Agriculture and Food News

September 9, 2016

Largest Reforestation Program: Harm Wildlife?

Bees: Flowers a Link to Bacteria Transmission

Researcher Just Served World First CRISPR Meal?

Ants: Crop Domestication a Balancing Act

Latest Headlines

updated 12:50am EDT

Cover Crop Mixtures Increase Agroecosystem Services, First-of-Kind Study Suggests

Sep. 8, 2016 — Planting a multi-species mixture of cover crops -- rather than a cover crop monoculture -- between cash crops, provides ... read more

Future Fisheries Can Expect $10 Billion Revenue Loss Due to Climate Change

Sep. 7, 2016 — Global fisheries stand to lose approximately $10 billion of their annual revenue by 2050 if climate change continues unchecked, and countries that are most dependent on fisheries for food will be the ... read more

Farming Adaptations Needed to Combat Climate Change to Impact Crop Yields in 2050

Sep. 6, 2016 — As the globe continues to spin toward a future with higher temperatures, crop yields will likely decrease if farmers do not ... read more

Future Drought Will Offset Benefits of Higher CO2 on Soybean Yields

Sep. 5, 2016 — An eight-year study of soybeans grown outdoors in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere like that expected by 2050 has yielded a new and worrisome finding: Higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations will boost ... read more

During Drought, Dry Air Can Stress Plants More Than Dry Soil

Sep. 5, 2016 — Newly published research finds that low relative humidity in the atmosphere is a significant, growing and often under-appreciated cause of plant stress in hot, dry weather ... read more

Beyond Sushi Wrap: Experts Warn Booming Seaweed Industry

Sep. 4, 2016 — Reseachers have publish policy advice to the multi-billion dollar seaweed farming industry, warning that the rapidly growing industry could easily and needlessly drop into pitfalls previously ... read more

It's a Boy: Controlling Pest Populations With Modified Males

Sep. 1, 2016 — Populations of New World screwworm flies -- devastating parasitic livestock pests in Western Hemisphere tropical regions -- could be greatly suppressed with the introduction ... read more

Miracle Fruit's Flowering, Fruiting Behaviors Revealed

Aug. 29, 2016 — Researchers studied flower morphology and development of miracle fruit using microscopic techniques. Analyses showed that miracle fruit flowers require 100 days to develop from reproductive meristem ... read more

Climate Change Has Less Impact on Drought Than Previously Expected

Aug. 29, 2016 — As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans ... read more

Scientists Sound Alert About Destructive Tomato Pest

Aug. 29, 2016 — A scientist who has alerted world policymakers to the pest that destroyed 80 percent of Nigeria's tomatoes continues his outreach while scientists warn that the pest may ... read more

Electric Hive Reveals Secret Lives of Bees

World's Largest Vertical Farm in New Jersey

Ducks on Pest Patrol at South African Vineyards

The Thai Village Using Cow Dung to Power Homes

Defend or Grow? These Plants Do Both

Aug. 30, 2016 — From natural ecosystems to farmers' fields, plants face a dilemma of energy use: outgrow and out-compete their neighbors for light, or defend themselves against insects and disease. But what if ... read more

Making Pesticide Droplets Less Bouncy Could Cut Agricultural Runoff

Aug. 30, 2016 — By using a clever combination of two inexpensive additives to the spray, researchers found they can drastically cut down on the amount of liquid that bounces off ... read more

Cows in Glass Tanks Help to Reduce Methane Emissions

Aug. 30, 2016 — In the future, the breeding of the climate-friendly cow can be sped up by using genetic information. A recent study identifies areas in the cow’s genotype which are linked to the amount of methane ... read more

More Tomatoes, Faster: Accelerating Tomato Engineering

Aug. 30, 2016 — While looking for ways to make tomatoes and other crop plants more productive, researchers developed a way to cut the time required to modify a tomato's genes by six weeks. The improvement will ... read more

Moth Takes Advantage of Defensive Compounds in Physalis Fruits

Aug. 26, 2016 — Researchers found that the specialist moth Heliothis subflexa benefits from secondary plant components by turning the original defensive function of these compounds into its own advantage. ... read more

Sustainable Alternative to Methyl Bromide for Tomato Production

Aug. 25, 2016 — Field studies in two Florida locations evaluated and compared anaerobic soil disinfestations (ASD) and chemical soil fumigation (CSF) performance on weed and nematodes control, and on fruit yield and ... read more

Predicting Plant-Soil Feedbacks from Plant Traits

Aug. 24, 2016 — In nature, plants cannot grow without soil biota like fungi and bacteria. Successful plants are able to harness positive, growth-promoting soil organisms, while avoiding the negative effects of ... read more

Molecular Signature Shows Plants Are Adapting to Increasing Atmospheric CO2

Aug. 24, 2016 — Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric CO2 according to a new study.The research provides insight into the long-term impacts of rising CO2 and the implications for global food security and ... read more

China's Honey Bee Losses Are Low Compared With West

Aug. 24, 2016 — Since concern about widespread honey bee colony losses began ten years ago, there have been surveys carried out to assess winter losses in North America and many European countries. So far, the ... read more

Nutrition Matters: Stress from Migratory Beekeeping May Be Eased by Access to Food

Aug. 24, 2016 — In the first large-scale and comprehensive study on the impacts of transporting honey bees to pollinate various crops, research shows that travel can adversely affect bee health and lifespan. Some of ... read more

Seagrass Restoration Threatened by Fungi

Aug. 23, 2016 — Seagrass seed is killed by waterborne fungi that are related to the well-known potato blight, biologists have discovered. These fungi, which have not previously been found in seawater, hinder seed ... read more

Scientists Unravel Genetic Ancestry of Cultivated Strawberry

Aug. 23, 2016 — Scientists have unlocked a major genetic mystery of one of the ancestors of cultivated strawberry. A genetic analysis, which took four years to complete, aims to improve modern cultivation efforts of ... read more

Flowering Meadows Benefit Humankind

Aug. 17, 2016 — The more it swarms, crawls, flies the better it is, say scientists. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels provides higher ecosystem services. Even rather unpopular insects and ... read more

Pre-Hispanic Mexican Civilization May Have Bred and Managed Rabbits and Hares

Aug. 17, 2016 — Humans living in the pre-Hispanic Mexican city of Teotihuacan may have bred rabbits and hares for food, fur and bone tools, according to a new ... read more

New Method for Quantifying Methane Emissions from Manure Management

Aug. 17, 2016 — The EU Commision requires Denmark to reduce drastically emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture. But it is currently not possible to quantify emissions of methane from livestock manure -- and ... read more

Researchers Discover a Special Power in Wheat

Aug. 17, 2016 — A new photosynthesis discovery may help breed faster-growing wheat crops that are better adapted to hotter, drier climates. A research team has published a paper showing that photosynthesis occurs in ... read more

Burning Desire Comes Down to Beetles

Aug. 17, 2016 — Beetles could hold the key to when controlled burns should be lit, ensuring forest ecosystems are not unduly damaged by well-meaning fire minimization ... read more

Cultivating Soybeans to Combat the Kudzu Bug

Aug. 17, 2016 — A few strains of wild soy are able to fight the kudzu bug by limiting the ability of its nymphs, or young, to survive. The next step is to identify which gene gives the soybeans this defense ... read more

Biodiversity Begins at Home: Saving Old Villages Helps Save Farmland Birds

Aug. 17, 2016 — Preserving old villages and farm buildings – and being more creative in designing new rural homes – could help halt the decline in European farmland bird populations, according to new ... read more

What Will California's Strawberry Industry Do Without Methyl Bromide?

Aug. 16, 2016 — 2016 is the final year for the soil fumigant to be used in California crop fields. A new article examines the impact of the methyl bromide phaseout on strawberries, California's third most ... read more

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Friday, August 26, 2016