Farming and Agriculture

Researchers from the University of Seville (US) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) have demonstrated that it is possible to grow tomatoes and generate solar energy simultaneously, a key strategy for tackling global water scarcity. The study, carried out in Madrid and Seville during the spring of 2024, evaluated... Read more

Bacterial blight (BB) is a serious plant disease that mainly affects rice plants, especially in warm, humid regions. Due to the severity of BB, discovering and applying BB-resistance genes is strategically important for ensuring stable rice production in Asia. However, genetic strategies to improve disease resistance face a trade-off between... Read more

Humans adjust to changes in temperature by putting on a sweater or taking off layers. Plants adjust to temperature changes, in part, by switching the way they express the protein that performs the critical first step of photosynthesis, according to new research from Cornell, Texas A&M and Stockholm University.... Read more

California's processing tomato industry for the first time this past harvest season, agreed to voluntary equipment cleaning and notification guidelines to prevent the spread of branched broomrape, a parasitic weed that attaches to roots and sucks out key nutrients.... Read more

Rice farmers Siriporn and Amnat Taidee used to burn their paddy fields between plantings—a common method of clearing crop residue partly blamed for toxic smog that blankets much of Thailand every spring.... Read more

When lightning strikes a paddock, it does more than scorch grass and scare the cows. The electrical discharge breaks apart nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, converting them into a form that falls to Earth in rain and becomes available to plants. It is a natural process, primordial and efficient, which... Read more

Research published in Nature Water found that widespread application of the common farm fertilizer, urea, severely degrades water quality in the Canadian Prairies. Researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Regina added urea to farm ponds to simulate the effects of agricultural fertilization in the southern Prairies.... Read more

Nutrients recovered from animal and human waste could drastically reduce synthetic fertilizer use in the U.S., according to a new Cornell University study that takes into account real-world implementation challenges like processing and transport.... Read more

A method developed by the University of Córdoba (UCO) predicts the fatty acid, phenol, and volatile compound profile of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) quickly, easily, and accurately by using the olives directly. Virgin olive oil is one of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet, and—according to scientific evidence—a source... Read more

Researchers at the University of New England have identified two fly species as promising pollinators for berry crops, offering a vital alternative to European honey bees in protected cropping systems. The results of their study are published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.... Read more

Australia's animal sectors now have a comprehensive framework to help strengthen the industry's response to antimicrobial resistance. The Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Framework helps animal sectors improve and verify day-to-day stewardship practices. The work was co-designed by veterinarians and animal managers based on the study led by CSIRO, Australia's national science... Read more

Oceans absorb roughly 25% to 30% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere. When this CO2 dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, making the water more acidic and altering its chemistry. Elevated levels of acidity are harmful to marine life like corals, oysters, and certain... Read more

Rice has historically been a heat-loving plant. In fact, the wild ancestor of cultivated rice once grew primarily on the sweltering, rain-swept Malay and Indochina peninsulas as well as the islands of Southeast Asia. It wasn't until Earth's climate warmed after the last ice age that wild rice substantially spread... Read more

Tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD), caused by begomoviruses, is a global problem in tomato production, affecting yield. While introduction of resistance genes is one of the strategies to control TYLCD, introduction of a single Ty-gene is inadequate in providing full protection against begomoviruses.... Read more

A genetic master map of ancient grasses could be the key to future-proofing global food supplies, according to a new study revealing why some crops are naturally better at surviving climate change than others.... Read more