Month: December 2017

In order to speed up the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and promote the reform on the supply side of agriculture, Shandong, a major agricultural province, recently proposed that while continuously improving the mechanization of planting industry, it will also promote the comprehensive agricultural production such as livestock husbandry, aquaculture, forestry and fruit processing,… Continue reading Shandong will promote the full mechanization of agricultural production

Keywords: Zimbabwe, cotton Zimbabwe has introduced cotton hybrid seeds with potential to improve yields by as much as 45 percent when compared with the traditional varieties, an official has said. Hybrid seeds require less water and have a higher yield potential compared to non-hybrid varieties. Studies have shown that the hybrid seeds are generally less… Continue reading Zimbabwe introduces hybrid cotton seeds

Keywords: World Bank, loan, China The World Bank has approved a 150-million U.S. dollar loan to southeastern Chinese province of Jiangxi. The purpose is to improve its farm produce distribution system, the bank said in a statement. The loan will benefit over 200,000 farmers through more efficient farm-to-market supply chains, according to the statement. “Despite… Continue reading World Bank approves 150 mln USD loan for China’s farm produce distribution system

  Keywords: wheat, genome evolution Following on the heels of the first nearly complete assembly of the hexaploid bread wheat genome, scientists from the University of California, Davis, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Johns Hopkins University, and many other institutions recently published a high-quality genome assembly for one of wheat’s diploid ancestors. Both efforts incorporated… Continue reading New assembly of wheat progenitor offers clues to genome evolution

Moscow and Riyadh are discussing plans for making Saudi Arabia a hub for Russian agricultural products, according to a Russian official. “Saudi Arabia is a traditional crossroads of trade routes, it has a convenient geographical location. Since ancient times, people who lived here, traded with the surrounding countries, with Africa,” a spokesman for the Russian… Continue reading Saudi Arabia may become major hub for Russian agriculture

Keywords: rural, land right, China Chinese lawmakers Friday reviewed a draft decision to extend pilot program. It allows farmers in selected areas to mortgage their land use rights and housing property rights. The draft was submitted at a bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which opened Friday. Approved in December… Continue reading China mulls extending pilot plan to mortgage rural land rights

Keywords: U.S., soybean, China U.S. officials will impose stricter quality controls on exports of soybeans headed to China in response to a request from the government in Beijing. It is  a move that may curb some American shipments. Shipments with impurity levels below a new standard of 1 percent, half the current level, will receive… Continue reading U.S. to tighten standard for soybean shipped to China

Keywords: Following on the heels of the first nearly complete assembly of the hexaploid bread wheat genome, scientists from the University of California, Davis, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Johns Hopkins University, and many other institutions recently published a high-quality genome assembly for one of wheat’s diploid ancestors. Both efforts incorporated SMRT Sequencing to improve… Continue reading New assembly of wheat progenitor offers clues to genome evolution

Towards the end of the year, as a major task of promoting the structural reform of the agricultural supply side, the estimated area of corn acreage in China will be reduced by about 20 million mu in order to reduce ineffective supply.   Reduced maize acreage is mainly concentrated in areas known as “sickle bend”… Continue reading The country will reduce the acreage of 20 million mu of corn in 2017

Keywords: Sunflower, New variety, Blooming A horticulture firm says its experts have bred a sunflower which keeps flowering long after the sun stops shining. Thompson & Morgan, which is based in Ipswich, Suffolk, says sunflowers have normally stopped blooming by the time September ends. However, bosses say their new “Sunbelievable” variety flowers from June until the… Continue reading New sunflower variety keeps blooming until late November, firm claims