An international team of scientists has uncovered new information about the natural enemies of the weevil beetle Lixus subtilis, a notorious agricultural pest. Published in the journal ZooKeys, the study reveals the discovery of an entirely new species of hyperparasitoid wasp in China, named after the famous writer Ernest Hemingway, alongside the first regional record of a wasp species that parasitises the weevil pest. Together, these findings offer critical insights into complex agricultural food chains and provide a foundational step toward developing better biological pest control methods. 

A research team has found that adding mulberry branch-derived biochar to feed can improve intestinal health and water quality in largemouth bass aquaculture without significantly changing fish growth performance.

Beijing, China – A recent field experiment reveals how applying biogas slurry as a topdressing can profoundly influence soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a critical component of soil health and carbon cycling, particularly in dryland agricultural settings. Published in Carbon Research, new findings from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences provide a comprehensive understanding of how this sustainable agricultural practice reshapes carbon transformation and stabilization across different maize growth stages and soil depths.

Biogas slurry, a nutrient-rich byproduct of anaerobic digestion, offers significant potential for sustainable agriculture by recycling organic waste and partially replacing chemical fertilizers. Despite its known benefits, the specific mechanisms by which biogas slurry topdressing (BSTD) regulates soil DOC dynamics under real-world field conditions, considering both crop growth and varied soil layers, remained largely unclear. Soil DOC is a highly mobile carbon fraction that fuels microbial activity and influences nutrient availability, making its precise management vital for robust agroecosystems.