logo

Astronauts might soon grow SPACE tomatoes

A tomato plant with more edible fruit than biomass could grow on the ISS. Credit: Martha Orozco-Cárdenas/UCR Tiny tomato plants developed at the University of California, Riverside, could one day feed astronauts on the International Space Station. The plants have minimal leaves and stems but still produce a normal amount of fruit, making them a… Continue reading Astronauts might soon grow SPACE tomatoes

India government raises import duty on wheat to support local farmers

India government on Friday raised wheat import duty by a third to 40 per cent to support local farmers from further price fall and prevent its possible import on the back of a growing demand for animal feed in drought hit states including Maharashta, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A notification issued by the… Continue reading India government raises import duty on wheat to support local farmers

Research sheds light on genomic features that make plants good candidates for domestication

Left: highly branched plants of teosinte, a wild relative of corn. Right: tiny pods on the vine of Glycine soja, wild relative of soybean. New research sheds light on how domestication affects the genomes of corn and soybeans. Photo by Sherry Flint-Garcia (teosinte) and Scott Jackson (Glycine soja). New research published this week identifies the… Continue reading Research sheds light on genomic features that make plants good candidates for domestication

Namibian farmers introduced to new cowpea and sorghum crop varieties

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 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and… Continue reading Namibian farmers introduced to new cowpea and sorghum crop varieties

Farmers dip toes into global crop insurance platform

Farmers can now for the first time insure their produce against price volatility as easily as insuring their homes, with a global platform based on hundreds of niche commodity indexes, underwritten by a Lloyd’s of London syndicate. Crop insurance has existed since the 1930s in the United States but is heavily subsidized by the government… Continue reading Farmers dip toes into global crop insurance platform

Plant breeding for the future: the time is now

Think about the last food you ate. Maybe it was a meal or maybe you’re snacking on something right now. Have you ever considered the amount of effort that has gone into plant and animal breeding to produce that food? The wheat that was ground into flour for your bread, the latest variety of apple,… Continue reading Plant breeding for the future: the time is now

Indian scientists develop salt tolerant rice variety

A group of Indian scientists has developed a new salt-tolerant transgenic rice plant by over-expressing a gene from a wild rice called Porteresia coarctata into the commonly used IR 64 indica rice variety. Porteresia coarctata is a native of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and is grown mainly in saline estuaries. In a report… Continue reading Indian scientists develop salt tolerant rice variety

Scientists indentify a novel gene for corn straw utilization

Plant cell walls, as repositories of fixed carbon, are important sources of biomass, which is mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. However, the complex lignin structure and its content make it to be used as biomass in a relatively low efficiency. Thorough understanding of lignin biosynthesis will improve biomass conversion efficiency into biofuels and… Continue reading Scientists indentify a novel gene for corn straw utilization

Genetic variant linked to cucumber fruit length

Different cucumber cultivars show wide variation in mature fruit length. The cucumber is among the top five vegetable crops grown in the world. Cucumbers are most commonly eaten fresh or preserved as pickles. An important attribute of the cucumber is fruit length. Cucumbers range in size from 5 to 60 cm, depending on the cultivar.… Continue reading Genetic variant linked to cucumber fruit length

What is the cost of vertical farming?

How can vertical farming contribute to (inter)national food production? This question is more complex than it initially seems. The answer does not only depend on the production, but also on the costs for water, energy and CO2. The Greenhouse Horticulture Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research and TU Delft are investigating the feasibility of… Continue reading What is the cost of vertical farming?