Tag: agriculture
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USDA Funding Research on Climate Change, Agr Production
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded three grants to study the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production. NIFA Director Roger Beachy made the announcement today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. A research team led by Dr. Tim Martin,…
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Genetic Modification Leads to Longer Tomato Shelf Life
Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland have introduced a new gene to tomatoes that help make the fruit last longer in stores and at home. The team published their findings in the February issue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research magazine, and last fall in The Plant Journal (paid…
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Transgenic Switchgrass Improves Biofuel Yield
Plant engineering by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma and fermentation research by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have led to new lines of native perennial prairie grass that can make the production of cellulosic ethanol more economical. The researchers published their findings this week in in the Proceedings of the National…
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Two Pesticides Linked to Higher Rates of Parkinson’s Disease
A new study by government and private research institutes shows higher rates of Parkinson’s disease among people using the highly restricted pesticides rotenone and paraquat. The findings were published recently in an online issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The research team found that people who used either pesticide developed Parkinson’s disease about 2.5…
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Long-Term Impacts of Biofuels on Land Analyzed
A team of university, government, and national laboratory researchers ran simulations to gauge the impact of biofuel feedstocks on agricultural land. The findings are published in the January/February 2011 issue of Agronomy Journal (free full-text access for 30 days following publication). The study, funded by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, simulated experiments lasting from 79…
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Genetic Researchers Identify Enzymes for Biofuels
Researchers have used large-scale DNA sequencing to characterize the genes and genomes of plant-digesting microbes isolated from the rumen — pre-stomach — of a cow, and identify the most promising enzymes for breaking down cellulose in the biofuel switchgrass. The team from the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, several universities and national labs, and…
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Research Collaboration Developing More Robust Rice
A partnership between the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is developing new varieties of rice designed to grow under tough conditions by the poorest farmers. The early results of the project are reported in the January issue of the magazine Rice Today, published by IRRI. Green Super Rice…
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Disc Prosthesis Developed for Bad Backs in Dogs
Humans and their canine best friends sometimes share a common affliction, back pain caused by slipped spinal discs. A doctoral candidate at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Swedish acronym SLU) has developed a disc prosthesis that can help dogs and maybe humans with slipped discs. Niklas Bergknut (pictured right) studied disc degeneration in dogs…
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Bird-Flu Stopping Transgenic Chickens Produced
Genetically modified chickens with molecular structures designed to prevent the spread of bird flu have been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Edinburgh University in the U.K. The study is published in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). The team of scientists successfully developed genetically modified or transgenic…
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Engineering Prof. Computes Available Biofuel Crop Lands
A detailed land analysis by researchers at University of Illinois in Champaign found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world’s current fuel consumption, without affecting food crops or grazing land for livestock. Engineering professor Ximing Cai and two colleagues published their findings last month in the journal…