Best Food for Tiny Bugs That Eat Crop Pests
Scientists tested different types of food for a tiny predatory bug called Amblyseius swirskii, which farmers use to control crop pests naturally. The …
Read Moresustainable agriculture
All content tagged with "sustainable agriculture"
Natural Plant Extract Could Help Save Honeybees from Deadly Mites
Honeybees face a serious threat from tiny mites called Varroa destructor that weaken and kill colonies. Scientists tested whether an extract from a plant …
Read MoreNew Bug Spray Works Against Resistant Crop Pests
Scientists in Brazil tested a new natural insecticide made from a virus that kills a common crop pest called the sunflower looper. This pest had become …
Read MoreHow Cow Gut Bacteria and Genes Work Together to Get Energy from Food
Scientists studied 530 dairy cows to understand how their bodies and gut bacteria work as a team to produce energy from food. They found that gut bacteria are …
Read MoreBest Potato Varieties for Dry, Hot Climates Found
Researchers in Pakistan tested six types of potato plants to see which ones grow best in hot, dry areas with poor soil. Over two years, they measured how well …
Read MoreTiny Particles Stop Armyworms From Growing in First Generation
Scientists tested whether tiny particles made of cerium and zinc-selenium could slow down fall armyworms, a major pest that damages corn and sorghum crops. …
Read MoreHow Pigs' Bodies Balance Calcium and Vitamin D
Scientists reviewed what we know about how pigs' bodies control calcium and phosphorus levels—two minerals that are super important for strong bones and …
Read MoreThe Right Balance of Minerals Helps Pigs Stay Healthy on Low-Protein Diets
Scientists studied how the balance of minerals (like sodium, potassium, and chloride) affects pig health when they eat less protein. They tested 144 growing …
Read MoreRed Onion Peels Help Fish Grow Better in Crowded Tanks
Researchers tested whether red onion peel extract could help Nile tilapia fish grow better when many fish are packed into the same tank. They fed some fish a …
Read MoreWhy Apples Taste Better Than They Protect Themselves
Scientists discovered that apples face a tricky choice: make leaves bitter to fight bugs, or make fruit sweet to attract animals who spread seeds. Researchers …
Read MoreSmall Farms Growing More Foods Helps Families Eat Better
Researchers in Ethiopia studied how small family farms can grow different types of foods to help people get better nutrition. When farmers grow a variety of …
Read MoreHow Rice Plants Use Oxygen to Build Protective Iron Shields
Rice plants grow a special iron-rich coating on their roots that acts like a protective shield, helping them absorb nutrients and block harmful metals from the …
Read MoreCan Walnut Meal Make Chicken Meat Healthier?
Researchers tested whether adding walnut meal (a byproduct from walnut oil production) to chicken feed could be a cheaper alternative to traditional feed …
Read MoreSpecial Microbes From Food Waste Cut Cow Methane by 25%
Scientists in India created a special mixture of helpful microbes grown from fruit and vegetable waste that they added to cow feed. When they tested it on …
Read MoreGreen Algae Boosts Chicken Health and Meat Quality
Researchers tested whether adding a nutrient-rich green algae called Chlorella to chicken feed could improve how efficiently chickens grow and the quality of …
Read MoreFinding the Right Amount of Nitrogen for Healthy Cotton Plants
Cotton plants need nitrogen to grow well, but farmers often use too much or too little, wasting money and harming the environment. Scientists tested six …
Read MoreNew Gene Helps Apple Trees Grow Better With Less Fertilizer
Scientists discovered a special gene in apple trees called MdTGA1 that helps plants use nutrients more efficiently when nitrogen and phosphorus are scarce. …
Read More50 Years of Plant-Based Food: What's Changed and What We Need to Know
Researchers reviewed five decades of how we grow and produce plant-based foods to understand how farming practices have changed over time. They looked at how …
Read MoreA Gene That Helps Soybeans Grow Better With Less Phosphorus
Scientists discovered that a gene called GmAIR12-5 helps soybean plants develop stronger root nodules—the tiny structures where plants capture nitrogen from …
Read MoreLiquid Whey Helps Pigs Grow Faster and Have Healthier Guts
Scientists tested whether liquid whey, a leftover product from cheese and yogurt making, could help pigs grow better and have healthier digestive systems. They …
Read MoreNew Spray Helps Pomegranate Plants Survive Salty Soil
Scientists tested a new spray made from tiny particles of chitosan (a natural substance) and silicon to help pomegranate seedlings survive in salty soil …
Read MoreHow Chinese Cabbage Roots Get Better at Finding Phosphorus
Scientists studied how different amounts of phosphorus fertilizer affect Chinese cabbage plants and the soil around their roots. Over two years, they tested …
Read MoreSpecial Soil Bacteria Help Wheat Survive Droughts Better
Scientists discovered that certain helpful bacteria living in soil around wheat roots can make plants grow better and handle dry conditions more effectively. …
Read MoreNew Growing Method Makes Lettuce Healthier and Safer to Eat
Scientists tested a new way to grow lettuce using special water with tiny bubbles and a charcoal-like material called biochar. They grew lettuce seedlings in …
Read MoreHow Scientists Make Fruit Trees Smaller and More Productive
Scientists have discovered that by using special rootstocks—the underground root system of fruit trees—they can make trees grow shorter while producing more …
Read MoreSpecial Fungi Help Plants Keep More Nitrogen From Washing Away
Scientists discovered that tiny fungi living in soil can help plants use fertilizer more efficiently by preventing nitrogen from washing away. In a study of …
Read MoreNew Material Helps Plants Grow Better in Damaged Mining Soil
Scientists tested a new material made from biochar (charred plant material) mixed with rare earth mining waste to fix soil damaged by shale gas drilling. When …
Read MoreNew Smart Fertilizers Could Help Farms Grow More Food With Less Pollution
Scientists are developing a new type of fertilizer that releases nutrients slowly, like a time-release vitamin. These special fertilizers use tiny structures …
Read MoreTiny Fertilizer Particles Could Transform Farming and Help the Planet
Scientists are excited about a new farming technology called nano-fertilizers—fertilizers made of incredibly tiny particles. These microscopic fertilizers …
Read MoreMushroom Food Boost Helps Bumble Bees Grow Bigger and Stronger
Scientists tested whether adding oyster mushroom powder to the food that farmed bumble bees eat could help them grow better. They fed some bumble bee colonies …
Read MoreSpecial Nano-Coating Helps Wheat Survive Salty Soil
Scientists discovered that coating wheat seeds with a special nano-sized material made from licorice and wolfberry plants helps them grow better in salty soil. …
Read MoreSpecial Bacteria Boost Soybean Crops Without Extra Fertilizer
Scientists tested whether adding helpful bacteria to soybean seeds could make plants grow better and produce more soybeans. They ran five different experiments …
Read MorePlant Hormones That Help Crops Survive Droughts and Heat
Scientists have discovered that plants naturally produce special chemicals called strigolactones that help them survive tough conditions like droughts, salty …
Read MoreNew Coating Makes Plant Fertilizer Release Nutrients Slower
Scientists created a new type of fertilizer by coating biochar (a charcoal-like material made from plant waste) with glucose (a type of sugar). This coating …
Read MoreChamomile Plant Extract Slows Pea Plant Growth in Lab Study
Researchers tested whether chamomile plant extract could act as a natural weed killer. They grew pea seedlings and exposed them to different strengths of …
Read MoreSpecial Water and Iron Boost Vegetable Growth and Harvest
Scientists tested a new way to grow pak choi (a leafy green vegetable) using special treated water and iron nutrients. They compared regular tap water with …
Read MoreAncient Andean Potato Could Be the Next Superfood
Scientists reviewed 80 studies about oca, a forgotten potato-like vegetable from the Andes mountains. They found that oca is packed with healthy compounds and …
Read MoreNatural Plant Additive Keeps Chicken Meat Quality High in Hot Weather
When chickens are raised in hot climates, heat stress can affect meat quality and how efficiently they grow. Researchers tested a natural plant-based product …
Read MoreHow Three Plants Survive in Poor Soil by Finding Phosphorus
Plants need phosphorus to grow, but many soils don't have enough of it. Scientists studied three types of Lespedeza plants to understand how they survive when …
Read MoreScientists Map Buckwheat Genes to Help Grow Better Crops
Buckwheat is a healthy grain packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants, but it's not grown as much as it could be. Scientists in Korea studied the genetic …
Read MoreSmart Fertilizer Made From Plants Could Help Farms Grow Better
Scientists are studying a new type of fertilizer made from tiny plant fibers called nanocellulose that releases nutrients slowly to crops. Unlike regular …
Read MoreTiny Urea Particles Help Corn Plants Absorb Nutrients Better
Scientists discovered that super-tiny urea fertilizer particles (called nano urea) work better than regular urea fertilizer when sprayed on corn plants. Using …
Read MoreHow Ginger Plants Use Invisible Microbes to Grow Better
Scientists studied ginger plants to understand how tiny living organisms in the soil help them grow bigger and produce more. They looked at two types of ginger …
Read MoreRed Seaweed Could Help Cows Burp Less Methane
Scientists discovered that adding red seaweed to cow feed dramatically reduces the amount of methane gas cows produce—a major contributor to climate change. By …
Read MoreScientists Unlock How Bacteria Fix Nitrogen for Better Crops
Researchers have discovered how two special proteins work together to control nitrogen fixation in bacteria called Azotobacter vinelandii. These bacteria have …
Read MoreSugar Helps Tiny Wasps Live Longer and Have More Babies
Scientists studied a tiny wasp called Aphidius gifuensis that farmers use to control aphids on crops. They wanted to see if giving these wasps sugar would help …
Read MoreSpecial Bacteria Help Tomato Plants Survive Salty Soil
Scientists discovered that helpful bacteria living inside tomato plant roots can protect plants from salty soil—a growing problem for farmers worldwide. …
Read MorePlant Hormones Help Rice Grow Better in Poor Soil
Scientists discovered that a plant hormone called brassinosteroid helps rice plants absorb nutrients more efficiently when soil is lacking phosphorus, an …
Read MoreClimate Change Is Forcing People to Move—And It's Affecting Food
As climate change makes some areas harder to live in, millions of people are moving to new places. This shift is creating big challenges for feeding everyone …
Read MoreSpecial Bacteria Make Chicken Healthier and Meat Better
Scientists tested whether special bacteria called probiotics could make chickens grow bigger and produce healthier meat. They used four types of bacteria found …
Read MoreNatural Gut Cleaners Help Chickens Grow Better Without Antibiotics
Scientists tested a natural alternative to antibiotics in chicken farming by giving 99 chickens special substances called biosurfactants - natural cleaners …
Read MoreLocal Ethiopian Plant Could Make Sheep Farming More Profitable
Scientists in Ethiopia tested whether leaves from a local plant called dawri-damaa could help sheep grow better and cost less to feed. They fed different …
Read More