Agriculture
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Dec-2025 22:11 ET (3-Dec-2025 03:11 GMT/UTC)
Cabernet sauvignon’s long memory revealed
University of California - DavisPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Genome Biology
- Funder
- U.S. National Science Foundation, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Ray Rossi Endowment
Concordia researchers model a sustainable, solar-powered 15-minute city
Concordia UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Sustainability
- Funder
- Volt-Age, Seed funds, Smart Solar Community Living Lab London/Ontario
2025 Tata Transformation Prize recognizes three Indian scientists driving global solutions for people and the planet
New York Academy of SciencesGrant and Award Announcement
2025 Tata Transformation Prize Winners
Food Security Winner: Padubidri V. Shivaprasad, PhD, National Centre for Biological Sciences
Padubidri V. Shivaprasad, PhD, addresses one of India’s greatest challenges: feeding a population projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050 amid shrinking farmland and worsening climate stress. His groundbreaking work uses epigenetic engineering and small RNA–based modifications in rice, India’s primary staple crop, to enhance stress tolerance and nutritional quality. By precisely altering the expression of key genes, Prof. Shivaprasad’s approach surpasses the limits of conventional plant breeding, which can be slow and unpredictable. His engineered rice varieties promise to reduce fertilizer and pesticide dependence, lower production costs, and improve nutrition for millions. Beyond India, this innovation offers a sustainable blueprint for staple crops worldwide in the face of global climate change.
Sustainability Winner: Balasubramanian Gopal, PhD, Indian Institute of Science
India’s growing biomanufacturing sector urgently needs cleaner, cost-effective alternatives to traditional energy-intensive chemical synthesis methods. Balasubramanian Gopal, PhD, has developed a green chemistry platform that harnesses bioengineered E. coli bacteria to produce key chemicals used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture. Integrating artificial intelligence with experimental biology, his lab rapidly designs efficient enzymes and optimizes microbial strains for high yields, without antibiotics or harmful additives. This sustainable technology can replace traditional chemical manufacturing, thus reducing pollution, enhancing domestic production, and positioning India as a global leader in environmentally responsible biomanufacturing.
Healthcare Winner: Ambarish Ghosh, PhD, Indian Institute of Science Ambarish Ghosh, PhD, is pioneering a breakthrough in cancer treatment using magnetic nanorobots – tiny, helical devices that can be safely guided through the body using magnetic fields. These nanorobots are designed to navigate complex biological environments, deliver drugs directly to tumors, and distinguish cancerous tissue from healthy cells. His team is also creating real-time imaging tools to track and steer the nanorobots during treatment. This technology promises more precise, less invasive cancer therapies with fewer side effects, with the potential to revolutionize cancer care worldwide and make advanced treatments more accessible and affordable in India and other low- and middle-income countries.
Climate resilience found in traditional Hawaiian fishponds
University of Hawaii at ManoaPeer-Reviewed Publication
New research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biolog revealed Indigenous aquaculture systems, such as fishponds, effectively shield fish populations from the negative impacts of climate change, demonstrating resilience and bolstering local food security.
- Journal
- npj Ocean Sustainability
- Funder
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Research shows flavor, color drive premium prices for Texas tomatoes
Texas A&M AgriLife CommunicationsA new Texas A&M AgriLife Research study shows consumers are willing to pay more for flavorful, vividly colored tomatoes regardless of origin– evidence that sensory traits, not just a “local” label, drive what people value most in fresh produce.
Published in Agribusiness, the peer-reviewed study was led by Samuel Zapata, Ph.D., an associate professor in Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Agricultural Economics, based at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen.
Medieval communities boosted biodiversity around Lake Constance
Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyPeer-Reviewed Publication
A new international study shows that medieval communities around Lake Constance actively boosted biodiversity. Combining fossil pollen, archaeobotanical evidence, and historical records, researchers document a sustained rise in plant diversity peaking around 1000 CE. The findings demonstrate that human activity can enhance biodiversity while sustaining food production, offering timely lessons for modern conservation strategies in the Anthropocene.
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences