irrigator News
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Early cotton planting requires irrigation
Cotton growers can produce more cotton if they plant early, but not without irrigation. That’s the finding of an article published in the September-October 2010 Agronomy Journal, a publication of the American Society of Agronomy. Bill Pettigrew, a scientist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Stoneville, Mississippi, tested the performance of cotton under irrigated and ...
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Perfect Poinsettias for Christmas? Controlling Compost Moisture Can Remove the Need for Chemical Growth Retardants
Poinsettias, the classic Christmas pot plant, are grown in their thousands in UK nurseries from late July onwards, but growers have to rely on the use of plant growth regulators (PRGs) to ensure that the optimum height and number of bracts is achieved by early December. With protective environmental legislation threatening to reduce the availability and use of such PGR treatments, a project ...
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Renewed cooperation between CIHEAM and FAO
The International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) based in Paris and FAO will strengthen their cooperation under an agreement signed at FAO's Rome headquarters this week. The Agreement of Cooperation was signed by Bertrand Hervieu, Secretary General of CIHEAM and Hervé Lejeune, FAO Assistant Director-General and Directeur de Cabinet. In it, both organizations agreed ...
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Helping canneries make better use of leftover water
With the help of a well-stocked kitchen cupboard, a can opener, and a microwave oven, a steaming-hot bowl of your favorite tomato soup can be ready to savor in just minutes. For decades America's canneries have helped make soups—as well as vegetables, fruits, juices and other familiar foods—more convenient for us to enjoy. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are helping ...
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Improved soil water sensors aid in irrigation management
Agriculture, a large user of water for irrigation, is under pressure to reduce water use. Increased urban population growth has created more competition for limited water supplies. While growers have used soil moisture probes to aid in irrigation management in the past, earlier probes required maintenance or were expensive or inadequate. New electronic sensors have been developed that require ...
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UF/IFAS apps give irrigation, growing tips and more
Looking to save money and water when you irrigate? UF/IFAS scientists have developed an app for that. Want to know what plants to grow in your garden? You guessed it: UF/IFAS has an app for that as well. UF/IFAS’ so-called “smart irrigation apps” include an urban lawn app that estimates how long you’ll need to water your lawn to meet current plant water demand. It uses a ...
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Decagon devices part of US$5m USDA grant
Decagon Devices, in Pullman, Washington is part of a national team that recently received a 5-year USDA – National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grant award of $5,161,495 to investigate precision irrigation and nutrient management for nursery, greenhouse and green roof systems using wireless sensor networks. Decagon Devices, an environmental instrumentation ...
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New Alfalfa Management guide published
The Alfalfa Management Guide, a comprehensive book detailing alfalfa production, has released a new edition. The original Alfalfa Management Guide was one of the top selling books ever published by the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. The 2011 edition offers information on the latest strategies for alfalfa establishment, ...
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Mastering Greenhouse Efficiency with Robotics at Vineland
Imagine technology that could preemptively find disease in plants, allowing growers to address it proactively. Or sensors that could help irrigate more resourcefully. Or robots that could selectively harvest ripe crops. At Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Niagara, it seems as though the future is now. Vineland’s Robotics & Automation team — comprised of 5 PhDs and 6 ...
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Benefits of collaborative research highlighted in ASA, CSSA, SSSA webinar
In these fiscally constrained times, federally-funded researchers face more pressure than ever before to show the greater societal benefits of their research. To that end, many researchers are now working in multidisciplinary teams that combine agricultural, environmental, economic, and social science research in order to better understand the economic and social benefits associated with basic ...
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Asia–Pacific Analysis: Launching a second Green Revolution
Feeding South-East Asia's rapidly growing population requires a second Green Revolution, says Crispin Maslog. The Day of Seven Billion was proclaimed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on 31 October 2011 as a historic milestone — the day the world's population reached seven billion people. And the world is on a steep growth curve for the rest of this century. More than half ...
By SciDev.Net
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North Florida farmers are using sesame as a rotation crop
In between seasons of corn, peanut, and cotton, North Florida farmers were interested in growing a rotation crop that could withstand the wilting heat of summer and be harvested by machine. So, since 2011, University of Florida researchers have been experimenting with growing the tiny seeds you find on top of hamburger buns or garnishing salads – sesame – as a viable, money-making ...
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Jatropha can revive degraded land, says study
Large-scale cultivation of Jatropha – known as a potential source of biofuel – can improve the soil quality of degraded lands and address climate change, says a new study. Jatropha curcas seeds yield oil that can be processed into biodiesel, but scientists at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, have found that Jatropha plantations ...
By SciDev.Net
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Keeping a pulse on the soil
Leaving behind stubble is not ideal when shaving, but it’s a good practice to leave behind crop “stubble” after harvest. According to soil scientist Frank Larney, crop residue anchors the soil against wind and water erosion. Avoiding bare soils is one part of a soil conservation package he and his research team demonstrate in a 12-year experiment growing pulses in southern ...
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Vineland Creating Opportunities with Okra
Coupled with growth in demand for local food and exotic vegetables, diversification can provide Ontario growers with profitable alternatives to conventional crops. According to Statistics Canada, over six million kilograms of okra are imported into Canada every year, yet domestic production is limited. The ability to develop local production systems to supply this emerging market can help promote ...
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2012 world food prize recipient among speakers at upcoming meetings of agronomy, crop and soil science societies
In June, Israeli-American soil scientist Daniel Hillel was named the 2012 recipient of the World Food Prize, the foremost international honor for individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Now, Hillel—a more than 50-year member of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)—is slated to speak at the 2012 ...
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Method to differentiate open pollinated varieties of maize developed
Open pollinated varieties of maize are going to be easier to distinguish from each other, thanks to scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Africa and Mexico. They have developed a new technique to differentiate the genes of one open pollinated variety from another, particularly important to African farmers, most of whom do not plant hybrid varieties. The ...
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New Greenhouses Boost Research, Competitive Edge
The new Williams Hall greenhouse complex on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Wooster campus is much more than a replacement for the greenhouse lost to a tornado almost five years ago: It’s a state-of-the-art facility that will help advance plant research and strengthen Ohio agriculture. The original Williams Hall greenhouse complex was leveled by a September ...
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USD 10-million facility for studying climate change effects on plant growth opens at IRRI
On a hot, breezy afternoon on 21 January 2016, an international gathering of agricultural scientists and development officials dedicated the Lloyd T. Evans Plant Growth Facility (PGF) on the campus of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The opening of the USD 10 million state-of-the-art facility manifests IRRI’s commitment to better understand the effects of climate change on ...
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Global Crop Protection Industry Outlook to 2016 - Bio-pesticides: The Next Generation Crop Protection Products
Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Global Crop Protection Industry Outlook to 2016 - Bio-pesticides: The Next Generation Crop Protection Products ...
By ReportLinker
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