A startup supported by FAPESP is developing novel cultivars to offer growers a high-value-added option.
Bacteria, fungi and archaea living in the soil provide several ecosystem services, including carbon storage, and help restore native characteristics. The result contributes to advances in sustainable agriculture, one of the key points for this year’s G20 meetings.
Described in the journal Scientific Reports, the research was conducted at SPARCBio, a center established by FAPESP and biological control company Koppert at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture.
The event will take place in São Carlos (São Paulo state, Brazil) with FAPESP’s support. Twenty participants from Brazil and 20 from other countries will be selected.
Considered an invasive species, Sus scrofa causes damage to farmers in an important part of Brazil’s savanna-like biome. The researchers analyzed 55 landscapes in São Paulo state, observing larger numbers of native mammals in areas with well-conserved vegetation and diversified crops, while native species richness was far lower in areas of monoculture.
The study, which was conducted by Brazilian researchers, supports sustainable agriculture and offers contributions to public policy formulation.
Agrosmart, a startup based in São Paulo state, presented its portfolio of solutions during COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference held in Dubai.
A Brazilian startup’s AI algorithms detect infestations, classify weeds and produce localized spraying files.
Albeit less lethal than synthetic insecticides, this fungus-based substance is not detected by social insects and can spread spores to entire nests, threatening the survival of species that play a key role in pest control and pollination.
The Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON) is a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) supported by FAPESP and hosted by the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP). It was officially launched on November 17 and aims to make food, fiber and energy productivity part of the solution to the climate crisis.
Written by two experts on biofuels, Luís Augusto Barbosa Cortez and Frank Rosillo-Calle, the book explores Brazil’s experience and how other countries can learn from it in the context of climate change.
Dutch-born scientist Martinus Theodorus van Genuchten is the author of a famous equation describing the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soil. His discoveries are central to agricultural operations and climate science, and he recently won the prestigious Wolf Prize in Agriculture.
The technology was invented by a FAPESP-supported startup. It consists of a blend of essential oils from various plants, encapsulated in natural polymers that release the biofungicide gradually over a long period.
Algorithms developed at the University of São Paulo interpret information from different databases and help identify city areas susceptible to food insecurity.
Heitor Cantarella was a member of BIOEN-FAPESP’s steering committee for 14 years. As a researcher at the São Paulo State Institute of Agronomy in Campinas, he has made groundbreaking contributions to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.
A project conducted by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) cross-referenced data from sensors to analyze soil and weather variations in the same vineyard so as to produce different wines and improve water and fertilizer management. Wineries in São Paulo state are already benefiting from the results.
Research conducted in manipulated sugarcane plots showed that small water bodies such as ponds and puddles can contribute to sustainable farming even with environmentally hostile practices.
Strategies for reconciling forest conservation and income generation for families living on Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve in Acre state are the focus of a project in which local scientists are collaborating with colleagues from the states of São Paulo and Pará. The project is part of the Amazon+10 Initiative.
The warning was delivered by Marta Vasconcelos, a biologist affiliated with the Portuguese Catholic University, during the third event in the 2023 series of FAPESP Lectures.
Research groups in São Paulo state and Mozambique analyzed carotenoids in over 1,000 sweet potatoes and found some with 88% more beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.
An online event presented the results of five projects selected in a call issued by FAPESP in partnership with the Belmont Forum and JPI Urban Europe.
Launched on April 11 at a ceremony attended by the Governor of São Paulo state, the Science for Development Center in Digital Agriculture is a collaboration between FAPESP and EMBRAPA, with other institutions. Its remit will be to connect farmers to innovations that cut costs and assure sustainability.
As part of a project supported by FAPESP, researchers at a startup called PollinTech are developing a strategy to use to sniffer bees to pollinate coffee crops. The firm took part alongside several other startups in the 22nd PIPE High Tech Entrepreneurship Program hosted by FAPESP to showcase innovative research.
Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo and Butantan Institute used several advanced techniques to analyze the venom of the Orange banded tarantula Acanthoscurria juruenicola and tested its capacity to paralyze crickets. The findings could contribute to the development of biodiversity-based solutions.
A study shows that archaea, bacteria and fungi found in campos rupestres, a Brazilian ecoregion with low-fertility soil, are essential sources of plant nutrients. Products originating in the discovery could be used in future as substitutes for chemical phosphate fertilizer.
