crop research News
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The dire need to support ‘orphan crop’ research
In spite of debate over its definition, the term ‘orphan crops’ refers to crops that are under-researched and underfunded due to their limited importance in the global market. These include cereals, legumes, vegetables, root crops, fodder crops, oil crops, fibre crops and medicinal plants that are largely indigenous to Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are characterised by their ...
By SciDev.Net
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Corn colour can tell farmers how much fertilizer to apply
Nitrogen fertilizer is a key ingredient for growing a good corn crop. It is not unusual for a well-fertilized crop to yield more than twice as much as an unfertilized crop. But how much nitrogen should corn producers apply to their crop? Researchers at the University of Missouri help answer this question in a study of how much light is reflected from corn plants reported in the May–June issue of ...
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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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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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The bigger picture: GM contamination across the landscape
Ensuring the purity of conventional crops grown in the vicinity of genetically modified (GM) crops depends on understanding both short and long distance pollen flows. New research shows that current guidelines on the safe isolation distances for GM maize may not adequately prevent cross pollination of conventional crops. Contamination of conventional crops can occur where GM pollen ...
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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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Mineral content of soils key to physical and chemical behavior
Many aspects of the physical and chemical behavior of soils are directly related to the minerals present. “This includes shrink-swell behavior, soil structure, availability of nutrients, and the fate of contaminants that enter the soil,” according to Judith Turk, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The “Soil Mineralogy” symposium at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure ...
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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 ...
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Straw residue helps keep nitrogen on the farm
Scientists are exploring ways to reduce non-point pollution from agriculture. A new study finds that using straw residue in conjunction with legume cover crops reduces leaching of nitrogen into waterways, but may lower economic return. Agriculture is the largest source of nitrogen non-point pollution to waterways in the United States, flowing into streams and rivers via erosion from farmlands, ...
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Organic mulch lets insect pollinators do their job
As interest in organic agricultural and horticultural practices continues to grow, so does the need to identify alternative weed control practices. Mulching, a common practice used to control weeds and reduce the need for tillage, can also reduce insect pollinators' exposure to harmful pesticides; however, finding the right mulch materials that allow pollinators to flourish can be challenging. ...
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Nutrient Management Plans: A Study in Cause and Effect
It seems practical on the surface. Nutrient management plans (NMPs) should supply plants with ideal amounts of nutrients, minimize runoff, and maintain or even improve the soil condition. And the farmer behind the plan would work with a set of conservation practices designed to reduce harmful pollutants while still obtaining optimal crop yields. However, many U.S. Animal Feeding Operations ...
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Getting to the root of plants
A diverse team of researchers from Europe, Asia and the USA have unearthed new information on how roots grow and develop. Specifically, how roots are able to move out sideways out of the central root and into the soil. Their discovery has opened the way to further research that may eventually lead to the creation of new crops with improved root structure, improving their chances of survival in ...
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Helping quinoa brave the heat
Quinoa is a healthy food many know and love. As its popularity grows, more farmers are interested in planting it. However, the plant doesn’t do well in high temperatures, so plant breeders are trying to help. Many of the current methods for seeing if a quinoa plant is heat tolerant are time-consuming and expensive. Researchers, led by professor Kevin Murphy at Washington State University, ...
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In-crop nitrogen key to summer sorghum yields
With the summer cropping season on our doorstep, growers are weighing up their planting options against the market, seasonal conditions and gross margin calculations. For many the summer cropping rotation will include sorghum and maximising crop yield and profitability will be a key driver of all pre-plant and in-crop agronomic decisions. Recent research funded by the GRDC, Queensland Alliance ...
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Southern soils mitigate manure microbes
That swine manure sprayed on to fields adds valuable nutrients to the soil is well known. But what is not known is whether all that manure is bringing harmful bacteria with it. A new study looks at the levels of nutrients and bacteria in soils of fields that have been sprayed with manure for fifteen years or more. The research team, composed of scientists from the USDA-ARS Crop Science Research ...
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The Fertilizer Industry Embraces the Sustainable Future at IFA’s Annual Conference in Berlin
Over 1350 international fertilizer industry executives and plant nutrition organization representatives convened for a fascinating discussion about the future at the 86th annual meeting of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) in Berlin from June 18th to the 20th. Highlights of the meeting included: Preparing for the Future with IFA2030 IFA announced the outcomes of its “IFA2030 ...
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Choice of winter cover crop mixture steers summer crop yield
Scientists from Wageningen University & Research demonstrate that the productivity of a next main crop can be manipulated through the choice of species in a preceding winter cover crop mixture. They report their latest findings in the Journal of Applied Ecology of 2nd of June. With their publication, the scientist agree with recommendations of FAO to included cover crops in rotations, on ...
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Iron deficiency in soil threatens soybean production
An expansion of soybean production into areas where soybean has seldom, if ever, been grown can be problematic for some farmers. Soils having high pH values and large amounts of calcium and/or magnesium carbonate are notoriously iron deficient. Iron deficient soils in the North Central United States are estimated to reduce soy bean production by 12.5 million bushels every year. John Wiersma, a ...
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Increasing potato production
Despite sophisticated nutrient management of potato crops, quality and yield still see wide variability. Although nutrients are already well understood, the influence of other environmental factors remains understudied. A research team from Michigan State University conducted a study to determine how the chemical and physical properties of soil, along with the light waves the plant absorbs and ...
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Analyzing agroforestry management
The evaluation of both nutrient and non-nutrient resource interactions provides information needed to sustainably manage agroforestry systems. Improved diagnosis of appropriate nutrient usage will help increase yields and also reduce financial and environmental costs. To achieve this, a management support system that allows for site-specific evaluation of nutrient-production imbalances is needed. ...
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