SoilMate’s Weekly News Digest #8
Greetings to all our readers! Hope you are excited about the latest news from Agritech!
More than half of the world’s agricultural land is at risk of pesticide contamination.
The report from Nature Geoscience provided a global model mapping pollution risk caused by 92 chemicals regularly used in agricultural pesticides in 168 countries.
The University of Sydney Research Associate and the study’s lead author, Dr. Fiona Tang, said the excessive use of pesticides in agriculture while boosting productivity could harm the environment, human and animal health.
“Our study has revealed 64 percent of the world’s arable land is at risk of pesticide pollution. This is important because the wider scientific literature has found that pesticide pollution can have adverse impacts on human health and the environment,” said Dr. Tang.
The study has indicated that coffee waste can boost forest recovery.
A new study has shown that coffee pulp, a waste product of coffee production, can be used to accelerate the recovery of tropical forests on agricultural land.
In this study, the researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii spread 30 coffee pulp dumpers on a 35x40m area of degraded land in Costa Rica and noted the same field without coffee pulp as a control.
“The results were dramatic,” — said Dr. Rebecca Cole, the lead author of the study. “The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native pasture grasses.” After only two years, the area treated with the coffee waste had 80% canopy cover compared to 20% in the control zone.
Made-in-Canada greenhouse gas reductions testing software.
The «Holos» program software evaluates current emissions on farms and demonstrates changes during their reduction practices. To test possible ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the farm, farmers can use Holos for free; Holos is available in English and French.
Holos estimates carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane emissions. It also provides a view of carbon accumulation and loss through actions such as tree planting and other land-use changes. The latest version also includes an essential economic cost/benefit analysis and farm data input.
A team of scientists from Singapore has developed a device to communicate with plants.
A group of scientists led by the Nanyang University of Technology in Singapore (NTU Singapore) developed a device that can transmit electrical signals to and from plants, opening doors for new plant-based technologies.
According to scientists, the ability to measure plant electrical signals can create opportunities for several beneficial applications, such as plant-based robots, which can help collect fragile items or contribute to food security by detecting diseases in crops.
Alltech ONE Ideas Conference returns virtually in 2021 from May 25 to 27.
Each year, the conference usually attracts more than 3,500 participants from over 70 countries to Lexington, Kentucky. In 2020, Alltech ONE Virtual collected over 21,500 registered users from 126 countries online, with continued registration within a year and monthly release of new content.
Alltech ONE Ideas Conference brings together agricultural industry leaders of opinion and change-makers to explore the power of science, sustainability, and storytelling. This year’s virtual event includes tracks that will unlock challenges and opportunities in aquaculture, beef, business, crop production, dairy farming, horse breeding, health, and well-being.
Wishing you a great weekends!
