As climate change and population growth increase pressure on global food production, regional-scale crop growth and associated process (CROP-AP) models have become essential tools for understanding and predicting agricultural productivity. A new review, published in Science China Earth Sciences, categorizes these models into four types—statistical models, crop growth models, hydrology-crop coupling models, and ecosystem models. The study explores their main functions from five aspects: crop yield prediction, crop water consumption, agricultural non-point source pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change impact and responses, and identifies key future research directions, including model validation and calibration, the ability to simulate the coupling of crop physiology and human activities, enhancing model scalability, multi-model ensembles, data and code sharing, and the integration of artificial intelligence.

This study shows that there is a complex and close interaction between plants and the root microbiota in nutrient utilization. Environmental nutrient conditions and plant nutrient-related genes jointly regulate the composition and assembly of the root microbiota, while the root microbiota significantly affects the plant's nutrient utilization efficiency by improving nutrient availability and regulating plant hormones.

The overall Agrifood Economy Index rose to 94 in December, recovering from August’s low of 86, according to the DIAL Ventures December 2024 edition of the Agrifood Economy Index.

The report highlights shifting sentiments across the agrifood industry as stakeholders reflect on economic conditions and future expectations. The overall index score of 94 signals improving sentiment, but it’s still below the neutral threshold of 100, indicating persistent industry pessimism.

Future sentiment shows optimism, with the future index climbing to 102. This marks a return to pre-August levels as industry leaders anticipate improved conditions over the next year.

The new Horizon Europe project, AGRI4POL, aims to assist the transition of agriculture from being a pressure on pollinators to becoming a positive force for biodiversity, crop pollination services, ecosystems and people.