An international team of scientists has cracked the genetic code of the domesticated tomato and its wild ancestor, an achievement which should help breeders identify the genes needed to develop tastier and more nutritious varieties. The full genome sequence of a tomato breed known as Heinz 1706, and a draft sequence for its closest wild
Tomato genome project bears fruit
Genetic Analysis Shows E. Coli Strain Is New, Highly Infectious
Ahighly infectious new strain of E. coli bacteria is causing a deadly outbreak of food poisoning that is spreading from Germany across Europe, scientists said on June 2, raising alarm bells worldwide. Experts in China, part of a global network of laboratories racing to understand the sickness that has so far killed 17 people, said
Foot-and-mouth study suggests culls may be reduced
Scientists studying foot-and-mouth disease have found that cattle with the virus are infectious for only a very short time — suggesting that mass culling previously used to reduce the disease’s spread may in future be avoided. In research published in the journal Science on Thursday, scientists found that even if the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus
Gene Codes Cracked For Strawberries And Chocolate
Teams of scientists have cracked the genetic codes of the wild strawberry and a certain type of cacao used to make fine chocolate, work that should help breeders develop better varieties of more mainstream crops. The wild strawberry is closely related to important food crops such as apples, peaches, pears and raspberries, as well as
Editors’ Picks: These GM chickens don’t spread bird flu
(Reuters) –– British scientists have developed genetically modified (GM) chickens that cannot transmit bird flu infections — a step that in future could reduce the risk of avian flu spreading and causing deadly epidemics in humans. Scientists from Cambridge and Edinburgh universities said that while the transgenic chickens still got sick and died when they
Fungus Gene Map Offers Hope Against Cereal Disease
Scientists may be able to find new ways to tackle plant diseases after discovering how a fungus attacks barley, a staple around the world and a main ingredient in brewing and malting. In a study in the journalScience on Dec. 9, researchers from Imperial College London said they had decoded the gene map of Blumeria,
Cold Fronts Linked To Bird Flu Outbreaks
Outbreaks of H5N1 flu among birds in Europe came at the edges of cold fronts that caused wild birds to change migration patterns, scientists said April 8, suggesting cold snaps may signal future outbreaks. Dutch and American researchers found European outbreaks of avian influenza during the 2005-06 winter were driven by collective movements of wild
Gene Transfer Can Help Fight Pests
An international team of scientists has managed to transfer disease resistance from one plant family to another, offering broader protection from potentially costly and destructive pests. A team led by Cyril Zipfel at Britain’s Sainsbury Laboratory found that transferring a single gene from a wild plant to disease-susceptible crop plants made them more robust against
New Program To Combat Animal Disease
Animal diseases like African swine fever and goat plague are jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions in poor nations and could take hold in Europe unless the fight against them is stepped up, scientists said Feb. 15. Researchers from the Britain’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) said deadly and debilitating animal diseases are rampant
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
