24/7 Farm  News Coverage
June 19, 2018
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Drought-hit Iraq suspends farming of key crops



Baghdad (AFP) June 18, 2018
An unusually bad drought has forced Iraq to suspend the cultivation of rice, corn and other cereals that demand large amounts of water, the agriculture ministry said Monday. "The agricultural plan for the summer" was modified "because the quantities of water needed for these cereals are not available", spokesman Hamid al-Nayef said. "The ministry does not take this decision light heartedly," he said, adding that cereal crops would no longer be grown without authorisation from the ministry of wat ... read more

FARM NEWS
Japan, SKorea ban Canadian wheat imports over bioengineered plants
Ottawa (AFP) June 18, 2018
The world's sixth largest wheat producer sought to reassure trading partners on Monday that genetically modified wheat plants discovered on an Alberta farm were few and posed no food safety risks, after Japan and South Korea halted Canadian wheat imports. ... more
FARM NEWS
Warmer climate will dramatically increase the volatility of global corn crops
Seattle WA (SPX) Jun 19, 2018
Corn, or maize, is the most widely grown crop in the world. Used in food, cooking oil, industrialized foods, livestock feed and even automobile fuel, the crop is one that both rich and poor people r ... more
FARM NEWS
Fashion retailer ASOS bans silk, cashmere, mohair
London (AFP) June 18, 2018
ASOS, the British online fashion retailer, announced Monday it was banning the sale of silk, cashmere and mohair products, joining a wave of clothing firms to ditch the products. ... more
FARM NEWS
RNA changes aided sunflower's rapid evolutionary transformation, domestication
Boulder CO (SPX) Jun 19, 2018
A new University of Colorado Boulder-led study sheds light on the genetic mechanisms that allowed sunflowers to undergo a relatively rapid evolutionary transition from wild to domesticated in just o ... more
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WATER WORLD
When the river runs high
Townsville, Australia (SPX) Jun 18, 2018
A massive world-wide study of dry riverbeds has found they're contributing more carbon emissions than previously thought, and this could help scientists better understand how to fight climate change ... more
FARM NEWS
US farmers stressed, angry at trade wars
New York (AFP) June 16, 2018
US farmers find themselves in the crosshairs of a trade war with China and others launched by President Donald Trump, who was elected with the support of many in rural America. ... more
FARM NEWS
Farmers increasingly relying on agricultural contractors, new research shows
Exeter UK (SPX) Jun 18, 2018
More farmers are relying on external companies to carry out major work, new research shows. A new study has found agriculture is kept operational through family, permanent-hired, outsourced an ... more
FARM NEWS
US soybean prices tumble amid trade fight with Beijing
Chicago (AFP) June 15, 2018
Soybean prices tumbled this week in Chicago, along with other key agricultural commodities, amid rising trade tensions culminating in Friday's announcements of new US and Chinese tariffs. ... more
WATER WORLD
Boring down on boron
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
High-temperature desalination technologies can efficiently reduce the concentrations of a chemical element in seawater to make it an effective substitute for fresh water. Research that has investiga ... more
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WATER WORLD
3D View of Amazon forests captures effects of El Nino drought
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
Three-dimensional measurements of the central Brazilian Amazon rainforest have given NASA researchers a detailed window into the high number of branch falls and tree mortality that occur in response ... more
WATER WORLD
Israel's Sea of Galilee to get desalinated seawater top-up
Jerusalem (AFP) June 11, 2018
The shrinking Sea of Galilee, the inland lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water, is to be topped up with desalinated seawater, a government official said on Monday. ... more
WATER WORLD
Complex river networks sustain more resilient, diverse animal populations
Washington (UPI) Jun 13, 2018
River networks are dynamic places where change is a constant, but some networks are more complex and dynamic than others. New research suggests complexity works to the advantage of animal populations. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
S.Africa lifts state of disaster over drought
Johannesburg (AFP) June 13, 2018
The South African government said Wednesday that the national state of disaster it declared in March over a drought that ravaged parts of the country had lapsed after significant rainfall. ... more
FARM NEWS
New type of photosynthesis discovered
London, UK (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
The discovery changes our understanding of the basic mechanism of photosynthesis and should rewrite the textbooks. It will also tailor the way we hunt for alien life and provide insights into ... more


New system recovers fresh water from power plants

FARM NEWS
Organic insect deterrent for agriculture
Munich, Germany (SPX) Jun 12, 2018
Traditional insecticides are killers: they not only kill pests, they also endanger bees and other beneficial insects, as well as affecting biodiversity in soils, lakes, rivers and seas. A team from ... more
SEED DAILY



FARM NEWS
Unusual Supreme Court tie hands victory to Native Americans, salmon
Washington (AFP) June 11, 2018
A rare US Supreme Court deadlock on Monday is being hailed as a victory for the Pacific salmon and Native American fishing rights. ... more
FARM NEWS
Global warming will make veggies harder to find
Tampa (AFP) June 11, 2018
Global warming is expected to make vegetables significantly scarcer around the world, unless new growing practices and resilient crop varieties are adopted, researchers warned on Monday. ... more
WATER WORLD
In desert trials, next-generation water harvester delivers fresh water from air
Berkeley CA (SPX) Jun 11, 2018
Last October, a University of California, Berkeley, team headed down to the Arizona desert, plopped their newest prototype water harvester into the backyard of a tract home and started sucking water ... more
FARM NEWS
On the origins of agriculture, researchers uncover new clues
Fort Collins CP (SPX) Jun 11, 2018
The invention of agriculture changed humans and the environment forever, and over several thousand years, the practice originated independently in a least a dozen different places. But why did agric ... more
FARM NEWS
Five things to know about the Bayer-Monsanto megadeal
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) June 7, 2018
Bayer may have finally completed its hard-fought takeover of US seeds and pesticide maker Monsanto, but that is unlikely to silence critics who have dubbed the tie-up a "marriage made in hell". ... more
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UCI scientists find new teleconnection for early and accurate precipitation prediction
Irvine CA (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
El Nino was long considered a reliable tool for predicting future precipitation in the southwestern United States, but its forecasting power has diminished in recent cycles, possibly due to global climate change. In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists and engineers at the University of California, Irvine demonstrate a new method for projecting wet or dry weather in the winter ... more
+ New method makes weather forecasts right as rain
+ Close encounters of the fishy kind
+ Decades of satellite monitoring reveal Antarctic ice loss
+ MOF material offers selective, reversible and repeatable capture of toxic atmospheric gas
+ Ammonia distribution in Earth's upper atmosphere explained
+ GRACE-FO turns on 'range finder,' sees mountain effects
+ Wind satellite shows off
China's Beidou system helps livestock water supply in remote pastoral areas
Hohhot, China (XNA) Jun 19, 2018
A water supply system for livestock in remote pastoral areas has been trialled in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local researchers confirmed Sunday. The trial of the new system, based on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, was launched in the Kubuqi desert. "The system can provide water for livestock after receiving a short message sent by users through the Beido ... more
+ Russia launches Soyuz-21b with Glonass-M navigation satellite
+ UK says shut out of EU's Galileo sat-nav contracts
+ Woman drowns in Prague drains playing GPS treasure hunt
+ What exclusion from Galileo could mean for UK
+ GMV competing to develop the Galileo Ground Control Segment in brand new premises
+ Research shows how 'navigational hazards' in metro maps confuse travelers
+ UK set to demand EU repayment in Brexit satellite row


'Shocking' die-off of Africa's oldest baobabs
Paris (AFP) June 11, 2018
Some of Africa's oldest and biggest baobab trees - a few dating all the way back to the ancient Greeks - have abruptly died, wholly or in part, in the past decade, researchers said Monday. The trees, aged between 1,100 and 2,500 years and some as wide as a bus is long, may have fallen victim to climate change, the team speculated. "We report that nine of the 13 oldest... individuals ha ... more
+ New research finds tall and older Amazonian forests more resistant to droughts
+ Zangbeto: voodoo saviour of Benin's mangroves
+ New technique reveals details of forest fire recovery
+ Forest loss in one part of US can harm trees on the opposite coast
+ India's toy carvers threatened by deforestation
+ Amazonian rainforests gave birth to the world's most diverse tropical region
+ Global forests expanding: Reflects wellbeing, not rising CO2, experts say
Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes
Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Jun 18, 2018
QUT PhD researcher Ashrafur Rahman tested each of the waste oils for performance and emissions as a 10 per cent oil/90per cent diesel blend in a 6-cylinder, 5.9l diesel engine. "As only therapeutic grade oil can be used, there is a substantial volume of low-value waste oil that currently is stored, awaiting a use," Mr Rahman said. "Our tests found essential oil blends produced almost ... more
+ Critical plant gene takes unexpected detour that could boost biofuel yields
+ 'Tricking' bacteria into hydroxylating benzene
+ How to suck carbon dioxide from the sky for fuels and more
+ Scientists sustainably 3D print large objects out of cellulose
+ Polymer researchers discover path to sustainable and biodegradable polyesters
+ 'Deforestation-free' palm oil not as simple as it sounds
+ Advanced biofuels can be produced extremely efficiently, confirms industrial demonstration


Solar FlexRack completes shipments to 71 MW solar project in North Carolina
Youngstown OH (SPX) Jun 19, 2018
Steve Daniel, Executive Vice President of Solar FlexRack said, "We are extremely pleased to have been selected to supply this project. Cypress Creek Renewables has been instrumental in supporting the growth of the solar industry in North Carolina, generating jobs for communities, and providing passive income opportunities for landowners. "As long-term solar project owners and operators, th ... more
+ Solenergy designs and constructs largest self-consumption energy system in SEA
+ Confined, insensitive light could improve lasers, solar cells
+ Wartsila leading along the path towards a 100% renewable energy future
+ German utility makes solar debut in Texas
+ Solar cells combining silicon with perovskite push achieve record efficiency over 25 percent
+ EU sets higher target for renewable energy by 2030
+ Lead-free, efficient perovskite for photovoltaic cells
New wind turbines are even efficient in low winds
Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
VTT Research Centre of Technology (VTT) has explored the potential and economic benefits of new wind power technology. The technology would greatly increase the benefits of wind energy and enable the competitive utilisation of wind power in Finland. Heavy investments are being made in wind power, which highlights the importance of this new and competitive technology. Wind power accounts fo ... more
+ Cryptocurrency blowing in the wind as mine opens in Estonia
+ U.S. Atlantic states eye offshore wind leadership
+ European wind energy generation potential in a warmer world
+ New York to world's largest offshore wildlife aerial survey
+ German utility E.ON sees renewable sector growth
+ Germany's E.ON wants even bigger wind footprint
+ US renewables firm takes Poland to court over U-turn on windmills


Rescuers save 23 workers trapped in China mine, 11 others dead
Beijing (AFP) June 6, 2018
Rescuers pulled 23 workers out of a mine in northeast China on Wednesday, hours after they were trapped underground by an explosion that killed 11 and left two others missing, state media reported. Nine other workers were injured in Tuesday's blast at the iron ore mine owned by Huamei Group, a subsidiary of China National Coal Group Co, in Benxi, Liaoning province. The blast took place w ... more
+ Dutch to close two oldest coal-fired plants by 2025
+ U.S. wants input on coal plants of the future
+ Two Polish miners killed, three missing after quake
+ Germany's Allianz to stop insuring coal businesses
+ U.N.: Coal still has a short-term future
+ BHP confirms exit from world coal body over climate stance
+ Michigan utility company to go zero coal
Malaysia power shift hits China infrastructure drive
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) June 17, 2018
Malaysia was once a loyal partner in China's globe-spanning infrastructure drive but a new government is now pledging to review Beijing-backed projects, threatening key links in the much-vaunted initiative. Kuala Lumpur's previous regime, led by scandal-mired Najib Razak, had warm ties with China and signed a string of deals for Beijing-funded projects, including a major rail link and a deep ... more
+ Ex-head of China insurance regulator pleads guilty to bribes
+ China's transgenders 'step forward' from the shadows
+ Sweden jails Chinese man for spying on Tibetan refugees
+ Hong Kong golf course row exposes city's social divide
+ Tight squeeze for Hong Kong's young professionals
+ Chinese vase found in attic sells for 16.2 million euros
+ Hong Kong jails top independence leader for six years


Robots learn by checking in on team members
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jun 19, 2018
The software and hardware needed to co-ordinate a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can communicate and work toward a common goal have recently been developed by KAUST researchers. "Giving UAVs more autonomy makes them an even more valuable resource," says Mohamed Abdelkader, who worked on the project with his colleagues under the guidance of Jeff Shamma. "Monitoring the progres ... more
+ Future robots need no motors
+ Self-healing material a breakthrough for bio-inspired robotics
+ A fast, low-voltage actuator for soft and wearable robotics
+ 'iPal' robot companion for China's lonely children
+ C2-A2 AGRODROID the world's new Smart Farming product
+ Cometh the cyborg: improved integration of living muscles into robots
+ Future robots need no motors
Wastewater treatment plants are key route into UK rivers for microplastics
Leeds UK (SPX) Jun 18, 2018
Water samples from UK rivers contained significantly higher concentrations of microplastics downstream from wastewater treatment plants, according to one of the first studies to determine potential sources of microplastics pollution. Scientists from the University of Leeds measured microplastics concentrations up and downstream of six wastewater treatment plants and found that all of the p ... more
+ Delhi reels as summer haze catches Indian capital off guard
+ Japan passes anti-plastic law but with no sanctions for polluters
+ EU Parliament to phase out plastic water bottles
+ Recycling plastic -- Japan style
+ Macron's environmental record under fire as critics tally 'retreats'
+ Mediterranean could become a 'sea of plastic': WWF
+ Plastic wasteland: Asia's ocean pollution crisis


Climate change increasing risks of lightning-ignited fires, study finds
Portland OR (SPX) Jun 04, 2018
Fires ignited by lightning have and will likely continue to increase across the Mediterranean and temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere under a warmer climate, according to a new study co-led by a Portland State University researcher. The study, published online in May in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined the observed and forecasted relationship between lightning-ig ... more
+ Forest fires rage as India resort town grapples with water crisis
+ Heat is driving off clouds that dampen California wildfires
+ Earlier humans used dried fungi as tinder for fires during the Neolithic period
+ Large bushfire burns near homes on Sydney outskirts
+ The Swiss army knife of smoke screens
+ Wildfire intensity impacts water quality and its treatment in forested watersheds
+ Residents get first look at town devastated by Australia bushfire
Fueling a deep-sea ecosystem
Woods Hole MA (SPX) Jun 18, 2018
Miles beneath the ocean's surface in the dark abyss, vast communities of subseafloor microbes at deep-sea hot springs are converting chemicals into energy that allows deep-sea life to survive - and even thrive - in a world without sunlight. Until now, however, measuring the productivity of subseafloor microbe communities - or how fast they oxidize chemicals and the amount of carbon they produce ... more
+ Chinese researchers achieve 3D underwater acoustic carpet cloak first with 'Black Panther'-like features
+ When the river runs high
+ Australia vows to compete with China funding in Pacific
+ Antarctica ramps up sea level rise
+ Large-scale study indicates novel, abundant nitrogen-fixing microbes in surface ocean
+ US property crisis looms as sea level rises, experts warn
+ Boring down on boron


Landslides, flash floods as monsoon batters southern Myanmar
Mawlamyine, Myanmar (AFP) June 18, 2018
Flooding in southern Myanmar has caused a landslide at a famed Buddhist pagoda, submerged homes and displaced hundreds of people as monsoon rains batter the country. Several parts of Myanmar's southern Mon state are facing flash floods due to heavy rains since the weekend with no relief in sight, according to a report in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Monday. Rains triggere ... more
+ Landslide kills Rohingya boy as monsoon hits refugee camps
+ Two dead as fresh storms sweep across France
+ At least 18 killed as fresh storms hit north India
+ At least 32 dead in Ethiopia landslides: official
+ Storms kill at least 47 as India temperatures mount
+ Floridians could face far more frequent, intense heatwaves
+ Dozens feared killed in Karachi heatwave: charity
Trump escalates China trade war with extra tariffs
Washington (AFP) June 19, 2018
US President Donald Trump escalated a growing trade war with China by unveiling plans Monday to impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. With the world's two largest economies already engaged in a confrontation long feared by markets and industry, Trump said he was pushing forward with fresh punitive measures over Beijing's "unacceptable" move to raise ... more
+ China accuses Trump of 'blackmail' after new tariffs threat
+ Trump ignites trade war with China, triggering swift retaliation
+ Trump keeps his promises on trade
+ US, China firms brace for escalating trade war
+ China hits back as US trade tensions threaten economy
+ Trump prepares China tariff target list as confrontation escalates
+ US launches another trade case against China
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

The true power of the solar wind
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Jun 14, 2018
The planets and moons of our solar system are continuously being bombarded by particles hurled away from the sun. On Earth this has hardly any effect, apart from the fascinating northern lights, because the dense atmosphere and the magnetic field of the Earth protect us from these solar wind particles. But on the Moon or on Mercury things are different: There, the uppermost layer of rock is grad ... more
+ Revised launch date targeted for Parker Solar Probe
+ How solar prominences vibrate
+ Expedition Measures Solar Motions Seen During Last Summer's Total Eclipse
+ As Solar Wind Blows, Our Heliosphere Balloons
+ NASA's Hi-C Launches to Study Sun's Corona
+ Study shows how Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze
+ Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array Reveals New Insights into Solar Flares' Explosive Energy Releases
Making the oxygen we breathe, a photosynthesis mechanism exposed
Atlanta GA (SPX) Jun 15, 2018
Arguably, the greatest fueler of life on our planet is photosynthesis, but understanding its labyrinthine chemistry, powered by sunlight, is challenging. Researchers recently illuminated some new steps inside the molecular factory that makes the oxygen we breathe. Though chlorophyll is the best-known part, for the vivid green it colors nature, many compounds work together in photosynthesis ... more
+ Genetic sequencing helps scientists mine soil for antibiotics
+ New technology has bright prospects for understanding plant biodiversity
+ Better late than never: Mexico turtle declared new species
+ Sacred snappers: The village where crocodiles are welcome
+ Mammals going nocturnal to avoid humans
+ Mexico jaguar population grows 20% in eight years
+ 'Monstrous' new Russian saber-tooth fossils clarify early evolution of mammal lineage


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