Runoff during storms pollutes waterways and doesn’t recharge groundwater. Better materials could make delivering that water to the soil easier
Tag: Agriculture
Higher wheat yields and protein content on the horizon
A team of international researchers has discovered a way to produce higher quality wheat. The scientists from the University of Adelaide and the UK’s John Innes Centre have identified a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to increasing protein content by up to 25 per cent.
Grant helps Clemson researchers fight peach bacterial diseases, support underserved producers
A Clemson University team, with the help of a grant from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, is conducting research to develop holistic strategies to improve disease management and peach tree health.
Clemson web apps calculate soil pH to help growers increase profits, reduce costs
Lime is a very important soil amendment used to grow crops. To help ensure the correct amount is applied where it is needed most, the Clemson University Precision Agriculture Team has developed the Reverse Lime Rate Calculator.
Spanish degree takes Iowa State senior on global adventures
What was supposed to be a one-off summer job as a farmhand in high school turned into a lifelong passion for agriculture that led Adam Bittner to Iowa State, to a Spanish degree and to travels around the globe.

Emissions tied to the international trade of agricultural goods are rising
Irvine, Calif., May 6, 2022 – Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have drawn the clearest line yet connecting consumers of agricultural produce in wealthier countries in Asia, Europe and North America with a growth in greenhouse gas emissions in less-developed nations, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
Finding the best lentil varieties for every farm
A recent study measured how environmental factors and plant genetics come together to influence lentil yields and nutritional content
Virtual Reality Could be the Answer to Worker Shortages at Poultry Plants
The Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) is incorporating automation solutions, specifically virtual reality (VR), into poultry processing to boost efficiency and enhance worker safety.
Bean cultivation in diverse agricultural landscapes promotes bees and increases yields
Pollination by insects is essential for the production of many food crops.
St. Louis Comes Together to Announce the Taylor Geospatial Institute
The Taylor Geospatial Institute is a first-of-its-kind institution that brings together eight leading research institutions to collaborate on research into geospatial technology.
Ryes to the occasion – exploring how winter rye varieties can suit different climates
Two fertilizers shown as viable sources to winter hardy rye
Answering burning questions on biochar
Preliminary research focuses on biochar application to two evergreen tree species
Soil study shows why nitrous oxide emissions should factor into climate change mitigation
Poorly drained agricultural soils emit enough of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide that the resulting climate change effects could far exceed the benefits of using the same soils as a means of sequestering carbon, according to a recently published scientific study.
Global climate change impacts on crops expected within 10 years
Climate change may affect the production of maize (corn) and wheat by 2030 if current trends continue, according to a new international study.
A Landmark Achievement: The Story of Improved Cowpea
Cowpeas, or black-eyed peas, are an incredibly important staple crop for much of Africa.
We could feed ten billion people: research offers paths past the climate crisis – Experts from Aalto University available to comment on COP26’s adaptation theme
Greater Helsinki, Finland — Carbon emissions often dominate discussions about our environment, but feeding our growing population creates broader environmental problems that must also be addressed. Researchers have developed innovative solutions to meet this challenge through sustainable and environmentally sound…
Cornell to build new facility aimed at reducing methane emissions
Four climate-controlled respiration chambers will be built at Cornell University to study gas exchange of dairy cattle and other livestock with the goal of reducing climate-warming methane emissions.
FFAR Funding Supports Research to Speed Development of Perennial Crops
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is providing a Seeding Solutions grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to accelerate development of perennial crops.
Coffee and the Effects of Climate Change
Systematic review highlights the vulnerability of coffee quality to environmental shifts associated with climate change and practices to mitigate the effects. Findings have implications for farmer livelihoods, consumer sensory experiences, and future strategies to support farms and product.
Scientists, economists aim to make China agriculture self-sustaining
As the world grapples with reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas, other serious global environmental problems emerge – such as how to feed China’s burgeoning population without warming the planet.
Iowa State’s Schulte Moore named 2021 MacArthur Fellow
Lisa Schulte Moore, a professor of natural resource ecology and management at Iowa State University, has been named a 2021 MacArthur Fellow for her groundbreaking research as a landscape ecologist building more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. The prestigious awards, sometimes called “genius grants,” identify scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and others who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and who show promise for important future advances.
Agricultural decarbonization gets new emphasis at ORNL
Finding a way to reduce metric tons of carbon dioxide while sustaining food products to feed the country and the world is becoming an area of increased focus in national decarbonization efforts and is attracting increased attention at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
New research center using STEPS to solve the problem of phosphorus
Phosphorus, a critical nutrient for crops, is inefficient and causes growth of harmful algae in water systems
Peachy Robot: A Glimpse into the Peach Orchard of the Future
Researchers are developing a robot that utilizes deep learning to automate certain aspects of the peach cultivation process, which could be a boon for many Georgia peach farms grappling with a shortage of workers. The self-navigating robot uses an embedded 3D camera to determine which trees need to be pruned or thinned, and removes the branches or peaches using a claw-like device attached to its arm.
Balancing food security and nitrogen use
An international team of researchers explored the possible effects that current nitrogen related mitigation options could have on reconciling regional food security and environmental targets for nitrogen.
$25M center will use digital tools to ‘communicate’ with plants
The new Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems, or CROPPS, funded by a five-year, $25 million National Science Foundation grant, aims to grow a new field called digital biology.
Insect protein has great potential to reduce the carbon footprint of European consumers
Researchers at the University of Helsinki and LUT University, Finland, have analysed the extent to which insect protein could help to reduce global warming associated with food consumption in Europe.
Sesame cultivation: expansion versus temperature stress
Increasing genetic diversity protects against total crop failure
A cocoa bean’s “fingerprint” could help trace chocolate bars back to their farm of origin, finds a new study
A new study from the University of Surrey has revealed that biotechnology could be the missing ingredient in helping cocoa farmers get a better deal for their beans.
Uncertainty for farmers after water pollution rule scrapped
A federal judge on Monday scrapped a Trump administration rule that limited federal protections for streams, marshes and wetlands across the United States. The Biden administration had already sought to undo the policy and this ruling will allow for new…
NSF Taps Danforth Center to Lead New Institute to Advance the Restoration of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute (NRR-BII).
Study assesses risk that fruits, vegetables sold in U.S. are products of forced labor
A new scoring method to identify the risk of forced labor in fruits and vegetables sold in the U.S. has been developed by researchers. Limited, scattered data serve as a call to action to build the evidence base and address accompanying equity issues.
Pecan-enriched diet shown to reduce cholesterol
Researchers show that pecans can improve a person’s cholesterol levels.
What is the quinoa seed and germplasm collection like?
Increasing genetic diversity protects against total crop failure
Improving soil carbon measurements empowers African farmers
Researchers test new, inexpensive device to provide critical information
Facial recognition AI helps save multibillion dollar grape crop
New technology, using robotics and AI, is supercharging efforts to protect grape crops and will soon be available to researchers nationwide working on a wide array of plant and animal research.
Scientific Societies release “Advancing Resilient Agriculture” statement
Important contribution to the ongoing climate policy discussion
Scientific Societies release “Advancing Resilient Agriculture” statement
Important contribution to the ongoing climate policy discussion
Limestone improves coffee yield and profitability
Your morning cup o’ Joe depends on healthy soil
Addressing climate change and agriculture complicated by need to feed planet with safe, healthy, affordable, nutritious foods
Before joining Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, Paul Winters was the associate vice-president, Strategy and Knowledge Department and director of the Research and Impact Assessment Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome. “With respect to…
Why mix varieties of wheat in a field?
Increasing genetic diversity protects against total crop failure
Corn’s genetic diversity on display in new genome study
A new study details the genomes of 26 lines of corn from across the globe. The genomes can help scientists piece together the puzzle of corn genetics. Using these new genomes as references, plant scientists can better select for genes likely to lead to better crop yields or stress tolerance.
Measuring nitrogen in green manures
Finding ways to determine nitrogen levels will help breeders help farmers
Egypt Could Face Extreme Water Scarcity Within the Decade Due to Population and Economic Growth
Egypt will import more water (virtual water) than the water supplied by the Nile, if the population and the economy continue to grow as projected – according to a new study from the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Solar-Powered Microbes to Feed the World?
Microbes have played a key role in our food and drinks – from cheese to beer – for millennia but their impact on our nutrition may soon become even more important.
New insights on flowering could boost cassava crops
Two new publications examining cassava flowering reveal insights into the genetic and environmental factors underpinning one of the world’s most critical food security crops.

Tandon Researcher Joins Major Collaboration Aimed at Using AI Models to Improve Agriculture
Chinmay Hegde, professor of computer science and engineering and electrical and computer engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is part of a multi-institutional collaboration to pursue foundational advances in artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the resiliency of the nation’s agricultural ecosystem.

Keep watch: Invasive, destructive spotted lanternfly spreads in NY
The spotted lanternfly – an invasive, destructive pest with a wide range of hosts including grapes, apples, hops, maple and walnut – has spread to a growing number of counties in New York state.

Hemp goes ‘hot’ due to genetics, not environmental stress
A new Cornell University study debunks misinformation on websites and in news articles that claim that environmental or biological stresses – such as flooding or disease – cause an increase in THC production in hemp plants.
Balancing nitrogen for sunflowers
Sunflowers need nitrogen to survive, but too much can decrease the quality of seeds