Seed Daily - Land Seed Water Food

October 14, 2016

Biodiversity is a natural crop pest repellent
Lansing, Mich. (UPI) Oct 12, 2016
Monoculture growing fields attract a plethora of pests, while a plot rich in biodiversity repels them. But why? A new study offers answers. To find out exactly how plants use variety to their advantage, biologists looked to the insects that pester them. Scientists surveyed the feeding preferences of 53 species of insects, and found each has very specific nutrient ranges at which they thrive. When plants are too rich or too poor in nutrients, invading insects struggle. A plot rich in a va ... read more

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Megadrought risks in Southwest soar as atmosphere warms As a consequence of a warming Earth, the risk of a megadrought - one that lasts more than 35 years - in the American Southwest likely will rise from a low chance over the past thousand years to a 20 ... more		Protecting streams that feed Lake Erie will take much work While current efforts to curtail agricultural runoff will improve the health of Lake Erie, much more work will be needed to protect the streams that feed the lake, new research shows.A study of the ... more		Invasive insects cost the world billions per year Ecologists have estimated that invasive (non-native) insects cost humanity tens of billions of dollars a year - and are likely to increase under climate change and growing international trade. ... more
				Globalization hasn't affected what we grow and eat as much as you might think Walk through the produce aisle in a grocery store nearly anywhere in North America and you are likely to find fruits and vegetables imported from abroad alongside numerous iterations of domestic fav ... more		Hurricane-hit Haiti receives two water purification stations Two water purification stations arrived in Haiti Tuesday, after Hurricane Matthew plowed through the Caribbean nation last week, leaving hundreds dead and raising fears of a spike in cholera. ... more

After Hurricane Matthew, Haiti has lost its breadbasket Mist begins its usual descent around her small house but tonight is not like the rest, and Marie-Therese Jean won't be cooking a warm meal over a few coals. ... more		Soil microbes flourish with reduced tillage For the past several decades, farmers have been abandoning their plows in favor of a practice known as no-till agriculture. Today, about one-third of U.S. farmers are no longer tilling their fields, ... more		One billion Africans being harmed by cooking pollution US reaches civil nuclear cooperation accord with Bahrain American firms flag hit from US export controls targeting China		High number of pesticides within colonies linked to honey bee deaths Honey bee colonies in the United States have been dying at high rates for over a decade, and agricultural pesticides - including fungicides, herbicides and insecticides - are often implicated as maj ... more
				Australian-Chinese bid for massive cattle estate Australia's richest woman and a Chinese property developer joined forces Sunday to bid for one of the world's largest cattle estates, despite Canberra's rejection of previous foreign offers. ... more		Madagascar hillsides stripped bare as locals seek land "Last time, I burnt a section about that big," says Mihareta Laivoa, pointing to a parcel of land about the size of a football field, as the farmer admitted to having destroyed forest to make way for his crops. ... more

6th Annual Modular Construction Summit for Oil and Gas Agenda - December 7-9 - Houston

Nuclear Plant Digitalization Conference - Nov 15-16 - Charlotte NC USA

As arable land disappears, here come the vertical farmers As cities expand, eating up swathes of countryside in the process, agricultural pioneers are finding new ways to grow the fresh produce we need, in containers, empty buildings and any other spare space they can find to create new vertical farms. ... more		Brothers behind Ubisoft locked in real-life battle for control Nothing in the farming background of the Guillemot brothers, who hail from the remote Brittany region, destined them to one day do battle with France's most feared corporate raider. ... more		China, India should work towards 'win-win' cooperation: Chinese FM US delays Patriot arms deliveries to Switzerland in switch to Ukraine US 'moving at haste' to get Ukraine weapons: envoy		Large animals most vulnerable to impact of human expansion Some of the most iconic giants of the animal kingdom, such as the imperious African elephant, are most vulnerable to the detrimental impact of human expansion, new research has shown. A team o ... more
A terrible rift When Doug Wiens approached Minnesota farmers to ask permission to install a seismometer on their land, he often got a puzzled look. "You could tell they were thinking 'Why are you putting a seismome ... more		Which cropping system is best for the environment Early sown winter wheat, where the straw is removed every second year and used in biorefining, is the best of six different cereal cropping systems with regard to total environmental impact. W ... more		Flower attracts pollinating flies by mimicking smell of attacked bee When a honeybee succumbs to a spider, it releases a scent revealing its distress. Flies know the smell well. To them, the smell works like a dinner bell. The kleptoparasites track the smell to the defeated bee and gather to steal a meal from the triumphant spider. ... more		Invasive insects cause tens of billions in damage: study Invasive insects cause at least $77 billion (69 billion euros) in damage every year, according to a study released Tuesday that says this figure is "grossly underestimated" because it covers only a fraction of the globe. ... more

	Foreign farms increase the risk of conflicts in Africa For the first time, researchers point to areas in Africa where foreign agricultural companies' choice of crops and management of fresh water are partly responsible for the increased water shortages ... more		Microbes help plants survive in severe drought With California in its fifth year of severe drought and many western states experiencing another year of unusually dry conditions, plants are stressed. Agricultural crops, grasses and garden plants ... more

Chinese researchers craft high fidelity Mars soil simulant to support future missions

Ancient river systems reveal Mars was wetter than we thought

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Snaps Closest-Ever Images to Sun

Salt's secret success in ancient Chaco Canyon		Soil management may help stabilize maize yield in the face of climate change		World's deepest flooded cave found in Czech Republic		Can Africa's mobile money revolution reduce poverty?		Chinese giant turns to France to meet soaring demand for baby formula
Thirsty megacities poisoning rural groundwater		Taking the environmental bite out of salmon farming		Review of studies finds genetically engineered crops are safe		China removes 13-year-old ban on some US beef products		Two million people without water in Syria's Aleppo: UN

China removes 13-year-old ban on some US beef products

Amazon forest fire threatens natives, wildlife in Peru

French firms to gauge impact of Nile dam project

How plant roots sense and react to soil flooding

In Uruguay, green school 'plants seeds' for planet

Tunisia water shortages spark 'thirst uprising' warning

Nitrates poison water in California's Central Valley

Study quantifies enviromental impact of genetically modified crops

Spain's Donana wetlands going dry, WWF warns

Sri Lanka to shift farmers from elephant corridors

After Strong El Nino Winter, NASA Model Sees Return to Normal

Full circle: space algae fighting malnutrition in Congo

Bayer sets $66 bn deal for Monsanto after lengthy pursuit

US challenges $100 bn in China rice, cereal subsidies

Rutgers researchers debunk 'five-second rule'

Protests over water supplies hit India's tech hub

Study suggests cover crop mixtures increase agroecosystem services

Waste-besieged Easter Island slowly learns to recycle

Fruit flies help explain why humans yearn for protein

Farming adaptations needed to combat climate change to impact crop yields in 2050

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