Hard to crack research reveals how crop roots penetrate hard soils
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Scientists have discovered a signal that causes roots to stop growing in hard soils which can be ‘switched off’ to allow them to punch through compacted soil—a discovery that could help plants to grow in even the most damaged soils. An international research team, led by scientists from the University of […]
Temporal crop diversity stabilizes agricultural production
Securing food supplies around the globe is a major challenge facing humanity, especially in light of the predicted increase in the world’s population to almost ten billion people by 2050 and the effects of climate change. Greater crop diversity in agriculture is seen as a stabilising factor for food security. Yet crop diversity alone is […]
Modeling Groundwater and Crop Production in the U.S. High Plains
An international team of more than 2 dozen researchers has found a novel approach to modeling groundwater levels and crop production to forecast future resource availability and yields. The model the researchers developed was inspired by ecology’s Lotka-Volterra equations, a mathematical explanation for the cyclical population dynamics of predator and prey species. “We […]
Ecologically friendly agriculture doesn’t compromise crop yields — ScienceDaily
Increasing diversity in crop production benefits biodiversity without compromising crop yields, according to an international study comparing 42,000 examples of diversified and simplified agricultural practices. Diversification includes practices such as growing multiple crops in rotation, planting flower strips, reducing tillage, adding organic amendments that enrich soil life, and establishing or restoring species-rich habitat in the […]
Pufferfish may be carving mysterious ‘crop circles’ near Australia
Japan’s white-spotted pufferfish are renowned for producing complex, ringed patterns in the sand. Now, 5,500 kilometers away in Australia, scientists have discovered what appear to be dozens more of these creations. While conducting a marine life survey out on Australia’s North West Shelf near subsea gas infrastructure with an autonomous underwater vehicle, marine ecologist Todd […]
