Month: September 2018

Can drones save sub-Saharan Africa from starvation?   That’s the question being asked by scientists, engineers, climatologists and politicians as climate change radically alters weather patterns and temperatures on the African continent, posing new challenges to a sector that is being asked to feed a rapidly growing population while simultaneously adapting to more difficult conditions.… Continue reading New technologies key to reforming Africa’s agriculture sector

Guy Kirk, Professor of Soil Systems at Cranfield University, is leading a £1 million research project to overcome a soil health problem affecting rice production in sub-Saharan Africa. Rice is a major staple food across sub-Saharan Africa and demand for it is increasing rapidly with urbanisation and changes in consumer preferences. Domestic production accounts for… Continue reading Research aims to boost rice production in Africa

A fresh problem in the form of Fall Armyworm, or Spodoptera frugiperda, threatens farmers across the country this kharif season. Currently infesting the maize crop, agricultural scientists warn that this pest could soon spread and attack other crops, including cotton, sorghum, sugarcane, cabbage and soyabean. This pest, which reportedly entered India from Africa, could result… Continue reading Fall Armyworm attacks maize crop across Telangana India

The EU’s political environment and related regulatory decisions have led to reduced access to modern agricultural tools, such as plant biotechnology and crop protection products, putting pressure on agricultural productivity and an increasing reliance on imports, a report published today has revealed. The report, “The Challenges Facing Agriculture and the Plant Science Industry in the… Continue reading Challenges facing agriculture and the plant science industry in the European Union

Planting soybean in foreign countries could provide a hand-up for China in the face of the ongoing trade war with the US, said an expert, as a China-developed genetically modified (GM) soybean may soon receive approval for commercial cultivation in Argentina this year. China does not allow GM soybean to be planted in China but… Continue reading Chinese GM soybeans in Argentina expected to fill import gap

University of British Columbia researchers have discovered an internal messaging system that plants use to manage the growth and division of their cells. These growth-management processes are critical for all organisms, because without them, cells can proliferate out of control—as they do in cancers and bacterial infections. Plants use this messaging system to survive under… Continue reading Researchers unlock secrets of plant development

University of Florida scientists plan to use a $7.3 million, four-year grant, from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), to find the genetic traits that will make sweet corn taste even better, last longer and grow better across the nation. MARCIO RESENDE, UF/IFAS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES, UF/IFAS PHOTO 07.31.18 Mark Settles,… Continue reading University of Florida scientists hope to breed better-tasting sweet corn

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have transferred a biochemical pathway found in sorghum. It produces a weed-killing compound, into rice plants. The compound sorgoleone, secreted by sorghum, helps the plant combat weeds. It works so well that some other crops struggle to grow in fields where sorghum has been raised, causing problems for growers who… Continue reading Transferring sorghum’s weed-killing power to rice

Researchers from the University of Sydney, CSIRO, the United Kingdom’s John Innes Centre, Limagrain UK and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) have isolated the first major resistance genes against the stripe rust disease that is devastating wheat crops worldwide. The discovery by the scientists, who have cloned three related rust resistance genes –… Continue reading Scientists isolate first major resistance genes against wheat stripe rust disease

It’s been a good year for winter wheat in South Dakota. “I’m very happy with the results this year,” said South Dakota State University Winter Wheat Breeder Sunish Sehgal. “We have several good experimental lines which showed up to 10 percent increase in yield over our released varieties. Though early heat stress at the end… Continue reading Winter wheat breeding increases yield potential