Tag: agriculture
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Engineers Reduce Radiation to Kill Pathogens on Produce
A team of engineers with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in College Station has developed a way to cut by as much as half the amount of irradiation needed to kill 99.999 percent of salmonella, E. coli, and other pathogens on fresh produce. By packing produce in a Mylar (polyester plastic) bag filled with pure…
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U.S., Greece Collaborate on Invasive Weed Defense
One U.S. export not appreciated overseas is the silverleaf nightshade, an invasive weed from the Americas that has spread to southern Europe, Africa, India, Australia, and elsewhere. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Benaki Phytopathological Institute in Athens, Greece are working together to find a natural way to…
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Engineered Bacteria Process Converts Bio-Wastes to Plastics
A Ph.D. candidate at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands has discovered a process for engineering bacteria to more efficiently convert agricultural wastes into industrial-quality plastics. Jean-Paul Meijnen presented the findings in his dissertation, which he defends at TU Delft on Monday 22 November. Lignocellulose, the complex combination of lignin and cellulose…
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New Process Breeds Resistance to Potato, Tomato Blight
Researchers have discovered a process that offers an alternative to combating resistance to late blight, a disease of potatoes and tomatoes costing the industry £5 to £6 billion ($8.0 to $9.6 billion) a year worldwide. Late blight of potatoes and tomatoes is caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans), and was responsible for…
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Vinegar-Lemon Compound Shown to Help Cure Organic Pork
Makers of pork products who want to label their products as organic or natural are faced with a problem: two traditional curing agents for pork -– nitrites and nitrates -– aren’t allowed in natural and organic versions of the meat. Iowa State University (ISU) researcher Joe Sebranek, with support from the Food Safety Consortium, believes…
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Patent Awarded for Engineered Soybean to Control Parasite
A Kansas State University research team in Manhattan, Kansas received a patent for a genetically engineered soybean plant that aims to control a devastating parasite causing millions of dollars in crop damage each year. The engineered soybean plant was developed by four current or former K-State faculty: Harold Trick, Timothy Todd, Michael Herman, and Judith…
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New Processes Reduce Cotton Pests Without Pesticide
Researchers at University of Arizona in Tucson discovered a new strategy for controlling cotton pests that combines the planting of pest-resistant cotton and releasing large numbers of sterile moths. The scientists say this approach has virtually eliminated the pink bollworm, one of world’s most destructive cotton pests, without spraying insecticides. Caterpillars of the pink bollworm…
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University Pigs Out on Spectroscopy
McGill University engineering researchers in Montreal, Quebec have developed a new meat inspection technology based on spectroscopy that analyzes light waves. Their research was conducted with Agriculture Canada and the nation’s pork industry. The spectroscopy process involves the analysis of the wave lengths of visible and invisible light produced by matter. By measuring the wave…
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E. Coli Found Near Plant Roots, Affects Young Crops
A study at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana shows the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) can live for weeks around the roots of produce plants and transfer to the edible portions. Researchers discovered, however, that the threat can be minimized if growers don’t harvest affected crops too soon. E. coli make up a large…
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Device, Medication Control Cattle Fever Ticks
Scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed two methods to combat cattle fever ticks that cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. Cattle fever ticks transmit Texas cattle fever (bovine babesiosis), a deadly disease of cattle caused by singled-celled organisms. Scientists at the ARS facility in Kerrville, Texas, are developing and testing…