https://phys.org/biology-news/agriculture en-us Agriculture, livestock, farming and food processing news With the aid of innovative statistical methods, researchers explore the complex interplay between life cycle, environmental factors and genetic information using wheat as an example. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-insights-crop-climate.html Agriculture Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:37:03 EDT news617024221 Warming waters due to climate change, pollution, overfishing and fraud in the seafood supply chain means that knowing where your seafood comes from, and that it has been sourced sustainably and without forced labor, is as important as ever. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-foreshore-sustainable-fishing-tool-tackle.html Biotechnology Agriculture Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:04:04 EDT news617022241 For hundreds of years, business owners engaged in New Jersey's commercial fisheries industry have weathered adversity, from coastal storms to species shifts. Recognizing this resilience, and acknowledging the challenges posed by global climate change, Rutgers scientists have come to their assistance. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-scientist-fish-harvesters-strategies.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 17:39:04 EDT news616955941 Kiwifruit is a popular, commercially available fruit packed with nutrients. Over the last decade, the cultivation of kiwifruit has been plagued by a severe epidemic caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-vitamin-mitigate-copper-toxicity-kiwifruit.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:36:02 EDT news616948561 Many people have experienced a muddy off-flavor in farmed fish. While the aquaculture industry has known about the problem for 20 years, it continues to impact the consumption of otherwise healthy and potentially sustainable fish. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-emergence-muddy-flavors-fish.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:30:04 EDT news616948201 For tens of thousands of years, evolution shaped tomatoes through natural mutations. Then, humans came along. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-genome-natural-mutation-variations-tomato.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news616926610 Bird populations are in rapid decline across North America. While climate change is just one of the many factors influencing North American birds, its effects are significant and can interact with other stressors, such as habitat loss. A team of University of California, Davis, researchers found that the effects of extreme temperatures on avian reproduction can vary depending on the type of environment that birds call home. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bird-reproduction-agricultural.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news616926619 Scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with collaborators from Shihezi University (Xinjiang, China) and University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada), have proposed a cotton mapping strategy and provided high-resolution cotton maps throughout Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-meter-resolution-cotton-xinjiang-china.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:04:16 EDT news616939454 An outbreak of avian flu—a highly contagious viral infection that affects wild birds as well as poultry—has hit poultry farms in South Africa. Two different strains are causing outbreaks in the country—A(H5N1) and influenza A(H7N6). A specialist in poultry health, Shahn Bisschop, answers some questions put to him by The Conversation Africa. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-bird-flu-south-africaan.html Veterinary medicine Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 12:38:04 EDT news616937881 Humanity must cut carbon emissions and use farmland more efficiently to protect our planet's remaining wilderness, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-high-latitude-wilderness-threatened-agriculture-climate.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616924554 New research indicates that the use of glacial rock flour could enhance water absorption in cultivated fields in Greenland. This could be groundbreaking for Greenlandic agriculture as the use of glacial rock flour may reduce the risk of water erosion and improve plant growth conditions. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-glacial-flour-opportunities-greenlandic-agriculture.html Ecology Agriculture Wed, 18 Oct 2023 16:58:27 EDT news616867104 There is a need for changing the way of accounting greenhouse gases from agriculture. The current inventory of nitrous oxide from plant residues relies solely on the amount of nitrogen in the residues, while crucial factors such as the degradability of plant residues are not included. According to the researchers, this leads to misleading inventories, which also misrepresents possible mitigation measures. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-accurate-accounting-nitrous-oxide-agricultural.html Ecology Agriculture Wed, 18 Oct 2023 16:38:03 EDT news616865881 Researchers led by Dr. Wang Bing and Li Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shown that low phosphorus activates the biosynthesis and signaling of strigoalactones to regulate plant architecture and nitrogen and phosphate uptake in rice. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-phosphorus-rice-architecture-nutrient.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Wed, 18 Oct 2023 12:48:20 EDT news616852098 Every so often, cicadas emerge above ground and blanket the Earth with their exoskeletons while emitting a high-pitched chirp from sunrise to sunset. The periodical cicadas in the genus Magicicada come every 13 or 17 years, though other types of cicadas emerge much more frequently in our neighborhoods. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-adult-periodical-cicadas.html Ecology Agriculture Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:00:06 EDT news616842005 Agricultural management has typically focused on increasing yields, but there is an increasing need for sustainable food production that limits negative impacts on the environment. A new study published in Grassland Research provides insights into the potential benefits of diversifying agricultural practices, revealing how different mixtures of plant species can improve production, quality, and conservation. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-multiple-crops-plot-agricultural-production.html Ecology Agriculture Wed, 18 Oct 2023 03:00:01 EDT news616779651 As cornfields suffer crop damage caused by weather, corn producers can use geospatial and remote sensing technologies to get a more accurate measurement of the damage and estimate potential economic loss, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Agronomy. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-geospatial-technology-corn-potential-fields.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 16:00:03 EDT news616777202 The resource utilization of waste is important in the construction of an ecological civilization. Agricultural waste contains rich renewable resources and has high potential value in fertilization and energy conversion. Anaerobic digestion technology is promising for treating agricultural waste. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientifically-efficiently-cost-effectively-wastewater-generated.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 14:28:30 EDT news616771705 RUDN University agronomists have shown that the hormone melatonin and the mineral zeolite mitigate the dangerous effects of heavy metals on plants. The first protects cells from destruction by cadmium, and the second increases nutrient availability and prevents the absorption of hazardous metals into the plant. The results were published in Scientia Horticulturae. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-agronomists-heavy-metals-hormone-therapy.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:47:03 EDT news616769222 Increasingly limited land and water resources have inspired the development of precision agriculture, which is the use of remote sensing technology to monitor air and soil environmental data in real time to help optimize crop output. Maximizing the sustainability of such technology is critical to proper environmental stewardship and cost reduction. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-sustainable-smart-agriculture-biodegradable-soil.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:38:03 EDT news616768682 Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices have played a critical role in development all over the world. For centuries, various disciplines ranging from medicine to biodiversity conservation have drawn on these resources. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-traditional-farming-knowledge-future-technology.html Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 12:51:06 EDT news616765864 A multiyear analysis tested whether management zone maps based on soil conditions, topography or other landscape features can reliably predict which parts of a cornfield will respond best to higher rates of seeding or nitrogen application. The study found that—contrary to common assumptions—crop-plot responses to the same inputs vary significantly from year to year. The most unpredictable factor—the weather—seemed to have the biggest impact on how the crops responded to these inputs. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-zone-corn-growers.html Ecology Agriculture Mon, 16 Oct 2023 16:42:59 EDT news616693374 City farming and food sharing are blossoming in Europe with the help of local traditions and EU research. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-green-urban-agriculture.html Agriculture Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:16:04 EDT news616677361 The growing global population needs sufficient food. Its production causes overfertilization and increased nitrogen concentration in agriculture, which negatively affects the population, climate, and ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-sustainable-agriculture-global-redistribution-nitrogen.html Ecology Agriculture Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:59:03 EDT news616669142 The famously talented winemakers of Mirdita, high in the mountains of northern Albania, have never been so worried. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-grapes-wrath-albania-winemakers-struggle.html Agriculture Sun, 15 Oct 2023 11:36:05 EDT news616588553 What makes a good or bad year for wine? It's a question that vexes not only vintners but also scientists, who've long looked to weather conditions to provide the answer. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-french-winefor.html Agriculture Sun, 15 Oct 2023 09:20:01 EDT news616259688 Changes in the climate and land use are combining to dramatically shrink the numbers of insects pollinating key tropical crops. As those problems interwine and intensify, it likely will hit coffee lovers right in the mug, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-habitat-loss-pollinator-coffee-cocoa.html Ecology Agriculture Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:20:01 EDT news616389512 September 2023 was the warmest ever recorded according to the EU Climate Service, with Earth's average surface air temperature peaking at 16.38°C. The average global temperature was also at least 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels on about a third of days in 2023, according to another recent report. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hotter-drier-summers-european-craft.html Ecology Agriculture Sat, 14 Oct 2023 16:10:01 EDT news616258882 In the pursuit of sustainable agriculture, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops stands as a primary objective. With the prolific use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers since the 20th century, agricultural productivity has seen remarkable growth. However, excessive use of N fertilizers has resulted in serious environmental threats and energy consumption. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-exploring-genetic-potential-eggplant-wild.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:08:02 EDT news616424881 Cold sensitivity poses a significant challenge for certain essential crops. While there's an indication that these plants may possess cold acclimation capabilities, the molecular dynamics, particularly involving the CRT binding factor (CBF) family, are not fully explored. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-secrets-cold-tolerance-tomato-molecular.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:40:28 EDT news616419594 The EU failed Friday to agree extending the use of glyphosate—a weedkiller the WHO fears could be carcinogenic—because of division among the bloc's 27 member countries, a European Commission spokesman said. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-eu-glyphosate-extension.html Agriculture Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:37:56 EDT news616405071