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.
From GMOs to BPA, why the wealthy are more likely to fall for food pseudoscience
Socioeconomics play a significant role in attitudes about food ...
Higher yields, reduced pesticide use fueled by GMO crops boost farmer welfare in developing world
Up to 17 million smallholder farmers planted GM crops in 2018, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of ...
‘Jumping genes’ from tomatoes could help breed next generation of GMO crops
Researchers from the University of Cambridge's Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU) and Department of Plant Sciences have discovered that drought stress can ...
Genes from wild wheat could boost domesticated crop yields as global food demand explodes
Wild relatives of food crops, such as wheat, host an abundant array of genetic material to help the plants cope ...
Viewpoint: Sen. Lisa Murkowski farm bill rider could keep GMO salmon off the market
Republicans claim to believe in free markets, at least until competition meets hometown interests. For a case study, witness Senator ...
How early farmers helped barnyard grass become one of the ‘world’s worst’ weeds
Vavilovian mimicry allowed barnyard grass to become the scourge of rice cultivation ...
Podcast: Wasps from China could help combat spotted lanternflies threatening US vineyards
The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, first showed up in the United States five years ago, right here in Berks County, ...
Will meat, milk and eggs from ‘microbial protein factories’ replace animal agriculture?
“By 2030, the US dairy and cattle industry will have collapsed,” as ‘precision fermentation’ – producing animal proteins more efficiently ...
SeaWorld adds GMO Impossible Burger to its theme park menus as plant-based meat popularity soars
A handful of Central Florida theme parks are now adding a fierce veggie option. Today, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment announced ...
‘Using Nature’s Shuttle’: Judith A. Heiman’s fascinating new book about how scientists learned to create genetically modified crops
Judith A. Heimann’s recent book [Using Nature's Shuttle] provides a thoroughly engaging account of how [the mystery of plant crown ...
Viewpoint: How the ‘Food Justice’ movement hinders progress toward equity, health, sustainability
It’s not clear what concept of justice this activism actually serves ...
Chipotle reaches $6.5 million settlement in lawsuit alleging ‘deceptive’ non-GMO marketing
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has agreed to pay $6.5 million to resolve consumer litigation over allegedly misleading non-GMO marketing, according ...
Viewpoint: GMO, CRISPR-edited crops can cut pesticide use—if environmental activists do not block them
Anti-GMO activists should take a step back and look closely at some of the benefits that new genetically modified crops ...
Bacterial leaf streak disease can slash corn yields 20%—will science stop it?
Bacterial leaf streak, a foliar disease in corn, has only been in the United States for a handful of years, ...
Taco Bell rolls out vegetarian menu without Beyond, Impossible meat options
As more fast-food chains double down on menu items with meatless alternatives from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, Taco Bell ...
Plant breeding innovations required to weather climate change, report says
The world needs plant breeding innovations to address challenges of climate change and a growing population ...
CRISPR gene editing protects apples from orchard-destroying fire blight disease
The bacterium Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease in apple, triggers its infection through the DspA/E effector ...
How biotech gets potentially harmful chemical acrylamide out of fries, crackers and other popular foods
The discovery of [the carcinogenic chemical] acrylamide in foods like crackers, cookies, potato chips, and french fries rattled food makers ...
Natural plant enzyme could aid efforts to produce medicine in crops
Plants can do many amazing things. Among their talents, they can manufacture compounds that help them repel pests, attract pollinators, ...
Plans to introduce GMO crops in disarray, legislators angry after Uganda’s president rejects GMO cultivation law for second time
The lawmakers could attempt to enact the legislation without the president’s signature ...
Can indoor farming surmount agriculture’s biggest challenges?
A car park opposite the infamous New York City housing estate where rapper Jay-Z grew up seems an unlikely place ...
Growing some crops under solar panels boosts water efficiency, electricity generation
Solar panels might seem like they’re in direct competition with plants. One is catching sunlight to do photosynthesis, the other ...
Viewpoint: We need intensive agriculture to combat climate change and feed 10 billion people
There is an unforgiving math at the interface of agriculture and the environment ...
Hormel, Kellogg launch ‘non-GMO’ plant-based meats to compete with Beyond, Impossible
Hormel said [September 4] it will launch its own plant-based meat brand, following Kellogg’s announcement of a similar addition to ...
Podcast: The story of a grape disease that decimated vineyards for 200 years—and how science helped stop it
When Europeans began to colonize North America 400 plus years ago, they brought along the crops they knew how to ...
Plant geneticist Kevin Folta: Scientific American’s rewritten anti-GMO article a ‘lesser abomination’
The Scientific American article about "dying broccoli" and "toxic corn" drew wide criticism for its unreferenced and outright false indictment ...
US world leader in GMO research, cultivation—growing 75 million hectares in 2018
The US remains as the top producer of biotech crops in 2018, according to the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM ...
Should your dog eat ‘paleo’ kibble? How misleading pet food labels fool consumers
Zealotry about pet food is every bit as self-satisfied as a Food Babe mantra. Since food is the new religion, ...
