguished Senior Research Scientist Johnie N. Jenkins, Ph.D., (ARS Crop Science Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss.) was honored for his innovative research to eradicate the boll weevil in cotton plants and leading a field team to introduce a pest-resistant cotton variety that is now considered the industry standard. His research has also resulted in higher cotton yields and reduced costs for applying insecticides.
• Veterinary Medical Officer Dr. Lydia Carpenter (APHIS Veterinary Services in Washington, D.C.) was honored for spearheading the creation of a groundbreaking federal program to combat African swine fever (ASF), a deadly disease threatening the $8 billion U.S. pork export market. Recognizing the catastrophic potential of ASF—which has devastated swine populations across Europe and Asia—Carpenter led efforts to design and implement a pilot initiative that brought together federal and state regulators, farmers, and pork producers to establish national standards for biosecurity, surveillance, and traceability.

Visit the 2025 Service to America Medals website to learn more and celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of these career federal employees.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

For nearly 50 years, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has been protecting the health and value of America’s agricultural and natural resources. It’s a vital mission: healthy and profitable American agriculture provides food and clothing for countless people worldwide and is a key pillar of our economy.

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By: Autumn Canaday
Email: arspress@usda.gov

WASHINGTON, August 12, 2025 – Four employees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have been honored with Service to America medals for their groundbreaking research and dedication to solving agricultural challenges that affect the nation every day, from field to table. 

Since 2001, the Partnership for Public Service has celebrated nearly 800 public servants through the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, also known as the Sammies. This premier awards program for career federal employees is considered the Oscars of public service and shines the spotlight on remarkable accomplishments that benefit the nation and improve the daily lives of all Americans. 

The USDA ARS 2025 Sammies honorees and a summary of their accomplishments are below:

• Research Soil Scientist Yakov Pachepsky, Ph.D., and Research Leader Moon S. Kim, Ph.D., (Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md.) were honored for their foodborne illness prevention research, which is achieved by drones, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to solve contamination challenges in water, soil, and at processing facilities across the nation. Their research team’s efforts leveraged engineering and environmental science to create solutions for agriculture, including the closely monitored Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, by developing detection technologies that can identify contamination in chicken coops and free-range poultry areas.

Research Soil Scientist Yakov Pachepsky, Ph.D., and Research Leader Moon S. Kim, Ph.D.

• Research Physical Scientist Kyle Knipper, Ph.D., (Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Unit in Davis, Ca.) was honored for developing satellite-based models that measure the evaporation of water from soil and plant surfaces and transforming traditional irrigation practices so farmers have better irrigation scheduling and crop health. His research is specifically far-reaching due to two projects (GRAPEX and T-REX) that use remote sensing of evapotranspiration to preserve groundwater for grapes and tree crops, respectively. This breakthrough research was able to reduce water usage by up to 25% in some vineyards.

Research Physical Scientist Kyle Knipper, Ph.D. 

• Distinguished Senior Research Scientist Johnie N. Jenkins, Ph.D., (Crop Science Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss.) was honored for his innovative research to eradicate the boll weevil in cotton plants and leading a field team to introduce a pest-resistant cotton variety that is now considered the industry standard. His research has also resulted in higher cotton yields and reduced costs for applying insecticides.

Distinguished Senior Research Scientist Johnie N. Jenkins, Ph.D. 

Visit the 2025 Service to America Medals website to learn more and celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of these career federal employees.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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By: Todd Silver
Email: Todd.Silver@usda.gov

With their insatiable hunger for succulent fruits and vegetables, fruit flies from the Tephritidae family are the bane of farmers and consumers alike. But recent ARS findings suggest that wind could play a major factor in surveillance, containment, and eradication of this destructive pest. Advanced technology in tracking the effects of wind dispersal on tiny, winged creatures in the wild promises to refine fruit fly management strategies, identify outbreak sources, and help scientists anticipate their movement, feeding, and mating patterns.

Several fruit flies from the Tephritidae fruit fly family are invasive to the U.S. and combine to cause millions, and during some seasons billions, in crop losses to American farmers. Beyond direct damage and control costs, if these pests were to become established on the U.S. mainland, they would become major barriers to international trade and prevent U.S. farmers from exporting to many of our trading partners. 

Tephritid fruit fly with harmonic radar tag attached, marked with yellow fingernail polish.

The key to managing these pests is to understand their flying behaviors. Matthew Siderhurst recognized and addressed the complexity of tracing flies and deciphering wind-based patterns and now leads a team of scientists at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, HI, where their research will empower American farmers to protect their crops and reduce food waste. Groundbreaking research published in Environmental Entomology explains that harmonic radar tagging, initially developed for locating avalanche victims, can be used to study these fly pests. The method uses reflector tags that require no energy source of their own to bounce a signal back to a transceiver to map movement data.  

Though attaching harmonic radar tags to the fruit flies requires painstaking precision, the mechanism is relatively simplistic: a superelastic 4-centimeter wire is connected to a diode, or one-way current semi-conductor, with an ultraviolet-activated adhesive. Next, electrical connections between the wires and diode contacts are secured with conductive silver paint. Check out the radar tags in this video. 

Siderhurst said the study’s identification of outbreak patterns could predict environmental fluctuations influencing fruit fly behavior and enable farmers to adapt pest control methods. Contrary to historic consensus, this ARS-led research documented that fruit flies control their flight paths in response to wind cues as opposed to passive wind-driven movement. 

“Most of us have seen a housefly buzz around a room and that movement appears random, but when we look at fruit flies, we see they show a fairly high degree of directional persistence,” Siderhurst said. “That is, they move in much straighter lines than expected, and individual flies appear to hold to a general heading when moving between trees.” 

Tephritid fruit flies are about the size of a housefly and damage a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Further field testing with wild flies is warranted because the wind influenced the flies’ flight directionality, especially in movements between trees using lab-reared flies to avoid underestimating the flies’ natural movement abilities and overstate wind’s role in their flight. 

Siderhurst acknowledged that most of the research thus far has proven the technique’s effectiveness, but work remains to answer further biological questions with the new tool. Further research, he said, will ideally reveal how habitat, vegetation density, and factors such as age, diet, and time of day affect insect flight patterns, with consideration of environmental influences like wind and open landscapes. 

"Our approach is accessible and cost-effective,” Siderhurst said. “While you need good eyes and a steady hand, this technique is cost-effective and transceivers are available off the shelf, so there’s no need to build anything.” 

For more information, visit the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.

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The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Maribel Alonso
Email: Maribel.Alonso@usda.gov

Researchers at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are investigating the microbial communities carried by house flies to enhance disease monitoring and reduce the risk of disease transmission by fly-borne pathogens in livestock, ultimately protecting our food supply and public health.

House flies play a crucial role in transferring harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microbes among cattle. They also have the potential to spread these pathogens from farms to nearby livestock operations and residential areas.

Adult house flies often have unrestricted access to farm waste, cattle manure, and animal excretions. Flies can pick up microbes from these sources and then spread them, potentially affecting livestock health, welfare, and production efficiency. This can contribute to significant economic losses. According to a previous study, it is estimated that U.S. producers spend over $1 billion annually on implementing fly control programs alone.

Effective fly management can mitigate the spread of disease-causing bacteria and viruses, thereby improving livestock health and reducing potential risks to human health.  

Photo by Dustin Swanson (USDA-ARS)

ARS researchers, university partners, and cattle producers are collaborating to study the types and numbers of microbes carried by adult house flies to assess their role as sources and disseminators of bacteria and viruses within confined dairy farms and, potentially, to neighboring operations.

In a study conducted in collaboration with Kansas State University (KSU), researchers determined that examining the genomic DNA (the complete set of genetic material in an organism) extracted from pools of individual adult female house flies in a specific location can provide a comprehensive overview of the microbes present in their local environment. House flies act as natural “flying swabs,” collecting microbial samples from diverse sources like sick animals or their waste. This innovative approach could potentially serve as a new tool to monitor and study microbes in the environment by allowing scientists to efficiently and safely analyze microbes in the field.

"The numbers of animals, their health status, the composition, and volume of cattle manure, and other environmental conditions at dairy cattle operations vary from month to month, which in turn affects the abundance and types of microbes that will be present and therefore accessible by house flies," said Dana Nayduch, a research leader and entomologist at the Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, Center for Grain and Animal Health Research in Manhattan, KS.

"By looking at what flies are carrying within and on their bodies over time, we can directly assess what is going on in their surrounding environment on the farm, as they acquire those microbes from these sources all day, every day. In fact, if there is a sick animal on a farm, a fly is attracted to it and will find that needle in the haystack for you, potentially among thousands of animals, and feed upon it and collect its microbes in the process," explained Nayduch.

The insights gained from these ongoing studies can offer farm managers early warnings about the presence of harmful bacteria and viruses in their operations, enabling them to take preventive measures to protect cattle against potential severe illnesses or even outbreaks.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Maribel Alonso
Email: arspress@usda.gov

The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) released a new variety of durum wheat with a novel commercial appeal that opens new markets for U.S. farmers while still providing a healthy and high-quality baked product for consumers.

Durum wheat, also known as pasta wheat, is often cultivated in the U.S. Northern Plains because it grows well in challenging terrain with little rainfall. This crop provides a high source of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. However, its use in the U.S. food industry is somewhat limited because its kernel texture limits commercial end-uses, which is why durum wheat is most commonly associated with just pasta and noodles.

A new USDA-ARS Soft Spring Durum wheat, being released as USDA ‘Morris’ in honor of the late ARS Scientist Dr. Craig Morris, who spearheaded soft durum research, represents a new variety of soft spring durum that not only grows well in harsh environments typical of durum wheat, but also features novel end-use traits that allow it to be milled conventionally, producing flour instead of the more coarse semolina.

USDA Morris

USDA Morris features novel baking quality genes that will allow baking enthusiasts to use Morris’ yellowish flour to bake it all—bread, cookies, and pasta—while still benefiting from the same health traits associated with traditional durum, such as high protein and carotenoids. The yellow pigmentation (due to its carotenoid content) of the soft spring durum bread makes it novel, intriguing, and appealing to bakers, consumers, and culinary enthusiasts.

“The unique quality genes found in USDA Morris were purposely introduced to enhance both milling and baking,” said Jeffrey Boehm Jr., a research geneticist with the Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb. “Morris’ grain can be milled conventionally like hard red spring or soft white winter wheat to produce flour while retaining its pasta-making ability. Soft durum presents a new wheat market class option for U.S. farmers, who may recognize its potential demand for new culinary uses, commercial applications, and even international markets.”
USDA Morris

Boehm is currently working on developing new soft winter durum lines, so this new variety can be cultivated in both spring and winter wheat cropping systems.

Expanding the end-use market for durum wheat can bring efficiency and agricultural prosperity to U.S. farmers.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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By: Jessica Ryan
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are helping to protect honey bee populations while developing new strategies for managing fire ant populations. Honey bees are a vital part of pollinating our crops, while fire ants – an invasive species -- pose a major threat to humans, animals, and U.S. agriculture. 

ARS scientists are getting a better understanding of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), a major pathogen that can debilitate honey bees and adversely affect entire colonies. They found that the virus also affects fire ants, which could aid in spreading the virus to other species, including bees. 

In the United States, imported fire ants have infested more than 367 million acres. These pesky insects can cause over $6 billion in annual losses as they feed on important crops, displace native ant species, and reduce wildlife food sources. 

A side-by-side comparison of red imported fire ants with no wing deformities and red imported fire ants with wing deformities. (Photos by Godfrey P. Miles, ARS)

DWV is a serious disease that is transmitted by Varroa mites and affects different insects. In honey bees, the virus causes wing deformities, shortened abdomens, discoloration, and neurological or mobility impairments. The presence of DWV can result in reduced bee populations and colony decline. 

A team of researchers from ARS and Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center have detected DWV in red and black imported fire ant colonies in Mississippi. In one study, scientists observed that infected red imported fire ants and honey bees exhibited similar symptoms after contracting DWV. A separate study published similar findings for black imported fire ants. 

Red imported fire ant specimens displaying deformed wing (DW) phenotype.  (A) Normal winged (NW) adult male ant with wings (also known as alates).  (B and C) two DW male alates from different colonies. (D) Two melanized male pupae with DW (bottom) and NW (top). Scale bars are set at 1 mm for all images except image C, which is 0.5 mm. (Photos by Godfrey P. Miles, ARS)

“We determined that the virus is replicating in both black and red imported fire ants, which means these fire ants could potentially serve as hosts for DWV,” said Jian Chen, a research entomologist at the ARS Biological Control of Pests Research Unit in Stoneville, Miss. 

“We also observed symptoms of deformed wings and impaired mobility in some infected laboratory and field colonies of both red and black imported fire ants, like those found in infected honey bees. However, whether DWV is causing these symptoms has not yet been determined.” 

These findings may be alarming for beekeepers who want to protect their bee colonies.  Chen emphasized that this information could help researchers understand how the virus affects different insect species and find ways to control the virus.

 

Red imported fire ant specimens displaying deformed wing (DW) phenotype.  (A) Normal winged (NW) adult female ant with wings (also known as alates). Image (B) DW female alate with moderate level of wing deformity. Image (C) is a female DW alate with severe wing deformity and (D), is this same female alate under higher magnification. Scale bars are set at 1 mm for all images except image D, which is 0.5 mm. (Photos by Godfrey P. Miles, ARS)

“Further research will be needed to explore how DWV impacts fire ant populations and how the virus is transmitted between different species,” Chen said. 

“Fire ants and bees often interact in nature, as they share food sources such as honeydew and nectar. Additionally, virus-infected bees may serve as a protein source for ants. While we do not yet know if ants can transmit the virus to bees, fire ants are very common in bee yards in areas where they are established.” 

ARS scientists and collaborators have sequenced the genomes of DWV variants. DWV is an RNA virus with several variants, including variant A (the original strain spread worldwide through varroa mites) and variant B (the current increasing strain globally). Researchers have successfully sequenced the DWV genome of variant A (DWV-A) and variant B (DWV-B) in red imported fire ants. 

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Amaani Lyle
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have devised a way to lower the health risks of using endotracheal intubation for lifesaving breathing procedures. 

Endotracheal intubation has been a lifesaving albeit invasive airway opening procedure often performed on unconscious patients or those who can't breathe spontaneously amid surgery or emergencies.

The procedure involves placing a flexible tube in the windpipe through a patient’s mouth or nose and can pose a dire risk to patients who have adverse reactions to irritants, allergens, and bacterial infections.

It is estimated that 8-28% of mechanically ventilated patients develop ventilator associated pneumonia, with some cases fatal.

An ARS scientist and her team at the U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC) in Maricopa, AZ, addressed this challenge to help people safely breathe easier.

Katrina Cornish, ALARC center director, recently released a published article introducing the advanced endotracheal tube (ETT), which uses balloon cuffs made from guayule latex.

Study findings suggest the alternative material complements the design: an allergen-safe, guayule latex endotracheal tube balloon cuff, inflates around the ETT to form a seal with the trachea, offering superior leak-proof and mechanical qualities compared to traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) balloon cuffs.

Allergen-safe guayule latex offers superior leak-proof and mechanical qualities for patients requiring endotracheal intubation in comparison to traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) balloon cuffs as shown in this diagram. (USDA/ARS diagram)

"Our innovative guayule latex ETT balloon cuffs offer a significant advancement in patient safety," said Cornish. "With their allergy-safe properties and exceptional mechanical performance, these cuffs provide a reliable, softer, and safer option for patients requiring endotracheal intubation."

Guayule is a perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. One of its applications is being used as a sustainable alternative to traditional rubber, which is sourced from the tropical rubber tree primarily grown in Southeast Asia.

Freshly harvested guayule bale sits ready for latex extraction. Guayule shrubs are harvested as a fresh crop to make latex. The harvested shrubs are baled for transport to a local latex extraction plant. Allergen-free guayule latex is separated like cream from milk at the extraction plant. (USDA photo/Katrina Cornish)

These new guayule-based cuffs, designed to be placed around existing pleated PVC cuffs, on the outside, provide a safe alternative for patients with Type I latex allergies, minimize the risk of adverse contact reactions, and prevent leakage of bacteria-laden saliva into the lungs.

“Our new outer cuffs have been made with guayule latex using an accelerant system specifically designed to prevent adverse contact reactions and create a perfect seal with the patient’s trachea,” Cornish noted.

Cornish explained future studies could include stability testing of the cuffs against salivary and gastric secretions, multi-variable fluid leakage comparison, edema, and reintubation. She envisioned guayule farming propelling high-value medical products such as ETT cuffs into the commercial sector.

“If adopted by the healthcare industry, these cuffs have the potential to save hospitals and patients tens of thousands of dollars each year in VAP treatment and prevent deaths caused by ventilator-associated pneumonia,” Cornish said.

For more information, visit U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center. 

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The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Contact: ARS Office of Communications, Media Relations
Email: ARSPress@usda.gov

FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 3, 2025 - A new discovery by scientists could help protect crop production and reduce plant mortality due to drought, which accounts for a quarter of U.S. crop production losses. 

Water is essential for plants to grow, reproduce, and survive. Drought causes severe stress in plants and can significantly reduce yearly production or kill entire crops. Drought also increases costs for farmers, who must invest in irrigation to keep their crops alive. These impacts and costs result in reduced food supply and higher food prices for consumers. 

After years of studying the mechanisms and effects of drought in plants, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Colorado State University (CSU) identified how plants die during drought and how some of the effects of drought can be reversed. They also discovered a plant species (a wild millet relative) with remarkable resiliency to extreme drought, demonstrating an ability to resurrect after acute drought episodes.

Barnyard millet. Getty image.

During severe drought stress, the soil and atmosphere become so arid that liquid water inside the plant changes into water vapor gas. This process, known as embolism formation, results in gas bubble blockages within the water-conducting tissues of the plant. These embolism blockages reduce the transport of water and minerals from the soil [roots] to the leaves, impairing essential processes for the growth, reproduction, and survival of plants.

ARS scientist Sean Gleason and the “resurrection” millet. Photo by CSU Jared Stewart.

Embolism formation was poorly understood in plants because embolisms could not be seen using the types of instrumentation and methodology used in past studies. The team of scientists at ARS and CSU used an innovative method that involved scanning entire plants with a type of laboratory X-ray machine. The machine allowed them to see water movement through segments of the plant, including stems, roots, and leaves, which enabled the scientists to detect these gas bubble formations, or embolisms, throughout the plant. 

“We have discovered that a wild millet relative is capable of reversing embolism formation in the water-conducting tissues,” said Sean Gleason, ARS research plant physiologist at the Water Management and Systems Research Unit in Colorado. “We call this plant resurrection millet because if the plant is watered even after nearly 100% of the tissue has been embolized, the plant is able to refill these embolisms and recover. This study provides the first direct evidence of complete and functional stem xylem ‘refilling’ following severe drought stress. This breakthrough challenges long-standing assumptions about plant hydraulic recovery and has significant implications for crop resilience in water-limited environments.”

Barnyard millet. Getty image.

Troy Ocheltree, a co-author and collaborator with the CSU Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, explained the important implications this study has for both crop improvement and natural grasslands. 

“The results suggest that even if plants become severely stressed, they may be able to recover in the same year of the drought and begin growing again,” he said. “This ability impacts the yield of crop production and the amount of forage available for cattle.” 

Researchers seek to leverage new technology to transfer the resiliency found in this millet species to other crop species such as wheat, corn, and rice, thus protecting U.S. agriculture.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Autumn Canaday
Email: arspress@usda.gov

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2025 – Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) are helping American beekeepers solve the mystery behind a widespread honey bee colony collapse and its debilitating effects on U.S. agriculture. Researchers have submitted a manuscript to a scientific journal for peer review based on our research findings that identified high levels of deformed wing virus A and B and acute bee paralysis in all recently USDA-sampled bees.

These viruses are responsible for recent honey bee colony collapses and losses across the U.S. Since the viruses are known to be spread by parasitic Varroa destructor (Varroa) mites, ARS scientists screened the mites from collapsed colonies and found signs of resistance to amitraz, a critical miticide used widely by beekeepers. This miticide resistance was found in virtually all collected Varroa, underscoring the need for new parasitic treatment strategies.

 “Our nation’s food supply thrives, and is sustained, by the work of our pollinators,” said Acting ARS Administrator Joon Park. “USDA scientists continue to research major stressors and new parasite treatment strategies, which will help reduce the agricultural challenge presented by the Varroa mites in honey bee colonies.”

 In January 2025, commercial beekeepers began reporting severe losses in commercially managed operations. As losses unfolded, it was evident that over 60% of commercial beekeeping colonies had been lost since the prior summer, representing 1.7 million colonies and an estimated financial impact of $600 million.

 ARS scientists collected colony and bee samples from across California and other western states in February 2025, prior to almond pollination. 

The USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, analyzed the parasites and pathogens from all samples and focused on individual bees exhibiting behavior known to precede death by minutes or hours. Viruses were indicated in both pooled samples from surviving colonies, and in individual bees showing behavioral morbidities. 

“While viruses are a likely end-stage cause of colony death, these results do not rule out the importance of other long known challenges to honey bees,” said ARS Research Leader Dr. Judy Chen. 

As the primary managed pollinator, the Apis mellifera, is an integral component of agriculture, providing key pollination services for a wide variety of crops and over one-third of U.S. produce. The value of crops that require bee pollination is estimated to be more than $20 billion annually in the U.S. and $387 billion globally. 

 ARS researchers will continue to screen honey bees and their colonies for other known stressors and determine the best way to mitigate these stressors, mite infection, and subsequent colony loss. 

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By: Maribel Alonso
Email: Maribel.Alonso@usda.gov

Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are looking to help the U.S. food industry save millions annually by reducing liver abscess formations in cattle.

The prevalence of liver abscess formations in cattle continues to raise concerns among dairy and beef producers. This problem also remains a challenge for researchers, as the primary factors driving formations are not yet fully understood.

Reducing liver abscess formation is even more critical in calves born from dairy cows mated with beef sires (“dairy-beef crossbred cattle”). These crossbred calves are becoming a greater percentage of the total beef population in the beef industry and are also shown to be more susceptible to this problem [close to 50% vs 20% for traditionally raised beef cattle].

Cattle with liver abscesses don’t show clinical signs and are generally identified too late –at harvest. The economic losses associated with this condition in cattle is in the millions.

Rand Broadway, a research microbiologist with the USDA ARS’ Livestock Issues Research Unit (LIRU) and researchers at Texas Tech University, Kansas State University, and West Texas A&M University, has studied the relationship between liver abscess formation in dairy-beef crossbred cattle for the past 5years in relation to diet type, ruminal acidosis (caused by high grain diet), and the bacteria community in the digestive system.

The researchers have made significant progress in isolating the primary drivers contributing to this problem through a series of breakthroughs, with their latest study disproving the long-held belief that acidosis and high energy diet intake are the sole cause for the development of liver abscesses.

“We confirmed that acidosis and aggressive grain feeding is not the only driver of liver abscess development, and our research indicates that pathogen presence alone is sufficient to cause an abscess,” said Broadway. “Therefore, if we can reduce the pathogen load and block its pathway to the liver, we can control the problem.”

Scientists are focusing next on identifying which bacterial pathogens are causing liver abscess formation, and where these bacteria can be found. Species of Fusobacterium and Salmonella bacteria were detected in the abscesses studied in the laboratory at LIRU. Since these bacteria can be found in the cattle environments, they can reach the animal’s liver if they gain access to the circulatory system through lacerations in any part of the animal’s digestive system.

Animals are particularly more vulnerable under some types of stress. This could be due to weather [heat/cold] stress, gastrointestinal disruptions, illnesses, or the presence of other pathogens that cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.  Management during weaning and relocation, most calves are shipped to new locations after weaning, may also trigger these conditions.

This study reveals that the nutritional management alone plays a less critical role in liver abscesses formations than previously believed. This insight helps producers make more informed decisions about diet management practices focusing on efficiency. Additionally, it allows researchers to redirect their efforts toward understanding the pathogens involved and the pathway(s) they use to enter the animal’s body [and get to the liver]. This shift in focus has become increasingly important for researchers and time is of the essence for producers, as every minute incurs costs.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Jan Suszkiw
Email: arspress@usda.gov

Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have discovered a breakthrough in the fight against Fusarium Head Blight, which is a major disease affecting U.S. wheat and other cereal crops.

Farmers must be diligent for signs of Fusarium Head Blight, a disease of cereal crops that flourishes under wet conditions and high temperatures. Caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, the disease inflicts yield losses of more than one billion dollars annually in wheat and barley. The disease also produces mycotoxins that can contaminate the crops’ grain, limiting its marketability or even rendering it unfit for food or feed uses.  

Now, an ARS-led team may have found a way to turn the tables on Fusarium Head Blight, potentially minimizing the threat it poses to consumer health, farmer profits, and a $5.94 billion U.S. wheat export market. 

The team’s discovery, reported in the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, centers around a key molecule that the fungus naturally produces, known as FgTPP1.

“This molecule helps the fungus shut off the plant’s defenses or weaken them enough that it can grow in the rest of the plant,” explained Matthew Helm, team leader and a research molecular biologist with ARS’s Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit in West Lafayette, IN.

The top half of this wheat head is infected with Fusarium Head Blight, a costly fungal disease that can diminish the grain yield and quality of wheat, barley and certain other cereal crops. (Photo Credit: Mathew Helm, ARS)

FgTPP1 is one of hundreds of molecules that the fungus produces to help it infect wheat plants and cause Fusarium Head Blight.  The fact that other disease-causing species of Fusarium also produce FgTPP1 “suggests it serves an important function,” Helm said.

To find out, Helm and his team of researchers used a standard procedure to “delete” the gene for FgTPP1 from the fungus. In the lab, the scientists then infected the wheat heads of a susceptible spring wheat variety with the gene-deleted fungus. They also infected a second group of wheat heads with fungus whose FgTPP1 remained intact. This enabled the researchers to compare the progress of Fusarium Head Blight in wheat heads exposed to the two fungus groups.  

As expected, wheat heads exposed to the gene-deleted fungus fared far better than those exposed to the intact fungus—with the former causing disease in 18% to 27% of wheat heads versus 50% for the latter.  

Helm and his team showed that, during infection, the fungus uses FgTPP1 to deactivate the plant defensive response, allowing the fungus to grow and cause Fusarium Head Blight.

Now, Helm’s team has begun examining which proteins in wheat are important targets for FgTPP1 and whether removing them could slow the fungus’s advance to the rest of the plant.

“The trick,” Helm noted, “will be to avoid hurting the plant by removing a protein that it also needs.”   

The outcome of this research will benefit commercially grown wheat to naturally withstand the disease and keep its toxins out of grain destined for consumer and livestock uses. Ultimately, investing in and exploring novel approaches like this “adds another tool in the toolbox that U.S. farmers can use to manage Fusarium Head Blight in wheat and possibly barley,” Helm added.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By: Jessica Ryan
Email: Jessica.Ryan@usda.gov

ARS scientists made a “sweet” discovery that may be important to solve a major problem within the citrus industry. 

Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, poses a serious threat to the Florida citrus industry. HLB is associated with tree infection by its presumed causal agent Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and is spreading to many citrus-growing areas worldwide. In Florida, HLB has caused about 90% of citrus production losses since it was first detected in 2005. 

An orange from a Donaldson tree. (Photo by Giancarlo Buzzi, ARS)

ARS scientists at the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, FL, assessed citrus trees with oranges that could be potentially used for commercial production of orange juice. During their assessment, the scientists found a sweet orange tree named “Donaldson” at the A.H. Whitmore Citrus Research Foundation Farm in Groveland, FL. This tree is a selection from the USDA-ARS variety collection that represents over 100 years of USDA-ARS research on citrus in Florida. 

“The Donaldson sweet orange tree stood out as being exceptionally healthy compared to the industry-standard trees that were planted close by and were in decline or had died,” said Matt Mattia, a research geneticist. “The Donaldson tree also tested positive for the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, one of the presumed causal agents of HLB. This indicates that the tree may have tolerance to the disease.” 

The Donaldson orange tree. (Photo by Giancarlo Buzzi, ARS)

Historical records show that the Donaldson tree was first planted on the farm over 30 years ago. Another tree type named “Hamlin,” which has been ravaged by HLB, was also planted around the same time. Hamlin and Donaldson are early season trees that mature from December to January. While Hamlin has been used in commercial orange juice production for years, Donaldson has remained only on the farm. 

Researchers assessed if Donaldson oranges could substitute Hamlin oranges for juice production. In the study, researchers conducted taste tests to study the differences between orange juice blends using Hamlin and Donaldson oranges. 

“The taste testers noted that there was a difference between the two juices,” said Mattia. “However, those differences may be explained by the lower acidity in fruits from young Hamlin trees.” 

According to Mattia, Donaldson oranges could replace Hamlin oranges for commercial production, maturing in the early season and presenting good orange flavor. However, future research should explore whether Donaldson fruit could replace Hamlin fruit in juice by comparing fruits from trees of the same age. 

More research is underway to determine if the Donaldson trees have long-term tolerance to HLB and if citrus growers can successfully plant these trees to meet the demands of commercial production. ARS researchers plan to work with research collaborators and industry partners to assess Donaldson’s tolerance to HLB in field trials and study the possible underlying genetic mechanisms responsible for tolerance. 

The study was published in HortScience. The research done by ARS was in collaboration with researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Horticultural Sciences Department. 

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Contact: Jessica Ryan
Email: Jessica.Ryan@usda.gov

Insect droppings, commonly known as insect frass, may seem useless and downright disgusting, but scientists found that this waste can improve soil health when added as a fertilizer in farming.

Insect frass is a mixture of excreta, feed, and molted skins. These droppings are a by-product of farming insects like yellow mealworms, banded crickets, and black soldier flies. Farmers raise and breed insects, also known as "mini-livestock," to be an alternative protein source for animals and be a more sustainable practice in agriculture.

Insect frass may also be used as fertilizer. Previous studies by this team led by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) show insect frass can have higher carbon and nitrogen content than fossil fuel-based fertilizers and fewer pathogens than other animal manures.

These researchers, along with collaborators from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, also studied insect frass’ potential as an organic fertilizer source when used as a soil amendment in farming.

Insect frass. (Photo by Taylor Adams, ARS)

In a two-year field study, researchers found that frass from yellow mealworm increased the amount of carbon by two times and nitrogen by three times in soils than other sources like poultry litter and ammonium nitrate. Furthermore, soils with frass addition produced crop yields and carbon dioxide emission rates similar to soils amended with poultry litter and ammonium nitrate.

"Insect frass substantially improved soil fertility which showed its ability to be used as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers," Amanda Ashworth, a soil scientist at the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit in Fayetteville, Arkansas, said. 

Agricultural Science Research Technician Taylor Adams spreads insect frass during a field study. (Photo by Cailee Stone)

"This is important since insect farming is on the rise and circular agricultural systems (agricultural by-products that are recycled back into production systems) can be sustainable avenues for growing foods in the future."

According to Meticulous Research’s Global Edible Insects Market Forecast to 2030 report, the insect farming industry is expanding in response to increasing demands for sustainable protein sources for animal feed. The industry is projected to grow 28% annually and have an estimated market value of $8 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

The study was recently published in Scientific Reports and done in collaboration with crop, soil and environmental science researchers with the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the ARS Biological Control of Pests Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.