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Crop Production & Protection

ARS’s Crop Production and Protection (CPP) program helps ensure that Americans continue to enjoy the most abundant, affordable, safe, and nutritious food supply in history. The research done within CPP delivers science-based information, genetic resources, and technologies for increased crop productivity, economically and environmentally sustainable methods of crop production, and protection from plant diseases and pests.

In This Section

Predicting High-Risk Areas for Wildfires

Researchers developed a forecast tool to determine which areas have the highest probability of a large rangeland fire.

Building a Better Honey Bee

ARS researchers are studying genetics and breeding to make honey bees more resilient.

Long Term Honey Bee Research Monitoring Network

A long-term honey bee monitoring network helps researchers to better understand colony performance and survivorship over multiple seasons.

Plant Diseases Hide Unexpected Places

ARS researchers examined rhododendron plants growing in native stands, looking for microbes that cause diseases that affect other plants.

Screening to Breed Superior Cotton

Scientists are producing new strains of cotton that offer both quality and abundance.

Improved Fall Planting Options

ARS researchers recently developed and released three new pea cultivars that can be grown in the cooler months.

Helping Farmers in South America

Scientists investigated practices that might help smallholder farmers increase sustainability of their lands and adapt to a changing climate.

How Healthy is Your Soil?

Researchers have developed a new, easier way to find the answer to the question, "How much carbon is stored in soil?"

Beneficial Wasp May Put Sting in Fruit Pest

ARS and University of California-Berkeley scientists are evaluating the potential of a parasitoid wasp to control the fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila.

Genes That Keep Tomatoes Fresher

Scientists have identified a tomato gene that's responsible for the softening process in the fruit as it matures, and found a way to inhibit the gene, keeping tomatoes firmer, longer.

Sweetpotato Varieties Fight Pests

In recent years, farmers in the southeastern United States have struggled with the invasive guava root-knot nematode.