Did you Know Archives - Manitoba Co-operator

Farm abandonment, like these remnants of a Soviet-era collective farm seen here in the Kursk region of Russia, led to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Communist collapse had green lining

Post-Soviet food system changes led to greenhouse gas reductions 

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff July 10, 2019

Changes in agriculture, trade, food production and consumption after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a new study has found. From 1991 to 2011, there was a net emissions reduction of 7.61 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalents — the same as one-quarter of the CO2

Researchers now say there’s scant evidence chicken is healthier  than red meat.

Did you know?, News

Beef and pork healthy choices too

Researchers say there’s no correlation between meat choice and blood cholesterol levels

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 25, 2019

Chicken consumption has soared in recent years due to a presumption that it’s a healthier choice, but researchers now say that might not be so. The assumption is that poultry, due to its lower levels of saturated fatty acids, would contribute to lower blood cholesterol levels. Two recent clinical trials, from the Lawrence Berkeley National

In rare instances, certain variations of the virus can infect people and cause serious illness.

Did you know?, News

Edit avian flu out of chicken genes

New research suggests it could be possible to halt the bird flu virus in chickens

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 18, 2019

Scientists have used gene-editing techniques to stop the bird flu virus from spreading in chicken cells grown in the lab. The findings raise the possibility of producing gene-edited chickens that are resistant to the disease. Researchers prevented the virus from taking hold by deleting a section of chicken DNA inside lab-grown cells. The next step

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).

Did you know?, News

Fruit-eating bug marches west

It’s been a familiar sight in Manitoba for a while,  and now seems set on new horizons

By James Tansey Saskatchewan Ministry Of Agriculture June 4, 2019

A pest that has targeted strawberries and other soft fruits in Manitoba could be headed west. The spotted wing drosophila, which is thought to have come from southeast Asia, has been spotted in Manitoba in small numbers. SWD’s presence in Alberta and British Columbia suggests Saskatchewan may be the bug’s next home. SWD is an

Japanese researchers studied the effect of Sago palm root extracts on nitrogen-producing bacteria.

Did you know?, News

Plant signals trigger remarkable bacterial transformation

Nostoc bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia for the Sago palm

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff May 21, 2019

A recent Japanese study has shown that extracts from the Sago palm stimulated nitrogen-producing bacterial transformation. Researchers hope that better understanding of the system could someday lead to more efficient, less fertilizer-dependent agricultural production. The cycad Cycas revolute, or Sago palm, is a palm-like plant that grows on rocky coastal cliffs in the subtropics and

A map shows the distribution of manure-rich cultivated areas. The green spots demonstrate the areas with the most potential for phosphorus recycling.

Did you know?, News, Other

Manure map raises recycling hopes

A study shows potential for farmers to reclaim phosphorus fertilizer

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff May 14, 2019

A New Jersey university is mapping the world’s manure in an effort to jump-start a movement to recycle phosphorus. In the April 2019 issue of Earth’s Future, a research team from Stevens Institute of Technology mapped the journey of phosphorus from soil to crops, to livestock and humans, and eventually into sewers and landfills. This

Blackpoll warblers (male top, female bottom) fly up to 10,700 km between their winter and summer homes.

Did you know?, News, Other

Back from South America for the summer

Warblers fly from Churchill to the Carolinas, then non-stop over the ocean for 2-1/2 days

By University Of Guelph May 7, 2019

University of Guelph biologists have tracked an annual migration of up to 20,000 kilometres made by the 12-gram blackpoll warbler, one of the fastest declining songbirds in North America. The bird’s trek between its breeding grounds in the central and western boreal forest of North America and its winter home in the Amazon Basin is

Dr. Alex Wu performing research in the field.

Did you know?, News

University researchers model photosynthesis

They say it’s an important window into this crucial biological process and how it affects crop yields

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 30, 2019

In the next two decades, crop yields need to increase dramatically to feed the growing global population. Wouldn’t it be incredibly useful if we had a crystal ball to show us what are the best strategies available to increase crop yields? A team of scientists have just developed exactly that: a dynamic model that predicts

Kochia or tumbleweeds can spread across fields by the tumbling action and get caught in fencelines. This is an example of landscape-scale weed spread issues.

Did you know?, News, Other

It takes a village to stop weeds

Researchers say the community nature of the problem of invasive weeds hasn’t been adequately incorporated into control efforts

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 24, 2019

Invasive weeds are a problem that defies solution, and only seems to get worse. That’s because they’re a community problem that cross property boundaries, according to weed scientist Muthu Bagavathiannan, of Texas A&M. Finding a real solution will involve recognizing the nature of weeds as a community problem, and managing them accordingly, he and other

This corncob is infected with Aspergillus.

Did you know?, News

Fungus vs. fungus

Non-harmful native fungus could supplant ones that cause harmful toxins

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 16, 2019

It’s not good when a fungus contaminates crops. Safe native fungi, however, show promise in the fight against toxic fungal contamination. One such harmful fungus is Aspergillus flavus, which can infect several crops, including corn, other cereal crops and some legumes. Some varieties, or strains, of A. flavus produce aflatoxins. Aflatoxin contamination costs farmers billions

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rise on first WASDE since September

U.S. export sales include only small soybean business to China

U.S. corn and soybean yields revised down by USDA

Tag Archives Did you Know

Communist collapse had green lining

Beef and pork healthy choices too

Edit avian flu out of chicken genes

Fruit-eating bug marches west

Plant signals trigger remarkable bacterial transformation

Manure map raises recycling hopes

Back from South America for the summer

University researchers model photosynthesis

It takes a village to stop weeds

Fungus vs. fungus

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