https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Nitrogen in the soil, where plants can readily utilize it, benefits crop growth and health. However, nitrogen leaving the soil—whether through leaching into the groundwater table, flowing with surface runoff into streams or escaping into the air as ammonia or in nitrous oxide emissions—is detrimental to the environment. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-manure-crops-pollution-corn.html Agriculture Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:41:18 EDT news646566074 As global climate warming becomes increasingly severe, scientists are delving deeper into greenhouse gas emissions across various industries. Recently, a study from Duke Kunshan University and Yangzhou University on the changes in China's agricultural carbon emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic has garnered widespread attention. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-profound-impact-covid-china-agricultural.html Environment Tue, 10 Sep 2024 17:19:03 EDT news645207541 Would you eat potatoes grown in human poo? And how would you feel if the marigolds in your local park sprouted from human manure? In the midst of climate crisis, human manure offers significant environmental benefits. But can we overcome the "yuck factor" to embrace this sustainable solution? https://phys.org/news/2024-08-human-manure-nightsoil-great-crop.html Other Agriculture Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:30:04 EDT news643462201 Urban soils often contain chemical contaminants, such as heavy metals or trace amounts of antibiotics, along with higher levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New research from the University of Maryland suggests that, in some cases, boosting urban soil health with compost and treated manure may reduce the amount of "bad" bacteria. Understanding these dynamics has important implications for improving the quality and safety of fresh produce in urban agriculture. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-manure-compost-probiotics-antibiotic-resistance.html Agriculture Wed, 14 Aug 2024 16:21:03 EDT news642871261 A technology has been developed to quickly convert livestock manure, a significant issue in animal farming, into valuable "black gold" rich in carbon within a day. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-quickly-livestock-manure-biochar.html Biotechnology Agriculture Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:11:03 EDT news633359461 In agroecosystems where manure is applied as organic fertilizer, these antibiotic residues exert strong selective pressure on soil microbial communities. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) from animal manure would increase the concentration of ARB in soils. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-manure-effective-soil-antibiotic-resistant.html Cell & Microbiology Agriculture Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:19:03 EST news625929541 A study published in the journal Science China Life Sciences was led by Prof. Weidong Cao (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) and Prof. Zongxian Che (Institute of Soil and Fertilizer and Water-saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agriculture Sciences). https://phys.org/news/2023-12-long-term-green-manuring-core-microbiomes.html Ecology Agriculture Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:06:03 EST news621615961 An interdisciplinary team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists has developed a new technique that could help farmers extract useful nutrients such as ammonia and potassium from livestock manure to efficiently make fertilizer and other useful chemical products. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-zapping-manure-special-electrode-efficient.html Biotechnology Agriculture Mon, 11 Dec 2023 16:45:04 EST news621535502 Chemicals—from antibiotics used to keep livestock healthy to pesticides that shield crops from insects and other pests—play an important role in modern agriculture. However, many of these substances accumulate in cow manure used as fertilizer, where they contaminate crops, leach into groundwater, and pollute waterways, posing a threat to human health and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-environmental-anaerobic-digestion-cattle-manure.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 07 Dec 2023 16:43:56 EST news621189834 Japan's space industry opened potentially an udder-ly new chapter on Thursday with a start-up testing a prototype rocket engine that runs on fuel derived purely from a plentiful local source: cow dung. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-moo-n-cow-dung-fuels-japan.html Space Exploration Thu, 07 Dec 2023 07:26:39 EST news621156392 Intensive dairy cattle farming is a significant source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, that contributes to global warming and thus climate change. A study in the International Journal of Global Warming has looked at emissions in part of Turkey from 2016 to 2020 to determine what might be done to reduce emissions of this gas. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-double-edged-methane-emissions-dairy-cattle.html Environment Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:23:03 EDT news616335781 The overuse of fossil fuels has led to pollution that has become a globally recognized environmental problem. Therefore, adjusting the energy structure and gradually reducing the use of traditional fossil fuels such as oil and coal while developing green, low-carbon, and sustainable energy sources has become a hot topic in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cow-manure-synthetic-gas-optimize.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:40:04 EDT news616333202 Global population growth, socioeconomic development and improved living standards have led to surging demand for livestock and poultry products such as meat, eggs and milk. Consequently, it stimulated the rapid development of livestock and poultry industry and aggravated the environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-livestock-manure-perspective-carbon-neutrality.html Environment Mon, 18 Sep 2023 12:55:04 EDT news614260501 A low-tech solution to help farmers make more money from their muck could also help reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance from sewage and manure, according to scientists at The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen and Center for Environmental Health and Engineering (CEHE) in Surrey. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-low-tech-sludge-solution-antimicrobial-resistance.html Biotechnology Agriculture Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:39:03 EDT news611584741 Approximately a third of all anthropogenic methane is emitted by ruminant livestock. These animals get nutrients through fermenting food in four-chambered stomachs found in cows, sheep, and goats. They produce methane in two ways: through belching and from the decomposition of their manure under certain conditions. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-red-sea-plume-alga-greenhouse.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 13 Jul 2023 09:02:36 EDT news608457752 An international collaboration between researchers from Brazil and the United States has identified a process for turning poultry waste into a soil additive for agriculture. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-chicken-manure-nutrient-rich-fertilizer-crops.html Agriculture Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:18:03 EDT news607101481 Ending hunger by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. This is a huge challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where one third of all households are still exposed to food insecurity. To meet the demand of the rapidly growing African population, there is widespread consensus that farmers need to boost cereal crop yields. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-african-farmers-slash-reliance-mineral.html Ecology Agriculture Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:50:01 EDT news601904414 Animal agriculture is a major source of water pollution in the United States, as manure runoff carries excess nutrients into rivers and lakes. Because of their non-point source nature, most farms are not regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. This leaves pollution control up to the states, resulting in a patchwork of different approaches that are difficult to evaluate. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-local-manure-pollution-dairy-farms.html Agriculture Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:09:04 EDT news598550941 French food giant Danone said Tuesday it would slash planet-warming methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, vowing to change the way the cows it uses are raised and milked. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-dairy-giant-danone-vows-slash.html Environment Tue, 17 Jan 2023 12:23:47 EST news593180624 As phosphate fertilizer prices remain at very high levels after spiking this year, scientists are calling for urgent measures to manage phosphorus, a vital element essential for food production, but which is also behind environmental pollution in our rivers and lakes. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-scientists-uk-roadmap-phosphoruskey-ingredient.html Agriculture Thu, 15 Dec 2022 03:47:16 EST news590298430 Factory farming for meat production is harmful to the environment. In addition to its direct emissions of methane, its use of liquid manure releases climate-damaging nitrogen compounds such as ammonia and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere and pollutes the groundwater with nitrates. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have analyzed how the liquid manure produced by livestock farming, which is often used as fertilizer, affects its nitrogen footprint. They showed that the nitrogen pollution caused by liquid manure from the production of beef is three times higher than that for pork and eight times higher than that for poultry. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-nitrogen-footprint-heavy-pollution-resource.html Ecology Agriculture Fri, 15 Jul 2022 13:19:03 EDT news577109942 Not that long ago, weeds spread at a much slower rate. Seeds would spread to nearby soil and move perhaps a few feet each year or would be transplanted by birds who flew with them several miles away. In today's interconnected world, though, weeds can hitch a ride on a truck, boat, or even an airplane. What once might've taken generations to spread weeds from one region to another now takes no time at all. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-tracking-weeds-tracks.html Agriculture Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:32:49 EDT news573813164 As two important greenhouse gases, about 20% and 62% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions originate from the soil, especially agricultural and forest soils. Therefore, it is necessary to explore sustainable management strategy to decrease soil CO2 and N2O emissions. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-cattle-manure-biochar-offset-earthworm.html Environment Wed, 16 Mar 2022 11:44:55 EDT news566649892 Inspiration struck Yi Zheng on a summer visit to a local dairy farm. There were cows and horses and, Zheng noticed, that meant that there was manure everywhere. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-manure-solution-global-crisis.html Materials Science Thu, 21 Oct 2021 07:56:55 EDT news554021812 Cow manure—a longtime agricultural waste headache for dairy farmers—soon may ignite a new sustainable fertilizing trend. https://phys.org/news/2021-08-sustainably-harness-cow-manure.html Environment Mon, 30 Aug 2021 11:14:32 EDT news549540870 For corn, using dairy manure and legume cover crops in crop rotations can reduce the need for inorganic nitrogen fertilizer and protect water quality, but these practices also can contribute to emissions of nitrous oxide—a potent greenhouse gas. https://phys.org/news/2021-04-climate-smart-ag-strategies-nitrous-oxide.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Thu, 22 Apr 2021 10:18:36 EDT news538305513 In the dry air and soil of Texas' Southern High Plains, improving soil health can be tough. We usually think of healthy soil as moist and loose with lots of organic matter. But this can be hard to achieve in this arid area of Texas. https://phys.org/news/2021-03-manure-soil-microbe.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:57:45 EST news534603461 A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences working with the Beijing Zoo, has found a possible explanation for horse manure rolling (HMR) by giant pandas. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group outlines their decade-long study of the odd behavior by the pandas and what they found. https://phys.org/news/2020-12-giant-pandas-horse-manure.html Plants & Animals Veterinary medicine Tue, 08 Dec 2020 10:30:01 EST news526644984 A team of biologists from RUDN University working together with foreign colleagues have summarized the results of 520 studies on the impact of manure on the soil and created a snapshot of all biochemical processes that go on in fertilized soils. The team also compared the effect of manure with and without mineral additives, showed how manure from different animals affects the fertility of the soil, and calculated the optimal amount of manure for soil fertilization. The results of the study were published in Science of The Total Environment . https://phys.org/news/2020-11-biologists-fertilize-soil.html Ecology Biotechnology Mon, 30 Nov 2020 07:56:16 EST news525945373 Soil is a natural resource that we often overlook and abuse just because of its supposed abundance. Some call it "dirt" and many times we attribute to stains and things we should rid ourselves of in the name of cleanliness. I choose to call it a "wonder" because on it we grow our food; it even covers up the dead. Just because it doesn't scream in pain when we step on it doesn't mean it isn't alive. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-countering-arable-degradation-woke-soil.html Environment Thu, 26 Mar 2020 10:06:51 EDT news504436006