Greenhouse gas effect caused by mangrove forest conversion is quite significant

Posted 8 CommentsPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

Clear-cutting of tropical mangrove forests to create shrimp ponds and cattle pastures contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas effect, one of the leading causes of global warming, new research suggests. A seven-year study, led by Oregon State University and the Center for International Forestry Research, spanned five countries across the topics from Indonesia to the […]

Deciphering plant immunity against parasites

Posted 6 CommentsPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

Nematodes are a huge threat to agriculture since they parasitize important crops such as wheat, soybean, and banana; but plants can defend themselves. Researchers at Bonn University, together with collaborators from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, identified a protein that allows plants to recognize a chemical signal from the worm and initiate immune responses against […]

Salmon with side effects

Salmon with side effects: Aquacultures are polluting Chile’s rivers with a cocktail of dissolved organic substances

Posted 6 CommentsPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

Tasty, versatile, and rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids: salmon is one of the most popular edible fish of all. Shops sell fish caught in the wild, but their main produce is salmon from breeding farms which can pollute rivers, lakes and oceans. Just how big is the problem? German and Chilean scientists are working […]

fonstola

Livestock can uproot protected wildlife from prime real estate

Posted 6 CommentsPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

The story of wildlife conservation is usually framed as man vs. treasured wildlife. But there’s growing evidence that the narrative deserves to have leading roles for livestock such as sheep, yaks or cows. A group of researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) and China are building the case that allowing livestock to graze and forage […]

africa cow

Securing the future of cattle production in Africa

Posted 1 CommentPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

A ‘world-first’ study of the genomes of indigenous cattle in Africa has revealed vital clues that will help secure the future of cattle production on the continent. Cattle are an increasingly important resource in Africa as sustainable sources of food, milk, traction and manure. With its human population growing and the economy and subsequent wealth […]

New test detects

New test detects early stage of wasting disease in cattle

Posted 4 CommentsPosted in Agriculture and Food, Environmental

Researchers at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have identified a more sensitive test for detecting the early stages of paratuberculosis, a fatal disease that plagues dairy herds and causes an estimated annual loss of up to $250 million to the US dairy industry. Current methods […]