AgriTech Review

A Chinese actor who is well-known for playing dominant bosses in miniseries and has taken part in 200 such productions has become unemployed due to the impact of AI technology. In March, to make ends meet, Zhang Xiaolei, 28, began doing farm work in the northwestern province of Qinghai, Red Star News reported. Starting with some basic dancing skills, Zhang was introduced by his friend to a miniseries filming crew at the end of 2023. Since then, he has become a familiar face to viewers of...

President Trump has approved Iran's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reversing earlier statements amid ongoing US-Iran tensions. FIFA President Gianni Infantino influenced the decision.

While the world is a big place, humans are making greater and greater demands on the same areas of land. "This means that, unless we use the same land to serve multiple needs and coordinate this effort through planning, it is unlikely that we will have enough land for conservation, food and energy," said Grace Wu, a professor in UC Santa Barbara's Environmental Studies Program.

Fallen leaves, which are discarded every year, have been transformed into a resource that can replace waste plastics, a major nuisance in rural areas. A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed biodegradable agricultural vinyl made from fallen leaves, presenting a new way to solve the problem of conventional plastic vinyl, which is a cause of soil pollution. The study is published in the journal Green Chemistry.

The Silent Threat: Radioactive Heavy Metals in Breast Milk and Their Impact on Infant Health In recent years, the scientific community has increasingly turned its focus to the subtle yet alarming presence of radioactive heavy metals in breast milk. While breastfeeding is universally recognized as the gold standard for infant nutrition, emerging evidence indicates an […]

Following the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, many people in society became more aware of, and concerned about, the choices made by introducing … The post European Union Politicization of Scientific Risk Assessments appeared first on SAIFood.

South Korea has been testing drone-robot deliveries to remote islands, though a commercial launch is still some way off.

New product launches reinforced Group's innovation pipeline, including next-gen trait technologies and new crop protection technologies across key markets. The post AI, Biologicals Power Syngenta’s Strong Start to 2026 appeared first on CropLife.

A new report from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) warns that biodiversity loss, alongside climate shocks and geopolitical conflict, is disrupting our food system, risking catastrophic impacts for the financial system and for society as a whole.

The service "is exploring how the emerging alternative-protein sector can help meet several objectives, including enhancing food supply chain resilience."

The service "is exploring how the emerging alternative-protein sector can help meet several objectives, including enhancing food supply chain resilience."

The service "is exploring how the emerging alternative-protein sector can help meet several objectives, including enhancing food supply chain resilience."

The service "is exploring how the emerging alternative-protein sector can help meet several objectives, including enhancing food supply chain resilience."

A new collaborative study from The University of Western Australia has found that partially replacing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with low amounts of organic components can improve soil quality, crop productivity and nitrogen uptake.

No need to excavate an in-ground irrigation system once you install this fixture onto your home’s spigot—you just have to figure out how to use the connected app.

In the rich soil of every backyard, park, and playground across the globe, an astonishing microbial world thrives, dominated in part by an exceptionally prolific genus of bacteria known as Streptomyces. These filamentous soil bacteria are not only celebrated for producing the quintessential earthy scent following rainfall—a result of their metabolic byproduct geosmin—but also for […]

Drones are being deployed by volunteers to tackle rural crime in Nottinghamshire, in what police say is a UK first. The county has become...

In every backyard, park, and playground on Earth, the ground is teeming with a type of bacteria called Streptomyces—one of the most abundant organisms on the planet. While these dirt-dwelling microbes are known for producing that earthy odor that fills the air after rainfall, that familiar scent is only the tip of their chemical-producing iceberg.

Key areas of focus include addressing healthy diets, improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change, strengthening animal health and welfare and advancing farm safety. Read more: €37m investment to boost research in agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors

GEMA welcomes the government's move to include E85 and E100 in emission norms, signaling a shift toward higher ethanol blends that bolster energy security, decarbonization, and grain-based rural economies.

arXiv:2604.26303v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Deep understanding of a field's soil moisture content is the leading indicator for predicting crop yields and making data driven decisions for irrigation and application of topical chemicals for drought resilience. Despite this importance, the cost of adopting and maintaining IoT infrastructure prevents modern farms from employing widespread real time soil moisture sensors. We present an end-to-end platform of buried battery-free sensor nodes and a mobile basestation that leverages the farmer's daily routine for data retrieval. Each node features a self-powered galvanic soil-moisture probe, employing a high impedance analog front end to enable durability. Operating entirely on harvested solar energy for up to 21 days on a single capacitor charge, each node collects soil moisture, temperature, and environment condition data. Using a predictable finite-state machine, handshake-based data exchanges occur with a basestation affixed to

Conflict in the Middle East could hamper Iran’s response to the devastating crop pest, fall armyworm, experts warn.

The prices of mineral fertilizers are rising. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working on alternative production methods: Researchers have developed various processes and demonstrated them on a pilot scale to recover nutrients from locally available waste streams. Fertilizers ready for immediate use can be obtained from digestion residues, manure, and wastewater, as the institute will show at IFAT in Munich in early May. This circular approach strengthens supply security and protects water bodies and the climate.

In modern agriculture, the application of fertilizers stands as a pivotal practice to guarantee robust crop yields and meet the growing food demand. Nonetheless, the unchecked or inefficient use of fertilizers frequently results in the excessive discharge of key nutrients—particularly nitrogen and phosphorus—into adjacent aquatic ecosystems. This nutrient runoff and leaching spur a cascade of […]

Water is fundamental to all life—contaminants are harmful to humans and the environment. Herbicides used in agriculture to control weeds present a particular challenge here. The most widely used herbicide in the world is glyphosate. Experts have differing views on its use. Some studies suggest potential risks such as carcinogenic effects in humans, nerve damage, and a negative impact on biodiversity.

English farmers shrank their environmental footprint between 2010 and 2021, with decreases in several key areas, including greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer overuse and cattle populations, reports a new study by Yusheng Zhang and Adrian Collins of Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom, published in PLOS One.

According to DJI, the FCC’s Dec 222 ruling has "staggering real-world consequences" and raises "serious constitutional concerns." The post DJI: FCC action could wipe out $1.5bn in US drone sales in 2026 appeared first on AgFunderNews.

I’ve been using a bird feeder camera for years and new disease warnings had me worried for warmer months — but this smart bird bath alternative and RSPB advice will give me my garden birdlife-watching fix, responsibly

A new study by researchers at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska offers a comprehensive national-scale assessment of irrigated agriculture in the United States in recent years. Published in Agricultural Water Management, the findings carry important implications for the future of food production, water policy, and rural livelihoods across the country.

With the right tech, even the smallest outdoor space can become a haven for wildlife, or the coolest spot for dining al fresco this summer.

New ag technologies promise to help in the effort to control herbicide-resistant weeds. The post Smart Tech Tools for Herbicides appeared first on CropLife.

In recent years, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has emerged as a formidable challenge to global public health, with foodborne pathways increasingly recognized as critical conduits for transmission. A newly published study in Science in One Health introduces an innovative quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model that meticulously traces the journey of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing […]

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters: EU countries and lawmakers reach an impasse on a deal watering down the EU's AI Act due to some parties seeking exemptions for already regulated industries  —  EU countries and European Parliament lawmakers failed to reach a deal on watered-down landmark artificial intelligence rules …

After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. The findings are published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

How do photosynthetic organisms harvest light so efficiently? To help answer this question, researchers have developed an ultrafast transient absorption microscope with sensitivity approaching the single-molecule level.

Chocolate is one of the world's most widely consumed foods. It is made from cacao beans grown by millions of smallholder farmers globally. High-quality cacao beans require optimal growing conditions, which are essential for producing good-quality chocolates. However, growing climate variability such as rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and prolonged dry spells, are making it harder to maintain healthy crops and stable yields.

In a groundbreaking advancement poised to transform global nutrition and agricultural sustainability, researchers have unveiled novel strategies to biofortify staple cereal crops such as rice, wheat, and maize. These initiatives are rooted in recent scientific insights into the metabolic and genetic mechanisms that regulate protein accumulation and amino acid profiles within cereal grains. The implications […]

A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of the pink trumpet tree (Handroanthus avellanedae) by up to 55% and 88%, respectively. This tree also occurs in the Atlantic Forest. The research is published in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution.

The genes that could help the world's crops survive drought, heat, and disease probably already exist. But much of this genetic diversity remains hidden within ancient plant varieties and forgotten seed collections, among millions of DNA differences that are difficult to spot. Now, a new way of reading crop genomes is helping scientists uncover these variations.

The exact origin of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is still a mystery, but researchers believe they are edging closer to the source of one of the most important food staples worldwide. Using genetic studies and ancient plant remains, an international team of scientists has narrowed the location and timeline to the Neolithic period(around 8,000 years ago) in Georgia, in the South Caucasus. They present their findings in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New BASF-Nutrien partnership connects digital tools and agronomy to unlock low-carbon opportunities for farmers across biofuel supply chains. The post BASF and Nutrien Collaborate on Expanding Farmer Access to Low-Carbon Biofuel Markets appeared first on CropLife.

A new study, conducted by researchers from the Netherlands and Germany, estimates that urban agriculture in European cities could produce up to 20 million tons of vegetables annually, representing roughly one-third of the region's current vegetable production. The study, published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society, systematically analyzes the potential of urban agriculture for 840 cities across 30 European countries.

Rice production is heavily dependent on nitrogen fertilizers, particularly in China, where application rates are two to three times the global average. At the same time, a large amount of nitrogen is lost to the environment—mainly in the form of N2. Scientists widely assumed that fertilizer nitrogen was the primary source of this N2 loss—a conclusion that was reinforced by the technical challenge of distinguishing soil-emitted N2 from the atmospheric background.

In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers led by Professor YAN Xiaoyuan from the Institute of Soil Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have fundamentally revised our understanding of nitrogen cycling in flooded rice ecosystems. For decades, the scientific consensus held that the majority […]

Amid the vast expanse of the Pacific, Palmyra Atoll stands as a fragile bastion of ecological complexity, a pristine island ecosystem long celebrated for its intactness amid mounting global environmental degradation. This remote atoll, positioned equidistant between Hawaiʻi and American Samoa, is a natural laboratory for conservationists and evolutionary biologists alike. Recent groundbreaking research, soon […]

‘Slow Magic’ is the term coined for the economic returns on investment (ROI) in the agricultural sector which can take decades or longer to be … The post ‘Slow Magic’ – The Economic Benefits of Canadian Swine Research appeared first on SAIFood.

A new peer-reviewed study conducted by researchers at The University of Toledo and University of Missouri provides some of the first rigorous experimental evidence that goldfish—one of the world's most popular pets—can dramatically change freshwater ecosystems when released or they escape into the wild.

"We figured we could do things exponentially better and faster if we combined resources," says Appetronix founder Nipun Sharma. The post Appetronix acquires salad assembly robotics co Cibotica appeared first on AgFunderNews.

In the quest to unravel the extraordinary efficiency with which photosynthetic organisms harness solar energy, researchers have achieved a remarkable milestone. By developing a cutting-edge transient absorption microscope boasting sensitivity near the single-molecule level, scientists are now equipped to probe the ultrafast excitation dynamics within light-harvesting systems with unparalleled precision. This advancement promises to deepen […]

Palmyra Atoll, a remote, uninhabited speck of land, coral and sea halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on the planet—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze their clothes at night to kill invasive species.

Spring means it’s back to work for your commercial property’s irrigation system. Like bears and bugs, it’s had the winter off.

A 60 Minutes Australia investigation reveals new allegations about Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch, including a 'designer baby project.' New Mexico's Truth Commission is investigating these claims.

Farmers and land managers now have free access to detailed soil data that could help shape cropping decisions, land use and long-term farm p...

From wearable technology to industrial heat recovery, thermoelectric generators which convert waste heat into electricity have an enormous range of potential applications. So far, however, designing high-performing versions of these devices has remained a painstaking task.

Across tropical agrarian landscapes, cacao cultivation faces mounting challenges owing to accelerating climate variability that threatens the stability of yields and the quality of the final harvest. In the global quest to sustain cacao productivity—integral not only to livelihoods but the cherished production of chocolate—a recent pioneering study conducted by researchers at Hasanuddin University in […]

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Welsh farmers risk falling behind the rest of the UK without access to gene editing, NFU Cymru has warned, as the Senedd election approaches...

CJ CheilJedang, the main food and biotechnology arm of CJ Group, has successfully produced garbage bags made from PHA, a biodegradable material developed through the company’s fermentation technology, marking the latest expansion of its commercial use. PHA, or polyhydroxyalkanoate, is produced by microorganisms that feed on plant-derived sugars such as those from sugarcane through a fermentation process. Unlike petroleum-based plastics, it biodegrades in both soil and seawater. Only a handful of companies worldwide can mass-produce PHA, and CJ CheilJedang is the sole domestic producer in Korea. The new bags match conventional garbage bags in tensile strength while offering 1.8 times greater elasticity, allowing them to hold large volumes of waste without tearing, the company said. CJ CheilJedang recently signed an agreement with Jung District office in Seoul and donated 350,000 bags in two sizes — 10 liters and 20 liters. The 10 liter bags will be used for road cleaning, while the 20

Space travel has taught us valuable lessons for living and working in outer space, specifically regarding how microgravity (often mistakenly called zero-gravity) impacts the human body during short- and long-term spaceflight. This includes decreased muscle and bone mass, fluid shifts, reduced heart rate, psychological health, compromised immune system, and radiation exposure. But with agencies like NASA aspiring to build a lunar base and establish a long-term presence on the Moon, and eventually Mars, how could space travel impact potentially having babies in space?

Researchers in Kenya are testing which climate-smart practices work for smallholder farms.

In recent years, the scientific community has begun to recognize the untapped potential of process water generated during hydrothermal carbonization—a byproduct historically regarded as waste. This liquid fraction, which can constitute up to 70% of the original feedstock volume, possesses a complex composition rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and diverse organic compounds. […]

In a groundbreaking advancement at the intersection of environmental science and occupational health, researchers have unveiled a sophisticated exposure scenario tailored specifically for farmworkers, aiming to quantify and mitigate their contact with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through soil contamination. This novel framework, detailed in a recent study led by Lupolt, Simones, and Gillooly, addresses […]

The conversion of Brazil's native biomes into agricultural areas has resulted in an estimated loss of 1.4 billion tons of soil carbon. This amount is equal to the emission of 5.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent, a unit of measurement used to standardize the emission of different greenhouse gases, and was calculated based on data collected from studies conducted over the past 30 years.

Fermeate uses optogenetics—precise control of gene expression with light—to turbocharge productivity in bioreactors, with minimal capex. The post Fermeate raises $2m to deliver “step change” in precision fermentation economics with optogenetics appeared first on AgFunderNews.

The Holy Grail, says Pam Marrone, is a long-lasting, broad-spectrum bioherbicide with pre- and post-emergent activity against resistant weeds. The post Pam Marrone targets resistant weeds with cocktails of microbial metabolites as bioherbicide space heats up appeared first on AgFunderNews.

Biodegradable plastics hold potential for reducing marine plastic pollution, but degrade too quickly, limiting their practical use. Researchers from Gunma University now show that crab shell by-products can reduce the breakdown rate of biodegradable plastics in seawater by altering the microbial communities that colonize their surfaces, known as the plastisphere. These findings could help design plastics that stay durable during use and then degrade at an appropriate time once in the ocean.

By COPILOT Note from Vince Giuliano: As an experiment, I am publishing AI summaries of some of the most important already-published blog posts.  The idea is to convey the important content in a direct, shorter, clearer, easier-to-follow way.  This post … Continue reading →

Survey results suggest a rise in questioning of scientific evidence

Got a mouse in your house? That thought alone may terrify you. Now imagine if mice were scampering through your house, rummaging in your pantry or even running across your face at night.

Recent advancements in sustainable agriculture reveal a promising method to combat the pervasive challenge of soil salinity through the use of halotolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). A groundbreaking study, published in the journal Engineering, presents compelling evidence that delivering these beneficial microorganisms via drip irrigation not only mitigates salt stress but also significantly enhances crop […]

Around the world, people plan to plant more than 1 trillion trees this decade in an ambitious effort to slow climate change and reduce biodiversity loss. But if the past is prolonged, many of those planted trees won't survive. And if they do, they could end up as biological deserts that lack the richness and resilience of healthy forests.

USDA food safety and scientific research personnel will be moved out of Washington to locations across the country, including to a new food safety center in Iowa.

April 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The accident caused the largest ever release of radioactive material into the environment, and at the time people predicted that the affected area would be rendered uninhabitable, devoid of life for thousands of years. But the reality is quite different.

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image: The PAS Meeting connects thousands of leading pediatric researchers, clinicians, and educators worldwide, united by a shared mission: connecting the global academic pediatric community to advance scientific discovery and promote innovation in child and adolescent health. view more  Credit: Pediatric Academic Societies BOSTON, April 24, 2026 – Results from a pilot study of 100 exclusively […]

Brazil’s vast native biomes have long been recognized as critical reservoirs of biodiversity and essential components of the global carbon cycle. However, the conversion of these native ecosystems into agricultural landscapes has come at a substantial environmental cost. A recently published study in Nature Communications reveals that this land-use change has caused a staggering loss […]

Researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have developed a vaccine approach that shows promise in protecting against highly pathogenic bird flu, demonstrating strong efficacy in both mice and cattle. Avian influenza (H5N1) has disrupted agricultural systems globally, leading to the culling of more than 166 million commercial poultry birds in the United States since 2022. In 2024, the virus spread to dairy cattle—an unprecedented interspecies transfer—and subsequently caused illness in about 70 farm workers with close contact to infected animals.

"Our main finding is that trust in government was an important part for people and that they were willing to pay more for that label."

Anthropic this week announced that Claude is adding integration with a ton of third-party services including Spotify, Uber, Resy, and others. more…

Many farmers have looked over a weedy field and dreamed of what it could become with the right management. However, turning overgrown terrain into productive farmland takes more than effort — it demands planning and equipment built for reshaping the landscape efficiently.  Today, modern farming technology and creative landscaping play a key role in transforming […] This information From Wilderness to Harvest: Maximizing Yields with Advanced Dozer Technology in Farm Landscaping appeared first on AgriFarming

New research shows that lower-intensity management of coconut palm plantations can sustain, or even increase, crop yields while improving soil health. The new approach, published in Plants, People, Planet, reduces harmful pathogens and promotes beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, providing a practical model for more sustainable tropical agriculture.

About 23 million people live in Taiwan, a Pacific island about the size of Maryland. Despite its size, the island produces a tremendous amount of agricultural goods per year—about $18 billion, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture.

Chipzilla hopes agents, robots, and edge devices make CPUs cool again... now it has to build the chips Intel is betting on AI to reverse its fortunes, wagering that inference and agentic workloads will restore the CPU to the center of compute - even as its chip manufacturing struggles persist.…

Beneath the dry farmland of New South Wales lies a hidden window into a lost rainforest teeming with life from 11-16 million years ago. At McGraths Flat, scientists have uncovered fossils preserved in astonishing detail—not in typical rock like shale or sandstone, but in iron-rich sediment once thought incapable of such preservation. Tiny iron particles filled and captured entire cells, preserving everything from insect organs to fish eye pigments and delicate spider hairs.

Evelyn Cheng / CNBC: Alibaba says its Qwen AI models will be integrated into BYD, Volkswagen, and other cars, letting users buy food and tickets via voice commands on select models  —  BEIJING — Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Friday that its Qwen artificial intelligence model will be integrated into vehicles …

ICAR-IARI and DMRC signed an MoU to develop India’s first scientific green belt along Delhi’s Yellow Line, using climate-resilient technology and pollution-tolerant plants to enhance urban air quality and sustainability.

Alibaba is rolling out its Qwen AI across multiple car brands, promising hands-free features like ordering meals and managing deliveries from the driver’s seat.

Alibaba is rolling out its Qwen AI across multiple car brands, promising hands-free features like ordering meals and managing deliveries from the driver’s seat.

Sweet proteins such as brazzein add an exciting new dimension to the sugar-reduction toolbox, claims Pentasweet. The post Sweet protein: Pentasweet breaks ground on $76m precision fermentation facility for brazzein appeared first on AgFunderNews.