crop yield optimization News
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New crop of plant scientists emerges at CSIRO
Under the CSIRO Plant Industry Summer Student Program, 17 students are engaged in a range of important agricultural research projects designed to discover, for example, how high temperatures affect crops and the genetic bases of crop development. The Program, which runs from 6 December to 11 February, provides university students with real insights into the day-to-day working lives of some of ...
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African farmers need more relevant climate predictions
Seasonal climate predictions have been limited in their ability to meet the needs of rural farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study. Uncertain rainfall and climate affect 70 per cent of Sub-Saharan Africa's population, hampering efforts to promote agricultural production, improve food security and reduce poverty, according to a paper published in Experimental Agriculture this month (5 ...
By SciDev.Net
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Syngenta to acquire African corn seed business
Combined portfolios offer new integrated crop solution opportunities Comprehensive and diverse white corn germplasm portfolio secured Supports commitment to build a $1 billion business in Africa Syngenta announced today that it will acquire MRI Seed Zambia Ltd and MRI Agro Ltd (“MRI”), a leading developer, producer and distributor of white corn seed in Zambia. The white corn ...
By Syngenta
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Agroecology a `spectacular` success, says UN expert
Agroecology, a science-based, ecological approach to agriculture, has been underestimated by policymakers even though it could play a vital role in boosting crop yields and advancing economic development, says a UN report. The approach relies on the natural environment to boost soil productivity and protect crops against pests, instead of using external inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. ...
By SciDev.Net
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India-UK fund to boost agro-innovation in Africa and Asia
The Indian and UK governments are tapping into agricultural innovation outside the traditional international development community with the launch of a £20 million (US$32 million) programme for food security. Sustainable Crop Production Research for International Development (SCPRID) will allow scientists to research stressors, ranging from pests to climate change, on five key crops ...
By SciDev.Net
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New Report Shows Agriculture Productivity Consistently Up
Ohio farmers have been producing more and, on average, earning slightly more too. Improved technology, rising crop yields, farmer ingenuity and lower prices for farm inputs have led to higher agricultural productivity, specifically annual increases of 1.6 percent since the 1950s, according to a report produced by a team of agricultural economists from the College of Food, Agricultural, and ...
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Fertiliser trees prove a hit in southern Africa
Hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in southern Africa are adopting fast-growing trees and shrubs to fertilise their fields naturally, for improved yields and incomes, according to a study. Scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), a non-profit research organisation in Kenya, analysed two decades-worth of efforts to bring 'fertiliser trees' to African farms and announced ...
By SciDev.Net
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UF/IFAS method detects 83% of immature citrus; helping cut costs
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers have found a new way to detect immature citrus 83 percent of the time, which lets growers know where to apply fertilizer and water and perhaps save on labor costs for the $10.9 billion a year Florida industry. By detecting green, immature citrus more accurately and efficiently, growers can ...
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IFA’s Annual Conference in Montreal: The Global Fertilizer Industry Continues to Evolve and Connect
More than 1250 representatives from 67 countries met in Montreal to advance the industry’s commitments to industry stewardship, partnerships and innovation at IFA’s Annual Conference, IFA2019, the most important global plant nutrition event. The tone was set by two outstanding keynote speakers. Jim Collins, CEO of newly launched Corteva, which brings together the agricultural ...
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Fertiliser can offset heat for African farmers
[NAIROBI] African smallholders in dry areas can overcome climate change and even double crop yields if they invest in fertiliser use and harvest rainwater, researchers have found. Farmers in arid and semi-arid areas usually protect themselves from climate-related losses by investing as little as possible in farm inputs such as fertilisers. But in doing so they fail to grab opportunities for ...
By SciDev.Net
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One Billion Hungry: ASA offers new program in South Asia
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released a report on June 19, 2009 stating that one in six people in the world — or more than 1 billion — is now hungry, a historic high. Compared with last year, there are 100 million more people who are hungry, meaning they receive fewer than 1,800 calories a day, the Food and Agriculture Organization said in the new estimate of food insecurity. ...
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Arcadia Biosciences and Bioceres Form Verdeca, an Agricultural Technology Joint Venture
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and Bioceres, an agricultural investment and development company owned by more than 230 of South America’s largest soybean growers, today announced the formation of Verdeca, a 50-50 joint venture ...
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Advanticsys Greenhouses monitoring and control solutions at International Fair in Chile
Epssilon Networks , one of our worldwide strategic partners, have shown ADVANTICSYS greenhouses monitoring and control technologies at the Flores y Viveros International Exhibition Fair at Quillota, Chile on the 25th and 26th November 2014. By combining our complete set of dataloggers/controllers and LED dimming/control devices and wireless indoor conditions sensors, we are able to provide a ...
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British GMO protests highlight global divide
British opposition to genetically modified crops is on the rise, prompting security concerns at research laboratories across the country. Nearly all 54 U.K. pesticide-resistant crop trials attempted in the past eight years have been attacked, according to media reports. Protesters are destroying the experimental crops to prevent biotechnology companies from spreading genetically modified ...
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Better water management could improve global crop production
A new global study is the first to quantify the potential of water management strategies to increase crop production. It indicates that a combination of harvesting run-off water and reducing evaporation from soil could increase global crop production by 20 per cent. The EU has recognised the impact of climate change on water and the subsequent effects on agriculture in its white paper on ...
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Desert bacteria could help boost crop yields
Desert soil microbes could help halt desertification and boost agriculture in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa, according to a study. Scientists from the United Arab Emirates [UAE] have isolated local salt- and drought-tolerant strains of Rhizobia, soil bacteria that fix nitrogen when they become established inside the root nodules of legumes. Rhizobia bacteria establish a ...
By SciDev.Net
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Ohio State Agronomy Workshop Jan. 19 to Focus on Soil Fertility
Healthy soils are a key ingredient to produce strong crop yields, and understanding what nutrients your soils need is a fundamental step in that process, says an educator in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. Soil fertility is crucial to maximizing yield potential when growing crops, said Amanda Douridas, an Ohio State University Extension ...
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New soil map for African farmers
Responding to sub-Saharan Africa's soil health crisis, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) announced this week an ambitious new effort to produce the first-ever, detailed digital soil map for all 42 countries of the region. This project combines the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery and on-the-ground efforts to analyze thousands of soil samples ...
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Banana compost could boost crop yields, a study finds
Using old banana trees to make compost may help boost crop yields while cutting down water and fertiliser use, according to an Egyptian researcher. Banana-based fertiliser could cut about 20 per cent of the water used in irrigating maize and lead to better yields and improved soil properties — such as availability of micronutrients and soil moisture — a researcher at Egypt's National ...
By SciDev.Net
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Agricultural ammonia emissions could be reduced without affecting crop yield
Ammonia released by nitrogen fertilisers in Spanish agriculture could be reduced by up to 82% with only a very minimal impact on crop yield, finds new research. This could be achieved by combining optimised management of manure with the use of non-urea synthetic fertilisers. Agriculture accounted for almost 94% of total European atmospheric emissions of ammonia in 2011. The main sources of these ...
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