New research from Queen's University Belfast, UK, shows that cooking rice with a percolation-based system removes up to 85% of inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen
Researchers find improved soil properties in strip-till compared to no-till method A major result was that after just five years, soil organic matter content was 8.6% greater in the strip-till plots when compared to the no-till plots. Furthermore, bulk density was reduced by 4% and penetration resistance, the force a root must exert to move in the soil, decreased by 18%.
Basil can add a little zest to any meal. But downy mildew disease threatens the herb’s very existence. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers are trying to manage the disease with little to no spraying.
The 3rd edition of the Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide is now available. The updated guide is a convenient, easy-to-use reference to 20 characteristics of 45 rootstocks. It highlights 21 recently released rootstocks, some of which show reduced citrus greening incidence in early field trials.
A new variety of peanut, called OLé, has recently been released by a team of researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and their colleagues at Oklahoma State University. OLé peanuts have longer shelf lives and increased disease resistance compared to other peanut varieties, and pack high amounts of a heart-healthy fatty acid called oleic acid.
In a study published online July 16, 2015 in Science Express, scientists looked at roles of three phytohormones, regulatory chemicals produced by a plant’s immune system, in controlling the composition of the root microbiome in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
Space may not be the final frontier for Anna-Lisa Paul and Robert Ferl; they want to grow plants there. Because, who knows, we may one day try to live on Mars, and to survive, we’ll have to grow our own food. Thus far, experiments by the two pioneering scientists have proven so successful that, earlier this month, NASA recognized their research with one of its three awards in the category of the Most Compelling Results.
Nearly half of Floridians eat more seafood than they did five to 10 years ago, but 40 percent still do not eat the federally recommended dietary intake of seafood. Floridians also know seafood is good for them, and they like their seafood caught or harvested in the Sunshine State. But many are not sure they’d know Florida seafood if they saw it, and they’re hesitant to pay the higher cost of local seafood.
Scientists attending a workshop at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory slipped the leash of scientific caution and tried to imagine what they would do if they could redesign plants at will. The ideas they dreamed up may make the difference between full bellies and empty ones in the near future when population may outrun the ability of traditional plant breeding to increase yields.
Scientists discovered that coffee berry borers worldwide share 14 bacterial species in their digestive tracts that degrade and detoxify caffeine. They also found the most prevalent of these bacteria has a gene that helps break down caffeine. Their research sheds light on the ecology of the destructive bug and could lead to new ways to fight it.
Growers in Florida’s $100 million-a-year avocado industry could see a rise in the price of avocados in the short term due to a reduction in domestic production, because of the deadly Laurel Wilt pathogen, a new University of Florida study shows.
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. The mutation switches one amino acid for another at a specific position in a protein regulating formation of these shells in modern corn’s wild ancestor, according to a study published in the July 2015 issue of GENETICS, a publication of the Genetics Society of America.
A new study on the genomic signatures of adaptation in crop plants can help predict how crop varieties respond to stress from their environments. It is the first study to document that these genomic signatures of adaptation can help identify plants that will do well under certain stresses, such drought or toxic soils.
As a good source of protein, Vitamin A, calcium, iron and fiber, broccoli is so full of nutrients, some call it a “super food.” It’s also popular at the supermarket, whether it’s grown in America or overseas. But Americans are willing to pay $1 more per pound for U.S. organic broccoli than that from China and Mexico and up to 32 cents more per pound than that grown in Canada.
On Thursday, more than 50 national and international peanut scientists and researchers will tour the fields and review the varieties to determine if there are any they would like to try in their areas.
Helpful bacteria promote growth, less fertilizer on crops.
A new study involving a Kansas State University entomologist reveals that the genes of a fruit fly that has plagued American apple producers for more than 150 years is the result of an extremely rapid evolutionary change.
Planting bioenergy crops like willows or switchgrass in rows where commodity crops are having difficulty growing could both provide biomass feedstock and also limit the runoff of nitrogen fertilizer into waterways — all without hurting a farmer’s profits. This is what a group of Argonne National Laboratory scientists has discovered through careful data collection and modeling at a cornfield in Fairbury, Illinois.
Nian Wang, a researcher with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is working with a team to develop a microbial-based product, infused with patented plant-defense inducers and beneficial bacteria strains, that he hopes will cure citrus greening.
Other topics include memories and protein, physics and gas mileage, agriculture and food safety, vaccine for Dengue, retinoblastoma proteins in cancer progression, and more.
To protect consumers from foodborne illness, produce farmers should wait 24 hours after a rain or irrigating their fields to harvest crops,
Recent work showed that long-term differences in soil use and management influence not only the sizes and numbers of soil aggregates, but also what the pores inside them will look like.
Soil animals degrade organic matter, maintain soil structure
Other topics include; do x-rays really cause cancer? And more.
The lobsters create "behavioral immunity" that prevents them from contracting a deadly disease, a key finding for the $50 million a year Florida business, according to a new study co-authored by a UF/IFAS scientist.
Plants need water. People need water. Unfortunately, there’s only so much clean water to go around — and so the effort begins to find a solution. One strategy is to use treated wastewater, containing salt leftover from the cleaning process, to water large areas of turf grass. Researchers have found ways to breed salt-tolerant turf that can withstand this irrigation.
New Mexico is following the nation in the demand for locally-grown fruits and vegetables. New Mexico State University is working with small-acreage farmers around the state to meet the demand. At a recent vegetable-farming workshop in Albuquerque, 90 percent of attendees farmed 10 acres or less and 75 percent had farmed for less than 10 years.
University of Florida scientists have discovered how much water castor needs in order to grow in North Florida, a key finding in their efforts to determine the feasibility of producing castor in Florida for the first time since 1972.
University of Florida IFAS researchers are building new homes for the feral bees to save the birds.
Topics include: treating advanced skin cancer, big data and bioenergy, cancer research, 10 reasons to eat quinoa, sleep issues in the nursing field, advances in cancer surgery, genes for sleep, brain receptor for cocaine addiction, and nano imaging on insect adaptations.
This article is the second installment in a three-part series on the relationships between pesticides and row crops, farmers and beekeepers, and factors influencing honeybee health. This story focuses on the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program.
This article is the final installment in a three-part series on the relationships between pesticides and row crops, farmers and beekeepers, and factors influencing honeybee health. This story features MSU beekeeping specialist Dr. Jeff Harris and a discussion of Varroa mites and Varroa Sensitive Hygienic bees.
This article is the first installment in a three-part series with Mississippi State scientists on the relationships between pesticides and row crops, farmers and beekeepers, and factors influencing honeybee health.
Using switchgrass to produce biofuel is one way to decrease the United States’ dependence on oil, but growing it and making it profitable can be complicated. It lacks qualities, such as high biomass yield, needed to maximize biofuel production. To combat this issue, and breed switchgrass that has the optimal combination of these traits, the researchers tried evaluating plants using the Smith-Hazel Selection Index. This index allowed the researchers to estimate and combine information on multiple traits. It also looked at the economic value of each trait, which further maximizes the rating.
A major international study finds that surprisingly few bee species are responsible for pollinating the planet's crops: only two percent of wild bee species pollinate 80 percent of bee-pollinated crops worldwide.
The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) and the Wheat Initiative announced today that reference sequencing of wheat chromosome 4B would commence shortly in France. This complements the reference sequencing projects already underway on 11 other wheat chromosomes and adds momentum to the goal of achieving a high quality reference sequence of the bread wheat genome to speed up gene discovery and breeding of new wheat varieties.
University of Delaware researchers have discovered a soil microbe that mobilizes an “iron shield” to block the uptake of toxic arsenic in rice. The UD finding gives hope that a natural, low-cost solution — a probiotic for rice plants — may be in sight to protect this global food source from accumulating harmful levels of one of the deadliest poisons on the planet. Rice currently is a staple in the diet of more than half the world’s population.
Scientists at the University of Southampton have found a way to pry into the private lives of fish - by looking in their ears.
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher warned that a disease that has decimated Cavendish bananas in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia could be headed for the Western Hemisphere.
A six-year study indicates that crops grown in contaminated urban soils present little to no risk for people eating those crops when gardeners have followed best practices.
RED ROCK — In an area of Texas known by locals as “East of Weird” because of its proximity to progressive Austin, a farm is yielding many bushels of fruit and vegetables on a space no larger than a parking space.
UF/IFAS scientists find a light trap that captures more mosquitoes so mosquito control officials can save time and money in their spraying efforts.
The handling of agricultural crop residues appears to have a large impact on soil's ability to retain carbon, making land management practices increasingly important, according to researchers at Argonne National Laboratory.
A new Cornell study of New York state apple orchards finds that pesticides harm wild bees, and fungicides labeled “safe for bees” also indirectly may threaten native pollinators.
A leap of faith in science is paying off at Cornell University's orchards in Ithaca, as researchers and managers celebrate a solid spring pollination season by native pollinators - not honeybees.
Wichita State University microbiology professor Mark Schneegurt and ornithology professor Chris Rogers have discovered that one of North America's most common migratory birds – the Dark-eyed Junco – carries on its feathers a remarkable diversity of plant bacteria, the greatest ever found on wild birds. And while many of these bacteria may be harmful to plants, the bacteria could also be of great benefit.
New research analyzes the economic tradeoffs associated with uncertain supply of a perishable product, reviewing how risk aversion and the source of uncertainty – demand and/or supply – affect supply chain decisions.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison animal scientist has developed an antibiotic-free method to protect animals raised for food against common infections.
In the United States, federal mandates to produce more renewable fuels, especially biofuels, have led to a growing debate: Should fuel or food grow on arable land? Recent research found encouraging, sustainable results when growing Camelina sativa with soybean in the Midwest.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right