Stewarding Soil, Water and Natural Resources
Healthy soil, clean water, and well-managed natural ecosystems are the foundation of Minnesota’s agricultural and environmental success. Farmland, forests, prairies, and Minnesota’s 10,000+ lakes are the backbone of rural economies across the state. Research and Extension address issues such as soil health, nutrient management, water quality, and invasive species to help sustain soil, water and natural resources for generations to come. Scientists and Extension educators work directly with farmers, landowners, and communities to address issues and implement practices that align with economic goals and environmental priorities.
Research Highlights
The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) at the University of Minnesota has awarded approximately $2.31 million from the Rapid Agricultural response Fund (RARF) to 10 research projects that will help protect Minnesota’s agricultural sector from current and emerging threats.
The story goes that in 1860, famous journalist Horace Greeley said, "I would not live in Minnesota, because you cannot grow apples there." Fast forward more than a century and a half and one of the most popular apple varieties in the United States—one widely enjoyed around the world—was created right here in Minnesota. The Honeycrisp was even named Minnesota’s official state fruit in 2006, as if to say, “How do you like them apples, Mr. Greeley?” Released in 1991 by the University of Minnesota’s renowned cold-hardy breeding program, Minnesota’s crispiest of retorts to Greeley took just 131 years to come to fruition (though the University’s first apple introduction came in 1920).
Quality, of course, takes time.
The unique challenges of Minnesota’s cold winters have long frustrated seasonally optimistic gardeners, farmers, and other growers of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and more.
Still, since the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science’s founding in 1888, the program has not sat idly by, having so far bred more than 400 varieties of cold-hardy adaptations.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa discovered fish from 18 out of 19 testing sites in northern Minnesota contained contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, hormones and personal care products. This research illustrates the ubiquity of pharmaceuticals in the environment and their potential impacts on fish — both in expected environments like wastewater but also in more surprising places, like undeveloped lakes.
Since emerald ash borer (EAB) was first detected in North America in 2002, the invasive beetle has killed hundreds of millions of mature ash trees. After an attack, branches and trunks weaken and the trees become more likely to fall. Though this degradation has historically been attributed to damage from the beetles, new research from the University of Minnesota confirms that fungi play a significant role in the process.
An interdisciplinary team of University of Minnesota researchers is studying how jumping worms spread and impact our state’s ecosystems as well as developing techniques to manage jumping worms and minimize negative impacts. Citizen scientists are essential to tracking and preventing the spread of jumping worms across the state. Learn more about jumping worms research and how citizens can contribute.
Oxygen levels in the world’s temperate freshwater lakes are declining at rates faster than in the oceans, according to research from the University of Minnesota and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It’s a trend researchers found is largely driven by climate change and land use, threatening freshwater biodiversity and the quality of drinking water. Read more about this research discovery.
With funding from the MAES Rapid Agricultural Response Fund, University of Minnesota researchers at the Minnesota Center for Prion Research (MNPRO) have developed a novel approach to field testing chronic wasting disease (CWD). The team confirmed their findings in southeast Minnesota the week of March 8, 2021, making them the first-ever scientists to successfully deploy a CWD field test. Read more about this research discovery.
One of the key challenges of detecting oak wilt is how similar the symptomatic bronze or brown wilting leaves can look to signs of drought stress and other diseases. Finding infected trees in a large plot of forest land can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially when wilting is in its more subtle early stages. Using handheld devices, drones and airborne hyperspectral sensors, UMN researchers have been capturing the photons — packets of energy — reflecting off forest canopies.
Over the last two years, researchers at the UMN have been working with several Minnesota agencies to facilitate surveillance and enhance our understanding of the risk for CWD spreading — a key concern for Minnesota legislators. In Minnesota, these partners include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH), Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, several tribal natural resources agencies around the state and Extension specialists.
Pandas are one of most beloved and most endangered animals on the planet but their future is far from certain. UMN researchers, using genetic analysis methods often used for livestock, analyzed wild and captive panda populations in China.