Fungi solution for field fires

Stubble burning has met its answer, and it’s microbial. A cocktail of seven fungi developed by scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi provide a welcome alternative to the stubble burning that happens every year after harvest. Farmers burn the leftover stacks to clear the soil and fight pests and weeds, but the practice can contribute up to 40% of local pollution and has become an urgent environmental problem.