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Scientists Studying Wild Mangoes To Try To Fight Fungal Disease

November 12, 2011 by ·

Wild mangoes could hold the key to increasing resistance to a devastating disease of the commercial crop.

Mango anthracnose is a fungal disease which can cause large, sunken black bruises on the fruit, making it unsaleable.

While the disease can be controlled with chemical sprays, most of the commercial varieties have little or poor natural resistance.

So researchers in Queensland are now looking at the wild relatives of mangoes to see if they could provide a genetic boost to resistance levels.

However, principal horticulturalist Dr Ian Bally says genetically modified mangoes aren’t on the horizon. [Read more...]

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April Showers May Bring Costly Corn

April 27, 2011 by ·

Heavy April showers have kept many central Ohio corn farmers from starting their spring planting, and with more rain expected today and Wednesday, they expect the entire week to be a washout.

Unless a dry spell arrives soon, farmers say they fear lower yields and losses could follow – along with higher prices in the grocery store for consumers.

Central Ohio has had 19 days of rain this month, with 6.35 inches of rain having fallen as of Sunday, said Mike Gallagher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. [Read more...]

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GE Foods Now Major Part Of US Diet

February 28, 2011 by ·

Genetically modified plants grown from seeds engineered in laboratories now provide much of the food Americans eat. Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States have been genetically modified to resist pesticides or insects, and corn and soy are common food ingredients.

The Agriculture Department has approved three more genetically engineered crops in the past month, and the Food and Drug Administration could approve fast-growing genetically modified salmon for human consumption this year. [Read more...]

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Maize Ends Positive, But Off Highs

January 3, 2011 by ·

South African maize futures ended the first trading session of 2011 on a positive note but off the session’s highs.

Traders attributed Monday’s gains to higher corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade. The March maize contract was up 9.20 rand to 1,321.20 rand per ton, the

May 2011 contract picked up one rand to 1,328 rand, while the July 2011 white maize contract gained 8.20 rand to 1,351.20 rand. The March yellow maize contract was up 17 rand to 1,417 rand per ton, but the May yellow

maize remained unchanged at 1,413 rand per ton. The July yellow maize contract lifted 14 rand to 1,427 rand. Among local wheat futures, the March contract added 10 rand to 2,860

rand per ton, March wheat rose 12 rand to 2,890 rand, while the July 2011 wheat contract gained 20 rand 2,930 rand.

At 12:33 the rand was bid at 6.6353 to the dollar from 6.5763 previously. [Read more...]

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Growing The Great Pumpkin

October 31, 2010 by ·

A new world record was set this month for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown. Taking first place at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Minnesota — and beating last year’s record by 85 pounds — this Sasquatch of squashes weighed in at just over 1,810 pounds.

To pumpkin enthusiasts like Chris Stevens of Wisconsin, a contractor who grew this record-breaker, the giant pumpkin is both a work of art and the product of an ever-evolving amateur science.

“There’s a tremendous amount of tender loving care that goes into this,” said Tim Beeman, who coordinated the 2010 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California’s Half Moon Bay. “These guys are like mad scientists.” [Read more...]

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Most UK Teabags Not Fully Biodegradeable, Research Reveals

July 3, 2010 by ·

UK consumers get through millions of teabags every day to make their favourite drink yet the vast majority are not fully biodegradable, a consumer organisation warns today.

A report published today by Which? Gardening reveals that teabags produced by top tea manufacturers such as Tetley, PG Tips, Twinnings, Clipper and Typhoo are only between 70-80% biodegradable. As a result, gardeners are finding the net part of teabags – caused by the inclusion of heat-resistant polypropylene – left on their compost heaps.

Which? Gardening contacted the major tea manufacturers to check the content of their products. PG Tips responded: “‘Like most of the teabags in the UK, our teabags are made with about 80% paper fibre, which is fully compostable along with the tea leaves contained in the bag. The remaining packaging includes a small amount of plastic which is not fully biodegradable.” [Read more...]

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Agriculture Gets Lion’s Share In Credit Plan

May 23, 2010 by ·

Indian Bank, the lead district bank, has released an Annual Credit Plan (ACP) for an outlay of Rs. 923 crore for the financial year 2010-11 for Dharmapuri district. Collector P. Amutha released the Plan at the monthly bankers’ consultative meeting recently.

The Plan was finalised after having discussions with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, district administration and other stakeholders, a release from the Bank said here.

Greater emphasis has been given to agriculture sector. A sum of Rs. 592.30 crore has been allocated for agriculture. A sum of Rs. 84.75 crore has been allocated for non-farm and small scale sector and Rs. 246.39 crore for other priority sectors such as small business, self-employment, housing and education loan purposes.

Nearly one third of the total Credit Plan outlay was earmarked for covering the government-sponsored loan schemes such as SGSY, Prime Minister’s Employment Guarantee Programme, TAHDCO, Self-Help Groups and District Linkage programmes etc.

The credit to deposit ratio of the Banks in Dharmapuri district stood at an all time high of 142 per cent during the last financial year 2009-10. During this period, the deposits increased by Rs. 202.58-crore i.e. 19.9 per cent higher than the previous financial year. The advances of the banks during the corresponding period increased by Rs. 345.69 crore, which is 24.9 per cent higher than the previous fiscal.

Major portion of the credit was extended to agriculture sector (57.5 per cent) and for the priority sector it is 84 p.c.

“As many as 101 villages with a population of more than 2,000 were identified for financial inclusion as per the guidelines of Reserve Bank of India. Indian Bank has chalked out a detailed programme to provide banking services to these villages” said S. Sadagopan, Deputy General Manager, Indian Bank. M. Vijaykumar, Lead District Manager, Reserve Bank of India, C. Ganesan, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, J. Margaret, Lead District Manager, Indian Bank, and officers from other banks and government officials participated in the meeting. The Hindu

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