All Agriculture articles
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NewsDesert alga could hold the key to more resilient crops
A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis research. Chlorella ohadii helps researchers better understand plants’ adaptability to extreme environmental conditions.
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NewsSoil Stars join forces to develop ambitious challenges to tackle global soil degradation
Scientists, farmers, policymakers, business leaders, investors and leading voices from science and culture have joined forces to develop ambitious new challenges designed to harness the power of soil microbes to tackle global soil degradation.
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NewsWeather and poultry litter shape E. coli survival in onion fields
How long can E.coli survive in the soil beneath an onion crop? A two-year field study suggests the answer depends not only on the type of poultry-based fertiliser used, but also on weather conditions such as humidity, rain, temperature and wind. The findings could help growers and regulators better assess food safety risks as extreme weather becomes more common.
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NewsAFYREN and Terrial renew their partnership for French-manufactured potash fertilizers
AFYREN and Terrial today announce the renewal of their strategic partnership with the signing of a new multi-year fertilizer supply contract, worth several tens of millions of euros This long-term contract strengthens both companies’ commitment to making French agriculture more sustainable and less dependent on international fertilizer markets.
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NewsThe Andes were supposed to stop this cacao killer - they didn’t
Black pod disease destroys up to a quarter of the world’s cacao every year. A study provides the first comprehensive portrait of Phytophthora palmivora’s genetic structure in Colombia. Researchers genotyped and virulence-tested 73 isolates gathered from 48 locations across the country’s three main cacao-growing regions.
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NewsRoot gene panel reveals hidden apple replant disease
In-depth research is needed to identify biomarkers that can diagnose apple replant disease (ARD) consistently across diverse soils. Researchers measured the expression of 90 candidate genes in the roots of ARD-sensitive ‘M.26’ apple plants grown in soils from 151 German sites.
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NewsOne Health model links spillover, microbiomes and governance to global risk
Global health risks continue to emerge where people, animals and the environment meet. A new review highlights that managing these threats requires more than reacting to individual outbreaks: health systems need to monitor the biological, ecological and institutional conditions that allow risks to build.
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NewsNew tool closes gap on untapped potential of phages
A new tool to mutate bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – provides a big leap forward in both our understanding of how they function, and our ability to harness their full potential. The new method allows for genome-wide mutagenesis of bacteriophages using CRISPR-Cas technology.
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NewsHow straw is returned to soil can make a major difference in nitrous oxide emissions
Returning crop straw to farmland is widely used to recycle nutrients and improve soil quality. But new research shows that the way straw is returned to soil can strongly influence how effectively it limits emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.
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NewsChina’s microecology journey points to a one health future
Microbes are often associated with disease, but the trillions of microorganisms living in and around us also help support health, food production and environmental balance. A new review in Microbiome and One Health examines the development of China’s microecology field across more than 70 years and its contribution to the ...
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NewsNew dynamic vision of the rhizosphere moves beyond the drive to just add more inputs
A new Perspective argues the case for an expanded view of the rhizosphere as a dynamic system, paving the way for a vision of sustainable soil management that moves beyond simply adding more fertilizers, microbial products, or other inputs.
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NewsCan this biotech innovation halt the destructive march of a cereal killer?
Researchers explored a recently discovered class of plant defence receptors, showing at molecular level how they function to limit blast pathogen attacks and how they might be bioengineered to introduce broader more durable immunity into wheat, barley, and rice.
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NewsScientists reveal tissue culture-free (“ex vitro”) transformation method for trees
This technology introduces a novel “ex vitro” transformation method that utilizes Agrobacterium rhizogenes to genetically modify the roots of woody plants without the necessity for tissue culture.
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NewsHow a pathogen turns flowers into leaves
Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease that is expected to spread as climate change expands the range of its insect vectors in northern latitudes.
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NewsBreakthrough optimization of chlamydospore fermentation for Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2
The dark septate endophyte Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2 exhibits excellent control efficacy against tomato bacterial wilt but industrial production of its chlamydospores has been challenging. Researchers have optimized the liquid fermentation process using chlamydospore yield of strain HX2 as the key response indicator.
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NewsShapeshifting plant roots rely on a balance of anatomy, metabolism, and microbes to maximize survival
Scientists have identified the mechanisms that allow plants to change their root anatomy to maximise survival when nutrients are scarce. The findings could pave the way for developing new ways to improve beneficial plant-microbe interactions in agriculture.
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NewsLong-term biochar use may help conserve nitrogen deep in alkaline paddy soils
Five years of biochar amendment shifted nitrate transformation toward a nitrogen-retaining pathway in deeper soil layers, revealing why soil depth matters when biochar is used to manage nitrogen in rice fields.
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NewsPairing biofertilizers with biochar turns farm and city waste into climate-smart soil solutions
A new review makes the case that organic waste from farms, cities and industries could become a resource for healthier soil and more resilient farming — if two waste-derived soil treatments, microbial biofertilizers and biochar, are used together rather than separately.
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NewsPlant health: New joint factsheet outlines synergy between Horizon Europe projects FORSAID, CERBERUS and STELLA
One of the biggest threats to Europe’s forests and farms is the spread of biotic stressors, capable of reversing decades of cultivation and conservation. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, the EU has mobilised three sister projects - FORSAID, CERBERUS and STELLA.
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NewsBiochar can act as an ‘interface engineer’ to reshape the hidden world around plant roots
A new review shows how biochar simultaneously modifies soil structure, chemistry and microbial communities in the rhizosphere, offering a framework for more precise and sustainable agricultural use.