Pesticides News and Research

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Using Genomic Methods to Track Pesticide Resistance

Pesticides are used by farmers to manage agricultural pests. However, pesticide-resistant insects frequently become immune to their toxins.

19 Mar 2024

Quorum Bio: Where Synthetic Biology Meets Sustainable Farming

We speak with Sudharsan Dwaraknath, CEO of Quorum Bio, a synthetic biology startup developing sustainable agricultural technologies.

From Quorum Bio 12 Feb 2024

IRIDESENSE Unveils the World’s First Laser Device Capable of Analyzing Plant Health Remotely

At CES 2024, IRIDESENSE is unveiling the first 3D Multispectral LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor capable of analyzing plant health and soil humidity levels remotely in real-time.

19 Jan 2024

The Role of Temperature and Land Cover in Shaping Arthropod Biodiversity

People rarely pay much attention to spiders and insects other than when humans swat them away. But as a hard exoskeleton and jointed legs identify arthropods, they are vital to maintaining the ecosystems upon which humans depend. Arthropods comprise an astounding 84% of all known animal species.

16 Jan 2024

Honeybees Directly Provide Nutrients to Gut Bacteria

Bacteria have adapted to all terrestrial environments. Some have evolved to survive in the gut of animals, where they play an important role for their host; they provide energy by degrading indigestible food, they train and regulate the immune system, they protect against invasion by pathogenic bacteria, and they synthesize neuroactive molecules that regulate the behavior and cognition of their host.

16 Jan 2024

Engineering Plants to Fight Disease with Friendly Bacteria

For the first time, scientists have modified the plant microbiome to increase the amount of “good” bacteria that shield the plant from harm.

8 Jan 2024

Toxic Plant Toxin Gets a Safety Upgrade for New Drugs and Pesticides

Picrotoxinin, a plant-derived toxin that Asian fishermen traditionally have used to paralyze and catch fish, has long been seen as a possible starting point for new human therapeutics and other neuroactive products.

26 Dec 2023

Researchers Discover Core Genes for Bacteria Colonizing Plants

Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts.

20 Dec 2023

Pesticide Sprays and Olfactory Disruption in Honey Bee Communication

For a considerable period, the detrimental impact of pesticide sprays on honey bees has been recognized. In a recent study, researchers have unraveled the consequences of such sprays on the sense of smell in bees, potentially disrupting their social signals.

18 Dec 2023

Pesticides Harm Bumblebees, Even After Regulations Tightened

A new study has confirmed that pesticides, commonly used in farmland, significantly harm bumblebees – one of the most important wild pollinators.

30 Nov 2023

Wilmot Researchers Uncover a "Genomic Tug of War" That Influences Decitabine's Effectiveness

Some patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, like acute myeloid leukemia, benefit from a chemotherapy drug called decitabine that stunts cancer growth. But many others are resistant to decatibine's effects or become resistant over time.

17 Nov 2023

Recycled Plastics Found to Have Hundreds of Toxic Chemicals

When scientists examined pellets from recycled plastic collected in 13 countries they found hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

13 Nov 2023

Gut Microbiome Diversity Linked to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

In a comprehensive study, a team of researchers from TU Graz’s Institute of Environmental Biotechnology has presented compelling findings supporting the idea that the intake of fruits and vegetables enhances the diversity of bacteria in the human gut.

25 Oct 2023

Engineering Plants to Turn Red in the Presence of Toxic Pesticide

Imagine if houseplants could alert one to unsafe water conditions. Scientists are making strides toward this innovative idea by successfully modifying a plant to change its color to beet red when it detects the presence of a prohibited and harmful pesticide.

24 Oct 2023

A Natural Insecticide for Greener Pest Management

ECOTHOR ACTIVE NATURE® ENTRAP Natural Insecticide is the latest product to be brought to the market by the Innovations team at Ensystex. ENTRAP uniquely provides professional pest managers the opportunity to offer clients a totally poison-free pest management solution.

9 Oct 2023

Oregon State Receives $7.5M Grant to Modernize Zebrafish Research Lab

Oregon State University has received a $7.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to modernize a lab focused on using zebrafish to address pressing human health challenges.

19 Sep 2023

Aloe Vera Peels for Pest Control on Staple Food Crops

According to a study, aloe vera peels that are discarded can be utilized as a natural insecticide to assist farmers in defending important food crops from damaging insects.

4 Sep 2023

Fungi-Inoculated Oilseed Rape Plants Show Increased Flavonoid Biosynthesis

Researchers inoculated oilseed rape plants with a species of fungus that is known for its ability to combat pest insects.

29 Aug 2023

Plastics in Soil Might Make Bacteria More Resistant to Antibiotics

Modern farming, like any other industry, is heavily reliant on plastics. To name a few examples, consider plastic mulch lining vegetable beds, PVC pipes draining water from fields, polyethylene covering high tunnels, and plastic seed, fertilizer, and herbicide packaging.

24 Aug 2023

Innovative Method Accelerates Discovery of New Drugs by Harnessing the Power of Ribosomes

A research team led by University of California, Irvine scientists has developed an innovative method for quickly and efficiently creating vast collections of chemical compounds used in drug discovery by harnessing the power of ribosomes, the molecules found in all cells that synthesize proteins and peptides.

24 Aug 2023