Redistributing Phosphorus Would Eliminate Feared Shortages: Study

Fears of a global shortage of phosphate fertilizer could be allayed if phosphorus use were distributed more evenly throughout the world, according to new research. Reducing phosphorus (P) fertilizer applications in some regions and increasing them in others would create an adequate balance for everyone, according to a recently published paper by a McGill University

Avoid Purchasing Lottery Tickets For Minors

This holiday season, some well-meaning family members may consider buying lottery tickets and scratch cards as affordable, colourful and potentially promising gift options for the children and teens on their list. McGill University researchers, the National Council on Problem Gambling and some Canadian and U.S. lotteries are working together to ask families to reconsider purchasing


Does Meat Bring Out The Beast In Us?

MCGILL UNIVERSITY RELEASE Frank Kachanoff was surprised. He thought the sight of meat on the table would make people more aggressive, not less. After all, don’t football coaches feed their players big hunks of red meat before a game in hopes of pumping them up? And what about our images of a grunting or growling

In Brief… – for Sep. 16, 2010

Few hail claims seen Hail activity remained relatively low in Manitoba with fewer than 200 new claims in the past two weeks, the Canadian Crop Hail Association said Friday. The province’s claim total for the season is now near 2,600, the hail insurers’ group said. Most claims in the past two weeks followed storms Sept.


Health And Agriculture Need Joint Strategy: Capi

Linking agriculture and health policy could improve Canadians’ health and, at the same time, revive this country’s agricultural sector, says a new report released by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). Canada’s health crisis, a result of rising rates of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases and the farm income crisis could be tackled by what

Boosting Legume Nitrogen Fix

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, and Becker Underwood, Ames, Iowa, have signed a commercial licensing agreement granting Becker Underwood exclusive rights to patented nitrogen-fixing technology developed by a team of McGill researchers. Becker Underwood is a developer, marketer and producer of bioagronomic products for agriculture. Legumes such as soybeans, peanuts, peas, lentils and alfalfa form symbiotic


Oversold Biotech Hurts Plant Breeders

“Breeding has been hijacked by biotech’s bio-bulls–t.” – BRIAN ROSSNAGEL Misplaced hype over biotechnology is making it harder to garner research dollars for good, old-fashioned plant breeding, a plant breeder with the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre says. “Breeding has been hijacked by biotech’s bio-bulls–t,” Brian Rossnagel told the Prairie Grain Development Committee’s annual

Pulses Need A Hollywood Image

Pulses pack a mighty punch with their nutrition and health benefits, but like a poorly understood superhero, they can’t get any respect, nutritional experts lamented here last week. In fact, as incomes rise in countries that have traditionally leaned heavily on dietary pulses, consumers abandon them in favour of diets less conducive to good health.