Forests with a large variety of species are more productive and stable under stress than monocultures: scientists from the University of Freiburg have confirmed this with data from the world’s oldest field trial on the diversity of tropical tree species.…
Tag: Agriculture
Scientists to use advances in 3D imaging to predict effects of rising CO2 levels on crops
ST. LOUIS, MO, September 4, 2019 – Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years and in 2017, the global average amount of CO2 hit a new record: 405 parts per million, according…
Mathematical model provides new support for environmental taxes
Taxes that incentivize environmentally friendly practices could promote green development
Livestock disease risk tied to herd management style
A new study provides an updated picture of the prevalence of the sheep and goat plague virus (PPRV), a widespread and often fatal disease that threatens 80 percent of the world’s sheep and goats, in northern Tanzania. According to the…
Aiming to improve nutrition with ‘orange corn,’ NutraMaize receives funding
Naturally selected orange corn has abundance of antioxidant carotenoids
Wiley and the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association announce new partnership
HOBOKEN, N.J.–September 3, 2019 — John Wiley and Sons Inc. (NYSE: JW-A) (NYSE: JW-B) announced today a new partnership with the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA). Beginning in January 2020, Wiley will assume publishing responsibility for the two prestigious…
Deer browsing is not stopping the densification of Eastern forests
Selective browsing by white-tailed deer has been blamed by many for changing the character and composition of forest understories in the eastern U.S.; however, its impact on the forest canopy was previously unknown. Now, a new study led by a…
Impact of climate change on global banana yields revealed
Climate change could negatively impact banana cultivation in some of the world’s most important producing and exporting countries, a study has revealed. Bananas are recognised as the most important fruit crop – providing food, nutrition and income for millions in…
Researchers determine pollen abundance and diversity in pollinator-dependent crops
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study provides valuable insights into pollen abundance and diversity available to honeybee colonies employed in five major pollinator-dependent crops in Oregon and California, including California’s massive almond industry. The study, a collaboration between OSU and…
Hand- versus machine-harvested juice and cider apples: A comparison of phenolic profiles
Machine-harvested apples offer cost-effective option for growers and cider makers
Maturity becomes a concern as corn harvest approaches
Iowans may notice combines harvesting corn deep into November due to the late start to planting last spring, according to Iowa State University agronomists. Much of the Iowa corn crop remains weeks behind schedule, and farmers will be paying close attention to temperature as their crop nears maturity and dries down.
Burgundy wine grapes tell climate story, show warming accelerated in past 30 years
A newly published series of dates of grape harvest covering the past 664 years is the latest line of evidence confirming how unusual the climate of the past 30 years has been. The record shows wine grapes in Burgundy, eastern…
New DNA sequencer method achieves early-stage and broad-range detection of wheat diseases
Plant diseases, especially those caused by fungal pathogens, jeopardize global crop biosecurity and preventing them requires rapid detection and identification of causal agents. Traditional methods for crop disease diagnosis rely on the expertise of pathologists who can identify diseases by…
Grassland biodiversity is blowing in the wind
Temperate grasslands are the most endangered but least protected ecosystems on Earth. Grassland restorations are crucial for recovering this important but highly degraded ecosystem. Restored grasslands, however, tend to be more species poor and lose diversity through time as compared…
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Fires in Amazon Rainforests
New Brunswick, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2019) – With numerous fires raging in ecologically priceless Amazon rainforests, Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Laura C. Schneider can comment on current fire patterns (the number of fires and their location), linkages to tropical rain…
New biosensor provides insight into the stress behaviour of plants
Researchers develop method to track the activity of a signalling substance spatially and temporally
Mediating the trade-off — How plants decide between growth or defense
Grow or defend yourself – a decision plants need to make on a daily basis, due to their inability to do both simultaneously. For a long time, it was thought that the reason for the growth-defence trade-off might be a…
The positives of climate change? WVU research shows agricultural, economic possibilities
Depending on your side of the aisle, climate change either elicits doomsday anxiety or unabashed skepticism. Jason Hubbart , director of Institute of Water Security and Science at West Virginia University , takes a more centered approach. He’s studied the…
The positives of climate change? WVU research shows agricultural, economic possibilities
Depending on your side of the aisle, climate change either elicits doomsday anxiety or unabashed skepticism. Jason Hubbart , director of Institute of Water Security and Science at West Virginia University , takes a more centered approach. He’s studied the…
Cleaning pollutants from water with pollen and spores — without the ‘achoo!’ (video)
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 26, 2019 — In addition to their role in plant fertilization and reproduction, pollens and spores have another, hidden talent: With a simple treatment, these cheap, abundant and renewable grains can be converted into tiny sponge-like particles…
New way to bump off ticks: Dry up their saliva (video)
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 26, 2019 — Saliva from a tick’s bite can transmit pathogens that cause serious illnesses, such as Lyme disease, and significant agricultural losses. Current insecticides have drawbacks, so scientists have been seeking new ways to prevent these…
The flavor of chocolate is developed during the processing of the cocoa beans
Can you manipulate the taste of noble cocoas in different directions to create exciting new flavors
Strawberries: The tasty fruit with a tainted environmental legacy and an uncertain future
Julie Guthman’s new book Wilted: Pathogens, Chemicals, and the Fragile Future of the Strawberry Indu
Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It’s hard to say, and that’s a problem
More public and private resources than ever are being directed to protecting and preserving aquatic ecosystems and watersheds. Whether mandated for land development, farming or in response to the growing severity and number of natural disasters – scientists from the…
New book: Raising Ghana’s land productivity can transform national economy, boost incomes
Urbanization in Ghana has spurred growth in nonfarm jobs in rural areas with little impact on land p
Optimizing fertilizer source and rate to avoid root death
Study assembles canola root’s dose-response curves for nitrogen sources
Foodborne pathogen sheltered by harmless bacteria that support biofilm formation
Pathogenic bacteria that stubbornly lurk in some apple-packing facilities may be sheltered and protected by harmless bacteria that are known for their ability to form biofilms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery could lead to development of…
Stressed plants must have iron under control
Publication in iScience
Princeton scientists awarded grant to boost crop yields by adding algal organelle to plant
Goal is to increase efficiency of photosynthesis
Research suggests glyphosate lowers pH of dicamba spray mixtures below acceptable levels
Study published as farmers grapple with dicamba volatility concerns
Gene variant in maize ancestor could increase yields in today’s densely planted fields
From within the genetic diversity of wild teosinte – the evolutionary ancestor of modern maize -valuable traits lay hidden. In searching the ancestral genome, researchers report the discovery of UPA2 , a rare allele long-lost to the selective pressures of…
New research could provide better food and faster analysis of blood tests
A group of researchers from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen have figu
‘Catcher of the rye’ method detects rye gluten proteins in foods
Gluten-free diets have been trendy for several years now, with adherents claiming that avoiding grains that contain the substance helps with weight loss or improves general health. However, for people with celiac disease, avoiding gluten is not a fad but…
Climatologist Available to Discuss IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land
ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 8, 2019) – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is releasing its Special Report on Climate Change and Land today, which details how land degradation and deforestation, along with agriculture and the other ways people shape…
Upcoming IPCC report to call for urgent food system reforms
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to release a report on Thursday, demonstrating how the agricultural sector contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and emphasizing a need to change the way countries produce food and manage land. Ariel…
Cornell to house nation’s only industrial hemp seed bank
Cornell University will house the nation’s only industrial hemp germplasm repository – a seed bank – co-located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
Tropical Soil Disturbance Could Be Hidden Source of CO2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Thousand-year-old tropical soil unearthed by accelerating deforestation and agriculture land use could be unleashing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a new study from researchers at Florida State University. In an investigation of 19 sites in…