Banana disease boosted by climate change
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCLIMATE CHANGE has raised the risk of a fungal disease that ravages banana crops, new research shows. Black Sigatoka disease emerged from Asia in the late 20th Century and has recently completed its invasion of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. The new study, by the University of Exeter, says changes to moisture […]
ISAAA appoints M’sian as global coordinator
Reading Time: 6 minutesBY JOSEPH MASILAMANY PETALING JAYA: Malaysian science journalist, Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan was overwhelmed by mixed feelings when informed of her new role as global coordinator for the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). Describing her as a world renowned science communicator, ISAAA’s news portal Crop Biotech Update announced the appointment on May 2. In an immediate reaction to the announcement, Mahaletchumy popularly known as Maha in […]
Is a gene-edited animal a drug?
Reading Time: 5 minutesBY DR ALISON VAN EENENNAAM WE eat mutations every day. All the vegetables, grains, fruits and meat humans consume as part of their diet is jam-packed with DNA speckled with mutations and beneficial variations. In 2017, the United States Food and Drug Administration proposed to regulate a specific subset of these variations as drugs: in […]
Chinese expertise to lend sting to S’wak’s stingless bee industry
Reading Time: 2 minutesKUCHING: The Borneo state of Sarawak is looking across the South China Sea to lend more “sting” to its stingless bee industry. The popularity of honey from stingless bee, or kelulut, has since recent decades gained traction globally, as it is believed that honey from kelulut contains several health benefits. The state’s Deputy Chief Minister […]
Nigeria approves Bt cowpea commercialisation
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCOWPEA, also known as kacang tunggak in Malay may not be a key crop in Malaysia, but the Indians have long been using it in curry and vadai, the Malays add it in ketupat palas, while the Chinese mix it in stew. Like so many other crops, the cowpea faces threats from insects, fungi, bacteria and viruses. In Nigeria, [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] Maruca pod-borer infestation […]
Researchers find new complex carbohydrate in barley
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUNIVERSITY of Adelaide researchers have discovered a new complex carbohydrate in barley. The first of its kind to be discovered in over 30 years, the cereal polysaccharide has potential applications in food, medicine and cosmetics. The research by the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, has been published in the American Chemistry […]
Scientists rewrite corn domestication story
Reading Time: 4 minutesDrawing on genetic and archaeological evidence, researchers have found that a predecessor of today’s corn plants still bearing many features of its wild ancestor was likely brought to South America from Mexico more than 6,500 years ago. SMITHSONIAN scientists and collaborators are revising the history of one of the world’s most important crops. Drawing on […]
Scientists warns global strike of fall armyworm
Reading Time: 3 minutesKnown to be feeding on many economically important crops, including maize, sugarcane, beet, tomato, potato and cotton, the larvae of the native to the Americas fall armyworm moth already seem to present a huge threat to the world’s yield. SCIENTISTS at Exeter University, United Kingdom looked into the factors and likelihood for the fall armyworm […]
The battle for the future of farming: What you need to know
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY MICHEL PIMBERT Professor and Director, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University & RATANA CHUENPAGDEE Senior Research Fellow, Coventry University IT is widely agreed that today’s global agriculture system is a social and environmental failure. Business as usual is no longer an option: biodiversity loss and nitrogen pollution are exceeding planetary limits, and catastrophic risks of climate change demand immediate action. Most concede that there is an urgent need […]
GM houseplant to keep home’s air clean
Reading Time: 2 minutesWE like to keep the air in our homes as clean as possible, and sometimes we use HEPA air filters to keep offending allergens and dust particles at bay. But some hazardous compounds are too small to be trapped in these filters. Small molecules like chloroform, which is present in small amounts in chlorinated water, or benzene, which is a component of gasoline, build up in […]