Feature Channels: Agriculture

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After a nuclear war, wild-catch marine fisheries will not offset the loss of food grown on land, especially if widespread overfishing continues, according to a Rutgers co-authored study. But effective pre-war fisheries management would greatly boost the oceans’ potential contribution of protein and nutrients during a global food emergency, according to the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study for the first time explored the effects of nuclear war on wild-catch marine fisheries.

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As society grapples with deep concerns over racial inequities and other social justice issues, members of the Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) have embarked on a mission to foster change from within.

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Organic crop farmers in the Northeast and Upper Midwest are facing an increasing number of challenges related to climate change and invasive pests, but a $2 million grant from the USDA will help them find sustainable solutions.

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Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, has been named chair of the governing board of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.

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The University of Texas at El Paso received a $1.18 million grant from the National Science Foundation to work with researchers at Texas A&M University AgriLife Research Center at El Paso to learn more about greenhouse gas abiotic carbon dioxide dynamics in dryland systems through the study of irrigated pecan orchards throughout the El Paso region.

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Research from the lab of Kimberly Parker in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has discovered the mechanism that keeps formulations of the herbicide dicamba from going airborne. And they consider why it sometimes fails.

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The food preparation preferences of Chinese cooks — such as the technological choice to boil or steam grains, instead of grinding or processing them into flour — had continental-scale consequences for the adoption of new crops in prehistoric China, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. A new study in PLOS ONE led by Xinyi Liu, associate professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences, focuses on the ancient history of staple cereals across China, a country well known for its diverse food products and early adoption of many domesticated plants.

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The fabled Silk Road is responsible for one of our favorite and most valuable fruits: the domesticated apple. Cornell University researchers have now assembled complete reference genomes and pan-genomes for the apple and its two main wild progenitors.

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As climate change influences our ecosystems, microbes may help crops and environmental management solutions succeed in stressful conditions

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An examination of two documented periods of climate change in the greater Middle East, between approximately 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, reveals local evidence of resilience and even of a flourishing ancient society despite the changes in climate seen in the larger region.

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Mega-droughts - droughts that last two decades or longer - are tipped to increase thanks to climate change, according to University of Queensland-led research.

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In the driest state in the driest continent in the world, South Australian farmers are acutely aware of the impact of water shortages and drought. So, when it comes to irrigation, knowing which method works best is vital for sustainable crop development.

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The 4 R’s Advances in Primary Research of Nutrient Stewardship

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Future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, do more damage to the world economy and kill more people than COVID-19 unless there is a transformative change in the global approach to dealing with infectious diseases, warns a major new report on biodiversity and pandemics by 22 leading experts from around the world.

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Research shows willow trees may pair well with grass crops in alley cropping systems

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Humankind’s next giant step may be onto Mars. But before those missions can begin, scientists need to make scores of breakthrough advances, including learning how to grow crops on the red planet.

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The waste from larvae production could be used as a crop fertiliser should commercial insect farms get off the ground in the UK.

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Artificial intelligence and simulation models use agricultural data for crop improvement

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Contaminated soils – and foods – influenced by soil factors

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If you think that the Sahara is covered only by golden dunes and scorched rocks, you aren't alone.

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In a perspective paper, “Multiplying the efficiency and impact of biofortification through metabolic engineering,” published in Nature Communications, an international team of scientists, led by Ghent University, explain how plant genetic engineering can help to sustainably address micronutrient malnutrition.

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High yields, conservation benefits seen from well-managed perennial groundcover

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Long-term, regional data is crucial to determine the best farming practices for soil health, crop production and nutritional quality

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While development of perennial Kernza wheat is successful, other crops may not be adaptable

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CoverCress, Inc., announced a new collaboration with the Salk Institute to improve plant yield, soil health and soil organic carbon storage in cover crops via cutting-edge technologies developed by the Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI).

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Symposium titled “Climate Smart Organic Agriculture” will be part of the ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting

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Toxicological Sciences features leading research biotransformation, toxicokinetics, and pharmacokinetics; computational toxicology and databases; mixtures toxicology; and more in the October 2020 issue.

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After months of technology-based communication enforced by COVID-19, many of us are missing a "live" human voice.

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Cornell University engineering professor Max Zhang has been awarded a NYSERDA grant to determine efficient solar farm array configurations so the state can avoid land-use conflicts or spoiling precious agricultural space.

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Fall’s signature decoration is more than meets the eye

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Restoration efforts can potentially be 13 times more cost-effective when it takes place in the highest priority locations, according to a new landmark study.

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The Healthy Crops team, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have used gene editing tools to develop new varieties of disease-resistant rice that regulators in the United States and Colombia have determined are equivalent to what could be accomplished with conventional breeding.

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Genetic tests help search and manage USDA’s rice genetic repository

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $676,000 grant to a pair of Cornell University researchers aiming to use high resolution sensors to help vineyard growers identify nutrient deficiencies.

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Small-scale farmers see a path to solving global hunger over the next decade, thanks to a Cornell University-hosted project that used artificial intelligence to cull ideas from more than 500,000 scientific research articles.

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A team of scientists at Utah State University has developed a new tool to forecast drought and water flow in the Colorado River several years in advance.

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Irvine, Calif., Oct. 8, 2020­ – An international team of researchers – including Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine – recently completed the most thorough review yet of nitrous oxide from emission to destruction in the planet’s atmosphere. In addition to confirming that the 20 percent increase in the amount of the greenhouse gas since the start of the Industrial Revolution can be totally attributed to humans, the team expressed doubt about the ability to reduce emissions or mitigate their future impacts.

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Climate change is affecting the spread and severity of infectious diseases around the world — and infectious diseases may in turn be contributing to climate change, according to a new paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

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Coconuts are one of the most useful agronomic crops in the world

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Rising nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are jeopardizing the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, according to a major new study by an international team of scientists.

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Researchers are working to help cacao farmers manage harmful cadmium levels in the soil.

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A new study shows that rising nitrous oxide emissions are putting reaching climate goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement in jeopardy.

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At a time when food production is one of the biggest climate culprits, it is essential that we seek out new food sources which can nourish us and, at the same time, not overburden the planet.

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Symposium will highlight the development of cutting-edge strategies to enable precision breeding of the next generation of high-yielding and stress-resilient crops.

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A $779,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food Agriculture will help Cornell University researchers prevent fire blight disease in apples and pears before it starts.

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Researchers at the Danforth Plant Science Center, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and DOE Joint Genome Institute generated genome sequences for nearly 600 green millet plants and released a very high-quality reference S. viridis genome sequence and also identified a gene related to seed dispersal in wild populations for the first time. Findings, “A genome resource for green millet Setaria viridis enables discovery of agronomically valuable loci,” were published in Nature Biotechnology.

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Researchers generated genome sequences for nearly 600 green millet plants and released a very high-quality reference S. viridis genome sequence Analysis of these plant genome sequences also led them to identify for the first time in wild populations a gene related to seed dispersal.

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Theme of the all-virtual meeting is Translating Visionary Science to Practice

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Faculty from several universities will present out-of-the-box ideas to elevate learning in virtual settings