Scientists Discover How To Send Insects Off The Scent Of Crops
ScienceDaily (Sep. 26, 2009) — Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded research, published recently in Chemical Communication, describes how scientists have discovered molecules that could confuse insects’ ability to detect plants by interfering with their sense of smell. This could reduce damage to crops by insect pests and contribute to food security.
Lead researcher Dr Antony Hooper of Rothamsted Research, an institute of BBSRC said: “One way in which insects find each other and their hosts is by smell, or more accurately: the detection of chemical signals – pheromones, for example. Insects smell chemicals with their antennae; the chemical actually gets into the antennae of the insect and then attaches to a protein called an odorant-binding protein, or OBP. This then leads to the insect changing its behaviour in some way in response to the smell, for example, flying towards a plant or congregating with other insects.”
Dr Hooper continued: “As well as learning about the nature of this interaction we’ve actually found that there are other compounds that bind to the OBP much more strongly than the pheromone. We could potentially apply these compounds, or similar ones, in some way to block the insects’ ability to detect chemical signals – the smell would be overwhelmed by the one we introduce. We’d expect the insects to be less likely to orientate themselves towards the crop plants, or find mates in this case, and therefore could reduce the damage. Read More
Figuring out new ways to protect our crops from pests and disease could significantly increase our yields. New research suggests that there’s a possibility we could make our crops smell different so that insects wouldn’t recognize them. Essentially being able to “hide” our crops from these devastating insects is great example of using modern technology to solve food production problems.
Showing posts with label crop production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crop production. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Boulder's Farming Debate
Hysterics win a round in farm debate
By Vincent Carroll
Posted: 08/29/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
The Luddites won a round this week in Boulder County.
Yes, the science-challenged activists who fear genetically modified crops succeeded in keeping GM sugar beets from being grown by six farmers on open space land — at least for the time being.
If I seem to harp on this conflict, having laid out the farmers' case some weeks ago, it's because the overall stakes are so large. Fear-mongers have retarded the adoption of GM crops elsewhere, too, even when their advantages are clear.
GM crops are mostly prohibited in Europe, for example, because of popular fear of "Frankenstein foods." Then again, Europeans used to execute witches by the thousands, too, with roughly the same degree of supporting evidence. Some things never change.
The Boulder farmers were so shocked by the raw emotion of opponents that they eventually asked commissioners to postpone a decision. Naturally the commissioners obliged. You wouldn't expect three beleaguered officials to tell the hysterics to take a hike, would you?
Never mind that county staff recommended the commission approve the applications, or that genetically modified corn is already grown on open space there. For that matter, the county already slashes rates for leaseholders willing to switch to organic farming, open space director Ron Stewart told me recently. What's next: outright payments to accelerate the transition?
Read More
It’s been an interesting debate unfolding in Boulder, CO as of late. Land that is owned by the county and being farmed by local farmers is at the center of the discussion. There are some very vocal people leading a charge that will only allow organic food to be grown on the land. The typical, un-supported arguments have been being used by the pro-organic crowd. For me, it boils down to an elitist argument. Even with the lowest cost of food in the world, many families struggle to make ends meet and have enough food to eat. There is no doubt that organic food is more expensive. So if these vocal elitists have their way, it would make food more expensive and less available to working families. As a person that has been involved in growing food all of my life so that everyone has something to eat, it would be hard for me to accept that.
By Vincent Carroll
Posted: 08/29/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
The Luddites won a round this week in Boulder County.
Yes, the science-challenged activists who fear genetically modified crops succeeded in keeping GM sugar beets from being grown by six farmers on open space land — at least for the time being.
If I seem to harp on this conflict, having laid out the farmers' case some weeks ago, it's because the overall stakes are so large. Fear-mongers have retarded the adoption of GM crops elsewhere, too, even when their advantages are clear.
GM crops are mostly prohibited in Europe, for example, because of popular fear of "Frankenstein foods." Then again, Europeans used to execute witches by the thousands, too, with roughly the same degree of supporting evidence. Some things never change.
The Boulder farmers were so shocked by the raw emotion of opponents that they eventually asked commissioners to postpone a decision. Naturally the commissioners obliged. You wouldn't expect three beleaguered officials to tell the hysterics to take a hike, would you?
Never mind that county staff recommended the commission approve the applications, or that genetically modified corn is already grown on open space there. For that matter, the county already slashes rates for leaseholders willing to switch to organic farming, open space director Ron Stewart told me recently. What's next: outright payments to accelerate the transition?
Read More
It’s been an interesting debate unfolding in Boulder, CO as of late. Land that is owned by the county and being farmed by local farmers is at the center of the discussion. There are some very vocal people leading a charge that will only allow organic food to be grown on the land. The typical, un-supported arguments have been being used by the pro-organic crowd. For me, it boils down to an elitist argument. Even with the lowest cost of food in the world, many families struggle to make ends meet and have enough food to eat. There is no doubt that organic food is more expensive. So if these vocal elitists have their way, it would make food more expensive and less available to working families. As a person that has been involved in growing food all of my life so that everyone has something to eat, it would be hard for me to accept that.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Ancient Food Storage and GM Crops
Ancient Food Storage Began Well Before Farming
Monday, June 22, 2009
WASHINGTON — People were storing grain long before they learned to domesticate crops, a new study indicates.
A structure used as a food granary discovered in recent excavations in Jordan dates to about 11,300 years ago, according to a report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
That's as much as a thousand years before people in the Middle East domesticated grain, the research team led by anthropologist Ian Kuijt of the University of Notre Dame said.
Remains of wild barley were found in the structure, indicating that the grain was collected and saved even though formal cultivation had not yet developed.
The granary was between two other structures used for grain processing and residences, discovered in excavations at Dhra', near the Dead Sea. The granary was round with walls of stone and mud. The researchers said it had a raised floor for air circulation and protection from rodents. Read More
I really think that most people believe the crops that are planted today have always been around. The fact is that humans have been genetically modifying crops and livestock for thousands of years. Most of them share very little resemblance to today’s varieties. Modifying the genetic code of plants and animals didn’t hurt humans, rather it allowed them to enjoy more reliable food sources. That very same thing is happening today. Technology is allowing us to do it faster and more efficiently than 10,000 years ago, but the principle is the same.
Monday, June 22, 2009
WASHINGTON — People were storing grain long before they learned to domesticate crops, a new study indicates.
A structure used as a food granary discovered in recent excavations in Jordan dates to about 11,300 years ago, according to a report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
That's as much as a thousand years before people in the Middle East domesticated grain, the research team led by anthropologist Ian Kuijt of the University of Notre Dame said.
Remains of wild barley were found in the structure, indicating that the grain was collected and saved even though formal cultivation had not yet developed.
The granary was between two other structures used for grain processing and residences, discovered in excavations at Dhra', near the Dead Sea. The granary was round with walls of stone and mud. The researchers said it had a raised floor for air circulation and protection from rodents. Read More
I really think that most people believe the crops that are planted today have always been around. The fact is that humans have been genetically modifying crops and livestock for thousands of years. Most of them share very little resemblance to today’s varieties. Modifying the genetic code of plants and animals didn’t hurt humans, rather it allowed them to enjoy more reliable food sources. That very same thing is happening today. Technology is allowing us to do it faster and more efficiently than 10,000 years ago, but the principle is the same.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Improving Water Use Efficiency
Laser experiment hopes to save farm water
By JOHN ROGERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seventy-six years after the invention of the modern sprinkler helped revolutionize farming, lasers may revolutionize it again.
Jan Kleissl and a handful of his students at the University of California at San Diego think technology using laser beams might lead to a better way to conserve the millions of gallons of water sprayed each year on thirsty crops.
He and his team are using a large aperture scintillometer to study how much water crops lose to evaporation and the peak times that water disappears.
The hope is to give farmers a more accurate, up-to-date reading of how efficiently their crops are using water than current technology allows. Read More
I always enjoy featuring new technology that continues to improve agriculture’s ability to become more efficient and feed more people. Water is a valuable resource. Any farmer or rancher will tell you that if you don’t have water, you don’t have much. With more people demanding more water, we need to remind everyone that watering your lawn isn’t quite as important as watering crops and livestock.
By JOHN ROGERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seventy-six years after the invention of the modern sprinkler helped revolutionize farming, lasers may revolutionize it again.
Jan Kleissl and a handful of his students at the University of California at San Diego think technology using laser beams might lead to a better way to conserve the millions of gallons of water sprayed each year on thirsty crops.
He and his team are using a large aperture scintillometer to study how much water crops lose to evaporation and the peak times that water disappears.
The hope is to give farmers a more accurate, up-to-date reading of how efficiently their crops are using water than current technology allows. Read More
I always enjoy featuring new technology that continues to improve agriculture’s ability to become more efficient and feed more people. Water is a valuable resource. Any farmer or rancher will tell you that if you don’t have water, you don’t have much. With more people demanding more water, we need to remind everyone that watering your lawn isn’t quite as important as watering crops and livestock.
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