Agricuture News - April 2009 Archives
Cutting edge approaches and methodology employed by plant and molecular biologists, chemists, physicists, material scientists, computational modelers and engineers will be applied to plant cells in the newly funded Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation, a Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center at Penn State.
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A Purdue University study shows dairy has an advantage over calcium carbonate in promoting bone growth and strength.Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of the food and nutrition department, found that the bones of rats fed nonfat dry milk were longer, wider, more dense and stronger than those of rats fed a diet with calcium carbonate.
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Researchers from the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne, as well as the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics have been part of a major international project to sequence the bovine genome.
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A newly initiated campaign marks an important step in preparing for how data from the Sentinel-1 European Radar Observatory will be used for applications such as land-cover mapping and crop management. Sentinel-1 is the first of the five missions that ESA is developing for the GMES initiative.
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Online trend visualizer helps depict state's land use
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Germany's Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ilse Aigner, has banned the cultivation of genetically modified maize. The ban took effect immediately on April 14. The minister noted that the ban is an isolated decision on a particular case, not a fundamental rejection of green genetic engineering. Europe's highest licensing authority, the EFSA, had previously expressed no reservations about the cultivation of genetically modified maize.
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Ethanol production in Minnesota and Iowa uses far less water overall than similar processes in states where water is less plentiful, a new University of Minnesota study shows.
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A commodity market that has long helped wheat growers and processors manage price risks could lose its relevance unless the Chicago Board of Trade bridges a wide gap between futures and cash prices, a new University of Illinois study warns.
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Roundup Ready crops have made weed control much easier for farmers, but a new study shows their reliance on the technology may be weakening the herbicide's ability to control weeds.
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 | An invasion of soybean aphids poses a problem for soybean farmers requiring application of pesticides, but a team of Penn State entomologists thinks a careful choice of nitrogen-fixing bacteria may provide protection against the sucking insects. ...> Full Article |
For the first time, scientists have isolated the parasite Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia) from professional apiaries suffering from honey bee colony depopulation syndrome. They then went on to treat the infection with complete success.
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 | In May 2008 the island of Guam became a living laboratory for scientists as they attached acoustic equipment to coconut trees in order to listen for rhinoceros beetles. A grant from USDA IPM allowed Richard Mankin, a recognized world-class expert on acoustic detection of insects, to travel to Guam to collaborate with island scientists on the Guam Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Eradication Project. The results of this research were recently published in the journal Florida Entomologist. ...> Full Article |
 | UC Riverside biochemist Daniel Gallie has received a grant of nearly $1.75 million from the National Science Foundation to study how each gene in Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant used in laboratories as a model organism, is converted into protein. The research can help improve protein production in crops. Protein-rich crops improve the diet of humans directly and promote livestock productivity for a growing world population. They also reduce the environmental impact of livestock production. ...> Full Article |
Researchers in the Midwestern United States have examined the effects of flooding on soil, and have discovered new ways in which short-term ponding conditions can affect soil aggregation and the chemistry of the soil-water system. These conditions can have a great impact on soil quality and agriculture in the region.
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Results show that diversified systems are more profitable than monocropping
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 | Scientists have discovered a naturally occurring compound that triggers a plant's immune system, protecting it from infection. The patent-pending discovery could lead to an effective, inexpensive and environmentally safe way to improve plants' resistance to disease. Although it has long been known that plants have immune systems, how they has been studied intensely. This study discovered crucial steps and compounds involved in the immune system of a plant related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. ...> Full Article |
Much of Texas' wheat may be grazed as a part of a dual-use crop. But many fields are still prepared using conventional tillage, which may not efficiently capture rainfall -- a key to economic success in a semi-arid environment, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Dr. Paul DeLaune, environmental soil scientist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon, said tillage operations can increase soil compaction, thereby increasing runoff.
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The wheat curl mite is a minute menace that wreaks havoc on the region's wheat crop, but it has no enemies currently that can take it out. That doesn't mean Texas AgriLife Research scientists aren't trying to find ways to curb its appetite.
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Some types of rice are naturally resistant to the Xanthomonas bacteria. In those varieties a research team is exposing the plants to the two bacteria. They then check to see which plant genes are activated, and to what extent.
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Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Juggling enhances connections in the brain
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Researchers examine plant's ability to identify, block invading bacteria
Asexual plant reproduction may seed new approach for agriculture
Tough new spuds take on double trouble
International team of scientists to meet in Panama to discuss future of the world's forests
Discovery in legumes could reduce fertilizer use, aid environment: Stanford researchers
Log exports down, lumber exports up in Washington and Oregon in 2009
Mint oil production moves south
Forest tree species diversity depends on individual variation