pollinator News
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Soybeans Depend on Soil Quality
Years with lower corn prices lead to many farmers making soybeans a bigger part of their crop plan. The Maximum Farming System® can help make the most of such changes and provide optimal fertilizer management, which varies by crop. For example, corn benefits dramatically from in-furrow fertilization that provides sufficient levels of tissue phosphorus during early growth stages to maximize ...
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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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Conservation Videos Give Quick Glimpse into Assistance Available
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service in California is releasing eight short videos on YouTube, providing a quick glimpse into some of the Agency's most popular conservation opportunities (http://www.youtube.com/user/NRCSCalifornia). In four minutes or less viewers can meet a California farmer or rancher who is working with the Agency to solve a conservation dilemma, meet the ...
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Conservation efforts may be paying off for wild plants and insect pollinators
Since the 1990s, rates of biodiversity loss of wild plants and their insect pollinators have slowed down in north-west Europe, according to a recent study. It is likely that conservation activities, such as agri-environmental schemes, have contributed to this improving situation. The loss of wild species and habitats as a result of agricultural intensification and habitat destruction has ...
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Hudson Valley organic farm produces seeds largely by hand
Drying corn stalks wilt in late summer sun as Ken Greene tours his crops. Calendula flowers are past bloom and brown. Melon leaves lay crinkled by the dirt. Plants have, literally, gone to seed. A perfect picture for an organic seed harvest. "It looks like hell now, but it's actually good for the seeds," said Greene, co-founder of the Hudson Valley Seed Library. The small business 70 miles ...
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Conservation efforts may be paying off for wild plants and insect pollinators
Since the 1990s, rates of biodiversity loss of wild plants and their insect pollinators have slowed down in north-west Europe, according to a recent study. It is likely that conservation activities, such as agri-environmental schemes, have contributed to this improving situation. The loss of wild species and habitats as a result of agricultural intensification and habitat destruction has ...
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NRDC and Berkeley Food Institute Announce Winners of the 2014 Growing Green Awards
Today, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) celebrate four remarkable leaders who are advancing sustainable food and agriculture at the sixth annual Growing Green Awards. Chosen from hundreds of nominations submitted across the country by a renowned panel of judges, the 2014 winners are changing the way America eats and farms. They have helped ...
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BioSafe Systems releases new insecticide
BioSafe Systems is excited to announce the release of BT NOW®, a water-based, liquid biological insecticide labeled to control various lepidoptera pests in a wide variety of crops. Its formula consists of bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (Btk) strain EVB-113-19, a new variation of the Btk bacterium that targets the lepidoptera insect while remaining easy on many beneficials and ...
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Potential of insects as resources for animal feed
Insects can provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly option for animal feed, in addition to already being a mainstay of human diets for 2 billion people worldwide, FAO Assistant Director-General Eduardo Rojas-Briales told an international gathering of researchers in The Netherlands. Rojas spoke during the opening session of the conference, “Insects to Feed the World,” ...
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Bee and wasp extinctions in UK driven by historical agricultural changes
Changes in agricultural policy and practice, such as increased intensification and fertiliser use, are responsible for many historical extinctions of pollinator populations in the UK, suggests new research. The study looked at bee and wasp extinction rates in relation to agricultural practices since the mid-19th century. The pollination services provided by insects, such as bees and ...
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Pesticide program dialogue committee convenes semi-annual meeting
On May 3-4, 2012, the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) convened its semiannual meeting in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices in Arlington, Virginia. This memorandum summarizes the presentations and topics discussed during the meeting, which were organized into 13 sessions: Update Regarding Strategic Plans, Budget, and PRIA 3 Pollinator Protection Integrated ...
By Acta Group
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Rooftop gardens could grow three quarters of city’s vegetables
Rooftop gardens in cities could provide more than three quarters of the vegetables consumed in them, a case study from Bologna, Italy, suggests. If all suitable flat roof space was used for urban agriculture, rooftop gardens in the city could supply around 12 500 tons of vegetables a year whilst also providing a range of ecosystem services, the researchers say. Any unused roof space in a city ...
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GM eggplant trials suspended in Philippines
Field trials of genetically modified (GM) eggplant have been suspended following a dispute at one of the trial sites that led local officials to uproot 3,000 plants. Two of seven field trials of the plant — also known as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) brinjal — were halted last month (29 December), two weeks after local authorities in Davao City uprooted plants because researchers had ...
By SciDev.Net
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EPA awards Loudoun Valley High School teacher with Presidential Innovation Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Liam McGranaghan of Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Va. with the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). “Liam McGranaghan’s dedication to developing a stimulating environmental science curriculum inspires students to get involved in community environmental projects,” said EPA Regional ...
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Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Convenes Semi-Annual Meeting
On November 29-30, 2012, the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) convened its semiannual meeting in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices in Arlington, Virginia. This memorandum summarizes the presentations and topics discussed during the meeting, which were organized into ten substantive sessions: Update Regarding the 2013 Budget and PRIA 3 Pollinator Protection ...
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Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Convenes SemiAnnual Meeting
On November 29-30, 2012, the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) convened its semiannual meeting in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices in Arlington, Virginia. This memorandum summarizes the presentations and topics discussed during the meeting, which were organized into ten substantive sessions: Update Regarding the 2013 Budget and PRIA 3 Pollinator Protection ...
By Acta Group
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Alfa Chemistry: Carboxyl-functionalized Pheromone Plays A Role in Pest Management
After launching alcohol-functionalized pheromones and aldehyde-functionalized pheromones in the previous months, the US-based chemical supplier Alfa Chemistry recently announced the release of carboxyl-functionalized pheromones for researchers worldwide. Over the past cascade, insect pheromones have exhibited intriguing potential in pest management and insect trace track. Serving as effective ...
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Impact of climate on mountain ecosystems under scrutiny
A four-year project aimed at addressing the lack of knowledge about the impacts of climate change on food security, livelihoods and economic prosperity in mountain ecosystems has been launched in East Africa. The project, Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Eastern Africa (CHIESA) will be coordinated by the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology ...
By SciDev.Net
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Syngenta submits legal challenge to EU suspension of thiamethoxam
Syngenta has submitted a legal challenge to the European Commission’s decision to suspend the use of thiamethoxam on bee attractive crops. The Commission took the decision on the basis of a flawed process, an inaccurate and incomplete assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and without the full support of EU Member States. Syngenta Chief Operating Officer, John Atkin, said: ...
By Syngenta
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Warning from European Academies of Science about implications of neonicotinoid use
A joint report to the European Commission from the Academies of Science in the EU Member States concludes that there is rapidly increasing scientific evidence that neonicotinoids have a significant negative impact on the natural environment. Some of the organisms affected fulfil important functions in agricultural areas, for example, the wild pollinators and the predatory insects which can play ...
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