Scientists studying a valuable, but vulnerable, species of poplar have identified the genetic mechanism responsible for the species’ inability to resist a pervasive and deadly disease. Their finding could lead to more successful hybrid poplar varieties for increased biofuels and forestry production and protect native trees against infection.
Ground penetrating radar measures the amount of moisture in soil quickly and easily. Researchers' calculations from the data informs agricultural water use and climate models.
Rice, the most widely consumed food crop in the world, takes a beating in hot weather. To combat the high temperatures, a global group of scientists, led by a University of Florida researcher, has found the genetic basis to breed a more heat-tolerant rice cultivar.
Lauren Diepenbrock works as the lead citrus extension entomologist focused on integrated pest management (IPM) programs at the Citrus Research and Education Center.
For the first time, a Cornell study of strawberry crops on New York farms tested this theory and found that wildflower strips on farms added pollinators when the farm lay within a “Goldilocks zone,” where 25 to 55 percent of the surrounding area contained natural lands. Outside this zone, flower plantings also drew more strawberry pests, while having no effect on wasps that kill those pests.
On top of rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes and worsening wildfires, scientists project that human-caused climate change will result in one of the most dire consequences imaginable: a disruption in the global beer supply.
Adopting benchmarks similar to the fuel-efficiency standards used by the auto industry in the production of fertilizer could yield $5-8 billion in economic benefits for the U.S. corn sector alone, researchers have concluded in a new analysis.
Have you noticed wavy bands of soil along roads or paths? The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Oct. 15 Soils Matter blog explains these horizontal soil waves and the unusual way they form.
A computational model that can track how genes are expressed in each cell type within tissue may help scientists unravel how diseases, such as cancer, progress and how they evade treatment.
Factors like how seeds are spaced when planting or soil moisture can affect the yield and nutritional value of crops. Scientists at the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society annual meeting will discuss these factors and more.
Sustainable intensification is an approach that aims to increase crop yields on existing agricultural land while minimizing the negative environmental pressures and impacts of agricultural systems. Scientists at the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society annual meeting will present a special symposium, “Sustainable Intensification for Improved Food Production and Environmental Quality.”
A team of West Virginia University researchers are investigating the impact of the Clean Air Act on soil and tree growth in the eastern U.S.
When is an autumn hay ride not a hay ride? The October 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains the difference between hay and straw--and what you're really sitting on during those farm adventures.
Reported October 8, 2018, in Nature Microbiology, a team led by U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute researchers developed a pipeline to generate genomes from single cells of uncultivated fungi. The approach was tested on several uncultivated species representing early diverging fungi.
Water quality is threatened by a long history of fertilizer use on land, Canadian scientists find
Crops being irrigated with an overhead irrigation system.10/03/2018By Jennifer MatthewsUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Global sustainability is important now more than ever due to increasing urban populations and the resulting stress it can have on natural resources. But increased populations in cities may lead to greater efficiency, as a team of Penn State researchers discovered when they analyzed the water footprint of 65 mid- to large-sized U.
Satellites and other remote technology are able to gather information as varied as soil moisture, crop yields, and growing conditions. How will this improve food security world-wide? The Special Session Symposium, “Advances in the Use of Earth Observations for Crop Modeling and Monitoring for Food Security,” will address the topic.
Crop breeders are developing a biofortified wheat that could make proper nutrition easier.
Sea lettuce, a fast-growing seaweed that spawns massive “green tides,” is a prolific thief, according to research that for the first time sequenced the genome of a green seaweed
Scientists from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and Cornell have boosted a carbon-craving enzyme called RuBisCO to turbocharge photosynthesis in corn. The discovery promises to be a key step in improving agricultural efficiency and yield, according to new research in Nature Plants, Oct. 1.
By combining genomics and gene editing, researchers have figured out how to rapidly bring a plant known as the groundcherry toward domestication.
When levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rise, most plants do something unusual: They thicken their leaves. Now two University of Washington scientists have shown that this reaction by plants will actually worsen climate change by making the global "carbon sink" contributed by plants was less productive.
At a time when changes to climate are expected to impact crop yields, UD scientists are part of an interdisciplinary team that will look to make crops more resilient to meet the demands of producing more food in climates with higher temperatures.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) with partners at the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) have shown that a recently-discovered variety of the substance, catechyl lignin (C-lignin), has attributes that could make it well-suited as the starting point for a range of bioproducts.
Researchers show that gene loss — not the evolution of new genes — helped drive the fly amanita mushroom into its symbiotic relationship with plants.
Nanoparticles derived from green mango peel could be the key to remediating oil sludge in contaminated soil according to new research from the University of South Australia.
Pea aphids – a serious agricultural pest – have the ability to see and avoid a common, aphid-killing bacteria on plant leaves, according to a new Cornell study published Sept. 27 in Current Biology.
“Regional Differences in Cover Crops” symposium will present latest research on cover crops' uses and potential impact.
An important part of plant genetic resources is crop wild relatives. These are closely related to crop species but have not been domesticated by humans. These plant genetic materials and those who care for them are vital for human survival.
Sunflower pollen lowers pathogen infection rates and contributes to healthier bumble bee and honey bee colonies.
The American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society will hold their annual meeting Nov. 4-7, 2018, in Baltimore, MD. The theme of the meeting is “Enhancing Productivity in a Changing Climate.” The Canadian Society of Agronomy is also collaborating.
Scientists identify new details of how a sugar-signaling molecule helps regulate oil production in plant cells. The work could point to new ways to engineer plants to produce substantial amounts of oil for use as biofuels or in the production of other oil-based products.
In a paper published Sept. 24 in the journal Nature Plants, researchers announced that the gene FT — the primary driver of the transition to flowering in plants each spring — does something unexpected in Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown in natural environments, with implications for the artificial growing conditions scientists commonly used in the lab.
For angiosperms — or flowering plants — one of the most important decisions facing them each year is when to flower.
There’s some wild plants afoot! A series of blog posts in Sustainable, Secure Food highlights the important role crop wild relatives, the wild and weedy cousins of domesticated crops, play in future food security.
New opportunities such as seed production are leading to new research in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research high tunnel project near Bushland.
University of Florida scientists are finding that by covering new citrus trees with mesh, they can keep disease-carrying insects from harming the plants. That could be a big step toward stemming the deadly citrus greening disease, UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.
Coffee harvesting is often done with heavy machinery that can compact the soil. Additionally, up to 20% of coffee berries fall to the ground. Researchers brewed up a solution to restore soil and decrease the loss.
A consortium of Idaho researchers will receive a $20 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to examine how environmental stressors impact the growth, survival and reproduction of native plants and animals.
The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) is celebrating Crop Wild Relative Week September 22-29, 2018. The week features information on the benefits these wild cousins bring to today’s familiar crops.
A system designed to protect citrus trees from the deadly greening disease withstood the ravaging winds of Hurricane Irma last year, University of Florida scientists say. With reinforcements installed after the storm, they’ll likely withstand even more dangerous storms. Using Citrus Under Protective Screening, or “CUPS,” growers can keep the Asian citrus psyllid away from their trees.
Food production doesn’t have to be a victim of climate change. New research from Michigan State University suggests that crop yields and the global food supply chain can be preserved by harnessing the critical, and often overlooked, partner in food supply – soil.
A Rutgers-led team has discovered how plants harness microbes in soil to get nutrients, a process that could be exploited to boost crop growth, fight weeds and slash the use of polluting fertilizers and herbicides.
Swamps and other wetlands get a bad rap. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) September 15 Soils Matter blog explains why these natural features are important--and worth saving.
The newest offering from Cornell University’s grape breeders is a fruit that’s big, bold and comes with a towering history. Those factors led the grape’s breeders to name the new variety Everest Seedless, a nod to the celebrated Nepalese mountain, said Bruce Reisch, professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and grape breeder with Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
After supporting a season of growth, your garden soil deserves a rest! Soils Matter, Soil Science Society of America’s science-based blog, has tips for putting your garden to bed this fall.
A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Yan Ning from the National University of Singapore has developed a new sustainable chemical approach to produce a series of amino acids from woody biomass derivatives such as grass, straw and wood chips from agricultural wastes. The team’s novel chemical method has potential to revolutionise amino acid production of the future and transform the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
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