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Agriculture

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Oct-2026 10:16 ET (20-Oct-2026 14:16 GMT/UTC)

bZIP transcription factor AflHapX coordinates iron homeostasis and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus

Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a paper published in Mycology, a research team led by Professor Shihua Wang at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University revealed that the bZIP transcription factor AflHapX coordinates iron homeostasis and aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Through gene deletion, phenotypic analysis, and transcriptome profiling, the researchers demonstrated that AflHapX governs the adaptive response to both iron-excess and iron-starvation conditions. Deletion of AflhapX not only reduced AFB₁ production but also relieved iron-mediated repression of AFB₁ biosynthesis. Transcriptomic data further showed that AflHapX globally regulates genes involved in iron homeostasis, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and oxidative stress responses at the transcriptional level. This study provides new insights into the interplay between environmental iron availability and mycotoxin production in A. flavus.

Journal: Mycology: An International Journal on Fungal Biology

SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech awarded USDA grant to develop virtual reality course in agricultural engineering

SUNY Cobleskill
Grant and Award Announcement

SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech has received a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to build a prototype virtual reality (VR) course in agricultural engineering and lay the groundwork to test it with students, a step toward giving rural and place-bound farmers a way to gain technical skills without leaving their land.

Funder: National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Bats as a form of biological pest control

University of Göttingen
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Labour-intensive harvesting, complex processing: the macadamia is one of the most expensive nuts in the world. This makes it all the more important to protect the trees from pests. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has now investigated how natural vegetation in and around macadamia plantations affects pest infestation, paying particular attention to bird and bat populations. The researchers were able to demonstrate that the higher the level of bat activity, the lower the incidence of pest infestation. At the same time, yields increased in landscapes with a higher proportion of natural vegetation. The findings were published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.

Journal: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

How a plant’s refusal to self-pollinate could help India grow more of its own cooking oil

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An IIT Gandhinagar-Indian Council of Agricultural Research-DRMR study has characterised the self-rejection genes in India’s commercial mustard varieties, toria and yellow sarson. Combining molecular genetics with Artificial Intelligence-based protein structure prediction, the team mapped the four genes that allow some mustard flowers to turn away their own pollen. The study sheds light on a natural mechanism breeders can harness to produce the high-yielding hybrids the country needs to cut its heavy reliance on imported edible oil.

Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science

Working together to combat wildfires: Building resilient landscapes

University of Göttingen
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Wildfires in the Mediterranean region are becoming drastically more intense. The recent major fires in France, Spain and Greece show that firefighting efforts are reaching their limits. An international research team led by the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel is therefore calling for a fundamentally new approach to landscape design: in the journal iScience, the researchers demonstrate that wildfire prevention should be conceived and planned in conjunction with nature conservation, agriculture and rural development.

Journal: iScience

A University of Stirling study could pave the way for the more efficient study of the secretions that salmon lice use to avoid fish defences, potentially enabling the development of new strategies to protect salmon from infestations. Research led by PhD

University of Stirling
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The new method, as well as allowing study of individuals, also reduces the potential for louse faecal contamination. It allows collection of high-quality samples from a single louse per test, with substantial yields of secretory proteins per louse.

Journal: Veterinary Parasitology
Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, EastBio

Green and efficient maize varieties could raise global yields while reducing nitrogen losses

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Maize production has increased nearly six-fold over the past six decades, but reactive nitrogen losses from maize fields have risen by a similar magnitude. A new study published in Science Bulletin argues that the next step in maize improvement must link yield gains with lower environmental costs.

The researchers introduced the concept of green and efficient, or G&E, maize varieties. These varieties are defined as relative to locally adapted conventional control varieties under comparable management, simultaneously increase grain yield while reducing at least one category of environmental input or reactive loss.

By integrating genetic evidence, reported varieties, field observations and global soil and climate data, the authors found that existing G&E maize varieties already increase yield and nitrogen utilization efficiency respectively by 10.1% and 16.7% on average. Under an ideal full-adoption scenario, such varieties could raise global maize production by 18.1% and reduce reactive nitrogen losses by 26.6%.

Journal: Science Bulletin

Researchers identify "green thumb" molecule that drives leaf stalk growth in plants

Tohoku University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Leaf stalks – the edible part of vegetables like celery and Swiss chard – can grow even bigger than before thanks to key research identifying the role of a potassium channel called AKT5. Until now, its function has been a mystery.

Journal: Science Advances

Major trends in cattle and sheep husbandry drove the economy of Medieval England

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As populations expanded in Medieval England, key changes occurred in the uses of cattle and sheep to produce food and materials, according to a study published September 2, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Matilda Holmes of the University of Leicester, UK, David Orton of the University of York, UK, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

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