Scientists at the John Innes Centre in the U.K. have discovered an important component in the process of nitrogen fixation in plants.

One of the Agricultural Research Service's more unusual germplasm collections is devoted to Rhizobium, bacteria that form symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationships with soybeans, alfalfa, peanuts, beans, and other legumes to convert nitrogen gas from the air into fertilizer for the plants.

Washington University biologists are undertaking an ambitious project to engineer tiny nitrogen-fixing devices within photosynthetic cells.

Severe drought conditions reduced soybean yields last year by an average of 6.2% from 2011.

A major tenet of sustainable agriculture is to mimic diversity that is commonly found in natural ecosystems but may be lost in agricultural terrain. There are a number of strategies for increasing biodiversity.

The next Green Revolution must be guided by small-holder no-till farmers, adapted to local circumstances and sustainable for the economy and the environment, said Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates to a crowded hall at last week's World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines.