Category Archives: horticulture

gardening, gardens and gardeners

Neonic makers might pay for research about neonics on the land

Posted on July 28, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. During the ban our UK Government is welcoming new research. It’s now become known that pesticide manufacturers might fund some of this research. Vested interests! Last year my fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged arthropod, Bayer, brassica, bumblebee, Europe, finance, Heath_David, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, insecticide, law, neonicotinoid, oilseed, Paterson_Owen, pesticide, plant_dicot, pollination, rapeseed, research, seed dressing, Syngenta, Truss_Elizabeth, wild bee, wild pollinator | 7 Comments

A neonic that’s bad news for birds

Posted on July 25, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. One of the banned neonics is called imidacloprid. Six months into the neonic ban, here’s new science about imidacloprid and insect-eating birds in the Netherlands. The chemical and biotech … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged apple, arthropod, Bayer, bird, crop, DDT, ecosystem, Europe, European Food Safety Authority, history, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, insectivore, invertebrate, knowledge, law, pest control, pesticide, plant_dicot, poison, pollution, research, seed, seedling, soil, sugar beet, tomato, vertebrate, water, wildlife | 2 Comments

Hello Ms Truss

Posted on July 15, 2014 by argylesock

Our new UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is Elizabeth Truss. Er… who? She’s been working for improvements to education, very important, yes, but I haven’t seen much to suggest that she knows anything about the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, fish, food, horticulture, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, politics, Truss_Elizabeth | 4 Comments

Goodbye Mr Paterson

Posted on July 15, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Britain, our Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has been Owen Paterson. Not any more! Today, in a Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Paterson’s been sacked. I wonder who’ll take his place. Whoever that person is, I … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, fish, food, horticulture, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Paterson_Owen, politics | Leave a comment

New Séralini study shows Roundup damages sperm

Posted on July 13, 2014 by argylesock

Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini is a French scientist researching pesticides and GM (genetically modified, genetically engineered, GE) crops. He’s published a new study in which rats (Rattus norvegicus) were exposed to the world’s most popular weedkiller, Roundup (active ingredient glyphosate) for … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged academia, America, biotechnology, corn, Europe, farmer, food safety, gardener, genetic modification, glyphosate, grain, grocery, herbicide, herbicide resistance, human, lab animal, maize, maize NK603, mammal, man, Monsanto, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_monocot, poison, rat, research, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, Séralini_Gilles-Eric, vertebrate | 7 Comments

America’s dwindling diversity

Posted on July 13, 2014 by argylesock

Here’s a graphic picture about the range of crop varieties available to farmers and growers in the United States. A range falling and falling between 1903 and 1983. Of course some of the now-extinct varieties will have been weak, but … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, biodiversity, biotechnology, conservation, crop diversity, genetic modification, history | 3 Comments

Syngenta withdraws application to use banned pesticide linked to bee harm

Posted on July 7, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… I’m not sure which neonic Syngenta wants to bring back here in Europe. Maybe all of the three which are temporarily banned: clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. [Edit] Soon after this story broke, I’m feeling cynical about it. Maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture | Tagged arthropod, Bayer, brassica, bumblebee, canola, clothianidin, commodity crop, conservation, crop, Europe, honeybee, hymenopteran, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, law, National Farmers Union, neonicotinoid, oilseed, pesticide, plant_dicot, politics, pollination, rapeseed, seed dressing, sowing, Syngenta, thiamethoxam, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, wild bee | Leave a comment

Biofortified GM bananas

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

James Dale is a scientist at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia). His lab has developed a genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) banana (Musa × paradisiaca) rich in ‘pro-vitamin A’. Here’s the QUT report. This is the ‘super banana’ … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, banana, banana Cavendish, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, biodiversity, biofortification, biotechnology, breeding, carotenoid, child, conservation, cotton, crop diversity, crop variety, development, East African cooking banana, food security, food sovereignty, fruit, fruit variety, gene, gene gun, genetic modification, iron, land grab, local variety, marker assisted backcrossing, micronutrient, Monsanto, nutrition, patent, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, pro-vitamin A, Provit Banana, research, rice, Scuba rice, seed, soya, staple food, super banana, tissue culture, trade, Vitamin A | 2 Comments

Genetic control mechanism developed to deal with major livestock pest

Posted on June 21, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AgScience:
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to control populations of the Australian sheep blowfly – a major livestock pest in Australia and New Zealand – by making female flies dependent on a…

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, antibiotic, antibiotic dependence, arboriculture, arthropod, Asia, Australian sheep blowfly, biotechnology, blowfly, dipteran, Drosophila melanogaster, fruit, fruitfly, genetic modification, insect, invertebrate, lab animal, livestock, mammal, New World screwworm, pest, pest control, plant_dicot, research, sheep, tetracycline, tree, vertebrate | Leave a comment

The new scramble for Africa (part 1)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on ECO-opia:
. With the African continent home to the majority of the world’s fastest-growing economies, urban consumer markets and a wealth of natural resources, it’s perhaps not surprising that some of the world’s largest corporations, from Monsanto…

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged Africa, aid, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Asia, breeding, development, DuPont, Europe, farmer, fertiliser, finance, food security, food sovereignty, G8, history, knowledge, local variety, Monsanto, New Alliance, nutrition, pesticide, politics, prosperity, seed, smallholder, Syngenta, trade, tradition, World Development Movement, Yara | Leave a comment