Month: April 2019

Wheat is the major staple food in India and is a leading source of protein (13%) in human food. India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world after China. The wheat yield in India can be enhanced by minimizing the yield losses due to diseases. In recent years yellow rust of wheat… Continue reading The yellow rust disease of wheat severely affects India Jammu regions

As our global population continues to grow and the climate becomes hotter and drier and resources become scarcer, a simple reality has evolved into a societal conundrum: we need both food and fresh water to survive, but growing food demands significant fresh water as well. Our efforts to ensure both food security and ample fresh… Continue reading How a humble seed is helping African farmers to better manage both food and water

University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers played a key role in an international consortium that has sequenced the entire genome of durum wheat—the source of semolina for pasta, a food staple for the world’s population, according to an article published today in Nature Genetics. “This ground-breaking work will lead to new standards for durum breeding and… Continue reading University of Saskatchewan crop scientists help crack the durum wheat genome

What goes into making plants taste good? For scientists in MIT’s Media Lab, it takes a combination of botany, machine-learning algorithms, and some good old-fashioned chemistry. Using all of the above, researchers in the Media Lab’s Open Agriculture Initiative report that they have created basil plants that are likely more delicious than any you have… Continue reading The future of agriculture is computerized

For many years, corn has taken a back seat to soybean production in South America, but this year, corn has been the real star of the 2018/19 South American growing season. The way it stands now, the South American corn production will be about 26.9 million tons larger than last year (146.3 million tons produced… Continue reading Corn is Star Performer in 2018/19 South American Growing Season

Cotton farmers in Brazil are very optimistic concerning their 2018/19 crop. If the cotton crop in Brazil turns out as good as it presently looks, Brazil is poised to become the second largest cotton exporter in the world surpassing India and trailing only the United States. The Brazilian Cotton Producers Association (Abrapa) is expecting Brazilian… Continue reading Brazil to become Second Largest Cotton Exporter in the World

The Brazilian National Association of Grain Exporters (Anec) recently reduced their estimate of Brazil’s soybean and corn exports for 2019. They are now estimating that Brazil will export 67 million tons of soybeans in 2019, which is down from their last estimate in early January of 73 million tons. In 2018, Brazil was the beneficiary… Continue reading Brazil Anec Estimates Lower Brazilian Soybean and Corn Exports

Chinese agriculture scientists have bred new rice varieties named “Green Super Rice (GSR)” for developing Asian and African countries to reduce hunger and increase local farmers’ income. Supported by the Chinese government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project has bred 78 GSR varieties for 18 countries with a total grown area of… Continue reading Chinese “Green Super Rice” promotes sustainable agriculture development in Asia and Africa

On 21 February 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (MOA) unveiled the 2019 Work Focus of the Planting Industry, “In 2019, China should strive to increase the planting area of soybean and oil plants by at least 0.3 million ha respectively, and should increase the area of… Continue reading China’s planting area of soybean and oil plants to increase by at least 0.3 million ha respectively in 2019

Americans are probably more familiar with genetically modified (GM) crops and foods than most realize. In fact, 60-70 percent of processed grocery store products contain some GM (also referred to as GMO or “GMOs”) ingredients. Concerns about the safety of GM crops and foods have been festering for more than two decades. All the while… Continue reading Why Are Americans Skeptical of Genetic Modification?