All Agriculture articles
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NewsPoultry growers: Have you checked your water lines lately?
Water quality could impact the kind of microbial populations in poultry drinking water lines and lead to the buildup of a biofilm that can harbor pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, according to a new study.
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NewsResearchers uncover hidden plant–microbe strategy that boosts crop growth under nutrient stress
Scientists discovered that when soil microbes compete with each other in the rhizosphere, they release a well-known compound called glutathione. This compound enhances plant growth under sulphur-deficient conditions.
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NewsBiodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields
A pioneering two-year field study has revealed that biodegradable microplastics, often hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, are quietly reshaping the chemistry of farmland soils in unexpected and complex ways. They attracted a special group of microbes known as K-strategists—slow-growing, efficient decomposers.
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NewsAI can be valuable tool to strengthen pandemic preparedness
Artificial intelligence could be a valuable tool for detecting emerging diseases earlier, researchers from five European universities and research institutes argue.
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NewsLong-term biochar use boosts soil health and soybean yields, study finds
A decade-long field study has revealed that biochar can significantly improve soil quality and boost soybean production in continuous cropping systems. The findings provide new evidence that biochar could be a powerful tool for making agriculture more sustainable.
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NewsPlant microbiota: War and peace under the surface
Scientists unveil the subtle alliances and rivalries that unfold between bacteria and roots, hidden beneath the soil. A new study probed how and when root exudates are released at the microscale relevant to microorganisms.
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NewsGene editing, traditional crossbreeding produce disease-resistant cacao plants
Researchers reported that they edited the gene TcNPR3 in cacao plants, ultimately resulting in disease-resistant cacao plants that had 42% smaller disease lesions when infected with phytophthora, compared to non-edited plants.
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NewsCould bacteria help fix the smoky taste of wildfire-tainted wine?
New laboratory experiments show that a bacterium that lives on grape plants can break down guaiacol—an unpleasant-tasting substance which ruins wines made from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke.
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NewsFriendly soil fungus could replace chemical sprays in battle against crop diseases
A common soil fungus could help farmers reduce their reliance on synthetic fungicides by producing natural airborne chemicals that suppress plant diseases. Trichoderma hamatum releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that inhibit the growth of crop pathogens.
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NewsBiogas slurry boosts biochar’s climate benefits by reshaping soil microbes
A new study finds that pairing biochar with biogas slurry, a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer from biogas production, can reshape soil microbial communities and significantly alter emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and methane (CH₄).
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NewsNew clues in how plant microbiomes protect against bacterial speck disease
A new study gives new clues on how a tomato plant’s microbiome can be used to combat the bacterial speck pathogen. Researchers found populations of Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria on the plants that had developed a resistance against bacterial speck.
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News Bioinsecticide start-up BugBiome focuses on lead product development with move to Norwich Research Park
BugBiome, the agri-tech innovator developing new bioinsecticides from crop-associated microbes, has relocated to Norwich Research Park as it focuses on moving its lead aphicide into field trials in 2026.
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NewsAtom-precise agriculture: The future of eco-friendly crop protection
Researchers have created a novel single-atom copper pesticide that addresses the critical limitations of traditional copper-based pesticides, acting against the rice pathogen Pantoea ananatis.
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NewsVast gut microbiome diversity and antibiotic resistome across 14 mammal species on the Tibetan Plateau
A new study provides the most comprehensive genomic catalogue to date of mammalian gut microbiomes from the Tibetan Plateau.
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NewsNutrient storage and release in uninfected cells of soybean nodules support symbiotic nitrogen fixation in infected cells
A new study employed the symplastic movement tracer carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) to observe and model the transport and storage status of nutrients within nodules.
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NewsAI tool enables accurate measurement of diseased spikelet rate of wheat Fusarium Head Blight from phone images
A new study proposes a deep learning algorithm that can automatically measure the diseased spikelet rate (DSR) trait from wheat spike images with complex backgrounds captured by mobile phones, providing a measurement tool for wheat Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) resistance breeding.
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NewsWorld’s first discovery of a mysterious tubular structure in citrus pest symbionts
A multinational research team has discovered a mysterious tubular structure — previously unknown in any organism — within Profftella, a symbiotic bacterium associated with a major global citrus pest.
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NewsRivers’ hidden helpers: microbes that clean up nitrogen pollution across China
A new study has revealed how tiny microbes in rivers and wetlands across China help clean up excess nitrogen pollution, offering fresh insights into the health of freshwater ecosystems and the global nitrogen cycle.
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NewsScientists show how to grow more nutritious rice that uses less fertilizer
Scientists have shown that nanoscale applications of selenium can decrease the amount of fertilizer necessary for rice cultivation while sustaining yields, boosting nutrition, enhancing the soil’s microbial diversity and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
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NewsFungal genome secrets unlocked in breakthrough for crop disease research
Scientists have developed a new method to improve the accuracy of gene mapping in complex organisms. Using an advanced bioinformatics tool, they re-annotated the genome of Zymoseptoria tritici, a major fungal pathogen responsible for septoria leaf blotch.