Internacional

CRISPR gene editing poised to streamline next ‘agricultural revolution,’ plant scientists say

[Fonte: GLP] As a growing population and climate change threaten food security, researchers around the world are working to overcome the challenges that threaten the dietary needs of humans and livestock. A pair of scientists is now making the case that the knowledge and tools exist to facilitate the next agricultural revolution we so desperately need. […]

Weed-pulling robots are here. Can they eliminate chemical herbicides?

[Fonte: GLP] Early this year, 85-year-old Bonipak Produce unleashed an orange, 8,000-pound autonomous robot upon its California vegetable fields. It was one of the first farms to begin using the machinery to take over their farm’s weeding responsibilities. Today, the company behind the orange behemoths, […]

Citrus Greening bacteria finally grown in the lab—key ‘first step’ to saving Florida’s orange industry

[Fonte: GLP] Washington State University researchers have for the first time grown the bacteria in a laboratory that causes Citrus Greening Disease, considered the world’s most harmful citrus disease.

Being able to grow the elusive and poorly understood bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), […]

South Korea develops 13 GMO crops in 7 years to battle drought, pests

[Fonte: GLP] In South Korea, the National Center for GM Crops (NCGC) aims to enhance national food security and to turn agriculture into a major national leading industry by utilizing technological pipelines. NCGC has been developing GM crops that have been enhanced by agricultural useful traits as well as those that can be used as high value-added industrial materials. […]

Tomato Jumping Genes Could Help Speed-breed Drought Resistant Crops

[Fonte: ISAAA] Researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU) and Department of Plant Sciences have discovered that drought stress can trigger the activity of a family of jumping genes (Rider retrotransposons) previously known to contribute to fruit shape and color in tomatoes. […]

Wild wheat genetics offer climate hope for food crops

[Fonte: BBC] Wild relatives of food crops, such as wheat, host an abundant array of genetic material to help the plants cope with a changing climate.

In a study over 28 years showed that populations of wild wheat accumulated “beneficial mutations” such as a tolerance to temperature increases. […]

Reduce, reuse, recycle: The future of phosphorus

[Fonte: AGDAILY] When Hennig Brandt discovered the element phosphorus in 1669, it was a mistake. He was really looking for gold. But his mistake was a very important scientific discovery. What Brandt couldn’t have realized was the importance of phosphorus to the future of farming. […]

Developing countries likely to boost CO2 emissions to combat hunger, study finds

[Fonte: GLP] Achieving an adequate, healthy diet in most low- and middle-income countries will require a substantial increase in greenhouse gas emissions and water use due to food production, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. […]

Produto com nanotecnologia libera água e nutrientesgradualmente na lavoura

[Fonte: Embrapa] Pesquisadores desenvolveram um novo fertilizante à base de hidrogel modificado, capaz de reunir em um único produto água e nutrientes e fazer a liberação de forma gradual. Seu uso racionaliza o emprego dos nutrientes, que são disponibilizados às plantas paulatinamente, ação obtida por meio de nanotecnologia. […]

There’s a new group of workers spreading organic pesticide on crops: bees

[Fonte: Fast Company] As they leave their hives, the bees get coated with a beneficial fungus that they spread to plants, which protects things like strawberries from disease.

Bees are great at retrieving tiny cargo: their main job is to visit flowering plants in order to gather pollen and nectar for their hive. […]

FAO lança publicação sobre uso da água na pecuária

[Fonte: Embrapa] A Organização das Nações Unidas para Alimentação e Agricultura (FAO) lançou, na última semana, um manual com diretrizes sobre o uso da água nos sistemas de produção animal e nas cadeias produtivas pecuárias.

A publicação contou com a participação da Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste (São Carlos – […]

How can the EU avoid actually importing deforestation?

[Fonte: Farm Europe]
The EU is well aware of the situation and is committed to act against it. Just recently the European Commission has published its Communication “on stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests”, in which it calls for “a variety of regulatory and non-regulatory actions” […]

High-tech crops may survive harsh conditions, even space

[Fonte: Science News for Students] These resilient plants can use nanoparticles to build their own defences against radiation and more

This is one in a series presenting news on technology and innovation, made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation.

Plants typically endure long, blazing-hot days to produce the fruits and vegetables that growers desire. The incoming sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can be intense — enough to damage some crops. […]

Pesticides don’t pose acute health risk to honeybees foraging on farmland, two-year study finds

[Fonte: GLP] Honey bees forage across a large area, continually scouting the local landscape for ephemeral food resources. Beekeepers often rely on flowering plants in and around irrigated farmland to maintain their colonies during dry seasons, despite the potential risk of pesticide exposure. […]