Fungi reduce need for fertilizer in agriculture

The next agricultural revolution may be sparked by fungi, helping to greatly increase food-production for the growing needs of the planet without the need for massive amounts of fertilizers according to research presented ...

Study proposes new way to save Africa's beleaguered soils

A Washington State University researcher and colleagues make a case in the journal Nature for a new type of agriculture that could restore the beleaguered soils of Africa and help the continent feed itself in the coming decades.

Biodiversity enhances ecosystems global drylands: researchers

An international team of researchers including Dr. Bertrand Boeken of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev suggest in a new study that plant biodiversity preservation is ...

Self-fertilizing plants contribute to their own demise

Many plants are self-fertilizing, meaning they act as both mother and father to their own seeds. This strategy – known as selfing – guarantees reproduction but, over time, leads to reduced diversity and the accumulation ...

Gene network lets plant roots handle nitrogen

With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, researchers at the University of California, Davis and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are unraveling how plant roots take up and metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth ...

It isn't the picky eaters that drive soil microbial metabolism

Interactions among microorganisms in soil lead to the release of nutrients derived from complex organic matter in that soil. This community metabolism creates food for both microbes and plants. However, scientists don't fully ...

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