An awn is a needle-like structure seen in grass species, whose presence or absence in plants is controlled genetically. However, this mechanism is poorly understood in sorghum, a cereal widely consumed around the world. Now, researchers from Japan have identified the “<em>DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR</em>” (or <em>DAI</em>) gene in sorghum to be responsible for inhibiting awn elongation. Their findings provide novel insights into common mechanisms of awn inhibition across various cereal crops.

As climate change shifts precipitation patterns, irrigation can be a powerful tool for increasing the world’s food supply—feeding more than a billion additional people without converting natural spaces into farmland, according to a new study by Carnegie’s Lorenzo Rosa published in Environmental Research Letters.

Extensively used grassland is host to a high degree of biodiversity, and performs an important climate protection function as a carbon sink and also serves for fodder and food production. However, these ecosystem services are jeopardised if productivity on these lands is maximised and their use therefore intensified. Until now, data on the condition of the meadows and pastures in Germany have been unavailable for larger areas. In the journal Remote Sensing of Environment, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have now described how satellite data and machine learning methods enable to assess land-use intensity.

A major new report by scientists warns that global mismanagement of phosphorus is causing twin crises, brought into sharp focus with fertilizer prices skyrocketing in recent months. Global food security remains threatened as many farmers struggle to afford sufficient phosphorus fertilizer for their crops. Meanwhile, overuse of fertilizers and sewage pollution pump millions of tonnes of phosphorus into lakes and rivers each year, damaging biodiversity and affecting water quality.