Decades ago, Brazil’s northeastern State of Bahia produced much of the world’s cocoa for chocolate. Most farms grew their cacao trees interspersed with other native trees, in dense agricultural forests. Children played at the forest edges. Today those children are … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recently published papers selected by Academy members
Tag Archives: agriculture
Interdisciplinary study brings a humanist perspective to research on land use change
Categories: Agriculture | Journal Club | Social Sciences
Tagged agriculture, agro-forestry, cacao, cocoa, conservation, deforestation, farming, forests, land use change, monoculture, remote sensing
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Intensive agriculture changes the soil microbiome
California rice farms dot the Sacramento Valley, converting native swampland into flooded paddies. The farms change California’s landscape both above ground and below it. A recent study shows in detail how rice plants shape the soil microbiome into a distinctive … Continue reading
Categories: Agriculture | Microbiology
Tagged agriculture, disease, microbiome, rice, soil
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Journal Club: Single gene mutation may boost recombination and help produce better crops
As climate change and population growth threaten to destabilize global food security, plant breeders are ramping up efforts to create better, more productive crops. But in order to introduce new traits, breeding techniques typically rely on rare genetic recombination events … Continue reading
Categories: Agriculture | Genetics | Journal Club | Plant Biology
Tagged agriculture, chromosome, climate change, meiosis, plant breeding, recombination, RECQ4
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Journal Club: In some cases, water management practices exacerbated California drought, according to model
Many of California’s reservoirs are now fuller than they’ve been in years thanks to an extraordinarily wet winter. Yet drought conditions are likely to return based on historical cycles, even without accounting for climate change. And California’s depleted groundwater is … Continue reading
Journal Club: Ancient Chinese may have cultivated grass seeds 30,000 years ago
Typically, archaeological research into the origins of agriculture has focused on western Asia, in areas such as the Fertile Crescent (the present-day Middle East). Now scientists report that intentional collection of grass seeds may be traced back about 30,000 years … Continue reading
Categories: Agriculture | Journal Club | Plant Biology
Tagged agriculture, archaeobotany, China, millet, rice, seeds
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If IPM works so well, why aren’t developing countries adopting it?
For the past 50 years integrated pest management (IPM) has become the go-to strategy for protecting crops. Yet, despite the global praise of scientists, politicians and development agencies, IPM remains severely under-adopted in poor countries. Many obstacles–ranging from a lack … Continue reading
Gut microbiota help Western corn rootworms adapt
Insects are masters of innovation and so, perhaps, are their gut microbiota. Researchers examining Western corn rootworms have discovered the insects’ gut microbes are helping it adapt to crop rotation, a common pest control method. Corn and soy are the dominant … Continue reading
Fewer animals, more money–a new model for grassland management?
Bayin Village sits high on the Mongolian Plateau, part of northwest China’s vast grasslands. This region is inhabited by ethic minorities who graze sheep, goats, and cattle, selling meat to southern and eastern China, where there is greater affluence. Since … Continue reading