COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Research by scientists at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry suggests that buffer strips of grasses and other plants can trap and break down veterinary antibiotics in manure fertilizers. Buffer strips have already demonstrated that they can be effective in protecting water quality, controlling erosion and supporting wildlife around crop fields.

Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without harming plants or beneficial insects and without environmental side effects of chemical. The problem is that when the worms are mass-bred for agricultural purposes, they tend to, as Byron Adams says, "wimp out," and are not as deadly as their cousins that grow in the wild.

Paris, France -- The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) released publicly today its Short-Term Fertilizer Outlook 2009-2010. The Association is concerned with the current predominance of nitrogen in fertilization practices and the potential yield impact of currently low application rates for phosphorus and potassium.

Nitrogen-use efficiency, the next green revolution