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Drought-tolerant crops to contribute to food security in Namibia

Farmers in Namibia now have new crop varieties of cowpea and sorghum that are more tolerant to drought and pests planted this year, thanks to nuclear technology provided with the support of the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, through an IAEA… Continue reading Drought-tolerant crops to contribute to food security in Namibia

Data becomes cash crop for big agriculture

For six generations, Ben Riensche’s family has tended corn and soybeans outside Jesup, a town of 2,500 on the windswept plains of eastern Iowa. But today he’s harvesting a valuable new crop from his 12,000 acres: information. “The future is simply data analytics and tech,” says Riensche, who still has his grandfather’s handwritten notebooks containing… Continue reading Data becomes cash crop for big agriculture

Sugar set for ‘energycane’ reinvention

Gene-editing sugarcane for use in renewable energy and bio-plastics could help secure the industry’s future. The University of Queensland’s Professor Robert Henry said sugarcane’s reinvention as an “energycane” crop could sustain the industry in the face of falling global demand for sugar. “The industry must think beyond just producing sugar, to also producing electricity, biofuels… Continue reading Sugar set for ‘energycane’ reinvention

First plant product of gene editing: A new soybean variety

At the beginning of 2019, soybean oil with improved quality did took its place on the market shelves. The mentioned soybean oil contains several times less saturated fatty acids and healthier oleic acid than ordinary soybeans. Their most striking feature is that they form less trans fatty acids in frying conditions. This new variety is… Continue reading First plant product of gene editing: A new soybean variety

Researchers use DNA prediction models to speed up banana breeding

An international team of scientists have for the first time demonstrated that it is possible to speed up banana breeding using genomic prediction models that accurately select banana hybrids with desired traits. The models use the plant’s genetic data (DNA landmarks) to estimate its usefulness in breeding and predict the physical traits such as height,… Continue reading Researchers use DNA prediction models to speed up banana breeding

New molecular blueprint advances our understanding of photosynthesis

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have used one of the most advanced microscopes in the world to reveal the structure of a large protein complex crucial to photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into cellular energy. The finding, published in the journal Nature, will allow scientists to… Continue reading New molecular blueprint advances our understanding of photosynthesis