More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji’s agroforests
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jul-2025 22:10 ET (26-Jul-2025 02:10 GMT/UTC)
New Arizona State University-led research findings from studying over two decades of satellite observations reveal that the Earth’s continents have experienced unprecedented freshwater loss since 2002, driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts. The study highlights the emergence of four continental-scale “mega-drying” regions, all located in the northern hemisphere, and warns of severe consequences for water security, agriculture, sea level rise, and global stability. The research team reports that drying areas on land are expanding at a rate roughly twice the size of California every year. And, the rate at which dry areas are getting drier now outpaces the rate at which wet areas are getting wetter, reversing long-standing hydrological patterns. The negative implications of this for available freshwater are staggering. 75% of the world’s population lives in 101 countries that have been losing freshwater for the past 22 years.
In the middle of summer, garden vegetables like green beans are proliferating, but so are pests that like to chew and suck on them. Now, a study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests growing bush basil near bean plants could offer a cost-effective, natural (and tasty!) alternative to chemical repellants. The fragrant herb not only helped the beans develop their own defenses against spider mites but also attracted the pests’ natural enemies.
A new article appearing in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry explores the concept of “superfoods” and makes a case that fresh grapes have earned what should be a prominent position in the superfood family.[1] The author, leading resveratrol and cancer researcher John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D., D.Sc., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University, brings forth an array of evidence to support his perspective on this issue.
[1] Pezzuto, John M. (2025). Perspective: Are Grapes Worthy of the Moniker Superfood? J. Agric. Food Chem. Doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c05738
A research team developed a novel method using bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) spectra combined with the PROSPECT-PRO model and modified ratio indices to estimate nitrogen content nondestructively.
In semiarid farmlands, microbes are quietly shaping the planet's carbon cycle.