Botany in the News

PLANTS and PEOPLE changing the world. If you find an interesting article you'd like to share, please forward it to us at bsa-manager@botany.org

December, 2007

York researchers find new pest control method
Yorkshire Forward – 12/21/2007, 04:35 am
Researchers at York University have found a 'novel way' to control insect pests without using insecticides.Scientists from the university's Department of Biology studied the relationship between plant-dwelling insects and the bacteria that live on them and discovered an unexpected interaction.

Breaking Down Walls
Ethanol Producer Magazine.com – 12/21/2007, 03:39 am
There may soon be another reason to support the local dairy farmer. In Wisconsin, where a similar message is proudly plastered on everything from bumper stickers to T-shirts to coffee-shop windows, researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center are proving that the nation has an unlikely ally in its quest for energy independence: dairy cows.

Botanical library antidote to 'green blindness'
Daily News Tribune – 12/21/2007, 02:21 am
Whether you seek a peaceful haven from the holiday rush or a colorful remedy for the shortness of a winter day, it is never too early to begin the 'armchair gardening' season or savor natural history with a great plant book.

Evogene's Evo133 shows improvement in yield, abiotic stress tolerance
Bio Spectrum Asia – 12/21/2007, 01:11 am
Evogene, an Israeli company announced successful third year field trial results for Evo133, one of its candidate genes for improving plant yield and tolerance to abiotic stress conditions.

Seed Sharing Or Biopiracy
Calibre Macro World – 12/20/2007, 23:04 pm
'Sharing of seed is the essence of our planet's agricultural biodiversity. Without the open palm offering seeds, we all lose.

96 Million Year Old Fossil Pollen Sheds Light on Early Pollinators
Calibre Macro World – 12/20/2007, 22:29 pm
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The collapse of honeybee colonies across North America is focusing attention on the honeybees' vital role in the survival of agricultural crops, and a new study by University of Florida and Indiana University Southeast researchers shows insect pollinators have likely played a key role in the evolution and success of flowering plants for nearly 100 million years.

Research from University of Florida has provided new information about molecular phylogenetics
Calibre Macro World – 12/20/2007, 18:16 pm
According to a study from the United States, "Fergusobia nematodes (Tylenchida: Fergusobiinae) and Fergusonina flies (Diptera: Fergusoninidae) are putative mutualists that develop together in galls formed in meristematic tissues of many species of the plant family Myrtaceae in Australasia (see also Molecular Phylogenetics).

BGSU undergraduates to pilot groundbreaking genome project
Calibre Macro World – 12/20/2007, 19:40 pm
Bowling Green State University biology undergraduates will soon be contributing to the body of knowledge in genomics while they learn. The University has been selected as one of 12 institutions nationwide to pilot the new Microbial Genome Annotation research program through the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI).

Studies from Institute of Plant Physiology yield new data on enzyme research
Calibre Macro World – 12/20/2007, 18:22 pm
Fresh data on enzyme research are presented in the report 'Oxidative stress and formation and maintenance of root stem cells.' "The hypothesis of L (see also Enzyme Research).

Do sunflowers always face the sun?
ABC Sydney – 12/20/2007, 18:11 pm
Do sunflowers always face the sun? Anyone who has grown them will know the answer is no, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. According to the experts , the giant flower generally faces east.

Cornell researchers prove how plants transport sugars
Cornell University – 12/20/2007, 18:11 pm
How do many plants ship sugars from their leaves to flowers, roots, fruits and other parts of their structure? Using genetic engineering techniques, Cornell researchers have finally proven a long-standing theory of how this occurs.

Is saving the world's coral reefs possible?
Richmond Times Dispatch – 12/20/2007, 03:29 am
Coral reefs are in trouble worldwide. One of my students first brought this to my attention by describing how reefs suffer damage when fishermen use cyanide to stun and harvest reef fish for restaurants.

INTO THE FIRE ZONE
Orange County Register – 12/20/2007, 03:03 am
Ranger Keith Fletcher looks at the tens of thousands of acres that make up the seemingly indomitable mass we know as Saddleback Mountain and sees fragility.

Pretty pompom weed a threat to SA grasslands
Daily Dispatch – 12/20/2007, 00:03 am
THE pompom weed - a plant in the daisy family - is rapidly becoming one of the most serious threats to the conservation of South African grasslands, the Working for Water Programme said recently.

Salinity expert named 2008 Farrer Memorial Medal
NSW Department of Primary Industries – 12/19/2007, 23:04 pm
Farrer Memorial Trust Chairman, Barry Buffier, today announced salinity and agricultural scientist Professor Philip Cocks as the winner of the 2008 Farrer Memorial medal.

Ahead of the Curve: Computational Biologist
US News – 12/19/2007, 17:57 pm
At a recent panel discussion among five Nobel Prize winners, one of the few things they agreed on was that the field of the future is computational biology.

Growers planting Pioneer(R) brand sorghum win majority of national yield categories
AgProfessional – 12/19/2007, 17:40 pm
DES MOINES -- DuPont congratulates growers planting Pioneer(R) brand sorghum hybrids who recently won 12 of the 15 national categories in the 2007 National Sorghum Producers' (NSP) Yield and Management contest.

Kenya: Farmers in West Fight Deadly Weed
AllAfrica.com – 12/19/2007, 17:24 pm
So close physically, yet so far apart in output; is an accurate description of maize fields in a section of western Kenya. Despite having the same ecological characteristics and being only a metre apart, the same-sized plots yield varying amounts of maize-sometimes with a difference of more than six bags.

Focus on Youth: Dordt students major in agriculture and stewardship
Tri-State Neighbour – 12/19/2007, 16:57 pm
When envisioning his future career, Dordt College senior Dereck Klaassen says he does not see himself sitting behind a desk all day. In his future career, this Ellsworth, Minn.

Plant Geneticists Find Veritas in Vino: genome sequence of Pinot Noir grape revealed
Innovations report – 12/19/2007, 15:35 pm
Viticulture, the growing of grapesVitis viniferachiefly to make wine, is an ancient form of agriculture, evidence of which has been found from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. We have a detailed understanding of how nurture affects the qualities of a grape harvest leading to the concept of terroir (the range of local influences that carry over into a wine).

EMR Hosts European Meeting on Rosaceous Genomics Research
Innovations-Report – 12/19/2007, 08:22 am
The increasing emphasis on identifying genes and developing DNA markers that would improve the efficiency of breeding programmes and management of genetic resources across a plant family was discussed at a recent international meeting hosted by East Malling Research (EMR).

Billion trees for our kids
Journal Online – 12/19/2007, 12:37 pm
IN a most timely response to the Bali Summit on Global Warming, Speaker Jose de Venecia led the House of Representatives in approving on final reading Tuesday night the landmark “One Billion Trees” Bill to spur a massive national reforestation program as an “antidote” to climate change.

Successful Third Year Field Trial of Evogene's Candidate Gene for Improving Yield and Abiotic Stress Tolerance
Stockhouse Canada – 12/19/2007, 09:18 am
Evogene Ltd. (TELAVIV: EVGN) today announced successful third year field trial results for Evo133, one of its candidate genes for improving plant yield and tolerance to abiotic stress conditions.

Tree-cloning scientists reach for sky
Columbus Dispatch – 12/18/2007, 09:55 am
SAN GERONIMO, Calif. -- Two yellow-helmeted tree climbers painstakingly hoisted themselves up ropes and climbed branches to reach the top of some old-growth redwood trees at a Marin County park near here called Roy's Redwoods.

Big money in dead bugs?
Sympatico MSN Finance – 12/19/2007, 09:27 am
When investors get excited about green technology, they generally mean wind farms, solar energy and biofuels. Weeds and dead bugs? Not so much. But some venture capitalists think that's where the money is, and they're betting on a new wave of startups with (clean) killer instincts.

NRD Selling Tree Seedlings
Nebraska – 12/19/2007, 09:01 am
The following information is from the : GRAND ISLAND- Call it what you'd like, a shelterbelt, a windbreak or a living snow fence; when asked why we should plant trees, the answer is always for our quality of life.

Fruit genetic pool to stay in Kent
Farm Business – 12/19/2007, 05:20 am
The National Fruit Collection is to stay at Brogdale in Kent but from next April will be run and maintained by the University of Reading. DEFRA announced today (Wed) that the collection, which houses thousands of varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries and other fruit, could be moved at a later date but would stay at its current site near Faversham into the foreseeable future.

Scientists decode flavour secrets of grapes
Pretoria News – 12/19/2007, 03:59 am
Paris - Scientists in France and Italy have deciphered the complete genetic code for the plant that produces wine grapes, according to a study published on Sunday.

Pest Infecting Sagos in Texas
Landscape Online – 12/19/2007, 01:56 am
A pest known to be a threat to landscape plants in South Texas appears to be making an unwanted appearance farther north, according to Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

Spring flowers face extinction after blooming in autumn puts them at risk of frost
This is London – 12/18/2007, 20:41 pm
It is a seasonal rush the bluebells and snowdrops could not resist joining - although they might come to regret it. Across the land, the most unlikely little flowers are poking their way up into the grey December light as another year of chaotic weather convinces them that spring has arrived.

Spring flowers face extinction after blooming in autumn puts them at risk of frost
Evening Standard – 12/19/2007, 00:48 am
It is a seasonal rush the bluebells and snowdrops could not resist joining - although they might come to regret it. Across the land, the most unlikely little flowers are poking their way up into the grey December light as another year of chaotic weather convinces them that spring has arrived.

DuPont Congratulates Growers Planting Pioneer® Brand Sorghum Hybrids
Web Wire – 12/19/2007, 00:38 am
DuPont Congratulates Growers Planting Pioneer® Brand Sorghum Hybrids in Winning Majority of National Categories in Yield Contest DuPont today congratulated growers planting Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids who recently won 12 of the 15 national categories in the 2007 National Sorghum Producers’ (NSP) Yield and Management contest.

New research provides better understanding of the birds and the bees
Physorg – 12/18/2007, 17:19 pm
A 96-million-year-old anglosperm pollen cluster Researchers from Indiana University Southeast and the University of Florida have discovered important information about the origin of flowering plants and how they reproduce.

Record-setting corn, soybean farmer urges area farmers to try new ideas
Marshall Democrat-News – 12/18/2007, 23:46 pm
2007-12-19 04:46:00 Record-setting corn, soybean farmer urges area farmers to try new ideas

Bulu Perindu - The Enchanted Grass
Anyarticle.net – 12/18/2007, 19:47 pm
Nature produces the most intriguing life-forms. We are normally aware of the animal, insect, and plant kingdoms--these we come across and interact with in our every day life and are perceptible to the senses; other creatures are too microscopically small for us to perceive with our naked eyes, these are the bacteria, germs, etc.

NZ eyes Oz GM ban lift
Rural News – 12/18/2007, 18:09 pm
Recent decisions to lift genetically modified (GM) plant bans in Australia bring fresh concerns New Zealand farmers could be left behind in commercial applications of the technology.
New research alters concept of how circadian clock functions
EurekAlert! – 12/13/2007, 14:43 pm
Scientists from the have identified a molecule that may govern how the circadian clock in plants responds to environmental changes. The researchers have discovered that a signalling molecule, known to be important for environmental stress signalling in plants, also regulates their circadian clock.

Al Gore's oratory electrifies Bali summit
Indiae News – 12/12/2007, 15:06 pm
In a speech likely to go down in history as an oratorical milestone in the fight against global warming, Al Gore, former US vice-president and co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, electrified the Dec 3-14 UN conference on climate change on its penultimate evening Thursday.

Kava Kava For Anxiety?
Articles4free.com – 12/13/2007, 16:57 pm
Kava kava is a botanical plant of the pepper family found in the South Pacific. For over 3000 years the South Pacific Islanders have used kava kava as an alternative medicine.

Moss Is A Super Model For Feeding The Hungry
www.lockergnome.com – 12/13/2007, 16:34 pm
One of the simplest plants on the planet could help scientists create crops to survive the ravages of drought. The moss Physcomitrella patens is a primitive plant, similar to the first plants which began to grow on land around 450 million years ago.

BASF calls for EU approval of biotech "hot potato"
Reuters UK – 12/11/2007, 11:39 am
BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (Reuters) - German chemicals group BASF (BASF.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) aims to secure European Union approval in the next few weeks for farmers to grow its genetically modified (GMO) potato in April, the first EU approval for GMO cultivation in a decade.

CQ cotton trial targets November
Queensland Country Life – 12/13/2007, 10:10 am
COTTON researchers in Central Queensland have accepted the challenge to unlock the high yield potential of November-planted genetically-modified cultivars to maximise the use of in-crop summer rain.

Moss genome sheds light on plants' invasion of land
ArsTechnica – 12/13/2007, 15:02 pm
Although completing a genome provides science with lots of information, the completion of several genomes provides us with far more than the individual genomes do.

GM Soy in Brazil Will Kill the Amazon and Boost Global Warming by 50%
Brazzil Magazine – 12/13/2007, 14:58 pm
As genetically modified soybeans take over vast tracts in Brazil and all over South America and reports flow in of genetic contamination of local corn in Mesoamerica, grassroots resistance to biotech crops has also grown.

Scientists reveal genetic code of moss
Telegraph Sport – 12/13/2007, 14:19 pm
Scientists have cracked the genetic code of one of the simplest plants on the planet, a feat could help them to create crops to survive the ravages of drought.

The Biggest Global Warming Crime in History
AlterNet.org – 12/13/2007, 14:13 pm
The Canadian wilderness is set to be invaded by BP in an oil exploration project dubbed 'the biggest global warming crime' in history. Tools Share and save this post: Also in Environment Kelpie Wilson Dr.

The First Land-Based Plants
JustArticles.net – 12/13/2007, 13:27 pm
We love plants, but seldom stop a while to think and ponder about their history: plants, like animals, originated in ancient seas. Fossil records as well as interpretative reconstructions provide us with some basis for understanding how plants came out of the water and disseminated thorough land.

Govt funds two professors for biochar research
Xtra News – 12/13/2007, 13:10 pm
Two professorships at Massey University have won government funding for wide-ranging research of "biochar". Research overseas has shown that turning wood or other plant material into charcoal and burying it in soils cannot only keep carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere, but also help soil organisms extract more carbon from the atmosphere.

"The 11th Hour" Documentary - Uncomfortable Truths
AllAfrica.com – 12/13/2007, 11:48 am
As the actor DiCaprio said in the new environmental documentary, The 11th Hour, 'We are in the Environmental Age, whether we like it or not.' But unlike the other 'ages' that took place at various times, like the Stone Age or Industrial Age, etc.

Conservationists face tough enemy in pompom weed
Mail & Guardian Online – 12/13/2007, 11:08 am
The pompom weed -- a plant in the daisy family -- is rapidly becoming one of the most serious threats to the conservation of South African grasslands, the Working for Water programme said on Thursday.

Too much salt will damage plants
Lawrence Journal-World – 12/13/2007, 10:56 am
Horticulturists usually wait until symptoms appear in the spring to talk about salt damage in the landscape. So why am I bringing it up now? Because we can prevent the injury: The de-icing salts that we apply to our sidewalks and driveways are the source of much of the damage.

France losing ground in the genetic revolution
Checkbiotech – 12/13/2007, 09:17 am
Its very difficult to judge, so we wont. Instead of trying to point out whos right and whos wrong, our report gives an inside view of the state of the French biotechnology industry.

GM organisms to convert cellulose to diesel
Checkbiotech – 12/13/2007, 08:17 am
Berry took the lead in designing a system that allowed LS9 researchers to alter the metabolic machinery of microrganisms, turning them into living hydrocarbon refineries.

Ecuador to Drill Park Unless World Pays
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – 12/10/2007, 23:22 pm
QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador will open bidding for a major oil project in a jungle nature reserve in June if the poor Andean country does not receive international funding to abandon the proposal, the oil minister said Monday.

What consensus? Experts protest the Bali madness
Herald Sun – 12/13/2007, 03:37 am
Distinguished academics and researchers have sent an open letter to the UN Secretary General and the alarmists in Bali, saying theres no proof man is heating up the world to hell.

This Canadian wilderness is set to be invaded by BP in an oil
Canadian Dimension – 12/12/2007, 21:16 pm
BP, the British oil giant that pledged to move Beyond Petroleum by finding cleaner ways to produce fossil fuels, is being accused of abandoning its green sheen by investing nearly GBP 1.

Report Says Gene Flow From GM Crops Not Likely to Harm Environment
UC Davis – 12/12/2007, 18:58 pm
Gene flow from genetically modified crop plants to their wild relatives will have little overall impact on human health or the environment, predicts a team of researchers in a report released today by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.

Tomato Study Points to Organic Pros and Cons on Four Farms
UC Davis – 12/12/2007, 18:58 pm
A study of organic and conventionally grown processing tomatoes by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis, indicated that, on the four participating commercial farms, organically produced tomatoes were higher in sugars and other soluble solids, consistency and acidity, all of which are desirable attributes in processing tomatoes.

Forest Service protests Va. coal plant
Morganton News Herald – 12/12/2007, 16:59 pm
richmond, va. - The U.S. Forest Service is warning Virginia environmental officials that pollution from a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant proposed for Wise County would violate federal clean-air laws.

Bayer CropScience and Euralis Semences form Alliance to develop new Winter Oilseed Rape Products for the European market
Bayer – 12/12/2007, 15:34 pm
Bayer CropScience AG and Euralis Semences SA, the seed division of the French agri business cooperative Euralis headquartered in Pau, France, announced today that they have entered into a series of business and license agreements.

The Botanical Gardens Of Copaynicu In Cuba
Anyarticle.net – 12/11/2007, 02:34 am
Cuba has many beautiful sights to offer its visitors but one in particular is the Botanical Gardens of Copaynicu. You don't even need to have any knowledge about plants as many people come here just to look at the beautiful display of plant life while on their Cuba travel experience.

US and China sign biofuels cooperation pact
Biopact – 12/11/2007, 15:28 pm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on biofuels cooperation today.

Scientists set to release new disease-resistant wheat
Checkbiotech – 12/12/2007, 11:52 am
According to ARS plant geneticist Robert Graybosch, Mace harbors a gene called Wsm-1 that confers resistance to the virus, which is spread by the wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella.

Towards plastid transformation in maize
Checkbiotech – 12/12/2007, 11:49 am
In addition, transplastomic technology greatly improves gene containment due to the maternal inheritance of plastids and their genomes in most crop species, which drastically reduces transgene transmission through pollen.

"Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic
Boston IMC – 12/12/2007, 11:26 am
Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don't By F. William Engdahl Global Research, December 4, 2007 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.

Global Trust funds ICRISAT’s Genebank
CGIAR – 12/12/2007, 05:19 am
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has entered into an agreement with the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT), to ensure the long-term availability of funds for the conservation, characterization and distribution of germplasm (seeds) in the ICRISAT’s Genebank for the benefit of agriculture and food security for mankind.

The first hydrogen society in Norway
Marine Norway – 12/12/2007, 04:47 am
Researchers and scientists the world over believe that hydrogen will be the primary energy carrier in the hydrogen society of the future. StatoilHydro has been running a hydrogen society since 2004.

Animals, Plants Need Help Adapting to Climate Change
Planet Ark – 12/11/2007, 15:47 pm
NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Humans must help animals and plants adapt to a warmer world, environmentalists said on Thursday, because it is too expensive to rebuild entire ecosystems and their loss makes people even more vulnerable.

Call for NGO's to stop knocking the biodiesel industry
Biofuel Review – 12/11/2007, 01:16 am
A call for development NGOs assembled at the Bali Summit on Climate Change to stop their generic condemnation of the global biodiesel industry was made today (10th December) by D1 Oils plc, the UK-based global producer of biodiesel.

N.Y. ethanol plant to convert wood products, not corn
Westborough News – 12/11/2007, 01:07 am
Rome, N.Y. - Tools: Cambridge, Mass.-based Mascoma Corp. will begin testing how well certain natural resources convert into alternative fuel at a planned biorefinery at Griffiss Business & Technology Park in Rome, N.

Ants, birds, - way to profitable natural farming
The Week – 12/11/2007, 00:28 am
Faridkot (Punjab): Don't drive away the ants from your fields or shoo the birds pecking at your crops - they are good for agriculture, say a new breed of farmers in Punjab who are doing away with pesticides and fertilisers in favour of 'natural farming' that is fetching them higher economic returns.

Grants available to halt spread of invasive marine species
Block Island Times – 12/10/2007, 22:55 pm
Grants available to halt spread of invasive marine species Monday, December 10, 2007 12:12 PM EST The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 for nonprofit groups to develop projects that help stop the spread of invasive species on local waterways.

USDA To Host Citrus Greening Summit
Web Wire – 12/10/2007, 10:43 am
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will host a summit on citrus greening and the Asian citrus psyllid to enhance prevention, preparedness, response and recovery efforts.

Plants produce human growth factors
Biotech Sweden – 12/10/2007, 08:06 am
ORF Genetics has introduced biorisk-free growth factors and cytokines, produced using a plant-based expression platform.

First commercial U.S. wood-residue-to-liquid-biofuel plant planned for Missouri
AgProfessional – 12/06/2007, 04:18 am
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Dynamotive USA Inc. plans to invest $24 million to build the first fully commercial industrial biofuel plant in the U.S.

Cloned bamboo genes may mean more food
People's Daily Online – 12/06/2007, 04:08 am
Scientists in east China said that they had succeeded in copying some genes of the bamboo plant, a development that they said could lead to better food supplies for people.

Harper College to prune plant science program
Chicago Tribune – 12/06/2007, 03:43 am
Dim job market, few students noted After training hundreds of students for careers as arborists, naturalists and landscape designers, the plant science department at Harper Community College is slated to close, a victim of dwindling enrollment and what officials say are poor prospects for employment.

Research needed to cut risks to biofuel farmers
SciDev.Net – 12/06/2007, 01:07 am
Dryland farmers are growing novel crops for biofuel, but domestication and research into yields and pests is still needed, says William Dar. Whenever the world experiences prolonged high petroleum prices there is a search for alternatives, and in the last two years price rises have focused attention on biofuels.

After 35 years, renowned horticulturist done sowing seeds
Palm Beach Post – 12/06/2007, 00:57 am
After 35 years, Gene Joyner, Palm Beach County's proselytizer of plants, minister of mulch and reverend of rare fruit, is hanging up his shovel.

Local master gardeners receive state award
NJ.com – 12/06/2007, 00:50 am
Mercer County Master Gardeners were honored with 2007 Awards of Excellence at the recent Master Gardeners Association of New Jersey Fall Conference. Sponsored by Rutgers Cooperative Extension, these Master Gardener Statewide awards are given annually to individuals and teams that exemplify service to their communities.

Trust aims to protect plants, animals
Cay Compass – 12/06/2007, 00:06 am
One of the principal aims of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands is to try to safeguard the survival of the diversity of wild plants and animals in the three islands.

Everglades: At sea in the river of grass
Chicago Tribune – 12/05/2007, 21:58 pm
OUR NATIONAL PARKS Florida's unique region teems with wildlife, plant life -- and problems Pelicans and other marine birds rest on an Everglades sand bank between fishing expeditions.

Poinsettias branch out with exotic new colors
San Francisco Chronicle – 12/05/2007, 03:32 am
Come December, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) leads a charmed but short life. It is our favorite holiday plant because its merits are many and getting better annually.

Redding Students learn about heritage through food
Hersam Acorn – 12/05/2007, 18:49 pm
rkirkpatrick@thereddingpilot.com Donning homemade Pilgrim hats and Native American headdresses, Redding Elementary School third graders gathered in the cafeteria several weeks ago for an authentic Thanksgiving food tasting.

BoatU.S. offering grants to hinder invasive species
ESPN.com – 12/05/2007, 18:07 pm
The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 for non-profit groups to develop projects that help stop the spread of invasive species on local waterways.

Tambopata Candamo: Saving the Planet
LivinginPeru – 12/05/2007, 17:54 pm
The Tambopata-Candamo reserved zone teems with plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. There, in the heart of the Amazon jungle, in the southeastern corner of Peru, scientists have notched up records in biological bio-diversity.

Could We Detect Plants on other Planets?
Universe Today – 12/05/2007, 15:31 pm
We've already found over 250 extrasolar planets, and more are continuing to be discovered fairly often. With all of these new planets popping up, the obvious question must be asked: how do we go about detecting whether or not they contain life?

Electricity Revives Bali Coral Reefs
The Intelligencer – 12/04/2007, 12:54 pm
Goreau said the Pemuteran reefs off Bali's northwestern shore were under serious assault by 1998, victims of rising temperatures and aggressive fishing methods by impoverished islanders, such as stunning fish with cyanide poison and scooping them up with nets.

Apoptosis Cell Biology
NewsRX – 12/04/2007, 18:47 pm
Research findings, 'Adenine (ADP/ATP) translocase 3 participates in the induced of MCF-7 Cells,' are discussed in a new report. 'Mitochondrial nucleotide translocase (ANT) is believed to be a component or a regulatory component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mtPTP), which controls mitochondrial permeability transition during apoptosis.

US consumers show little concern about biotech: US survey
Farm Weekly – 12/04/2007, 04:29 am
US consumers show little concern about biotech: US survey By Willie VogtTuesday, 4 December 2007 A new survey conducted by Kansas State University (KSU) in the USA shows consumers may know little about, and don't appear worried about, biotech (GM) technology.

Teachers turn to Web site for classroom funding
Detroit News Online – 12/04/2007, 15:19 pm
Donors help fulfill school projects for budget-crunched districts - Priest Elementary teacher Linda Keteyian wasn't sure when she asked a new philanthropy Web site for science exploration kits if her request would be granted.

Toll of climate change on world food supply could be worse
Huliq.com – 12/04/2007, 13:28 pm
Global agriculture, already predicted to be stressed by climate change in coming decades, could go into steep, unanticipated declines in some regions due to complications that scientists have so far inadequately considered, say three new scientific reports.

College seeks to improve switchgrass yield
Modesto Bee – 12/04/2007, 11:17 am
Since President Bush slipped the seldom-heard term 'switchgrass' into his 2006 State of the Union Address, the prairie grass has been in vogue. Because it's a perennial crop, it needs less fertilizer, recycling nutrients at the end of every season.

Biofuel Crops: Panacea or Pandora's Box?
PR Web – 12/04/2007, 12:20 pm
While biofuel is the latest buzz word in the energy industry, it must be recognized that many of the plants currently targeted for possible biofuel production are invasive and could wreak havoc with native plants if they escape their cultivated environment, according to a recent whitepaper from the Weed Science Society of America.

Newton’s fall foliage: too much invasive yellow
Wicked Local – 12/04/2007, 11:07 am
New England is known for its spectacular display of fall foliage, but this year our prolonged drought and later onset of cold weather took a lot of bang out of the color.

Science can deliver new green revolution, says NFU
NFU Online – 12/04/2007, 11:00 am
British farmers urgently need all the tools that science can offer if they are to meet the challenges of the 21st century, NFU President Peter Kendall will say today.

Privately owned water? Hardly
Ledger-Enquirer – 12/04/2007, 10:39 am
Rights and laws concerning water usage were written when we believed that water gushed up from the 'bowels of the earth' and the water belonged to those who owned private bodies of water, or who drilled wells on their property.

Insane Yields
SoyBean Digest – 12/04/2007, 10:27 am
And he's a little frustrated himself. He believes farmers leave a lot of yield in the field because of old habits that ignore new technology. To prove the point, he made a few cultural changes in the 2007 variety test plots he grows for Golden Harvest.

Burkina's Cotton Production Down Due to Poor Rains
VOA News – 12/04/2007, 10:19 am
Burkina Faso's cotton production this year has decreased due to inconsistent rains and high oil prices, frustrating executives and farmers in sub-Saharan Africa's leading cotton producer.

South Dakota State University teams up with California company to improve switchgrass yield
International Herald Tribune – 12/04/2007, 07:01 am
BROOKINGS, S.D.: Since President Bush slipped the seldom-heard term 'switchgrass' into his 2006 State of the Union Address, the prairie grass has been in vogue.

Agricultural Research Service: 'Mace', a new winter wheat cultivar developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators, could give growers an added measure of insurance against outbreaks of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV).
Calibre Macro World – 12/04/2007, 09:44 am
According to ARS plant geneticist Robert Graybosch, Mace harbors a gene called Wsm-1 that confers resistance to the virus, which is spread by the wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella.

Land of the lost
Columbus Dispatch – 12/04/2007, 08:57 am
A plant called Canby's mountain-lover grows on a ridge here in Adams County. Each one is a clone. On this ridge in this preserve, the plants spread only when rhizomes branch off the roots of existing plants and grow into new, genetically identical plants.

Affect of global warming on food supply might be worse than thought
Webindia123 – 12/04/2007, 07:18 am
New reports indicate that the affects of global warming on the world''s food supply could be worse than previously thought. According to three new scientific reports, global agriculture, already predicted to be stressed by climate change in coming decades, could go into steep, unanticipated declines in some regions due to complications that scientists have so far inadequately considered.

What lies beneath: growth of root cells remarkably dynamic, study finds
Checkbiotech – 12/04/2007, 06:40 am
Using sophisticated video imaging techniques, a team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor Simon Gilroy captured the growth of tiny extensions of individual root cells, called root hairs.

Jamaica Bay's marsh reality
New York Daily News – 12/04/2007, 00:46 am
The decaying marsh islands of Jamaica Bay are coming back to life - plant by plant, at significant effort and expense.

DuPont Joint Venture with Chinese Biotech Firm Strengthens Gene Discovery Research Efforts
Genetic Engineering News – 12/03/2007, 16:09 pm
DuPont and Beijing Weiming Kaituo Agriculture Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (BWK) today announced the formation of a joint venture to accelerate the discovery of genes for high value agronomic traits such as stress tolerance and efficient nutrient utilization to improve the performance of important crops for farmers in China and throughout the world.

Green algae open door to producing healthier food
AgProfessional – 12/03/2007, 21:13 pm
Genes and proteins from a common ancestor, which were lost to plants and animals as they evolved, are retained in Chlamydomonas, tiny green algae that live in ponds and soil.

Gympie claws lead on weed
Gympie Times – 12/03/2007, 16:56 pm
IN an Australian first, Gympie Landcare is mass-rearing a biological control agent that will help manage the cat s claw creeper a vigorous climber that smothers native vegetation.

Climate change, water sharing could damage Great Lakes
Environmental Expert – 12/03/2007, 13:36 pm
Midwesterners might be known for their manners, but when it comes to sharing water, they have some issues. As climate change affects the Great Lakes, it's important to ensure the fresh water bodies are protected from being pillaged by dry parts of the country, a report released by the National Wildlife Federation on Tuesday concluded.

Exploring sea water chemistry for farming
DAWN Group – 12/03/2007, 08:14 am
WATER is a finite and vulnerable resource. Therefore, protection and sustainability of this resource has become imperative. The worth of water further increases in a country like that of ours where 93 per cent of it is consumed in agriculture against 69 per cent used at global level.

Growth in the trees
Checkbiotech – 12/03/2007, 07:39 am
Stem cells in plants and animals have many characteristics in common. Human stem cells form the various organs, and plants also have their own stem cells that are responsible for the growth of the plant and the formation of various structures.

Reaping a revolution
The Battalion Texas AM – 12/03/2007, 06:46 am
Agricultural scientist, father of the Green Revolution, humanitarian and Nobel laureate; this is just a small subset of the titles that can be applied to Norman Borlaug.

U of A grad gets big scoop on beetle poop
Edmonton Journal – 12/03/2007, 05:44 am
EDMONTON -- For most people, the prospect of collecting and sorting through piles of bug excrement is an experience best left to contestants on Fear Factor.

Transgenics Stretching 'Corn Belt' Boundaries
Truth About Trade – 12/03/2007, 05:38 am
The rapid commercialization and acceptance of transgenic corn hybrids-- with multiple genetic traits to combat insects and diseases-- is transforming the geographic definition of the Corn Belt.

Invasive Species Threaten Mauritius, Land of Dodo
Planet Ark – 12/03/2007, 00:08 am
PORT LOUIS - Three centuries after the dodo's demise, the rich plant and animal life of Mauritius is still under threat, this time from exploding populations of non-native species such as Chinese guavas and Malagasy geckos.

Scientists revamp cultivated potato relationships
ScienceDaily – 12/01/2007, 13:18 pm
'One potato, two potato, three potato, four' turns out to be exactly right - when classifying cultivated potatoes, that is.Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the International Potato Center (CIP) have used morphology--the outward appearance of a plant--in combination with molecular markers to revise the number of potato species from seven to four.

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