Posts Tagged ‘agriculture’
Weeds grow more resistant to herbicides
PENN STATE (US) — Over-reliance on one type of herbicide for weed control on US farms has created a dramatic increase in the number of genetically resistant weeds, a new study shows. Continue…
Friday, February 10, 2012 13:24 - 0 Comments
Earth & Environment - Jan 30, 2012 13:03 - 0 Comments
American ozone depletes European wheat
U. LEEDS (UK) — Air pollution from North America causes Europe to lose 1.2 million tons of wheat a year, a new study shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 24, 2012 12:18 - 4 Comments
Force flood turned farmland to mud
U. ILLINOIS (US) — When the water in the Mississippi River rose to 58 feet with a forecast of 60 feet or higher in May 2011, the emergency plan to naturally or intentionally breach the levees established over 80 years prior was put in motion. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 23, 2012 11:52 - 1 Comment
Amazon basin shows signs of stress
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Human land-use activity has begun to change the regional water and energy cycles of parts of the Amazon basin. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 18, 2012 12:08 - 0 Comments
Bitter orange trees taste yucky to bugs
CORNELL (US) — Orange trees engineered to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of bugs may protect Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry from a deadly bacterial disease. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 18, 2012 9:28 - 0 Comments
Fed antibiotics, pigs carry resistant bugs
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Antibiotics in pig feed increase the number of antibiotic resistant genes in gastrointestinal microbes in pigs, say researchers. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 17, 2012 17:42 - 0 Comments
Gene discovered in corn ‘feeds the seeds’
U. WARWICK (US) — Scientists have discovered a “nourishing gene” that controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 13, 2012 12:30 - 8 Comments
High insecticide levels in dead honeybees
PURDUE (US) — Honeybee populations have been in serious decline for years, and scientists may have identified one of the factors that cause bee deaths around agricultural fields. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 29, 2011 11:05 - 0 Comments
Worm compost keeps seedlings safe
CORNELL (US) — Worm compost is not only an ideal fertilizer, it may also prove to be an organic way to protect seeds from a pathogen that has been a scourge to farmers. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 19, 2011 12:52 - 1 Comment
Bad (and good) news for Costa Rican farmers
STANFORD (US) — Knocking down forests to make way for farms and pastures in Costa Rica can drive away the birds that play a crucial role in distributing seeds, controlling insects, and pollinating plants. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 9, 2011 11:58 - 2 Comments
Small-scale irrigation: ‘Ladder out of poverty’
STANFORD (US) — Investments in small-scale irrigation and geophysical mapping will help relieve food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers say. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 1, 2011 11:38 - 2 Comments
Climate shifts spell trouble for walnut trees
PURDUE (US) — Warmer, drier summers and extreme weather events considered possible as the climate changes would be especially troublesome—possibly fatal—for walnut trees, according to new research. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 29, 2011 10:35 - 0 Comments
Scientists uncover soybeans’ Asian roots
U. TORONTO (CAN) / U. OREGON (US) — New research challenges many of the long-held beliefs about when and where humans first began to domesticate soybeans—and specifically, increase its seed size. (more…)
Society & Culture - Nov 23, 2011 11:52 - 0 Comments
San Joaquin Valley riches come with risks
UC DAVIS (US) — Half the people that live in California’s agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley face elevated levels of air and water pollution, poverty, limited education, language barriers, and racial and ethnic segregation, a new study shows. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 15, 2011 11:29 - 0 Comments
How to keep turkeys from gobbling profits
U. MISSOURI (US) — Scientists have developed a less expensive turkey feed that could save the industry more than $100 million. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 8, 2011 12:28 - 0 Comments
Proteins turn plants into well-oiled machines
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — The discovery of a new class of proteins may lead to improvements in crops through breeding or genetic manipulation, new research shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 31, 2011 6:00 - 3 Comments
Native bees: More bee for the buck
CORNELL (US) — Native bees are two to three times better pollinators, are more plentiful, and are less prone to colony collapse than the better known honeybee, a new study shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 28, 2011 10:37 - 0 Comments
Corn for ethanol: Divide and conquer
PURDUE (US) — Researchers have discovered a more efficient method to process corn stover to make cellulosic ethanol—based on the fact that the residue’s distinct parts—the rind, pith, and leaves—break down in different ways. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 25, 2011 11:34 - 2 Comments
Hybrid grapefruit safe for prescription meds
U. FLORIDA (US) — A new citrus hybrid may make it possible for people taking certain medications to add the taste of grapefruit back into their diets without the risk of complications. (more…)
