Shrub willow as a bioenergy crop
Renewable energy demand and consumption is at an all-time high in the United States......»»
Sensing what plants sense: Integrated framework helps scientists explain biology and predict crop performance
Scientists have invested great time and effort into making connections between a plant's genotype, or its genetic makeup, and its phenotype, or the plant's observable traits. Understanding a plant's genome helps plant biologists predict how that plan.....»»
A New Type Of COVID-19 Vaccine Could Debut Soon
"A new kind of COVID-19 vaccine could be available as soon as this summer," reports NPR: It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine. It works somewhat differently from the current crop of vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. but is based on a.....»»
Substantial carbon dioxide emissions from northern peatlands drained for crop cultivation
A new study shows that substantial amounts of carbon dioxide were released during the last millennium because of crop cultivation on peatlands in the Northern Hemisphere......»»
New research shows effects of "flash droughts" in Australia
At the tail end of winter in 2015, the ground in the Wimmera in northwestern Victoria had been a little dry but conditions weren't too bad for farmers. The crop season was going well......»»
Is carbon the "crop" of the future?
An increasing awareness and concern about the environment, changes in government policy, America's re-entry into the Paris Agreement and a robust demand for carbon offsets all point toward an appetite for a different type of agricultural crop—carbo.....»»
Ganaz raises $7M A round to rethink how agriculture workers get hired and paid
The agriculture sector is ripe for technological improvements, but beyond satellite-based crop management and bees-as-a-service, the actual people who work in the fields should be benefiting as well. Ganaz, empowered by a $7M A round, aims to change.....»»
French "bug farm" thrives on demand for pesticide-free fruit
Farmers in western France are doubling down on an unusual crop: breeding millions of tiny predatory bugs and wasps to protect tomato plants without resorting to the insecticides that consumers are shunning......»»
For freshwater animals, willow trees could be unlikely climate heroes
Climate change will make Australia hotter and drier in future, and we're starting to see the dangerous consequences of this in our rivers, lakes and streams......»»
Researchers develop technique to functionally identify and sequence soil bacteria one cell at a time
Researchers from the Single-Cell Center at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a technique to sort and sequence the genome of bacteria in soil one bacterial cell at a.....»»
Rubisco proton production can enhance carbon dioxide acquisition
Rubisco is arguably the most abundant—and most important—protein on Earth. This enzyme drives photosynthesis, the process that plants use to convert sunlight into energy to fuel crop growth and yield. Rubisco's role is to capture and fix carbon d.....»»
Study: Fluorescent light clarifies relationship between heat stress and crop yield
Scientists report that it is possible to detect and predict heat damage in crops by measuring the fluorescent light signature of plant leaves experiencing heat stress. If collected via satellite, this fluorescent signal could support widespread monit.....»»
Quantifying crop nitrogen use may result in huge difference in efficiency estimates
Assistant Prof. Quan Zhi and Prof. Fang Yunting from the Stable Isotope Ecology Research Group of the Institute of Applied Ecology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cooperated with researchers at the University of Maryland, U.S., investigated three.....»»
Ability to alter color and ripening rates of tomatoes provides novel opportunity for crop improvements
Scientists at the University of Oxford's Department of Plant Sciences have discovered how the overall process of fruit ripening in tomato (including color changes and softening) can be changed –speeded up or slowed down—by modifying the expressio.....»»
Animal production responsible for vast majority of air quality-related health impacts from U.S. food
Poor air quality caused by food production in the U.S. is estimated to result in 16,000 deaths annually, 80% of which are related to animal production, according to a new study. The study also shows how improving animal and crop management practices,.....»»
Plant parasitic nematodes harm pineapple crop yields in Kenya
Pineapple is the third most economically important fruit crop worldwide, after banana and mango. The largest producers are Costa Rica, the Philippines, Brazil and Thailand, which together amount to nearly 50% of total world production. In Africa, Nig.....»»
Breeding a better chickpea
Chickpeas are an important crop and food in India. They are used almost every day in meals and snacks. India is the largest producer, consumer, and importer of chickpeas. And with good reason—they are high in protein, fiber, and vitamins and minera.....»»
Crop outdoor seating by Benjamin Hubert for Allermuir
Dezeen Showroom: outdoor furniture company Allermuir has launched Crop, a colourful collection of chairs and stools designed by Benjamin Hubert of London-based studio Layer. Read more Dezeen Showroom: outdoor furniture company Allermuir has.....»»
Massive molecular study uncovers clues to the evolution and diversification of essential plant family
The most comprehensive study of the family tree for legumes, the plant family that includes beans, soybeans, peanuts, and many other economically important crop plants, reveals a history of whole-genome duplications. The study also helps to uncover t.....»»
Winning gene combination takes all
Researchers have traced the remaining last steps of the biological pathway that gives oats resistance to the deadly crop disease take-all......»»
Novel matrix-based slow-release urea improves crop production
The applied nitrogen in crop production is easily lost through ammonia emission and nitrogen leaching. Therefore, many attempts have been made to develop novel slow-release fertilizers to reduce nitrogen loss and improve crop production......»»