Agricultural Research Service Weed Science Research: Past, Present, and Future

The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been a leader in weed science research covering topics ranging from the development and use of integrated weed management (IWM) tactics to basic mechanistic studies, including biotic resistance of desirable plant communities and herbicide resistance. ARS weed scientists have worked in agricultural and natural ecosystems, including agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, wild lands, aquatic habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas. Through strong partnerships with academia, state agencies, private industry, and numerous federal programs, ARS weed scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics, as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed-crop competition and physiology and integration of weed control tactics and practices. Weed science at ARS is often overshadowed by other research topics; thus, few are aware of the long history of ARS weed science and its important contributions. This review is the result of a symposium held at the Weed Science Society of America\u27s 62nd Annual Meeting in 2022 that included 10 separate presentations in a virtual Weed Science Webinar Series. The overarching themes of management tactics (IWM, biological control, and automation), basic mechanisms (competition, invasive plant genetics, and herbicide resistance), and ecosystem impacts (invasive plant spread, climate change, conservation, and restoration) represent core ARS weed science research that is dynamic and efficacious and has been a significant component of the agency\u27s national and international efforts. This review highlights current studies and future directions that exemplify the science and collaborative relationships both within and outside ARS. Given the constraints of weeds and invasive plants on all aspects of food, feed, and fiber systems, there is an acknowledged need to face new challenges, including agriculture and natural resources sustainability, economic resilience and reliability, and societal health and well-being

Will the Public's Health Fall Victim to the Home Foreclosure Epidemic?

Gary Bennett and colleagues discuss the ways in which the dramatic rise in home foreclosures, particularly in the US, may have health consequences

Use of experimental diffusion coefficients to probe solute-solute and solute-solvent interactions in electrolyte solutions

Interactions between ions have a very significant effect on the properties of electrolytes. This paper discusses two approaches to the study of interactions in electrolyte solutions using experimental transport coefficients. One is based on generating generalized transport coefficients from experimental data. A number of variants have appeared in the literature, the preferred ones, distinct diffusion coefficients, as formulated by Friedman are used here. Their usefulness and interpretation in terms of ionic interactions are discussed. One limitation of the above is that they are based on solvent-averaged potentials. The other approach deals with our attempts to use the water diffusion coefficient and shear viscosity data to gain insights into ion-solvent interactions and into hydration dynamics of multivalent cations