Beijing, May 4 -- In a scientific breakthrough in agricultural studies, a joint study in China has uncovered how beneficial microbes can improve soil health and boost crop yields, according to the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The research, conducted collaboratively by NIEER and the Austrian Institute of Technology, focused on maize cultivation in northwest China. The study is conducted in the context of global agricultural sustainability. Particularly, it endeavors to tackle the scientific problem that a large amount of barren alkaline loess on the Loess Plateau and desert regions in northwest China restricts crop productivity, according to the Wang Ruoyu, a researcher ...