For farmers, Miscanthus represents a big up-front investment. The large perennial grass must be established from vegetative pieces at great cost to farmers, but it promises a decade or more of massive biomass yields, starting ...
Biotechnology
Jan 30, 2019
0
4
Ever since Thomas Malthus issued his dire prediction in 1789 that population growth would always exceed food supply, scientists have worked to prove him wrong. So far, they've helped farmers to keep pace by developing bigger ...
Biotechnology
Jan 10, 2019
0
4
Plant breeders at the University of Göttingen and Agrecol have launched a joint initiative to protect seeds as common property. Agrecol developed an Open Source Seed Licence, which legally protects seeds as commons (i.e., ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 10, 2019
0
10
Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis have discovered a way to make crop plants replicate through seeds as clones. The discovery, long sought by plant breeders and geneticists, could make it easier to propagate ...
Biotechnology
Dec 12, 2018
2
139
Thanksgiving may be uniquely American, but its core spirit was exported from harvest festivals stretching back for millennia. Its essence is being grateful for what one has, while noting a duty to share one's good fortune.
Plants & Animals
Nov 19, 2018
0
3
Bacterial wilt devastates food crops all over the world. It destroys major crop plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, ginger and pepper. It occurs in many countries and attacks over 200 plant species. The bacterium ...
Biotechnology
Sep 27, 2018
0
49
In many cooperative species, the dominant breeders live longest despite the wear-and-tear of leadership and reproduction.
Plants & Animals
Aug 30, 2018
0
64
Farmers and plant breeders can now build their own automated field camera track system to collect data on dynamic plant traits, such as crop lodging and movement, as it's happening in the field to help reduce losses in crop ...
Engineering
Jul 18, 2018
0
6
Today's crop breeders are trying to boost yields while also preparing crops to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in crop plants' DNA. A robot ...
Robotics
Jul 2, 2018
0
14
Have you thanked a crop breeder today?
Other
May 2, 2018
0
13
