Plant/crop science | TableDebates

Image: Candiix, Wheat field, Pixabay, Pixabay Licence

Journal articles

Cutting NOx pollution could significantly raise crop yields

Using satellite imagery, this paper characterises the impacts of nitrogen oxide pollution on crop growth - a relationship which has remained poorly understood until now. Consistently negative impacts of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on crop greenness (which is correlated with growth and yield) were found across five major agricultural regions. The authors estimate that crop yields could be increased by reducing nitrogen dioxide pollution.

Agroecology

What is agroecology?

In response to concerns about global hunger and malnutrition, climate and environmental crises, and corporate consolidation in agri-food value chains, increasing numbers of stakeholders are arguing for agroecology as a way of providing healthy nutritious food in an equitable and sustainable manner. This explainer provides an overview of the historical development and various definitions of agroecology and explores some of the major debates related to its use. https://www.doi.org/10.56661/96cf1b98

Phytomicrobiome interactions and sustainable agriculture

Phytomicrobiome interactions and sustainable agriculture

This book gives an overview of the phytomicrobiome - that is, the microbes that live in and around plants - and how it affects agricultural productivity. It is aimed at students, policymakers and researchers of plant biology.

News and resources

Blog series: Palaeobenchmarking Resilient Agricultural Systems

This blog series from the Future Food Beacon at the University of Nottingham explores the Palaeobenchmarking Resilient Agricultural Systems (PalaeoRAS) research project. The PalaeoRAS project seeks to understand how crops responded to climate stress in the past and might respond in the future.

Image: arjunreddy223344, Drum Stick Drumstick Tree, Pixabay, Pixabay Licence

Journal articles

Perennial vegetables for biodiversity, climate and nutrition

This paper by FCRN member Eric Toensmeier argues that perennial vegetables (those grown on plants that live for more than two years) are underappreciated as a source of nutrients, as a means of sequestering carbon and as beneficial to biodiversity.

Proteomics for food authentication

This book explores how proteomics - the study of the set of proteins produced by an organism or system - can be used to verify claims about the origin of foods such as milk, meat, fish, wine and honey.

Long-term farming systems research

This book discusses long-term experiments in agriculture, including their history, the insights they have produced, and the relationship of the experiments to agriculture’s environmental and social implications.

The boundaries of plant breeding

This report from UK group Beyond GM (directed by FCRN member Pat Thomas) presents the results of a world café held in September 2019. The world café brought together people representing a wide variety of practices, beliefs and views on the subject of genome editing in plant breeding, and the conversation covered values, worldviews, ethics, regulation, citizen engagement and more.

Biopesticides for sustainable agriculture

This book reviews research on the development of biopesticides, including those based on microbes, natural substances and pheromones.