Agriculture and Food News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Automated 3D Computer Vision Model Offers a New Tool to Measure and Understand Dairy Cow Behavior and Welfare

Nov. 20, 2024 — Dairy cows typically rest for 10 or more hours a day, so a dry, clean, and comfortable place -- such as a freestall -- to lie down and rest is essential for their health, well-being, and production ...

Bioengineered Yeast Mass Produces Herbal Medicine

Nov. 12, 2024 — Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of bioengineers have now manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations. ...

Will Agricultural Weeds Finally Claim the Upper Hand in a Changing Climate?

Nov. 19, 2024 — A few years back, a group of weed scientists showed that soil-applied herbicides are less effective against agricultural weeds in the context of our changing climate. Now, the same research group has shown the same is true of post-emergence (POST) ...

Revealing the Hidden Costs of What We Eat

Nov. 18, 2024 — Shifting our diets to be more sustainable can be a powerful way for each of us to address both climate change and global food insecurity, however making such adjustments at the large scales necessary to make a difference globally can be a delicate ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:14pm EST

American Soil Losing More Nutrients for Crops Due to Heavier Rainstorms

Nov. 18, 2024 — Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new ...

Bee Alert: Pesticides Pose a Real Threat to Over 70% of Wild Bees

Nov. 18, 2024 — A new study reveals alarming risks that pesticides pose to ground-nesting bees, which are crucial for pollination and food production. As agriculture increasingly relies on pesticides to protect ...

Biodiversity in the City: Designing Urban Spaces for Humans and Animals

Nov. 15, 2024 — Animals and plants also live and thrive on public squares. This creates opportunities for greater biodiversity and well-being for the human population. Researchers have studied at 103 locations in ...

Linking Data on Genetics, Traits and Environment Gives Crop Breeders a Wider Lens

Nov. 13, 2024 — The interplay between the genetic makeup of crops and the conditions in which they grow is difficult to untangle. A research team aims to help ...

Robot Identifies Plants by 'Touching' Their Leaves

Nov. 13, 2024 — Researchers have developed a robot that identifies different plant species at various stages of growth by 'touching' their leaves with an electrode. The robot can measure properties such as surface ...

Sleep Is No Light Matter for Bees

Nov. 12, 2024 — Disrupted sleep cycles are a well known concern for human health and function, and now researchers have found similar impacts on insects. A new study has found that artificial light disrupts the ...

Heartier Heinz? How Scientists Are Learning to Help Tomatoes Beat the Heat

Nov. 8, 2024 — Biologists found what makes some types of tomatoes more heat-tolerant, yielding insights that could help crops adapt to climate ...

How Gophers Brought Mount St. Helens Back to Life in One Day

Nov. 6, 2024 — When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, lava incinerated anything living for miles around. As an experiment, scientists dropped gophers onto parts of the scorched mountain for only 24 hours. The ...

Small Reductions to Meat Production in Wealthier Countries May Help Fight Climate Change, New Analysis Concludes

Nov. 4, 2024 — Scientists and environmental activists have consistently called for drastic reductions in meat production as a way to reduce emissions and, in doing ...

Not the Usual Suspects: Novel Genetic Basis of Pest Resistance to Biotech Crops

Nov. 4, 2024 — Researchers used genomics to investigate the genetic changes causing resistance to transgenic crops in field populations of the corn earworm, also ...

Microbes in Mouth Reflect Lifestyle Choices

Nov. 5, 2024 — According to a new study, the composition of beneficial microorganisms within the mouth differs over a range of subsistence strategies -- from nomadic hunter gatherers to farmers to industrialized ...

Scientists Tackle Farm Nutrient Pollution With Sustainable, Affordable Designer Biochar Pellets

Nov. 4, 2024 — What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? ...

Bee Gene Specifies Collective Behavior

Nov. 1, 2024 — Researchers investigate how the complex, cooperative behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera) is genetically programmed so that it can be passed on to subsequent generations. They found an answer in ...

Water Fern Gains More Evidence as Safe Potential Global Food Insecurity Solution

Nov. 1, 2024 — Is the floating freshwater fern commonly called Carolina azolla the potential answer to global food insecurity or a possible threat to humanity? On the heels of a study published earlier this year on ...

A New Piece in the Grass Pea Puzzle -- Updated Genome Sequence Published

Oct. 31, 2024 — An international research collaboration has completed the most detailed genome assembly to date of grass pea (Lathyrus ...

New Illinois Study Explores Adoption of Robotic Weeding to Fight Superweeds

Oct. 30, 2024 — Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing ...

Droughts' Impact on Pasturelands Is Measured in Order to Guide Extensive Livestock Management on Spain's Dehesas

Oct. 30, 2024 — A study using meteorological data and remote sensors, aims to furnish livestock farmers with information to promote more efficient ...

Improving Deer Health One Test at a Time

Oct. 30, 2024 — The cervid livestock business is one of the fastest-growing industries in rural America. In Missouri alone, more than 250 farms are dedicated to raising deer. To improve overall herd health and ...

New Pathway for Sensing Cold Temperatures Identified in Rice

Oct. 30, 2024 — A gene called COLD6 contributes to cold tolerance in rice, potentially offering a pathway to use molecular design to breed a rice variety with higher resistance to cold ...

Algae Research Provides Insight on Immune Health

Oct. 30, 2024 — Marine animals like jellyfish, corals and sea anemones often live with algae inside their cells in a symbiotic relationship. The animals give the algae nutrients and a place to live; in return, algae ...

Beehive Fences Are Highly Effective in Reducing Human-Elephant Conflict, but Researchers Warn of Future Risks

Oct. 29, 2024 — A groundbreaking, nine-year study has revealed that elephants approaching small-scale farms in Kenya avoid beehive fences housing live honey bees up to 86% of the time during peak crop seasons, ...

Co-Culture System for Sustainable Cultured Meat Production

Oct. 28, 2024 — Cultured meat is grown from animal muscle cells, and animal serum is required to promote the growth of these cells. However, the use of serum poses significant challenges because of its high cost and ...

Thermal Imaging May Help Fruits, Veggies Stay Fresher Longer

Oct. 28, 2024 — A recent review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating ...

Lab-Grown Pork Gets Support from Sorghum Grain

Oct. 28, 2024 — Meat grown in a lab isn't science fiction anymore. Cultured meats have existed for over a decade, and as of 2023, you might even find lab-grown chicken in restaurants (in the U.S., at least). ...

Plant Diversity Enhances Soil Carbon Retention

Oct. 24, 2024 — A new study shows that increasing plant diversity in agriculture can be used to improve the carbon sequestration potential of agricultural soils. As the agricultural sector strives to reduce its ...

Harnessing Plant Odors to Revolutionize Sustainable Agriculture

Oct. 24, 2024 — Plants communicate through volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that help them respond to herbivorous pest attacks. This review explored the mechanisms behind these plant communications and their ...

Study of Chick Peeps Could Improve Understanding of Animal Emotions

Oct. 24, 2024 — Understanding animal emotions has been a long-running question at the forefront of welfare studies, but a new study may hold the key to decoding the chatter. The answer involves two baby chickens and ...

Marri Trees a Lifeline for Many Native Bee Species in Biodiversity Hotspot

Oct. 24, 2024 — New research has revealed Marri trees are critical to the survival of more than 80 species of native bee in Western Australia's South West region, which is one of the world's most ...

With 'Electro-Agriculture,' Plants Can Produce Food in the Dark and With 94% Less Land, Bioengineers Say

Oct. 23, 2024 — Photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables almost all life on Earth, is extremely inefficient at capturing energy -- only around 1% of light energy that a plant absorbs is converted into ...

Gardens Prevent Pollinators from Starving When Farmland Nectar Is Scarce

Oct. 22, 2024 — Gardens offer a steady and reliable source of nectar all year round, helping to keep pollinators fed when farmland sources are limited, researchers have ...