agriculture

In Chapter 7, “Grow,” author Helen Anne Curry relays the story of Indigenous revolutionaries in Mexico who tapped into community-based methods to conserve traditional corn varieties.

Rethinking why and how we conserve crop genetic diversity

Comparing the genomes of modern pathogens with those of cryopreserved strains from several decades ago shed light on the evolution of coffee wilt disease outbreaks in Africa.

An analysis of more than half a million trees reveals that many species begin to taper off seed production once they hit a certain size.

Ethologist Jan Langbein and his team trained the cattle as a way to keep solid and liquid cattle waste separate—with the goal of reducing ammonia emissions coming from livestock.

A newly identified gene family named “parasitoid killing factor” is found in both insect-infecting viruses and their hosts, although researchers can’t yet tell where they originated.

The high-yield variety of rice he produced in the 1970s prevented countless people from dying of starvation.

TMAO appears to both stabilize other plant proteins and influence the expression of stress-response genes, researchers report.

Trofim Lysenko’s attacks on geneticists had long-term effects on Russian science and scientists, despite a lack of evidence to support his beliefs about biological inheritance.

Cultivating stenophylla, untapped by the coffee industry for the last century, could help farmers cope with the effects of climate change, researchers suggest.

The use of pesticides has decreased in the US by more than 40 percent since 1992, but the emergence of more-potent chemicals means that they are far more damaging to many species.

Whiteflies overcome a toxin in plants they eat through the use of the plant’s own genetic protection, likely ferried from plant to insect millions of years ago by a virus.

In his book’s introduction, author Robert Paarlberg advocates for the use of modern science in agriculture.

Scientifically groundless regulations could undercut the potential of gene-edited crops, much as they have with GMOs.

Images from a Cold War spy satellite help researchers piece together the effects of land-use decisions in Kazakhstan.

Experts fear the fungal pathogen will spread to other African countries, threatening wheat production.

The pandemic and accompanying lockdowns have meant missing growing seasons and losing out on key data. As restrictions are partially lifted, researchers are adjusting to the new normal.

Asian giant hornets were found for the first time in Washington State and could reemerge in the spring.