Crops & Food
We eat to live. Humans use approximately 11% of Earth’s land for the cultivation of crops for food, but also for clothing, medicine and biofuels. Globally, major crops include sugarcane, pumpkin, maize (corn), wheat, rice, cassava, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
New ‘scuba rice’ could protect 49 million acres of rice fields from flooding
According to some estimates, half the world depends on rice as its staple food. But as the climate changes, rice cultivation ...
Debunking marijuana myths: Monsanto has not created ‘GMO super weed’
Despite what some chronic users may claim, the cannabis plant is not mystical. Like any living species, its cells house ...
Excessive regulation, trade wars may give rise to black market for biotech crops, experts say
The rise in global trade wars and the recent EU decision to classify new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) as genetically ...
Mother Nature? More like ‘Mad Scientist Mama’—creator of chemicals good and bad for humans
Nature is not some sort of cosmic mother figure. On the contrary, nature is composed of diverse biological and physical ...
CRISPR could help combat bovine tuberculosis—disease that costs farmers $3 billion annually
Recombinetics announced [October 16] the launch of TARGET-TB, a tripartite collaborative research project with University College Dublin in the Republic ...
Precision plant breeding could boost sustainable rice production 25 percent
Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) [recently] announced a multi-year framework agreement on ...
Edible cotton? USDA approves biotech seeds that can be spread like peanut butter
Americans may soon be eating cotton for the first time — not just wearing it — as a new edible ...
Breeding disease-resistant sugarcane now a possibility with unlocking of sugarcane genome
For centuries, sugarcane has supplied human societies with alcohol, biofuel, building and weaving materials, and the world's most relied-upon source ...
Video: Filipino farmer shares insider tips for spreading GMO acceptance in developing world
To mark the occasion of World Food Day, farmers from around the world will convene in Iowa to share thoughts ...
Viewpoint: 7-year food fraud scheme exposes flawed oversight of organic farming
Three farmers in Nebraska just plead guilty to a food fraud scheme in which they were selling conventionally grown corn and soybeans ...
Viewpoint: It’s time to replace our fear-based genetic engineering regulations
In the early 1970s a group of scientists -- none involved in agriculture or food -- raised concerns about the ...
Viewpoint: USMCA North American trade deal sets precedent for sensible worldwide biotech crop regulations
In the crop science industry, China has a reputation for taking a long, long time to approve new genetically modified ...
Natural GMOs? Some crops incorporate ‘foreign DNA’ all by themselves
People opposed to or afraid of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) complain that GMOs are unsafe and unnatural. What do those ...
Costs and benefits need to be assessed in weighing bans on glyphosate and neonicotinoids
The continuing debates over whether the herbicide glyphosate or the insecticide class of neonicotinoids (neonics) could—or should—remain available for farmers ...
New USDA research shows honey bee numbers stable—and probably growing
In 2006, large and mysterious losses of honey bee colonies led entomologists to classify a set of diagnostic symptoms as ...
How to change the minds of GMO skeptics
Critical thinking is something I’ve prided myself on and something I discuss frequently when giving public speeches. Unfortunately, this can sometimes ...
This AI-generated cheeseburger will make your mouth water
The techniques that empower computers to make autonomous decisions have become vogue for modern tech companies in the last six years ...
Talking Biotech: Does LaCroix sparking water really contain cockroach insecticide?
Join Kevin Folta as he tackles recent concerns that LaCroix sparkling water contains cockroach-killing insecticides ...
Drought resistance gene could help corn, soy crops survive Argentina’s scorching temperatures
The fertile grasslands of Argentina produce food for hundreds of millions around the world, and they have the potential to ...
Viewpoint: Vodka is a known carcinogen. Who cares if Smirnoff makes it GMO-free?
Is there any marketing scheme more dishonest than the promotion of an alcoholic beverage as non-GMO? Smirnoff, which claims to ...
Viewpoint: Roundup is a ‘timid cousin’ of dangerous pesticides, and a blessing to agriculture
The public has found its witch to burn. Glyphosate — or, colloquially, Roundup — is shackled to the stake in ...
We could visit Mars within a decade—and grow food when we get there
A visit to Mars is almost guaranteed within the next decade or so .... And long-term occupation may not be ...
Biofortified wheat variety could help stem nutrient deficiency in Africa, Asia
Nutrient deficiency in one’s diet is a common problem around the world, where different populations may lack a sufficient source ...
UC Davis animal geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam: The science advocate anti-GMO groups love to hate
In the contentious arena of livestock breeding and biotechnology, Dr. Alison L. Van Eenennaam has emerged as a tireless advocate for getting ...
Chipotle on defensive in suit claiming it falsely advertised its food is non-GMO
The fast-casual restaurant chain [Chipotle] that promises “food with integrity” was just informed its marketing campaign is without integrity. U.S ...
Mexico’s new science minister fiercely skeptical of GMO crops and new breeding techniques
In early June, evolutionary developmental biologist Elena Álvarez-Buylla received an out-of-the-blue phone call from the campaign of Andrés Manuel López ...
Pentagon DARPA program targeting crop losses could turn insects into ‘easily weaponized’ biological army, critics claim
The Pentagon is studying whether insects can be enlisted to combat crop loss during agricultural emergencies. The bugs would carry ...
Organic trade group suit challenging Trump’s withdrawal of animal guidelines will go forward
A ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will allow a lawsuit by the Organic Trade ...
