New portable DNA sequencer quickly and accurately diagnoses wheat viruses

Blasts cause significant loses in wheat crops. Recently Bangladesh was devastated by an invasion of South American races of wheat blast fungus, which occurred for the first time in the country in 2016. The disease spread to an estimated 15,000 hectares (16% of cultivated wheat area in the country) and resulted in yield losses as high as 100%.

Organic seeds: Practitioners challenge researchers

Practitioners  of organic agriculture in Nigeria has charged the research institutes in the country to intensify on generation of more organic seeds for farmers in view of the high demand for organically grown foods in the international markets. This position was taken at the recently concluded roundtable business summit on organic farming held in Abuja.

Are humans changing animal genetic diversity worldwide?

Human population density and land use is causing changes in animal genetic diversity, according to researchers at McGill University.

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.