Shrub willow as a bioenergy crop
Renewable energy demand and consumption is at an all-time high in the United States......»»
Researchers make better chickpeas possible by harnessing genetic traits of wild cousins
A new study has revealed the potential of using wild crop relatives for chickpea improvement, paving the way for more advanced crops and greater global food security......»»
New resource pinpoints inner workings of sorghum plant cells for designing better bioenergy feedstock
Bioenergy sorghum is an important resource for the production of biofuels and bioproducts and a critical component of a sustainable agricultural future. Researchers have been working hard to make this tall, drought-tolerant plant even more productive.....»»
Research team uncovers mechanism for spikelet development in barley
The inflorescence architecture of crop plants like barley is predominantly regulated by meristem activity and fate, which play a critical role in determining the number of floral structures for grain production......»»
Researchers identify gene important to adaptation and determine roots are a key to drought-tolerant maize
An international study headed by the University of Bonn has now demonstrated the important role of the plant root system in maize, a crop that can grow successfully in very different local conditions......»»
Plastic-greenhouse agriculture: A novel soil profile design for global sustainability and enhanced crop production
A research team has developed a novel conceptual framework for designing plastic-greenhouse soil profiles that cater to the needs of smallholder farmers. The soil profile includes four functional layers: a soil mulch layer for preventing evaporation,.....»»
Researchers clone "half-tendrilless" gene locus in pea mutant afila
Pea is the fourth largest edible legume crop in the world and is widely cultivated throughout the world. Several classical leaf mutants have been identified in peas, including unifoliata (uni), afila (af), tendril-less (tl), cocholeata (coch), stipul.....»»
Cambodia"s famed Kampot pepper withers in scorching heat wave
Farmer Chhim Laem shakes his head as he walks between long rows of dead bushes, their brown leaves scorched by heat and drought that have devastated Cambodia's famed Kampot pepper crop......»»
Regulating branch development of petunias
Branching is a pivotal determinant of plant architecture, not only influencing the capacity of the plant to adapt to its environment but also significantly impacting crop yield, ornamental characteristics, and production economics of horticultural pl.....»»
Global meta-analysis quantifies benefits of cover crop use
For years, both scientists and farmers have debated whether the use of cover crops—plants used to cover the ground after harvesting of main crops—have a positive or negative impact on subsequent crop yield. Hundreds of studies have been performed.....»»
Identifying priorities to leverage smart digital technologies for sustainable crop production
Drones monitoring fields for weeds and robots targeting and treating crop diseases may sound like science fiction but is actually happening already, at least on some experimental farms. Researchers from the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence at the Unive.....»»
Intercropping viable for optimizing vegetable production on Mars
A group of crop systems analysts at Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands, has found evidence that intercropping on Mars could be a viable option for optimizing vegetable production......»»
Satellite images of plants" fluorescence can predict crop yields
Cornell researchers and collaborators have developed a new framework that allows scientists to predict crop yield without the need for enormous amounts of high-quality data—which is often scarce in developing countries, especially those facing heig.....»»
New dataset sheds light on relationship of far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to canopy-level photosynthesis
In recent years, the scientific community has increasingly turned its attention to sustainable agriculture, aiming to maximize crop yield while minimizing environmental impact. A crucial aspect of this research involves understanding the fundamental.....»»
Previously unknown details of aphids in flight to contribute to improved crop security
Researchers led by a scientist at Keele University in Staffordshire have studied the previously unknown flight mechanisms of a common crop pest, to learn more about their movements in a bid to improve food security and prevent the spread of disease......»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»