Food and Agriculture News

April 19, 2025

Top Headlines

European Potato Genome Decoded: Small Gene Pool With Large Differences

Apr. 17, 2025 — A research team has decoded the genome of historic potato cultivars and used this resource to develop an efficient method for analysis of hundreds of additional potato ...

Farm Robot Autonomously Navigates, Harvests Among Raised Beds

Apr. 16, 2025 — A researcher has developed an autonomous driving algorithm for agricultural robots used for greenhouse cultivation and other farm ...

New Pollen-Replacing Food for Honey Bees Brings New Hope for Survival

Apr. 15, 2025 — Scientists have unveiled a new food source designed to sustain honey bee colonies indefinitely without natural pollen. The research details successful trials where nutritionally stressed colonies, deployed for commercial crop pollination in ...

Meat or Veg? Plant-Based Protein Is Linked to a Longer Life, Research Shows

Apr. 15, 2025 — A global study has shown that countries which consume more plant-based proteins -- such as chickpeas, tofu and peas -- have longer adult life expectancies. Scientists studied food supply and demographic data between 1961-2018 from 101 countries, ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:12pm EDT

Growing Wildflowers on Disused Urban Land Can Damage Bee Health

Apr. 15, 2025 — Wildflowers growing on land previously used for buildings and factories can accumulate lead, arsenic and other metal contaminants from the soil, which are consumed by pollinators as they feed, a new ...

Intuition Guides Farmers Towards Better Decision-Making, but Remains a Taboo

Apr. 10, 2025 — In Finland, farmers who have transitioned to regenerative agriculture perceive intuition as something that leads to better decision-making, a new ...

Impact of Processing on Biochemical Composition of Plant-Based Products Revealed

Apr. 10, 2025 — A study showed that different processing methods significantly affect the biochemical composition of plant-based foods. Current food classification ...

New Plant Molecule Encourages Plant-Fungi Symbiosis to Improve Crops

Apr. 14, 2025 — Scientists use small peptides to enhance symbiosis between plants and fungi, offering a sustainable alternative to artificial fertilizers. Plant biologists discover new plant molecule, CLE16, as well ...

How Much Food Can the World Grow? International Team Calls for New Yield Potential Estimates

Apr. 9, 2025 — Agronomists question statistical methods used to predict yield potential and 'yield gaps' for major crops. In some cases, yield potential is ...

Best Methods for Growing Atlantic Sea Scallops

Apr. 4, 2025 — A new study compares two scallop farming methods, ear-hanging and lantern net culture, over a complete grow-out cycle to determine which approach yields the best results for commercial growers. The ...

Planetary Health Diet and Mediterranean Diet Associated With Similar Survival and Sustainability Benefits

Apr. 4, 2025 — A cohort study was conducted in Spain to compare the health and environmental benefits of the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) and the Mediterranean Diet. ...

Human Urine, a Valuable Resource as Fertilizer for Sustainable Urban Agriculture, Study Concludes

Mar. 27, 2025 — The reuse of human urine would allow for the production of sustainable fertilizers for urban agriculture, with significant environmental benefits, a ...

Using Cover Plants to Remove Pollutants from Arable Soil

Mar. 25, 2025 — Nitrate, pesticides, metals, plastic -- agricultural soils often contain pollutants. But are there sustainable and climate-friendly ways to restore and promote soil health in agricultural land? Yes, ...

Technology Makes Pesticides Stick to Plant Leaves

Mar. 25, 2025 — Technology makes pesticides stick to plant leaves. With the system, farmers could significantly cut their use of pesticides and fertilizers, saving money and reducing ...

Insecticides May Contribute to Bigger Problems With Certain Weeds

Mar. 25, 2025 — Insecticides may help growers hoping to protect their crops from harmful insects, but they also may contribute to a larger amount of some weeds, according to a new ...

Tax Sugar and Salt in Food to Improve Health?

Mar. 17, 2025 — Introducing a new salt levy is another proposal put forward in a comprehensive set of recommended regulations for the food ...

New Discovery in Plant-Pest Warfare Could Lead to Sustainable Farming Solutions

Mar. 17, 2025 — Overuse of chemical pesticides has driven resistance in agricultural pests, including the adaptable two-spotted spider mite. Researchers have discovered novel elicitor proteins, Tet3 and Tet4, in ...

Study: 'Sustainable Intensification' on the Farm Reduces Soil Nitrate Losses, Maintains Crop Yields

Mar. 13, 2025 — A nine-year study comparing a typical two-year corn and soybean rotation with a more intensive three-year rotation involving corn, cereal rye, soybean and winter wheat, found that the three-year ...

Climate Change Threatens Future of Banana Export Industry

Mar. 6, 2025 — New research has found it will be economically unsustainable by 2080 for many areas across Latin America and the Caribbean to continue growing bananas for export, because of rising temperatures ...

Iconic Australian Bird Reveals Hidden Farming Talent

Mar. 5, 2025 — The beloved Australian lyrebird best known for its stunning tail and powers of mimicry may have a cunning hidden ...

How Agave Plants Survive Extreme Droughts

Mar. 5, 2025 — Researchers used terahertz spectroscopy and imaging to gain new insights into how agave plants are so remarkably adept at retaining water in extremely dry ...

New Computer Vision System Can Guide Specialty Crops Monitoring

Mar. 4, 2025 — Soilless growing systems inside greenhouses, known as controlled environment agriculture, promise to advance the year-round production of high-quality specialty crops, according to an ...

World's Critical Food Crops at Imminent Risk from Rising Temperatures

Mar. 4, 2025 — A new study offers a more precise picture of exactly where and how warming will affect our ability to grow ...

Ideal Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates in Corn Belt Have Been Climbing for Decades

Mar. 3, 2025 — The amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed to maximize the profitability of corn production in the Midwest has been increasing by about 1.2% per year for the past three decades, a trend driven by ...

Discovery of a Common 'Weapon' Used by Disease-Causing Fungi Could Help Engineer More Resilient Food Crops

Feb. 27, 2025 — The discovery of a powerful 'weapon' used by many disease-causing fungi to infect and destroy major food crop staples, such as rice and corn, could offer new strategies to bolster global ...

Select Corn Lines Contain Compounds That Sicken, Kill Major Crop Pest

Feb. 26, 2025 — The corn earworm causes the loss of more than 76 million bushels of corn in the United States annually, and there is mounting evidence that increasingly extreme weather events and temperatures will ...

Feeding Anemone: Symbiote Fish Actively Feed Hosts in Wild

Feb. 26, 2025 — A research team observing anemonefish in the field found they engage in interesting feeding behavior with their host sea ...

Plant-Rich, Low Saturated-Fat Diet Associated With Reduced Psoriasis Severity

Feb. 21, 2025 — A diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods and lean meats, low in salt and sugar, is associated with reduced psoriasis severity, new research ...

Feed Additives Can Reduce Campylobacter in Free-Range Broilers

Feb. 19, 2025 — New research has yielded promising results in the fight against campylobacter in free-range chicken flocks. Trials demonstrate that adding biochar to chicken feed can reduce campylobacter in chickens ...

Biomedicine Shows the Way to Future Food Crops

Feb. 18, 2025 — Researchers have introduced genetic material into plants via their roots, opening a potential pathway for rapid crop ...

Climate Change Threatens Global Cocoa Production: New Study Highlights Pollination-Based Solutions

Feb. 14, 2025 — This Valentine's Day, millions of pounds worth of chocolate will be exchanged as gifts, but climate change and biodiversity loss imperil future global supplies of this treat. A new research ...

Killing H5N1 in Waste Milk -- An Alternative to Pasteurization

Feb. 14, 2025 — Researchers have found that acidification can kill H5N1 in waste milk, providing dairy farmers an affordable, easy-to-use alternative to ...

Value-Added Pancakes: Using Science to Improve Nutrition of Breakfast Staple

Feb. 5, 2025 — Food scientists are working to make pancakes healthier by boosting the popular morning favorite's nutritional value while enhancing its taste and texture. Generally, pancakes are made with ...

New Study Assesses Impact of Agricultural Research Investments on Biodiversity, Land Use

Feb. 4, 2025 — New, groundbreaking research shows how, at a local scale, agricultural research and development led to improved crop varieties that resulted in global benefits to the environment and food system ...