Did you Know Archives - Page 2 of 6

Researchers exchanged soil microbes among alfalfa plants treated with different levels of P.

Study says excess phosphorus may reduce crop yields

Results suggest that excess levels can affect soil microbes

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 9, 2019

Excessive phosphorus fertilizer may do more harm than good for crop yields, say scientists at Penn State University. In a study published in Phytobiomes Journal, a team led by Terrence Bell and Jenny Kao-Kniffin found that soil treated with high amounts of phosphate can result in poorer plant performance and that it appears the soil

The pregnancy rate was 61 per cent for the 50-year-old semen against  59 per cent for a recently frozen sample.

Did you know?, News

Still swimming after 50 years on ice

Ram sperm frozen in 1968 successfully used to impregnate 34 ewes

By University Of Sydney Release April 2, 2019

Semen stored since 1968 in a laboratory in Sydney, Australia has been defrosted and successfully used to impregnate 34 Merino ewes, with the resulting live birth rate as high as sperm frozen for just 12 months. “This demonstrates the clear viability of long-term frozen storage of semen. The results show that fertility is maintained despite

A samurai wasp lays an egg inside a brown marmorated stink bug egg. The samurai wasp’s offspring will develop inside the pest’s egg and emerge as an adult wasp. PHOTO: WARREN WONG, SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Did you know?, News

Biocontrols often also invasive

They seem to be being unintentionally introduced  the same way their prey is

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff March 19, 2019

Regulatory limits to the introduction of biocontrols like parasitic wasps may prove to be a moot point. They could already be being unintentionally released into Canada along with their prey. Paul Abram, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has been looking for native predators for the brown marmorated stink bug, a pest introduced to B.C. in

It isn’t just differences in climate and geology, but also the availability of symbiotes such as the mycorrhizal fungus, that influence plant diversity at different locations, for example here on the dry east coast of Tenerife.

Did you know?, News, Other

Fungi fight plants

These symbiotes are also sometimes screens when it comes to establishing plant ranges

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff March 13, 2019

Fungi can help plants thrive — but it turns out they can also filter them out. That’s according to new research from an international team of researchers led by Germany’s University of Göttingen. The results appeared in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. For example, in the colonization of islands by plant species, it isn’t

Wood frog embryos can suffer from exposure to cold, changing the biological nature of these amphibians for better or worse.

Did you know?, News, Other

Colder cold snaps under climate change?

The downside of climate change could have a  bigger-than-expected effect on nature

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff March 5, 2019

When it comes to global warming, it would appear the effect of cold temperature variability is being severely underestimated. A team of researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York, say public attention often focuses on the effect of rising average temperatures. The researchers discovered that cold temperatures make amphibians more susceptible to road

Soybeans are among a small handful of crops that are dominating global agriculture, and that’s not a good development for sustainable agriculture, says U of T environmental scientist Adam Martin.

Did you know?, News

A very small number of crops are dominating globally

This concentration is coming as farms become larger and more industrial everywhere

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff February 27, 2019

A new University of Toronto study suggests that globally we’re growing more of the same kinds of crops, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability. The study, done by an international team of researchers led by U of T assistant professor, Adam Martin, used data from the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to

Harbans Bariana, of the Sydney Institute of Agriculture, with wheat plants in a greenhouse.

Did you know?, News

Harvesting wild genes boosts resistance

A new method promises to make finding and using these genes much easier and faster

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff February 20, 2019

A global alliance of researchers has pioneered a new method to rapidly recruit disease-resistance genes from wild plants for transfer into domestic crops. The technique promises to revolutionize the development of disease-resistant varieties. The technique called AgRenSeq was developed by scientists at the John Innes Centre in Britain working with colleagues in Australia and the

Prairie strips, seen here across a hill slope, slow down water and allow it to soak into the soil, reducing erosion. The plants also provide important wildlife habitat.

Did you know?, News

Prairie strips pack big benefit

Carefully siting natural habitat on a farm can more than offset the small losses from setting land aside

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff February 12, 2019

Modern agriculture’s large monoculture fields grow a lot of grain. The outputs can be measured both in dollars paid in the market and also in non-market costs, known as externalities. Soil, nutrients, groundwater, pollinators, wildlife diversity, and habitat (among other things) can be lost when crop yields are maximized. Now it appears that prairie strips

Technology will have to be balanced against ethics when it comes to ‘smart farming,’ according to British researchers.

Did you know?, News

Responsible innovation key to ‘smart farming’

Researchers urge counting all the benefits and costs of new technology

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff January 29, 2019

Responsible innovation that considers the wider impacts on society is key to smart farming, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Agriculture is undergoing a technology revolution supported by policy-makers around the world. While smart technologies will play an important role in achieving improved productivity, critics have suggested that consideration of the

Australian researchers have discovered a new barley compound.

Did you know?, News

New barley polysaccharide identified

A new barley compound could have a myriad of uses and even agronomic benefits

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff January 22, 2019

Australian researchers have discovered a new complex carbohydrate in barley, the first polysaccharide of its kind found in more than 30 years. Polysaccharides are a carbohydrate whose molecules consist of a number of sugar molecules bonded together. The material has the potential to be used for many applications in food, medicine and cosmetics. The research

Alberta crop conditions improve: report

U.S. grains: Corn sets contract lows on expectations for big US crop

U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues

Daily Network News

Alberta crop conditions improve: report

U.S. grains: Corn sets contract lows on expectations for big US crop

U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues

Tag Archives Did you Know — page 2

Study says excess phosphorus may reduce crop yields

Still swimming after 50 years on ice

Biocontrols often also invasive

Fungi fight plants

Colder cold snaps under climate change?

A very small number of crops are dominating globally

Harvesting wild genes boosts resistance

Prairie strips pack big benefit

Responsible innovation key to ‘smart farming’

New barley polysaccharide identified

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