crop engineering Articles
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Paint Spray Applications
Are you looking for a paint spray hose manufacturer? This product is made of high-strength PVC material and high-strength tensile polyester reinforcing wire. The product has high working pressure, light weight, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, aging resistance and bending resistance. It is suitable for pneumatic devices and high-pressure flushing devices. It is an ideal supporting pipe ...
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The economic impact of transgenic crops in developing countries: a note on the methods
A vast literature has accumulated since crop varieties with transgenic resistance to insects and herbicide tolerance were released to farmers in 1996 and 1997. A comparatively minor segment of this literature consists of studies conducted by agricultural economists to measure the farm-level impact of transgenic crop varieties, the size and distribution of the economic benefits from adopting them ...
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The socio–economic impacts of currently commercialised genetically engineered crops
A substantial and growing body of literature now exists on the socio–economic impacts of genetically engineered (GE) crops. While the bulk of literature has focused on the primary impacts of commercialised GE technology, in terms of changes in yields, costs and profitability, researchers have increasingly addressed a range of additional questions such as the distribution of impacts across groups, ...
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Blending and Bagging at Sungro Production Facility
What’s In The Bag? A recent visit by FibreDust to the Sun Gro Horticulture blending facility, located just outside of Orlando, Florida, gave a glimpse into the business of soilless media and blending. The facility had a massive mixing and bagging line with 14 huge hoppers that added essential ingredients to soilless blends. Numerous tidy bunkers of various additives were scattered ...
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Better photosynthesis for a better world?
There’s no question that plants are better than most other life forms at converting carbon dioxide and sunlight into the sugars that form the basis of our global food web — and eventually, humans’ entire food supply. But fact of the matter is, with conversion rates hovering around 2 percent for our best crop fields, they’re by no means great. Even a slight increase in the ...
By Ensia
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Can genetic engineering help quench crops’ thirst?
Researchers around the world are exploring how GMO technology might boost food production under hot, dry conditions. Roger Deal is trying to figure out how plants remember drought. An assistant professor of biochemistry and genetics at Emory University, Deal says most plants have a kind of memory for stress. When experiencing water shortage, for example, plants close the holes in their leaves, ...
By Ensia
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Extreme Makeover: Photosynthesis Edition
Plants are far better than humans at turning sunlight into food. But they’re not nearly as good as they could be: Thanks to quirks in the systems that have evolved to capture solar energy and use it to build sugars from carbon dioxide and water, the conversion efficiency of photosynthesis is but a few percent at best. With the need to produce more crops growing even faster than human ...
By Ensia
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USDA Eyes Bioengineered Food Standard - Case study
On May 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed a rule to establish the first ever National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) mandated by Congress in 2016. This column discusses the proposal, what it intends to achieve, and its implications. Background On July 29, 2016, Congress enacted legislation amending the Agricultural ...
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Plants Activate `Wartime` Protein Production to Fight Invasion
Plants are constantly attacked by bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. When a plant senses a microbial invasion, fundamental changes occur in the chemical soup of proteins inside its cells, the workhorses of life. In a new study published in Cell, Duke University researchers have uncovered a key ingredient in plant cells that reprograms their protein-making machinery to fight disease. Crop ...
By Lifeasible
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New tools and farmer training could revolutionize pesticide management in West Africa
Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new FAO study published today by the London-based Royal Society. The study was conducted in two areas - the Bla region of southern Mali, where FAO established a field school program in 2003, and a second ...
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How effectively can technology be used in the agriculture sector?
Today, the agriculture sector is under pressure as the world's population grows. At the same time, the industry is being asked to produce more food with fewer resources in a way that doesn't damage the environment. At least, farmers worldwide need to feed 9.1 billion people in 2050. It's a big challenge, but one that can be met with the help of technology. It's nothing new for farmers to use ...
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A New Generation of GMOs
Is synthetic biology on its way to our farms, markets and tables? Thousands of researchers will descend on Boston this fall for an event billed as the world’s largest gathering of synthetic biologists. The field is evolving so rapidly that even scientists working in it don’t agree on a definition, but at its core synthetic biology involves bringing engineering principles to ...
By Ensia
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The Safety of Genetically Modified Foods Produced through Biotechnology
Executive Summary The Society of Toxicology (SOT) is committed to protecting and enhancing human, animal, and environmental health through the sound application of the fundamental principles of the science of toxicology. It is with this goal in mind that the SOT defines here its current consensus position on the safety of foods produced through biotechnology (genetic engineering). These products ...
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The complex nature of GMOs calls for a new conversation
An honest discussion of genetically modified organisms must move beyond narrow concepts of human health to the wider social and environmental impacts of engineered crops. The GMO debate is one from which I’ve kept a purposeful distance. For one thing, it’s an issue that has already garnered more than its fair share of attention. For another, when you consider that many domesticated ...
By Ensia
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