Sustainability hinges on water and energy use
Jun 24, 2018
A plant scientist, a water specialist and a petroleum engineer walk onto a panel, “how do you define sustainability?” one asks.
Results for food security
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Future for crop breeding is CRISPR and clear
Jul 1, 2018
Precision molecular tools derived from bacterial defence systems are transforming the theory and practice of genetic modification.
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Bacteria that boost plant pumps against drought
Jul 29, 2018
Adding certain types of bacteria to soil could help protect plants against drought by activating a proton pump in root cells.
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Reusing water to grow quality food in cities
Sep 9, 2018
Research to optimize aquaponics systems could inform a new era of urban food production.
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Mining bacteria from the desert
Feb 6, 2019
Desert bacteria protect food crops from salt toxicity.
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Metabolite stimulates a crop while suppressing a weed
Feb 25, 2019
A metabolic compound that regulates growth of rice plants and limits witchweed infestation could boost crop yields.
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Stressing the genetics in salt-tolerant crops
Mar 5, 2019
Unravelling the genes behind salt tolerance in crop plants is made easier using the latest sequencing and phenotyping technologies.
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A leap forward in estimating crop water use
May 1, 2019
High-resolution imaging data collected by small satellites could transform how we monitor freshwater use in agriculture.
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Directed evolution comes to plants
Jun 19, 2019
Accelerating plant evolution with CRISPR paves the way for breeders to engineer new crop varieties.
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Using an embryonic pause to save the date
Jul 7, 2019
A date palm seedling can pause its development to boost its resilience before emerging into the harsh desert environment.
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Finding ways to feed the world
Aug 22, 2019
Genome editing techniques have the power to transform crop yields and plant resilience to feed the growing global population.
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Date palms picky about bacterial partners
Sep 5, 2019
Cultivated date palms have co-evolved with desert bacteria for so long that their roots attract the microbes that provide the best chance for a long and healthy life.
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A symbiotic boost for greenhouse tomato plants
Oct 6, 2019
The colonization of tomato plants with a beneficial desert root fungus protects against effects of salt stress.
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A combat strategy for purple witchweed
Nov 27, 2019
Plant scientist Salim Al-Babili and his team are working across many fronts to save sub-Saharan African cereal crops from a menacing weed.
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Conferring leaf rust resistance in cereal crops
Dec 5, 2019
Identifying genes that confer resistance to leaf rust infections could help generate durably resistant cereal crops.
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Better anchor roots help crops grow in poor soils
Dec 26, 2019
A newly discovered plant metabolite that promotes anchor root growth may prove valuable in helping crops grow in nutrient-deficient soils.
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Sensor cube helps keep fish farming afloat
Feb 27, 2020
A self-powered water quality sensor could help fish farmers to monitor pollution in their ponds remotely.
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Better plant edits by enhancing DNA repair
Apr 5, 2020
A protein hijacked from a bacterial pathogen helps to facilitate more precise genome editing in plants.
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Light sensors detect larval pests munching on date palms
May 4, 2020
Optical fibers wrapped around date palm trunks could help detect this tree’s most destructive pest early enough to save it.
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Diagnosing individual trees from above
Jul 26, 2020
Models based on images from unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites can help farmers to monitor the health of individual trees.
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Desert greenhouses offer growth opportunities
Aug 16, 2020
Efficient greenhouse complexes that will grow crops using the resources available on desert coasts could improve food security for millions.
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Copycat plant booster improves on nature
Sep 28, 2020
A molecular mimic designed to promote plant growth and limit witchweed infestation shows promise in initial trials.
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Genetic gains for better grains
Sep 29, 2020
A nutritious millet crop grown mainly in West Africa could be genetically improved for large-scale agriculture in Saudi Arabia.
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Beneficial bacteria help wheat stand the heat
Mar 21, 2021
Coating crop seeds with bacteria found on a desert shrub boosts yields in hot fields.
