A study reveals that sustainable agricultural practices can future-proof cocoa production. By enhancing pollination and mitigating climate risks, cocoa yields can increase without expanding plantations, supporting millions of farmers and the USD 100 billion chocolate industry while safeguarding biodiversity.
Ancient tree rings reveal how climate influenced Chinese dynastic history. Research on Qilian Juniper trees on the Tibetan Plateau shows arid periods coincided with dynastic upheavals. Understanding past climate impacts helps address current global climate change. The study highlights links between climate stress and societal unrest over millennia.
The Rubisco enzyme, responsible for capturing significant carbon from the atmosphere, is crucial for photosynthesis. Recent research has mapped mutant Rubisco molecules, unveiling potential enhancements in its function, which could revolutionize plant CO2 assimilation and adapt to future climates.
New study reveals that solar parks can enhance biodiversity through vegetation succession, where diverse plant species evolve over time. The study shows solar parks not only accommodate energy needs but also support ecosystems, highlighting a need for sustainable management practices, like grazing, to control plant growth and sustain biodiversity.
In the world’s longest-running ecological experiment, researchers found that increasing fertilizer use in agricultural grasslands reduces flower numbers five-fold and halves pollinator populations. Reducing fertilizer boosts biodiversity but lowers yields. A potential solution involves limiting nitrogen while maintaining other nutrients, preserving both crop productivity and pollinator diversity.
Researchers have developed a method to estimate hydrologic traits for 55,000 tree species, improving climate models without requiring massive field data collection. By analyzing evolutionary relationships, they infer missing data, enhancing Earth system models. This approach accelerates our understanding of plant-water interactions, crucial for predicting climate change impacts.
Forensic chemists investigated whether the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) truly mimics human decomposition. Collecting odor samples from the bloom, she compared its chemical profile to forensic data from human remains. Her research explores overlapping compounds, aiding forensic detection and shedding light on nature’s eerie mimicry.
A new study finds that, of the three large-scale, plant-based climate mitigation strategies, reforestation stands out as most beneficial for biodiversity. In addition to reforestation (restoring forests in places where they have historically grown), the team of scientists modeled the impacts of afforestation (adding forests in places like grasslands and savannas) and bioenergy cropping (farming plants such as switchgrass for renewable energy) on more than 14,000 animal species.
Orphan crops, as the name implies, are often ignored. Yet, they have great potential to improve global food security. These underutilised plants, primarily grown in Africa, Asia, and South America, are staples in local diets but receive minimal attention in modern agriculture. Due to limited research and breeding advancements, they remain vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Septoria tritici blotch, caused by Zymoseptoria tritici, threatens wheat production. Researchers and breeders, studied 285 elite French wheat varieties, identifying 57 resistance QTLs and at least 11 known Stb genes. Their findings aid breeding for resistance and support the future meta-analysis.
