https://phys.org/biology-news/agriculture/ en-us Agriculture, livestock, farming and food processing news A new textile used to cover strawberry plants more than tripled fruit yields in tunnel field tests without harming plant health. The technology could also significantly reduce water and pesticide use in strawberry fields. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-textile-fabric-triple-production-strawberry.html Biotechnology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:20:06 EDT news709915921 From the 13th to the 16th century, herring from the Sound—the strait in the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Sweden—was one of northern Europe's most important trade goods. Salted herring from the so-called Skanör-Falsterbo fishery fed large parts of Europe. Around 1570, however, the fishery collapsed rapidly, with far-reaching consequences for trade, politics and society. It took almost 400 years, until the 1950s, for catches to reach comparable levels again. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-herring-fishery-years-rebound-today.html Ecology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:08 EDT news709552981 Agri-photovoltaics combines electricity generation and agriculture on the same land—to ensure this works well in the long term, it is worth taking a closer look at the soil. Researchers at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) have, for the first time, measured how the construction phase of agri-photovoltaic installations affects soil structure. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-soil-agri-photovoltaics-sustainable.html Agriculture Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:00:01 EDT news709474260 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a way to "supercharge" a plant's natural immune response. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-supercharge-immunity-boost-natural.html Biotechnology Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:05 EDT news709558021 New analyses of ancient cattle, sheep and goat bones on Madagascar suggest the rapid spread of introduced livestock on the island 1,200 years ago coincided with forest loss and population declines of large native herbivores. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ancient-madagascar-large-native-herbivores.html Ecology Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:50:02 EDT news709480801 In a win for pollinator conservation, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a machine learning-based method to identify chemical compounds that can safely repel honey bees from pesticide-treated crops. The research offers a potential solution to one of agriculture's most urgent ecological challenges: the ongoing decline in honey bee populations, driven in part by pesticide exposure. The paper is published in the journal eLife. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-machine-chemicals-repel-honey-bees.html Ecology Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:30:01 EDT news709480681 A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus. Researchers at the John Innes Centre explored a recently discovered class of plant defense receptors, showing at the molecular level how they limit blast pathogen attacks and how they might be bioengineered to provide broader, more durable immunity in wheat, barley and rice. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biotech-halt-destructive-cereal-killer.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:00:04 EDT news709400581 At first glance, a farm field doesn't seem all that complicated. It's just dirt and crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sensor-tracks-soil-ph-months.html Biotechnology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:40:07 EDT news709213381 Scientists are getting a leg up on the rice stink bug, one of the most significant threats to rice, a staple food for nearly half the world's population and a major crop in Arkansas. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-genome-rice-bug-tool-pest.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:01 EDT news708852903 Scientists, clinicians, seed companies and others may soon have a new tool in their toolkit for detecting bacterial pathogens, thanks to a new study by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The research—published in Journal of Microbiological Methods—details a new method for detecting Pseudomonas syringae, a common bacterium that infects a wide variety of crops, vegetables and woody ornamentals. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacterial-invasion-proteins-crop-pathogens.html Biotechnology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:20:08 EDT news708784504 Breeding crops for farming systems rather than yield alone could exploit untapped genetic potential and help farmers cut fertilizer bills. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-approach-crop-rotations-yield.html Agriculture Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:40:07 EDT news708761493 An international team that includes researchers from Murdoch University's Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) has built the most comprehensive genetic map of the peanut yet and used this new genomic resource to breed a higher-yielding dwarf peanut line. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-peanut-genome-uncovers-hidden-gene.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news708698440 Global consumption of fertilizer has doubled since 1980, but some regions that have historically overused fertilizer, including China and parts of Europe, have taken steps to reduce use. Those are some of the findings of a new global dataset from the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fertilizer-reveals-world-boost-food.html Agriculture Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:40:01 EDT news708689881 Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's most beloved foods. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chocolate-climate-threat.html Plants & Animals Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:00:02 EDT news708349861 A University of Newcastle-led global study has produced the most complete genetic picture yet of a salt-loving plant with the potential to help grow food in some of the world's harshest environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-salicornia-genomes-reveal-genetic-secrets.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:40:11 EDT news708606601 As Africa prepares for the arrival of a powerful El Niño weather event, an international team of researchers led by the University of Sydney and Imperial College London has found that access to improved forecasts alone will not protect many of the region's poorest livestock farmers from the impacts of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-climate-wont-africa-poorest-farmers.html Agriculture Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:00:01 EDT news708349060 An international team of scientists, including Donald Danforth Plant Science Center member emerita Elizabeth "Toby" Kellogg, Ph.D., has produced a chromosome-level genome assembly that offers a new view of the earliest evolution of grasses, the plant family that includes many of the world's most important food crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-genome-rewrites-early-history-grasses.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news708351901 Research teams from INRAE, the University of Clermont Auvergne and the CNRS have reconstructed 10 ancient genomes (paleogenomes) that are the common ancestors of 84 botanical species of agronomic interest. Their work makes it possible to identify particular genes, shared across different species of plants and retained throughout their evolutionary history, that might play a key role in adapting to environmental constraints such as drought. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-years-wheat-barley-reveal-climate.html Plants & Animals Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:40:01 EDT news708348423 Who isn't familiar with the colorful coral reefs from movies like "Finding Nemo" or "The Little Mermaid"? Unfortunately, the reality is often quite different, as these vital ecosystems are under pressure worldwide. Climate change and pollution are causing corals to bleach and die. Even the most resilient coral reefs of the United States are now threatened. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fertilizers-extreme-coral-reefs-gulf.html Ecology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:20:06 EDT news708343322 Body weight monitoring is one of the most important tools for poultry farmers. It provides valuable information about growth, uniformity, feed conversion efficiency—how well birds turn feed into meat—and the occurrence of diseases in a flock. But obtaining frequent and accurate body weight measurements is a significant challenge in commercial poultry production, according to researchers at Penn State who may have developed a solution. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-turkey-ai-body-weight-weeks.html Biotechnology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:20:08 EDT news708339304 Editing a plant's genes is only half the battle. Before a new, improved trait can ever reach a farmer's field, scientists must be able to grow a whole plant from just a few edited cells—a process that can be slow, unreliable and, for some plant species, impossible. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crispr-combo-regeneration-hard-perennial.html Biotechnology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:20:05 EDT news708263041 The nutritional value of aquatic invertebrates such as oysters, mussels and crabs has been significantly overlooked, according to a new study led by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The findings provide one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of the nutritional contribution of aquatic invertebrates, along with new evidence to better understand their role in human nutrition and help inform more sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and food-system planning. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-global-reveals-hidden-nutritional-shellfish.html Ecology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:00:06 EDT news708262642 Cadmium is a naturally occurring, toxic heavy metal found in many soils across Latin America and the Caribbean, where cacao trees are widely cultivated. It makes its way into cocoa seeds, called beans, that are roasted and made into chocolate, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)—but some cacao varieties take up less of the toxic element than others. An international team of researchers, including Penn State scientists, found genetic differences in how two varieties managed cadmium uptake and facilitated the metal's movement throughout the plant. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cacao-genetics-breeders-heavy-metal.html Biotechnology Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:00:06 EDT news708179226 A new study has demonstrated that regional microbial imprints can remain detectable under commercial winemaking conditions. The research, appearing in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, shows that inoculated fermentations do not "override" native microbial diversity and that vineyard management and environmental conditions affect wine quality. The study helps explain why wines from different regions taste distinct even when made with similar techniques and supports regional flavors and branding. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-local-microbes-persist-wine-commercial.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:00:06 EDT news708078721 Researchers have demonstrated a series of biological tests that could serve as "proxies" for measuring how different regenerative agriculture practices could improve soil carbon—years before it would be possible to measure the carbon directly. The technique offers new insights into how effective various regenerative practices are at improving soil health. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbes-dead-alive-early-indicators.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:50:01 EDT news707672281 Potassium (K) is one of the three essential nutrients for plants. It plays a critical role in a wide range of processes, including cell growth, photosynthesis and regulation of water balance. Plants take up K from the soil and circulate it throughout their bodies via molecules called K+ channels. The function of one such K+ channel (called AKT5) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has remained a mystery, despite more than 30 years of study. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-green-thumb-molecule-leaf-stalks.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:00:06 EDT news707660821 Most people assume plants reproduce through whatever pollen happens to land on them. This is not true. A collaborative research initiative involving the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has mapped and functionally tested the genes that control a natural "self-rejection" system in two widely grown Indian oilseed crops, Brassica rapa (mustard) varieties toria and yellow sarson. This system governs the molecular "lock-and-key" mechanism in certain mustard plants that allows them to reject their own pollen. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pollinate-india-cooking-oil.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:50:01 EDT news707670301 A research team from INRAE and the University Clermont Auvergne has shown that trees are capable of correcting a curvature they detect in their stems through a specific biological process. In the study, young trees with bent stems were placed in an experimental set-up that prevented them from sensing their orientation relative to light and gravity. The only sense remaining to the trees was the perception of their own curvature. Under these conditions, the scientists observed the formation of a particular type of wood, known as tension wood, which acts like a muscle to correct the curvature of the stem, allowing it to realign within a few weeks. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-trees-muscle-posture-newly-role.html Plants & Animals Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:00:05 EDT news707583301 As populations expanded in medieval England, key changes occurred in the uses of cattle and sheep to produce food and materials, according to a study published Sept. 2, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Matilda Holmes of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, David Orton of the University of York, United Kingdom, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-animal-bone-reveal-cattle-sheep.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news707400708 Plastic waste is one of the world's fastest-growing environmental problems. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060 report, global plastic use is projected to nearly triple from 460 million metric tons in 2019 to 1.2 billion metric tons by 2060 if current trends continue. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bio-based-plastic-fertilizer.html Biotechnology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:00:07 EDT news707558100