https://phys.org/biology-news/agriculture/ en-us Agriculture, livestock, farming and food processing news When a dairy cow miscarries, a farmer loses far more than an unborn calf. Feed has been grown, land and water have been used, and greenhouse gases have been released during the cow's pregnancy, but milk production, a future animal and income are lost. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-healthier-farm-animals-greenhouse-gas.html Ecology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:40:02 EDT news705918391 Researchers at the University of Maryland and their collaborators have cloned a gene that makes wheat resistant to feeding by Hessian fly larvae and demonstrated its direct interaction with a protein produced by the insect. The research breaks through a longstanding barrier to understanding and engineering pest resistance in wheat. It is described in a research paper published Aug. 14, 2026, in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wheat-gene-hessian-fly-resistance.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:20:04 EDT news705936181 The United States could exhaust its domestic phosphorus supply within 40 years. Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia already depend on imports from China and Morocco to meet their needs. Without phosphorus, crops cannot grow—and without a reliable supply of the mineral, the world's food supply is at risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-exhaust-domestic-phosphorus-years-reserves.html Agriculture Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news705924241 For thousands of years, farmers in the Pacific have lived in harmony with their environment. But rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and tired soils are testing even the most experienced hands. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pacific-farmers-reviving-traditional-knowledge.html Agriculture Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:30:01 EDT news705910018 ETH researchers have used a sustainability program for cocoa cultivation in Côte d'Ivoire to demonstrate that, in one in four cases, data was manipulated to meet the program's requirements. If the auditor were aware of the required target values, data manipulation increased significantly. Where these values were unknown, the frequency of fraudulent alterations halved. The findings provide important insights for companies, public authorities and certification bodies to ensure sustainable supply chains and the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cocoa-farm-sustainability.html Agriculture Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:40:04 EDT news705839264 In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers show how a wider diversity of vegetables could help improve diets and strengthen agriculture against climate change. They use the term vegetable biodiversity to describe the full range of vegetable species, traditional varieties and their wild relatives. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-greater-vegetable-diversity-healthier-diets.html Agriculture Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:05 EDT news705831901 The federal government is injecting millions of dollars into efforts to combat feral hogs—and it's considering spending even more in the coming years. The problem has grown for decades, but our research has found that a recently revived federal effort offers the potential for bringing the hogs under control. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wild-pigs-group-effort.html Ecology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:20:06 EDT news705831077 Last year, we described Agrilo, an affordable "colorimetric" soil-testing system developed through research at MacEwan University. Using a smartphone camera to interpret color changes, Agrilo measures soil nutrients and can provide farmers with timely guidance to support fertilizer decisions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soil-global-virtual-reality-farmers.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:06 EDT news705770821 Every tomato begins with a flower. But before a fruit can grow, an intricate sequence of events must happen in perfect order. The flower's male and female organs must develop together, pollen must be released at exactly the right time, and fertilization must occur. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-tomatoes-fruit-cold-weather.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news705767641 University of Bristol–led researchers have identified a naturally occurring gut molecule that could strengthen chickens' immune response against a wide range of bacterial infections. This development, published today, Aug. 12, in The Journal of Immunology, offers a major step forward in sustainable farming and the global fight against antibiotic resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-immune-reprogramming-poultry-deadly-diseases.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news705747624 The North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network—known as NDAWN—isn't just measuring precipitation amounts and temperatures across the state. It's also playing a role in developing tools for crop disease management. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-agricultural-tools-crop-disease.html Agriculture Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:40:01 EDT news705747644 They may look like any ordinary species of flies buzzing around on any given day, but the New World screwworm is quite extraordinary. Screwworm flies are highly destructive parasitic flies that feed on the tissue of warm-blooded animals, including humans (though the risk to humans is low). They burrow in a spiral (screw) pattern into wounds and bodily openings such as the ears, nose and mouth, laying hundreds of eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-flesh-screwworms-technologies.html Ecology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:30:01 EDT news705729938 When it comes to identifying harmful bacteria, it helps to look at the company their genes keep. Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, used a machine-learning approach to study not just which genes a bacterium has, but also where those genes sit next to each other. That "genetic neighborhood" helped researchers distinguish disease-causing strains of Enterococcus cecorum, a poultry pathogen, from nonpathogenic strains. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-neighborhoods-distinguish-poultry-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:40:02 EDT news705683881 Karevo's AI-powered optical recognition system can sort up to 10 tons of potatoes per hour with 95% accuracy. The founder's journey took him from a potato farm to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and ultimately to his own startup. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-potatoes-ai.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:00:07 EDT news705678966 In the Midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding drought stress by reducing "crop sweat." Thanks to next-generation imaging technology powered by Argonne National Laboratory's particle collider beamline, a team of scientists now has precise schematics of the leaf's interior and can refine approaches to breeding hardier crop plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ray-analysis-reveals-life-advancing.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news705684001 In the 1950s, the New World screwworm cost U.S. livestock producers tens of millions of dollars a year, reaching $50 million to $100 million annually in the hardest-hit Southwest, before it was eradicated from the United States and pushed south to Panama. Now the flesh-eating pest has spread north again, reaching Texas and New Mexico and threatening livestock, wildlife and even people. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-world-screwworm-dashboard-tracks.html Agriculture Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705678893 Scientists from the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) at Murdoch University have participated in a landmark proof-of-concept research project demonstrating how pangenome-guided breeding strategies can reunite two traits that usually involve trade-offs: stress tolerance and yield. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-himalayan-grain-potential-pangenome-higher.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:30:01 EDT news705683822 A coalition of farmers, consumer associations and environmental groups is urging Malaysia's National Biosafety Board to reject a proposed field trial of genetically modified rice, warning Tuesday the project could pose risks to food safety, the environment and farmers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-malaysian-farmers-environmental-groups-gmo.html Agriculture Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:00:08 EDT news705664015 A new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scientists reveals critically low genetic variation in one of the country's primary breeding stocks for corn. The finding relates specifically to grain yield in intermediate-maturity hybrids, which dominate commercial production in the U.S. and represent nearly a third of the world's corn production. The researchers say it's a crisis waiting to happen. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-major-genetic-weakness-threatens-future.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:00:04 EDT news705670021 A new archaeobotanical study by researchers from the University of Oxford and Kiel University (CAU) has revealed that increases in cereal grain size at the dawn of agriculture, more than 11,000 years ago, were initially driven by plants' plastic responses to favorable growing conditions, rather than by genetic selection under cultivation as previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-early-farmers-larger-grains-rainfall.html Evolution Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news705669182 Barramundi farmers will soon be able to improve stock genetics by placing more emphasis on the sex of their breeding fish. University of Queensland Ph.D. candidate Jessica Hintzsche has produced the most detailed genetic map ever created for barramundi, showing how traits can be passed between generations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-barramundi-breeders.html Ecology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:05 EDT news705646621 Common carp are among the world's most widely farmed freshwater fish, providing food and livelihoods for millions of people. But across fish farms and freshwater ecosystems, they face a formidable threat: a highly contagious virus capable of causing devastating outbreaks and wiping out entire populations in a matter of days. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-common-carp-blunt-koi-herpesvirus.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:40:03 EDT news705594421 From project to product—such success stories are rare in basic agricultural research. In this case, researchers at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig discovered a new species of nodule-forming bacteria at the roots of sainfoin, which gives the forage crop a growth boost by supplying it with nitrogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-forage-crop-growth-boost-beneficial.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:40:08 EDT news705582121 Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks. While the new multiple-sugar-consuming strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida is interesting in its own right, a new paper published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026, outlines the broader implications of this project for the future of biomanufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-corn-stalk-sugars-bacterial-strain.html Biotechnology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:20:04 EDT news705573361 A new simulation study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests winter canola could be profitable and environmentally beneficial if added to a conventional corn-soy rotation in the U.S. Midwest. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-winter-canola-profit-illinois-farmers.html Agriculture Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:40:01 EDT news705376801 An international research team led by plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, the MiBiNet Collaborative Research Center and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences has identified the region of the genome in the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae responsible for producing a specific protein that the pathogen secretes during infection. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mobile-fungal-starship-protein-triggers.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news705321153 A new genomic resource from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant genomics team is providing a powerful new foundation for faster, more precise turfgrass genetics and breeding. The team discovered a breakthrough genome that finally reveals the full genetic blueprint of zoysia grass. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-full-zoysia-grass-genetic-blueprint.html Biotechnology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705320702 In an effort to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic insecticides, researchers from Kyushu University have developed and tested a new insecticide made from compounds derived from garlic and spearmint. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-natural-insecticide-compound-garlic-spearmint.html Biotechnology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:07 EDT news705317461 Added protein is showing up in foods from breakfast cereal to pasta, but not many condiments … yet. Researchers have now developed an enriched tomato ketchup by incorporating protein extracted from algae. A panel of taste testers preferred recipes containing up to 3% added algal extract, saying the samples maintained the sweet, tangy taste and reddish appearance expected of the condiment. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-protein-enriched-ketchup-boost-algae.html Agriculture Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:03 EDT news705322138 A recent study by MSU entomologists Jen Roedel, Karma Thomas and Zsofia Szendrei found that urban growers' use of pollinator management practices is driven more by access to educational resources, labor and other farming support than by demographics or the pollination needs of their crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-urban-growers-accessible-resources-pollinator.html Ecology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:20:03 EDT news705296042