According to researchers from Aarhus University, among others, there is a need to change the way greenhouse gases from agriculture are accounted. The current inventory of nitrous oxide from plant residues relies solely on the amount of nitrogen in the residues, while crucial factors such as degradability are not included. According to researchers, this leads […] Read more
Tag Archives Science Notes
Accurate accounting of nitrous oxide needed: researchers
Science Notes: Discussion grows on how much nitrous oxide crop residues emit
Project to sequence 400 soybean genomes, improve future crops
Science Notes: Team plans to consult stakeholders in deciding priority lines to include
Soybeans are an important crop worldwide as a source of protein and biodiesel for renewable energy. But is it performing to its full potential? An effort led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute will sequence 400 soybean genomes to develop a “pangenome” — an attempt to characterize all the […] Read more
Genetic engineering of microbes lower fertilizer dependence
Science Notes: Nitrogen-fixing microbes could help crops pull nitrogen from the air
Helping crops acquire nitrogen from the air could be a sustainable solution to meeting crop nutrient requirements with less synthetic fertilizer. A team of bacteriologists and plant scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have written a paper that discusses the possibility of using genetic engineering to facilitate mutualistic relationships between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes called […] Read more
Hybrid catalyst makes fertilizer, cleans wastewater
Science Notes: New process may help reduce emissions
The manufacturing of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is an energy- and carbon-intensive process and creates nitrate-containing runoff. Researchers have long sought solutions to reduce emissions from the industry that accounts for three per cent of energy consumption each year. A collaboration between two labs at Northwestern University, partnering with the University of Toronto, has found that […] Read more
Researchers build green fertilizer system to reuse wastes, cut emissions
Science Notes: Researchers also want to boost the project’s sustainability by using wind and solar energy to produce green fertilizer
Researchers from the U.S. Midwest want to remove some greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer. Research teams from Iowa State University and Wichita State University in Kansas are developing a system that captures waste nitrogen and carbon dioxide to produce a green fertilizer that reduces emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon […] Read more
Path found to defeat crop-killing gray mould without chemicals
Science Notes: Study reveals how fungus delivers RNA weaponry
It’s a mould that causes billions in crop losses every year, infecting berries, tomatoes and most other fruits and vegetables. Now, researchers have found a way to defeat the mould. If you’ve ever seen a fuzzy gray strawberry, you’ve seen gray mould. It affects more than 1,400 different plant species, and there is no real […] Read more
Soil microbes help plants cope with drought
Science Notes: Microbes seen to adapt to drought over time
Plants call out with chemical signals in times of stress, summoning microbes that can unlock bound nutrients and find water in soil pores too small for the finest roots. In return, microbes get a safe place to live or a sugary drink. It’s a classic you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours scenario. Except when it’s not. New research from the […] Read more
Roots are capable of measuring heat on their own: study
Science Notes: New insights could further plant breeding
Plant roots have their own thermometer to measure the temperature of the soil around them and they adjust their growth accordingly. Through extensive experiments, a team led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), was able to demonstrate that roots have their own temperature sensing and response system. In a new study in The EMBO Journal, scientists […] Read more
Images of root chemicals offer new insights on plant growth
Science Notes: “Roadmap” lays out where key molecules are distributed along stem cells of corn plant roots
Applying an advanced imaging technology used in cancer treatment to plant roots, researchers at the University of California San Diego and Stanford University have developed a new understanding of essential root chemicals responsible for plant growth. Using a type of mass spectrometer, a study led by UC San Diego Biological Sciences postdoctoral scholar Tao Zhang […] Read more
New AI algorithm devised for more accurate plant disease detection
Science Notes: Majority of disease-related features involve distinct patterns
Every year, plant diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi contribute to major economic losses. Detecting these diseases promptly is necessary to curb their spread and mitigate agricultural damage, but represents a major challenge, especially in areas of high-scale production. Smart agriculture systems use camera surveillance equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) models to detect features […] Read more
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