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U.S. regulators allow GM cotton as human food source

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Washington | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein-packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s
Crops

World’s oldest bread found at prehistoric site in Jordan

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Washington | Reuters — Charred remains of a flatbread baked about 14,500 years ago in a stone fireplace at a site in northeastern Jordan have given researchers a delectable surprise: people began making bread, a vital staple food, millennia before they developed agriculture. No matter how you slice it, the discovery detailed on Monday shows
A new genetic study could make quinoa more consumer friendly over time.
Cereals, News

Genetic study may make ancient Inca’s quinoa a grain of the future

The findings could pave the way to breeding out the bitter saponins that must currently be washed off post-harvest

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Quinoa, the sacred “mother grain” of the ancient Inca civilization suppressed by Spanish conquistadors, could become an increasingly important food source in the future thanks to genetic secrets revealed in a new study. Scientists on Feb. 7 said they have mapped the genome of quinoa and identified a gene that could be manipulated to get
Crops

Scientists peel back carrot’s genetic secrets

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Reuters — Scientists have gotten to the root of the carrot, genetically speaking. Researchers said Monday they have sequenced the genome of the carrot, an increasingly important root crop worldwide, identifying genes responsible for traits including the vegetable’s abundance of vitamin A, an important nutrient for vision. The genome may point to ways to improve
A special type of photosynthesis called CAM allows pineapples to grow on marginal land with up to 80 per cent less water than most food crops.

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Unlocking pineapple’s genetic secrets

Engineering crops like wheat to use the pineapple’s method of photosynthesis could dramatically boost its drought tolerance

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The pineapple, the tropical fruit enjoyed by people worldwide in slices, chunks, juice, upside-down cakes, piña coladas, glazed ham and pizza, is finally giving up its genetic secrets. Scientists say they have sequenced the genome of the pineapple, learning about the genetic underpinning of the plant’s drought tolerance and special form of photosynthesis. The genome
Scientists simulated higher CO2 levels in open-air fields using a system known as Free Air Concentration Enrichment (FACE), which pumps out, monitors and adjusts ground-level CO2 in the air to simulate future conditions.
Crops, Did you know?, News

Rising CO2 levels may cut nutrient levels in crops, study finds

Wheat and rice were lower in zinc, iron and protein at higher levels of CO2

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Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may cut the nutritional quality of some of the world’s most important food crops, researchers reported May 7 after conducting experiments simulating conditions expected by mid-century. The amounts of two important nutrients, zinc and iron, were found to be lower in wheat, rice, soybeans and field peas
Crops, Weather

Rising CO2 levels may cut nutrient levels in crops: study

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Washington | Reuters — Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere may cut the nutritional quality of some of the world’s most important food crops, researchers reported Wednesday after conducting experiments simulating conditions expected by mid-century. The amounts of two important nutrients, zinc and iron, were found to be lower in wheat, rice,
Crops

Scientists make ethanol without corn or other crops

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Washington | Reuters — Scientists said Wednesday they have developed a new way to make liquid ethanol efficiently without using corn or other crops needed in the conventional method for producing the biofuel. The scientists said their process turns carbon monoxide gas into liquid ethanol with the help of an electrode made of a form
Cereals, News

Sorghum gene map could lead to improved crops

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Scientists have deciphered the genetic makeup of sorghum, a drought-tolerant crop and important food and biofuel source, and said the breakthrough could help develop better crops for arid regions. Sorghum is one of the world’s leading cereals, along with corn, wheat, oats and barley, and can thrive in hot, dry conditions other crops cannot tolerate.

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