Agriculture

A microinjection device (red) is attached to a citrus tree, providing a way of injecting pesticide or other materials directly into the plant's circulatory system.

Engineers develop precision injection system for plants

Microneedles made of silk-based material can target plant tissues for delivery of micronutrients, hormones, or genes.

April 26, 2020

To test the new sensor’s capabilities, the researchers deposited the carbon nanotubes and other sensor components onto a glass slide. They then used it to monitor ethylene production in two types of flowers — red carnations and purple lisianthus.

New sensor could help prevent food waste

Monitoring the plant hormone ethylene could reveal when fruits and vegetables are about to spoil.

March 18, 2020

Assistant Professor Gabriela Schlau-Cohen has observed, for the first time, a mechanism that plants use to protect themselves from sun damage.

How plants protect themselves from sun damage

Study reveals a mechanism that plants can use to dissipate excess sunlight as heat.

March 10, 2020

Dimagi offers users a way to design mobile tools like registration forms that can be used by frontline health care workers in the most remote, impoverished regions of the world, transforming care.

A mobile tool for global change

Dimagi’s data-collection platform has helped improve health care for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

March 8, 2020

A proactive climate resilience system co-developed by MIT and BRAC was included among the top 100 entries in the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition.

MIT-powered climate resilience solution among top 100 proposals for MacArthur $100 million grant

High-scoring 100&Change applications featured in Bold Solutions Network.

February 25, 2020

A woman carrying a Khethworks solar panel. The efficiency of Khethworks' groundwater pump enables it to be powered by smaller panels, making the system portable.

A new way to irrigate crops year-round

Startup Khethworks is deploying solar-powered pumps to help poor farmers in India irrigate crops all year long.

January 10, 2020

Left to right: MIT Provost Martin Schmidt and President L. Rafael Reif stand with 2019 Bose Fellows Kristala Prather, Mary Gehring, and Sandy Alexandre, along with Judy Bose and Ursula Bose.

Bose grants for 2019 reward bold ideas across disciplines

Three innovative research projects in literature, plant epigenetics, and chemical engineering will be supported by Professor Amar G. Bose Research Grants.

December 23, 2019

Access to irrigation is crucial for food security, especially in arid climates like sub-Saharan Africa. Two MIT research teams working on irrigation in this region were brought together by J-WAFS to share their knowledge.

Collaborating for irrigation access solutions: Where policy and engineering meet

A J-WAFS connection brings together two MIT research teams helping to advance irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa.

December 12, 2019

Researchers have used silk derived from ordinary silkworm cocoons, like those seen here, mixed with bacteria and nutrients, to make a coating for seeds that can help them germinate and grow even in salty soil.

Coated seeds may enable agriculture on marginal lands

A specialized silk covering could protect seeds from salinity while also providing fertilizer-generating microbes.

November 25, 2019

Schematic illustration of probe adsorption influenced by an attractive interaction within the corona

SMART discovers nondisruptive way to characterize the surface of nanoparticles

New method overcomes limitations of existing chemical procedures and may accelerate nanoengineering of materials.

November 12, 2019

If the world is to be free of hunger and malnutrition in accordance with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, actions to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of food systems must be rapidly implemented in order to adapt to climate change. Research launched by J-WAFS seeks to map out the most strategic ways that research can be used to ensure a global transition toward food-system ...

J-WAFS zeroes in on food security as agricultural impacts of the climate crisis become more apparent

The Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab presents a new report on climate, agriculture, water, and food security — with plans for more research.

October 30, 2019

Graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate UROP students presented their research to members of the MIT community, alumni, and industry representatives at the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition.

Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact

At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.

October 29, 2019

Members of the winning team, ecoTrio, from this year’s MADMEC competition. From left to right are Margaret Lee, Sara Sheffels, and Ty Christoff-Tempesta.

MADMEC teams address plastic waste problem with materials science

Finalists presented an alternative to nondegradable plastics, and an additive to help plastics decompose.

October 17, 2019

Left: A water sample undergoing testing using the J-WAFS-funded water quality test kit soon to be deployed throughout Nepal. Right: Citrus trees infected with citrus greening disease are highly contagious and can wipe out whole orange groves. A J-WAFS-funded sensor could help farmers detect the disease much earlier.

J-WAFS announces 2019 Solutions Grants supporting agriculture and clean water

Projects address access to clean water in Nepal via wearable E. coli test kits, improving the resilience of commercial citrus groves, and more.

September 17, 2019

PhD candidates Sahil Shah (left) and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have each received fellowships from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab for 2019-20. Their research explores possible solutions to global and local water supply challenges through new approaches to desalination.

PhD students awarded J-WAFS fellowships for water solutions

J-WAFS announces graduate fellowships for Sahil Shah and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

June 17, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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