A genetically modified purple tomato, developed by food scientists in Norwich, has been approved for sale in the US.

The country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared it is safe to eat.

Scientists that developed the product are now seeking permission to grow it commercially in the UK.

A new research project aims to explore the potential for domestic production and pump-prime the UK’s first chickpea breeding programme.

The two-year study 'Cicero' has been awarded £500,000 to crop science organisation NIAB, with it focusing on the cool-season legume, chickpea (Cicer arietinum).

In common with other nitrogen-fixing legumes, the crop has the potential to reduce on-farm fertiliser requirements and emissions associated with fertiliser production and application.

A new approach to growing algae in Scotland could offer a sustainable boost for the aquaculture and agriculture sectors, by providing locally sourced, alternative protein sources and ingredients for feeds.

Experts in animal nutrition from Biosimetrics and Abrimar, both based in Edinburgh, are working alongside researchers at the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) to explore the optimum conditions required for growing algae as a novel feed ingredient. Funded by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), the results of the project could help to unlock new Scottish supply chains for natural and sustainable feeds.

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of algae as a high-quality, nutritious alternative to imported soy and fishmeal protein, however, the cost and complexity of scaling up to mass production has meant the process has not yet been developed further. For this project, species were specifically selected for their commercial viability, to minimise potential waste and maximise value.

Scientists are using automated sensors and AI over the next four years to demonstrate the effectiveness of on-farm environment and peatland restoration schemes.

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) will be deploying solar-powered biodiversity monitoring stations comprising camera ‘traps’ and acoustic recording equipment at farms to monitor wildlife.

There will be stations at farms that are undertaking practices to reduce emissions, increase carbon capture and support wildlife, such as agroforestry and wildflower hay meadows. Stations will be placed in areas of the farm that do, and do not, have agri-environment measures, and will be used to measure the impacts of these schemes on species populations.

Scotland’s increasing use of renewable energy could make vertical farming techniques more climate friendly than the traditional ways that greens are grown in fields, according to researchers.

Experts at the James Hutton Institute initially found that using indoor, controlled farming methods for growing lettuce would emit more carbon than traditional open field methods, based on Scottish energy use in 2019.

But that increased use of renewables for power – which accounts for up to 91% of the carbon footprint of vertical farming – could now mean it’s on a par with UK open-field grown lettuce in terms of its environmental credentials.

Insect meal for feed and fertiliser, methane inhibitors, genetic innovation and vertical farming are just some of the innovations that can help deliver Net Zero in UK agriculture, according to a new inquiry report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture.

Identifying eight key areas of innovation with the potential to transform UK agriculture’s climate impact, the report also highlights a number of potential and actual barriers to these innovations reaching Britain’s farmers, and makes recommendations for Government to remove these barriers, covering regulatory, policy and R&D actions.

Daffodils could provide the key to more sustainable livestock farming, according to scientists who say lab tests have proven promising. Adding an extract from the flowers to livestock feed reduced methane in artificial cow stomachs by 96%.

A team of researchers at Scotland's Rural College hope that when trialled in real cows, it could reduce methane emissions by at least 30%. A four-year programme of trials is now beginning at farms around the UK.

It is grown in some of the world’s most inhospitable, arid regions and is noted for being rich in protein. But the grass pea – although hardy and nutritious – comes with a catch. It contains a poison that can occasionally trigger irreversible paralysis, particularly among individuals who are already undernourished.

As a result, it is often grown only as an insurance crop, to provide short-term food supply when harvests of other crops have failed. Nevertheless, poisoning from Lathyrus sativus still occurs in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Ethiopia and Algeria.

But now a group of UK scientists studying the grass pea have revealed the secrets of its poison production. In the near future they expect to create versions that are free of its toxic side-effects.

While delays in EFSA’s assessment of the chemical had left it possible that glyphosate would no longer be available for use by the EU’s farmers, a new report suggests otherwise.

A three-year European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) review of glyphosate has concluded that the herbicide poses no critical areas of concern to the health of humans, animals or the environment.

The conclusion puts glyphosate’s place in EU farmers’ toolbox in a far safer position than it had been in recent years.

The UK's livestock sector must accelerate innovation in order to deliver its net zero goals by 2050, according to a new report.

For the goal of a 64% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, current technology and practices could only deliver a 24% reduction at high rates of uptake, the report warns.

The remaining ‘emissions reduction gap’ requires new innovations in technology, services and management approaches, according to CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock).

A new project has received Defra funding to explore how livestock waste and insect farming can generate clean energy, whilst providing commercial opportunities for farmers.

The ‘DELIVER’ project, led by BACB Renewables and the University of Leeds, aims to support farmers to raise animals and crops at reduced carbon and energy costs, while boosting productivity.

The study is one of 50 projects which has secured funding from Defra and UKRI as part of the Farming Innovation Programme.

The world's average temperature reached a new high on Monday 3 July, topping 17 degrees Celsius for the first time. Scientists say the reading was the highest in any instrumental record dating back to the end of the 19th century.

The high heat is due to a combination of the El Niño weather event and ongoing emissions of carbon dioxide. Researchers believe there will be more records in the coming months as El Niño strengthens.

Since the start of this year, researchers have been growing increasingly concerned about rapidly rising temperatures on land and at sea.