Farming and Agriculture

Solutions for a sustainable future can sometimes be found in centuries-old traditions. Indonesia's Blue Economy Roadmap is about driving economic growth through the sustainable use of ocean resources, while protecting marine ecosystems for the future. One promising way to achieve this goal is to integrate regional fishing practices based on... Read more

Plant immunity is largely initiated at the cellular level, with each cell capable of autonomous detection and response, while also coordinating systemic signaling across the organism—unlike the centralized, cell-based immune system of animals. One of the key mechanisms of plant immunity involves nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immunereceptors—intracellular receptors that detect... Read more

Baby corn, essentially unfertilized young ears of corn, is a specialty food gaining interest for its high nutrition and low calorie count. It also has significant economic value as a quick-turnaround cash crop with a global market. Currently, Thailand is the largest producer of baby corn, with an estimated annual... Read more

A newly identified disease affecting corn and sorghum can closely resemble iron deficiency, potentially leading farmers to apply costly nutrient treatments that do not address the underlying problem. New research published in Plant Health Progress documents the discovery and identification of a bacterial pathogen responsible for the symptoms.... Read more

Imagine that plants could tell us exactly when they're stressed, infected, or being eaten by insects, by lighting up. A new study led by Dr. Karen Sarkisyan, Head of the Synthetic Biology group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), has borrowed molecular machinery from mushrooms and inserted it... Read more

Researchers from Skoltech, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, the Research Center for Cereal and Industrial Crops in Italy, and other international organizations have developed new durum wheat lines capable of surviving freezing temperatures while maintaining the grain quality required for premium pasta production. The study, published... Read more

The United States and Mexico have been in a historic megadrought since the turn of the century. For more than 25 years, the American Southwest has faced the severe social and economic consequences of this megadrought—including a $1.1 billion agricultural loss in California in 2021 alone. With these conditions persisting,... Read more

Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered certain proteins may be the key to saving plants' lives when multiple stressors hit at the same time. This knowledge may one day lead to crops that are more resistant to harsh conditions brought on by multiple stressors during the same growing... Read more

Efforts to prevent pathogenic contaminations such as salmonella in dry food processing facilities will take a step forward through new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst describing a novel chemical mixture for sanitation in low-moisture environments.... Read more

An international team led by University of Alicante (UA) scientists has found that increasing the share of organic farming may improve crop yields and help maintain soil health and biodiversity. Published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the study concludes that landscapes with at least 50% organic farming optimize crop yields,... Read more

A severe and prolonged U.S. drought in the late 1980s played a central role in one of the largest fisheries declines ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.... Read more

Cassava is a starchy, tuberous root, introduced to sub-Saharan Africa by Portuguese traders centuries ago. It is a nutrition lifeboat for over 800 million people worldwide.... Read more

A first-of-its-kind University of Stirling study could better inform strategies to control salmon lice, after researchers uncovered major differences in the secretions the parasite produces as larvae. Like other parasites, such as mosquitoes and ticks, salmon lice secrete substances from their glands which make it easier for them to feed... Read more

The rocks beneath our feet are leaving a hidden signature in the shells of marine snails along Australia's ancient coastline, according to new research led by Adelaide University scientists. A study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that neodymium (Nd) isotope ratios in abalone shells reflect the... Read more

Today, most of the salmon consumed in Japan is imported from countries like Chile and Norway, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. But just two decades ago, Japanese chum salmon made up a much larger share of domestic salmon consumption. Their numbers have declined sharply in recent... Read more