Years of eavesdropping on insect sex talk is starting to pay off for grape growers

Concerned with colony collapse syndrome in honey bees worldwide, scientists, farmers and tech companies teamed up in Australia to create a micro-sensor that collects data on the bee's environment.

Eradicating invasive species requires enrolling a community effort. Although quarantines and chemical treatments have not proven effective in preventing the spread of Popilia japonica, or the Japanese beetle, to farms on the US’s Front Range, the Colorado community of Palisade succeeded in eradicating the species through collective action. By combining pest control methods with a community program of reducing water use, Palisade farmers were able to push the beetles out of their farmland over the course of several years in the early 2000s.

Oftentimes in farming, once farmers spot an issue with a crop, it is too late to save it. Artificial intelligence is changing that, starting with implementing the technology that is used to manage orchards into the practice of growing corn and soybeans.

New Zealand has an ambitious initiative in place to eradicate millions of evasive species by 2050, but that doesn't mean researchers have halted short-term actions to stabilized species and avoid extinction. The kakapo, a parrot-type of bird, is a prime example. While efforts have been taken for over a century to save the bird, most recently researchers have succeeded in not only moving the kakapos to three predator-free islands around the country, but also in aiding breeding efforts by monitoring the growth of chicks.

Clean water and healthy ecosystems are becoming increasingly difficult to come by. With floating islands and other inventions, eco-entrepreneur Bruce Kania thinks that biomimicry - such as reconstructing wetlands and growing biofilms - can tackle the toughest of water problems.

The Minnesota-based company Advanced Telemetry Systems develops trackers specifically designed for hundreds of different animals. These devices allow researchers to do things like find invasive species, learn more about critically endangered species, or better understand population declines.

Biodynamic farming is slowly spreading across the United States as a practice that improves the health of a farm’s ecosystem by creating a sustainable system that uses its waste to generate its energy. This way of farming also involves practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Agricultural microbial technology can be used to create different soil applications like fertilizers and fungicides. These products can improve soil health and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by the industry.

Citizen scientists in India are using apps like iNaturalist to contribute to scientific research on biodiversity. They help fills gaps in data by adding photos of plants and animals to the app for researchers to assess.

The invasive European green crab was wreaking havoc on the soft-shell clam fishery in Nova Scotia. But fishers, researchers, and park officials worked together to remove as many of them as possible and find an alternative use for them. Their efforts were working: eelgrass meadows and clam populations were rebounding. Now, they’re testing how these crabs can be used in lobster bait, bioplastics, or even fertilizer for gardens.