Across southeastern US, weedy rice steals herbicide resistance from crop rice
Weedy rice is a close relative of cultivated rice that infests rice fields worldwide and drastically reduces yields. To combat this agricultural pest, rice growers in the southeastern United States have been planting rice cultivars that were tweaked.....»»
The role of TOR signaling in enhancing graft success and crop vigor
A research team has delved into the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway in plant grafting, emphasizing its role in regulating seedling vigor, graft junction healing, and shoot-to-root communications. Exploring TOR's involvement offers a promi.....»»
Pioneering crop productivity and sustainability in the face of water scarcity
A research team has shed light on the early morning "golden hours" as a pivotal time for achieving optimal water use efficiency (WUE) in crops, revealing that plants can maintain lower transpiration rates and higher photosynthetic activity under favo.....»»
Study finds patterns of crop-specific fertilizer-nitrogen losses, opportunities for sustainable mitigation
Nitrogen fertilizers play an essential role in ensuring global food security. However, the applied fertilizer-nitrogen, particularly that exceeding crop demand and soil N retention capacity, can potentially escape into the environment and lead to a v.....»»
A balanced quantum Hall resistor provides a new measurement method
Researchers at the University of Würzburg have developed a method that can improve the performance of quantum resistance standards. It's based on a quantum phenomenon called Quantum Anomalous Hall effect......»»
Nanoleaf wants to upgrade your deck with its Matter LED Outdoor String Lights
After announcing its Matter LED Outdoor String Lights at CES, smart light pioneer Nanoleaf has officially launched the product. Here are all the details on these slick outdoor lights that offer IP65 weather resistance, color control, support across s.....»»
AI is giving boost to crop improvement research
What is the role of artificial intelligence for crop improvement? Questions about artificial intelligence are becoming more pressing in every discipline. For crop improvement, AI provides a new lens to bridge science and practice, according to Jianmi.....»»
Scientists develop biofortified rice to combat nutrient deficiencies
A team from UNIGE, together with ETH Zurich and NCHU in Taiwan, has developed a rice line that has enhanced vitamin B1 content......»»
Ghanaians love rice—how smallholder farmers could harvest more of it with the help of machines
Rice has become a big part of Ghanaians' daily diet. The country consumes about 1.45 million tons a year—but produces only 987,000 tons, approximately 68% of that......»»
Single-crop farming has potential to harm bees, study finds
Mass-blooming, monoculture crop fields don't seem to reduce the microbial diversity in a bee's gut, University of Oregon researchers have found in a study of sunflower farms, but they do amplify the spread of infectious parasites......»»
Breeding more resilient soybeans may come down to test site selection
In the quest to optimize crop productivity across environments, soybean breeders test new cultivars in multiple locations each year. The best-performing cultivars across these locations are selected for further breeding and eventual commercialization.....»»
New technique lets scientists create resistance-free electron channels
An international research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has taken the first atomic-resolution images and demonstrated electrical control of a chiral interface state—an exotic quantum phenomenon that could help res.....»»
Surprising role of female sex pheromone in crop pest points to new biocontrol possibilities
INRAE researchers have discovered that female pheromones play a remarkable role in the African cotton moth. In general, these pheromones trigger mate attraction, promoting encounters between males and females during reproductive periods. Astonishingl.....»»
Scientists discover new phage resistance mechanism in phage-bacterial arms race
One of the most abundant and deadliest organisms on Earth is a virus called a bacteriophage (phage). These predators have lethal precision against their targets—not humans, but bacteria. Different phages have evolved to target different bacteria an.....»»
When an antibiotic fails: Scientists are using AI to target "sleeper" bacteria
Since the 1970s, modern antibiotic discovery has been experiencing a lull. Now the World Health Organization has declared the antimicrobial resistance crisis as one of the top 10 global public health threats......»»
Enhanced rock weathering results in higher crop yields and improved crop health, study shows
Enhanced rock weathering—a nature-based carbon dioxide removal process that accelerates natural weathering—results in significantly higher first year crop yields, improved soil pH, and higher nutrient uptake, according to a paper, published in PL.....»»
Nonvolatile quantum memory: Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits
Rice University physicists have discovered a phase-changing quantum material—and a method for finding more like it—that could potentially be used to create flash-like memory capable of storing quantum bits of information, or qubits, even when a q.....»»
Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors
A novel method that employs palladium to inject hydrogen into the deeply buried oxide-metal electrode contacts of amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) storage devices, which reduces contact resistance, has been developed by scientists at Tokyo Tech......»»
Factors impacting yield and size of day-neutral strawberries
Strawberries are a vital crop for California, the leading producer of fresh market strawberries in the United States, with a production value of more than $2 billion in 2021. The Central Coast region, encompassing areas like Watsonville and Salinas,.....»»
Automated bioacoustics: Researchers are listening in on insects to better gauge environmental health
Recent research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst evaluates how well machine learning can identify different insect species by their sound, from malaria-carrying mosquitoes and grain-hungry weevils to crop-pollinating bees and sap-suckin.....»»
Unlocking the secrets of disease resistance in chrysanthemums: A holistic approach to combating black spot disease
Chrysanthemum, celebrated for its ornamental, medicinal, and beverage value, faces significant threats from bacterial and fungal infections, particularly black spot disease caused by Alternaria alternate, which leads to severe economic losses. Curren.....»»