Tag Archives: plant_dicot

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

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

Owen Paterson wants Roundup Ready crops in England

Posted on July 2, 2014 by argylesock

Helen Wallace at GeneWatch UK tells us that a committee within our UK Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, headed by Owen Paterson), hopes to see Roundup Ready crops on English farms. Those are genetically modified (GM, genetically … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food | Tagged biotechnology, corn, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, development, Europe, feed, food loss, food security, fruit, genetic modification, glyphosate, grain, grocery, herbicide, herbicide resistance, law, livestock, local food, maize, maize GA21, maize NK603, Paterson_Owen, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, precision farming, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, soya, supermarket, sustainable, technology, trade, vegetable, weather, yield | 6 Comments

Cocoa prices are surging, but cocoa farmers are still making a pittance

Posted on June 24, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… Chocolate tastes so good, but it’s not so sweet for the smallholders who grow it. You can scroll down for info about other tropical commodity crops.

Posted in agriculture, money and trade | Tagged cacao, cash crop, coffee, commodity crop, farmer, palm oil, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, rubber, shrub, smallholder, sugar cane, trade, tree | 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

Comparison of agriculture in North America and Europe raises questions about the value of GM

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AgScience:
Researchers led by Canterbury University Professor Jack Heinemann have announced further findings that challenge the benefits of genetic modification. This time their analysis deals with agricultural productivity. They report finding (see here) that the biotechnologies used…

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, Asia, biotechnology, crop, development, Europe, food security, genetic modification, law, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, research, staple food, trade, Walport_Mark, yield | 3 Comments

Green light for GM?

Posted on June 21, 2014 by argylesock

Steve Connor at the Independent told us, three months ago, of advice to our UK Government about genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) crops. Our Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Prof Sir Mark Walport, led a team advising that Britain, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, biotechnology, breeding, crop, development, Europe, farmer, food security, genetic modification, law, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, population, research, selective breeding, smallholder, sustainable, trade, Walport_Mark | 3 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

Steve Marsh to appeal GM canola contamination case

Posted on June 20, 2014 by argylesock

Steve Marsh is a Western Australian farmer who sued his neighbour Michael Baxter for ‘reckless’ harvesting of GM (genetically modified, genetically engineered) canola (oilseed rape, rapeseed, Brassica napus). Some GM canola seeds ended up on Mr Marsh’s land. Mr Marsh … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture | Tagged Asia, biotechnology, brassica, canola, crop, escaping transgene, farmer, genetic modification, law, Marsh_Steve, Monsanto, oilseed, organic, plant_dicot, rapeseed, Roundup Ready crop, seed | Leave a comment