Agriculture
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Nov-2025 02:11 ET (8-Nov-2025 07:11 GMT/UTC)
Cassava gene MeFER4 found to heighten stress sensitivity in transgenic plants
Maximum Academic PressA research team has uncovered the unexpected role of the cassava ferritin-like gene MeFER4 in plant stress responses.
- Journal
- Tropical Plants
SFU indoor berry research scales up and branches out with support from the Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Simon Fraser UniversityGrant and Award Announcement
Greenhouse berry production research at Simon Fraser University (SFU) is ramping up thanks to $5 million in new funding over three years from the Weston Family Foundation’s Homegrown Innovation Challenge.
The SFU-led project—developed in collaboration with industry partner BeriTech—is one of four Canadian projects selected to participate in the Challenge’s Scaling Phase. With this support, the team will continue advancing their indoor blueberry trials while branching out to include raspberries and blackberries. The goal: to develop sustainable, scalable, and economically viable indoor growing systems that can support Canadian farmers year-round.
Expanding Montana’s precision ag: Anish Sapkota studies water, soil and more in agricultural systems
Montana State UniversityGrant and Award Announcement
Sapkota received a 2025 Emerging Scientist Award from the Western Society of Crop Science.
Deep learning tool “LKNet” sets new benchmark for accurate rice panicle counting across growth stages
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of ScienceA research team has developed an advanced deep learning model, LKNet, to improve the accuracy of rice panicle counting in dense crop canopies.
- Journal
- Plant Phenomics
New AI model enhances crop growth monitoring with minimal field data
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of ScienceA research team has developed a novel deep learning framework that integrates 3D radiative transfer modeling (RTM) with a knowledge-guided convolutional neural network (KGCNN) to accurately and dynamically retrieve maize leaf area index (LAI) across different years and growth stages.
- Journal
- Plant Phenomics
OLED materials have potential new uses in detecting pesticides for the farming industry
Northumbria UniversityGrant and Award Announcement
Researchers are set to shine a different kind of light on the farming industry after receiving funding to explore how fluorescent materials used in TV and phone screens can detect the presence of pesticides and herbicides in food production.
- Funder
- Royal Society