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USDA Funding Research on Sustainable Organic Rice Farming

(Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

Texas AgriLife Research, a division of Texas A&M University in College Station, is conducting research on sustainable techniques to improve yields of high-quality organic rice. The work led by Fugen Dou, a soil and crop science professor at AgriLife’s lab in Beaumont, is funded by two U.S. Department of . . . → Read More: USDA Funding Research on Sustainable Organic Rice Farming

Plant Genes Altered to Add More Kernels On Ears of Corn

(USDA.gov)

Plant scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York engineered a key gene in maize — called corn in North America — that encourages their version of stem cells to develop more kernels per ear. The findings of David Jackson and colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor appeared online yesterday in the . . . → Read More: Plant Genes Altered to Add More Kernels On Ears of Corn

Universities, Companies Study Oilseed Camelina as Biofuel

Xiuzhi Susan Sun (Kansas State University)

Bioscientists at Kansas State University in Manhattan, with colleagues at two other universities and four companies, are studying the economic potential of the oilseed plant camelina as a commercial biofuel feedstock. The project, led by K-State agricultural engineering professor Xiuzhi Susan Sun (pictured right), is funded by . . . → Read More: Universities, Companies Study Oilseed Camelina as Biofuel

Swine Genome Offers Insights for Agriculture, Medicine

(Keith Weller, Agricultural Research Service/USDA)

An analysis of the pig genome by an international consortium highlights genetic mechanisms that can improve breeding practices and show similarities with humans for development of drugs. The findings by the International Swine Genome Sequence Consortium appear online in the journals Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy . . . → Read More: Swine Genome Offers Insights for Agriculture, Medicine

Agilent, University, Agencies to Partner on Pathogen Genomes

E coli bacteria magnified (USDA Agricultural Research Service/Wikimedia Commons)

Agilent Technologies Inc. in Santa Clara, California is collaborating with University of California in Davis, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on collecting a database of 100,000 foodborne pathogen genomes. The 100K Genome Project aims to sequence the genetic . . . → Read More: Agilent, University, Agencies to Partner on Pathogen Genomes

International Consortium Studies Corn Genome

(USDA.gov)

A collaboration of genetic and agricultural scientists from the U.S., Mexico, France, Kenya, and China have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the corn genome. The team, led by researchers from Cornell University and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and funded by USDA and National Science Foundation, published their findings online in the . . . → Read More: International Consortium Studies Corn Genome

Starch-Based Fibers for Bandages and Paper Developed

(USDA.gov)

A graduate student in food science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park has developed a fibrous material from ordinary food starch that can be woven into bandages and household paper products. A provisional patent has been filed for the discovery by Lingyan Kong, working under food science professor Greg Ziegler, with . . . → Read More: Starch-Based Fibers for Bandages and Paper Developed

Bridgestone Tire to Study Natural Raw Rubber Alternative

Guayule (Agricultural Research Service/USDA)

Bridgestone Corporation, a global tire manufacturer in Tokyo, Japan unveiled plans today for a research project in the U.S. to develop a new commercially viable, renewable source of tire-quality natural rubber. The project aims to harness the cultivation of guayule — pronounced why-YOU-lee — as an alternative to hevea . . . → Read More: Bridgestone Tire to Study Natural Raw Rubber Alternative

iPhone App Highlights Invasive Plants in Southern Forests

Screen shot from Forest Service iPhone app (U.S. Forest Service)

Research funded by the U.S. Forest Service has generated new software to alert foresters and citizens in the southern U.S. to invasive plant species. The app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch are available free from Apple’s iTunes Store. The Forest Service . . . → Read More: iPhone App Highlights Invasive Plants in Southern Forests

NSF Supporting Research to Reduce Fertilizer Use in Maize

(Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

Researchers at three universities, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have received a $1.3 million grant from National Science Foundation for research on reducing the amount of fertilizer to grow maize. The three-year project is led by the ARS’s Ivan Baxter, who also serves . . . → Read More: NSF Supporting Research to Reduce Fertilizer Use in Maize