Month: December 2017

Keywords: Alfalfa, Toolbox, Breeder Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States and an important crop throughout the world. Known as the “Queen of Forages,” alfalfa can be grown alone or in mixtures with other plants. It has high protein content and nutritional quality. That makes it an excellent food source for… Continue reading Scientists create new ‘toolbox’ to better study alfalfa

At the International Tropical Agriculture Conference 2017, held in Brisbane from November 20 to 22, the world’s leading scientists and researchers for innovation in plant, animal, and food sciences were brought together to discuss the issues and breakthroughs for the sector.On day one of the conference, a panel discussion on market-driven approaches to plant breeding… Continue reading Why the science of plant breeding needs to think practically

Keywords: Low-gluten wheat, Gene editing, Spain A low-gluten strain of wheat has been created by a team of scientists in Spain. The wheat could benefit people with coeliac disease. They hope their work can be applied to producing products like bread that are low in gluten. Gluten is a group of proteins normally found in wheat. Coeliac… Continue reading Low-gluten wheat that could be eaten by coeliacs produced by gene editing

Keywords: Plant breeding, Market research The International Tropical Agriculture Conference 2017 was held in Brisbane from November 20 to 22. The world’s leading scientists and researchers for innovation in plant, animal, and food sciences were brought together to discuss the issues and breakthroughs for the sector. On day one of the conference, a panel discussion on market-driven approaches… Continue reading Why the science of plant breeding needs to think practically

Colombian researchers have developed a product they say increases banana biomass and can accelerate the growing period by four to six weeks. Colombian Banana Growers Union’s (Augura) Center for Banana Research (Cenibanano) scientists first began to develop the product with a collection of microorganisms found in key banana-growing areas. Augura-Cenibanano phytosanitary researcher Luz Argel said… Continue reading Colombia develops biostimulant to accelerate banana growth

Keywords: sensors, agriculture When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, it paved the way to the explosion in smartphone technology that has integrated the devices into everyday life. A driving force behind this technological revolution is the sensor. In many cases, these sensors are part of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). It  allows for data… Continue reading How sensors are changing everything in agriculture

Keywords: Drought-resistant plants, Gene, Water-use efficient crops Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a common set of genes. The genes enable different drought-resistant plants to survive in semi-arid conditions. It could play a significant role in bioengineering and creating energy crops that are tolerant to water deficits. Plants thrive in… Continue reading Genes found in drought-resistant plants could accelerate evolution of water-use efficient crops

In recent years there have been numerous meetings between Brazilian and Chinese officials exploring ways the two countries could cooperate to expand agricultural trade. The Chinese are looking at infrastructure projects such as railroads, ports, highways, in addition to storage and processing facilities that would lower the cost of transporting the products to China. They… Continue reading Brazil and China discusses agriculture investments in Mato Grosso

Keywords: FAO, agriculture, Spain, China, Korea, sustainable farming systems Five traditional farming systems in China, Korea and Spain have been designated by FAO as “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems”. These include two sites in Spain which are the first such sites ever to be recognized in Europe– the Malaga Raisin Production System in La Axarquía and… Continue reading FAO recognises sustainable farming systems in Spain, China and Korea

Keywords: Corn, Hybrids, Variability Certain corn hybrids are more variable in plant height and ear placement. The grower for the Corn Watch 2017 project planted two hybrids in strips of 24 rows each. One hybrid was shorter and very uniform in plant and ear height. The other was taller and more variable in plant and ear… Continue reading Why some hybrids vary more than others