agriculture Archives

Vermicomposting: Using the soil ecosystem in new places

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Jorge Domínguez analyses the main advances and current trends in vermicomposting after 18 years of continuous progress in scientific, technical, and commercial endeavours.

Vermicomposting has gained popularity as a sustainable, environmentally friendly method for waste disposal and fertiliser production. Earthworms and soil microbiota work together to break down and reshape solid organic waste into a fertile humus. From small-scale beginnings, much research has been done to scale up and optimise the physical and biological aspects of the system. Dr Jorge Domínguez, head of the […]

Exploring the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes within poultry litter

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Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to human and animal health. Bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes are found in poultry litter, usually from commercial chicken production. Since poultry litter is often used as a soil fertiliser, there is a risk that this antibiotic resistance could be transferred into the soil. Professor John Maurer at Virginia Tech University, USA, has shown […]

Cut of the crop: High-yields of non-browning eggplant via genome editing

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Ongoing research at the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE investigates high-yielding yet non-browning eggplants using genetic modification.

Eggplant is cultivated globally – but its production is fraught with issues affecting the crop’s overall yield and post-harvest properties. The fruit can be less appealing when damaged or cut due to the enzymatic browning of tissues. Cultivating high-yielding yet non-browning eggplants is an area of ongoing research at the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE. The researchers […]

Investigating the biopesticide activity of guayule resin

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A team of researchers focus on the development of guayale, a perennial shrub with silvery leaves, and its industrial exploitation in the realms of natural rubber and resins, which may have a dual use as a biopesticide thanks to the compounds guayulins and argentatins.

A team of researchers, led by Dr Manuel Carmona in the Institute for Regional Development at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, have unveiled recent discoveries about a unique plant called guayule. The silver-grey perennial shrub is an alternative source of natural rubber. Until now, guayule has not been commercially viable as its other co-products have not been considered to […]

A delicate balance: Should we return green crop residues to the soil?

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Researchers from INRAE have studied the decomposition of crop residues, correlating N20 emissions and greenhouse gases to understand the sustainability of this agricultural practice

Returning crop residues to soil for decomposition is considered a common management practice, but it can result in increased emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. Dr Gwenaëlle Lashermes, Dr Sylvie Recous, and Engr Gonzague Alavoine, from INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, investigated in collaboration with European partners the decomposition of nine […]

Natural-capital-based societies in the tropics: Harnessing forest function to combat climate change

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Forests are critical to water–carbon interrelation.

Natural capital – assets derived from the natural world – forms the basis of national economic systems. When natural capital is depleted without reinvestment, there is a net reduction in national wealth, resilience, and living standards. This issue blights the Global South. Professor Mitsuru Osaki of Hokkaido University, Japan, a COP26 symposium leader, studies natural-capital-based societies in the tropics. Natural-capital-based […]

Protecting Israel’s freshwater: Phosphorous outsourcing in Lake Kinneret

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Dr Moshe Gophen studies the impact of the watershed sources of phosphorous in Lake Kinneret, assessing the potential for eco-tourism and how seasonality affects phosphorous levels in the freshwater lake

Freshwater is such a scarce commodity in Israel that taking the salt out of seawater is routinely used as a way of supplying the population with drinking water. Lake Kinneret is the only natural freshwater lake in the whole country. Dr Moshe Gophen and his collaborators at MIGAL Galilee Research Institute have assessed the importance of different potential sources of […]

Blotches and spots: Understanding blemishes of faba bean

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Dr Biruta Bankina researches into the variety of pathogens that cause blemishes on faba beans

Over the last decade, grain legumes such as faba beans have been cultivated widely in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Faba bean is the world’s second-highest grain-yielding legume, yet the occurrence and spread of specific diseases of faba bean grown in Europe have not been studied in great detail. Dr Biruta Bankina and colleagues Dāvids Fridmanis, Gunita Bimšteine, Jānis Kaņeps, […]

The effects of climatic trends on agriculture in Western Uzbekistan

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Julian Schlubach investigates the effect of climate change on agriculture and crop yields in Western Uzbekistan

Temperature plays a vital role in plant development. Extreme hot and cold temperatures can perturb and even stop plant growth, dramatically affecting crop yields. Independent researcher Julian Schlubach looks at climate trends in an agro-region in Western Uzbekistan. He analysed local meteorological data and IPCC future climate projections to determine how the primary crops there have been and will be […]

Searching TILL high yielding jute is unearthed

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Jute fibres are sustainable, biodegradable alternatives to non-degradable plastic fibres. The cultivation of jute is hindered by the presence of only two cultivated varieties in Corchorus sp and their incompatibility for cross-breeding. Increasing the genetic diversity of jute is a priority, to increase the tolerance of this crop towards environmental stresses, as well as improving the quality of the fibres. […]