A new study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts presents an environmentally friendly strategy for producing high-quality dissolving pulp from sugarcane bagasse. By integrating carbonate-based oxygen-alkali pulping with an enzymatic totally chlorine-free bleaching sequence, the researchers achieved selective lignin removal while preserving cellulose, significantly reducing chemical consumption and bleaching demand. The work also clarifies the underlying reaction mechanisms governing active oxygen species and enzyme-assisted bleaching, providing a promising route for converting agricultural residues into high-value cellulose products with improved environmental performance.

Degraded soils and the burgeoning challenge of agricultural waste pose significant hurdles to global food security. A recent study, published in Carbon Research, unveils a promising solution: using solar radiation to enhance hydrochar, a carbon-rich material derived from biomass, to create a more effective soil amendment. This innovative approach offers a low-energy pathway to transform materials like pig manure and mandarin peels into powerful tools for soil remediation.

The research team prepared hydrochars under varying hydrothermal carbonization temperatures (180 °C and 260 °C), then subjected them to simulated solar aging for 200 hours, including periodic wetting. Comprehensive characterization using advanced techniques such as FTIR, XPS, 3D-EEM, and ESI-FT-ICR MS was employed to track changes in the hydrochar's physicochemical properties and the composition of its dissolved organic matter (DOM). Soil microcosm experiments further evaluated the impact of these modified hydrochars on paddy soil for 45 days, assessing changes in soil properties and microbial communities.

An international collaboration between Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has successfully grown premium Japanese rice on Kauaʻi using water-saving upland methods. The rice matured one month faster than in Japan while achieving comparable yields and producing larger, higher-quality grains. This research demonstrates the potential to reestablish local rice production, enhance food security, and offer a sustainable farming model for water-scarce island regions.

A UC Davis study reveals the extent a queen bee will go to survive, even offloading contamination to her eggs.

Scholarly publisher and technology provider Pensoft teamed up with senior research fellows in the field to launch Journal of Regeneration (JoR), a new open-access peer-reviewed journal established to promote a transversal biological perspective connecting developmental biology, evolution, ecology, agriculture, and medicine.

Starting from syringic acid, a natural phenolic acid with favorable safety and biodegradability features, Prof. Runjiang Song's team at the State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Guizhou University, designed a series of derivatives by combining the syringic acid scaffold with an allicin-inspired disulfide unit and a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety. Among 34 derivatives, compound C31 emerged as the most potent anti-Xoo molecule, with an EC₅₀ of 0.86 μg/mL. In rice pot experiments, C31 achieved 59.37% control efficacy against bacterial leaf blight, outperforming syringic acid and the commercial reference thiodiazole copper in this study.

Gentle purchase incentives can lead customers to choose groceries with higher animal husbandry standards more often. A recent study at the University of Bonn at least suggests this. The researchers used two different animal welfare label posters as “nudges.” Each poster itself changed the consumer behavior of participants shopping in a virtual supermarket. The share of products with higher animal welfare standards in the shopping cart was highest when both posters were combined. Further studies have yet to clarify the extent to which the results can be transferred to real shopping situations. The study has been published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.