The soil-dwelling bacteria that we walk on every day are working their way into technologies that could help feed the world. (National Geographic) — On a frigid day last February, Maren Friesen drove eight hours across...

(Greenhouse Management) — When it comes to battling plant diseases in greenhouses and nurseries, chemicals remain the clear weapon of choice among greenhouse growers, though the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains of...

(The Independent) — Scientists have created the first “semi-synthetic” micro-organism with a radically different genetic code from the rest of life on Earth, according to a story in the British publication The Independent....

(phys.org) — Scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have identified a benign bacterium that shows promise in blocking Salmonella from colonizing raw tomatoes. Their research is published ahead of print...

(Phys.Org) — Injecting crop protection products into the root zone of the plant creates possibilities for effectively dealing with difficult to control pest insects. This was shown in an exploratory practical test by...

(VOA) — “That insect’s dead.” Shawn Semones holds up a little plastic cup in which a little worm-like insect lies in repose, sprouting a fine white coat of mold. That fungus not only killed the insect pest, the white coat...

(University of Georgia) — A University of Georgia researcher is using two new traps and the beetle’s sex drive to trap and control the pest that damages the roots of pecan trees. Prionus root borers, the larval stage...

(phys.org) — The Chrysodeixis chalcites moth is regarded as one of the most serious pests in horticultural, ornamental and fruit crops. On the Canary Islands they can be responsible for losses of up to 30 percent in the...

(science2.0) — As scientists try to forecast the effects of climate change, one of the missing pieces of the puzzle is what will happen to the carbon in the soil and the microbes too. Scientists studying grasslands in...

(phys.org) — Grasshoppers may be small, but the damages they are causing to the U.S. agriculture industry are anything but. Every year, they feed on crops and on rangelands needed for raising livestock, costing landowners...

(EurekaAlert!) — To safely use bacteria in agriculture to help fertilize crops, it is vital to understand the difference between harmful and healthy strains. The bacterial genus Burkholderia, for example, includes...