Innovation & trends

Tomatoes and aubergines grown under foil tunnels in the Jordan Desert, middle east. Image: Getty/geogif

Scientists are learning to help tomatoes beat the heat

By Oliver Morrison

By studying tomato varieties in exceptionally hot growing seasons, biologists at Brown University have identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as the mechanisms that make the plants more heat tolerant.

Gates Ag One discusses the tech solutions on its radar

Watch: Gates Ag One discusses the tech solutions on its radar

By Oliver Morrison

The innovation being eyed by Gates Foundation's agtech arm has potential to be deployed in richer nations, says Trey Key, its director of business development. But he warns that ag requires more time for technology integration compared to other sectors.

Microsoft and Syngenta discuss the impact of AI in ag

WATCH: Microsoft and Syngenta discuss the impact of AI in ag

By Oliver Morrison

GenAI and AI platforms continue to develop at a fast pace, experts from Microsoft and Syngenta Group told the recent World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London. But ‘humans in the loop’ are needed to develop dependable frameworks for validating recommendations...

Image: US company Terviva transforms pongamia beans into food ingredients, animal feed and bioenergy. Image: Getty/Subas chandra Mahato

Plans to turn pongamia oil into biofuel move up a gear

By Oliver Morrison

Terviva, the company aiming to plant 200 million pongamia trees over 10 years for food, feed and fuel, has received investment from Chevron Renewable Energy Group, as mining giant Rio Tinto also looks to pongamia as a feedstock for renewable diesel production.

Image: Getty/	Spauln

Chiquita announces ‘major milestone’ in banana breeding

By Oliver Morrison

Chiquita has announced the introduction of Yelloway One, a banana hybrid resistant to Tropical Race 4 (TR4) and partially resistant to Black Sigatoka. These fungal diseases are among the most significant threats to global banana production.

A webspinner on a sugarcane leaf. Image: Getty/Apurv Jadhav

Global partnership aims to develop pest-resistant sugarcane

By Oliver Morrison

PlantArcBio, an Israeli company specialising in gene discovery and biological components to enhance agricultural crop traits, has announced a global research and development collaboration with Brazilian sugarcane company Centro de Tecnologia Canavieria...

Image: Getty/pixelfusion3d

Innovation Insider Country profile

India: Are the bets back on?

By Harry Holmes

After the crisis in funding in 2023, India’s agtech landscape is adjusting. But can investment be directed to the right places? Harry Holmes investigates.

Image: Getty/AzmanL

How AI can slash indoor farming energy use

By Oliver Morrison

Integrating artificial intelligence into today’s environmental control systems could reduce energy consumption for indoor agriculture by 25% – potentially helping to feed the world as its population rises, Cornell University engineers have found.

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