Sorghum Farming News
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African Green Revolution is possible
The time is ripe to revolutionise agriculture in Africa, says World Food Prize winner Gebisa Ejeta, writing in Science. When the Green Revolution swept across Asia in the 1960s, Africa had neither the human and institutional capacity, nor the right crops — the Green Revolution focused on wheat and rice, while African staples are sorghum, millet, maize and cassava — to benefit, says Ejeta. But ...
By SciDev.Net
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Crop residues provide valuable protection for soil
Removing wheat and sorghum crop residue after harvest, such as stalks, stubble and leaves, may cause more harm than good according to new research. Results indicate that removing residue can increase nutrient and sediment levels in water runoff, and decrease organic carbon stored in the soil. Crop residue left after harvest performs several ecosystem services. In particular it protects the soil ...
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International crop breeding programme needed for African farming
Climate change poses a large threat to African agriculture, but there is little research on how to respond. A recent study indicates that traditional adaptation methods are not enough and international collaboration is needed in 'planned adaptation' by collecting and conserving certain crops for the future. A large proportion of the African population - mainly the poor - depend on agriculture ...
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How much water is needed to grow bioenergy crops?
A Dutch study has assessed the water requirements of 13 bioenergy crops across the world. The findings could help select the best crops and locations to produce bioenergy. The EU climate action and renewable energy package has set a target of increasing the share of renewable energy to 20 per cent of energy used by 20201. This includes a minimum 10 per cent share for transport, which could ...
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No-till improves near-surface soil properties
Near-surface soil aggregate structural properties such as aggregate size distribution, stability, strength, and wettability determine the extent to which a soil will erode under water or wind erosive forces. Knowledge of aggregate structural properties is especially important in semiarid regions, such as the Great Plains, where low precipitation, high evaporation, and variable biomass production ...
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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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Increased amphibian mortality due to agri-chemical pollution
Global decline in frog populations is thought to indicate environmental damage caused by human activity. In particular, the use of agri-chemicals has been linked to an increase in infectious diseases in amphibians. A link has now been found between a parasitic infection and localised interaction between phosphate fertilisers and herbicides. Leopard frogs from wetlands in Minnesota, USA, were ...
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Understanding land use change and US ethanol expansion
Understanding changes in land use—such as deforestation, urbanization and agriculture expansion—is important if society is to properly address the challenges of climate change, utilization of natural resources, and energy production and consumption. However, the intensifying debate over potential indirect land use changes resulting from biofuels expansion is nebulous at best. At worst, it is ...
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Pakistan to get $75m for irrigation projects
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Pakistan with $75 million in loans to build several multi-purpose dams, irrigation canals and drinking water supplies across the Potohar Plateau near Islamabad. The project will improve the livelihoods of about 22,000 farming households by bringing irrigation to 11,500 hectares of agricultural land that used to rely on irregular and unpredictable ...
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Warming Climate Undermines World Food Supply
Global agriculture could go into steep, unanticipated declines due to complications that scientists have so far inadequately considered, say three new reports authored by U.S. and international researchers. Developing countries may lose 334 million acres of prime farm land to climate change in the next 50 years, scientists estimate. After mid-century, continuing temperature rises, expected to ...
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Scientists Develop Fast-Growing Sorghum for Biofuel
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, October 9, 2007 (ENS) - American cars and trucks may soon be fueled with sorghum. Not used widely as a food grain in the United States, sorghum is one of the five top cereal crops in the world, along with wheat, oats, corn, and barley. It was cultivated in Egypt in ancient times, and Africa still is the largest producer of sorghum today. Now, energy crop company Ceres, ...
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Cereal Crops Feeling the Heat
LIVERMORE, California (ENS) - Warming temperatures since 1981 have caused annual losses of about US$5 billion for six major cereal crops, new research has found. This is the first study to estimate how much global food production already has been affected by climate change. From 1981 to 2002, fields of wheat, corn and barley throughout the world have produced a combined 40 million metric tons ...
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