Microorganisms
Overlooked and underfoot, mosses play a mighty role for climate and soil
It’s easy to miss the mosses, the ubiquitous green, silver and brown carpets that drape across nature’s surfaces, from forest to fen. It’s also easy to underestimate just how big a role these small but mighty organisms play in maintaining ecosystems and countering climate change. A recent study in the journal Nature Geoscience looked into […]
For restoration, microbes below ground are just as crucial as the plants above
JAKARTA — How do you supercharge vegetation growth for a reforestation project? Bring in the microorganisms. That’s the finding from a new study, which shows that incorporating a microbial community of fungi, bacteria, algae and archaea into ecosystem restoration can accelerate plant biomass production by 64% on average. Researchers say this application holds plenty of […]
Biofertilizers cut costs and GHG emissions for Brazilian soybean producers
Brazilian soybean producers have been highly successful in using genome technology to benefit their crops, with huge economic and environmental gains, a new paper highlights. Currently, the growers are using biofertilizer on 80% of their crops and their benefits are pushing scientists to develop new bioproducts for other crops as well. Scientists in Brazil have […]
Study: Regenerative farming boosts soil health, yielding more nutritious crops
Plants build themselves from sunlight, water, and soil. And, as it turns out, what crops “eat” can influence the nutrients on our own plates. A recent study, published in the journal PeerJ, compared the nutritional content of food crops grown using conventional versus regenerative farming practices — those that build the soil by using cover […]
Study finds high prevalence of gut parasites in Nepal’s rhinos
KATHMANDU — Decades ago, rhinos in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park were so rare that tourists who ventured on safaris in hopes of a sighting often returned disappointed. Since then, the park’s population of greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) has boomed, from around 100 in the 1970s to 694 in the 2021 census. The animals are […]