EurekAlert! News by Subject: Agriculture - News by Subject: Agriculture

Agriculture

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Apr-2026 17:16 ET (4-Apr-2026 21:16 GMT/UTC)

Tailored biochar strategies boost alfalfa growth and resilience in saline soils

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Soil salinization is a growing global threat that reduces crop yields and limits sustainable agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. A new study shows that carefully designed biochar amendments can significantly improve plant growth and soil health in these challenging environments by reshaping both plant metabolism and soil microbial communities.

Journal: Biochar

Biochar reshapes climate-driven soil emissions, but effects depend on soil type

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that biochar, a carbon-rich material increasingly used in agriculture, can significantly influence how soils respond to warming when releasing nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. The findings highlight that biochar does not act uniformly across environments, but instead produces sharply different outcomes depending on soil type and conditions.

Journal: Biochar

Green tea and biochar combine to create smarter fertilizers that boost crops and cut emissions

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals an innovative fertilizer technology that could make agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and climate-friendly by combining biochar, natural polymers, and green-synthesized iron nanoparticles.

Journal: Biochar

New farming strategy boosts rice yields while saving water and cutting pollution

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study offers a promising solution to one of agriculture’s toughest challenges: how to grow more food while using less water and reducing environmental harm. Researchers have demonstrated that combining a water-saving irrigation technique with an engineered biochar fertilizer can significantly improve rice production while lowering nitrogen pollution.

Journal: Biochar

Two NAC factors team up to drive banana ripening

Maximum Academic Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team has uncovered how two banana transcription factors, MaNAC029 and MaNAC19, work together to coordinate two of the most important events in fruit ripening: ethylene production and sucrose accumulation.

Journal: Plant Hormones

GmJAZ8 speeds soybean seed germination

Maximum Academic Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team has identified GmJAZ8 as a key regulator of soybean seed germination, combining genome-wide association mapping with transcriptomic and functional analyses to show that this gene can accelerate the germination process.

Journal: Seed Biology

Maternal parent sets the pace: Imprinted genes linked to faster drying in hybrid maize seeds

Maximum Academic Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team found that hybrid maize (Zea mays) is often harvested with high seed moisture, increasing drying costs and risking mechanical damage and reduced vigor.

Journal: Seed Biology

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