Crop Management News
-
Impacts of tillage on soil and crops
The increasing popularity of reduced tillage on crops has not only been an important development in combating soil erosion, but it has also been associated with increasing organic material and producing high crop yields. For peanut crops, however, reduced tillage has not gained a large acceptance as a viable practice, as findings of inconsistent yields have not encouraged farmers to make a ...
-
Nitrogen applied
Combating soil erosion is a primary concern for agricultural producers in the United States, and many have incorporated conservation tillage systems in their effort to maintain a profitable crop output. Cover crops are an important tool in this cycle, and while it is known that using nitrogen fertilizers can increase these crops biomass, the resulting levels of nitrogen for the following cash ...
-
Soil Association responds to David King`s attack on organic farming
Peter Melchett, Soil Association Policy Director, responds to David King's attack on organic farming in his inaugural speech as President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 'To blame the Soil Association or UK consumers of organic food for the decades of hunger and starvation in Africa, including the current terrible suffering of people in a country like Zimbabwe, as Sir ...
-
The realm of earthworms: NASA gets down to the nitty-gritty
When you hear the word 'NASA,' do visions of rocket ships dance in your head? Well think again. From now on, it's 'earthworms.' That's right. Using space technology, NASA is now studying the realm of earthworms, millipedes, and springtails -- the soil beneath your feet -- with a project called OMEGA (Observing Microwave Emissions for Geophysical Applications). Why would an agency whose cosmic ...
-
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 ...
-
Crop management: how small do we go?
The use of on-the-go crop and soil sensors has greatly increased the precision with which farmers can manage their crops. Recently released research in Agronomy Journal questions whether more precise management is necessarily more efficient. They discovered that the law of diminishing returns applies to precision agriculture, calculating how large of an application area is optimal for precision ...
-
Where is your soil water? Crop yield has the answer
Crop yield is highly dependent on soil plant-available water, the portion of soil water that can be taken up by plant roots. Quantitative determination of the maximum amount of plant-available water in soil using traditional methods on soil samples remains challenging, especially at the scale of an entire field. However, a map of plant-available water capacity for a field would be instrumental in ...
-
Researchers discover how to make green plastics from plants
Australian researchers are a step closer to turning plants into ‘biofactories’ capable of producing oils which can be used to replace petrochemicals used to manufacture a range of products. Scientists working within the joint CSIRO/Grains Research and Development Corporation Crop Biofactories Initiative (CBI) have achieved a major advance by accumulating 30 per cent of an unusual fatty acid (UFA) ...
-
Fertilizer run-off killing Gulf of Mexico marine life
Improved management of crops and perennials could go a long way toward alleviating the problem of hypoxia, which claims thousands of fish, shrimp and shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico each spring. An assessment by a team led by Virginia Dale of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Environmental Sciences Division concludes that low oxygen levels in water, or hypoxia, causes problems throughout the ...
-
Self-seeding: an innovative management system
US researchers have investigated the potential for rye and wheat cover crops to perpetuate themselves, saving time and money for farmers while providing environmental benefits Winter cover crops provide important ecological functions that include nutrient cycling and soil cover. Although cover crop benefits to agroecosystems are well documented, cover crop use in agronomic farming systems ...
-
Ecuador sues Colombia to stop anti-coca herbicide spray
The government of Ecuador this week filed suit at the International Court of Justice against the government of Colombia, in an effort to stop or restrict aerial anti-coca spraying that has allegedly sickened people on the Ecuadorean side of the border and harmed livestock, farmland, and sensitive, ecologically diverse rainforest areas. The lawsuit follows seven years of persistent but ...
-
Making agriculture sustainable
Agriculture is possibly the most important sector of global activity. It is a source of foods, fibers and, increasingly, fuel. It provides livelihoods and subsistence for the largest number of people worldwide. It is vital to rural development and therefore critical to poverty alleviation. Up to 40% of the land’s surface is used for agriculture, along with 70% of the world’s fresh water supply. ...
-
Helping farmers export `forgotten` crops
In a global first, over 300 crop safety and pesticide management officials and other experts are meeting this week at FAO to discuss challenges associated with pesticide use on 'speciality crops' like garlic, ginger and chilies. The event starts today and runs through December 7. Unlike large-area crops such as corn, wheat, cotton or rice, specialty crops have traditionally been produced in ...
-
Transgenic Corn Found to Damage Stream Ecosystems
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, October 11, 2007 (ENS) - A widely planted variety of genetically engineered corn has the potential to harm aquatic ecosystems, finds a new study by an Indiana University professor of environmental science and his colleagues. Pollen and other plant parts containing toxins from genetically engineered Bt corn are washing into streams near cornfields and harming a type of fly ...
-
EPR Inc. and Simatek`s Bucket Elevators
EPR Inc. and Simatek Holding and its wholly owned subsidiaries have entered into an agreement giving EPR Inc. the exclusive right to manufacture, market, sell, and distribute Simatek products in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Simatek's Bulk Systems universal elevators constitute a flexible and space-saving conveying system, designed for horizontal and vertical bulk moving operations. ...
By EPR Inc.
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you