24/7 Farm  News Coverage
March 11, 2018
FARM NEWS
Scientists engineer crops to conserve water, resist drought



Champaign IL (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Agriculture already monopolizes 90 percent of global freshwater - yet production still needs to dramatically increase to feed and fuel this century's growing population. For the first time, scientists have improved how a crop uses water by 25 percent without compromising yield by altering the expression of one gene that is found in all plants, as reported in Nature Communications. The research is part of the international research project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) that i ... read more

FARM NEWS
Agricultural sustainability project reached 21 million smallholder farmers across China
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
Smallholder farmers who cultivate perhaps only a few hectares of land dominate the agricultural landscape in places like China, India, and sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing their efficiency while reduc ... more
FARM NEWS
Scientists monitor crop photosynthesis, performance using invisible light
Champaign IL (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Twelve-foot metal poles with long outstretched arms dot a Midwestern soybean field to monitor an invisible array of light emitted by crops. This light can reveal the plants' photosynthetic performan ... more
FARM NEWS
Estimates overstated for Mongolian rangelands damaged by livestock
Fort Collins CO (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Livestock and wildlife graze on rangelands, grasslands, savannas and marshes that cover 45 percent of Earth's land surface. Damage or degradation on these lands is a major concern globally, and the ... more
FARM NEWS
Commercial pesticides: Not as safe as they seem
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
New regulations are needed to protect people and the environment from toxic pesticide ingredients that are not currently subject to safety assessments. This is the conclusion of the first comprehens ... more
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FARM NEWS
Land-use planning could reconcile agricultural growth with conservation of nature
Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Increasing agricultural production usually leads to various negative side effects in agricultural landscapes, such as local decline in wildlife and loss of ecosystem functions. But what would happen ... more
FARM NEWS
Thousands of farmers march in Madrid over 'surreal' drought
Madrid (AFP) March 7, 2018
Thousands of farmers from Spain's parched southeast, marched in Madrid Wednesday to ask the government for help as their crops are threatened by a "surreal" drought that is also putting jobs at risk. ... more
WATER WORLD
Thawing permafrost causing the 'browning' of northern lakes
Quebec City, Canada (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
As ice the melts, the organic carbon found in permafrost is being released once again after ages of confinement in the soil. It is making its way into Arctic and subarctic lakes and ponds, and modif ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Where fresh is cool in Bay of Bengal
Cape Cod MA (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
Each summer, the South Asian monsoon transforms parts of India from semi-arid into lush green lands able to support farming. The annual infusion of rainfall and resulting runoff into the Ganges, Bra ... more
WATER WORLD
Cape Town averts dry taps in 2018: official
Cape Town (AFP) March 7, 2018
Cape Town will not be forced to shut-off normal water supplies in 2018 in response to a three-year-long drought as previously feared, the region's governing party said Wednesday. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Genetic tweak makes plants use 25% less water
Paris (AFP) March 6, 2018
Researchers on Tuesday unveiled a genetic modification that enables plants to use a quarter less water with scant reduction in yield. ... more
FARM NEWS
Carrefour's chicken blockchain set to lay eggs
Paris (AFP) March 6, 2018
French supermarket group Carrefour said Tuesday it would expand its blockchain-based food traceability programme, which is currently in place for some chickens, to eight other products including eggs by the end of the year. ... more
FARM NEWS
Soil cannot halt climate change
Harpenden AL5 (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Unique soils data from long-term experiments, stretching back to the middle of the nineteenth century, confirm the practical implausibility of burying carbon in the ground to halt climate change, an ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Indonesia scrubbing the 'world's dirtiest river'
Majalaya, Indonesia (AFP) March 2, 2018
The scabies on Indonesian rice farmer Yusuf Supriyadi's limbs are a daily reminder of the costs of living next to the "world's dirtiest river". ... more
FARM NEWS
'Doomsday' seed vault gets makeover as Arctic heats up
Longyearbyen (AFP) March 2, 2018
Designed to withstand a nuclear missile hit, the world's biggest seed vault, nestled deep inside an Arctic mountain, is undergoing a makeover as rising temperatures melt the permafrost meant to protect it. ... more


Iraq force that helped beat IS turns to reconstruction

FARM NEWS
Cuban cigars: a treasure from Havana to Beijing
Pinar Del Rio, Cuba (AFP) March 2, 2018
When they rip the big green leaves from the tobacco plant, Cuban farmers know they're touching gold. ... more
SEED DAILY



FARM NEWS
'Noah's Ark' seed vault chalks up a million crop varieties
Longyearbyen (AFP) Feb 26, 2018
Norway's 'doomsday' seed bank, which seeks to protect the world's crops from natural disasters, on Monday said it had gathered more than a million varieties as it marked its 10-year anniversary. ... more
FARM NEWS
The secret to tripling the number of grains in sorghum and perhaps other staple crops
Cold Spring Harbor NY (SPX) Feb 28, 2018
A simple genetic modification can triple the grain number of sorghum, a drought-tolerant plant that is an important source of food, animal feed, and biofuel in many parts of the world. In new ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Life under extreme drought conditions
Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Feb 28, 2018
The core region of the Atacama Desert in South America is one of the most arid places on earth. Sometimes it is raining only once in a decade or even less, the annual precipitation is far less than ... more
FARM NEWS
EU food agency says three pesticides harm bees as ban calls grow
Brussels (AFP) Feb 28, 2018
The European food safety watchdog said Wednesday that three pesticides currently partly banned in the EU pose a risk to wild bees and honey bees, in a long-awaited report. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Hidden 'rock moisture' could be key to understanding forest response to drought
Austin TX (SPX) Mar 01, 2018
Research conducted by The University of Texas at Austin and University of California, Berkeley has found that a little-studied, underground layer of rock can hold significant amounts of water that m ... more
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Voyaging for the Sentinels
Paris (ESA) Mar 12, 2018
Two recent expeditions that took scientists 26 000 km across the Atlantic Ocean have returned critical information to make sure that the Copernicus Sentinel satellites are delivering accurate data about the state of our oceans. Information from the Sentinels is used in a myriad of ways to make lives easier and businesses more efficient. For example, ocean forecasting is important for ... more
+ Where fresh is cool in Bay of Bengal
+ Study discovers South African wildfires create climate cooling
+ NASA space laser completes 2,000-mile road trip
+ New data helps explain recent fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field
+ NASA joins international science team in exploring auroral cusp from Norway
+ US blasts off another satellite to boost weather forecasts
+ Lockheed Martin supports weather services with 2nd Series R weather satellite
Why Russia is one step ahead of US Army's plans for future GPS
Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 12, 2018
The Pentagon and Israel's Defense Ministry have launched 'Urban Navigation Challenge', a startup competition to create advanced 'counter-terror' navigation systems which don't use GPS. The project makes no mention of officially designated US "rivals" like Russia or China, but according to Russian experts, it would make no difference even if it did. The project, officially dubbed the Combat ... more
+ Europe claims 100 million users for Galileo satnav system
+ Airbus selected by ESA for EGNOS V3 program
+ Pentagon probes fitness-app use after map shows sensitive sites
+ China sends twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space
+ 18 satellites in exactEarth's real-time constellation now in service
+ 'Quantum radio' may aid communications and mapping indoors, underground and underwater
+ Raytheon to provide GPS-guided artillery shells


Diverse tropical forests grow fast despite widespread phosphorus limitation
by Staff Writers
Panama City, Panama (SPX) Mar 08, 2018 Accepted ecological theory says that poor soils limit the productivity of tropical forests, but adding nutrients as fertilizer rarely increases tree growth, suggesting that productivity is not limited by nutrients after all. Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) resolved this apparent contradiction, showing that phosphorus limit ... more
+ Payments to protect carbon stored in forests must increase to defend against rubber
+ Chanel attacked for felling trees for Paris fashion show
+ African jobs at risk over French wood giant bankruptcy
+ Tropical forest response to drought depends on age
+ Beetles face extinction due to loss of old trees
+ Honduras energy executive arrested over activist murder
+ Geological change confirmed as factor behind extensive diversity in tropical rainforests
Startup scales up CNT membranes to make carbon-zero fuels for less than fossil fuels
New York NY (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
Mattershift, an NYC-based startup with alumni from MIT and Yale has achieved a breakthrough in making carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes at large scale. The startup is developing the technology's ability to combine and separate individual molecules to make gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from CO2 removed from the air. Tests confirming that Mattershift's large-scale CNT membranes match the char ... more
+ Manure could heat your home
+ Malaysia to press EU on planned palm oil ban in biofuels
+ Digestive ability of ancient insects could boost biofuel development
+ New tool tells bioengineers when to build microbial teams
+ Pausing evolution makes bioproduction of chemicals affordable and efficient
+ How biofuels from plant fibers could combat global warming
+ Evolution plays many tricks against large-scale bioproduction


Avaada Power inks pact to develop 500MW solar capacities in Andhra Pradesh
Mumbai, India (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Avaada Power Pvt. Ltd, India's leading clean energy company, close on the heels of its recent announcement, has partnered with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to develop 500 MW utility-scale solar projects. Reinforcing its commitment towards bringing sustainable energy to India, Avaada plans to invest INR 3,500 crores in the state. This investment will generate enough clean energy to sust ... more
+ New dual-atom catalyst shows promise to yield clean energy by artificial photosynthesis
+ Solar-to-hydrogen conversion: Nanostructuring increases efficiency of metal-free photocatalysts by factor 11
+ Materials 'sandwich' breaks barrier for solar cell efficiency
+ Solar and wind power could meet four-fifths of US electricity demand
+ Aqueous storage device needs only 20 seconds to go
+ Avaada Power commits bllion to Uttar Pradesh solar projects
+ New clean energy targets put South Australia on the world map
First UK wind farm transfers from commercial to community ownership
Bristol UK (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
Over 400 individuals raise an impressive 2.8m pounds in just two weeks to refinance the Mean Moor community wind farm in Cumbria. It's thought to be the first wind farm in the country to be transferred to community ownership from a commercial developer. Thanks to support from Energy4All, and financing from ethical investment company, Thrive Renewables, three renewable Energy Co-operatives ... more
+ A huge component of German wind farm has left shore
+ Windlab exceeds prospectus forecast; scales up operations
+ World's first floating wind farm put to the test
+ New wind farm construction starts in Italy
+ Ireland pushing for greener economy
+ China wind turbine-maker guilty of stealing US trade secrets
+ Scotland sets up $83 million low-carbon fund


Michigan utility company to go zero coal
Washington (UPI) Feb 20, 2018
Coal will no longer be used as an energy source for Michigan residents as more renewables come on stream in the decades ahead, a utility company said. Public utility company Consumers Energy, which provides gas and electricity to about 60 percent of the state population, said it would no longer be using coal as a power source by 2040. By then, the company said it expects more than 40 pe ... more
+ Australia won't fund mega Adani mine rail link
+ New York unveils plans for fossil fuel divestment
+ French energy company EDF to replace coal in China
+ Poland opens Europe's largest coal-fired power unit
+ BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
+ Coal demand falling, IEA says
+ Adani drops contractor for contentious Australia mega mine
With little suspense, Xi to secure lifetime presidency
Beijing (AFP) March 10, 2018
China's rubber-stamp parliament is set Sunday to hand President Xi Jinping free rein to rule the rising Asian superpower indefinitely, with potential abstentions offering the only suspense in the historic vote. The National People's Congress is all but certain to approve a constitutional amendment that has stunned many in China, sparking an unusual bout of criticism that censors have scrambl ... more
+ China rejects Sweden's 'groundless' accusations over detained publisher
+ Spoiler alert: Xi unlikely to lose term limit vote
+ China's parliament puts Xi on course to rule for life
+ Xi: From graft-fighting governor to president for life
+ Scuffles in Hong Kong at key vote for democrats
+ Hong Kong goes to polls in crunch vote for democrats
+ China anti-graft drive sees 100 top officials tried in five years


UTSA researchers want to teach computers to learn like humans
San Antonio TX (SPX) Mar 06, 2018
A new study by Paul Rad, assistant director of the UTSA Open Cloud Institute, and Nicole Beebe, Melvin Lachman Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurship and director of the UTSA Cyber Center for Security and Analytics, describes a new cloud-based learning platform for artificial intelligence (A.I.) that teaches machines to learn like humans. "Cognitive learning is all about teaching comp ... more
+ Novel 3-D printing method embeds sensing capabilities within robotic actuators
+ Modified, 3D-printable alloy shows promise for flexible electronics, soft robots
+ Don't want to lose a finger? Let a robot give a hand
+ Beware of replicating sexism in AI, experts warn
+ Berkeley Lab 'minimalist machine learning' algorithms analyze images from very little data
+ Snake-inspired robot uses kirigami to move
+ Robotic crystals that walk n' roll
Waste waters: Plastic rubbish chokes Bali's sea
Nusa Penida, Indonesia (AFP) March 8, 2018
Millions of tourists are drawn to Bali's palm-fringed scenery and rich marine life, but there is a danger lurking beneath its famously crystal-clear waters: a wasteland of plastic rubbish. An underwater video shot by British diver Rich Horner this week showing a sea overflowing with plastic and other garbage at Manta Point, a well-known diving site near Bali's main island, has highlighted tr ... more
+ Dirty diesel's NO2 killed 6,000 Germans in 2014: official report
+ Krill could prove secret weapon in ocean plastics battle
+ Indonesia scrubbing the 'world's dirtiest river'
+ Vietnam suspends steel firms after pollution protests
+ Gabon accuses France's Veolia of pollution
+ UK, EU spar over who will be greenest after Brexit
+ German nights get brighter - but not everywhere


Wildfires set to increase: Could we be sitting on a tinderbox in Europe?
Munich, Germany (SPX) Mar 08, 2018
2017 was one of the worst years on record for fires in Europe, with over 800,000 hectares of land burnt in Portugal, Italy and Spain alone. As the world gets warmer and Europe's land gets drier, fires are set to get even worse - and not just for the hottest countries around the Mediterranean. Even relatively safe Alpine mountain regions will see a rapid increase in fire danger unless action is t ... more
+ Rash of forest fires breaks out in Indonesia
+ NASA Covers Wildfires from Many Sources
+ Fort McMurray researchers find simple key to risk of severe peat fires
+ Charcoal remains could accelerate CO2 emissions after forest fires
+ Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
+ Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
+ Thomas fire mostly contained in charred
Mekong River dams could disrupt lives, environment
Urbana IL (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
The Mekong River, one of the world's largest, traverses six Southeast Asian countries and supports the livelihoods of millions of people. New efforts to provide hydroelectric power to a growing and modernizing population include more than eight proposed main-stem dams and 60 or more existing tributary dams in the lower Mekong basin. A new article from University of Illinois and Iowa State Univer ... more
+ Bones found on South Pacific island belonged to Amelia Earhart, study concludes
+ Cape Town averts dry taps in 2018: official
+ Thawing permafrost causing the 'browning' of northern lakes
+ Canada expedition to livecast exploration of Pacific depths
+ Chinese fishermen seek divine blessings in troubled waters
+ Greenhouse gas emissions of hydropower in the Mekong River Basin can exceed fossil fuel sources
+ Advanced spatial planning models could promise new era of sustainable ocean development


At least 16 dead as lightning strikes Rwanda church
Kigali (AFP) March 11, 2018
At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured after lightning struck a Seventh-Day Adventist church in Rwanda, a local official said Sunday. Fourteen victims were killed on the spot as lightning hit the church in the Nyaruguru district in the Southern Province on Saturday, local mayor Habitegeko Francois told AFP over the phone. Two others died later from their injuries, he said ... more
+ New Zealand summer heatwave sets all-time record
+ How cities heat up
+ Record high temperatures for February in New York
+ Lightning storms less likely in a warming planet, study suggests
+ Reflective surfaces alleviate heatwaves
+ Storm damage to cost Germany 500 mln euros as death toll rises
+ Nine dead as huge storms batter Europe
China can be more 'courageous' in opening: central banker
Beijing (AFP) March 9, 2018
China's chief central banker said on Friday the country could be more "courageous" in opening its markets, as European and American firms push for greater access to the world's second largest economy. "Now that we have entered a new stage, we can be more courageous in opening our market to the outside world," said Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, during a news conferen ... more
+ Embattled White House promises quick tariff decision
+ Trump tariffs chip away at world's free trade credo
+ For Trump's numbers, close enough is frequently good enough
+ China says ready for trade war as Trump tariffs loom
+ Iran signs deal with China to connect key port to rail network
+ Allies, rivals alike hit out at Trump trade tariffs
+ EU's Brexit trade guidelines: key points
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Public invited to come aboard NASA's first mission to touch the Sun
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 07, 2018
Want to get the hottest ticket this summer without standing in line? NASA is inviting people around the world to submit their names online to be placed on a microchip aboard NASA's historic Parker Solar Probe mission launching in summer 2018. The mission will travel through the Sun's atmosphere, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions - and your name will go along for the ride. "This p ... more
+ Queen's scientists crack 70-year-old mystery of how magnetic waves heat the Sun
+ NASA's SDO reveals how magnetic cage on the Sun stopped solar eruption
+ Towards a better prediction of solar eruptions
+ Pulsating aurora mysteries uncovered with help from THEMIS and ERG missions
+ Where no mission has gone before
+ HINODE captures record breaking solar magnetic field
+ What's behind the most brilliant lights in the sky
Elephants kill 10 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: UN
Geneva (AFP) March 6, 2018
Elephants searching for food have trampled 10 Rohingya refugees to death in multiple incidents, the UN said Tuesday, announcing a new plan to foster "safe coexistence" between animals and sprawling refugee settlements. Some 700,000 people from Myanmar's Rohingya community have fled over the border to Bangladesh since August, following an army crackdown that the UN has said amounts to an ongo ... more
+ India's endangered lion population increases to 600
+ Study suggests dogs understand objects they smell
+ Hummingbirds make cricket sounds at frequencies outside avian hearing range
+ Shipments of protected African species to Asia soar: study
+ Endangered Sumatran tiger disemboweled, hung up in Indonesia
+ Birds are essential to the dispersion of rare wild chili pepper seeds
+ Scientists discover strange new water bear species


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