AgriTech Review

Many aromatic compounds, such as phenols, cresols and styrenes, are toxic to organisms and harmful to the environment. They can accumulate as a result of industrial processes and harm ecosystems. Soil bacteria can help to break them down.

The NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota was one of 10 "regional innovation engines" created by $15 million National Science Foundation grants, paid over two years, in January 2024.

Can tiny biological production factories ever give petrochemicals or animals a run for their money? 21st Bio weighs in... The post 21st Bio on strains, scale, and the valley of death: Fixing precision fermentation’s weak links appeared first on AgFunderNews.

The tiny seismic signals of rainwater moving through the ground show how heavy tilling damage soil.

On January 9, Governor Newsom released the details of his proposed budget for the fiscal year starting in July 2026 and ending in... The post Governor’s Budget Proposal Includes Funding for Healthy Soils, Equipment-sharing, Farm-to-School, and Farmworker Housing Energy Efficiency Upgrades appeared first on CalCAN - California Climate & Agriculture Network.

In a groundbreaking advancement for geotechnical engineering, a research team from Yunnan University in China has unveiled pivotal insights into enhancing the resilience of red soil, a notoriously unstable and dispersive soil type prevalent in many regions. This soil’s proclivity to lose strength and integrity when exposed to moisture renders it vulnerable to geological disasters […]

Curtin University research has found farmers making small changes to how they give water to cattle in semi-arid regions could halt the spread of one of Australia's most damaging invasive species—all without disrupting farming operations. Published in Global Ecology and Conservation, the paper reveals straightforward, low-cost changes to cattle troughs and fencing could prevent invasive cane toads from accessing the water they need to survive during hot and dry conditions.

The next CDC director role, health care giants trimming jobs, and more news from Morning Rounds

Nuclera, the biotechnology company enabling rapid access to high-quality proteins, today announced the launch of its nanodisc panel to support screening and scale-up of G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs).

Plowing, or tilling, is an age-old agricultural practice that readies the soil for planting by turning over the

Biochar Emerges as a Climate-Smart Solution to Revitalize Dryland Soils and Combat Desertification In a groundbreaking review recently published in the journal Biochar, researchers unveil the transformative potential of biochar—an innovative, carbon-rich material derived from agricultural waste—in restoring the health and resilience of dryland soils while simultaneously mitigating the escalating threat of desertification. Covering nearly […]

Peri-Urban Agriculture in Barcelona: The Vanishing Green Spaces at City’s Edge The metropolitan region of Barcelona, known for its rich cultural history and dynamic urban growth, is facing a crisis of monumental proportions—its peri-urban agriculture is rapidly disappearing. A recent study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona […]

In the expansive agricultural landscape of Northwest Ethiopia, where farming is not only a livelihood but a way of life, the use of pesticides remains an indispensable practice. However, the improper handling and non-compliance with safety precautions by pesticide users continue to pose significant health risks. A groundbreaking study by Workineh, Belay, and Molla, published […]

In a groundbreaking study poised to reshape our understanding of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), especially the IDH-wildtype subtype, researchers have uncovered an intricate molecular interplay that could pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches. The study, led by Li and colleagues, was recently published in Cell Death Discovery and elaborates on a previously uncharted positive feedback […]

As the global population continues its inexorable rise, the pressure on agriculture to meet increasing food demands has never been more intense. In this context, the promise of regenerative farming practices emerges not only as a beacon of hope but also as a scientifically grounded approach to reconciling yield enhancement with environmental sustainability. A groundbreaking […]

Water transport in plants is a feat of natural engineering that has long fascinated scientists. Despite plants drawing water from the soil upward against the force of gravity, they achieve this seemingly impossible task through a phenomenon known as negative water potential. This negative tension, essentially a form of suction, allows water to travel from […]

Farm visits this Easter could carry a higher risk of infection, health officials have warned, as spring sees a sharp rise in farm-linked ill...

Jie Wu, an engineering graduate student, was studying a type of striking white beetle found in Southeast Asia

When you don’t have lots of space, you can still grow quite a bit of food. Here are ... Read More The post Small Space Gardening: Ideas and Tips to Grow Mountains of Vegetables appeared first on Garden Therapy.

March 28, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

SMART project, with World Bank and Palladium, empowered Ghoti's tribal women by mechanizing rice processing. This shifted seasonal labor into a year-round enterprise, boosting income and leading to their ownership and leadership in rural businesses.

EPA issues record biofuel blending requirements  The HillUS refining group says record biofuel quotas may worsen Iran war price spike  ReutersEPA Finalizes RFS: Reallocates 70% of Gallons Waived by Refinery Exemptions  DTN Progressive FarmerIowa farm groups welcome ethanol, biodiesel blending requirements  The Des Moines RegisterU.S. Requires Gas and Diesel Contain More Biofuels Made From Crops  WSJ

EPA issues record biofuel blending requirements  The HillUS refining group says record biofuel quotas may worsen Iran war price spike  ReutersEPA Finalizes RFS: Reallocates 70% of Gallons Waived by Refinery Exemptions  DTN Progressive FarmerIowa farm groups welcome ethanol, biodiesel blending requirements  The Des Moines RegisterU.S. Requires Gas and Diesel Contain More Biofuels Made From Crops  WSJ

Graduate students from Montana State University took center stage during the third annual “March Madness” research competition hosted by the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee in Bozeman. A total of…

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Farm and fossil fuel groups respond to EPA biofuel-blending mandates. The renewable volume obligations from the Environmental Protection Agency mark the biggest ever since the Renewable Fuel Standard program became law two decades ago.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

The Environmental Protection Agency set total 2026 biofuel obligations at 26.81 billion RINs and the 2027 obligation at 27.02 billion RINs.

EPA finalizes long-awaited 2026-27 biofuel-blending mandates. 

Randy Martinson, president of Martinson Ag Risk Management and Tyler Donaldson of the Red River Farm Network discussed the grains and livestock markets Friday, March 27, during the Agweek Market Wrap.

Peri-urban agriculture in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) is in a critical situation after decades of decline. A new study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) highlights the dramatic reduction of peri-urban farming in the region, with losses of up to 70% of agricultural land, largely driven by urban expansion, real estate speculation, and the low profitability of the agricultural sector. Currently, only 8.5% of the metropolitan region is devoted to agriculture, equivalent to about 16 square meters per inhabitant.

A groundbreaking new field study has unveiled that biochar, a carbon-dense material produced through the pyrolysis of plant residues, holds remarkable promise for rehabilitating forest soils subjected to the debilitating effects of acid rain. The research highlights biochar’s ability to not only neutralize soil acidity but also to reinvigorate the complex biological mechanisms responsible for […]

The White House finishes reviewing EPA's final biofuel-blending requirements, signaling that the long-awaited rules for this year and next could be released as soon as today. 

This study presents a modular 4WD robot designed for cutting, crushing, and precision seeding, offering a versatile solution for modern agricultural challenges.

arXiv:2603.25561v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a cornerstone organism in industrial biotechnology, valued for its genetic tractability and robust fermentative capacity. Accurately predicting biomass flux across diverse environmental and genetic perturbations remains a significant challenge for rational strain design. We present a computational framework combining the Yeast9 genome-scale metabolic model with machine learning and optimization to predict, interpret, and enhance biomass flux. Flux balance analysis generated 2,000 flux profiles by varying glucose, oxygen, and ammonium uptake rates. Random Forest and XGBoost regressors achieved R2 of 0.99989 and 0.9990, respectively. A variational autoencoder revealed four distinct metabolic clusters, and SHAP analysis identified glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and lipid biosynthesis as key biomass determinants. In silico overexpression achieved a biomass flux of 0.979 gDW/hr, while Bayesian optimization of nutrient

arXiv:2603.24785v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Precision agriculture promises higher yields and sustainability, but adoption is slowed by the high cost of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and the lack of systematic design methods. We present a cost-aware design space exploration (DSE) framework for multimodal drone-rover platforms to integrate budget, energy, sensing, payload, computation, and communication constraints. Using integer linear programming (ILP) with SAT-based verification, our approach trades off among cost, coverage, and payload while ensuring constraint compliance and a multitude of alternatives. We conduct case studies on smaller and larger-sized farms to show that our method consistently achieves full coverage within budget while maximizing payload efficiency, outperforming state-of-the-art CPS DSE approaches.

Multiple countries restricted food exports in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with conditions ripe for this to happen again, predicts Helios AI. The post Persian Gulf fertilizer crisis: Global food prices could rise 12-18% by the end of 2026, warns Helios AI appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Plus: More on Florida's cultivated meat ban. The post AgriFood Signals: Danone buys protein maker Huel, Miraterra Soil bags $16m, Grab buys Food Panda Taiwan appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Beavers should be embraced as key allies in the fight against biodiversity loss according to scientists at the University of Stirling, after new research revealed the significant ecological benefits the animals bring to wetland habitats. Beaver populations across Europe and North America are recovering from historically low levels after being hunted to near extinction.

Grubhub launches a drone delivery pilot in New Jersey, testing faster food service with no added cost for eligible customers within a limited range.

Plant biologist Jill Farrant hopes “desiccation-tolerant” species can teach her how to make crops more resilient

While Minnesota tries to make sure cell-cultured food is labeled as such, South Dakota has passed a moratorium on any lab-grown meat in the state.

A £100 million government-backed restart of a major carbon dioxide plant could provide a crucial boost to UK farming and food production as ...

New initiatives by the South Korean government aim to make AI more accessible to growers of all sizes, while biotech ambitions also loom. The post South Korea says ‘AI is no longer a choice’ as agrifoodtech funding jumps 171% appeared first on AgFunderNews.

AI and ML are used to predict whether a yeast strain can produce oil and what the composition of that oil is likely to be, based on genomic data, says SMEY CSO Pavel Elizarev. The post SMEY’s Lipid Atlas taps yeast diversity + AI for custom oils via fermentation appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Lumi AI is on a mission to "democratize" the process of gleaning insights from supply chain data for CPGs and food manufacturers. The post How Lumi AI helps CPGs find ‘multi-million-dollar opportunities’ hidden in their supply chain data appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Campaigns like “leave the leaves” and “save the stems” teach us that gardens are habitats for pollinators and insects. What’s happening in your garden as signs of spring emerge? The post Ask the gardener: How do we balance caring for our gardens and ecological stewardship? appeared first on Boston.com.

arXiv:2603.23679v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Agriculture remains a cornerstone of global health and economic sustainability, yet labor-intensive tasks such as harvesting high-value crops continue to face growing workforce shortages. Robotic harvesting systems offer a promising solution; however, their deployment in unstructured orchard environments is constrained by inefficient perception-to-action pipelines. In particular, existing approaches often rely on exhaustive inverse kinematics or motion planning to determine whether a target fruit is reachable, leading to unnecessary computation and delayed decision-making. Our approach combines RGB-D perception with active learning to directly learn reachability as a binary decision problem. We then leverage active learning to selectively query the most informative samples for reachability labeling, significantly reducing annotation effort while maintaining high predictive accuracy. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed

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UC Riverside researchers have identified a mechanism that allows plants to rapidly slow growth in response to extreme environmental stress. The finding could help farmers grow more resilient crops, and one researcher continued the work years into retirement to uncover it.

In the heart of the Marais Poitevin regional nature park, the second-largest wetland in France, a scientific team led by a CNRS researcher has demonstrated the ability of clay soils to self-organize into geometric patterns. Known as mottureaux, these microreliefs, similar to hummocks, channel rainwater infiltration and promote plant biodiversity in marsh soils.

Learn more about how some hunter-gatherers in the Southern Andes adopted maize farming.

As bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, greedily sipping nectar in exchange for pollination, the animals often get another treat: alcohol. In the first broad analysis of the alcohol content of flower nectars, University of California, Berkeley biologists found detectable alcohol in at least one flower of 26 of the 29 species of plants tested. While most samples had very low levels, almost certainly from yeast fermenting the sugars in the nectar, one contained 0.056% ethanol by weight: about 1/10 proof.

A US-backed anti-drug operation in Ecuador is under scrutiny after a strike reportedly hit a dairy farm instead of a narcotics site, raising questions about intelligence and civilian safety.

Sacramento, March 23, 2026 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is now accepting pre-proposals for the 2026 grant cycle. FREP’s competitive grant program funds proposals that advance efficient nutrient and irrigation management practices that minimize environmental impacts through research, demonstration, education and training. This year’s priorities include: … The post CDFA Accepting Pre-Proposals for 2026 Fertilizer Research and Education Grant Cycle appeared first on California Ag Network.

Pepper, a New York-based technology platform for independent food distributors, has acquired Alima, a Y Combinator-backed startup that built ordering and procurement software for small food distributors in Latin America. The deal, announced on Tuesday with no disclosed financial terms, brings Alima’s two cofounders into Pepper’s leadership team and extends the company’s push into AI-driven […] This story continues at The Next Web

Aramark announced the new concessions ahead of Red Sox Opening Day on Thursday. The post Fenway Park offers 4 new food concessions, including lobster poutine appeared first on Boston.com.

New research pushes the first genetic evidence of dogs back by 5,000 years and suggests that hunter-gatherer groups may have acquired dogs from one another.

Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant's water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of U.S. irrigated land. Caused by irrigation, poor drainage or saltwater intrusion, soil salinity impacts soil structure, reduces fertility and causes economic losses. To help growers identify and mitigate salt stress, in a proof-of-concept study, a team led by Penn State researchers built a low-cost sensor system that detects signals released by plants in trouble.

Algae and oyster shells used to make cheap biodiesel. Continue reading Scientists turn algae and oyster shells into cheap biodiesel on Tech Explorist.

Huub Lelieveld, a Dutch scientist who led a global food safety movement and dismantled barriers to trade and humanitarian aid, was selected as the 2026 World Food Prize Laureate for his life work supporting breakthroughs that have reshaped the fields of food and agriculture. 

Ida Huddleston has spent her entire life on a farm in northern Kentucky. Her family has worked the

A family in Northern Kentucky received a $26 million offer for half their land — a price that's worth more than 7 times the going rate for the area. But despite the massive price, they still refused, saying that they "fed a nation off of it."

Plant-based vs keto diet comparison for weight loss, heart health, and longevity. Learn benefits, risks, and which diet works best long term.

The Federal Maritime Commission's former chairman says he's optimistic global rules to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from ocean vessels will include biofuels – and have the Trump administration's blessing.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel and offers a sustainable and potentially carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum products. Yet production costs remain a hurdle to its widespread use. Now, researchers have developed an inexpensive way to make biodiesel from materials found along the banks of their Louisiana bayou: algae and oyster shells. The researchers will present their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS Spring 2026), held in Atlanta from March 22 to 26.

arXiv:2603.23289v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: India generates substantial volumes of public agricultural data, yet artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in farming remains limited and largely confined to pilot initiatives. This paper examines this gap by assessing India's agricultural data infrastructure against the requirements of AI systems deployed at scale. Drawing on a systematic review of major national datasets and digital initiatives including Soil Health Cards, crop insurance, AgriStack, and selected state platforms we identify persistent structural constraints, including temporal misalignment between data collection and agricultural decision cycles, spatial fragmentation arising from the absence of common geocodes linking soil, weather, and yield information, limited machine readability due to reliance on static data formats, and unclear governance frameworks that restrict data access and reuse. These deficiencies impede cross-dataset integration and automated decision

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems become more common, experts say they present opportunities and challenges to cybersecurity. The post Cybersecurity: Safeguarding Agricultural Information in the AI Age appeared first on CropLife.

The Gulf war offers yet another example of why we must decentralize fertilizer production to increase food security and protect the poor. The post Guest article: Technology now exists to decouple fertilizer from oil and gas markets appeared first on AgFunderNews.

You’re the Lead Botanist on the third human mission to Mars whose primary job involves growing food for the crew throughout the long mission. While you’re very familiar with the infamous “poop potatoes” from the 2025 film The Martian, the greatest minds in science had since devised a more efficient, and less messy, method for growing food on Mars: cyanobacteria.

Autonomous robots originally designed for the mining industry are being programmed to track across thousands of kilometres harsh terrain and inspect hundreds of thousands of solar panels for faults. The post How a robot named Bear is making solar farm maintenance safer and more efficient appeared first on Renew Economy.

A Kentucky family rejected a $26 million offer from a major AI company for half of its farmland to build a data center, saying generations of history cannot be bought.

At Future Food-Tech, we spoke to key stakeholders on everything from biomanufacturing’s valley of death to the IFT's new AI-powered R&D platform. The post Future Food-Tech: Big ideas, hard truths, and the path to scale appeared first on AgFunderNews.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reiterated the agency's goal of releasing biofuel-blending rules by the end of this month. 

A £3 million investment in sheep genetics is set to boost flock performance and cut emissions across Wales, as farmers gain access to advanc...

Farm Credit Services of America and AgCountry Farm Credit Services announced a pilot program to assist producers by partnering with Lasso, a grant-writing service.

Research into utilizing a type of carnivore diet to help people who are prediabetic is being conducted by the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation, NCBA, Texas Beef Council and Nebraska Beef Council.

Frontier Agriculture is scaling up digital grain monitoring across its UK storage network, with around 500,000 tonnes of grain set to be tra...

Bengaluru’s Swish has now raised $54M in 18 months, values itself at $139M, and is betting that owning the kitchen, the technology, and the last mile is the only way to make ultra-fast food delivery work at scale. The timing is pointed. In the months before Swish announced its $38 million Series B, three of […] This story continues at The Next Web

FH Angels invests in early-stage companies that apply science, data, and tech to improve metabolic health, performance, and longevity. The post UC Davis launches Food & Health Angels to back foodtech startups as GLP-1 ‘tsunami’ approaches appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Each year, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is responsible for an estimated 1.1 to 1.4 million deaths worldwide. Now, scientists have found evidence that the spread of AMR isn't always driven by bacteria evolving to resist the antibiotics themselves: rather, certain weedkillers can have the same effect.

arXiv:2603.21183v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in precision agriculture has seen a huge increase recently. As such, systems that aim to apply various algorithms on the field need a structured framework of abstractions. This paper defines the various tasks of the UAVs in precision agriculture and model them into an architectural framework. The presented architecture is built on the context that there will be minimal physical intervention to do the tasks defined with multiple coordinated and cooperative UAVs. Various tasks such as image processing, path planning, communication, data acquisition, and field mapping are employed in the architecture to provide an efficient system. Besides, different limitation for applying Multi-UAVs in precision agriculture has been considered in designing the architecture. The architecture provides an autonomous end-to-end solution, starting from mission planning, data acquisition and image processing framework

A new Caltech study indicates that drought increases the abundances of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in soils, which directly correlates with an increase in antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals. In other words, regions experiencing high aridity—hotter, drier regions—also experience higher levels of antibiotic-resistant infections. The work demonstrates the interconnectedness of climate, environment, and human health.

Plants need water, light, and air to thrive. But when they transport water from the soil up to their leaves, they defy gravity. Scientists describe this astonishing phenomenon as "negative water potential," a form of negative tension that enables herbs, shrubs, and trees to draw water from the soil. Nevertheless, plants do not constantly extract water from the soil. For decades, researchers have sought to understand what limits a plant's water uptake.

A new study from Kiel University shows how the massive exchange of mobile genetic elements between fungi can impair their effectiveness against insects and ticks. Microbial fungi, such as the genus Metarhizium, are often used in biological pest control. These fungi attack harmful insects and ticks, thus representing an ecological alternative to chemical agents. However, how effective these fungi remain is determined by an evolutionary arms race between the fungus and its host.

Unverified claims suggest US troops are using marijuana to fail drug tests and avoid deployment amid rising tensions with Iran. The Pentagon remains silent on the issue.

“If your answers and pitch decks are so obviously generated by AI, that's a problem," says SOSV general partner Pae Wu at Future Food-Tech. The post Investors demand capital efficiency, focus, and no AI-polished pitch decks at World Agri-Tech, Future Food-Tech appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Unexpected discovery explains limits of plant hydration. Continue reading The hidden reason plants die in dry soil isn’t what you think on Tech Explorist.

The March 23 edition of the AgNet News Hour spotlighted the future of California agriculture, with a strong focus on innovation, workforce development, and the evolving role of technology in ... Read More The post Ag Innovation and the Future of Farming; F3 Innovate Highlights Technology and Workforce Development appeared first on AgNet West.

Keeping clean on the go doesn’t have to be a struggle. These homemade disinfectant wipes easily remove dirt ... Read More The post Homemade Disinfectant Wipes for the Smart Traveler appeared first on Garden Therapy.

Precision agriculture is moving from an optional upgrade to a core operating model for modern farming. The pressure

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in how people interact or communicate with others, as well as restricted interests and repetitive patterns of behavior. Past studies have observed specific differences in brain development in many autistic individuals, which typically first emerge during the early stages of life.