Black Butte is a new blackberry release by ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon. Fruit averages 1 inch in diameter, and 2 inches long, and weighs almost twice as much as other varieties of fresh blackberries. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7774-1.htm, Image Number K7774-1, Photo by Scott Bauer
New candidates for commercial peach production, like Flameprince, have to measure up to high quality standards. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k4957-19.htm, Image Number K4957-19, Photo by Keith Weller
In 1992, Washington apple growers harvested about 805,000 boxes of Fujis. Three years later, production had quadrupled to 3.5 million boxes. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/apr97/k7602-2.htm, Image Number K7602-2, Photo by Scott Bauer
The fiber in complex carbohydrates-grain, fruit, and vegetables-can reduce the body's absorption of fructose, even from fruit which is naturally high in the sugar. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k3839-3.htm, Image Number K3839-3, Photo by Keith Weller
These foods are typical of those eaten by the 12 volunteers during a study of how plant-rich diets affect blood lipids, antioxidant defenses, and colon function. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/oct98/k8234-2.htm, Image Number K8234-2, Photo by Scott Bauer
Blueberry plants View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5183-2.htm, Image Number K5183-2, Photo by Scott Bauer
Corn production in Colorado. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k4250-8.htm, Image Number K4250-8, Photo by Scott Bauer
Aerial view of apple and pear orchards near Yakima, Washington. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5900-7.htm, Image Number K5900-7, Photo by Brian Prechtel
Mature soybeans- Most soybean varieties have the Agricultural Research Service in their pedigree. Agency scientists have released 66 varieties and 280 breeding lines between 1980 and August 1994. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k4389-11.htm, Image Number K4389-11, Photo by Scott Bauer
Soybeans ready for harvest. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/feb99/k8324-3.htm, Image Number K8324-3, Photo by Scott Bauer
Over 100 center-pivot sprinklers controlled by a central computer irrigate wheat, alfalfa, potatoes, and melons along the Columbia River near Hermiston, Oregon. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k4904-20.htm, Image Number K4904-20, Photo by Doug Wilson
Small farm near Ames, Iowa. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/nov97/k7862-1.htm, Image Number K7862-1, Photo by Scott Bauer
Rice germplasm from the Philippines is monitored for fungal diseases before release to U.S. breeders. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k3567-16.html, Image Number K3567-16,
Wheat harvest on the Palouse. View Original , Image Number K1441-5,
Resplendent cherry trees from Japan ring the Tidal Basin at Washington, D.C. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/apr99/k5876-11.htm, Image Number K5876-11,
Among the thousands of apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry, many are nutrition/health related and are based on the download and import of the BHNRC national nutrient databases. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/mar12/k10304-1.htm, Image Number K10304-1,
A red rose, symbol of love—and tasty treat for spider mites. This issue of the magazine looks at several ARS efforts to keep valuable floral and nursery crops like roses and woody ornamentals safe from the many pests that plague them. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/sep01/k9620-1.htm, Image Number K9620-1, Photo by Peggy Greb
Charleston Hot peppers at varying stages of maturity. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5047-1.htm, Image Number K5047-1, Photo by Scott Bauer
Cereals can be rich in vitamin B12. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/aug00/k8983-1.htm, Image Number K8983-1, Photo by Scott Bauer
When you add it all up, peanuts aren't just peanuts-they're quite an important crop. The United States produces between 3 and 4 billion pounds of peanuts annually, and about 40 percent of these go into processed foods, from salted peanuts, candy, crackers, and cookies to peanut butter. They're a major source of vegetable oil too.
Peanuts have been the object of scientific study since George Washington Carver's day. ARS scientists have worked to improve peanut flavor and quality both by breeding better peanuts and by finding better ways to process them. Success came with the discovery of ways to extend the shelf life of peanut products, since unstable fatty acids in peanuts can cause unpleasant flavor changes. We've also found ways to remove part of the oil from the peanut without serious loss of flavor. Partially defatted peanuts are now sold by several companies, and the market is growing.
With the help of precision lab instruments and the sensitive noses of volunteers, ARS chemists have pinpointed chemicals that are crucial to that unmistakable peanutty flavor. This work reveals that roasted peanuts probably owe their rich, nutty aroma to a blend of about a dozen natural compounds. The findings could be used to enrich the flavor of roasted peanuts by adding back compounds that are sometimes lost in processing. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7236-3.htm, Image Number K7236-3, Photo by Scott Bauer
Sunflowers in Fargo North Dakota. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5751-1.htm, Image Number K5751-1, Photo by Bruce Fritz
A retooled gene in Endless Summer tomatoes controls ripening to give better flavor and shelf-life. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5914-1.htm, Image Number K5914-1, Photo by Jack Dykinga
Ambersweet, a new cold hardy orange variety. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k3644-12.html, Image Number K3644-12,
Bakery products--cakes, cookies, pies, and other pastries. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/jun00/k8919-1.htm, Image Number K8919-1, Photo by Peggy Greb
Soybeans are practically as much a part of American life as baseball. They're grown today in more than half the United States. Yet, a hundred years ago, they were virtually unheard of-raised only by a handful of innovative farmers. These seeds, from the National Soybean Germplasm Collection housed at Urbana, Illinois, show a wide range of colors, sizes, and shapes. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k5267-7.htm, Image Number K5267-7, Photo by Scott Bauer
ARS researchers have selectively bred carrots with pigments that reflect almost all colors of the rainbow. More importantly, though, they're very good for your health. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/nov04/k11611-1.htm, Image Number K11611-1, Photo by Stephen Ausmus
After analyzing hundreds of samples, ARS researchers wrote the definitive report on the composition and properties of honeys. These findings made it possible to detect the addition of other substances to honey. A side benefit was discovery of a new sugar in honey, which was named erlose, after ARS's Eastern Regional Research Laboratory. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7240-6.htm, Image Number K7240-6, Photo by Scott Bauer
More than 70 percent of all citrus fruits grown in the United States are varieties developed by the ARS citrus breeding program.
In Florida, we've come up with citrus varieties that are higher yielding with increased disease resistance, better color, and longer shelf life. A major success story is Ambersweet, a cold-hardy citrus that's been approved for use in orange juice products. Because it withstands Florida's occasional cold snaps that can ruin most citrus, Ambersweet is being widely planted in the Sunshine State. It took 20 years of patient breeding to develop it, but the payoff is huge.
If there's usually a grapefruit in your shopping cart, you may already have met up with a favorite ARS-created variety. It's a red-fleshed, thin-skinned, seedless grapefruit that was developed and released in 1987. Since then, over 4 million Flame nursery trees have been propagated in Florida. No other grapefruit variety has ever been so widely accepted and planted.
Orange sections can now be prepared by a patented ARS process that uses commercially available food-grade enzymes. The process also removes the bitter white portion of grapefruit peel, eliminating hand-peeling and allowing more precise portion control. And the prepeeled fruit is ideal for school lunch programs and restaurants.
Keeping oranges fresh is another citrus-oriented task we've taken on. Oranges that have been covered with our specially designed coating will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks at room temperature. In that time, fruit treated with the usual grocer's coatings will look shrunken and discolored. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7226-29.htm, Image Number K7226-29, Photo by Scott Bauer
When you buy a tomato product-a bottle of catsup, a can of tomato soup, or a jar of spaghetti sauce-you're paying the cost of removing that water. But thanks to ARS research by plant physiologist Merle Weaver at the Western Regional Research Center, in Albany California, tomorrow's tomatoes might have less water and more of the compounds called solids that processors condense at the factory. The concentrate, rich in fiber and natural sugars, becomes the starting point for tomato paste and most of the other tomato-based foods at your supermarket. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k4659-1.htm, Image Number K4659-1, Photo by Scott Bauer
Apples are an all-American success story-each of us eats more than 19 pounds of them annually. Thanks to fruit-breeding research, we're able to enjoy more productive, healthy, and flavorful new varieties every year. And we're collecting and preserving the world's bounty of apple genestock, so that the apples of tomorrow may be even sweeter crunchier, and better than ever.
Think about the quality of the apples you buy at the supermarket: They may have been stored for as long as 9 months but you can bet they'll remain crisp, thanks to controlled-atmosphere-storage methods devised by ARS. Never before have growers had a better chance against pests and diseases in the apple orchard, thanks to new, nonchemical biocontrols. ARS scientists have toiled to harness naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria and turn them against apples' enemies.
We've even worked on bashless bagging-packaging systems that are used by wholesalers to bring you apples without bruises. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7252-47.htm, Image Number K7252-47, Photo by Scott Bauer
Sweet, juicy strawberries not only taste good, they're also full of nutrition. Low in calories and carbohydrates, the raw fruit is a good source of fiber potassium, iron, and vitamin C. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k3905-1.html, Image Number K3905-1, Photo by Keith Weller
Black Butte is a new blackberry release by ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon. Fruit averages 1 inch in diameter, and 2 inches long, and weighs almost twice as much as other varieties of fresh blackberries. View Original http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7774-1.htm, Image Number K7774-1, Photo by Scott Bauer