Showing results for: crop farming News
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Biofuel and crop research grows by AUS$1.6m
The research team will identify the genes associated with key plant properties responsible for growth, flowering and grain-filling in grasses. They will use the advanced robotic and imaging plant research tools of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF) to conduct the research. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has recognised the unique, world-class capability that the APPF affords by ...
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Flexible management better for coexistence of GM and non-GM crops
Flexible measures, such as pollen barriers, for regulating the cultivation of GM and non-GM crops in the same landscape are more likely to encourage the adoption of GM technology by farmers than rigid measures, such as isolation distances, according to a recent study. The EU has recommended guidelines1 for developing national strategies by all Member States for the coexistence of genetically ...
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Food security depends on sustainable nutrient management of soils
Food security is being threatened by loss of soil nutrients that are essential for the high yield of crops. A recent study outlines strategies to ensure the sustainable production of food through a holistic approach to soil nutrient management. In response to the rising demand for food from an increasing world population, high-yielding crops are being grown with the help of artificial ...
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Underlying motives fuel pesticide bills
It’s that time of year again in the Legislature. In the session that’s just a couple of weeks old, 29 pesticide-related bills have been introduced, but many use stealth techniques to attack the cultivation of genetically engineered crops in addition to further restricting pesticide. That’s one less than during the last session, though it’s not really progress. Some of ...
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Bosch Farming Robot Monitors Fertiliser and Water Usage
We have spoken many times about technological advancements in farming, from The Internet of Things, to satellite crop imaging, farming drones, to GPS automation. However, reported by Farming Life this week, Bosch is bringing us one step closer to an automated farm with their Deepfield Robotics wing. The company’s Bonirob farming robot will make plant breeding more efficient and reduce the ...
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Rubisco activase best clue for better photosynthesis in fluctuating light
Scientists and plant breeders who are aiming to improve food production by improving photosynthesis in crop plants, would make a good choice if they chose to change the composition and concentration of the protein Rubisco activase. In conditions where light intensity changes often and strongly, Rubisco activase is an important limiting factor in boosting the photosynthesis process when light ...
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Climate change to shift global spread and quality of agricultural land
New areas of land suitable for agriculture will open up under climate change’s effects, new research predicts, particularly in far northern regions of the world. However, the overall quality of land for farming will decline and many regions, including Europe, could lose large areas of suitable land. Demand for agricultural products is expected to rise by 70–110% by 2050. This is ...
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Could sun-reflecting crops help keep us cool?
Temperatures in central Europe, central Asia and North America could be reduced by 1°C in the summer, if crops with extra-reflective foliage were chosen, according to a new study. Such crops could reflect sunlight back into space and reduce regional warming by one fifth of projected temperature rises. Many suggestions have been proposed to curb rising temperatures under a changing climate. These ...
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Some but not all plants can defend themselves against disease on saline soil
Some plants with resistance against a specific disease are also able to defend themselves effectively when they are stressed due to, for example, drought or saline soil. At the same time, the resistance of other plants no longer functions in these very same conditions. Although this had been assumed for some time, Wageningen scientist Christos Kissoudis is the first person to show why. As a ...
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Commercial forestry – benefits for biodiversity?
Commercial forestry, often slated as monoculture, may have an important role to play in maintaining biodiversity. This beneficial effect occurs in nearby fields grazed by livestock, rather than the forest itself. This surprising finding could be important for the conservation of grassland species, which have declined dramatically over the past 100 years as agriculture has intensified in Europe. ...
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Patents fail to boost crop yields
Policies that secure intellectual property rights (IPRs) for agricultural innovations often fail to encourage technology transfer to developing countries or increase crop yields, a study shows. “Intellectual property rights are not all they are cracked up to be,” says David Spielman, a co-author of the study and researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute, based in ...
By SciDev.Net
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Resistance genes from wild relatives of crops offer opportunities for more sustainable agriculture worldwidew
Growing crops with stacks of two or more resistance genes from closely related species, introduced into the crop via for instance genetic engineering, combined with the simultaneous introduction of resistance management, can ensure the long-term resistance of these plants to economically significant and aggressive diseases. The combination offers opportunities to make agriculture more sustainable ...
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Uganda starts `historic` trials on GM staple crops
Ugandan researchers will carry out a series of field trials on some of the major food crops that have been genetically modified (GM), following several recent approvals by the Uganda National Biosafety Committee, despite a lack of clear legislation on commercialising any such products within the country. They will seek to develop both transgenic and conventional maize varieties tolerant to ...
By SciDev.Net
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Agricultural technologies must be `appropriate`
How an agricultural technology is generated and where it comes from — be it through local efforts or global centres — are not as important for development as whether the product is appropriate, says development expert, Sara Delaney. 'An appropriate technology is accessible, affordable, easy-to-use and maintain, effective — and most importantly, it serves a real need', says Delaney. A ...
By SciDev.Net
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Decision could boost use of popular weed killer
Faced with tougher and more resistant weeds, corn and soybean farmers are anxiously awaiting government decisions on a new version of a popular herbicide - and on genetically modified seeds to grow crops designed to resist it. Critics say more study is needed on the effects of the herbicide and they are concerned it could endanger public health. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected ...
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Valoya Announces Its Spectrum Technology Licensing Program
Valoya, the research driven LED grow light manufacturer has today announced a spectrum technology licensing program making their patents available to LED manufacturers and horticultural LED fixture providers. Valoya’s extensive patent portfolio in the field of horticultural LED lighting is a result of significant innovation and investments into R&D over the past 11 years. The patents ...
By Valoya Oy
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Europe rejects GM crops as new report highlights 20 years of failures
All 19 government requests for bans of GM crop cultivation have gone unchallenged by biotech companies, pathing the way for two thirds of the EU’s farmland and population to remain GM-free [1]. The growing opposition to GM crops coincides with a new Greenpeace report reviewing evidence of GM environmental risks, market failures, and increased pesticide use [2]. Greenpeace EU food policy ...
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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. ...
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Plant Morphology and Spectrum: How Plants Respond to Light Quality
Light is one of the most important factors for optimizing plant growth. Plants collect energy from light to make sugars and these sugars are used for the growth of roots, leaves, stems and flowers. Plants use light for both photosynthesis and to respond to the environment to optimize their growth. Light can be described as the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum which extends from ...
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Big bucks from carbon sequestration - fact or fiction?
With carbon credits in the news and Australia developing policies to meet its Kyoto targets, many farmers are intrigued by soil carbon’s potential to not only boost soil productivity but put money in the bank by selling carbon credits. But just how realistic is that goal? Dr Jeff Baldock of CSIRO Land and Water, SA, will address this and other aspects of soil carbon in the Grains Research and ...
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