http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. As a plant geneticist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service, Mark K. Ehlenfeldt has either developed, or helped develop, a dozen new varieties of blueberries, including "Pink Lemonade." Although not a first of its kind, "Pink Lemonade" is likely America's most popular pink blueberry. It's one of several new blueberries developed by ARS scientists. http://phys.org/news266759363.html Biology Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:49:29 EST news266759363 Farmers in East Africa can increase potato yields by 30 percent by improving their selection of seed potatoes. Wageningen University PhD student Peter Gildemacher says that a substantial reduction in disease pressure is possible if they only use seed potatoes from healthy parent plants. http://phys.org/news260089549.html Biology Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:05:57 EST news260089549 Extensive ongoing research on biotic invasions around the world constantly increases data availability and improves data quality. New research in the United States shows how using improved data from previous studies on the establishment of exotic plant species changes the understanding of patterns of species naturalization, biological invasions, and their underlying mechanisms. The study was published in the open access journal NeoBiota. http://phys.org/news249215274.html Biology Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:28:06 EST news249215274 Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have identified a new contender in the bioenergy race: a temperate and tropical maize hybrid. Their findings, published in GCB Bioenergy, show that the maize hybrid is potentially capable of producing ethanol from biomass (plant material used for biofuel production) at levels equal to or greater than ethanol produced from grain harvested from current commercial maize hybrids. http://phys.org/news248980780.html Biology Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:01 EST news248980780 In order to breed new varieties of corn with a higher yield faster than ever before, researchers at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, and other institutions are relying on a trick: early selection of the most promising parent plants based on their chemical and genetic makeup, as well as on new statistical analysis procedures. The work has now been published in the authoritative journal Nature Genetics on Sunday evening, Jan. 15. http://phys.org/news245852801.html Biology Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:10:01 EST news245852801 It took Cornell breeder Margaret Smith years to perfect her new variety of organic corn but only six weeks to get its seeds licensed and available for sale. http://phys.org/news222332076.html Biology Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:54:51 EST news222332076