Because of climate change, harmful algal blooms are increasing in frequency and intensity. New science helps demystify the frequent harmful algal blooms in the Pacific off the coast of Chile by studying how algae species interact with each other and their environment.
Tracking algae species interactions to help predict harmful algae blooms Read More »
Flowers from the Bailey Nurseries and Suntory Flowers brands were used by Tu Bloom at the 67th annual Grammys.
The post Bailey Nurseries and Suntory Flowers Shine at the 2025 Grammys appeared first on Greenhouse Grower.
Bailey Nurseries and Suntory Flowers Shine at the 2025 Grammys Read More »
Here’s a look at what’s at stake for horticulture and related industries if some of Trump’s proposed campaign policies come true.
The post When Campaign Promises Become Reality appeared first on Greenhouse Grower.
When Campaign Promises Become Reality Read More »
New research using publicly-shared DNA barcodes and citizen science images have provided new evidence on the establishment and spread of a biological control agent used for the control of the major invasive shrub Lantana camara.
North Florida, zone 8B. Feb 9, 13 days until average last frost date. I noticed just now that the Bud’s are just about ready to leave out. Would now be the optimum time to prune and propagate hardwood cuttings?
submitted by /u/PosturingOpossum
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Is now the right time to take Mulberry cuttings for propagation? Read More »
I am looking to transform this cowfield into a food forrest. It is located in tropical climate with a wet and a dry season at 700m altitude and is on a fairly steep slope. I have some ideas on what crops to make my food forrest out of but am curious what you guys would create you layers out of in a this type of climate?
submitted by /u/ParkingFee644
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What crops would you choose for this land? Read More »
So I have a heavy clay soil in a 3×10 m part of my garden (South Germany). Up until 2 years ago when I first got the garden, the soil used to be conventionally tilled every year and didn’t have any layer whatsoever.
In the first year, I just planted/sowed a mix of whatever veggies just to see what grows and had quite a nice harvest of chillies and brassicas. But no root veggies or beans made it, and barely any seeds sprouted, only the samplings made it. In the second year (2024), I threw a bit of old straw on top, added a bit of horse manure and did the same thing with a couple of different plants and barely anything grew on that soil, and only nasturtium and marigold sprouted (no veggies whatsoever), and samplings were small and sickly. From one tomato plant I got maybe 300 g of harvest.
This year, I will not plant any food plants but allow the ground to recover and try veggies again in 1-2 years. This is the situation as of today: Compacted clay soil with no organic layer, on top of that a thin layer of aged horse manure and aged straw (maybe 2 cm). My plan is to sow a mixture of native flowers including leguminoses and phacelia, some raddish, quinoa and linen. I hope to build some green manure as well as aerate the soil and get the soil fauna going. Do you think this is a good start?
How do I make sure the seeds sprout at the same place barely any seeds sprouted during the last two years? As I said, the mineral soil is now covered with a layer of straw&manure. Do I till the soil? Do I have to add some compost? I am trying to avoid that because compost is costly for me. And I am in fact trying to establish a no-till-garden but if you guys think it’s a good idea to kick-start a healthy soil I will do it.
submitted by /u/MyHutton
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Any tips for improving soil in a vegetable garden? Read More »
Yield losses caused by Fusarium wilt pose a risk to global food security. Nitrogen fertilizer regime affected the soil bacterial community and could reduce the occurrence of diseases. However, there are unresolved questions regarding the effects of single or combined applications of different nitrogen forms on disease development. Here, using the split-root system, we explored the impact of two forms of nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) on the cucumber’s resistance to Fusarium. We found that nitrate supply altered the rhizosphere bacterial taxa, which could inhibit the Fusarium. Moreover, metabolomic analysis demonstrated that rhizosphere bacterial taxa gradients along the lateral distance from the root are associated with the release of root exudates. Our research revealed that ammonium-induced root exudates included several compounds, specifically gluconic acid, sorbitol, and sorbose, which were shown to be preferred by pathogen. These metabolites might negatively affect the growth of beneficial bacterial taxa. We found that nitrate enhanced the release of root exudates, such as guanidinosuccinic acid and behenic acid, that inhibited pathogen growth and recruited beneficial bacterial taxa. In summary, our results highlighted that nitrate supply can shape the spatial patterns of the rhizosphere microbial community by regulating the composition of root exudates to inhibit the growth of the pathogen, thereby reducing disease occurrence. This study provides a novel insight into how nitrogen forms affect rhizosphere microbial assembly to promote plant health.
Soil microbial nitrogen (N) immobilizations are important processes of biogeochemical cycles. How the soil N immobilizations change with increasing N inputs, especially in the subsoil, is not clear. Based on a long-term field manipulative experiment in an alpine meadow, we evaluated changes of soil gross NH4+ immobilization rate (GAIR) and NO3‒ immobilization rate (GNIR) under six N addition rates at 0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm soil depths. The corresponding biotic and abiotic mechanisms were also explored. The results showed that GAIR negatively correlated with N addition rate, but GNIR followed the unimodal response (increase first and then drop down) at all the three soil depths. The decrease in substrate supply by mineralization contributed to the decrease of GAIR with increasing N additions at the three soil depths. The changes of substrate supply by nitrification influenced the response of GNIR in the topsoil, but the changes of fungal abundance mediated the responses of GNIR in the subsoil. The increase in GNIR reduced denitrification derived N2O emission and contributed to retain NO3‒, benefitting to the environmental protection. These different responses of GAIR and GNIR to increasing N additions and the different mechanisms underlying the responses from topsoil to subsoil should be considered in biogeochemical models and land management.
Nitrogen additions increase soil microbial nitrate- rather than ammonium- immobilization Read More »
There exists a need for simple, objective, noninvasive digital testing methods to ensure the quality of seafood products as they move from harvest sites to consumers. In this study, Paralichthys olivaceus sourced from a land-based aquaculture tank were harvested and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) scores and organoleptic sensory data were recorded for each fish. The Certified Quality Reader 3.0 BIA device (“CQR®;” CQ Foods Inc.) used BIA data to generate a certified quality number (CQN) that was used to objectively quantify results. Organoleptic scores were obtained by Safe Quality Seafood Associates (SQSA) using standard methods. Mean CQN increased from day 1 to day 5 post-harvest and then decreased from day 5 to day 20 post-harvest. There was strong correlation between BIA data and organoleptic data, indicating the usefulness of BIA for objectively quantifying levels of degradation in this species of fish. Mean CQN and mean organoleptic scores were inversely related in post rigor mortis fish. Notably, BIA was able to differentiate objectively between fresh versus frozen fish samples. This study suggests that BIA can be used for rapid, noninvasive quality assurance of the degradation state of fish, though individual variability is high for measurements which may be controlled by the development of a standardized sample location.
