Food and Agriculture News

December 23, 2024

Top Headlines

Growing Safer Spuds: Removing Toxins from Potatoes

Dec. 20, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a way to remove toxic compounds from potatoes and tomatoes, making them safer to eat and easier to store. The breakthrough could cut food waste and enhance crop farming in extreme environments, like outer ...

Water and Gruel -- Not Bread: Discovering the Diet of Early Neolithic Farmers in Scandinavia

Dec. 20, 2024 — At a Neolithic settlement on the Danish island Funen dating back 5,500 years, archaeologists have discovered both grinding stones and grains from early cereals. However, new research reveals that the ...

Across Southeastern US, Weedy Rice Steals Herbicide Resistance from Crop Rice

Dec. 16, 2024 — A new study shows that more than half of the weedy rice sampled in the rice-growing region of the southeastern U.S. has become herbicide ...

How Chemical Reactions Deplete Nutrients in Plant-Based Drinks

Dec. 13, 2024 — A new study of plant-based drinks reveals a common issue: they are lacking in proteins and essential amino acids compared to cow's milk. The explanation lies in their extensive processing, causing chemical reactions that degrade protein quality in ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:16pm EST

Evaluating Food Safety Control Strategies for Produce Industry

Dec. 12, 2024 — Leafy greens can become contaminated with pathogenic E. coli or other bacteria through splashes of soil or contaminated irrigation water in the field, or through processing and handling. Growers and ...

Recycling Human, Animal Excreta Reduces Need for Fertilizers

Dec. 11, 2024 — Recycling all the human and livestock feces and urine on the planet would contribute substantially to meeting the nutrient supply for all crops worldwide, thereby reducing the need to mine ...

Neem Seed Extract Improves Effectiveness of Pesticide

Dec. 6, 2024 — A research group has developed an innovative pesticide delivery system called nanopesticides. These tiny technologies could change how we use ...

Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply: Scientists Call for Urgent Action

Dec. 5, 2024 — As climate change accelerates, scientists are sounding the alarm about its potentially devastating impact on the world's food supply. Researchers ...

Low Meat Intake Fuels Concerns Over Child Nutrition

Dec. 4, 2024 — Malnutrition and poor dietary diversity remain significant challenges for children in Ethiopia, despite the country's large livestock population, a study highlights. The study reveals that only a ...

DNA of 1,000 Year-Old Maize Sheds Light on Origins of Globally Important Food Crop

Dec. 5, 2024 — Researchers have tested ancient DNA from corn found at archaeological sites in Arkansas, shedding new light on the dispersal of one of the world's ...

Climate-Ready Crop

Dec. 4, 2024 — A team has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may provide greater food security for families ...

Backyard Chickens Are Here to Stay

Dec. 3, 2024 — Chickens have been a mainstay in Australian backyards for generations. New research reveals that owners see their chickens as a blend between pet and livestock as well as a trustworthy source of ...

Animal Products Improve Child Nutrition in Africa

Dec. 2, 2024 — The consumption of milk products, eggs and fish has a positive effect on childhood development in Africa. This has been demonstrated in a recent study. The researchers used representative data from ...

Feeding Grazing Cattle Seaweed Cuts Methane Emissions by Almost 40%

Dec. 2, 2024 — Scientists find making a seaweed additive more accessible to grazing cattle reduces methane emissions 40% and could make cattle farming more ...

Global Food Yields Have Grown Steadily During Last Six Decades, Study Finds

Nov. 27, 2024 — Contrary to widespread concerns that global crop yields have stagnated in recent decades, a comprehensive study of worldwide food production finds yields have continued to grow at roughly the same ...

Can We Avert the Looming Food Crisis of Climate Change?

Nov. 26, 2024 — Researchers share a mathematical model created to capture the nonlinear relationships between CO2, temperature, human population, and crop growth. Increasing evidence of chaotic and complex dynamics ...

Study Finds Genetic Mechanisms Behind High-Yield Apple Trees

Nov. 25, 2024 — Apples rank among the world's most valuable fruit crops, with production spanning more than 100 countries. Some apple trees naturally develop into what farmers call 'spur-type' ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Blue-Green Sustainable Proteins of Seaweed May Soon Be on Your Plate

Nov. 13, 2024 — The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Chickpeas: Sustainable and Climate-Friendly Foods of the Future

Oct. 16, 2024 — Climate change has a negative impact on food security. Researchers have now conducted a study to investigate the natural variation of different chickpea genotypes and their resistance to drought ...

Plastic Pollution Harms Bees, Review Finds

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new review systematically shows the harmful effects of nano- and microplastics on bees and other beneficial insects. Their function as pollinators is impaired by the plastic particles. This harbors ...

Honey Bees in Demand: New Contract Strategies to Support Pollination Services

Oct. 15, 2024 — As the world's native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in ...

Changing Watering Practices to Improve Tomato Plant Health

Oct. 14, 2024 — Some people believe that talking to your plants makes them thrive. While there's limited scientific support for sound improving plant health, there's a growing amount of evidence about the ...

Having a Sweet Tooth Is Linked to Higher Risk of Depression, Diabetes, and Stroke, Study Finds

Oct. 9, 2024 — People with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new ...