Soybean growers across the globe face a silent but devastating threat: the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This microscopic pathogen attacks soybean roots, jeopardizing crop yields and causing more than $1.5 billion in annual losses in the United States alone. Despite decades of effort, effective solutions to protect soybeans from SCN remain elusive, as the pathogen is often detected only in later stages because its early symptoms are subtle. However, new research offers hope for a sustainable solution to this agricultural challenge.

Researchers from the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka have created a world-first epigenetic tool which has implications for medicine, sports, and agriculture.

Sockeye salmon raised through land-based aquaculture using the groundbreaking Third Water™ technology have reached the shipping stage, marking a world-first in business-based commercial farming of this species. A press conference held on July 20, 2024, in Fukushima City by Ichii, Okayama University of Science (OUS), and NTT East Japan announced this achievement and introduced trial sales starting the next day at Ichii supermarkets. The salmon, cultivated in a 22-ton advanced land-based facility, grew remarkably from 70g to over 1,200g in just 18 months. This project showcases revolutionary technology addressing global challenges like climate change and extreme weather, offering stable and sustainable fish farming solutions aligned with SDGs. It also leverages ICT solutions to modernize primary industries and holds potential for global expansion. The tasting event highlighted the high quality of the salmon, drawing significant media and consumer interest.

While climate change is likely to present significant challenges to agriculture in coming decades, it could also mean that crops such as chickpeas, soyabeans and oranges are widely grown across the UK, and home-produced hummus, tofu and marmalade are a common sight on our supermarket shelves by 2080.

A new study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) in collaboration with the University of East Anglia (UEA) predicts that future warmer temperatures in this country would be suitable for a variety of produce such as oranges, chickpeas and okra that are traditionally grown in warmer parts of the world.