https://phys.org/biology-news/agriculture/ en-us Agriculture, livestock, farming and food processing news Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have found that viruses circulating in live poultry markets can be detected more effectively by sampling the surrounding environment than by testing individual birds. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that environmental sampling can uncover a broader range of poultry viruses—including highly pathogenic avian influenza strains that traditional surveillance may miss. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-environmental-sampling-poultry-viruses-bird.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:40:01 EST news691936741 An international team of researchers has uncovered a remarkable molecular trick used by a unique group of land plants, one that could eventually be engineered into crops like wheat and rice to dramatically boost how efficiently they convert sunlight into food. The study was published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-odd-turbocharge-crop-yields.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:05 EST news691923482 Rural communities bordering the Tongass National Forest harvest more than 4.5 million pounds of wild food per year, including 100 different species that our public lands help support. Just how much food is this? An average quarter-pound cheeseburger might weigh around 6 oz, depending on your toppings of choice. Assuming a 6-oz weight, the wild food harvests in this region are equivalent to more than 12 million cheeseburgers a year. To replace the same amount of wild foods with grocery store purchases, it would cost these communities about $41 million. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-forest-pantry-alaska-national-forests.html Ecology Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:40:04 EST news691850760 A new study suggests that decades of reported gains in crop yields from plant breeding may be significantly overstated, challenging a common method used worldwide to measure genetic progress. The international research team includes five University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-reveals-crop-yield-gains-overstated.html Ecology Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:20:04 EST news691839435 Plant growth is supported by millions of tiny soil microbes competing and cooperating with each other as they perform important roles at the plant root, including improving access to nutrients and protecting against pathogens. As a byproduct of their metabolism, soil microbes can also produce nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas that has mostly been studied for its impact on the climate. While some N2O occurs naturally, its production can spike due to fertilizer application and other factors. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nitrous-oxide-product-fertilizer-soil.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:00:04 EST news691777621 Almost all plants live in close symbiosis with so-called mycorrhizal fungi—an important symbiosis for absorbing essential nutrients. In their new study, a team led by ecologist Christina Kaiser from the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna has now discovered that this mycorrhizal symbiosis is very sensitive to imbalances of certain nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in the soil. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-field-fertilizer-imbalance-halve.html Ecology Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:40:03 EST news691753141 In a world where increasing demands for food security and energy strain existing resources, scientists are looking for new ways to maximize both. One potential option, agrivoltaics, integrates solar photovoltaics with crops. A study examines the agricultural and economic trade-offs that come with installing solar arrays on working farms across the Midwest. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-agrivoltaics-yields-profits-crop-deployed.html Biotechnology Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:30:08 EST news691691941 Duckweed is the fastest-growing flowering plant, but new knowledge of duckweed genetics discovered by Adelaide University researchers could lead to even faster growing rates. The research team, led by Professor Nikolai Borisjuk at the Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering in Kyiv, Ukraine, described for the first time the architecture of the duckweed 5S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) chromosomal locus at the nucleotide level. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-genetic-discovery-faster-duckweed.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:00:03 EST news691410782 Researchers from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (Chinese Academy of Sciences) have finally identified the master regulator in plants that balances root and shoot growth when nutrients are limited. In field trials, rice plants with an improved version of the gene had yield increases of up to 24%. The breakthrough, published today (26 February) in the journal Science, could ultimately improve global crop yields while reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rice-gene-discovery-fertilizer-yields.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:00:02 EST news691247339 Plants around the world are flowering earlier in the year, a trend attributed to climate change. But there could be another hitherto hidden trigger. Scientists led by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences suggest a cause may be morning dew drops, as explained in a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tiny-dew-droplets-triggering-early.html Plants & Animals Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:20:01 EST news691247253 Indoor farms, also known as vertical farms, are popular among agricultural researchers and are expanding across the agricultural industry. Some benefits they have over outdoor farms include the year-round production of food crops, less water and land requirements, and they don't need pesticides. They also reduce food waste and carbon emissions from shipping. Additionally, some studies indicate that indoor farms produce more nutritious food for urban communities. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-robot-pollinator-vision-boost-indoor.html Biotechnology Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:40:02 EST news691242361 If you were one of the many amateur bakers who learned to bake sourdough bread during lockdown, you'll know how complex a single loaf can be. The rise of the bread, moisture, firmness and even crumb structure can make or break a baker's creation. It's why Latifeh Ahmadi, professor in the Brescia School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, studied each of those factors—and more—in an attempt to perfect the science of sourdough bread. But unlike your homemade loaf, Ahmadi was using a special ingredient of her own: acid whey. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-yogurt-sourdough-bread.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:20:01 EST news691240561 Plant owners with a so-called green thumb often seem to have a more finely tuned sense of what their plants need than the rest of us. A new "smart lighting" system for indoor vertical farms grants this ability on a facility-wide scale, responsively meeting plants' needs while reducing energy inefficiencies, clearing a path for indoor farms as an energy-efficient food security strategy. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tuning-fluorescence-farm-smarter-indoor.html Biotechnology Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:00:02 EST news691079641 In 2013, farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia began to notice something unsettling: a familiar variety of wheat was failing in an unfamiliar way. Stems weakened, plants collapsed, and fields that had once held firm against disease were suddenly vulnerable. Three years later, the same unease surfaced thousands of kilometers away, when wheat crops in Sicily—including prized durum varieties destined for pasta—succumbed to a fast-moving stem rust outbreak that baffled local farmers. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-enemy-genome-science-reshaping-wheat.html Biotechnology Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:20:01 EST news691065601 Plants have an immune system, like people, and when it is triggered by threats like disease or pests, a plant's defenses are activated. But there's a downside to this protective mechanism: the plant's growth is suppressed when its immune system is turned on. Colorado State University researchers have found a way to boost a plant's growth while maintaining its immunity through a hormone treatment that shows promise for food production. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hormone-therapy-global-food-growth.html Biotechnology Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:00:05 EST news691065361 When 200 natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a nitrate-enriched medium were compared, one observation stood out: some accessions formed significantly longer lateral roots than others. Genetic analysis revealed a difference in a gene called MEKK14. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-root-growth-nitrate-decipher-chain.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:17:37 EST news690815822 An evolutionary "arms race" for light and space led to the early domestication of wheat, according to new research that could offer fresh insights into crop design. The study led by Dr. Yixiang Shan and Professor Colin Osborne, in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Madrid and King Juan Carlos University and Wageningen University, examined how wild plants adapted to human exploitation, finding that early cultivation selected for plants with a significantly stronger competitive ability than their wild ancestors. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-early-farming-unintentionally-bred-highly.html Evolution Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:32:27 EST news690805921 Scientists have long sought to understand why some plants are fragrant powerhouses while others remain subtle. Now, a research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has cracked a genetic "bottleneck," using precision gene editing to boost the scent of flowers and the nutritional profile of vegetables. The paper is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-stronger-scents-healthier-crops-hidden.html Biotechnology Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:40:04 EST news690725713 Plants don't just respond to light and water, they also run on an internal daily timekeeper known as the circadian clock. Researchers have now discovered that the plant circadian clock can regulate electrochemical signals in specific cells that help determine whether growth is invested above ground or below ground. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-electrical-circadian-clock-growth-roots.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:00:40 EST news690632582 Rutgers researchers have made a discovery that could change the future of seafood farming in New Jersey. A study led by marine scientist Daphne Munroe has shown that Atlantic surfclams can be successfully farmed in the open ocean. Her research, published in the North American Journal of Aquaculture, proves that offshore aquaculture is not only possible but promising. This method could help meet the increasing demand for seafood while protecting wild clam populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-surfclams-offshore-ocean-aquaculture.html Agriculture Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:20:03 EST news690554992 What's the key to growing resilient crops that can survive tough conditions? Researchers at the University of Missouri are getting to the root of it—literally. Researchers in the Walter Gassmann lab at Mizzou's Bond Life Sciences Center have discovered how a specific protein known as SRFR1 plays a critical role in how deeply plant roots grow underground. Even more promising, they unlocked a way to manipulate this protein to encourage longer root growth, a trait that can potentially help plants better withstand drought. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-longer-roots-drought-protein-reshape.html Biotechnology Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:59:55 EST news690551941 Researchers at University of Tsukuba have uncovered a master transcriptional regulator that controls rhizobial symbiosis between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. By identifying an amino acid motif that emerged before the appearance of rhizobial symbiosis, they show that stabilization of DNA binding enabled this regulator to control a wide array of genes involved in nodule formation, bacterial infection, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ancestral-motif-enables-broad-dna.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:22:29 EST news690211322 Scientists have identified a crucial mechanism that allows plants to shape their vascular systems, determining whether they grow soft edible storage organs or develop the rigid woody tissue characteristic of trees. Published in Science, research led by the University of Cambridge and University of Helsinki, reveals the regulatory dynamics that guide xylem formation, offering new insights into how plants build both structural and storage tissues. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-woody-xylem-fleshy-tissues-thermospermine.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:15 EST news690123061 A decade-long study has revealed that rising atmospheric CO₂ and warming work together to reduce the availability of phosphorus in rice-upland crop rotation systems, potentially threatening future food security. The research, which was led by scientists from the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shows that warming plays a dominant role in redirecting phosphorus into less accessible soil pools. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-jointly-limit-phosphorus-availability-rice.html Agriculture Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:49:40 EST news690047342 Accurate measurement of soil NO₃⁻-N is essential for precision fertilization and stable crop yields. Real-time monitoring of NO₃⁻-N has long been a challenge in agriculture. Conventional soil nutrient testing relies on time-consuming laboratory-based chemical analysis. Existing nitrogen monitoring technologies also have limitations regarding in situ deployment, temporal resolution, and continuous tracking. Furthermore, they are susceptible to interference from soil moisture, salinity, and complex field conditions. This makes them inadequate for the high-frequency, large-scale monitoring required by modern precision agriculture. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-situ-sensor-enables-real-soil.html Biotechnology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:13:45 EST news689951582 Cucumber is an economically important crop worldwide, ranking as the third most-produced vegetable after tomatoes and onions. Yet breeding improved varieties—plants that are more resilient, produce better-shaped fruit, or are less prone to hollowness—remains an enormous challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cucumber-genetic-reveals-variants.html Plants & Animals Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:40:01 EST news689945110 A new smart platform invented by Purdue University researchers to wirelessly monitor subsoil health could change the landscape of agricultural sensing systems. The invention addresses a critical need in agriculture nationwide: the efficient use of water, fertilizers and pesticides. Due to the variability of soil conditions across large fields, applying uniform amounts of these inputs can lead to significant waste, increasing costs for farmers and causing environmental harm if nutrient runoff reaches water systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-wireless-sensor-subsoil-health-effort.html Biotechnology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:01:51 EST news689871662 A new study conducted at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that grassland-based grazing systems—currently covering a third of Earth's surface and representing the world's largest production system—will see a severe contraction as global temperatures rise. Depending on the scenario analyzed, 36–50% of the land with suitable climatic conditions for grazing today will experience a loss of viability by 2100, affecting more than 100 million pastoralists and up to 1.6 billion grazing animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-climate-halve-areas-suitable-cattle.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:00:03 EST news689848625 Implementing novel management practices in dairy farming, one of the commonwealth's major agricultural industries, could help alleviate a large source of both nutrient pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a multidisciplinary team led by researchers at Penn State. Those practices include continuous cover—keeping fields covered with vegetation year-round—and anaerobic digestion—a microbial process that converts manure and plant organic matter, called biomass, into biogas—a combustible fuel consisting mostly of methane. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-simulation-grass2gas-biogas-dairy-emissions.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:00:04 EST news689599560 Rising day and night temperatures are threatening rice, wheat, and maize production by disrupting plant growth, grain filling, and grain quality, putting global food security at risk. Precision breeding and genome editing offer ways to reprogram plant clocks, optimize flowering and panicle architecture, and protect grain quality under heat stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tolerant-high-yield-rice-planet.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:58:01 EST news689594222