In The Spotlight
The researchers built a reaction chamber and devised a method that simulates and greatly accelerates methane's natural degradation process. (Image source: Michael Skov Jensen, SCIENCE/KU)
A recent study led by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) atmospheric chemistry professor, Matthew Stanley Johnson brought to the spotlight, a new method devised by researchers to eradicate low-concentration methane from air
A new Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) reaction chamber, comprising an elongated metal box with heaps of hoses and measuring instruments, was built. Using chlorine and energy from light, researchers were successful in removing methane from air at a greater speed and efficiency compared to its natural decomposition rate in the atmosphere. Inside the box, a chain reaction of chemical compounds takes place, which breaks down the methane and removes a large portion of the gas from air.
"Methane decomposes at a snail's pace because the gas isn’t especially happy about reacting with other things in the atmosphere," explained Johnson. "However, we have discovered that, with the help of light and chlorine, we can trigger a reaction and break down the methane roughly 100 million times faster than in nature."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has determined that reducing methane gas emissions—which are considered to be 85 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2—will immediately reduce the rise in global temperatures.
With the development of their new MEPS reaction chamber, the researchers plan to connect the device to the ventilation system in a livestock barn, where it will behave as a methane cleaner. A 40 ft shipping container will soon arrive at the Department of Chemistry and will become a larger prototype of the reaction chamber that the researchers built in the laboratory. The UCPH spin-out company Ambient Carbon, started and now headed by Johnson is currently developing the MEPS technology and plans to make it available to society in the near future.
For more information, visit: https://science.ku.dk/
The implementation of this system across its poultry farms has greatly helped in raising Thai poultry standards. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
As part of its innovative strategy to safeguard poultry production, Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) recently adopted the compartment scheme, thereby assuring disease-free poultry operations
The compartment system involves implementing strict biosafety and disease surviellance standards to maintain a closed-farm environment. To minimise the risk of diseases like Avian Influenza (AI) and Newcastle Disease (ND), veterinary specialists carry out regular pathogen tests for bird flu, Salmonella and the Newcastle virus. Through this initiative, the company highlights the importance of food safety both for raw and cooked products.
The disease control strategy of the compartment system is based on four pillars including, rigorous biosecurity measures, proactive bird flu surveillance, specific disease control within farms and surrounding areas, and a traceability system to monitor the food chain. By employing advanced closed house facilities comprising an evaporative cooling system, CP Foods leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT for week-long animal health monitoring, thus significantly reducing disease risk through minimal human contact.
The implementation of this system across its poultry farms has greatly helped in raising Thai poultry standards through knowledge transfer, contract farming, and standardised disease prevention measures. Besides improving the overall resilence of the Thai poultry sector and economy, the implementation of the compartment system also enhances farm yields and income stability for farmers.
For more information, visit: https://www.cpfworldwide.com/
Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
As the olive oil industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, there has been a gradual increase in fraudulent activities involving the sale of counterfeit mixtures that closely resemble authentic olive oil
The Mediterranean region responsible for the majority of the world's extra-virgin olive oil production has been hit by a severe drought, resulting in significant reductions in output from countries like Spain, Tunisia, Greece and Italy. This scenario has led to a dramatic surge in prices, in turn attracting counterfeiters who are exploiting the situation by introducing fake products into the market. With more than 260,000 litres of fake olive oil seized in Italy and Spain, Europol's recent investigations have shed light on the alarming prevalence of counterfeit olive oil within the market.
Fraudulant schemes like these involve the substitution of high-quality olive oil with cheaper, inferior seed oils that are manipulated with additives like chlorophyll and carotenoids to mimic the appearance of authentic olive oil, thus deceiving the unsuspecting consumer. Mixing olive oil with lower-quality lampante oil is another method used to dilute the purity of olive oil while reducing costs. This not only compromises the quality but also misleads consumers about the product they are purchasing. Extra-virgin olive oil, a popular staple in culinary traditions has therefore, come under scrutiny wordwide, urging consumers and restauranteurs alike to exercise caution and vigilance.
The presence of polyphenols are responsible for olive oil's unique flavour profiles, ranging from sweet to bitter or zesty. These compounds not only contribute to the oil's taste but also offer numerous health benefits. Characteristics like taste and aroma that are distinctive to authentic olive oil cannot be replicated by seed oils. However, distinguishing genuine olive oil from fraudulent mixtures can be challenging. Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products.
Moreover, since certain countries do allow the sale of blended oils, it is extremely important for consumers to carefully examine product labels for harvest dates, locations and certification seals from reputable third-party organisations, prior to selecting extra-virgin olive oil. Advances in technology, such as blockchain systems for traceability, offer promising solutions for enhancing transparency in the olive oil supply chain. However, the effectiveness of these tools is contingent upon consumer awareness and engagement.
Robot crowd-puller at the DLG Field Days 2022 at the Kirschgartshausen trial farm in Mannheim. (Image source: DLG)
The FarmRobotix platform celebrates premiere at the DLG Feldtage 2024, which will take place from 11-13 June at the estate Brockhof in Germany
Aimed at farmers, manufacturers, start-ups and technology providers, FarmRobotix offers an international platform farmers and experts seeking compact and comprehensive information on the latest developments in robotics, AI, automation and digital solutions in crop production. Moreover, besides the option to explore innovative technologies, the platform also offers networking and knowledge sharing opportunities to representatives from science and research as well as development engineers, investors and venture capitalists.
With a focus on farming requirements for digital technologies, FarmRobotix plays a role in solving the challenges that lie in the application of digital and autonomous technologies in crop farming. For instance, although a plethora of digital solutions are available to farmers for performing crop cultivation tasks, each digital solution provider supplies a customised software system to use the digital tools and data. Therefore, their application requires prior knowledge on part of the user.
This is where the FarmRobotix system comes into picture. Florian Schiller, an expert in digitalisation at the International DLG Crop Production Centre (IPZ) in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, explained that the FarmRobotix platform could play a role in providing impetus in the dialogue between farmers, manufacturers and science in order to make the digital applications of different manufacturers compatible with each other.
Schiller further explained the complexity faced by robots in crop cultivation, since the difficulty level of the tasks to be performed by agricultural robots was comparatively greater than the tasks involved in industrial production.
DLG’s IPZ farm is part of several research projects on digitalisation and AI in crop production, including the NaLamKI project funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs. NaLamKI which stands for ‘Sustainable Agriculture with AI,’ is aimed at developing AI services for agriculture, capable of analysing data from conventional and autonomous agricultural machinery, satellites and drones, combining them in a software service platform and make the results accessible through open interfaces.
As an associated partner in the project, the IPZ is working on the early detection of fungal diseases in wheat using AI. The aim of AI-supported detection of fungal diseases, which is being researched in the NaLamKI project, is to use multi- and hyperspectral image analysis to establish when a fungal infection has taken place in a crop. Apart from fungal pathogens however, the spectral properties of the leaf surface are influenced by a variety of external factors such as drought or plant nutrition.
"It is therefore always crucial for AI systems that the data delivers accurate information about the properties to be recognised,” said Schiller. “Otherwise, AI models do not reflect what they are supposed to provide information about.”
For more information, visit: https://dlg-feldtage.de/en/
The whitepaper highlights how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ PE version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. (Image source: Berry Global)
A new white paper from Berry Global outlines the solution to finding an alternative to traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cling films for fresh food applications
PVC has been the material of choice for many years for fresh food applications thanks to its many protective and presentation benefits. However, its complex composition makes it difficult to recycle and if even minute amounts of the material are processed with other polymers, it can render the other recyclates unusable.
The whitepaper titled: 'How Omni Xtra+ Can Drive More Recycling of Cling Films,' details the challenges that users of PVC cling films now face owing to its inability to be widely recycled and how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ polyethylene (PE) version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled.
While PE films for overwrapped trays would provide a more consistent supply of used film for recycling, the challenge has been to develop a PE film that can match the performance of a PVC version. Key to the development of OminXtra+ therefore was to develop a recyclable PE film via both kerbside and front-of-store PE waste streams that combined strength, stretchability, and excellent clarity and resistance to puncturing.
For more information, visit: https://www.berryglobal.com/
In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Global agtech company, Biome Makers recently announced its contribution to the publication of two scientific studies validating the efficacy and reliability of the company’s revolutionary technology
These landmark papers demonstrate a significant leap forward in the field of soil health intelligence and predicting soil functionality. The first study titled 'Physicochemical properties and microbiome of vineyard soils from DOP Ribeiro (NW Spain) are influenced by agricultural management,' evaluated the impact of conventional and sustainable management systems of vineyards from DOP Ribeiro on the soil’s condition. The second study, titled 'Enrichment of putative plant growth promoting microorganisms in biodynamic compared to organic agriculture soils,' investigates regenerative versus organic agricultural soils in three locations in Germany and 21 locations in France.
Both these studies highlight the effectiveness of Biome Makers’ technology, BeCrop, and its proprietary indexes in microbial metabolism, soil bio-sustainability, while also detecting stress, nutrient deficiencies, and correlating with different management practices. The significance of these findings extends beyond Biome Makers’ own technology, by also highlighting the superiority of the soil database and intelligence over others in the market.
In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. This means that BeCrop's powerful soil intelligence solutions can seamlessly integrate into existing agricultural systems, enabling farmers and agricultural professionals to harness the benefits of advanced soil health assessment without disrupting their workflow.
"These papers are a testament to our commitment to transparency and scientific excellence," said Biome Makers’ Chief Science Officer and co-founder, Dr Alberto Acedo. "By opening our technology for peer review and validation, we aim to foster trust and collaboration while pushing the boundaries of soil health data and innovative technology."
For more information, visit: https://biomemakers.com/
The Indo-US Millets Initiative aims to raise awareness about the benefits of millets and sorghum and increase and exchange research regarding their implementation into current food systems. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Sorghum United CEO, Nate Blum discusses the recent launch of the Indo-US Millets initiative that is bringing together major players across India and the US, to unlock the potential of resilient, nutrition-packed crops called millets
In a world grappling with the ever-increasing challenges of climate change, food security has become a paramount concern. With extreme weather events, water scarcity, and rising temperatures to contend with, it is imperative that we find climate-resilient agricultural solutions for the future to support our growing population.
Many of the crops that we heavily rely on today, such as rice, wheat, and maize, are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Studies predict that maize production will drop 15-20% in North and South America by 2050, which could have a devastating effect on the population. Rice is a staple for nearly half of our population, yet rising temperatures could result in a 40% decrease in rice yields by 2100. In Africa and South Asia, where food security is already a significant concern, wheat yield is predicted to lower 15-16% by the middle of the century.
But all is not lost. The Indo-US Millets Initiative, a collaborative effort between organisations in India and the United States, has been launched to help solve these pressing food production issues. Spearheaded by several organisations across both countries, including the North American Millets Alliance, India Millets Initiative, Sorghum United, and the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the initiative aims to raise awareness about the benefits of millets and sorghum and increase and exchange research regarding their implementation into current food systems.
Despite being overshadowed for so long, millets and sorghum offer numerous nutritional and environmental benefits, and it’s time we take advantage of them. These grains have a significantly higher tolerance to drought and heat than maize, wheat, and rice, making them more reliable crops as global temperatures continue to elevate. Moreover, millets and sorghum require 30% less water than current staple crops, holding the potential to reduce water irrigation demand by 33%. In addition, they also provide numerous health benefits that wheat, rice and maize lack.
As the Indo-US Millets Initiative works to bring millets and sorghum back into the limelight, there are several challenges to overcome. In order to increase the production of these grains, there is a pressing need for additional research into developing high-yielding seed varieties and efficient processing strategies as well as technical support for farmers. Public access and awareness must also be increased in order to incentivise these important steps.
The United Nations declared 2023 the 'International Year of Millets,' demonstrating an increasing interest in exploring millets as a weapon against food insecurity. With the initiative and other millets programmes, such as the Alternative Crops Lab, based in Nebraska, the area is poised to take the lead as a hub for millets and sorghum research and development within the US. Recently, experiments have been greenlighted to study the contrast in greenhouse gas emissions from maize and millets, and new varieties of millets have been tested in Nebraska’s climate. There have also been efforts to begin studies of consumer demand and farmer profitability.
Given the uncertainties surrounding future food production and the challenges posed by climate change, the importance of investigating millets and sorghum as viable solutions cannot be overstated. As these grains gain renewed popularity, they illuminate a sustainable path toward improving global health and securing food stability.
For more information, visit: https://sorghumunited.com/
Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
As the olive oil industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, there has been a gradual increase in fraudulent activities involving the sale of counterfeit mixtures that closely resemble authentic olive oil
The Mediterranean region responsible for the majority of the world's extra-virgin olive oil production has been hit by a severe drought, resulting in significant reductions in output from countries like Spain, Tunisia, Greece and Italy. This scenario has led to a dramatic surge in prices, in turn attracting counterfeiters who are exploiting the situation by introducing fake products into the market. With more than 260,000 litres of fake olive oil seized in Italy and Spain, Europol's recent investigations have shed light on the alarming prevalence of counterfeit olive oil within the market.
Fraudulant schemes like these involve the substitution of high-quality olive oil with cheaper, inferior seed oils that are manipulated with additives like chlorophyll and carotenoids to mimic the appearance of authentic olive oil, thus deceiving the unsuspecting consumer. Mixing olive oil with lower-quality lampante oil is another method used to dilute the purity of olive oil while reducing costs. This not only compromises the quality but also misleads consumers about the product they are purchasing. Extra-virgin olive oil, a popular staple in culinary traditions has therefore, come under scrutiny wordwide, urging consumers and restauranteurs alike to exercise caution and vigilance.
The presence of polyphenols are responsible for olive oil's unique flavour profiles, ranging from sweet to bitter or zesty. These compounds not only contribute to the oil's taste but also offer numerous health benefits. Characteristics like taste and aroma that are distinctive to authentic olive oil cannot be replicated by seed oils. However, distinguishing genuine olive oil from fraudulent mixtures can be challenging. Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products.
Moreover, since certain countries do allow the sale of blended oils, it is extremely important for consumers to carefully examine product labels for harvest dates, locations and certification seals from reputable third-party organisations, prior to selecting extra-virgin olive oil. Advances in technology, such as blockchain systems for traceability, offer promising solutions for enhancing transparency in the olive oil supply chain. However, the effectiveness of these tools is contingent upon consumer awareness and engagement.
The Indo-US Millets Initiative aims to raise awareness about the benefits of millets and sorghum and increase and exchange research regarding their implementation into current food systems. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Key outcomes of the meeting included the development of plans for establishing Centres of Excellence on Millets in major millet-producing countries. (Image source: ICRISAT)
The researchers built a reaction chamber and devised a method that simulates and greatly accelerates methane's natural degradation process. (Image source: Michael Skov Jensen, SCIENCE/KU)
A recent study led by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) atmospheric chemistry professor, Matthew Stanley Johnson brought to the spotlight, a new method devised by researchers to eradicate low-concentration methane from air
A new Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) reaction chamber, comprising an elongated metal box with heaps of hoses and measuring instruments, was built. Using chlorine and energy from light, researchers were successful in removing methane from air at a greater speed and efficiency compared to its natural decomposition rate in the atmosphere. Inside the box, a chain reaction of chemical compounds takes place, which breaks down the methane and removes a large portion of the gas from air.
"Methane decomposes at a snail's pace because the gas isn’t especially happy about reacting with other things in the atmosphere," explained Johnson. "However, we have discovered that, with the help of light and chlorine, we can trigger a reaction and break down the methane roughly 100 million times faster than in nature."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has determined that reducing methane gas emissions—which are considered to be 85 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2—will immediately reduce the rise in global temperatures.
With the development of their new MEPS reaction chamber, the researchers plan to connect the device to the ventilation system in a livestock barn, where it will behave as a methane cleaner. A 40 ft shipping container will soon arrive at the Department of Chemistry and will become a larger prototype of the reaction chamber that the researchers built in the laboratory. The UCPH spin-out company Ambient Carbon, started and now headed by Johnson is currently developing the MEPS technology and plans to make it available to society in the near future.
For more information, visit: https://science.ku.dk/
The implementation of this system across its poultry farms has greatly helped in raising Thai poultry standards. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The certification marks the first ASC Feed Standard awarded in Asia.
Monarch MK-V tractor demonstrating V2G through Borg Warner DCFC and Gridtractor CMS. (Image source: Gridtractor)
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)
The platform is slated for launch later this year and focuses on both domestic and international markets. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The LightWeeder is an agri-robot that can kill weeds using a unique concentrated light method. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Robot crowd-puller at the DLG Field Days 2022 at the Kirschgartshausen trial farm in Mannheim. (Image source: DLG)
The FarmRobotix platform celebrates premiere at the DLG Feldtage 2024, which will take place from 11-13 June at the estate Brockhof in Germany
Aimed at farmers, manufacturers, start-ups and technology providers, FarmRobotix offers an international platform farmers and experts seeking compact and comprehensive information on the latest developments in robotics, AI, automation and digital solutions in crop production. Moreover, besides the option to explore innovative technologies, the platform also offers networking and knowledge sharing opportunities to representatives from science and research as well as development engineers, investors and venture capitalists.
With a focus on farming requirements for digital technologies, FarmRobotix plays a role in solving the challenges that lie in the application of digital and autonomous technologies in crop farming. For instance, although a plethora of digital solutions are available to farmers for performing crop cultivation tasks, each digital solution provider supplies a customised software system to use the digital tools and data. Therefore, their application requires prior knowledge on part of the user.
This is where the FarmRobotix system comes into picture. Florian Schiller, an expert in digitalisation at the International DLG Crop Production Centre (IPZ) in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, explained that the FarmRobotix platform could play a role in providing impetus in the dialogue between farmers, manufacturers and science in order to make the digital applications of different manufacturers compatible with each other.
Schiller further explained the complexity faced by robots in crop cultivation, since the difficulty level of the tasks to be performed by agricultural robots was comparatively greater than the tasks involved in industrial production.
DLG’s IPZ farm is part of several research projects on digitalisation and AI in crop production, including the NaLamKI project funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs. NaLamKI which stands for ‘Sustainable Agriculture with AI,’ is aimed at developing AI services for agriculture, capable of analysing data from conventional and autonomous agricultural machinery, satellites and drones, combining them in a software service platform and make the results accessible through open interfaces.
As an associated partner in the project, the IPZ is working on the early detection of fungal diseases in wheat using AI. The aim of AI-supported detection of fungal diseases, which is being researched in the NaLamKI project, is to use multi- and hyperspectral image analysis to establish when a fungal infection has taken place in a crop. Apart from fungal pathogens however, the spectral properties of the leaf surface are influenced by a variety of external factors such as drought or plant nutrition.
"It is therefore always crucial for AI systems that the data delivers accurate information about the properties to be recognised,” said Schiller. “Otherwise, AI models do not reflect what they are supposed to provide information about.”
For more information, visit: https://dlg-feldtage.de/en/
The whitepaper highlights how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ PE version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. (Image source: Berry Global)
In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The Ambassador was impressed with the projects implementation and advised DA-10 to continue optimising the Smart Greenhouse operation. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The training course aimed to accelerate safer cattle trade between the two countries and improve cattle export to China. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Seafood exports to key markets such as the United States, China, and Japan have all significantly decreased. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
While not a threat to human health, LSD and FMD are highly infectious viral diseases that affect cattle and other livestock. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The programme aims to introduce targets and innovative practices for greening agriculture. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
This new loan aims to support the Philippines’ efforts to attain food security by building a competitive and inclusive agriculture sector. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Quintect 105SC fungicide has a unique mode of action and strong efficacy on oomycetes disease control. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The researchers built a reaction chamber and devised a method that simulates and greatly accelerates methane's natural degradation process. (Image source: Michael Skov Jensen, SCIENCE/KU)
The implementation of this system across its poultry farms has greatly helped in raising Thai poultry standards. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Robot crowd-puller at the DLG Field Days 2022 at the Kirschgartshausen trial farm in Mannheim. (Image source: DLG)
The whitepaper highlights how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ PE version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. (Image source: Berry Global)
In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
The Indo-US Millets Initiative aims to raise awareness about the benefits of millets and sorghum and increase and exchange research regarding their implementation into current food systems. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
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Robot crowd-puller at the DLG Field Days 2022 at the Kirschgartshausen trial farm in Mannheim. (Image source: DLG)
The whitepaper highlights how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ PE version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. (Image source: Berry Global)
In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
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LEMKEN utilises the additional function particularly in the areas of stubble cultivation and sowing. (Image source: LEMKEN)
Robots will assist workers in the agriculture sector, not replace them. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Russell Finex offers 90 years of global specialisation in sieving and filtration equipment. (Image source: Russell Finex)
Bayer’s expert GenAI system is making better information more quickly and readily available. (Image source: Bayer)
AFIA presents the award to ADM’s Bluffton Plant (Image source: AFIA)
Each award recognises the hard work and dedication of the CNH design team. (Image source: CNH)
The general menu structure of the system is in line with the LEMKEN standard and facilitates intuitive operation. (Image source: LEMKEN)