Food security
Millions of people are undernourished globally and with the population growing, food security is a major concern. Food security is multifaceted, requiring advancements in food safety, ensuring products have a good shelf life, reducing spoilage and providing dietary additions to improve the nutrient intake of the population. The application of microbiology is far reaching, and new approaches are required to maintain food security. Through an improved understanding of plant-microbe interactions, it is possible to forecast and mitigate food shortages.
News
Could ‘Trojan horse’ microbes that exploit symbiotic systems be candidates for new biological pesticides?
Researchers have discovered a new insect pathogen that invades the gut symbiotic organ of stink bugs by mimicking their symbiotic microorganism, and this pathogen ultimately kills the host bugs.
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NewsResearchers propose new listeria labelling for smoked salmon and other ready-to-eat foods
Researchers are proposing a new labelling scheme designed to give consumers a better opportunity to choose ready-to-eat foods, such as smoked salmon and spiced pork roll, without risking infection with Listeria bacteria.
NewsNovel plasmid confers phosphorylation-driven streptomycin resistance in plant pathogen
The genetic basis underlying the unusually high-level streptomycin resistance observed in the field-derived strain TX-0702 of Clavibacter michiganensis has remined unknown until a new study identified a previously uncharacterized plasmid.
NewsMeet EcoBOT: The autonomous lab standardizing plant-microbe research
Berkeley Lab’s new “self-driving” laboratory, EcoBOT, automates complex plant experiments to eliminate human error, solve biology’s replication crisis, and accelerate bioenergy research.
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News
Breakthrough study could unlock key to more reliable truffle cultivation
A pioneering study has revealed that growing truffles depends not just on soil conditions, but on a complex underground ecosystem that the truffles may help to engineer themselves.
NewsDrone index tracks wheat mildew
A new study addresses the need for rapid, field-scale monitoring of wheat powdery mildew in smallholder farms, where disease spread can be spatially uneven and difficult to capture through manual scouting alone.
NewsMicrobe–fertilizer pair cuts greenhouse soil emissions
A new study shows that inoculating organic fertilizers with denitrifying bacterium, especially when paired with mushroom residue organic manure, reduces N₂O emissions by reshaping the soil microbiome.
NewsBreakthrough for aquaculture: Oral vaccine protects fish from fatal nervous necrosis virus
A novel oral vaccine, that can be mixed into fish feed, provides an effective, practical and cost-effective method to protect fish from the highly deadly nervous necrosis virus.
NewsBiochar helps paddy soils lock away carbon by reshaping microbial life underground
A new study reveals that straw and biochar both increase soil organic carbon, but biochar stores carbon more efficiently by guiding soil microbes toward stable carbon formation.
NewsRice-crayfish farming strengthens soil nutrient cycling
Using metagenomic sequencing, a study has shown that integrated rice-crayfish systems increase the abundance of functional genes involved in methane oxidation, nitrogen degradation, denitrification, organic phosphorus mineralization, and phosphorus transport compared with rice monoculture.
NewsScientists uncover the hidden air risks in university cafeterias
By assessing two university cafeterias, a new study has shown that both sites had elevated temperature and PM10 levels, while one also showed high carbon dioxide and the other high total bacterial counts.
NewsScientists deploy biofilm-targeting approach to improve crop disease resistance
A new study reports a biofilm-targeting approach for improving crop disease resistance. By replacing the native chloroplast transit peptide (CTP) of MOC1 with a secretory signal peptide (SP), the team redirected the enzyme from chloroplasts to the apoplast.
NewsBiofilm “scaffolds” protect bacterium responsible for food poisoning from antibiotics
Bacillus cereus, which is responsible for human infections and food poisoning, builds organized communities that act as a ‘shield’ against antibiotics, a new study reveals.
NewsThe miracle microbes that could save crops from impact of rising sea levels
A new study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microbes help plants – including maize, tomato and rapeseed - survive in harsh environments, with major implications for agriculture worldwide.
NewsSoil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria
A new study shows soil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria, revealing alternative strategies to pesticides in agricultural pest control.
NewsMicrobes reveal how tillage shapes soil carbon storage
A new study on maize fields in Jilin Province, China, found adding organic carbon sources on top of straw had different effects on the organic carbon in the topsoil in comparison to the subsoil.
NewsResearchers aim to autonomously eliminate plant-killing bacteria from hydroponic farming systems
Three researchers have received a nearly $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a system that can autonomously detect and remove crop-killing microbes from hydroponic farms before they cause damage to plants.
NewsTea’s molecular shield against anthracnose
Researchers investigating inducible immune mechanisms activated by tea plants after pathogen infection said the findings show that tea anthracnose resistance is not simply a matter of possessing a resistance-related gene, but of how strongly and rapidly the plant activates its defense network.
NewsTracking melanoidins to improve food-waste biogas recovery
Higher pretreatment temperatures in food-waste biogas recovery can promote Maillard reactions, generating melanoidins. A study shows that melanoidins increase with hydrothermal temperature and inhibit methane production by disrupting methanogenic microbial communities.
NewsHow H5N1 bird flu hid unrecognized for weeks in dairy cattle
A new study reveals why H5N1 influenza infection looked so different in dairy cows, offering a framework for spotting new host species quickly. Instead of affecting the lungs, it caused severe infection in the cows’ udders, largely sparing the lungs.
NewsThe nose knows: Electric schnoz can smell when your food’s gone bad
A new “electronic nose” can detect the scents associated with spoiled food much more accurately than the human nose. It can also sniff out the presence of common food allergens, like walnuts and peanuts, which can be deadly for those with sensitivities.
NewsThe drive to protect Missouri’s $4 billion cattle industry from tick threats
A tiny parasite-carrying tick is posing an outsized threat to Missouri’s cattle. Now, researchers are stepping in to protect the state’s $4 billion cattle industry by tracking different ways the American dog tick spreads a deadly disease known as bovine anaplasmosis.
NewsScientists uncover hidden phosphorus reservoir vital for future food production
Researchers have developed a simpler and more cost-effective method to measure a biologically important form of phosphorus in soils, providing new insights into nutrient cycling that could help improve sustainable agricultural management.