Biofortified, iron-rich rice improves the nutrition of women, study by Cornell researcher shows for the first time
News: For the past decade, plant breeders have been trying to boost the vitamin and mineral content of rice and other staples through traditional plant breeding and genetic engineering.

Wealth Of Nations Depends On Jack Frost, Research Finds
News: Why do the rich get richer and the poor stay poor?When it comes to nations, the answers may include frost, according to a study that for the first time links economic and new global climate data.

Mouse-Ear Can Be Defeated
News: Pecan growers battling a tree ailment called "mouse-ear" can now rest assured that help is on the way, thanks in part to Agricultural Research Service scientists who discovered that the condition is caused by a nickel deficiency in the pla

Researchers Compost Old Mobile Phones & Transform Them Into Flowers
News: Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group, in conjunction with PVAXX Research & Development Ltd, have devised a novel way to recycle discarded mobile telephones - bury them and watch them transform into the flower of

Can Compost Teas Help Flowers Battle Blight?
News: Compost teas may prove helpful in protecting wholesale and retail nursery plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, viburnums and oak saplings from what's known as ramorum blight, also called ramorum die-back or sudden oak death.

Microbes In Manure Can Minimize Potential Pharmaceutical Pollution
News: According to scientists, microbes--including several types of bacteria--can be a farmer’s ally when it comes to reducing the risk that antibiotic-containing manure may pose to the environment.

Wormholes -- Yet Another Avenue For Pollution?
Notes: There's no doubt that earthworms benefit agriculture by their tunneling. But a recent study has shown that their burrows might also be funneling liquid manure--and possibly other contaminants--to underground drainage pipes.

Genetically Modified Crops May Pass Helpful Traits To Weeds, Study Finds
News: For the first time, researchers have shown that a gene artificially inserted into crop plants to fend off pests can migrate to weeds in a natural environment and make the weeds stronger.

A future with no bananas?
News: Go bananas while you still can. The world's most popular fruit and the fourth most important food crop of any sort is in deep trouble. Its genetic base, the wild bananas and traditional varieties cultivated in India, has collapsed.

The growing drug problem down on the pharm: biopharming
The article discussed the potential benefits and the risks of biopharming. Biopharming refers to the experimental application of biotechnology in which genetic engineering is applied to create plants that produce pharmaceutical proteins and chemicals.

Boron: “Deficiency symptoms may be more common than you thought”
Boron is necessary to plants as it strengthens their cell wall. Thus, deficiency of boron leaves become thin and prone to tearing. As the torn edges heal the tear changes from a line to a round or oval hole, which looks very similar to the "shot hole

Over-use Of Antibiotics In Fish-for-food Industry Encourages Bacterial Resistance And Disease
News: The heavy use of antibiotics in fish industry could encourage the growth of resistant strains of bacteria. Eventually, this may lead to antibiotic resistance in human and animal pathogens.