Nature is a vital service provider for agriculture in many ways. Fruit trees and other pollinator-dependent crops are pollinated by wild insects like bumblebees, solitary bees, or flies. Other insects like predatory ladybugs or ground beetles eat pests that would otherwise damage or even destroy... click to read more

Climate change will affect rainfall patterns around the world. Because rainfall is such a variable quantity, and models still have a hard time providing reliable projections, few studies have to date ventured to evaluate if these future patterns will move the climate outside the range... click to read more

In the 1980s it was discovered that some relatives of the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia (formerly Pseudomonas cepacia) were able to form close relationships with plant roots, and also make a range of antimicrobials capable of killing plant pathogens. Several US pesticide companies exploited this bacterium... click to read more

Have you ever lost something? Perhaps you have misplaced your keys or left an umbrella on the bus. Generally speaking, losing things has negative consequences. Without your keys, you might be locked out of your house or car, and without your umbrella, you might get... click to read more

Neonicotinoids are a highly controversial class of insecticides that are often applied as seed coatings for crops such as corn, soy and, canola. Neonicotinoids are systemic and water soluble; once treated-seeds are planted, the insecticides are taken up by the growing plant through the roots... click to read more