Many ornamental nursery growers test to see if their plants need water by sticking a finger in the soil to see if it’s dry. Or, they just water them whether they need it or not. University of Georgia horticulturists have found a better way, one that requires less water, less fertilizer, less money and fewer dirty fingers.

What is the coolest thing about the iPhone? Its applications. The phone can convert international currency, find a nearby five-star restaurant, help park your car and do much more. Thanks to some University of Georgia experts it now can help turfgrass managers diagnose and remedy turf problems.

Many Georgians remember hiking into nearby woods as children to chop down that most iconic of all holiday decorations: the family Christmas tree. These days, a suitable one is less likely found in the backyard. But the experience can still be found, along with that perfect tree, among the acreage at a choose-and-cut tree farm.

A pecan-loving disease enjoyed Georgia’s wet summer weather and is now blamed for cutting what was expected to be a large crop, says a University of Georgia pecan specialist. But farmers still expect to have an “on” year.

A recent University of Georgia report shows that Georgia farmers will need 20 percent more water to grow their crops in the next four decades. They’ll need it to meet increased food demand and to compete globally.

Volatile spring weather and diseases have left Georgia’s tobacco crop hurting, as farmers prepare to harvest what could be their worst yields in decades, says a University of Georgia tobacco specialist.

For the second time in two years, a nationwide outbreak of salmonellosis has been tied to peanut products. This time, more than 570 people have been sickened and more than 1,700 products have been taken off supermarket shelves so far, in what is now the largest food-related recall in the country’s history.

When the numbers are totaled, food and fiber production are the dominate drivers of Georgia’s economic engine, according to a report by the University of Georgia.

University of Georgia researchers have developed an effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on food.