Agricuture News - July 2009 Archives
By looking at what different types of rice have in common, a team of international scientists are unlocking rice's genetic diversity to help conserve it and find valuable rice genes to help improve rice production.
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Winter chill, a vital climatic trigger for many tree crops, is likely to decrease by more than 50 percent during this century as global climate warms, making California no longer suitable for growing many fruit and nut crops, according to a team of researchers from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Washington. The study will appear July 22 in the online journal PLoS ONE.
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 | Global rice research community provides critical tools to unravel the diversity of rice ...> Full Article |
 | In the forest's fight for survival, it's the tallest trees that prevail by reaching for sunlight and shading competition. Corn and other plants, too, divert precious energy to grow higher when nearby plants start to encroach. Michigan State University plant scientist Beronda Montgomery seeks the key to unlock the processes by which stem growth is stimulated at the expense of seed, flower and leaf production. ...> Full Article |
Research shows type of cropping system and fertility affect corn yield stability
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 | Researchers at the University of Warwick have recovered significant DNA information from a lost form of ancient barley that triumphed for over 3,000 years seeing off: five changes in civilization, water shortages and a much more popular form of barley that produces more grains. This discovery offers a real insight into the couture of ancient farming and could assist the development of new varieties of crops to face today's climate change challenges. ...> Full Article |
Thread-like fungi that grow in soils at high elevations may play an important role in restoring whitebark and limber pine forests in Canada. Montana State University professor Cathy Cripps is looking for ways to use fungi to help pine seedlings get a strong start.
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 | Two new sister lines of rice are defying rice's reputation as a thirsty crop as they demonstrate their improved productivity in drought-prone regions of India and the Philippines. ...> Full Article |
Consumers may soon be able to eat longer-lasting, potentially healthier fish filets. Scientists have extended the shelf life of lingcod filets and made them more nutritious by dipping them into an edible, protective coating enriched with fish oil.
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Compostng with worms, cow dung and industrial sludge
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New findings from Queen's University biologists show that in the plant world, bigger isn't necessarily better. "Until now most of the thinking has suggested that to be a good competitor in the forest, you have to be a big plant," says Queen's biology professor Lonnie Aarssen. "But our research shows it's virtually the other way around."
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A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow University of Arizona researchers to unlock the genetic code of West African cultivated rice.
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Using a diverse herbicide application strategy may increase production costs, but a five-year Purdue University study shows the practice will drastically reduce weeds and seeds that are resistant to a popular herbicide.
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Why do some plants defend themselves from insect attacks better than others? New evidence shows that the difference might be due to whether they're getting any plant love.In research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from North Carolina State University and Duke University discovered that sexually produced evening primrose plants withstand attacks from plant-eaters like caterpillars better than plant relatives that reproduce by themselves.
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 | Most of us are aware of the potential health benefits of omega-3 found in fish oil and flax seed. Now researchers are looking at how omega-3 may help laying hens avoid bone damage. ...> Full Article |
Brewing beer creates tons of leftover used grains. But that waste can be turned into fuel, as a EUREKA-backed partnership of German and Slovakian developers has shown.
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 | Scientists are reporting for the first time that the use of weed killers in farmers' fields boosts the nutritional value of an important food a crop. Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids in the corn kernels, according to a study scheduled for publication in the July 22 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. ...> Full Article |
Plants that take up -- and hold on to -- nitrogen are effective invaders
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 | An international team of scientists has developed salt-tolerant plants using a new type of genetic modification, bringing salt-tolerant cereal crops a step closer to reality. ...> Full Article |
Nottingham scientists shed light on how a hormone helps control plant root growth
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 | Viruses can cost winegrowers an entire harvest. If they infest the grapevines, even pesticides are often no use. What's more, these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Researchers are growing plants that produce antibodies against the viruses and are thus immune. ...> Full Article |
 | Researchers from the Department of Science Education-Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to make out the "self-irrigating" mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert. This is the first example of a self-irrigating plant worldwide. ...> Full Article |
The potential of forest biotechnology to help address significant social and environmental issues is being "strangled at birth" by the rigid opposition of some groups and regulations that effectively preclude even the testing of genetically modified trees, scientists argue in a new report.
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 | Purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin, and anthocyanins have been epidemiologically associated with a reduced cancer risk. ...> Full Article |
 | There are hundreds of choices when picking a crabapple tree from the nursery, but a Purdue University expert says only a handful are resistant to a widespread fungus or other serious diseases. ...> Full Article |
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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