crop seed News
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Remain vigilant for rising aphid numbers
According to the most recent AHDB aphid alert summary, although a marginal increase in activity has been recorded in recent weeks, total aphid numbers still remain relatively low for the time of year. However, it’s possible that aphids may still be present in potato crops as they head towards maturity, and with the hot weather seen recently, aphids could become an increasing threat for ...
By Certis UK
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California’s Prop 65 and Public Health Concerns from Maneb
In 1986, California voters approved an initiative to address increasing concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. That initiative, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, is better known by its original name of Proposition 65. Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they purchase, in their homes or ...
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Global map of seeds, food and biodiversity launched
A recently launched (15 October) website aims to provide news and resources on crop seeds and biodiversity threats for researchers, policymakers, educators and farmers. The site’s interactive map presents more than 375 case studies from around the world that address issues of food diversity, its threats and potential solutions. But some experts say that, while on the right track, the site ...
By SciDev.Net
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Decision to restrict use of neonicotinoid-containing products will not improve bee health
Despite failing to achieve a qualified majority in the Appeal Committee, the European Commission has announced a restriction on the use of neonicotinoid-containing products on bee-attractive crops, a decision that Bayer CropScience considers disproportionate and one that distracts attention away from the real issues surrounding poor bee health. Only around half of the member states voted for the ...
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Europe’s Agri Food Businesses call for an EU policy shift towards innovation
A broad coalition of groups representing Europe’s agricultural and food business interests is calling for better and smarter policy-making that fosters innovation and creates jobs, ensuring that the EU agri-food chain becomes more productive and resource-efficient. The group of 11 EU-level associations presented their joint “Vision for unlocking the potential of agriculture and food ...
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Bayer innovations help secure world record barley harvest
Innovative crop protection solutions from Bayer CropScience have helped a New Zealand farming couple break the world record yield for barley. Warren and Joy Darling, from Timaru in the country’s South Island, produced 13.8 tonnes per hectare, easily breaking the previous record of 12.2 tonnes held by Scottish grower Stockton Park since 1989. The new record was officially ratified by ...
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Bayer CropScience and Farm Frites jointly implement sustainable practices in European potato cultivation
Bayer CropScience and Farm Frites recently started a Food Chain Partnership initiative designed to implement sustainable agricultural practices in potato cultivation in the Netherlands and Belgium. The goal of the partnership is to support a bottom-up approach with potato farmers addressing value-adding sustainable potato-growing practices at individual farm level. This is intended to minimize ...
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Battle over genetically modified foods in Oregon
Unable to find a good solution to protecting their certified organic seed crops from potential contamination from genetically engineered crops, small organic farmers in this Oregon valley are appealing to a higher power: voters. They wanted to protect their crops from being cross-pollinated by genetically modified ones, and asked voters in two counties to ban the cultivation of GMOs - a move ...
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Sub-Saharan Africa news in brief
Namibia urged to invest more in science and technology Increasing investment in science and technology could help Namibia reduce poverty, hunger, disease and unemployment, said former president Sam Nujoma last week. Launching the country"s National Science, Engineering and Technology Week, Nujoma said: "If Namibia has to turn around the slow rate of economic development, which is currently ...
By SciDev.Net
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European bees are at their best health level in years as overwintering losses of colonies sink to record low
European bees are much healthier than many recent media publications appear to suggest. New field data from nearly 400,000 bee colonies from 21 countries in Europe and the Mediterranean show that overwintering losses of honey bee colonies – an important indicator of general bee health – were at their lowest level in years in 2013/2014. “It is great to see that our bees have ...
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Emergency programme in Benin kick starts farm production after floods
FAO is supporting farming families in northern Benin who lost crops, livestock and fishing grounds when the Niger River overran its banks in August, just as many villagers were only barely getting back on their feet from the last floods in 2012. On his first day in Benin, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva met with President Yayi Boni, who welcomed him to the country and ...
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As seas rise, saltwater plants offer hope farms will survive
On a sun-scorched wasteland near India's southern tip, an unlikely garden filled with spiky shrubs and spindly greens is growing, seemingly against all odds. The plants are living on saltwater, coping with drought and possibly offering viable farming alternatives for a future in which rising seas have inundated countless coastal farmlands. Sea rise, one of the consequences of climate change, ...
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Innovative products and new approaches to promote sustainability in horticulture
At the 29th International Horticultural Congress which takes place from August 17 to 22 in Brisbane, Australia, Bayer CropScience is showcasing its latest innovations and novel approaches for sustainable horticulture production. Under the theme ‘Innovating Together for Sustainable Horticulture’ experts from the company present recent product novelties and new solutions that underline ...
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Offering integrated solutions and driving partnerships to promote sustainability in potatoes
At the 9th World Potato Congress, Bayer CropScience is showcasing its latest innovations and contributions for sustainable potato production. Under the theme ‘Innovating Together for Sustainable Potatoes’ experts from the company will present recent product novelties and new approaches that underline the role of Bayer CropScience as the innovation leader in its field. The 9th World ...
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Selecting a Precision Ag Crop Scouting Solution: Use Near Real Time Data On and Off the Field
Introducing the Ag Industry to Near Real Time Data When we discuss the benefits of near real-time data as it relates to agricultural applications, we are really talking about the ability of crop consultants to advise growers, of agronomists to recommend inputs, of seed dealers to analyze growth performance, and of growers to identify areas of stress — all while standing at the ...
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Marrone Bio Innovations` Regalia® Biofungicide Label Significantly Expanded
DAVIS, Calif., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marrone Bio Innovations today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a significant label expansion for Regalia®, a biofungicide that boosts plants' natural defenses to fight fungal and bacterial diseases. The label expansion includes new soil applications, instructions for yield improvement in corn and soybeans, ...
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Using genetic mapping to save wheat production
Stem rust disease has the potential to devastate wheat production worldwide. In the 1950s, large epidemics spread across North America and through other parts of the world. Developing a stem rust resistant gene stopped the spread of the disease. In 1999, a new race of stem rust was discovered in Uganda and identified as Ug99. Previously developed stem rust resistant genes are no longer effective ...
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Bhutan faces crop losses from erratic climate
Agricultural experts in the Himalayan country of Bhutan — a least developed country — are concerned at increasing crop losses in recent years, attributable to global warming. The losses, which began around 2004, are the direct result of increasing pest attacks and disease, erratic rainfall, windstorms, droughts, flash floods and landslides, officials said. The country’s latest ...
By SciDev.Net
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Crop breeding gets boost from sweet potatoes
In Uganda, the sweet potato is a major staple crop. Behind China and Nigeria, Uganda produces the most sweet potatoes in the world. Nationwide, families grow the crop to feed themselves, their livestock and to use as a source of income. Small scale agricultural operations use a large number of sweet potato varieties in their planting. These varieties are steadily being lost due to weevils, sweet ...
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Genetics not enough to increase wheat production
The deep gene pool that has allowed wheat to achieve ever increasing gains in yield may be draining. Crop scientists estimate that 50% of the gain in wheat production over the past century has been due to breeding. According to a new study, however, that improvement has been slowing since the late 1980s, with little chance that future increases in yield can be met by breeding efforts alone. The ...
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