Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

Latest Food and Agricultural Sciences News and Research

New AI-Assisted Methods to Discover Novel Deaminase Proteins with Unique Functions

At the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, GAO Caixia’s group has introduced the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted techniques to find out novel deaminase proteins with special functions via structural prediction and classification.

28 Jun 2023

Chloroplast Size Manipulation Unlikely to Boost Crop Photosynthesis

For the first time, RIPE scientists revealed that manipulating chloroplast size is unlikely to be an option for enhancing crop photosynthetic efficiency.

27 Jun 2023

Ground Truth: CSIRO Launches National Data and Information Tool for Soil

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has launched a new tool that will help Australia sustainably manage a critical natural resource which sustains lives and livelihoods.

27 Jun 2023

The Method by Which Plants Prevent Cracking Under Growth Stress

An obscure aquatic plant has helped to explain how plants avoid cracking up under the stresses and strains of growth.

23 Jun 2023

New Approach to Revolutionize Synthetic Biology

For the first time, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the Department of Energy (Berkeley Lab) have created a genome-scale method to map the regulatory role of transcription factors, proteins that are essential for controlling gene expression, and a plant’s physiological features.

22 Jun 2023

Bamboo May be an Attractive Resource to Develop Renewable Energy, Finds Study

An article in GCB Bioenergy describes why bamboo may be an attractive resource in efforts to develop environmentally friendly renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.

22 Jun 2023

Scientists Discover Candidate Genes for Disease Resistance in Wild Grape Plants

A team of scientists – including UC Irvine's Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Brandon Gaut and UC Davis' Professors of Viticulture & Enology Dario Cantù and Andy Walker – has made a significant breakthrough in the battle against a devastating disease affecting grapevines.

20 Jun 2023

Detailed Genome Map to Prevent the Extinction of the Rusty Patched Bumblebee

Scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have released a comprehensive, high-resolution map of the rusty patched bumble bees’ genome, supplying new approaches for saving the native pollinator from extinction.

20 Jun 2023

New Gene Variant can be Modified to Improve the Performance of Rice

Rice that is resistant to some of the worst crop-destroying diseases but can still produce large yields could soon become a reality for farmers worldwide.

20 Jun 2023

How Planted and Harvested Areas for Crops Respond to Climate Stressors

As the world faces more climate variability and extremes in the face of global warming, sudden environmental changes add an extra layer of stress to food production in the United States and around the world.

16 Jun 2023

Fungal Invasion Threatens Amphibian Biodiversity in North America

According to recent studies, the amphibian biodiversity could suffer greatly if the fungus infection Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) were introduced to North America.

15 Jun 2023

Experts Receive Grant to Boost UK’s Burgeoning Green Industry

Investigators are using artificial intelligence to start developing microorganism-led mechanisms that effectively “eat” products like food waste, wastewater, and animal manure to enhance the UK’s emerging green industry.

15 Jun 2023

Discovering a Novel Method to Determine the Parent Species of Hybrids

For those who have maintained a garden, hybrids are well-known, from disease-resistant tomatoes to Stargazer lilies.

14 Jun 2023

New Method Discovers Distinct Ancestries by Looking at Genomic Patterns in Hybrids

If you've ever kept a garden, you're probably familiar with hybrids, from disease-resistant tomatoes to Stargazer lilies.

14 Jun 2023

Seaweed Cultivation Could Boost Food Production in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

To help solve hunger and malnutrition while also slowing climate change, some farmers could shift from land to sea, suggests a recent study from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. The study was published in Global Food Security.

9 Jun 2023

Neolithic European and Levantine Migrants Introduced Farming in Northwest Africa, Genomic Analysis Shows

A genomic analysis of ancient human remains from Morocco in northwest Africa revealed that food production was introduced by Neolithic European and Levantine migrants and then adopted by local groups.

8 Jun 2023

Determining the Genome of West Nile Virus

Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) researchers from UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources determined the genetic makeup of West Nile virus strains reported in an alpaca and a crow.

7 Jun 2023

New Approach to Guide the Management of Feral Swine in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Feral swine are considered one of the top invasive species of concern in North America because of the damage they do to agricultural and natural systems. To best manage them, resource management agencies need to know more precisely where and when to implement control methods.

7 Jun 2023

$2.5 Million Project Aims to Identify Genes That Drive Elemental Accumulation in Plants

In collaboration with researchers at Purdue and Hamline Universities, Ivan Baxter, PhD, member, at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will lead a four-year, $2.5 million project to expand scientific understanding of the genetic processes that allow plants to absorb and make use of elements.

7 Jun 2023

Unraveling Brood Parasitism in Predatory Mites

Many animal species add their eggs to the brood of other species to benefit from the latter’s brood care. This is called brood parasitism. Researchers recently studied brood parasitism in two predatory mite species and found that the parasite mite adds its eggs to the host eggs only under the threat of egg predators but not otherwise.

7 Jun 2023