(Natural News) A study published in Biological Agriculture & Horticulture confirmed what many organic farmers and gardeners have known for so long now: The benefits of biochar can be enhanced by amending it with compost tea. Biochar is charcoal used as a soil amendment. It’s very popular among organic farmers and gardeners, some of whom […]

(Natural News) The notion that antibiotics are a silver bullet for better health, both for humans and animals, is slowly losing its weight. In meat production, this is reflected in the current restrictions placed on antibiotic growth promoters. In line with the need for ideal alternatives to in-feed antibiotics to fill the gap, scientists from the Mississippi State University and […]

(Natural News) Time to ditch those toxic, cancer-causing chemical insecticides and use natural ones instead. Researchers continue to search for natural pesticides that won’t harm human and environmental health. In a study published in the journal Crop Protection, it was found that citrus essential oil can be used to control pests like vineyard mealybugs. Mealybugs […]

(Natural News) A study published in Allelopathy Journal has found that compounds from three Baccharis species can be used as natural herbicides against the blackjack (Bidens pilosa), a weed found in many parts of the world. This finding offers both gardeners and organic farmers a viable method to control the invasive B. pilosa. Allelopathy is […]

(Natural News) There is an irony about a tropical fruit providing a natural means of killing a fruit fly. Brazilian researchers  investigated the possibility of using extracts from the seeds of Annona (Annonaceae) fruits as organic insecticides against the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). They reported that the seed extracts could kill the fruit flies and stop […]

(Natural News) The benefits of using cover crops and compost in growing all sorts of plants have been known for a long time. However, the effects of adding them in specific configurations haven’t exactly been well-studied. In fact, certain long-term impacts of adding organic matter through cover crops (CC) and compost in the soil are […]

(Natural News) Essential oils are being thoroughly studied for their numerous benefits on human health. But they are also capable of protecting plants from fungal diseases that would ruin entire crops. Brazilian researchers investigated the anti-fungal activity of essential oils from 17 different plants against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the fungus that causes white mold. White mold is also known as […]

(Natural News) Want to get the most yield and the biggest tubers from your crop of potatoes, protect them from certain pests and weeds, and not use any artificial chemicals? An American study reported that adding straw mulch to the soil around emerging potatoes will result in bigger, healthier tubers. Mulch was also shown to […]

(Natural News) Papaya fruit growers who live in constant worry from fruit decay and spoilage have found a cheap and effective alternative in essential oils, according to a paper in the journal Biological Agriculture and Horticulture. In the study, researchers from the University of Florida, as well as the Shahid Beheshti University in Iran, looked at […]

(Natural News) Global food production has been a significant issue for years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in its “The future of food and agriculture – Trends and challenges” report for 2018, lists the challenges that face modern agriculture. One of the challenges presented is the need to make food systems […]