Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Study shows temporal crop diversity is a key factor in securing agricultural production

Securing food supplies around the globe is a major challenge facing humanity, especially in light of the predicted increase in the world's population to almost ten billion people by 2050 and the effects of climate change.

10 Dec 2020

Study: Sous vide cooking increases the digestibility of beef protein

Once used to prepare cuisine in only the finest restaurants, sous vide is now making its way into home chefs' kitchens. French for "under vacuum," the technique involves vacuum sealing food in a plastic pouch and then slowly cooking it in warm water.

10 Dec 2020

Certain bacteria work together with plants to reduce drought stress

Drought stress has been a major roadblock in crop success, and this obstacle will not disappear anytime soon. Luckily, a dynamic duo like Batman and Robin, certain root-associated microbes and the plants they inhabit, are here to help.

9 Dec 2020

CABI and COLEACP sign agreement to strengthen global food security

CABI and COLEACP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on key areas of interest concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures around the world.

8 Dec 2020

Researchers identify genes that determine the shelf life of flaxseed oil

Biologists have analyzed the genes that establish the composition of fatty acids in flaxseed oil and detected polymorphisms in six of those genes.

7 Dec 2020

Coastal protection provided by coral reefs will erode by end of century

According to a new study, the coastal protection presently provided by coral reefs will begin to deteriorate toward the end of the century, as the oceans acidify.

7 Dec 2020

Researchers use wheat starch hydrogels to produce food by 3D printing

It is already possible to produce food with a 3D printer, potentially delivering products that suit consumer preferences regarding taste, texture, cost, convenience, and nutrition.

4 Dec 2020

New model predicts potential outcomes for plants’ “investment” in roots

You might have observed plants competing for sunlight -- the way they stretch upwards and outwards to block each other's access to the sun's rays -- but out of sight, another type of competition is happening underground.

4 Dec 2020

Plant amyloids could improve nutritional value of plant seeds, reduce allergenicity of legume seeds

Thanks to this work, as the journal Trends in Plant Science recently noted, it is now known that functional amyloids serve biological functions in representatives of almost all large groups of living organisms: bacteria, archaea, animals, fungi, and plants.

3 Dec 2020

Researchers design living plant-based sensor to track arsenic levels

For the first time, researchers from SMART have engineered a living plant-based sensor for the detection of arsenic in the belowground environment

3 Dec 2020

Chemical compounds in foods can inhibit a key SARS-Cov-2 enzyme

Chemical compounds in foods or beverages like green tea and dark chocolate can bind to and block the function of an enzyme in SARS-CoV-2.

3 Dec 2020

Researchers create high-quality reference genome to improve traits in tomato

Thousands of years ago, people in South America began domesticating Solanum pimpinellifolium, a weedy plant with small, intensely flavored fruit. Over time, the plant evolved into S. Lycopersicum - the modern cultivated tomato.

3 Dec 2020

New polymer-based transistor can more sensitively detect weed killer in drinking water

A new polymer-based, solid-state transistor can more sensitively detect a weed killer in drinking water than existing hydrogel-based fluorescence sensor chips.

3 Dec 2020

Researchers develop new method to select the best microalgae for biodiesel production

Microalgae are a promising source of energy to replace fossil fuels, as they have several advantages over conventional crops used for commercial biodiesel.

2 Dec 2020

Gene editing technology can introduce diversity, improve nutrition of tomatoes

Whether tomatoes are fresh, cooked, juiced, or sun-dried, they are arguably one of the most multipurpose fruits on Earth.

2 Dec 2020

Researchers develop new hydrogel for agriculture

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University, in cooperation with Czech colleagues, have developed a new hydrogel for agriculture. It is meant to retain moisture and fertilizers in the soil.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers compile new taxonomic list of vascular plants

A group of scientists have compiled the most extensive list of familiar plant species in the world.

30 Nov 2020

Scientists unlock new genetic variation in wheat and barley

An international research collaboration, including scientists from the University of Adelaide's Waite Research Institute, has unlocked new genetic variation in wheat and barley - a major boost for the global effort in breeding higher-yielding wheat and barley varieties.

27 Nov 2020

International 10+ Genome Project provides an invaluable resource to improve wheat production

In a paper published Wednesday, Nov. 25, in Nature, Kansas State University researchers, in collaboration with the international 10+ Genome Project led by the University of Saskatchewan.

26 Nov 2020