San Diego County’s long-term investment in seawater desalination is increasingly seen as a potential model for addressing chronic water shortages across the U.S. West, as cities and agricultural regions face mounting pressure from drought and declining river flows.

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which began operations in 2015, currently supplies roughly 50 million gallons of drinking water per day—about 10% of San Diego County’s demand. The additional supply has helped diversify the region’s water portfolio and reduce dependence on imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California.

The county’s improved water security has enabled the San Diego County Water Authority to enter into agreements to transfer portions of its Colorado River allocations to neighboring states, including Arizona and Nevada. The authority has also signed water supply agreements with agencies in Riverside County, highlighting the growing value of reliable water sources as shortages worsen across the Southwest.

Desalination remains controversial because of its high capital costs, energy requirements, and potential environmental impacts. The Carlsbad facility cost about USD 1 billion to construct and contributed to higher local water rates. Environmental groups have also raised concerns about marine ecosystems, particularly the discharge of concentrated brine back into the ocean. However, operators have implemented mitigation measures, including blending brine with seawater before discharge, and studies conducted between 2019 and 2023 reportedly found no significant effects on marine life.

Supporters argue that desalination provides one of the few dependable alternatives as climate change intensifies drought conditions and places additional strain on the Colorado River system. The issue extends beyond urban water supplies: California produces roughly half of the nation’s vegetables and nearly three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, making water reliability critical for U.S. agriculture and food security.

Interest in desalination has drawn support across political lines, including from federal officials and California policymakers. While conservation, recycling, and efficiency improvements remain central to water management strategies, many experts increasingly view desalination as an important component of a broader approach to addressing the West’s long-term water challenges.

Source: The Washington Post

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have developed a solar-powered catalytic system capable of converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) and biowaste into valuable chemicals simultaneously using the energy from a single photon of light. The technology, described in the journal Communications Materials, could help address two major environmental challenges simultaneously: greenhouse gas emissions and the utilization of biomass waste.

The system uses a bias-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) reactor comprising two interconnected chambers equipped with newly designed catalysts. When sunlight strikes one compartment, a biomass-derived molecule undergoes oxidation, releasing an electron that travels to the second chamber, where it reduces CO₂ into formate—a chemical used in textiles, paints, and pharmaceuticals. At the same time, the biomass reaction produces compounds that can serve as precursors for sustainable plastics. Researchers reported conversion efficiencies of approximately 93% for CO₂-to-formate production and about 95% for biomass oxidation, with the process requiring no external electricity or heat.

The catalysts are composed of earth-abundant materials, including carbon nitride, tungsten oxide, and cobalt oxide, avoiding the use of costly precious metals commonly employed in catalytic systems. According to the research team, life cycle analysis confirmed the technology’s environmental benefits, while the modular reactor design could eventually be integrated with industrial CO₂ sources and agricultural biorefineries to enable decentralized chemical manufacturing. The researchers said the approach builds on earlier work on atomically engineered catalysts for hydrogen production and CO₂ conversion and could help advance net-zero emissions targets.

Source: Communications Materials

Artificial intelligence has rapidly entered agriculture, but many developers face a fundamental challenge: AI systems require large volumes of real-world field data that are expensive and time-consuming to collect. Warsaw-based Cropler is seeking to address that gap by building what it describes as “ground-truth infrastructure” for agricultural AI — an integrated ecosystem of sensors, cameras, datasets, and machine-learning models designed to support software developers, researchers, and input companies.

The company argues that agriculture is undergoing the same infrastructure split seen in cloud computing, where software developers increasingly rely on specialized providers rather than building their own physical systems. In agriculture, however, gathering synchronized field data remains difficult. Deploying sensor networks, collecting multi-season datasets, and maintaining hardware can take years before AI applications become commercially viable.

Building the physical layer for agricultural AI

Cropler’s approach centers on creating a standardized data pipeline that connects physical fields directly to AI systems. Its infrastructure combines multispectral imagery, soil telemetry, and hyperlocal weather observations into datasets that are already structured for machine-learning workflows.

The company’s hardware ecosystem currently includes three devices. Its commercial Agri Camera captures RGB and NDVI imagery three times daily and records local weather conditions. A soil moisture sensor measures water content and temperature at depths of up to 60 centimeters. Meanwhile, a research-grade camera under development incorporates 3D biomass measurement, edge AI capabilities, and advanced imaging systems.

By synchronizing above-ground imagery with root-zone conditions and environmental data, Cropler aims to provide what it calls a “top-to-bottom snapshot” of crop performance. Such integrated datasets are increasingly valuable as agronomic AI models move beyond image recognition toward predictive analytics and decision support.

Moving beyond snapshots to continuous field intelligence

Most agricultural datasets remain fragmented, relying on occasional drone flights, satellite imagery, or weather stations located many kilometers from farms. Cropler argues that these approaches often fail to capture the dynamics of crop development.

Its system records NDVI measurements multiple times per day throughout an entire growing season, enabling AI models to learn not only crop conditions but also rates of change. This temporal dimension may allow systems to detect drought stress, disease pressure, or nutrient deficiencies earlier than traditional monitoring methods.

The inclusion of hyperlocal weather and soil moisture data could also improve predictive capabilities. Soil measurements taken every 10 centimeters down to 60 centimeters allow researchers and agronomists to monitor root-zone conditions, potentially helping estimate yields earlier or assess fertilizer and irrigation efficiency in real time.

For fertilizer producers and seed companies, continuous monitoring may offer a new way to validate product performance under real-world conditions rather than relying solely on periodic field trials.

A global dataset designed for AI training

Cropler says its machine-learning backbone has been developed using field data collected across 28 countries spanning multiple climate zones and cropping systems. The company contends that agricultural AI remains constrained less by model architecture than by the availability of high-quality, representative data.

The platform offers pre-trained models for crop segmentation, stress detection, and multimodal feature extraction combining RGB imagery with NDVI information. An application programming interface (API) further converts imagery, weather, and soil measurements into structured inputs that can be consumed by large language models and autonomous agronomic agents.

This reflects a broader industry trend toward AI systems capable of generating agronomic recommendations based on multiple streams of field information rather than single-source datasets.

Infrastructure as a service for agriculture

Cropler targets four primary customer groups: research institutions, agricultural input manufacturers, AI developers, and agronomy professionals. Instead of requiring each organization to deploy its own sensor networks, the company offers infrastructure as a service, ranging from dataset licensing to custom field deployments.

The strategy mirrors developments in other technology sectors where infrastructure providers have enabled rapid software innovation. In agriculture, however, the physical environment introduces unique challenges, including weather variability, biological complexity, and long seasonal cycles.

As investment in agricultural AI accelerates globally, companies that can generate reliable ground-truth datasets may become increasingly important to the sector’s digital transformation. For developers seeking to build agronomic agents or predictive models, the value may lie less in collecting data and more in accessing standardized, validated field intelligence at scale.

Spain’s grain production is expected to decline in marketing year 2026/27 after the country recorded its second-largest harvest on record a year earlier, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Madrid. Lower winter grain acreage, excessive rainfall during the first months of 2026, and unusually high temperatures during grain filling have reduced yield prospects across key growing regions.

Spanish farmers planted about 5.1 million hectares of winter grains, slightly below the previous season’s 5.2 million hectares, reflecting a long-term shift toward higher-value crops and changes in planting decisions driven by water availability. At the same time, rising fertilizer and fuel prices since February have squeezed farm margins, encouraging some growers to reduce input use or switch to less input-intensive crops such as sunflower. Analysts warn that lower fertilizer applications could also affect grain protein content.

Weather conditions further weakened the crop. Heavy rainfall and flooding early in the year delayed field operations and limited fertilization, while abundant surface moisture reduced root development. When dry conditions arrived in April, crops struggled to withstand stress, and a late-May heat wave struck during flowering and grain filling, sharply reducing yield expectations in several regions. Total grain production is now projected at about 19.5 million metric tons, below last year’s bumper crop but close to the five-year average. Despite the smaller harvest, grain imports are expected to remain near 15 million metric tons due to large carryover stocks and relatively steady demand.

Researchers from Embrapa Digital Agriculture and Bayer Crop Science have introduced ProCarbon-Soil, a simplified model for tracking soil carbon dynamics on tropical farms, in a paper published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal.

Led by Embrapa researcher Luís G. Barioni, the model was calibrated using data from more than 1,900 farms across Brazil, drawing on over 300,000 soil samples collected through Bayer’s Climate FieldView digital platform. The team designed ProCarbon-Soil to reproduce carbon stock trajectories comparable to those of established multicompartmental models such as Century, but with far fewer parameters, thereby reducing the risk of overfitting when applied to real-world farm data.

Tropical soils pose particular challenges for carbon accounting because organic matter turnover rates differ sharply from those in temperate conditions, which most existing models were built around. By validating the model against Brazil’s extensive farm-level dataset, the researchers aim to give carbon-credit verifiers and farm advisers a more reliable baseline for estimating how cropping and grazing practices affect soil carbon stocks over time.

The model is intended to support carbon farming trading systems, giving programs a practical tool for planning and monitoring soil carbon inventories without the heavy data requirements of more complex simulation models. It was presented at the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists in Brasília.

Iran’s military declared a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday, warning that any vessel attempting passage would be fired on, following a fresh round of U.S. air strikes on what Washington described as key facilities inside the country.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the new strikes, framing them as a response to recent Iranian attacks, including the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter over the strait earlier in the week. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard retaliated with a drone strike on the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and long-range missiles aimed at a U.S. airbase in Jordan, where air defenses intercepted five of the projectiles.

The closure declaration came a day after Revolutionary Guard naval forces struck two vessels attempting to cross the strait. U.S. Central Command separately disabled the Palau-flagged tanker M/T Settebello, killing three Indian crew members. Since a partial blockade began in mid-April, U.S. forces have disabled eight ships and redirected 134 more.

Brent crude edged up to $93.18 a barrel after the announcement. Iran’s blanket order threatens fertilizer and pharmaceutical cargoes alongside energy shipments, with about a third of seaborne fertilizer trade, including ammonia, sulfur and urea, normally transiting the strait.

Source: Al Jazeera.

Frequently asked questions

Corteva has agreed to pay $85 million to settle a U.S. class-action lawsuit alleging the company used distributor loyalty programs to suppress competition from generic crop protection products and keep pesticide prices artificially high.

The proposed settlement, filed in federal court in North Carolina, covers more than 100,000 farmers who purchased certain Corteva crop protection products containing specified active ingredients since October 2018. The lawsuit alleged that Corteva and Syngenta implemented loyalty and rebate programs with distributors that discouraged the sale of competing generic products, reducing competition and increasing costs for farmers.

Corteva denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement and said it was pleased to resolve the litigation while remaining focused on serving customers. The agreement still requires court approval. According to attorneys representing the farmers, the settlement amount represents about 10% of the total damages estimated by the plaintiffs’ economic expert.

The case originated in 2022 following antitrust allegations brought by the Federal Trade Commission and several U.S. states. Plaintiffs said continuing litigation against Corteva would have required significant additional resources and increased the complexity of the case, particularly as it approached trial.

The lawsuit against Syngenta will continue, with the company denying the allegations. The company had not publicly commented on the proposed settlement at the time of reporting. Attorneys representing the farmers said they also plan to seek legal fees from the settlement fund.

Source: Reuters

A field study led by the University of Western Australia found that replacing part of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with low rates of organic inputs can sustain crop yields while improving soil quality and nutrient efficiency. The research, published in Land Degradation & Development, examined a winter wheat–summer maize rotation over two years under varying nitrogen application rates and organic fertilizer additions.

Researchers reported that reducing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer by up to 45% and partially substituting it with organic inputs improved soil quality, crop productivity, nitrogen uptake, and nutrient cycling without increasing nitrous oxide emissions. The study found that low rates of organic amendments delivered better outcomes than higher additions, supporting more efficient nitrogen use while maintaining agricultural productivity.

Kadambot Siddique, director of the UWA Institute of Agriculture, said reducing synthetic nitrogen by less than 45% alongside organic fertilizers can “maintain productivity without increasing emissions.” The findings come as fertilizer markets face continued volatility, with approximately 60% of global urea trade moving through the Strait of Hormuz, making supplies vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions and price swings. Researchers said optimizing the balance between organic and synthetic nitrogen could help lower agricultural emissions while strengthening resilience against rising input costs.

Source: Phys.org

What to know about the UWA nitrogen-reduction study

A new study by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences challenges a long-standing assumption about nitrogen losses in rice cultivation, finding that most dinitrogen gas emitted from flooded rice paddies originates from soil organic nitrogen rather than applied fertilizer. The findings, published on April 22 as a cover article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could reshape scientific understanding of nitrogen cycling and improve strategies for sustainable rice production.

The research was led by Yan Xiaoyuan of the Institute of Soil Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Scientists have traditionally considered fertilizer nitrogen to be the primary source of dinitrogen losses from rice fields. However, accurately measuring dinitrogen emissions has been difficult because the gas is abundant in the atmosphere, making it challenging to distinguish soil-derived emissions. The new study overcomes this limitation and identifies soil organic nitrogen as the dominant contributor to gaseous nitrogen losses in flooded rice systems.

The findings carry particular significance for China, where nitrogen fertilizer application rates in rice production are estimated to be two to three times higher than the global average. Excess nitrogen use contributes to environmental losses and reduced nutrient efficiency. Researchers found that hybrid rice varieties improved plant nitrogen uptake and microbial nitrogen use efficiency, reducing yield-scaled gaseous nitrogen losses by approximately 43% while maintaining crop productivity. The study suggests that combining crop breeding with soil and microbial management could help increase yields while lowering agriculture’s environmental footprint.

By revising the understanding of nitrogen sources in rice paddies, the study provides a new framework for refining global nitrogen budgets and developing more efficient nutrient management practices in agriculture.

Source: Phys.org

Researchers are shedding new light on a largely invisible communication system operating beneath the Earth’s surface. A review published in Communications Earth & Environment argues that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) serve as a chemical language connecting plants, microbes, fungi, nematodes, and other soil organisms, shaping interactions that affect crop productivity, disease suppression, and ecosystem functioning.

The study, led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, the University of Copenhagen, the United Arab Emirates University, and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, synthesizes current knowledge on how VOCs move through soil and influence biological processes. The authors suggest that understanding these chemical signals could open new opportunities for sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming systems.

A chemical communication network underground

VOCs are small molecules produced by plant roots, bacteria, fungi, and other soil organisms. Because of their low molecular weight and high volatility, they can travel through air- and water-filled pores in soil, allowing organisms to communicate without direct physical contact.

The researchers describe VOCs as a fundamental component of the “hidden networks” operating belowground. These compounds can help organisms identify neighbors, attract beneficial partners, deter competitors, and prepare for environmental stress. While previous research has focused heavily on visible aboveground interactions, the review suggests that similar communication systems are active beneath the soil surface and may be equally important.

Evidence from experimental studies indicates that root-produced VOCs can attract beneficial bacteria, influence neighboring plants, and even alter the behavior of nematodes and other soil organisms. However, most existing research has been conducted under laboratory conditions, leaving questions about how these interactions function in natural field environments.

Plant roots may warn neighboring plants

According to the review, plant roots release distinct VOC blends that reflect their physiological condition and environmental stresses. Neighboring plants can detect these signals and adjust their own responses accordingly.

In one example cited by the authors, stressed Norway spruce plants increased root VOC emissions, prompting nearby European beech plants to activate defense-related responses before herbivore attacks occurred. Other studies have shown that root-emitted compounds can influence plant chemistry, nutrient allocation, and susceptibility to pests.

The findings suggest that plants may possess a form of early-warning system that enables them to anticipate threats through chemical cues from neighboring roots. However, the molecular mechanisms behind this communication remain poorly understood.

Microbial signals could boost crop resilience

The review also highlights the role of microbial VOCs in promoting plant growth and resilience. Certain compounds produced by beneficial bacteria have been shown to improve nutrient uptake, stimulate root development, and activate plant defense pathways.

Researchers note that VOCs emitted by species of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and other beneficial microbes can help plants tolerate drought, salinity, and pathogen attacks by influencing hormonal signaling and physiological processes. Some microbial VOCs can even serve as nutrient sources, such as sulfur-containing compounds that plants can absorb and utilize.

The authors argue that these findings could eventually support the development of biological crop protection strategies that rely on microbial communication rather than conventional chemical inputs. However, they caution that most evidence comes from controlled laboratory experiments and must be validated under realistic agricultural conditions.

VOCs shape microbial communities and predator-prey interactions

Beyond plant-microbe interactions, VOCs also influence relationships among soil microorganisms themselves. Studies reviewed by the authors show that bacterial and fungal VOCs can suppress pathogens, stimulate beneficial microbes, alter gene expression, and influence biofilm formation.

The compounds also play a role in soil food webs. Predatory nematodes, protists, and mites use VOCs as chemical trails to locate prey, while prey organisms may use the same signals to detect threats and adjust their behavior. This chemical exchange creates a complex network of interactions that helps regulate soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling.

Researchers suggest that VOC-mediated communication may represent a key mechanism linking microbial communities, plant roots, and higher trophic levels across entire soil ecosystems.

Climate change and farming practices may alter soil conversations

The review identifies climate change as a major factor that could reshape soil VOC dynamics. Temperature, moisture levels, fertilizer use, pesticide residues, and microplastic contamination all have the potential to affect VOC production, transport, and degradation.

Drought conditions, for example, have been shown to reduce microbial carbon respiration while increasing VOC emissions, potentially altering how soil organisms communicate and process nutrients. Similarly, nitrogen fertilization can modify microbial communities and change the composition of VOC blends in agricultural soils.

Microplastics present another emerging concern. The authors note that plastic residues can absorb VOCs, alter soil structure, and release their own volatile compounds, potentially disrupting natural chemical signaling networks.

Major knowledge gaps remain

Despite growing evidence for the importance of VOCs, researchers acknowledge that significant questions remain unanswered. Most studies have examined individual compounds in simplified laboratory settings, whereas real-world soils contain complex mixtures of VOCs produced by diverse communities of organisms.

The authors call for more field-based research using advanced analytical tools, isotope tracing, and genetic techniques to better understand how organisms perceive VOCs, how signals move through heterogeneous soils, and how communication networks respond to environmental change.

They conclude that deciphering this underground chemical language could provide new tools for enhancing crop health, improving biological pest management, and building more resilient agricultural systems in a changing climate.

Source: Nature

Brazil Potash has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with power firm Gera Center for a 28-year build-own-operate-transfer contract to supply electricity to its Autazes potash project in the Brazilian Amazon, restructuring how the development funds its construction power.

The deal moves about $33M in upfront power-generation capital out of the construction budget and into operating costs spread across the contract term, and delivers roughly $10M in net savings versus the project’s pre-feasibility study, the company said on May 19.

Gera Center, a Manaus-based generator, will deploy a 20-MW modular diesel plant as the primary energy source during construction and as an emergency backup through the mine’s initial 23-year operating life. The system is expected to be installed and delivering power within a 120-day mobilization window after the contract is executed, in line with the project’s shaft-sinking schedule.

Autazes is designed to supply domestic potash to Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters, which imports the overwhelming majority of its potash. The build-own-operate-transfer structure lets the developer shift capital exposure to its energy partner during the most cash-intensive phase of construction.

The MoU is non-binding. Brazil Potash (NYSE-American: GRO) said it expects to formalize definitive contracts in the coming months.

Source: Mining Weekly

Indonesia shipped its first urea cargo to Australia under a government-to-government supply deal, dispatching 47,250 tonnes from Bontang on May 14 as Canberra moves to diversify nitrogen sourcing away from the disrupted Gulf supply.

The cargo, produced by state holding company Pupuk Indonesia, is the first installment of 250,000 tonnes pledged under the bilateral framework. Jakarta plans to expand the commitment to 500,000 tonnes, a volume worth roughly $398M, according to Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest urea producer, targeting 7.8 million tonnes of output in 2026 against domestic demand of about 6.3 million tonnes, leaving an export surplus of about 1.5 million tonnes. Pupuk Indonesia reported domestic stocks of 1.1 million tonnes.

The arrangement marks a shift from spot sales tenders toward longer-term, state-brokered offtake. Indonesia exported 1.72 million tonnes of urea in 2025, up from 1.41 million tonnes in 2024. A separate deal with Malaysia’s Petronas covers up to 300,000 tonnes per year under a long-term agreement.

Execution risk centers on scaling to the 500,000-tonne target without straining subsidized domestic supply, which the government has expanded sharply over the past year.

Source: Profercy

German agricultural technology company B+H Solutions plans to invest nearly €1 million ($1.1 million) in India during 2026 to expand its presence in the country’s emerging nano-agriculture sector. The investment follows recent regulatory developments under India’s Fertiliser Control Order framework for nano-based agricultural products, which the company said have strengthened its long-term growth prospects in the market.

Founded in 2008 near Stuttgart, B+H Solutions develops metallic nanotechnology-based agricultural products designed to improve plant health, enhance nutrient efficiency, and support more sustainable farming practices. Through its Indian subsidiary, Dr. Heinisch Agro Solutions India (HAS), the company is promoting products including AgroArgentum, AgroCuprum, AgroFerrum, and AgroCalcium, which utilize silver, copper, iron, and calcium nano-formulations. B+H Solutions reported global revenue of approximately €20 million ($22.9 million) in 2025 and identified India as one of its key growth markets.

HAS India is conducting field demonstrations, crop trials, and farmer outreach programs in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. According to the company, trials in Karnataka have shown yield increases of up to 30% in selected crops under controlled conditions. Demonstrations involving tomatoes, chili peppers, black pepper, pomegranates, and floriculture crops have also reported improvements in plant health, root development, nutrient utilization, flowering, and produce quality.

Dr. Laura Heinisch, managing director and chief scientific officer of B+H Solutions, said Indian farmers face increasing challenges from rising input costs, climate pressures, and supply-chain uncertainty. She said nanotechnology can help improve crop performance while reducing dependence on conventional chemical inputs. Rajni Rana, managing director of HAS India, said the company plans to expand farmer engagement programs and distribution partnerships to increase awareness and adoption of nano-agriculture technologies across the country.

The investment comes as India seeks to strengthen agricultural resilience, improve input efficiency, and reduce reliance on conventional fertilizer-intensive farming systems. Industry participants view nano-agriculture and precision farming technologies as potential tools to support productivity growth while advancing sustainability goals in one of the world’s largest agricultural economies.

German agritech startup Eternal.ag and Dutch vegetable breeder Rijk Zwaan have launched a collaboration to identify tomato plant traits better suited to robotic operations in fully automated greenhouses.

The companies will combine Rijk Zwaan’s expertise in fruit and vegetable breeding with Eternal.ag’s capabilities in robotics and artificial intelligence to study how crop traits influence the performance of autonomous greenhouse systems. The initiative will focus on tomato varieties that improve fruit accessibility and plant architecture, enabling robots to perform harvesting and other crop-management tasks more efficiently and consistently.

The partnership comes as greenhouse operators worldwide face ongoing labor shortages and increasing interest in automation technologies. By linking crop genetics with robotic system development, the companies aim to help create more scalable and predictable greenhouse production models. Michiel Zwaan, Crop Manager for Berries and Tomato at Rijk Zwaan, said robotics are expected to play a significant role in the future of automated greenhouses and that the collaboration provides an opportunity to test new concepts in real-world conditions.

Precision agriculture company OneSoil has partnered with Rainbow Weather to introduce AI-powered hyperlocal rainfall forecasting for farmers, aiming to help growers better manage weather-related risks and optimize field operations.

The new feature, called Hyperlocal Precipitation Forecast, has been integrated into OneSoil’s digital farming platform and provides short-term rainfall predictions for specific field locations. Using machine learning models trained on radar, satellite, and atmospheric data, the system forecasts precipitation probability and intensity within a four-hour window for exact coordinates. Farmers can monitor cloud movement and anticipate rainfall for individual sections of fields, whether in Europe, Africa, or other agricultural regions.

The launch comes as extreme weather events continue to increase worldwide. According to the companies, extreme weather causes approximately €28 billion (about USD 32 billion) in annual losses for farmers across the European Union, equivalent to around 6% of total agricultural production. OneSoil said access to highly localized weather data is becoming increasingly important as unpredictable rainfall can disrupt planting schedules, reduce yields, and undermine crop protection efforts.

Stepan Zulynskyi, chief executive officer of OneSoil, said short-term weather forecasts are particularly valuable for operations such as fertilizer application and crop spraying, where unexpected rainfall can wash away inputs and require costly reapplication. The company said more than 15,000 farmers are already using the new forecasting feature each month.

Alexander Matveenko, co-founder and chief executive officer of Rainbow Weather, said growing climate volatility is increasing demand for precise weather intelligence. In addition to forecasting upcoming rainfall, the technology provides access to historical precipitation data, helping farmers plan fieldwork and make more informed agronomic decisions.

Solar parks built on rewetted peatlands could provide a rare combination of renewable energy generation, carbon emission reductions, and biodiversity gains, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Greifswald in Germany.

The study, published in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence, examined a solar park located on a rewetted peatland site in northern Germany and compared bird diversity there with nearby drained peatlands used for intensive agriculture. Researchers found that the solar park supported several threatened bird species and hosted an unusual mix of birds typically associated with wetlands, farmland, and woodland habitats.

Lead author Hanna Rae Martens, a peatland ecologist at the University of Greifswald, said the return of species such as reed buntings and the endangered meadow pipit indicates that peatland restoration efforts are beginning to attract native wildlife. Researchers also observed species not usually found in peatlands, including Eurasian tree sparrows and tree pipits, which appeared to use solar panel structures as perches while feeding.

Peatlands are considered critical carbon sinks, but decades of drainage for agriculture have left many degraded. Around 80% of peatlands in the United Kingdom and approximately 95% in Germany are degraded, while drained peatlands globally account for about 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. Rewetting these ecosystems can significantly reduce emissions and restore biodiversity, but often limits conventional agricultural production and may require decades for full ecological recovery.

The German study site is among the first projects to combine peatland rewetting with solar energy production. Under a government-supported program, landowners receive incentives to restore peatlands and install solar panels, creating an alternative source of revenue. Researchers suggest this approach could help accelerate peatland restoration while supporting renewable energy targets.

However, the authors cautioned that their findings are based on a single case study. Only about five solar parks currently operate on rewetted peatlands, and additional research is needed to determine whether similar biodiversity benefits occur elsewhere. The research team plans to expand monitoring to additional sites and study impacts on other wildlife, including bats and insects, while exploring ways to optimize solar park designs for conservation outcomes.

Source: Phys.org

Nearly two-thirds of the 809 data centers planned across the United States are expected to be built in areas that have experienced drought conditions during the past year, according to an analysis by The Guardian, citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System.

The report found that 517 proposed data centers are located in regions classified as drought-stricken, highlighting growing concerns over the water footprint of the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry.

Water demand extends beyond data center cooling

While data center cooling systems often receive the most attention, a January study by Xylem and Global Water Intelligence found that cooling accounts for only about 4% of AI-related water demand projected by 2050. The study estimated that power generation represents roughly 54% of water use, while semiconductor manufacturing accounts for another 42%.

Industry representatives frequently note that data centers consume significantly less water than agriculture. However, critics argue that such comparisons often exclude the water requirements associated with electricity generation and semiconductor manufacturing, both of which are essential to supporting AI infrastructure. As a result, the total water footprint of AI development may be substantially larger than cooling-related figures suggest.

Semiconductor production adds pressure on water supplies

The increasing demand for AI chips is expected to place additional pressure on water resources. Modern semiconductor fabrication plants can consume between 2 million and 10 million gallons of water per day, much of it requiring extensive treatment into ultrapure water. Producing 1,000 gallons of ultrapure water typically requires 1,400 to 1,600 gallons of municipal water, creating significant losses during processing.

One example is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s semiconductor complex in Phoenix, Arizona, where three fabrication plants are projected to consume a combined 16.4 million gallons of water daily once fully operational. Although the facilities are designed to recycle approximately 85% of their water, with plans to increase that rate to 90%, the plants are located in one of the driest states in the country.

Efficiency gains may shift water use elsewhere

Technology companies are increasingly adopting liquid-cooling systems to improve efficiency. Nvidia has said its GB200 NVL72 platform can achieve up to 300 times greater water efficiency than traditional air cooling for server racks. However, experts note that rising computing power also increases electricity demand, potentially shifting water consumption from data centers to power plants.

Meta’s proposed Hyperion data center project in Louisiana illustrates the challenge. The facility is expected to use closed-loop cooling technology while relying on electricity generated by multiple natural gas-fired power plants, which themselves require water for operation. Analysts say such arrangements may reduce on-site water consumption while increasing indirect water use elsewhere in the supply chain.

States consider new regulations

As concerns grow, several states are considering new regulations. California, Michigan, and Iowa are evaluating water-use reporting requirements for data centers, while lawmakers in South Carolina and Kansas have proposed mandating closed-loop cooling systems.

In New York, some legislators have discussed a temporary moratorium on new data center construction. Critics of these measures argue that they focus primarily on reducing water consumption while overlooking the broader impacts of power generation and chip production.

Source: Tom’s Hardware

Wesfarmers used its 2026 Strategy Briefing Day to outline growth plans across its Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers (WesCEF) division, highlighting fertilizer market disruptions, rising ammonia prices, and a pipeline of capacity expansion projects expected to support earnings growth from fiscal 2027 onward. The company said its fertilizer business, operated through CSBP, has been responding to global supply disruptions while benefiting from higher ammonia prices linked to conflict in the Middle East.

WesCEF Managing Director Aaron Hood said the division’s strategy is centered on operational excellence, customer relationships, major growth projects, and the development of its Mt Holland lithium operation. The business remains a leading supplier of fertilizers, ammonium nitrate, sodium cyanide, liquefied petroleum gas, and natural gas in Western Australia. WesCEF is the state’s largest fertilizer producer and ammonium nitrate manufacturer.

The company said ammonia prices have risen sharply following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, creating challenges for fertilizer supply chains. CSBP has responded by sourcing alternative supplies for growers affected by upstream cancellations and increasing production at its manufacturing facilities despite disruptions from a local supplier outage. WesCEF noted that approximately half of CSBP’s ammonia requirements are imported. While higher ammonia costs can pressure fertilizer markets, the company said higher prices also increase earnings on manufactured ammonia-based products, with most of the benefit expected to be reflected in fiscal first-quarter 2027 results because of contract timing.

Alongside developments in the fertilizer market, WesCEF is advancing several industrial expansion projects. The company completed debottlenecking work at its Nitric Acid Ammonium Nitrate (NAAN3) facility during the first half of fiscal 2026, increasing ammonium nitrate production capacity by approximately 40,000 metric tons annually to about 865,000 metric tons per year. Management said there is potential for a further 80,000 metric tons of capacity growth.

WesCEF also completed the first phase of an expansion at Australian Gold Reagents, increasing sodium cyanide capacity by roughly 35,000 metric tons annually to 130,000 metric tons per year, positioning the operation among the world’s largest sodium cyanide producers. The company expects benefits from both the sodium cyanide and ammonium nitrate expansions to become increasingly visible from fiscal 2027.

The Mt Holland lithium project remains another major growth driver. WesCEF said the mine and concentrator achieved nameplate spodumene production during fiscal 2026, while the refinery produced its first lithium hydroxide. The company is progressing plans to double the concentrator nameplate capacity to approximately 760,000 metric tons annually and expects to make a final investment decision during the first half of fiscal 2027.

Key takeaways from WesCEF’s strategy update

Brazilian farmers who spent two decades building one of the world’s most competitive grain sectors are watching a fertilizer price surge erode the cost advantage that helped them gain ground on U.S. rivals, according to a Reuters analysis.

The timing is acute. Brazil imports most of its fertilizer and plants its main soybean crop in September, leaving growers exposed to a market that has rallied since the Middle East conflict disrupted gas and ammonia supply. Many U.S. farmers, by contrast, bought their nutrients before the spike, locking in lower costs for the current season.

A growth story built on imported nutrients

Brazil has expanded its planted area by roughly 50% this century, turning the country into a dominant force in soybeans and corn. That expansion rests on heavy fertilizer use, the bulk of it imported. When global prices climb, the import bill lands directly on Brazilian growers, who have less room to pre-buy than their northern competitors.

Murphy Campbell, an analyst at price reporting agency Expana, said the September planting window leaves Brazil more exposed to current price levels than markets that have already covered their needs, according to Reuters.

Margins tighten as costs climb

For individual farmers, the math is unforgiving. Murilo Rabelo Martins Pereira, who farms about 800 hectares in Goias, told Reuters that higher input costs are squeezing already thin margins. Rabobank has warned that some Brazilian growers are overleveraged, raising the risk that a cost shock collides with stretched balance sheets.

Joana Colussi, an agricultural economist at Purdue University, said the relative cost position between Brazil and the United States can swing sharply depending on the timing of fertilizer purchases, according to Reuters. This year, that timing favors U.S. producers.

A domestic supply push

Brazil has long sought to cut its import dependence. Petrobras is restarting idled nitrogen plants with the aim of covering a larger share of domestic demand, targeting roughly 35% of the country’s nitrogen needs over time. Building that capacity takes years, and it offers little relief for the season now being planned.

What to watch into September planting

The near-term path hinges on the conflict and its effect on Gulf gas and ammonia flows, on freight costs, and on how quickly Brazilian growers move to cover their needs. If prices stay elevated into the planting window, the competitiveness gap that Brazil narrowed over two decades could widen again in favor of U.S. farms, at least for one season.

Source: Reuters

Argentina has reduced export taxes on wheat and barley from 7.5% to 5.5%, effective immediately, while outlining a schedule of additional cuts for soybeans, soy products, corn, sorghum, and sunflower exports beginning in January 2027. The measures were formalized through Decree 423/2026, published in the country’s Official Bulletin on June 3, following President Javier Milei’s announcement in May.

The reduction in the wheat and barley tax comes as Argentine farmers begin planting for the new season. Producers were expected to reduce acreage due to rising production costs, particularly fertilizer costs, and weak grain prices. According to the USDA report, the lower export tax could encourage additional wheat and barley planting and help limit declines in planted area.

The government also announced a phased reduction of export duties on major agricultural commodities through December 2028, subject to economic conditions. Soybean export taxes, currently 24%, are scheduled to decline gradually to 21% by the end of 2027 and 15% by the end of 2028. Corn and sorghum duties are projected to fall from 8.5% to 5.5% over the same period, while sunflower export taxes are expected to decline from 4.5% to 3%. Wheat and barley duties will remain at 5.5% after the latest reduction.

Reducing export taxes has been a central goal of Milei’s administration, which views the levies as a distortion to agricultural markets. The latest measures represent the third round of export tax reductions since Milei took office in December 2023. The country’s agricultural sector welcomed the announcement, saying lower taxes will improve farm profitability by increasing producers’ returns.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

India’s ACME Group will invest $4.2B to build the second and third phases of its green hydrogen and ammonia project in Oman’s Duqm special economic zone, with commercial operations targeted for 2030 and 2033, the zone authority said on June 10.

Once complete, the two phases are designed to produce 800,000 tonnes of green ammonia and 142,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year across a 10 sq km site in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, according to an announcement by the zone authority, SEZAD. The expansion builds on project development and land usufruct agreements signed in May 2025 between Hydrogen Oman, the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, and ACME, which formally folded the venture into Oman’s national green hydrogen program.

Duqm sits among a cluster of Gulf green ammonia developments aimed at export markets in shipping and fertilizer, where buyers in Europe and Asia are seeking low-carbon supply. Oman has positioned the zone, with its deepwater port and renewable resources, as a hub for producing and shipping green molecules at scale.

The staggered 2030 and 2033 start dates underline how far out commercial volumes remain, even as project sponsors lock in land and engineering commitments now.

Source: Muscat Daily

India’s state-owned National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) has drawn bids as low as $449/tonne CFR in its tender for 1.7 million tonnes of urea, less than half the level its last major import deal fetched in April, as China’s return to the export market pulls global prices sharply lower ahead of the kharif sowing season.

The offers, reported on June 10, ranged from $445 to $449/tonne CFR for delivery to India’s east and west coasts. That compares with $935/tonne CFR west coast and $959/tonne CFR east coast settled in April by Indian Potash Limited for 2.5 million tonnes, one of the largest single urea purchases in India’s history.

The price collapse hands New Delhi unexpected relief on a fertilizer subsidy bill that ballooned after the Middle East conflict drove up energy and nutrient costs. With the southwest monsoon now spreading across India’s main growing states, the timing matters for a government trying to keep urea on shelves at a fixed retail price while shielding the budget from import-cost spikes.

China’s export return resets the price floor

Traders attributed the steep drop largely to China, which has gradually reopened urea exports after restricting outbound shipments since March to protect domestic supply. The added tonnage, combined with softer demand in Brazil, Europe and parts of Asia where farmers buy at market rather than subsidized prices, has loosened a market that spent much of the year tight.

NFL issued the tender on May 27, seeking 900,000 tonnes for west coast ports and 800,000 tonnes for the east coast, with cargoes to load by July 20. Suppliers responded with offers totaling about 6.25 million tonnes, split roughly 3.17 million tonnes for the east coast and 3.08 million tonnes for the west, leaving the tender heavily oversubscribed. Aditya Birla Global Trading was among the lowest offers on the East Coast.

A reprieve for India’s subsidy bill

India caps the retail price of urea at 242 rupees per 50-kg bag, equivalent to roughly $60/tonne, and absorbs the gap between that level and import costs through subsidies. The Union Budget for 2026-27 allocated about 1.71 trillion rupees (around $20 billion) for fertilizer subsidies. After the Iran conflict pushed prices higher, finance ministry officials had warned the bill could double to more than 3.4 trillion rupees (around $41 billion). The latest tender suggests that worst case is now easing.

India imports around 10 million tonnes of urea a year. According to an Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations report, the country brought in about 5.6 million tonnes in 2024-25, roughly 15% of domestic consumption, while importing close to 27 million tonnes of LNG, much of it from West Asia. That dependence on Gulf gas ties India’s nitrogen economics directly to events in the region.

Domestic production still constrained

The import push reflects a shortfall at home. Indian urea output has slipped from about 2.5 million tonnes a month to 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes as disrupted gas supplies curb plant operating rates. With domestic plants running below capacity and the kharif application window opening, importing has become the faster route to keeping farmers supplied.

What to watch next

NFL has yet to finalize award volumes and counterparties, and the final settled tonnage will signal how aggressively India intends to restock. The near-term path for global urea hinges on how quickly China clears export volumes and whether the price slide pulls more demand off the sidelines. For now, the buyer that defined this year’s market tightness is finding the cheapest cargoes it has seen since before the conflict began.

Source: Business Standard

Uralchem has signed an agreement with the Murmansk Region government to develop the Tuloma mineral site, committing to invest about RUB 20 billion (approximately USD 255 million). The agreement was signed during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by Andrey Chibis, governor of the Murmansk Region, and Dmitry Konyaev, chief executive of Uralchem, according to the Murmansk Region Investment Portal.

The project includes the construction of an open-pit mine and a processing plant to develop phosphate mineral resources at the Tuloma site. Regional authorities said the investment is expected to create hundreds of jobs, increase tax revenues, and support the implementation of Russia’s Arctic development strategy through 2035. Under the agreement, Uralchem will evaluate the project’s investment potential and finance development activities, while the regional government will provide support measures, including land allocation and assistance with infrastructure and socioeconomic initiatives.

Chibis said the arrival of Uralchem highlights the Murmansk Region’s growing attractiveness to investors, noting that regional investment has reached RUB 1.8 trillion (about USD 23 billion) over the past seven years. He added that the project would strengthen the region’s transport infrastructure, generate high-paying jobs, and contribute additional tax revenues for public services and social infrastructure. The governor also noted that phosphate ore processing in the region has traditionally been carried out by PhosAgro, EuroChem, and Acron, making Uralchem the latest major fertilizer producer to establish a presence in the Kola Arctic.

A British research project has built and validated a model that predicts where slugs will attack arable fields, opening a path to targeted treatment that could cut pesticide use and protect yields, FarmingUK reported.

Developed through SLIMERS, a £2.6M program, the tool relies on data gathered by farmers themselves and points toward patch treatment in place of blanket slug-pellet applications. For growers, the shift carries both cost and environmental stakes, with slug damage estimated to cost UK agriculture about £43.5M a year.

How farmers helped build the model

A team of 28 “Slug Sleuth” farmers and agronomists collected field data across monitoring sites, recording where slugs concentrated and under what conditions. That ground-level data let Professor Keith Walters and his team at Harper Adams University develop and validate a model predicting where slugs are most likely to be found in arable fields. Soil sampling by project partner Agrivation fed into the analysis.

One participating farmer said the work showed slug problems could be managed in a more environmentally friendly way, though he cautioned that further trials are needed before the approach is ready for wide rollout.

What is SLIMERS?

SLIMERS stands for Strategies Leading to Improved Management and Enhanced Resilience to Slugs. It is a three-year, £2.6M research program funded through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and delivered by Innovate UK. The project is led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), headed by Tom Allen-Stevens, and brings together more than 100 farms and seven partners, including Harper Adams University, the UK Agri-Tech Centre, the John Innes Centre, Fotenix, Farmscan Ag and Agrivation.

Toward precision slug control

Alongside prediction and precision mapping, the consortium is developing an AI-based autonomous system for targeted biological control using nematodes, and exploring slug-resistant wheat varieties. In the current season, Slug Sleuth farmers are treating only predicted hotspots to fine-tune the models. The next step, growers say, is funding to roll out variable-rate applications and build the dataset needed to prove the approach at scale.

Why it matters and what comes next

Tighter regulation of slug pellets and growing pressure to cut chemical use have left arable farmers searching for alternatives. Patch treatment guided by risk maps could reduce both cost and environmental impact, replacing blanket spreading with targeted action. SLIMERS is due to conclude in August 2026, when the consortium aims to show a commercially viable route to predicting and treating one of arable farming’s most persistent pests.

Source: FarmingUK

What to know about the SLIMERS slug project

Tesco called on the food industry to help scale low-carbon fertilizers from trials into mainstream use, arguing that British growers need more protection from price shocks, the retailer said at London Tech Week on June 9.

UK chief executive Ashwin Prasad said low-carbon fertilizers could cut emissions, strengthen food security, and offer a more stable, domestically produced alternative to volatile global supply. Too often, he said, promising technologies struggle to move from trial to everyday use on farms.

Trials at Tesco’s low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire showed yields comparable to those from conventional farms while emitting lower levels of carbon, the company said. Its main potato supplier, Branston, recorded a 50% reduction in emissions through low-carbon growing techniques, including low-carbon fertilizer.

The appeal comes as fertilizer costs climb. AHDB figures show prices across a range of products have risen between 13% and 36% since the start of the Iran war, squeezing UK farmers already managing tight margins.

Prasad said scaling the products will require greater availability, clearer pricing, and confidence that farmers can plan their use over the long term. Tesco also relaunched its Agri-Tech Challenge to find startups offering practical sustainability and resilience tools. Whether suppliers can deliver volume at competitive prices remains an open question.

Source: FarmingUK