Global methane emissions from agriculture larger than reported, according to new estimates.

Global methane emissions from agriculture larger than reported, according to new estimates.Global methane emissions from agriculture are larger than estimated due to the previous use of out-of-date data on carbon emissions generated by livestock, according to a new study. In a project sponsored by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Carbon Monitoring System research initiative, researchers from the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) found that global livestock methane (CH4) emissions for 2011 are 11% higher than the estimates based on guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2006. This encompasses an 8.4% increase in CH4 from enteric fermentation (digestion) in dairy cows and other cattle and a 36.7% increase in manure management CH4 compared to IPCC-based estimates. Revised manure management CH4 emissions estimates for 2011 in the US from this study were 71.8% higher than IPPC-based estimates. Global methane emissions from agriculture larger than reported, according to new estimates.

Massive projected increase in use of antimicrobials in animals by 2030.

Massive projected increase in use of antimicrobials in animals by 2030. The amount of antimicrobials given to animals destined for human consumption is expected to rise by a staggering 52 percent and reach 200,000 tons by 2030 unless policies are implemented to limit their use, according to new research. 

 The researchers, from ETH Zürich, Princeton, and the University of Cambridge, conducted the first global assessment of different intervention policies that could help limit the projected increase of antimicrobial use in food production. 

Their results, reported in the journal Science, represent an alarming revision from already pessimistic estimates made in 2010, pushed up mostly by recent reports of high antimicrobial use in animals in China. In modern animal farming, large quantities of antimicrobials are used for disease prevention and for growth promotion. 

"Globally, animals receive almost three times as many antibiotics than people, although much of this use is not medically necessary, and many new strains of antibiotic-resistant infections are now common in people after originating in our livestock," said co-author Emma Glennon, a Gates Scholar and PhD student at Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine.Massive projected increase in use of antimicrobials in animals by 2030.

Win-win strategies for climate and food security.

Climate policies that target agriculture and forests could lead to increased food prices, but reducing deforestation and increasing soil carbon sequestration in agriculture could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while avoiding risk to food security, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. As countries look to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, many see potential in their forests and farms. The land-use sector, which includes agriculture and forestry, contributes approximately 25% of the human-caused greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change. At the same time, vegetation, including natural as well as agricultural lands, take up CO2 from the atmosphere and can store it in biomass and the soil. "The land-use sector is key for successful climate change mitigation.Win-win strategies for climate and food security.

Green pesticide to get rid of apple snails.

Green pesticide to get rid of apple snails.Researchers have succeeded in creating a green technology that is an environmental-friendly poisonous pesticide to kill apple snails that have been destroying agricultural produce, especially rice crops. Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) have succeeded in creating a green technology Nano-Emulsion Formulation of Saponin, which is an environmental-friendly poisonous pesticide to kill apple snails that have been destroying agricultural produce, especially rice crops. Green pesticide to get rid of apple snails.

Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields.

Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields.Scientists believe that biochar, the partially burned remains of plants, has been used as fertilizer for at least 2,000 years in the Amazon Basin. Since initial studies published several years ago promoted biochar, farmers around the world have been using it as a soil additive to increase fertility and crop yields. But a new study casts doubt on biochar's efficacy, finding that using it only improves crop growth in the tropics, with no yield benefit at all in the temperate zone. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Canada and the U.S. gathered data from more than 1,000 experiments conducted around the world that measured the effect of biochar on crop yield. By using meta-analysis, an advanced statistical technique that analyzes many studies at the same time, they performed rigorous testing to determine whether the beneficial effect of adding biochar depends on geography. Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields.

Turning pollen into a low-cost fertilizer.

Turning pollen into a low-cost fertilizer. As the world population continues to balloon, agricultural experts puzzle over how farms will produce enough food to keep up with demand. One tactic involves boosting crop yields. Toward that end, scientists have developed a method to make a low-cost, biocompatible fertilizer with carbon dots derived from rapeseed pollen. The study found that applying the carbon dots to hydroponically cultivated lettuce promoted its growth by 50 percent. Turning pollen into a low-cost fertilizer.

Innovative farmers improve soils in shared rotations.

Innovative farmers improve soils in shared rotations. Three forward thinking arable and horticultural farmers, who each grow different crops in a shared rented land rotation, are pioneering a collaborative approach to improving the long-term health of their soils. Jepco, Lovedon Estates and Worth Farm introduced overwintering cover crops into their shared rotations to improve organic matter and soil health and to assess the impact on yields and quality of their cash crops – sugar beet, potatoes and lettuce. The collaboration is part of the AHDB GREATsoils programme and early anecdotal feedback indicates the farmer-led trial is already starting to reap rewards. Nick Sheppard, Jepco said: “We have found an increase of almost eight per cent in lettuce yield after overwintering cover crops, compared to bare soils. We also perceived a reduction in fuel use in soil cultivation and better water infiltration after heavy rain falls in the lettuce fields that had an overwintered cover crop, compared to fields which were ploughed or left as an over winter stubble." Innovative farmers improve soils in shared rotations.