Agriculture News and Research

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New Approach to Revolutionize Synthetic Biology

For the first time, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the Department of Energy (Berkeley Lab) have created a genome-scale method to map the regulatory role of transcription factors, proteins that are essential for controlling gene expression, and a plant’s physiological features.

22 Jun 2023

Bamboo May be an Attractive Resource to Develop Renewable Energy, Finds Study

An article in GCB Bioenergy describes why bamboo may be an attractive resource in efforts to develop environmentally friendly renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.

22 Jun 2023

Scientists Discover Candidate Genes for Disease Resistance in Wild Grape Plants

A team of scientists – including UC Irvine's Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Brandon Gaut and UC Davis' Professors of Viticulture & Enology Dario Cantù and Andy Walker – has made a significant breakthrough in the battle against a devastating disease affecting grapevines.

20 Jun 2023

Detailed Genome Map to Prevent the Extinction of the Rusty Patched Bumblebee

Scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have released a comprehensive, high-resolution map of the rusty patched bumble bees’ genome, supplying new approaches for saving the native pollinator from extinction.

20 Jun 2023

New Gene Variant can be Modified to Improve the Performance of Rice

Rice that is resistant to some of the worst crop-destroying diseases but can still produce large yields could soon become a reality for farmers worldwide.

20 Jun 2023

How Planted and Harvested Areas for Crops Respond to Climate Stressors

As the world faces more climate variability and extremes in the face of global warming, sudden environmental changes add an extra layer of stress to food production in the United States and around the world.

16 Jun 2023

Fungal Invasion Threatens Amphibian Biodiversity in North America

According to recent studies, the amphibian biodiversity could suffer greatly if the fungus infection Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) were introduced to North America.

15 Jun 2023

Experts Receive Grant to Boost UK’s Burgeoning Green Industry

Investigators are using artificial intelligence to start developing microorganism-led mechanisms that effectively “eat” products like food waste, wastewater, and animal manure to enhance the UK’s emerging green industry.

15 Jun 2023

Discovering a Novel Method to Determine the Parent Species of Hybrids

For those who have maintained a garden, hybrids are well-known, from disease-resistant tomatoes to Stargazer lilies.

14 Jun 2023

New Method Discovers Distinct Ancestries by Looking at Genomic Patterns in Hybrids

If you've ever kept a garden, you're probably familiar with hybrids, from disease-resistant tomatoes to Stargazer lilies.

14 Jun 2023

Seaweed Cultivation Could Boost Food Production in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

To help solve hunger and malnutrition while also slowing climate change, some farmers could shift from land to sea, suggests a recent study from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. The study was published in Global Food Security.

9 Jun 2023

Determining the Genome of West Nile Virus

Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) researchers from UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources determined the genetic makeup of West Nile virus strains reported in an alpaca and a crow.

7 Jun 2023

New Approach to Guide the Management of Feral Swine in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Feral swine are considered one of the top invasive species of concern in North America because of the damage they do to agricultural and natural systems. To best manage them, resource management agencies need to know more precisely where and when to implement control methods.

7 Jun 2023

$2.5 Million Project Aims to Identify Genes That Drive Elemental Accumulation in Plants

In collaboration with researchers at Purdue and Hamline Universities, Ivan Baxter, PhD, member, at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will lead a four-year, $2.5 million project to expand scientific understanding of the genetic processes that allow plants to absorb and make use of elements.

7 Jun 2023

Unraveling Brood Parasitism in Predatory Mites

Many animal species add their eggs to the brood of other species to benefit from the latter’s brood care. This is called brood parasitism. Researchers recently studied brood parasitism in two predatory mite species and found that the parasite mite adds its eggs to the host eggs only under the threat of egg predators but not otherwise.

7 Jun 2023

Microbes Play Most Important Role in Soil Carbon Sequestration

Microbes are by far the most important factor in determining how much carbon is stored in the soil, according to a new study with implications for mitigating climate change and improving soil health for agriculture and food production.

6 Jun 2023

Nitrogen Uptake by Corn From Fertilizer is Less Than What 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 efficiency from fertilizer.

6 Jun 2023

Mycorrhizal Fungi Crucial to Storing Carbon and Essential to Global Biodiversity

The vast underground network of fungi beneath our feet stores over 13 gigatons of carbon around the world, roughly equivalent to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions, according to new research.

6 Jun 2023

Innovative Web App can Quickly, Accurately Analyze Vast Genomic Data for Cereal Crops

Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University scientists have developed an innovative web app called BRIDGEcereal [https://bridgecereal.scinet.usda.gov/] that can quickly and accurately analyze the vast amount of genomic data now available for cereal crops and organize the material into intuitive charts that identify patterns locating genes of interest.

6 Jun 2023

Contribution Made by Mycorrhizal Associations to Global Carbon Dynamics

Mycorrhizal fungi have indeed been supporting terrestrial life for at least 450 million years by providing plants with soil nutrients necessary for growth. Scientists have discovered that, in addition to creating symbiotic connections with nearly all land plants, these fungi are key carbon transporters into soil ecosystems.

6 Jun 2023