All Soil & Plant Science articles – Page 2
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NewsPros and cons of pesticides and fertilizers in real-world mandarin orange farms
Researchers examined how different kinds of pesticides and fertilizers affect mandarin oranges across Japan. Advanced statistical analysis showed that while reducing pesticides enhanced the diversity of microbes in the soil, it also led to an increase in fruit disease caused by leaf pathogens.
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NewsMachine learning reveals how to maximize biochar yield from algae
Researchers have developed a powerful machine learning framework that can accurately predict and optimize biochar production from algae, offering a faster and more sustainable path toward carbon rich materials for climate mitigation, soil improvement, and environmental applications.
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NewsCultivated peanut AhPR10 gene family mediates resistance to Aspergillus flavus
Researchers identified and analyzed PR10 genes in cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and found three genes that demonstrated potential importance in peanut resistance to Aspergillus flavus.
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NewsPesticides significantly affect soil life and biodiversity
Seventy per cent of soils in Europe are contaminated with pesticides. A Europe-wide study shows that their effects on soil life are substantial, as pesticides suppress various beneficial soil organisms. To protect soil biodiversity, the findings should be taken into account in current pesticide regulations.
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NewsNative fungi from almond orchards show promise as sustainable defenders against a devastating crop disease
Researchers report that naturally occurring fungi found on and within almond trees can strongly suppress Colletotrichum godetiae, the primary cause of almond anthracnose in the Mediterranean Basin.
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NewsFirst known lichen in the fossil record helped structure terrestrial ecosystems
A group of researchers has confirmed the identity of the first lichens to inhabit Earth, Spongiophyton, around 410 million years ago, in great detail for the first time. The study confirms that the symbiosis between fungi and algae that dissolves rocks helped form the first soils.
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NewsPlants can be designed to alert us to harmful chemicals and diseases
A collaborative team of researchers have developed groundbreaking tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like corn—to act as living biosensors capable of detecting minute amounts of chemicals in the field.
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NewsEpigenetic switch strengthens plant immunity against downy mildew
Researchers investigating how epigenetic regulators influence resistance to downy mildew in Brassica rapa identified BrHDA6 as a positive regulator of disease resistance and demonstrated that it enhances immunity by modifying a key enzyme in salicylic acid metabolism.
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NewsBiologists and engineers follow goopy clues to plant-wilting bacteria
Slippery, drippy goop makes Ralstonia bacteria devastating killers of plants, causing rapid wilting in tomato, potato and a wide range of other crops, according to new research.
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NewsScientists illuminate ancient plant-fungus partnership at molecular level
Researchers have coupled two powerful tools that allow scientists to identify which proteins work together to make plant-fungi partnerships function—and to verify those interactions in living plant roots, where the collaboration actually occurs.
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NewsHow a potential antibiotics ban could affect apple growers
Antibiotic resistance in human and animal health is on the forefront of public debate, but it’s a less well-known issue in plant agriculture. However, antibiotics are important tools in fruit production, and their efficacy hinges on avoiding resistance in disease-causing bacteria. Source: Tianna DuPont, WSU Extension Apple ...
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NewsGame-changer for rare sugars: alkaline media unlocks high yield of rare sugars from bacteria
Bacterial EPSs (exopolysaccharides) are emerging as a sustainable source of rare sugars, offering advantages including higher yields and lower environmental impact.
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NewsJournal of Applied Microbiology launches new Research Themes for 2026
The Journal of Applied Microbiology is kicking off 2026 with the unveiling of four key Research Themes under the JAM umbrella. Each Theme encompasses emerging hot topics and leading-edge research that align with AMI’s goal to apply microbiology to solving the world’s greatest challenges.
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NewsBrewing a rare medicine: yeast engineered to produce a valuable astragalus isoflavonoid
By reconstructing the complete biosynthetic pathway inside Saccharomyces cerevisiae and systematically removing metabolic bottlenecks, researchers created the first yeast platform capable of producing calycosin-7-glucoside from simple carbon sources.
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NewsReconstructing nature’s oxindole factory: yeast-based biosynthesis of medicinal indole alkaloids
By identifying four key enzymes from a North American plant and reconstituting them in yeast, scientists have achieved complete de novo biosynthesis of complex oxindole molecules that are difficult to obtain from plants or chemical synthesis.
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NewsPlant discovery could lead to new ways of producing medicines
Scientists studying a plant called Flueggea suffruticosa, which produces a particularly powerful alkaloid known as securinine, investigated how this chemical is made - and discovered that the process is driven by a gene that looks more like it comes from bacteria than from a plant.
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NewsBiologist Dr. Toby Kiers wins Tyler Prize, calls fungi key to restoring degraded land and an untapped ally for the earth
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Toby Kiers, a world-renowned expert on mycorrhizal networks, is being awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for her “transformative” work, the Tyler Prize Executive Committee announced today.
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NewsGamma rays quickly toughen nitrogen‑fixing bacteria
Heat‑resilient biofertilizers could help crops cope with rising temperatures but engineering them has been slow and uncertain. A new study shows that pairing experimental evolution with controlled gamma‑ray mutagenesis can accelerate the path to heat‑tolerant nitrogen‑fixing bacteria.
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NewsHow wheat protects itself from fungi
Researchers have conducted in-depth studies to establish how the powdery mildew fungus is able to infect wheat despite the presence of resistance genes. The researchers discovered a previously unknown interplay between resistance factors in wheat and disease factors in powdery mildew.
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NewsScientists decode tree genome to unlock terpenoid-based disease resistance
Researchers reported a chromosome-scale genome and multi-omics analysis of a Lauraceae medicinal tree. The study reveals how specific terpene synthase (TPS) genes contribute to antimicrobial compound production and enhanced resistance to plant diseases.