The Future of Food, Agriculture, and Aquaculture

[caltrek]

Marine Algae Implants Could Boost Crop Yields
March 6, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Scientists have discovered the gene that enables marine algae to make a unique type of chlorophyll. They successfully implanted this gene in a land plant, paving the way for better crop yields on less land.

Finding the gene solves a long-standing mystery amongst scientists about the molecular pathways that allow the algae to manufacture this chlorophyll and survive.

“Marine algae produce half of all the oxygen we breathe, even more than plants on land. And they feed huge food webs, fish that get eaten by mammals and humans,” said UC Riverside assistant professor of bioengineering and lead study author Tingting Xiang. “Despite their global significance, we did not understand the genetic basis for the algae’s survival, until now.”

The study, published in Current Biology, also documents another first-of-its-kind achievement: demonstrating that a land plant could produce the marine chlorophyll. Tobacco plants were used for this experiment, but in theory, any land plant may be able to incorporate the marine algae gene, allowing them to absorb a fuller spectrum of light and achieve better growth.

Chlorophyll is a pigment that enables photosynthesis, the process of converting light into “food,” or chemical energy. Plants produce chlorophyll a and b, while most marine algae and kelp produce c, which enables them to absorb the blue-green light that reaches the water

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1036656

[caltrek]

Some Academics Get Funding for Propping Up the Livestock Industry
by Georgina Gustin
March 13, 2024

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) When researchers at the United Nations published a bombshell report in 2006 called “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” the livestock industry soon realized it had a major public relations challenge on its hands.

Media outlets around the world covered the report and its main findings: Livestock are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that need to be reined in, and cutting emissions from the industry should become a focus of public policy, on par with cutting emissions from fossil fuels. It was the first time such a high-level report had come to this conclusion.

In the following 17 years, the report has been scrutinized by researchers, attacked from every angle, and referenced again and again, held up as a clarion call for worldwide veganism on one side, and on the other, a symbol of the climate-hysterical global nanny state bent on stealing everyone’s cheeseburgers.

But as the public has been whipsawed over its findings, new research says it has become increasingly clear why. Since the publication of the UN report, the livestock industry has worked strategically to unravel or downplay the report’s findings, and the findings of subsequent research that has reached similar or related conclusions.

“A new study, published late last month in the journal Climatic Change, tracks the industry’s response to the report after it was published and in the ensuing years, charting how livestock, dairy, and grain companies, along with the agriculture lobby, have spent billions courting a crucial and influential voice—the academic specialist.

Read more of the Mother Jones article here: https://www.motherjones.com/environmen ... industry/

Extract from the study published in the journal Climatic Change:

Even if fossil fuel emissions were immediately eliminated, emissions from the food system emissions are on track to make it impossible to meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s goals (Clark et al. 2020). Animal-based foods, including livestock feed, account for 57% of global food production emissions (Xu et al. 2021). Animal agriculture is estimated to be responsible for more than one-third of all human-caused methane emissions and more than half of all human-caused nitrous oxide emissions (Shindell et al. 2021; Gerber et al. 2013). Scientists have continued to emphasize that reducing livestock emissions must be considered in mainstream mitigation policy (e.g., Reisinger et al. 2021) and highlighted the benefits of mitigating methane emissions with a shift of production and consumption away from meat products (Clark et al. 2020; Ocko et al. 2021; Reisinger et al. 2021; Shindell et al. 2021).

The USA is the headquarters to some of the largest meat and dairy companies globally (e.g., Tyson Foods, Cargill; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and GRAIN 2018; Lazarus et al. 2021) and is among the leading consumers of meat per capita (OECD 2023). Livestock greenhouse gas emissions in the USA remain effectively unregulated (Lehner and Rosenberg 2017) and government programs continue to support the expansion of meat and dairy production and consumption (Hayes 2022). US meat and dairy companies have, like oil and gas producers, lobbied against climate policies and also supported organizations identified as part of the “climate change countermovement,” such as the American Farm Bureau Federation (Brulle 2014), to delay consensus and policy action on climate change (Lazarus et al. 2021).

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1 ... -03690-w#

[Tadasuke]

Another article about genetically modified potatoes:

Genetically modified potatoes increase yields and eliminate the need for pesticides

Scientists have tested genetically modified potatoes that show promising results in combating late blight, a disease that causes significant crop losses. In field trials, the GMO potato variety Vic.172 showed total resistance to late blight, potentially reducing the need for pesticides.

https://www.warpnews.org/food-tech/gene ... pesticides

And a short article about making salty soil into fertile soil:

Scientists have developed a method to transform salty soil into fertile farmland

The treatment involves burying crop stalks underground and covering them with plastic to retain soil moisture. China, ranked as the third-largest country with salt-alkali soil, sees potential in applying this technique to a third of these lands.

https://www.warpnews.org/innovation/sci ... e-farmland

I wonder if the future of food industry is GMO, vertical farming or precision fermentation.

[caltrek]

FDA to Finally Outlaw Soda Ingredient Prohibited Around the World
by Mike McCrae
March 11, 2024

Introduction:

(Science Alert) An ingredient once commonly used in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the tangy taste mixed thoroughly through the beverage could finally be banned for good across the US.

The FDA proposed in November to revoke the registration of a modified vegetable oil known as BVO in the wake of recent toxicology studies that make it difficult to support its ongoing use.

"The proposed action is an example of how the agency monitors emerging evidence and, as needed, conducts scientific research to investigate safety related questions, and takes regulatory action when the science does not support the continued safe use of additives in foods," James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods, explained when announcing the proposal.

BVO, or brominated vegetable oil, has been used as an emulsifying agent since the 1930s to ensure citrus flavoring agents don't float to the top of sodas. Sticking a dozen bromine atoms to a triglyceride creates a dense oil that floats evenly throughout water when mixed with less dense fats.

Yet that's not BVO's only trick. Animal studies have strongly implied the compound can slowly build up in our fat tissues. With bromine's potential ability to prevent iodine from doing its all-important work inside the thyroid, health authorities around the world have been suspicious of the emulsifier's risks for decades.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/fda-to-fi ... he-world

[caltrek]

Droughts, Complicated by Climate Change, Result in U.S. Beef Herd Hitting Historic Low
by John McCracken
March 13, 2024

Introduction:

(Investigate Midwest) Thirty years ago, the weather on Annie Doerr’s family ranch felt reliable. Now that she’s taken over from her parents, it’s been anything but. In recent years, drought has made finding good pastureland for beef cattle to graze increasingly difficult.

“I always pray for a normal year,” she said, “which I don’t really know what that looks like anymore.”

Drought has affected operations at her 500-head beef cattle farm in Creighton, Nebraska, less than an hour from the South Dakota border.

In any given year, the nation experiences dry periods without rainfall. Livestock producers mitigate the effects by providing additional water sources directly to animals or crops, such as water lines to livestock or irrigation for crops. Droughts occur when dry conditions last longer than usual and water isn’t replenished to crops, groundwater, lakes or other bodies of water, resulting in water-supply problems, according to the United States Geological Survey.

During droughts, Doerr said she weans her calves off milk earlier than usual, a common practice in dry years, but one that can also put young cattle at higher risk of dying. She also slows the growth of her herd, and spends more money on sourcing feed for cattle.

Read more here: https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/03 ... ef-herd/


Source: USDA

[caltrek]

What Progress Has China Made in Agriculture Green Development Over the Past Five Years？
March 27,2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Reconciling the tasks of producing adequate amounts of nutritious food for the increasing global population while preserving the environment and natural ecosystems simultaneously is an enormous challenge. The concept of agriculture green development (AGD) was detailed in 2017 and the necessary governmental policies were developed to address the aforementioned challenge in China and to help achieve the related global sustainable development goals. AGD emphasizes the synergy between green and development; current agriculture has to transform from the intensive farming with high inputs, high environmental impacts and low resource-use efficiency to a more sustainable agriculture, in order to ensure an adequate supply of nutritious food while delivering environmental integrity, improved economic profitability, and social equity. The AGD special plan distinguishes three main systems, including the natural system, the food system, and the human and social system. The food system has four subsystems: (1) green crop production, (2) green integrated crop-animal production, (3) green food and industry, and (4) green ecological environment and ecosystem services.

Prof. Fusuo Zhang and Jianbo Shen from China agricultural university and their team present the progress of AGD that has been made over the past 5 years and makes recommendations for more research and development, in order to better deliver agricultural green and sustainable development on national and international scales. The AGD research program was established as a collaboration between several universities, governments and the private sector in China, under the guidance of China Agricultural University in Beijing. Also, international universities are involved; for example, there is an ongoing joint PhD research program between Wageningen University and China Agricultural University involving 90 PhD students over a period of 7 years (2019−2025). The four research themes of the AGD research program each receive roughly similar financial research support.

In the past five years, the AGD research program has made innovative developments in the theory and practice of the four research themes. The research theme of Green Crop Production focuses on developing innovative crop production methods and technologies for producing adequate amounts of healthy and nutritious plant-based food with reduced agrochemical inputs and lower environmental impacts.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1039394

Read study results as presented in Agricultural Science and Enginering here: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.1 ... E-2024535

[caltrek]

Understanding Cattle Grazing Personalities May Foster Sustainable Rangelands
March 27, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Not all cattle are the same when it comes to grazing. Some like to wander while others prefer to stay close to water and rest areas.

Recognizing those personality differences could help ranchers select herds that best meet grazing needs on rangelands, leading to better animal health and environmental conditions, according to a new paper from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

“Cattle can actually be beneficial for the rangelands,” said lead author Maggie Creamer, who recently earned her Ph.D. in animal behavior at UC Davis. “Vegetation in rangelands actually need these kinds of disturbances like grazing.”

Ranchers can add elements to the rangeland such as water, mineral supplements and fencing to influence where cattle graze, but little research has been done on how those efforts affect individual cows. Considering personalities could save money.

Additional extract:

Keying in on personality type may sound difficult, but the researchers also found some clues as to how to pinpoint the wanderers and homebodies. Unlike cattle at feedlots, the breeding cow population, especially on rangelands in California and other western states, live largely “wild” lives and are rarely handled, save for vaccinations and weaning.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1039344

For a presentation of study results as published in Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 591240002

[caltrek]

Complete Sugarcane Genome Sequence Opens Up New Era in Breeding
March 27,2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) The first comprehensive reference genome for ‘R570’, a widely cultivated modern sugarcane hybrid, has been completed in a landmark advancement for agricultural biotechnology.

Sugarcane contributes $2.2 billion to the Australian economy and accounts for 80 per cent of global sugar supply. The mapping of its genetic blueprint opens opportunities for new tools to enhance breeding programs around the world for this valuable bioenergy and food crop.

It is one of the last major crops to be fully sequenced, due to the fact its genome is almost three times the size of humans’ and far more complex, with more than 100 chromosomes.

The milestone marks a new era in breeding for the crop and was driven by an international research consortium, which included Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, The University of Queensland (UQ), and the Sugar Research Australia.

Principal Investigator and CSIRO Research Scientist Dr Karen Aitken said the breakthrough addresses the critical challenge of stagnating sugar yields by tapping into the previously inaccessible genetic information in the sugarcane genome.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1039240

Read more of study results as presented in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07231-4

[caltrek]

Vaccine Protects Cattle from Bovine Tuberculosis
March 28, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a livestock disease that results in large economic losses to animal agriculture worldwide. The disease can also transmit to humans and cause severe illness and death. Researchers from Penn State, Addis Ababa University and the University of Cambridge have now demonstrated that a vaccine for TB currently used in humans significantly reduces infectiousness of vaccinated livestock, improving prospects for elimination and control. The study published today (March 28) in the journal Science.

The spillover of infection from livestock has been estimated to account for about 10% of human tuberculosis cases. While such zoonotic TB (zTB) infections are most commonly associated with gastrointestinal infections related to drinking contaminated milk, zTB can also cause chronic lung infections in humans. Lung disease caused by zTB can be indistinguishable from regular tuberculosis but is more difficult to treat due to natural antibiotic resistance in the cattle bacteria.

“For over a hundred years, programs to eliminate bovine tuberculosis have relied on intensive testing and slaughtering of infected animals,” said Vivek Kapur, professor of microbiology and infectious diseases and Huck Distinguished Chair in Global Health at Penn State and a corresponding author of the study. “This approach is unimplementable in many parts of the world for economic and social reasons, resulting in considerable animal suffering and economic losses from lost productivity, alongside an increased risk of spillover of infection to humans. By vaccinating cattle, we hope to be able to protect both cattle and humans from the consequences of this devastating disease.”

In the study, carried out in Ethiopia, the researchers examined the ability of the vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), to directly protect cattle that receive it, as well as to indirectly protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle by reducing transmission. They placed vaccinated and unvaccinated animals into enclosures with naturally infected animals in a novel crossover design performed over two years.

“Our study found that BCG vaccination reduces TB transmission in cattle by almost 90%,” said Andrew Conlan, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and a corresponding author of the study. “Vaccinated cows also developed significantly fewer visible signs of TB than unvaccinated ones. This suggests that the vaccine not only reduces the progression of the disease, but that if vaccinated animals become infected, they are also substantially less infectious to others.”

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1039320

caltrek’s comment: I have been down lately on the idea that humans should be eating beef. Perhaps one way to discourage the conspiratorial minded anti-vaxers is to point out that their beef has been vaccinated.

I am so bad.

[caltrek]

Rice Malt Shows Potential to Play a Bigger Role in Beer
March 29, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Rice is showing potential to play a more prominent role in beer brewing, and it helps that Arkansas produces a lot of it.

Arkansas grows about half of the rice in the United States, mostly long-grain. Meanwhile, climate change and international conflicts are leading to a shortage of the raw materials traditionally used for brewing beer, especially barley.

A new study titled “Investigating the Malting Suitability and Brewing Quality of Different Rice Cultivars,” published in February by the Beverages journal, suggests the potential for malted rice to yield robust fermentations in gluten-free, all-malt beer and also in styles that use high adjunct inclusions. An adjunct is an additional source of sugar for beer fermentation.

Rice and corn have been used as an adjunct grain by American brewers since the 1860s. But the rice has been milled white rice, and not malted. Since the malting qualities of U.S. rice cultivars had not yet been evaluated for brewing qualities, one goal of the study was to identify rice cultivars with high malting potential.

University of Arkansas food science graduate student Bernardo P. Guimaraes was the lead author of the malted rice study, which provides the first publicly available data on 19 rice varieties important to the U.S. rice industry that were malted and analyzed for brewing qualities. Flavor chemist and assistant professor in the food science department Scott Lafontaine served as Guimaraes’ advisor on the research.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1039590

(Beverages) Climate change [1] and international hostilities [2] are leading to a shortage of raw materials for brewing and are causing a subsequent increase in the cost of some ingredients, especially malting barley. Access to essential raw materials needed for beverage/ beer production (i.e., hops and grains like barley or wheat) will vary in availability and quality in the coming decades [3]. For example, although malted barley has been traditionally used as the main source of starch for brewing, malting barley prices in the United States have increased up to 63% in the last four years [4] due to these global pressures, and models project that barley yields will continue to be heavily impacted by climate change [5,6].

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a globally important food staple. In 2022, 512 million metric tons of rice were produced throughout the world, with the United States accounting for ~1.0% [7]. In the U.S., most rice is grown in the southern states; for example, Arkansas alone accounts for ~40% of all US rice [8]. Compared to barley, models predict that rice yields might be less impacted by climate change [9]. Therefore, by offering a more locally sourced grain, despite paddy rice being proportionally more CO2 intensive to grow than malting barley [10,11], the lack of international shipping may potentially make up the difference in CO2. Additionally, rice is a gluten-free source of starch for brewers and beverage/food producers.

Cited from the study as published in the Beverages journal: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/10/1/16