Research Updates

Wheat stem sawfly adult

Management Decisions Impact Wheat Stem Sawfly Populations

August 30, 2019
University research in the Nebraska Panhandle suggests that changing two management strategies may help significantly reduce wheat stem sawfly pressure in winter wheat. Over the years, the sawfly has become a major pest in wheat with few known control measures.

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Through a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team is developing ways to maximize sorghum potentials across the United States.
Figure 1. Through a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team is developing ways to maximize sorghum potentials across the United States.

Nebraska Team Merges Machine Learning, Plant Genetics to Maximize Sorghum Potential

August 22, 2019
Sorghum is emerging as a star player in the biofuels industry. With its water use efficiency, resistance to heat, and low cost of seed, it could outpace corn, with a little boost from improved genetics. To aid that, a UNL team was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant to work on a rapid, efficient method for characterizing its gene functions.

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Corn growing on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus. A new Nebraska study has quantified the benefits of irrigation among nine U.S. crops by analyzing yields from 1950 to 2015. (Photo by Craig Chandler/University Communication)
Figure 1. Corn growing on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus. A new Nebraska study has quantified the benefits of irrigation among nine U.S. crops by analyzing yields from 1950 to 2015. (Photo by Craig Chandler/University Communication)

Gap Growing Between Irrigated, Rainfed Crop Yields

August 13, 2019
A 65-year comparative analysis between U.S. yields of irrigated and rainfed crops has sounded a message to farmers, land managers and policymakers: Mind the gap. Researchers analyzed annual yields of nine crops on a county-by-county basis from 1950 to 2015.

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alfalfa
Figure 1. Research in northeast Nebraska indicates that adding alfalfa to a corn-soybean rotation can reduce nitrate in the aquifer while increasing profit.

Adding Alfalfa to Corn-Soybean Rotation can Increase Profit, Reduce Nitrate Leaching

July 31, 2019
University research shows that adding alfalfa into corn-soybean rotations can help reduce the loss of nitrate to and increase the extraction of nitrate from aquifers while improving profitability.

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By measuring the water use of plants on an hourly or even minute-by-minute basis, Nebraska's James Schnable and colleagues hope to better understand and eventually improve how crops respond to drought. (Craig Chandler/University Communication)
Figure 1. By measuring the water use of plants on an hourly or even minute-by-minute basis, University of Nebraska associate professor James Schnable and colleagues at Iowa State University hope to better understand and eventually improve how crops respond to drought. (Photo by Craig Chandler/University Communication)

New Stalk Sensor Could Lead to Improved Drought-Resistant Corn

July 31, 2019
Researchers at the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University are pursuing an elusive goal: measuring rates of sap flow in corn in real-time, actual fields, and changing weather conditions. Their data on corn water use could lead to improved drought resistance.

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Long-Term Study Suggests Management Adaptations for Weather Extremes

July 16, 2019
From droughts to flooding, extreme hydrological phenomena are the costliest hazards in rainfed agriculture. A recent journal article explores how a long-term tillage study in northeast Nebraska can offer insights on successfully adapting to future climate changes by adjusting specific management practices.

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Combining corn
About one-third of the producer corn and soybean fields studied were successful in achieving high yields within irrigated water requirements.

Study: High Crop Yields Are Compatible with Prescribed Irrigation Levels

June 18, 2019
New research from University of Nebraska researchers has found that one-third of studied fields achieved high crop yields without surpassing prescribed irrigation levels.

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Injury from 1/10 Labeled Rate of XtendiMAX on R1 Roundup Ready Soybean

Effects of Dicamba Micro-Rates On Non-Dicamba-Resistant Soybean

June 6, 2019
The authors report on research to evaluate six micro-rates of two dicamba products on growth, development, and yield of three non-dicamba-resistant soybeans at three growth stages of application: second trifoliate (V2), beginning flowering (V7/R1), and full flowering (R2).

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