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China approves wheat, soybean imports from Russia

China has approved wheat imports from the Russian region of Kurgan, the Chinese customs office said last week, bringing Russia a step closer to its goal of dramatically increasing grain exports. It also approved soybean imports from all parts of Russia, the General Administration of Customs said in a separate statement on its website, having… Continue reading China approves wheat, soybean imports from Russia

New breeding technologies needed to meet skyrocketing demand for wheat, scientists warn

New technologies and policies are needed to meet the skyrocketing demand for wheat, which is expected to increase 50 to 60 percent by 2050. That was the key takeaway from the recent International Wheat Congress (IWC) in Saskatoon, Canada, which attracted over 900 delegates from 50 different countries, including researchers from the International Maize and… Continue reading New breeding technologies needed to meet skyrocketing demand for wheat, scientists warn

Chinese researchers develop new type of high-yielding rapeseed

Chinese researchers have used gene-editing technology to develop a new type of high-yielding rapeseed, according to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). Plant height and branch number are essential components of rapeseed plant architecture and are directly correlated with its yield. Improvement of plant architecture is a major challenge in rapeseed breeding. Researchers from… Continue reading Chinese researchers develop new type of high-yielding rapeseed

New model selects best crop varieties for each climate zone

Statisticians at the Wageningen University & Research institute Biometris have developed a model that can predict the yield of many maize varieties in different climate zones quite accurately – With this tool, plant breeders can incorporate climate change in their breeding programme. Biometris has collaborated with the French research institute INRA and other European research… Continue reading New model selects best crop varieties for each climate zone

Fight against soybean cyst nematode broadens

The clock is ticking to find new ways to fight soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Some 95% of the commercially available SCN-resistant varieties depend on a single source of resistance called PI 88788. While the use of PI 88788 is an agricultural success story, constant use of the single genetic source threatens continued use. Soybean breeders… Continue reading Fight against soybean cyst nematode broadens

African peanut breeders explore diversity in genes of local varieties

African peanut breeders stand in a field in Senegal in 2018, where seeds are replicated for a project to map the genetic diversity of lines grown on the continent. Working with the Feed the Future Peanut Innovation Lab headquartered at the University of Georgia, scientists genotyped hundreds of lines of peanuts grown across Africa. Richard… Continue reading African peanut breeders explore diversity in genes of local varieties

American Farm Bureau: China trade standstill more bad news for farmers

The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “China’s announcement that it will not buy any agricultural products from the United States is a body blow to thousands of farmers and ranchers who are already struggling to get by. “In the last 18 months alone, farm and ranch families have… Continue reading American Farm Bureau: China trade standstill more bad news for farmers

Farming 3.0 – making agriculture sustainable through Micro-irrigation

India is a water-stressed country. Going by the current rate of population growth and consumption trends, India, by as early as 2050, could be a water-scarce country. That means, if this prophecy of doom comes to pass, there will be less than 1000 cubic meters of water available per person in a year. This scarcity… Continue reading Farming 3.0 – making agriculture sustainable through Micro-irrigation

Soybean breeders improving several sources of soybean cyst nematode resistance

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) causes the most yield loss of any soybean pathogen in North America, with economic impact in excess of $1 billion per year. That’s why soybean breeders funded by the checkoff (United Soybean Board and North Central Soybean Research Program) are improving and adding to current genetic sources of SCN resistance and… Continue reading Soybean breeders improving several sources of soybean cyst nematode resistance

New Canadian canola seed sales made to China

Canada has made a “small amount” of new canola seed sales to China, but exports to Canada’s biggest canola customer aren’t back to normal. Not even close. “We are aware of a small amount of (canola seed) sales that have occurred (to China),” Brian Innes, the Canola Council of Canada’s vice-president of communications said in… Continue reading New Canadian canola seed sales made to China