How much nitrogen does corn get from fertilizer? Less than farmers think
Corn growers seeking to increase the amount of nitrogen taken up by their crop can adjust many aspects of fertilizer application, but recent studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign show those tweaks don't do much to improve uptake ef.....»»
Enhancing chickpea irrigation efficiency, yield and sustainability
A new study published by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) introduces a non-invasive technique for evaluating chickpea water status, offering farmers a powerful tool to fine-tune irrigation schedules and potentially elevate the sustainability.....»»
Better phosphorus use can ensure its stocks last more than 500 years and boost global food production, study shows
More efficient use of phosphorus could see limited stocks of the important fertilizer last more than 500 years and boost global food production to feed growing populations......»»
Cocoa beans are in short supply: What this means for farmers, businesses and chocolate lovers
A shortage of cocoa beans has led to a near shutdown of processing plants in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the two countries responsible for 60% of global production. With chocolate makers around the world reliant on west Africa for cocoa, there is signi.....»»
Reviving England"s polluted rivers through incentivizing farmers and comprehensive monitoring
At the close of 2023, Defra asked the British Ecological Society to bring together nearly 40 experts, to collate expert opinion on freshwater policy and set out a list of priorities for the biodiversity evidence program to focus on. Published today,.....»»
Scientists develop catalyst designed to make ammonia production more sustainable
Ammonia is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the world, and is used in a great many manufacturing and service industries. The conventional production technology is the Haber-Bosch process, which combines nitrogen gas (N2) and hydrogen gas.....»»
Vietnam farmers struggle for fresh water as drought brings salinization
Every day, farmer Nguyen Hoai Thuong prays in vain for rain to fall on the cracked dry earth of her garden in Vietnam's Mekong Delta—the country's "rice bowl" agricultural heartland......»»
Using light to produce medication and plastics more efficiently
Anyone who wants to produce medication, plastics or fertilizer using conventional methods needs heat for chemical reactions—but not so with photochemistry, where light provides the energy. The process to achieve the desired product also often takes.....»»
Pesticide-free as a new pathway for agriculture
A new approach is gaining momentum in European agriculture: a "third way" that lies between conventional production and organic farming systems. Here farmers must forego synthetic pesticides only—which is simpler to implement than a switch to organ.....»»
Organic ginger"s response to propagation, fertilizer in high-tunnel
Ginger is one of the world's leading spice crops, and is used for both its medicinal and flavor qualities. It grows well in tropical regions and its rhizomes mature in eight to nine months from planting. Rising consumer demands for organically grown.....»»
Solar-Powered Farming Is Quickly Depleting the World"s Groundwater Supply
Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up.....»»
Get Ready to Eat Pond Plants
Meet the amazing azolla, a nutritious fern that grows like crazy, capturing carbon in the process. Could it be a food—and fertilizer and biofuel—of the future?.....»»
Saturn"s moon is a testing ground to gain a better understanding of the methane molecule
Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system and the only one with a dense atmosphere. At the top of this atmosphere, rich in nitrogen and methane, the sun's radiation produces a great diversity of organic molecules, some of which we also fin.....»»
Study explains how a fungus can control the corn leafhopper, an extremely harmful pest
The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis has become a serious problem for farmers. This tiny insect is now widely distributed in the Americas, from the south of the United States to the north of Argentina. In Brazil, it uses only corn plants as hosts, and.....»»
Yemen faces "environmental disaster" as sunken ship threatens Red Sea
The sinking of a bulk carrier off Yemen after a Huthi missile attack poses grave environmental risks as thousands of tonnes of fertilizer threaten to spill into the Red Sea, officials and experts warn......»»
A big boost to Europe’s climate-change goals
A new policy called CBAM will assist Europe's ambition to become carbon-neutral. Enlarge / Materials such as steel, cement, aluminum, electricity, fertilizer, hydrogen, and iron will soon be subject to greenhouse gas emissions f.....»»
How nitrogen has been underestimated in lake ecosystems
An ecological imbalance in a lake can usually be attributed to increased nutrient inputs. This results in increased phytoplankton growth, oxygen deficiency, toxic cyanobacterial blooms and fish deaths. Until now, controls in lake management have focu.....»»
A big boost to Europe’s climate change goals
A new policy called CBAM will assist Europe's ambition to become carbon neutral. Enlarge / Materials such as steel, cement, aluminum, electricity, fertilizer, hydrogen and iron will soon be subject to greenhouse gas emissions fe.....»»
Costa Rica coffee farmers innovate as rainfall plummets
Costa Rican coffee farmers were once blessed with abundant rains but as precipitation grows fickle they are being forced to innovate to keep producing one of the world's favorite brews......»»
Catalyst combines vanadium-based components and nitrogen-doped biomass carbon for pollutant removal
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans are dangerous pollutants due to their carcinogenicity and persistence in the environment. Traditional catalytic oxidation methods for their removal face challenges like high cost and inefficiency at.....»»
What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change—and how political power influences outcomes
In dozens of archaeological discoveries around the world, from the once-successful reservoirs and canals of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the deserted Viking colonies of Greenland, new evidence paints pictures of civilizations struggling with unforeseen.....»»