Food security
Millions of people are undernourished globally and with the population growing, food security is a major concern. Food security is multifaceted, requiring advancements in food safety, ensuring products have a good shelf life, reducing spoilage and providing dietary additions to improve the nutrient intake of the population. The application of microbiology is far reaching, and new approaches are required to maintain food security. Through an improved understanding of plant-microbe interactions, it is possible to forecast and mitigate food shortages.
News
No-tillage and microbial fertilizer work together to build carbon in nutrient-poor albic soils
A field study in northeastern China shows that combining reduced soil disturbance with microbial organic fertilizer can increase soil organic carbon across both surface and deeper soil layers.
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NewsBiofortified millet benefits toddlers without supplement side effects
Toddlers who ate iron- and zinc-biofortified pearl millet for nine months did not experience adverse effects typically associated with increased iron intake and developed gut microbiomes with distinct and potentially beneficial changes.
NewsResearchers visualise underground fungal networks in 3D
Researchers have visualized the complex network of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi in soil in three dimensions for the first time.
NewsUBC seaweed-derived coating keeps strawberries fresher than a fridge
A new agar-based coating could help cut spoilage, food waste and reliance on refrigeration.
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Warming boosts bacterial denitrification, suppresses fungal pathways in paddy soils
A new study could change climate prediction models by enabling region-specific, microbe-targeted strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural ecosystems.
NewsSilencing a fungal wall protein cuts powdery mildew on melon leaves
Powdery mildew fungi survive on living plants behind a cell wall that provides both structural support and a shield against host immunity. Researchers have now identified the fungal cell wall assembly protein ECM33 as a weak point in that defense.
NewsOxygen nanobubbles turn biochar into an active defense against cadmium in flooded rice soils
A newly engineered biochar maintained oxygen around rice roots, shifted cadmium into more stable soil forms, and substantially reduced cadmium accumulation in rice plants.
NewsCould understanding leaf surfaces lead to new ways to prevent crop disease?
Researchers have adopted a biointerfaces approach to the problem of fungicide resistance in plant diseases. Rather than treating fungal diseases with nontargeted fungicide application, they suggest looking at the location where plant-fungi interactions begin: the leaf’s surface.
NewsHow does a deadly chicken virus escape vaccines designed to slow it?
A new genome-wide study of the Marek’s disease virus identified 10 regions in the genome associated with what makes certain strains more virulent, and could inform next-generation vaccines.
NewsGenomic upheaval: How grapevine downy mildew builds its weaponry through structural chaos
Researchers have assembled two complete, chromosome-level genomes of Plasmopara viticola from distinct grapevine hosts, revealing that nearly 90% of the pathogen’s effector genes exist as locally duplicated gene clusters.
NewsStudy detects, for the first time in Brazil, bacteria that cause a serious disease in farmed fish
Columnaris disease pathogens, which were previously only found in Asia and the United States, were identified in samples from São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná. This finding underscores the need for epidemiological surveillance and new vaccines.
NewsNew framework to reveal how microbial modulators can work alongside agricultural practices to boost plant performance
Scientists have proposed a new framework for understanding how microbes, soil fauna, viruses and compounds in the soil can be used alongside agricultural practices to reshape the native plant microbiome and boost plant performance.
NewsEngineered microbial communities offer a faster route to removing herbicide residues from soil
A new review highlights how carefully designed teams of microorganisms could offer a more effective way to break down herbicide contaminants than relying on individual microbial strains.
NewsPm72, a new powdery mildew resistance gene identified from wild einkorn wheat
Researchers have identified a new powdery mildew resistance gene, Pm72, from wild einkorn wheat that will be a useful gene resource for wheat breeding.
NewsMicroscopic atlas reveals how citrus Huanglongbing disease progresses through trees
Scientists have created a detailed microscopic atlas that provides one of the clearest pictures to date of how citrus huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, develops over time and affects different parts of a tree.
NewsPlants can tell beneficial bacteria apart — and dose matters
A study reports that melon plants perceive and respond differently to two phylogenetically similar Bacillus strains. Bacillus subtilis NCIB3610 and B. velezensis FZB42 — despite colonizing roots with similar efficiency — trigger fundamentally different host programs.
NewsIndustrial poultry farming is accelerating the spread of a major foodborne disease
A new study reveals that industrial poultry farming has led to more than 100-fold increase in the movement of Campylobacter, allowing strains that once circulated in wild birds to mix extensively in commercial poultry populations.
NewsAnaerobic dry processing unlocks flavor precursors in Arabica coffee beans
A research team has mapped how four post-harvest processing methods reshape flavor precursors in Arabica coffee beans, showing that anaerobic fermentation substantially increases key non-volatile metabolites linked to aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and balance.
NewsRecycling food waste would bring huge benefits, but microplastics a challenge
A first nationwide look shows diversion of U.S. food waste from landfills could reduce related climate impacts by 89% and nutrient pollution by 50%, researchers say.
NewsPrebiotic sodas typically contain as much sugar as fiber
Prebiotic sodas have become more popular in recent years. According to a new analysis, however, many of these beverages contain relatively little prebiotic fiber content and more sugar than marketing claims might imply.
CareersMember Q&A: Tanja’s pathway to policy-oriented papers
Head of Bioresources Unit of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology Tanja Kostić, PhD, reveals how AMI membership has supported her professional development and career journey.
NewsResearchers find estrogen-like mycotoxin in every pregnant woman tested
Consuming common foods such as corn chips and popcorn may put pregnant women at risk of being exposed to mycotoxins. A study found hormone-mimicking mycotoxins in 100% of participants.
CareersQ&A: Meet Letters in Applied Microbiology Junior Reviewer Rabiath Féichokpè Raïssa Adigoun
We caught up with Dr. Rabiath Féichokpè Raïssa Adigoun, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin who is one of the newest Junior Reviewers with Letters in Applied Microbiology.