Discover Horizon Europe’s LAFERIA project, dedicated to reintroducing landscape features in intensively farmed areas across the EU to support biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

Farming methods that support nature improve both biodiversity and crop yields but more extensive measures may require increased government subsidies to become as profitable as conventional intensive agriculture. That is the finding of the first comprehensive on-farm trials of their kind in the UK, which were led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and Rothamsted Research.

Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and their collaborators examine how common food waste recycling methods, including composting, could have a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and the sparing of natural resources such as land and water. Food loss and waste, in particular, are “a big deal,” says Zhengxia Dou. They account for almost a third of the food produced for human consumption.

Engineers and plant scientists worked together to improve a basic tool of plant research. The result is more efficient and consistent gene editing. That could help researchers develop crops that withstand hot weather, provide better nutrition or contribute to renewable energy production.

Saline–alkali stress disrupts the delicate chemistry of rose petals, reshaping both their color and aroma profiles. 

Cucumbers, a summer staple of salads and sandwiches, are a valuable commercial crop. They also have a less well-known role as valuable model plants which are helping researchers to extend the boundaries of genomic discovery.