Month: February 2018

Keywords: farmer, cost Uncertainty about critical crop inputs across fertilizer and crop protection categories reflect the harsh realities facing farmers as they try to balance input costs and financial returns. The latest Farmer Speaks research study conducted in January 2018 by Millennium Research and commissioned by J.L.Farmakis, Inc. reveals general trends in the market and… Continue reading New research shows where farmers are making changes to reduce costs

Keywords: grain A relatively minor genetic modification can triple the number of grains produced by sorghum (family Poaceae), a drought-tolerant plant widely used as a source of food, animal feed, and source of biofuel. The team is now working to apply the same system to other cereal crops. Researchers from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory… Continue reading One tiny mutation could triple the world’s production of grain

A group of researchers linked to the Brazil National Institute of Science and Technology of Semiochemicals in Agriculture – one of the INCTs based in São Paulo State with support from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the National Council for Scientific & Technological Development (CNPq) – has identified and synthesized the sexual pheromone of… Continue reading Ray of hope for citrus farmers as Greening vector’s sexual pheromone identified

Keywords: China, seed China may strengthen criminal punishments to crack down on intellectual property (IP) violations in the seed industry, according to a report submitted to the top legislature last Friday. The report was based on a recent enforcement inspection of the Seed Law by members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress… Continue reading China may strengthen criminal punishment to protect seed IP

Keywords: global warming, crop Climate change is threatening crop yields worldwide, yet little is known about how global warming will confuse normal plant physiology. Researchers in the UK now show that higher temperatures accelerate seed dispersal in crop species belonging to the cabbage and mustard plant family, limiting reproductive success, and this effect is mediated… Continue reading Global warming could cause key culinary crops to release seeds prematurely

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a Committee of Experts on Agricultural Products Nutrition Standards, which is mainly responsible for the research, formulation, validation, publicity, consultation and international cooperation and exchange of farm products nutrition standards. Chen Mengshan is the chairman of the committee.     The Committee consists of 58 members, Chen Mengshan… Continue reading Ministry of Agriculture set up a committee of experts on agricultural products nutrition standards

Keywords: rice Scientists successfully employed mutagenesis to identify the gene that causes hybrid sterility in rice, which is a major reproductive barrier between species. Their success is expected to help elucidate the genetic basis of interspecific hybrid sterility, which is important not only for understanding the evolutionary biology of speciation, but also for improving crops… Continue reading Mutation in single rice gene cancels interspecific hybrid sterilityqrcode

Recently, the reporter learned from the Ministry of Agriculture: In 2017, the overall pass rate of routine quality and safety monitoring of agricultural products in the country reached 97.8%, an increase of 0.3 percentage point as compared with the same period of last year. The quality and safety of agricultural products maintained a steady and… Continue reading China’s agricultural product quality and safety pass rate of 97.8%

Keywords: canola A new app to assist canola growers to manage the risk of the fungal disease Sclerotinia stem rot is being developed, which incorporates new research to help determine when crops are susceptible to infection. Sclerotinia is currently the most unpredictable disease that threatens Western Australian canola crops, which, with suitable conditions, can affect up… Continue reading Western Australia – App being developed to improve canola disease management

Keywords: wheat Multiple tube-like reproductive structures (aecia) of stem rust protruding from Berberis vulgaris. SEM photography by Kim Findlay, John Innes CentreThis information has been adapted from a news release issued by the John Innes Centre. Wheat stem rust resulted in small disease outbreaks in Western Europe recently. The industry has been advised to work… Continue reading Wheat stem rust outbreaks in Europe fuel industry collaboration