Agriculture and Food News

August 20, 2016

Pre-Hispanic Mexicans Bred and Managed Rabbits

Special Power in Wheat Discovered

Virus Attracts Bees to Infected Plants With Scent

Three Quarters of Threatened Species Imperiled

Latest Headlines

updated 11:20am EDT

Flowering Meadows Benefit Humankind

Aug. 17, 2016 — The more it swarms, crawls, flies the better it is, say scientists. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels provides higher ecosystem services. Even ... read more

New Method for Quantifying Methane Emissions from Manure Management

Aug. 17, 2016 — The EU Commision requires Denmark to reduce drastically emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture. But it is currently not possible to quantify emissions of methane from livestock manure -- and ... read more

Cultivating Soybeans to Combat the Kudzu Bug

Aug. 17, 2016 — A few strains of wild soy are able to fight the kudzu bug by limiting the ability of its nymphs, or young, to survive. The next step is to identify which gene gives the ... read more

Burning Desire Comes Down to Beetles

Aug. 17, 2016 — Beetles could hold the key to when controlled burns should be lit, ensuring forest ecosystems are not unduly damaged by well-meaning fire minimization ... read more

Biodiversity Begins at Home: Saving Old Villages Helps Save Farmland Birds

Aug. 17, 2016 — Preserving old villages and farm buildings – and being more creative in designing new rural homes – could help halt the decline in European farmland bird populations, ... read more

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Linked to Wild Bee Decline Across England

Aug. 16, 2016 — Exposure to neonicotinoid seed treated oilseed rape crops has been linked to long-term population decline of wild bee species across the English countryside, according to ... read more

Sewage Sludge Could Make Great Sustainable Fertilizer

Aug. 15, 2016 — Ever thought of putting sewage on your plants? Scientists say thermally conditioned sewage sludge serves as an excellent fertilizer to improve soil properties. The major advantage over commercial ... read more

Sequencing of Fungal Disease Genomes May Help Prevent Banana Armageddon

Aug. 11, 2016 — Researchers have discovered how a group of three closely related fungal pathogens have evolved into a lethal threat to the world's bananas, whilst scientists have unraveled the DNA of the fungus that ... read more

Wildlife-Friendly Farming Shown to Benefit UK Moths

Aug. 11, 2016 — Wildlife-friendly farming schemes can help boost the abundance of many UK moth species, a new study ... read more

Surveys of Corn, Soybean Fields Reveal Implications for Pollinator Conservation

Aug. 11, 2016 — What kind of insect pollinators are commonly found in corn and soybean fields? The answer to that question can be found in a new article, say ... read more

Ducks on Pest Patrol at South African Vineyards

The Thai Village Using Cow Dung to Power Homes

Scientists Are Pushing Ahead With Human-Animal Hybrid Research

Artist Turns Cow Dung Into Eco-Friendly Fashion

What Will California's Strawberry Industry Do Without Methyl Bromide?

Aug. 16, 2016 — 2016 is the final year for the soil fumigant to be used in California crop fields. A new article examines the impact of the methyl bromide phaseout on strawberries, California's third most ... read more

Scientists Zero in on Better Mandarin Traits

Aug. 15, 2016 — A horticultural sciences professor and his colleagues found genetic markers for fruit quality traits that will be useful in future cultivar-breeding ... read more

Rice Cultivation in Southeast Asia: Five Years of Lessons Learned by LEGATO

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientists have presented the results from dedicated studies covering a wide range of topics in rice ... read more

Adding Milk, Meat to Diet Dramatically Improves Nutrition for Poor in Zambia

Aug. 10, 2016 — Adding livestock to poor households in developing countries such as Zambia is shown to improve their financial status, but how the addition of milk and meat to their diet effects their nutrition has ... read more

Human Selection Pressure on Novel Peptide Aided Domestication of Asian Rice

Aug. 10, 2016 — An international research team identified a novel signal peptide that matures in rice flowers to promote bristle (awn) elongation. The gene encoding this peptide contains a GC-rich region that ... read more

Research Aims to Help Canadian Flax Farmers

Aug. 10, 2016 — A professor's flax research could one day help Canadian farmers grow a car fender. In a recent study, he identified the genes responsible for the bane of many Canadian flax farmers' ... read more

Breakthrough in Combating Malaria With Odor-Baited Trap for Mosquitoes

Aug. 10, 2016 — The use of a newly-developed mosquito trap incorporating human odor has resulted in a 70 percent decline in the population of the most significant malaria mosquito on the Kenyan island of Rusinga. ... read more

Back the Bees and Friends: Big Agriculture Has the Chance to Help or Hinder Our Most Important Pollinators, Research Argues

Aug. 9, 2016 — New research has identified future threats to, and opportunities for insects, birds, mammals, and reptiles that pollinate wild flowers and crops. 35% of global crop production, and 85% of wild ... read more