Agriculture

  1. Earth

    Too much groundwater pumping is draining many of the world’s rivers

    Too much groundwater use could push over half of pumped watersheds past an ecological tipping point by 2050, compromising aquatic ecosystems worldwide.

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  2. Agriculture

    Birds fed a common pesticide lost weight rapidly and had migration delays

    Scientists have previously implicated neonicotinoid pesticides in declining bee populations. Now a study suggests that songbirds are affected, too.

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  3. Animals

    U.S. honeybees had the worst winter die-off in more than a decade

    Colonies suffered from parasitic, disease-spreading Varroa mites. Floods and fire didn’t help.

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  4. Agriculture

    The U.S. is still using many pesticides that are banned in other countries

    In 2016, the United States used millions of kilograms of pesticides that are banned or being phased out in the European Union, Brazil and China.

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  5. Agriculture

    Can Silicon Valley entrepreneurs make crickets the next chicken?

    Entrepreneurs are bringing automation and data analysis to insect agriculture to build a profitable business that helps feed the planet.

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  6. Plants

    A major crop pest can make tomato plants lie to their neighbors

    Insects called silverleaf whiteflies exploit tomatoes’ ability to detect damage caused to nearby plants.

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  7. Agriculture

    Prosecco production takes a toll on northeast Italy’s environment

    The soil in Northern Italy’s prosecco vineyards is washing away.

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  8. Animals

    This honeybee parasite may be more of a fat stealer than a bloodsucker

    Inventing decoy bee larvae prompts a back-to-basics rethink of a mite ominously named Varroa destructor.

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  9. Agriculture

    A new way to genetically tweak photosynthesis boosts plant growth

    A new chemical road map for a process called photorespiration in plant cells could reduce energy waste to increase plant productivity.

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  10. Agriculture

    50 years ago, screwworm flies inspired a new approach to insect control

    The United States has wiped out screwworm flies repeatedly since 1966 using the sterile male eradication technique.

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  11. Animals

    Hemp fields offer a late-season pollen source for stressed bees

    Colorado’s legal fields of low-THC cannabis can attract a lot of bees.

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  12. Agriculture

    Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well

    Scientists bred a type of weed to lack proteins that help stem the production of bitter chemicals used to ward off insect attacks.

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