Posts

Algorithms drive irrigation in smart agriculture
Innovation & Technology, NewsIn an attempt to make irrigation more efficient, Stanford University has developed a new and more accurate system for calculating evapotranspiration. Measurement is shortened by 100 times

Excess nitrogen also impacts soil invertebrates and insects
Environment, NewsA Dutch meta-analysis of 126 studies conducted worldwide illustrates the consequences of nitrogen accumulation for soil microfauna. Effects vary across species. Climate factor

Canadian researchers start a soil carbon measurement project
Agricultural Industry, NewsAn annual project in the state of Saskatchewan will collect data on soil carbon occurrence. The goal is to assess soil effects and generate measurable and verifiable emission credits

500,000 deaths a year linked to the decline in pollinators
Environment, NewsThe "prudential" estimate is contained in a new international study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Premature deaths are thought to be caused by decreasing availability and rising prices of healthful foods, which are in turn linked to the global decline of bee and pollinators

Cattle-related deforestation in the Amazon could have been halved
Environment, NewsIf anti-deforestation agreements had been fully implemented, 24 thousand km2 of land could have been saved in the Amazon compared to the 7 thousand actually protected between 2010 and 2018, according to a study from U.S.

From India to Australia: the bauxite paradox
Environment, NewsIn India, the mining of bauxite, a rock needed for aluminum production, takes land away from agriculture, producing permanent soil damage. But this same resource, paradoxically, may carry with it a solution

Spectroscopy offers new opportunities for soil analysis
Innovation & Technology, NewsA research from the University of Katowice opens new perspectives in the field of soil analysis. Through spectroscopy, researchers were able to determine the presence and concentration of key elements in soil

Biochar provides relief for saline soils in Bangladesh
Agricultural Industry, NewsBiochar promotes tomato crop yields in salt-affected soils, a research conducted in Bangladesh has found. Effects on carbon sequestration are also positive

“China must change direction in its anti-desertification strategy”
Agricultural Industry, NewsThe actions promoted in China in the 21st century have reportedly produced limited benefits, a recent study finds. Among other things, Beijing's "Grain for Green" plan has decreased the incomes of farmers and herders. Other natural factors have mainly weighed on land regeneration

Flash droughts are becoming the new normal
Environment, NewsIn six decades, flash droughts have increased in 74 percent of the Planet's regions, says a Chinese study. Climate change remains the main critical factor