drought

Of the pathogens known to have infected humans, more than half may cause more widespread disease as a result of rising temperatures, precipitation changes, or other climate-related factors, a study finds.

Long-lived species decrease their reproduction more than short-lived species in response to lower-than-normal precipitation, and thereby gain a survival advantage, a study finds.

The small molecule is effective in tomato and wheat in laboratory trials, but its scalability and applicability to real-world agriculture remains to be seen.

Sea snakes wait in thirst for “lenses” of freshwater forming on the surface of the ocean after a heavy rain.

Threats to the plants include climate change and habitat loss.

Two labs have produced FRET-based systems for real-time analysis of a plant stress hormone.

A US federal advisory committee finds that climate change is already impacting the country, and that it’s not about to stop.

One way to increase biofuel production is to engineer plants that can withstand harsh environmental conditions, thereby expanding the range in which such crops can be grown. 

Research is underway to reduce the use of food crops for biofuels by shifting to dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues.

Current farming practices draw too much of the world’s freshwater supplies to be sustainable. A change is needed to support growing agricultural demand.

Agribusiness giant Monsanto is finding out that it's difficult to conduct field trials of drought-resistant corn when it won't stop raining. The company hopes to launch a new line of corn seed that's been genetically engineered to thrive in drough conditions by 2013.