Source: MORNING AG CLIPS, 12/18/18

Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil’s surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ants could save farmers fuel and labor costs, as well as preserve water and improve soil quality. “These ants are naturally present in the fields,” said Barbara Baraibar Padro, a postdoctoral scholar in plant science, Penn State. “They are able to remove a huge amount of weed seeds from the system, and if farms till less to preserve these ants, it can benefit them.”

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