Nematode odors offer possible advantage in the battle against insect pests

Nematode odors offer possible advantage in the battle against insect pests

Gardeners commonly use nematodes to naturally get rid of harmful soil-dwelling insects. A new study published today in the journal Functional Ecologyrevealed that these insect-killing nematodes also produce distinctive chemical cues, which deter Colorado potato beetles and make potato leaves less palatable to them.

The paper mulberry coevolved with soil microbes to humanity's benefit

The paper mulberry coevolved with soil microbes to humanity's benefit

The paper mulberry evolved its uniquely fibrous inner bark around 31 million years ago, long before the woody tree was first used for bookmaking during China's Tang dynasty.

Future of US citrus may hinge on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food

Future of US citrus may hinge on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food

A tiny insect, no bigger than the head of a pin, is threatening to topple the multibillion-dollar citrus industry in the U.S. by infecting millions of acres of orchards with an incurable bacterium called citrus greening disease.

Machine learning detects importance of land stewardship in conservation policy

A machine-learning algorithm finds success in cooperative forest management policies that allow greater autonomy by smallholder farmers.

At the southern tip of the Himalayas, farmers in the Kangra region of India's Himachal Pradesh graze cattle among rolling hills and forests.

GM seed use has exploded in India: Socially motivated decisions

A cotton packer and her son rest between shifts compressing cotton into 200 kilogram bales at a cotton gin on the outskirts of Warangal, Telangana. Many former farmers are migrating to cities where they can make higher wages and find new opportunities, but the city also has higher costs of living and fewer ties to family and friends

Suicide rates among Indian farmers remain high, accounting for more than 12,500 deaths in the country in 2015, according to a government report. While many have blamed climate change for farmers' distress, the issue is likely much more complex.

Tracking pollen with quantum dots

Tracking pollen with quantum dots

A pollination biologist from Stellenbosch University in South Africa is using quantum dots to track the fate of individual pollen grains.

Ethiopia Gets Its Teff Back

Men and women harvest the Ethiopian staple grain teff in a roadside field between Axum and Adwa in Northern Ethiopia

The Ethiopian government is celebrating a major victory in a long-running dispute over who owns the patent for products made from teff - an ancient grain that forms the basis of Ethiopia's staple food, injera.

Surprise findings turn up the temperature on the study of vernalization

Surprise findings turn up the temperature on the study of vernalization

Researchers have uncovered new evidence about the agriculturally important process of vernalization in a development that could help farmers deal with financially damaging weather fluctuations.

Insects crave salt and search grasslands for the limiting nutrient

The OU team conducted 54 experiments in both grazed and ungrazed grasslands from Texas to Minnesota.

A University of Oklahoma team from the Geographical Ecology Group has published a new study in the journal Ecology on the nutritional preferences of diverse insect communities from Texas to Minnesota.

‘We will ensure that members get loan for wet season farming’

Newly elected President of National Association for Sorghum Producers and Processors Exporters and Marketers (NASPPEM), Alhaji Muhammad Babayo Maina

‘We will ensure that members get loan for wet season farming’

Recently, Foodfarmnews had a chat with the newly elected president of National Association for Sorghum Producers and Processors Exporters and Marketers (NASPPEM), Alhaji Muhammad Babayo Maina where he promised better working conditions for members of his association and much more. Excerpts...