Scientists enhance color and texture of cultured meat

A team of Tufts University-led researchers exploring the development of cultured meat found that the addition of the iron-carrying protein myoglobin improves the growth, texture and color of bovine muscle grown from cells in culture. This development is a step toward the ultimate goal of growing meat from livestock animal cells for human consumption.

Bacterial arsenic efflux genes enabled plants to transport boron efficiently

Stubby roots, brittle branches, poor fertility -- these are some of the symptoms which can occur in the case of boron deficiency in plants. Thanks to transport proteins called Nodulin26-like-intrinsic-proteins (NIPs), modern seed plants can efficiently take up and distribute this essential micronutrient.

FMARD PS posted out

The Permanent Secretary (PS), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar has been posted out of the ministry to another one that is yet to be ascertained at the time of sending this news.

FACAN backs border closure, plans sustainable preservation facilities

The President of Federation Agricultural Commodity Associations (FACAN) Dr. Victor Iyama has thrown his weight behind the Federal Government (FG) partial land borders closure saying effort is being geared towards efficient food storage facilities that will enhance more farmers’ productivity with effective preservation against wastages.

How rat-eating monkeys help keep palm oil plants alive

Found as an ingredient in many processed and packaged foods, palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 21 have discovered an unlikely ally for palm oil production: pig-tailed macaques.

Unexpected outcomes: Damages to Puerto Rican coffee farms from Hurricane Maria varied

University of Michigan ecologists Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer have studied Latin American coffee farms for a quarter century, and they tracked the recovery of tropical forests in Nicaragua following 1988's Hurricane Joan for nearly 20 years.

Transgenic cowpea: FG officially approves commercialization

The Federal Government (FG) through her National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crops Varieties has approved registration and release of a new Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea variety for commercialization. This was contained in a press statement jointly released by the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Zamaru.

Let organically grown food be included in school feeding programme-Prof. Olowe

The President, Association of Organic agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN) Prof. Victor Olowe has advocated for the inclusion of organically grown food to be injected in the Federal Government (FG) home school feeding programme for the purpose of healthy living of our children. He made this statement at a national roundtable discussion on organic held in Abuja yesterday.

Land restoration in Ethiopia pays off but climate change necessitates many strategies

In the last decade, Ethiopia has invested more than US$1.2 billion annually in restoring landscapes in several regions of the country. But despite its big restoration initiatives, Africa's second-most populous country is still insufficiently tracking how projects have helped to recover and boost ecosystem services, a new study shows.

Stakeholders call for soil policy against erosion

 

The Stakeholders in the Agricultural sector have called for the enactment of national soil policy that will give sufficient protection to soil maintenance and its sustainability for food security in view of unabated increasing population towards year 2050.   This position was taken during the 2019 World Soil Day celebration with the theme: “Stop Soil Erosion. Save our Future”.