Tag Archives: gene

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

Scuba rice: biotech crop on a fast track towards release

Posted on May 25, 2014 by argylesock

A new biotech rice variety called Scuba or Swarna-Sub1 is going through field trials in India. It’s a long-grained rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) designed to be ‘climate-ready’ or ‘climate-smart’. That is, it’s designed to grow well as climates … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer, weather and climate | Tagged Africa, Asia, backcrossing, biotechnology, breeding, climate, climate-ready crop, crop diversity, crop variety, Department for International Development, development, farmer, field trial, flood, gene, grain, International Rice Research Institute, marker assisted backcrossing, marker assisted selection, paddy field, plant_monocot, research, rice, rice Swarna, Scuba rice, seed, selective breeding, staple food, trade, weather | 6 Comments

FAO launches new standards for plant genebanks

Posted on February 2, 2014 by argylesock

Plant diversity is essential in so many ways. So it’s good to learn that the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced ‘voluntary, international standards for the many repositories – or genebanks – around the world that store … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture | Tagged biodiversity, conservation, crop, crop diversity, crop variety, food, food security, fruit variety, gene, genebank, genetic diversity, local variety, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, rare variety, seed, seedbank | Leave a comment

A pest aphid which nicotine doesn’t kill

Posted on December 15, 2013 by argylesock

Three of the pesticides called neonics (neonicotinoids) are under a temporary ban here in Europe. It’s because there’s evidence that they kill bees. Of course bee-killing isn’t the reason neonics were used, and still are used in several countries. They’re … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, horticulture | Tagged aphid, arthropod, Europe, evolution, gene, hemipteran, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, insecticide, insecticide resistance, law, neonicotinoid, pest, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, research, tobacco, virus, virus transmission, wild bee | 3 Comments

Rice after Haiyan

Posted on November 13, 2013 by argylesock

A few days after Typhoon Haiyan flattened most of the Philippines, the horror is very present. Emergency help is too little, too late for many people. Some blame climate change. Some think the disaster is being used as an excuse to … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged academia, access to food, aid, Asia, biotechnology, climate, development, food, gene, genetic modification, Golden Rice, grain, human, International Rice Research Institute, nutrition, plant_monocot, research, rice, staple food, trade, weather | 2 Comments

Monsanto completes acquisition of The Climate Corporation

Posted on November 3, 2013 by argylesock

Monsanto announced this week that it has acquired The Climate Corporation. Here’s Monsanto’s press release. Both of these companies are based in the United States but operate worldwide. Monsanto is about seeds, traits (genes and characteristics) and herbicides (weedkillers). You … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged biotechnology, corn, crop, crop variety, data, farmer, finance, gene, grain, herbicide, legume, maize, Monsanto, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, seed, soya, sustainable, technology, trade, weather, wheat | 3 Comments

Pest evolves better resistance to insecticidal GM crops

Posted on September 21, 2013 by argylesock

A few days ago I reblogged a post about genetically modified (GM, also called genetically engineered, GE) crops. I said that in my opinion, my fellow blogger Nasir Butt at Agriculture Information Bank sounds a little bit naïve in that … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged arthropod, biotechnology, Bt crop, Bt toxin, corn, DNA, evolution, gene, genetic modification, grain, insect, insecticide, insecticide resistance, knowledge, lepidopteran, maize, millet, Monsanto, moth, pearl millet, pest, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_monocot, research, sorghum, stalk borer, staple food | 3 Comments

In Oregon, The GMO Wheat Mystery Deepens

Posted on July 20, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Paper to Use:
Source: The strange case of genetically engineered wheat on a farm in Oregon remains as mysterious as ever. If anything, it’s grown more baffling. As we reported almost two months ago, the presence of…

Posted in agriculture, money and trade | Tagged America, biotechnology, crop, gene, genetic modification, glyphosate, grain, herbicide, herbicide resistance, Monsanto, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_monocot, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, trade, wheat | Leave a comment

It’s not natural! Intensive farming, synthetic food and synthetic genes

Posted on June 20, 2013 by argylesock

Is it natural? Whatever ‘it’ might be. We live in a world where genes are synthesised routinely and synthetic food isn’t far away. I don’t think there’s much point even asking about ‘natural’ any more. The US Supreme Court has … Continue reading →

Posted in knowledge transfer | Tagged biotechnology, DNA, farm, food, food quality, gene, genetic modification, intensive, laboratory, law, livestock, meat, research, welfare | 1 Comment

Sorting Out Patent Law

Posted on June 15, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Global Food Politics:
A Three-Dimensional Rendering of a DNA Spiral The US Supreme Court last week handed down an important decision governing the expanded use of patents in recent years. The Court’s decision, issued in the case…

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged biotechnology, crop, gene, genetic modification, genome, human, law, patent, plant_dicot, plant_monocot | Leave a comment