A research team has mapped how a key ripening regulator helps strawberries develop the color, softness, sweetness, and aroma that define fruit quality. 

A new genomic study has opened a clearer path toward breeding grapes with more predictable fruit quality, especially in regions where cold, disease pressure, and short growing seasons limit traditional wine grape production.

Over the past decade, potassium deficiency has become more common across the U.S. Cotton Belt as farmers use more modern, high-yielding cotton cultivars that have greater nutrient demands. In 10 field trials conducted by Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons at three Arkansas locations, results showed that potassium fertilization increased cotton yields by up to 70 percent in potassium-deficient soils. No response was observed in soils with optimum potassium availability. The study also showed that lint turnout and quality are positively affected by potassium fertilization, with fiber elongation and strength being more strongly related to potassium availability than other lint quality parameters. As part of their studies on potassium monitoring in cotton, the experiment station researchers also tested methods for collecting cotton tissue samples. The study suggested that concentrations in the petiole had a stronger relationship with relative cotton yield — compared to maximum potential — than in the leaf throughout the growing season. Still, the researchers proposed season-long follow-up tests of both the leaf and petiole for potassium levels.

New study suggests using human urine as a fertiliser could significantly boost sustainable agriculture – but key health risks and knowledge gaps must be addressed before it could be widely adopted.

Single-nucleus RNA-seq atlas of equine skeletal muscle reveals donkey and horse distinct cell types, with species-specific age-related shifts in muscle fiber composition. The conserved upregulation pattern of LDHA reveals the critical role of propanoate metabolism in energy supply for equine locomotion. Cross-species transcriptomic comparison delineates a highly conserved atlas of skeletal muscle cell types.

McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material’s final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. The result, a “doubly curved lens box,” could advance the technology of such objects as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots and smart fabrics, the researchers said.

A global survey traces six centuries of evolution, revealing how university botanic gardens blend historical roots with modern missions in conservation, education, and public well-being.

A pioneering study reveals rich arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in Kano State’s vegetable rhizospheres, highlighting key species for sustainable agriculture and biofertilizer development.