Scientists to Develop Genetically Modified Abaca— ABS CBN
News item: December 14, 2006
Researchers in the Philippines are developing a genetically enhanced variety of abaca, otherwise known as Manila hemp, which is one of the country’s major agricultural exports. They hope the new variety will be resistant to the major viral diseases attacking the crop and threatening the country’s fiber industry. |
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Filling Tomorrow’s Rice Bowl — The Economist via The Financial Express
News item: December 13, 2006
Each hectare of rice field in Asia currently provides enough food to feed 27 people. It’s estimated that by 2056 each hectare will have to feed 43 people. Suitable agricultural land is in short supply, so converting additional land to rice paddy is not an option. Genetic enhancement may be an option to develop varieties with greater yields. |
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Biotech Seen Doubling U.S. Corn Yields by 2030 — AgBios
News item: December 12, 2006
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate biotech advances in seed breeding may permit U.S. farmers to double corn yields by 2030, reaching a national average yield of 300 bushels per acre. |
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St. Louis Center Aims to Fight Poverty Through Biotechnology — The Monterey County Herald via Checkbiotech.org
News item: December 11, 2006
The Donald Danforth Plant Center in St. Louis, Mo. — funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — has developed a genetically enhanced cassava plant that is immune to a virus attacking crops in many African nations. The center is working with the governments of several African nations to begin testing the crop. |
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Biotech Crops Are a Boon — Times of India
Editorial: December 5, 2006
Crop experts are developing new types of crops because they see specific advantages in the research — particularly insect-tolerant varieties — being grown in different parts of the world. |
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Intensified Research Effort Yields Climate-Resilient Agriculture to Blunt Impact of Global Warming — EurekAlert!
News item: December 4, 2006
“The impacts of climate change on agriculture will add significantly to the development challenges of reducing poverty and ensuring sufficient food production for a growing population,” says Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute. Additional varieties of genetically enhanced crops resistant to droughts and floods could help farmers maintain yields under more-extreme weather conditions. |
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Search for Crops That Can Survive Global Warming — The Guardian
News item: December 4, 2006
Approximately $260 million per year will be provided by governments across the world to help agricultural researchers develop crops, identify more efficient farming techniques, and make better use of soil and water supplies. |
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New Crops Needed to Avoid Famines — BBC
News item: December 3, 2006
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) predicts famine is in our future unless new varieties of crops, adaptable to warmer climates, are developed. “We’re talking about a major challenge here,” says Louis Verchot of the World Agroforestry Centre in Kenya, a member institute of CGIAR. |
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