Antimicrobial resistance is drastically rising

The world is experiencing unprecedented economic growth in low- and middle-income countries. An increasing number of people in India, China, Latin America and Africa have become wealthier, and this is reflected in their consumption of meat and dairy products. In Africa, meat consumption has risen by more than half; in Asia and Latin America it is up by two-thirds.

Harnessing tomato jumping genes could help speed-breed drought-resistant crops

Once dismissed as 'junk DNA' that served no purpose, a family of 'jumping genes' found in tomatoes has the potential to accelerate crop breeding for traits such as improved drought resistance.

Images Speak @ the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services 2019 Wet Season Agricultural Performance Presentation held at the Ministers Conference Room Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Headquarter Abuja.

 Images Speak @ the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services 2019 Wet Season Agricultural Performance Presentation held at the Ministers Conference Room Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Headquarter Abuja.

Early rice farmers unwittingly selected for weedy imposters

Early rice growers unwittingly gave barnyard grass a big hand, helping to give root to a rice imitator that is now considered one of the world's worst agricultural weeds.

Rice irrigation worsened landslides in deadliest earthquake of 2018

Irrigation significantly exacerbated the earthquake-triggered landslides in Palu, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in 2018, according to an international study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists.

Ancient Maya canals and fields show early and extensive impacts on tropical forests

New evidence in Belize shows the ancient Maya responded to population and environmental pressures by creating massive agricultural features in wetlands, potentially increasing atmospheric CO2 and methane through burn events and farming, according to geographical research at The University of Texas at Austin published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Machine learning helps plant science turn over a new leaf

Father of genetics Gregor Mendel spent years tediously observing and measuring pea plant traits by hand in the 1800s to uncover the basics of genetic inheritance.

Urban, home gardens could help curb food insecurity, health problems

Food deserts are an increasingly recognized problem in the United States, but a new study from the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, indicates urban and home gardens -- combined with nutrition education -- could be a path toward correcting that disadvantage.

Nodulation connected to higher resistance against powdery mildew in legumes

Scientists have long known that nodulation is important to plant health. Nodulation occurs when nodules, which form on the roots of plants (primarily legumes), form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that deliver nutrients to the plant.

Fertilizer is used worldwide in farming. It's used to give plants a boost, increasing yield and ultimately farmers' profits.

But, as the old adage goes: the dose makes the poison. Similar effects are seen in over-the-counter medicines. They need to take the right dose, at the right intervals, to be safe and effective. Fertilizer works the same way.