Wheat plants can do more than grow grain. Research shows that their roots release natural compounds that slow down soil microbes and keep nitrogen in the soil potentially cutting losses, greenhouse gas emissions and costs for farmers.

Managing the 1.7 billion tons of pig manure produced globally each year presents a dual challenge for agriculture: preventing air and water pollution while retaining valuable nutrients for fertilizer. Aerobic composting is a common solution, but the process releases significant amounts of ammonia (NH₃), an air pollutant, and nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have developed an effective and scalable solution by creating an iron-modified biochar (FeBC) that simultaneously cuts these emissions and improves compost quality.

The research team, led by Qingwen Zhang, prepared the additive by infusing biochar derived from corn stover with an iron solution. This simple modification produced a material with a 4.6-fold increase in specific surface area and a richer array of surface functional groups compared to untreated biochar. In a controlled composting experiment with pig manure, the addition of 5% FeBC dramatically reduced cumulative NH₃ emissions by 46.7% and N₂O emissions by 41.7% relative to the unamended control. The iron-fortified biochar also outperformed standard biochar, demonstrating its superior ability to lock nitrogen into the compost.

Over-reliance on chemical fertilizers to feed a growing population has often led to soil degradation and a decline in microbial diversity. Scientists are seeking sustainable alternatives that can maintain crop yields while revitalizing the soil. A new field study from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences offers a promising solution by demonstrating how biogas slurry—a nutrient-rich liquid byproduct of anaerobic digestion—can significantly enhance soil health and its ability to sequester carbon.

The investigation was conducted over three years at a dryland agriculture research station in China. Researchers compared the effects of applying biogas slurry topdressing (BST) against conventional chemical fertilizer topdressing (CFT) on maize crops. By collecting soil samples at three different depths and three distinct crop growth stages, the team performed a comprehensive analysis of soil chemistry and used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to map the changes in the bacterial communities over time and space.

Soil salinization is one of the world’s most pressing threats to agriculture, especially in dry and semi-dry regions where salts and high pH can build up in the soil. These harsh conditions limit root growth, reduce nutrient uptake, and weaken crop productivity. Now, a new study shows that carefully designed biochar amendments can do more than improve soil chemistry. They can also guide plant metabolism and reshape beneficial microbial communities around the roots.

The use of historical art to see ecosystems of the past, owls as a pest-control strategy and more from ESA’s journals.

As cases of a deadly cattle disease rise in Arkansas, researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are testing two treatments they hope will help ranchers protect their herds. No approved drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent the pathogen are currently available in the United States, but research on the two methods to control it is now underway at the experiment station thanks to a two-year, $492,218 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A new study from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences pitted ordinary pets, trained by their owners, against experienced human searchers in a hunt for spotted lanternfly egg masses. It was the first test of community dog-handler teams in real-world conditions, where egg masses occur naturally, scents compete, and target locations are unknown. The dogs outperformed the people by more than 2 to 1 in densely vegetated areas.