Agriculture

More Stories in Agriculture

  1. Agriculture

    How silicon turns tomato plants into mean, green, pest-killing machines

    Treated plants fight pests without the need for toxic pesticides, oozing a "larval toffee" that stunts tomato pinworms’ growth and attracts predators.

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  2. Plants

    A bacteria-based Band-Aid helps plants heal their wounds

    Recent research into bacterial cellulose patches may speed plants' recovery, improve grafting and help with preservation.

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  3. Agriculture

    Exploiting a genetic quirk in potatoes may cut fertilizer needs

    A gene controlling potato growth limits the plant’s fertilizer uptake. Tweaking related genes could lead to more sustainable potato varieties.

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  4. Agriculture

    Megafire smoke may dampen California’s nut harvests

    The summer after wildfire smoke blocked sunlight for long stretches, harvests at some almond tree orchards in California’s Central Valley dropped.

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  5. Agriculture

    ‘Smart lighting’ might make vertical farming more affordable

    A new computer program adjusts grow lights to cut down on electric bills without sacrificing photosynthesis.

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  6. Climate

    Can solar farms and crop farms coexist?

    Researchers working in the field of agrivoltaics are studying how to combine solar farming with grazing, crop production or ecological restoration.

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  7. Agriculture

    Can scientists make fruits and veggies resilient to climate change?

    Combining traditional plant breeding with new genomics tools is allowing scientists to grow plants that are better adapted to a warming climate.

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  8. Climate

    How powdered rock could help slow climate change

    A method called enhanced rock weathering shows promise at capturing carbon dioxide from the air. But verifying the carbon removal is a challenge.

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  9. Agriculture

    50 years ago, scientists ID’d a threat to California wine country

    Fifty years after scientists identified the cause of Pierce's disease, which damages vineyards, there still isn't a cure.

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