Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Study analyzes the role of individual soil microbes to predict climate change

Soil is a very complex ecosystem that is crucial to a healthy climate. It is one of the largest carbon repositories and home to billions of microorganisms.

7 Jan 2022

Researchers use genomics to dig deeper into lychee’s history

Lychees, prickly on the exterior but sweet inside are loved for their iconic pink shells and pearly, fragrance.

7 Jan 2022

Climate change is no more a problem for diary farmers, suggests study

Dairy farmers in the Northeast -; facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season -; can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it.

From Penn State University 6 Jan 2022

Risk of blood clots in the brain can be lowered with sustainable diet, finds study

The risk of bleeding or blood clots in the brain is lower if your diet is sustainable. This is shown by a new research result from Aarhus University. The results have just been published in the scientific journal Stroke.

5 Jan 2022

Researchers grow intestinal organoids to study why bats infected with viruses do not succumb to diseases

Experiments attempting to explain why bats can be infected with many viruses at a time without succumbing to diseases such as COVID-19-;knowledge that could help us to reduce the threat to humans of infectious disease-;have struggled until now with the fact that live wild bats make poor research subjects.

30 Dec 2021

‘Smart’ food packaging material kills microbes and keeps food fresh

A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US, has developed a 'smart' food packaging material that is biodegradable, sustainable and kills microbes that are harmful to humans. It could also extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days.

From Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) 29 Dec 2021

Genes key to microbial colonization of plant roots discovered

Some microbes can form thin films called biofilms. These biofilms give them an advantage over other microbes by protecting them from stresses such as a lack of nutrients or the presence of harmful substances in the environment.

24 Dec 2021

Researchers identify genes responsible for “spinach teeth”

People are generally familiar with “spinach teeth,” the harmless but gritty-chalky mouthfeel triggered because of a vegetable.

23 Dec 2021

Researchers develop plant-based emulsifier likely to replace eggs or dairy

A group of researchers recently created a plant-based emulsifier that is rich in antioxidants and protein and also has the properties to replace dairy or eggs.

From Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) 23 Dec 2021

Research underlines the need for a spatiotemporal framework in plant research

According to recent research, the perspective of time and space when applied properly to plant research enhances the knowledge of biological mechanisms.

From University of Barcelona 22 Dec 2021

How Can Sustainable Agricultural Practices Improve Soil Health?

In this interview, we speak to Dr. Fiona Brennan from Teagasc, about the importance of sustainable agricultural practices and how they can help to improve soil health.

21 Dec 2021

Researchers investigate how training methods can spread good farming practices in Ethiopia

Smallholder family farms shape the agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, they are often affected by declining soil fertility as well as hunger and poverty. Farming practices that increase productivity as well as protect the soil are therefore crucial.

21 Dec 2021

New approach to improve UAV-enabled applications in precision agriculture

The agricultural field serves as a testing ground for fast-advancing technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and image processing techniques that are rapidly becoming inevitable tools for efficient plant phenotyping (evaluation of observable plant traits) and precision agriculture.

21 Dec 2021

Researchers predict the spread of beetle species harming local flora

Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University recently generated a simulation foretelling the spreading of an invasive beetle species that harm local flora.

21 Dec 2021

Seed microbiomes outweigh soil microbes in colonizing plants

According to a recent study, microbes from the seeds have much staying power rather than microbes from the soil in colonizing plants.

21 Dec 2021

Study shows how farmers can drive species conservation worldwide

While farmers have the capacity to drive species conservation worldwide, their true potential is yet to be fully realized. An international team of researchers led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) shows how this can change in a new study published in the scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation.

17 Dec 2021