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Agricuture News - December 2009 Archives
Spinach with fungus, malnourished cabbage, spotty cauliflower and frost-bitten peaches. No matter the malady, "plant doctors" assembled for the first time 100 years ago this week to discuss those and other plant problems.Their gathering in Boston set in motion a new field of science -- plant pathology, whose researchers would help the young US establish a healthy agriculture industry. But studying the diseases of plants proved almost easier than launching a new professional identity.
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 | Scientists in Canada are reporting the development of a fast, inexpensive "dipstick" test to identify small amounts of pesticides that may exist in foods and beverages. Their paper-strip test is more practical than conventional pesticide tests, producing results in minutes rather than hours by means of an easy-to-read color-change, they say. ...> Full Article |
Catch share programs result in more consistent and predictable fisheries but do not necessarily improve ecological conditions, according to a new study published online this week by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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 | Microscopic ridges contouring the surface of flower petals might play a role in flashing that come-hither look pollinating insects can't resist. Michigan State University scientists and colleagues now have figured out how those form. The result could help researchers learn to enhance plants' pollination success and even could lead to high-grip nanomaterials and "green chemical" feedstocks. ...> Full Article |
 | University of Delaware researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants. ...> Full Article |
 | Glaciers along the Gulf of Alaska are enriching stream and near shore marine ecosystems from a surprising source -- ancient carbon contained in glacial runoff. ...> Full Article |
 | It's commonly known that plants interact with each other on an everyday basis: they shade each other out or take up nutrients from the soil before neighboring plants can get them. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have learned that plants also respond to the past. ...> Full Article |
 | Every year, large amounts of hatchery-raised young salmonids are released into Swedish rivers and streams to compensate for losses in natural production. Butthese fish generally survive poorly in the wild. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have discovered why: the young fish get too crowded at the hatchery. ...> Full Article |
A new miscanthus rhizome root harvester and planter will be unveiled at the seventh annual Bioenergy Feedstocks Symposium on Monday, Jan. 11 and Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign, Ill.
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Stanford scientist Noah Diffenbaugh uses a very high-resolution computer model to forecast the impact of climate change on US wine and corn production.
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 | Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center have developed a plant-sorting machine that uses computer vision and machine learning to inspect and grade harvested strawberry plants and then mechanically sort them by quality -- tasks that until now could only be done manually. ...> Full Article |
Deep cracks in the soil of some Napa Valley vineyards are swallowing up precious irrigation water. Stanford researchers estimate water losses could exceed 10 percent, but are working with growers on ways to stanch the outflow.
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Revegetation efforts in a subarctic Quebec community show that not all plants respond favorably to the use of fertilizers. Universite Laval Ecology Professor Stephane Boudreau used organic and mineral fertilizers on three different species of plants with mixed results. Vegetation in the community is damaged because of land development and the use of all terrain vehicles.
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This study analyzed the impact of experiential learning on students through a study of an agroecology course. Via a mixed-methods analysis, researchers determined that the course measurably impacted participating students. The research results are published in the latest issue of the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education.
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 | A new study reveals the reason why orchids use sexual trickery to lure insect pollinators. The study, published in the January issue of the American Naturalist, finds that sexual deception in orchids leads to a more efficient pollinating system. ...> Full Article |
 | Scientists at the Carnegie Institution, with colleagues, have found that a plant steroid prompts two genes to battle each other -- one suppresses the other to ensure that leaves grow normally in rice and the experimental plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a relative of mustard. The results, published in the December 15, 2009, issue of the Plant Cell, have important implications for understanding how to manipulate crop growth and yield. ...> Full Article |
 | New varieties of blackberry called "primocane-fruiting," which bear fruit on current-season canes, or primocanes can offer distinct advantages over traditional varieties, which must be overwintered and produce fruit the second year. These unique blackberries could greatly impact production efforts by extending the harvest months. The research showed that the pruning and tipping systems used in the experiment resulted in increased yield and offered options for extending growing seasons. ...> Full Article |
Vermicomposting, using earthworms to turn waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer, can be an economical, organic waste management practice. The resulting product, called vermicompost, or worm castings, can be an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional substrate additives for producing container-grown plants. Researchers experimented with pine bark amended with vermicompost derived from pig manure to produce healthy hibiscus. The study suggests that dolomitic lime, sulfated micronutrients, and phosphorous can be eliminated as substrate additives.
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 | New varieties of plants marketed as disease or insect-resistant are being sold through local garden centers and catalogues. These attractive ornamentals often come with the promise of lower maintenance or the need for fewer pesticides. Researchers surveyed lawn care and landscape maintenance professionals regarding the impact of disease-resistant plants on client satisfaction and firm profitability. Results indicate that businesses are willing to promote the new plants -- good news for business and the environment. ...> Full Article |
 | Hand thinning, a common practice employed by growers to produce larger, healthier fruit, is among the most labor-intensive of orchard practices. Researchers from Penn State are investigating the impacts of a horizontal string thinner for use by peach producers. A string thinner prototype for open-center tree canopies was tested in six orchards. Remarkably, fruit size at harvest was increased by the horizontal string thinner in all but one trial. ...> Full Article |
 | Wild Malus orientalis -- a species of wild apples that could be an ancestor of today's domesticated apples -- are native to the Middle East and Central Asia. A new study comparing the diversity of recently acquired M. orientalis varieties from Georgia and Armenia with previously collected varieties originating in Russia and Turkey narrows the large population and establishes a core collection that will make M. orientalis more accessible to the breeding and research communities. ...> Full Article |
 | Ground-breaking discoveries by Michigan State University researchers could help protect honeybees from deadly parasites that have devastated commercial colonies. ...> Full Article |
 | Acreage of organic nurseries and greenhouses in the US increased 83 percent since 2004. But supermarket sales of organic ornamental plants are not keeping up with this trend; organic herbs and flowers have been marketed primarily through the Internet, community agriculture groups, and local farmers markets. Organic and conventional growers consider insect and fertility to be the biggest challenges facing organic growers and these topics should be top priorities for future research on organic greenhouse production. ...> Full Article |
 | The skin is light brown, the meat luscious and yellow: from the outside alone, this new potato looks like any other. But on the inside, it is different. Its cells produce pure amylopectin, a starch used in the paper, textile and food industries. The new potatoes -- recently harvested and processed for the first time -- were developed by Fraunhofer researchers with the aid of a new, especially rapid breeding process. ...> Full Article |
 | Graham Kent, Nevada Seismological Laboratory director at the University of Nevada, Reno is leading the installation, testing and maintenance of a novel way to monitor forests fires and other environmental data with the prototype of a new camera system developed by Sony-Europe. The new 360-degree, solar-powered camera and wi-fi system was installed at Tahoe City, Calif. in anticipation of its debut Dec. 12 via the Internet from Copenhagen during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
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 | A team of University of Minnesota researchers have discovered how PTTH, a hormone produced by the brain, controls the metamorphosis of juvenile insects into adults.
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 | Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Natural History Museum believe that carnivorous behavior in plants is far more widespread than previously thought, with many commonly grown plants -- such as petunias -- at least part way to being "meat eaters." A review paper, Murderous plants: Victorian Gothic, Darwin and modern insights into vegetable carnivory, is published today, December 4, 2009, in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. ...> Full Article |
 | Van Andel Research Institute researchers have determined precisely how the plant hormone abscisic acid works at the molecular level to help plants respond to environmental stresses such as drought and cold. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, could help engineer crops that thrive in harsh environments around the world and combat global food shortages. The findings could also have implications for stress disorders in humans. ...> Full Article |
An assessment published in the December issue of BioScience concludes that marine aquaculture could play a large role in feeding humanity in the coming decades, although substantial changes will be needed to reduce its reliance on terrestrial agriculture and other external feed subsidies.
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Research into the potato tuber at the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development and at the NEIKER-Tecnalia Technology Centre has, in recent years, focused on the development of new varieties of potato adapted to Spanish agro-climatic conditions.
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 | Plant roots can shrink as a result of water deficit and lose contact with the surrounding soil. This effect has been suspected for a long time, but has only now been demonstrated for a fact with the help of X-ray tomography. The formation of an air gap could initially help plants prevent impending water losses when soil dries out, say scientists from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) writing in the Vadose Zone Journal. ...> Full Article |
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