Plywood-shelved carts that are customarily used to transport eggs into processing plants can also harbor Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, which includes the human pathogens Salmonella and Shigella, according to an ARS survey. Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart Egg Processing Plant Carts Can

Immunizing calves with either of two vaccinesdeveloped by ARS scientists may reduce the spread of E.coli O157:H7bacteria. Click the image for more information about it. New Vaccines May Help Thwart E. coliO157:H7 By December 17, 2009 Immunizing calves with either

ARS plant physiologists Kent Burkey (left) and Fitzgerald Booker are using special open-top chambers to see what impact climate change may have on soybeans, wheat and the soils where they grow. Click the image for more information about it. Replicating

A device that can detect and remove damaged popcorn kernels has been developed from a machine that is usually used to sort wheat. Photo courtesy of USDA-GIPSA. Sorter Detects and Removes Damaged Popcorn Kernels By December 15, 2009 A device

A new test that ARS researchers have developed totrace a Staphylococcus aureus toxin is one billion times more sensitivethan the current "gold standard" assay. Click the image for moreinformation about it. Foodborne Staph Toxin Pinpointed by New Assay By December

ARS scientists Pat Wechter (left) and Amnon Levi have identified and characterized key genes regulating growth and development that enable watermelons to grow from tiny flowers to plus-size, market-ready produce in only five weeks. Click the image for more information

ARS is working on ways to keep the false coddlingmoth out of the U.S. with the aim of averting a threat to the country's citrus,corn, cotton and a wide range of nuts and fruits. Photo courtesy of the Pestand Diseases

Research by ARS soil scientist Rod Venterea on the release of nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases suggests farmers using reduced tillage can minimize nitrous oxide emissions by putting fertilizers below the upper 2 to 3 inches of soil. Click

Dark roasting peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins enhances their antioxidant levels, according to new ARS studies. Photo courtesy of Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org. Roasting Does More than Enhance Flavor in Peanuts By December 8, 2009 (ARS)

Read the to find out more. For some forest species such as the longleaf pine,it turns out higher CO2 levels that can come with global climate change couldbe a boon, increasing growth and survival, according to long-term ARS studies.Photo courtesy

ARS scientists may have found a biological controlfor Ascochyta rabiei—a fungus that threatens chickpea crops theworld over with blight. Photo courtesy of Sam Markell, North Dakota StateUniversity, Bugwood.org. Fungus-on-Fungus Fight Could Benefit Chickpeas By December 4, 2009 The fungus Ascochyta

ARS researchers have identified dry pea breedinglines that can tolerate the pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV)-a"scourge" of Pacific West pea. Photo courtesy of USDA-GIPSA. New Peas Unfazed by Viral Bully By December 3, 2009 Four advanced dry pea breeding linesthat

ARS scientists are testing whether using different ways of tilling the soil or changing crop rotations will help winter wheat farmers sequester more carbon in the soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Photo courtesy of NRCS. ARS Explores Ways to

Watch as a strain of Pseudomonas bacteriawith the potential to control the organisms that cause apple replant diseasedefends itself from an attacking amoeba by releasing a lipopeptide that blowsthe amoeba apart. Catch the Subterranean Slug-Fest—Now, Live on Video By December

An ARS survey of plants has found 8 previously unreported hosts for fleahoppers and 13 previously unreported hosts for tarnished plant bugs, the single most damaging insect of U.S. cotton. Click the image for more information about it. ARS Survey

ARS and cooperators have conducted the firstanalysis of immunity-related genes in a solitary bee. Click the image formore information about it. Scientists Uncover Immunity-Related Genes in AlfalfaLeafcutting Bee By November 27, 2009 The first analysis ofimmunity-related genes in a solitary

Forty-six new populations of switchgrass from manydifferent environments in Florida such as from swampy areas, oak forests, pinescrubs, weedy areas along roadsides, and back dune areas along the coast havebeen added to the ARS germplasm collection. Photo courtesy ofNRCS. New

It may be more cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable to use corn stover for generating an energy-rich oil called bio-oil and for making biochar to enrich soils and sequester carbon than to turn it into cellulosic ethanol, according to a

Mild dehydration appears to affect mood andcognitive ability of young athletes in addition to impacting physicalperformance, according to a new ARS study. Click the image for moreinformation about it. Dehydration Affects Mood, Not Just Motor Skills By November 23, 2009

Read the to find out more. ARS researchers have been studying plant reactionsto changes in C02 levels, from the Ice Age—13,000 to 18,000 B.C.—tothe year 2050 A.D. by growing them in long, plastic-covered "timetunnels." Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues By