News by Subject Agriculture

Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil's surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ants could save farmers fuel and labor costs, as well as preserve water and improve soil quality.

Scientists at the University of Florida Space Plants Lab are using the single-image normalized difference vegetation index (SI-NDVI), a popular metric of plant health and photosynthetic rate originally developed for satellite-based monitoring of plant growth, to monitor crop health in indoor farming conditions. SI-NDVI allowed detection of stress signatures before stress was visible to the naked eye, proving the technique can be useful whether plants are grown in space or right here on Earth.

Regulators worldwide currently use honeybees as the sole model species failing to account for potential threats posed by agrochemicals to the full diversity of bee species from bumblebees to solitary bees, which are probably more important for pollination of food crops than managed honeybees. They are potentially more vulnerable to pesticides given they nest in the ground and bumblebee queens have different life cycles that could increase exposure.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a new scientific report on the current status of the spread of African swine fever within the EU. The report describes, among other things, which management measures EU member states should take if an isolated outbreak of the virus infection occurs, i.e. if it is detected far away from the current spread. The scientific basis for these recommendations comes from a modelling team based at the UFZ.

A new study shows that several species of bats are giving Madagascar's rice farmers a vital pest control service by feasting on plagues of insects. And this, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge believes, can ease the financial pressure on farmers to turn forest into fields.