This research investigates glutamate as an alternative to antibiotics for treating diarrhoea in piglets. Early separation from their mothers causes stress, weakening immunity and increasing infection risk. Supplementing piglets with glutamate improved gut health, reduced diarrhoea, and enhanced growth, offering a potential strategy to reduce antibiotic resistance.

This research investigates feronia, a plant protein essential for heat adaptation. By studying how feronia regulates auxin signaling and plant growth under temperature stress, the work aims to uncover mechanisms that could support the development of heat-resilient crops, improving agricultural productivity and food security in a warming global climate.

This research transforms human urine into sustainable fertilizer using solar-powered systems that recover nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. By turning toilets into decentralized fertilizer factories, the approach improves sanitation, reduces reliance on energy-intensive production, and provides affordable fertilizers to underserved farmers, supporting both environmental sustainability and economic development.

Antimicrobial resistance is driven partly by high antibiotic use in livestock. In pig production, early weaning causes gut infections that require antibiotic treatment. This research shows that feeding piglets specific dietary fibers improves gut microbes, promotes growth, and may reduce disease, offering a potential strategy to lower antibiotic use in agriculture.

Agricultural fertilizers help increase food production but also release nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This research investigates conservation agriculture practices that support beneficial soil microbes capable of reducing these emissions, enabling sustainable food production while limiting agriculture’s contribution to climate change.

This project uses prescribed grazing to manage invasive vegetation and reduce wildfire risk in California. Grazing mimics natural disturbances, lowers hazardous fuels, improves soil health, and supports native biodiversity. The LandSmart Grazing Program funds landowners, builds infrastructure, educates communities, and strengthens local economies through sustainable, landscape-scale vegetation management.

This research develops synthetic communities of beneficial xylem-inhabiting bacteria to control olive vascular diseases caused by Verticillium dahliae and Xylella fastidiosa. Over 300 bacterial strains were screened for biocontrol traits, and compatible candidates were combined into effective communities. Preliminary plant trials show promising results for sustainable, microbiome-based disease management.

This research examines whether long-term organic soil management improves climate resilience. Using a 27-year field experiment, the study shows that compost and manure significantly improve soil structure, reduce compaction, and increase water retention. Results demonstrate that sustained organic practices can transform fragile soils into resilient systems for future food security.

Antibiotic resistance is fueled by antibiotics released into the environment through animal manure. This research shows that aerobic biofilm carrier reactors can degrade up to 92% of antibiotics in manure. Improved manure treatment can reduce environmental reservoirs of resistance and help preserve antibiotics as effective treatments for bacterial infections.

This research uses purple bacteria to treat dairy wastewater, removing nitrogen and phosphorus while producing nutrient-rich biomass. The process reduces pollution and transforms waste into potential biofertilizer, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers and a circular solution for dairy farming and agriculture.