RADICALLY RETHINKING AGRICULTURE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

 

Population growth, arable land and fresh water limits, and climate change have profound implications for the ability of agriculture to meet this century’s demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuel while reducing the environmental impact of their production. Success depends on the acceptance and use of contemporary molecular techniques, as well as the increasing development of farming systems that use saline water and integrate nutrient flows.

Modifying Rice Crops to Resist Herbicide Prompts Weedy Neighbors' Growth Spurt

Rice containing an overactive gene that makes it resistant to a common herbicide can pass that genetic trait to weedy rice, prompting powerful growth even without a weed-killer to trigger the modification benefit, new research shows.

Could Rice Be The Source For A Natural Herbicide?.... can it be possible?

The growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is of great agricultural importance but it is affected by the common weed, barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli). Scientists from the Department of Crop Science at Konkuk University examined the use of rice allelopathic potential for weed control.

Yields of New Varieties of Agricultural Crops Continue to Increase

 

Research into varieties of winter wheat, spring barley, potatoes grown for starch and sugar beet which have been introduced in the Netherlands by plant breeding companies between 1980 and 2010 shows that new varieties continue to yield more than their predecessors. Despite recent concerns that important crops in high-yielding regions have reached their production maximum, the rise in yield potential of new cultivars does not yet level off. The fact that plant breeding can still lead to increases in production has therefore been shown by this research at Wageningen University.

Cleaning The Atmosphere Of Carbon: African Forests Out Of Balance

Tropical forests hold more living biomass than any other terrestrial ecosystem. A new report in the journal Nature by Lewis et al. shows that not only do trees in intact African tropical forests hold a lot of carbon, they hold more carbon now than they did 40 years ago--a hopeful sign that tropical forests could help to mitigate global warming.

ARE YOU SUPRISED?..........................Global Warming May Increase the Capacity of Trees to Store Carbon

One helpful action anyone can take in response to global warming is to plant trees and preserve forests. Trees and plants capture carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, thereby removing the most abundant greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and storing some of it in their woody tissue.

INCREASED TROPICAL FOREST GROWTH COULD RELEASE CARBON FROM THE SOIL

A new study shows that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms leading to a release of stored soil carbon.

The research was led by scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Cambridge, UK. The results are published online in the journal Nature Climate Change.

ROLE OF FORESTS IN STORING CARBON TO THE SOIL

Until recently, scientists were uncertain about how much and where in the world terrestrial carbon is being stored. In the July 14 issue of Science Express, scientists report that, between 1990 and 2007, the world's forests stored about 2.4 gigatons of carbon per year.

EFFECTS OF EARTHWORM ON FORESTS' CARBON -CARRYING CAPACITY

Earthworms can change the chemical nature of the carbon in Tropical forest litter and soils, potentially affecting the amount of carbon stored in forests, according to Purdue University researcher
The Purdue scientists, along with collaborators from the Smithsonian Institution and Johns Hopkins University, study the habits of earthworms originally brought to North America from Europe. They want to determine the earthworms' effect on forest chemistry by comparing carbon composition in forests that vary in earthworm activity.

SOON ENGLAND SOILS WILL BE SMILING WITH IMPROVED SOIL STRUCTURE WHICH WILL HELP CROP GROWTH....... WITH THE INVASION OF NEW SPECIES OF EARTHWORM.

Beavers reshape landscapes with their dams. Wolves control elk populations. Sea otters protect kelp forests by eating sea urchins. These are what ecologists call "keystone" species: critters that control an ecosystem and have a disproportionate impact on other species. And in the forests of New England, what are the keystone species

Put earthworms on the list.

THE UNTOLD MYSTREY.....................HOW THE LEAF IS DESIGNED......THE SECRET MATH OF PLANTS

Life scientists from UCLA's College of Letters and Science have discovered fundamental rules of leaf design that underlie plants' ability to produce leaves that vary enormously in size. In their mathematical design, leaves are the "perfect machines," said Lawren Sack, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior author of the research.

WELCOME TO NEW WORLD..............................New Species of Dolphin Found in Australian Waters

A species of humpback dolphin previously unknown to science is swimming in the waters off northern Australia, according to a team of researchers working for the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and numerous other groups that contributed to the study.

Reading Ancient Climate from Plankton Shells

Climate changes from millions of years ago are recorded at daily rate in ancient sea shells, new research shows.

Ocean Fish Farming Harms Wild Fish, Study Says

Farming of fish in ocean cages is fundamentally harmful to wild fish, according to an essay in this week's Conservation Biology.

New Recommendations for the Archipelago Sea: Fish-Based Feed, Integration of Fish Farms, Planning Control

Extraction of Baltic Sea fish recommended for fish feed. This would enable the recycling of marine nutrients and eliminate the need for fish feed imports. This is one of the recommendations jointly drawn up by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute and the Finnish Environment Institute for the promotion and coordination of fishing, fish farming and other methods of exploiting the marine environment and resources in the Archipelago Sea.

Fighting Crimes Against Biodiversity: How to Catch a Killer Weed

Invasive species which have the potential to destroy biodiversity and influence global change could be tracked and controlled in the same way as wanted criminals, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

Can a Potentially Invasive Plant Bring a Positive Influence to a Region?

Can invasive species be beneficial for the region? A recent study, published in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research, aimed to obtain empirical data on the activity and distribution of the bee species Braunsapis puangensis in the Suva area of Fiji and examine its association with the invasive creeping daisy Sphagneticola trilobata. The paper suggests that the invasive creeping daisy could in fact have a positive influence on a wild bee pollinator species, thus benefitting crops and biodiversity on the islands.

Proteins in One of the World's Main Biodiesel Plants Have Been Mapped, and It Does Not Look Good

The castor oil plant produces some very fatty beans from which oil is refined into biodiesel in several countries, eg. Brazil. Now a team of researchers from the University of Southern Denmark along with researchers from Brazil have succeeded in mapping proteins of the bean, and thus it may now be possible to alter the bean's structure in order to get even more out of the bean than today. The researcher's work however shows that this may not be an easy task.

Stem Cells From Monkey Teeth Can Stimulate Growth And Generation Of Brain Cells

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings from this study, available in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells, suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system.

Why Plants Usually Live Longer Than Animals

Stem cells are crucial for the continuous generation of new cells. Although the importance of stem cells in fuelling plant growth and development still many questions on their tight molecular control remain unanswered. Plant researchers at VIB and Ghent University discovered a new step in the complex regulation of stem cells.

African Breed of Cattle Harbors Potential Defense Against Life-Threatening Parasite

Every year, millions of cattle die of trypanosomosis. The UN and the International Livestock Research Institute list trypanosomosis among the ten diseases of cattle with the greatest impact on the poor. In Africa the disease is known as "Nagana," which translates literally as "being in low or depressed spirits." The disease is caused by a parasite that enters the animals' blood as a result of the bite of the Tsetse fly.

Badgers Ultimately Responsible for Around Half of TB in Cattle

Badgers are ultimately responsible for roughly half of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in areas with high TB prevalence, according to new estimates based on data from a previous badger culling trial. 
However, only around six per cent of infected cattle catch TB from badgers, with onward transmission between cattle herds accounting for the remainder, the study suggests.

Gilding the Gum Tree: Scientists Strike Gold in Leaves

 

Eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia are drawing up gold particles from Earth via their root system and depositing it their leaves and branches.

Biologists Produce Rainbow-Colored Algae

What can green algae do for science if they weren't, well, green?

Cracking the Blue-Green Code: Study of Gene Expression in Blue-Green Algae Reveals What Makes It Bloom, Toxic

Blue-green algae blooms formed by Microcystis (Credit: Christopher Gobler) If your local pond, lake, or watering hole is looking bright green this summer, chances are it has blue-green algae and it may be dangerous to you or your pets. A newly published study has used a novel approach to better understand why these algae form blooms and what makes them toxic.

When Hungry, Gulf of Mexico Algae Go Toxic

When Gulf of Mexico algae don't get enough nutrients, they focus their remaining energy on becoming more and more poisonous to ensure their survival, according to a new study by scientists from North Carolina State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Overflowing Canada Grain Bins Compound Global Glut

Canadian wheat and canola grower Mike Bast spent five years building silos to store 100,000 bushels on his 2,000-acre farm in La Salle, Manitoba. It wasn’t enough. He’s already dumping grain into his neighbor’s bins.

Nutrient Behind Fresh Water Algae Blooms Pinpointed

University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler has reviewed data from studies of controlling human-caused algae blooms in lakes and says controlling the input of the nutrient phosphorus is the key to fighting the problem.

Helping Feed the World Without Polluting Its Waters

A growing global population has lead to increasing demands for food. Farmers around the world rely, at least in part on phosphorus-based fertilizers in order to sustain and improve crop yields. But the overuse of phosphorus can lead to freshwater pollution and the development of a host of problems, such as the spread of blue-green algae in lakes and the growth of coastal 'dead zones'.
A further issue is that phosphorus comes from phosphate rock, a non-renewable resource of which there are limited supplies in such geopolitically charged areas as Western Sahara and China.

Scarcity of Phosphorus Threat to Global Food Production

Phosphorus is just as important to agriculture as water. But a lack of availability and accessibility of phosphorus is an emerging problem that threatens our capacity to feed the global population. Like nitrogen and potassium, it is a nutrient that plants take up from the soil and it is crucial to soil fertility and crop growth.

Calculating Agriculture's Phosphorus Footprint

Balancing phosphorus levels in crop lands is a key factor that is often overlooked in discussions of global food security, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology.

USDA Payments Ready to Go after Shutdown Delay

Farmers should begin getting payments soon for land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is sending out checks several weeks late because of the partial government shutdown.

Long-Term Memory Helps Chimpanzees in Their Search for Food

Where do you go when the fruits in your favourite food tree are gone and you don't know which other tree has produced new fruit yet? An international team of researchers, led by Karline Janmaat from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, studied whether chimpanzees aim their travel to particular rainforest trees to check for fruit and how they increase their chances of discovering bountiful fruit crops. The scientists found that chimpanzees use long-term memory of the size and location of fruit trees and remember feeding experiences from previous seasons using a memory window which can be two months to three years ago.

Corn Tumbles to Three-Year Low on U.S. Harvest, Ethanol Mandate

Corn declined to a three-year low as drier weather was set to boost a record harvest in the U.S., the largest producer, and as demand for the crop for ethanol may shrink if the government scales back the biofuel mandate.

Wheat Nears Fourth-Month High as South American Demand May Climb

Wheat traded near the highest price in four months in Chicago on speculation that South America may seek more U.S. supplies after dry weather.

Gilding the Gum Tree: Scientists Strike Gold in Leaves

Eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia are drawing up gold particles from Earth via their root system and depositing it their leaves and branches.

Switchgrass Lessens Soil Nitrate Loss Into Waterways, Researchers Find

By planting switchgrass and using certain agronomic practices, farmers can significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen and nitrates that leach into the soil, according to Iowa State University research.
Matt Helmers, associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Antonio

Large Amounts of Nitrogen Stored Beneath Selected Agricultural Areas

Large amounts of nitrogen are stored in the soils of agricultural areas in Nebraska and Maryland, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Once in the soil, nitrogen can be converted to nitrate, which can readily move to groundwater.

"We expected to find nitrogen stored in organic matter in these soils, but didn't realize how much," said Tom Nolan, USGS hydrologist, who led the study. "If mobilized, the large reservoirs of nitrogen could significantly impact water quality."
Nitrogen occurs in soil, plants, and groundwater, and it is difficult to account for all of the various forms it can take. For this study, scientists at the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program and the USDA Agricultural Research Service used a new version of the Root Zone Water Quality Model to estimate unsaturated zone nitrogen mass balances at four agricultural fields. The study was reported in the May/June 2010 edition of the Journal of Environmental Quality, published by the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.
The mass balances were expected to reveal the predominant forms of nitrogen in important agricultural settings. The four sites had variable climate, soils, and management practices, and included: an almond orchard in central California; a cornfield that is about 0.6 kilometers from the almond orchard; a corn-soybean crop rotation in eastern Nebraska; and a corn-soybean rotation in eastern Maryland.
The model predicted that large amounts of organic nitrogen are stored in the soil beneath fields in Nebraska and Maryland on which corn and soybean crops are grown. The model also showed that nitrogen came primarily from inorganic fertilizer or from nitrogen fixation by soybeans, and that most nitrogen was removed from the soil through uptake by crops. After crop uptake, leaching accounted for most of the nitrogen lost from the soil, particularly in irrigated areas of California. Denitrification, a process where nitrogen is removed from the soil when it is converted to its gaseous phase, occurred only sporadically at the four sites because soils generally were sandy and well-drained.
The work is novel in that the model was autocalibrated to measured data comprising soil moisture, soil water tension, bromide and nitrate concentrations, and soil organic matter. Also, previous versions of the model were limited to the rooting depth of plants (typically three meters or less). The new version of the model can make predictions down to 30 meters, enabling estimation of water quality effects well beyond the root zone. More study is needed to better understand the conditions required to mobilize and transport the stored nitrogen to groundwater.

Understanding Soil Nitrogen Management Using Synchrotron Technology

As food security becomes an increasingly important global issue, scientists are looking for the best way to maintain the organic matter in soils using different methods of fertilization and crop rotation.

Nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops lingers in the soil and leaks out as nitrate for decades towards groundwater -- "much longer than previously thought," scientists in France and at the University of Calgary say in a new study.

Foot and Mouth Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa Moves Over Short Distances; Wild Buffalo a Problem

New research shows that in sub-Saharan Africa the virus responsible for foot and mouth disease (FMD) moves over relatively short distances and the African buffalo are important natural reservoirs for the infection. The study, published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, sheds light on how the type of FMD virus called SAT 2 emerged in sub-Saharan Africa and identifies patterns of spread in countries where SAT 2 is endemic.

Large-Scale Deep Re-Sequencing Reveals Cucumber's Evolutionary Enigma

 

In a collaborative study published online today in Nature Genetics, researchers from the Genome Centre of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), BGI, and other institutes present a cucumber genomic variation map that includes about 3.6 million variants revealed by deep resequencing of 115 cucumbers worldwide. This work provides new insights for understanding the genetic basis of domestication and diversity of this important crop, and provides guidance for breeders to harness genetic variation for crop improvement.

Food Scientists Fortify Goat Cheese With Fish Oil to Deliver Healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fish oil is an underused ingredient in the food industry because of its association with a strong odor and aftertaste. A new study in the February issue of the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, shows that fish oil can be added to goat cheese to deliver high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids without compromising taste or shelf-life.

Tiny Sea Creatures Are Heading for Extinction, and Could Take Local Fisheries With Them

A species of one of the world's tiniest creatures, ocean plankton, is heading for extinction as it struggles to adapt to changes in sea temperature. And it may take local fisheries with it.

The Amazing Amphibians and Reptiles of the Philippine Island Luzon

 

A recent study of the amphibians and reptiles of Sierra Madre Mountain Range, northeastern Luzon, reveals a preliminary enumeration of more than 100 species that contribute to the unique biodiversity of the region. At present, the Luzon region's herpetological range stands at more than 150 species. Out of these, a total of 49 amphibian species have been documented, 44 of which are native and a remarkable 32 endemic. In the world of reptiles, Luzon can boast with 106 native species, 76 of which are unique to this region.

Genetic Study of Cave Millipedes Reveals Isolated Populations and Ancient Divergence Between Species

The International Journal of Myriapodology recently published the first population genetic study of cave millipedes. This research highlights an important challenge in the conservation of cave biodiversity -- that for many species caves are 'islands' of habitat that support isolated and genetically distinct populations.

World's First Mapping of America's Rare Plants

In collaboration with international colleagues, a research group at Aarhus University has contributed to the compilation of the most comprehensive botanical data set to date. PhD student Naia Morueta-Holme and her supervisor, Professor Jens-Christian Svenning, Department of Bioscience, spearheaded the analysis that reveals where rare species are found in the New World (North and South America) and the factors that determine whether a region is dominated by widespread or rare species.

The Pig, the Fish and the Jellyfish: Tracing Nervous Disorders in Humans

What do pigs, jellyfish and zebrafish have in common? It might be hard to discern the connection, but the different species are all pieces in a puzzle. A puzzle which is itself part of a larger picture of solving the riddles of diseases in humans.

Scientists Estimate 16,000 Tree Species in the Amazon

Researchers, taxonomists, and students from The Field Museum and 88 other institutions around the world have provided new answers to two simple but long-standing questions about Amazonian diversity: How many trees are there in the Amazon, and how many tree species occur there? The study will be published October 17, 2013 in Science.

Jellyfish Energy Consumption Study Will Improve Bio-Inspired Robotic Designs for Navy

Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers are part of a national study that has cracked how jellyfish move with the lowest cost of transport of any animal. The findings will be used as researchers continue to design bio-inspired jellyfish for the U.S. Navy.

Published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of National Academy of the Sciences, the study highlights jellyfish as one of the most energetically efficient natural propulsors on the planet.

New Micro Water Sensor Can Aid Growers

Crop growers, wine grape and other fruit growers, food processors and even concrete makers all benefit from water sensors for accurate, steady and numerous moisture readings. But current sensors are large, may cost thousands of dollars and often must be read manually.

Now, Cornell University researchers have developed a microfluidic water sensor within a fingertip-sized silicon chip that is a hundred times more sensitive than current devices. The researchers are now completing soil tests and will soon test their design in plants, embedding their "lab on a chip" in the stems of grape vines, for example. They hope to mass produce the sensors for as little as $5 each.

Flower Research Shows Gardens Can Be a Feast for the Eyes – And the Bees

Are our favourite garden flowers attractive to hungry visitors such as bees and butterflies to feed on?

Researchers at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex have completed one of the first scientific studies to put the business of recommending pollinator-friendly garden flowers on a firmer scientific footing. The study’s findings are published today (17 October 2013) in the journalFunctional Ecology.

Darwin’s Mystery Of Appearance Of Flowering Plants Explained

The appearance of many species of flowering plants on Earth, and especially their relatively rapid dissemination during the Cretaceous (approximately 100 million years ago) can be attributed to their capacity to transform the world to their own needs.

How Did Flowering Plants Evolve to Dominate Earth?

To Charles Darwin it was an 'abominable mystery' and it is a question which has continued to vex evolutionists to this day: when did flowering plants evolve and how did they come to dominate plant life on earth? A new study in Ecology Letters reveals the evolutionary trigger which led to early flowering plants gaining a major competitive advantage over rival species, leading to their subsequent boom and abundance

Mathematical Study of Photosynthesis Clears the Path to Developing New Super-Crops

How some plant species evolved super-efficient photosynthesis had been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified what steps led to that change.

Gene Regulation Differences Between Humans, Chimpanzees Very Complex

Changes in gene regulation have been used to study the evolutionary chasm that exists between humans and chimpanzees despite their largely identical DNA. However, scientists from the University of Chicago have discovered that mRNA expression levels, long considered a barometer for differences in gene regulation, often do not reflect differences in protein expression -- and, therefore, biological function -- between humans and chimpanzees. The work was published Oct. 17 in Science.

"We thought that we knew how to identify patterns of mRNA expression level differences between humans and chimpanzees that would be good candidates to be of functional importance," said Yoav Gilad, PhD, Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. "Now we see that even such mRNA patterns are not translated to the protein level. Which means that it is unlikely that they can affect a functional phenotypic difference."
For genes to be expressed, DNA must be transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which then code for proteins, the biological building blocks and engines that drive cellular function. Although humans and chimpanzees share highly similar genomes, previous studies have shown that the species evolved major differences in mRNA expression levels. Many of these differences were thought to indicate areas of evolutionary divergence, thus pointing to genes important for human-specific traits.
To test this, Gilad, Jonathan Pritchard, PhD, currently at Stanford University, and their team, spearheaded by postdoctoral fellow Zia Khan, PhD, used high-resolution mass spectrometry to compare the expression levels of thousands of proteins with corresponding mRNA expression data in human and chimpanzee cell lines.
The team found 815 genes with differing mRNA expression levels but only 571 genes that differed in protein expression. In total, they identified an estimated 266 genes with mRNA differences that did not lead to changes in protein levels. They found similar results in rhesus macaque cell lines when compared to both chimpanzees and humans, confirming the trend.
"Some of these patterns of mRNA regulation have previously been thought of as evidence of natural selection for important genes in humans, but this can no longer be assumed," Gilad said.
The study raises questions over why mRNA expression levels differ between species if they do not necessarily cause protein differences. Although further study is needed, Gilad believes this study suggests that protein expression levels evolve under greater evolutionary constraint than mRNA levels, via a yet-uncharacterized compensation or buffering mechanism.
For now, research that uses mRNA expression levels as a measure of the functional importance of a gene requires reassessment, and not just in studies on evolution.
"We've gained insight into complex diseases by studying mRNA transcripts, but we also have a lot of gaping holes in our knowledge. Perhaps some of them are because of this disparity," Gilad said.

Archaeologists Rediscover the Lost Home of the Last Neanderthals

A record of Neanderthal archaeology, thought to be long lost, has been re-discovered by NERC-funded scientists working in the Channel island of Jersey.

Flower Research Shows Gardens Can Be a Feast for the Eyes – And the Bees

Are our favourite garden flowers attractive to hungry visitors such as bees and butterflies to feed on?

The African Green Revolution at the Tipping Point

In some areas of Africa, farmers, scientists and policymakers are beginning to win the war on hunger, says Pedro Sanchez, PhD. Several factors have come together in recent years to tip the scales and increase food production.

Reducing Fossil Energy Use On the Farm: Impacts of Low-External-Input Cropping Systems On Energy and Yield

Conventional agriculture production relies heavily on fossil fuels, particularly in its ability to provide energy at a low cost. However, the uncertain future of fossil fuel availability and prices point to need to explore energy efficiencies in other cropping systems.

Device Speeds Concentration Step in Food-Pathogen Detection

Researchers have developed a system that concentrates foodborne salmonella and other pathogens faster than conventional methods by using hollow thread-like fibers that filter out the cells, representing a potential new tool for speedier detection.

Sorghum Eyed as a Southern Bioenergy Crop

Sweet sorghum is primarily grown in the United States as a source of sugar for syrup and molasses. But the sturdy grass has other attributes that could make it uniquely suited to production as a bioenergy crop, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest.

Growing Sorghum for Biofuel

Conversion of sorghum grass to ethanol has increased with the interest in renewable fuel sources. Researchers at Iowa State University examined 12 varieties of sorghum grass grown in single and double cropping systems. The experiment was designed to test the efficiency of double cropping sorghum grass to increase its yield for biofuel production.

Napiergrass: A Potential Biofuel Crop for the Sunny Southeast

Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum) is fairly drought-tolerant, grows well on marginal lands,
A grass fed to cattle throughout much of the tropics may become a biofuel crop that helps the nation meet its future energy needs, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.

Chicken Litter Has Advantages Over Conventional Fertilizers

Chicken litter is much more valuable as a fertilizer than previously thought, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study showing its newfound advantages over conventional fertilizers.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both

Cycad Plant Depends On Insect for Multiple Services; Moth Also Triggers the Plants Into Increased Frequency of Reproduction

 When a plant endemic to several islands in the Western Pacific Ocean taps the services of a helpful insect, a double-dose of benefits comes its way. The plant is a member of a unique group of plants known as cycads, which produce their seeds in cones rather than within fruits. The insect is a tiny moth currently known to exist only on the islands of Guam and Rota. The insect's primary role is to ensure seed production occurs by pollinating the plants.

A Plant Believed to Be Endemic to Morocco Appears in Spain for the First Time

Polygala webbiana is a species which was thought to be exclusive to North Africa. However, researchers from the Real Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanic Gardens of Madrid), and the Alcalá and Coimbra Universities have discovered specimens of this plant in Andalucía.

Polygala webbiana (Polygala webbiana Coss.) is a shrub with pink flowers and branches covered with hairs (trichomes), which was believed to be endemic to Morocco. Scientists from the Real Jardín Botánico (CSIC), the Alcalá University and the Coimbra University (Portugal) have now confirmed their presence in Malaga, in a study published in the 'Nordic Journal of Botany'.

Badgers Ultimately Responsible for Around Half of TB in Cattle

Badgers are ultimately responsible for roughly half
of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in areas with high TB prevalence, according to new estimates based on data from a previous badger culling trial.

Historic Trends Predict Future Global Reforestation Unlikely

Feeding a growing global population while also slowing or reversing global deforestation may only be possible if agricultural yields rise and/or per capita food consumption declines over the next century, according to historic global food consumption and land use trends. Published October 9, 2013, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Chris Pagnutti, Chris Bauch, and Madhur Anand from the University of Guelph, this research underscores the long-term challenge of feeding everyone while still conserving natural habitat.

Calculating Agriculture's Phosphorus Footprint

Balancing phosphorus levels in crop lands is a key factor that is often overlooked in discussions of global food security, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology.

Helping Feed the World Without Polluting Its Waters

 

A growing global population has lead to increasing demands for food. Farmers around the world rely, at least in part on phosphorus-based fertilizers in order to sustain and improve crop yields. But the overuse of phosphorus can lead to freshwater pollution and the development of a host of problems, such as the spread of blue-green algae in lakes and the growth of coastal 'dead zone

A further issue is that phosphorus comes from phosphate rock, a non-renewable resource of which there are limited supplies in such geopolitically charged areas as Western Sahara and China.
Now, for the first time ever, a detailed global map has been produced showing imbalances in the way that phosphorus, an essential plant nutrient, is being used around the world.

Agricultural Phosphorus Recovery

Phosphorus is an elemental nutrient in agriculture. In response to the increasing demand for phosphorus in the food, biofuels and biobased materials industries, global consumption of phosphate has risen significantly and will continue to increase. In 2008, approximately 1.4 million tonnes of phosphorus were consumed for the production of synthetic phosphate fertilizer. Moreover, phosphate rock reserves are non-renewable and controlled by only a few countries such as China, Morocco, Tunisia and the U.S.A. As a result, Europe is completely dependent on imports from these countries to cover phosphorus demand.

Unregulated, Agricultural Ammonia Threatens U.S. National Parks' Ecology

Thirty-eight U.S. national parks are experiencing "accidental fertilization" at or above a critical threshold for ecological damage, according to a study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physicsand led by Harvard University researchers. Unless significant controls on ammonia emissions are introduced at a national level, they say, little improvement is likely between now and 2050

Global Study Reveals New Hotspots of Fish Biodiversity

Teeming with species, tropical coral reefs have been long thought to be the areas of greatest biodiversity for fishes and other marine life -- and thus most deserving of resources for conservation.

How Microbes Survive in Freezing Conditions

Most microbial researchers grow their cells in petri-dishes to study how they respond to stress and damaging conditions. But, with the support of funding from NASA, researchers in LSU's Department of Biological Sciences tried something almost unheard of: studying microbial survival in ice to understand how microorganisms could survive in ancient permafrost, or perhaps even buried in ice on Mars.

Better Wheat Varieties in the Future? Wheat Genome Shows Resistance Genes Easy to Access

It's hard to go anywhere without a map -- especially into the deep and complex world of genetics. Now, Kansas State University researcher Bikram Gill and an international team of researchers have developed a physical map of wheat's wild ancestor, Aegilops tauschii, commonly called goatgrass, as they take the first huge step toward sequencing the wheat genome -- a complete look at wheat's genetic matter.

Discovery Should Save Wheat Farmers Millions of Dollars

The global wheat industry sometimes loses as much as $1 billion a year because prolonged rainfall and high humidity contribute to grains germinating before they are fully mature. The result is both a lower yield of wheat and grains of inferior quality. This phenomenon, known as pre-harvest sprouting or PHS, has such important economic repercussions for farmers around the world that scientists have been working on finding a solution to the problem for at least a couple of decades. Their focus has been on genetic factors, and on the interaction between genotypes and the environment as they have tried to breed wheat that is resistant to PHS, but with little success so far.