Author: Suchetana Choudhuri
The agriculture sector, known for its high-value fruits and significant export potential, is facing a convergence of agronomic, economic, and regulatory pressures. On October 13, a distinguished panel of scientists, industry leaders, and regulatory experts convened virtually to discuss the multifaceted role of Mancozeb in sustainable agriculture, in Agrospectrum webinar titled – The Future of Mancozeb: Science, Stewardship, and Global Food Security. The webinar examined the fungicide’s scientific attributes, its integration into disease management programs, regulatory trends, and its broader implications for farm profitability and food security. The virtually held discussions underscored that fungicide stewardship is no longer merely a…
Komet Irrigation, a global leader in sprinkler irrigation solutions since 1952, has unveiled the Komet Precision Wave (KPW), a next-generation pivot sprinkler engineered to dramatically elevate water distribution uniformity and irrigation efficiency. The KPW will take center stage at Agritechnica 2025, where the company will also introduce the Komet Experience Hub—a forward-looking research and testing facility designed to advance the science of irrigation performance. Uneven water delivery at the outer end of pivot systems has long been one of agriculture’s most persistent efficiency gaps. The KPW tackles this challenge head-on through an innovative oscillating deflector that creates a highly uniform…
The 2025 fertiliser upheaval has laid bare the disquieting vulnerabilities of India’s nutrient security—an economy shackled to volatile global markets, skewed subsidies, and an unhealthy addiction to artificially cheap urea. What appears as a transient supply disturbance is, in reality, a geopolitical tremor triggered by China’s export restrictions, Russia’s selective opportunism, and the capriciousness of global energy prices, all converging to imperil the livelihoods of millions of smallholders. This article therefore discusses how emergency imports and ballooning subsidies merely anaesthetise a deeper malaise while the soil continues to suffer from decades of nutritional imbalance. It scrutinises the emerging promise of…
In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, Professor Hercia Stampini Duarte Martino and her research team at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) detailed their pioneering work on sorghum-based synbiotic beverages developed in collaboration with Embrapa and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The innovation combines whole-grain sorghum with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei to deliver metabolic benefits linked to obesity reduction, improved lipid profiles, and enhanced gut microbiota balance. The researchers emphasized strong translational potential for Brazil, noting the product’s alignment with public-health priorities and suitability for vegan and lactose-intolerant consumers. They highlighted commercialization opportunities within the fast-growing global plant-based market, while underscoring the need…
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiates Public Participation Procedure Biotalys is pleased to announce that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued its proposed registration decision to approve the company’s first biofungicide, EVOCA. The agency will now initiate the final phase in its regulatory review, allowing stakeholders such as growers and industry associations 15 days to provide feedback before finalizing its regulatory decision. The EPA has also posted a final rule exempting EVOCA’s active ingredient residues on treated crops from tolerance requirements, indicating that no maximum residue limits will apply and highlighting the product candidate’s exemplary safety profile. EVOCA…
In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr. Jenni Brandon, CEO and Sustainability Consultant at Wild Beacon Consulting, reveals how coral reefs marshal an arsenal of biological ingenuity — from genetically diverse lineages to symbiont-swapping survival strategies — to endure the escalating tyranny of warming and acidifying oceans. She argues that restoration must be rooted not in cosmetic transplantation but in evolutionary prudence, selecting morphologies and genotypes most equipped for tomorrow’s oceans and leveraging naturally resilient habitats such as upwelling zones. Dr. Brandon spotlights the reefs’ macroeconomic indispensability: they are coastal sentinels, food-system pillars, and tourism engines whose erosion could destabilize…
In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Alexei Beltyukov, CEO and Co-founder of Universal Fuel Technologies (Unifuel), elucidates how the company’s proprietary Flexiforming process transcends the constraints of conventional waste-oil-based biofuels, converting alcohols and low-value refinery byproducts into truly drop-in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). By delivering the elusive aromatic fraction required for jet engine performance — something HEFA and Fischer–Tropsch routes cannot independently supply — Unifuel simultaneously augments yield and slashes both energy and hydrogen inputs. Beltyukov underscores that Flexiforming’s modularity and compatibility with existing refineries and ethanol facilities offer a capital-efficient scale-up pathway at a time when the SAF markets are…
he traditional logic of reef conservation—protect the habitat, and the habitat will recover—is breaking down under the realities of a warming ocean. MPAs still matter, but they are being outpaced by global environmental change that local policies cannot contain. The future of coral reefs will depend on dynamic, data-driven management, active restoration, and financial mechanisms that treat reef health as essential climate-resilience infrastructure. In this new era, the question is not whether reefs can be protected—but how fast we can redesign the systems meant to save them. For decades, the global conservation community placed its faith in marine protected areas…
Ten young conservation leaders from Families in Nature (FIN), the Austin-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing youth leadership in environmental science, are headed to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to showcase their original research and education projects at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, taking place October 9–15, 2025. Held once every four years, the Congress is one of the world’s most influential gatherings for biodiversity and climate action, uniting experts, policymakers, and organizations from over 195 countries to set global priorities for protecting nature. The FIN delegation—comprising Jo Joly (31), Harper Thomas (17), Aubrey Teffer (17), Sawyer Kuhlken (15), Lou Roe…
In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Brent Boydston, Founder, Ag Center Solutions outlined how U.S. agribusiness can seize Africa’s $3.4 trillion AfCFTA opportunity. Feed grains, soy, and DDGS are prime entry points, but success hinges on relationship-driven partnerships, not just transactions. He stressed the need for investments in smallholder modernization, mechanization, and digital agtech to boost productivity and resilience. Boydston also called for next-generation trade frameworks that combine IP protection, technology transfer, and carbon-credit access. Africa’s low-input, biodiversity-aligned farming models, he noted, offer critical lessons for sustainable growth. Strategic collaboration, he concluded, can transform Africa into a hub for high-value food…