pesticides
Gene-silencing biopesticide targets harmful insects without threatening pollinators
A natural, sustainable alternative to pesticides that targets specific pests, without harming beneficial pollinators such as honeybees, is being developed ...
Microorganisms could help rid soil of lingering pesticides
Pesticides have been widely used after the Second World War in management of weeds, diseases and pests of plants. Most ...
Podcast: Food 5.0—GMOs, robots and the future of farming with agronomist Robert Saik
The high efficiency of modern agriculture has a downside: most consumers don't know the first thing about farming ...
Viewpoint: Eating organic is a ‘personal choice,’ but pricier produce won’t make you healthier
Many folks automatically assume that organic equals healthier. But have you ever wondered if the product you're most likely paying ...
Denied access to neonicotinoid insecticides, UK farmers scramble to control deadly plant virus
Controlling the spread of plant viruses has just got harder with the demise of neonicotinoid seed treatments putting the emphasis ...
Roundworm pheromones could boost crop pest resistance, cut chemical use
Protecting crops from pests and pathogens without using toxic pesticides has been a longtime goal of farmers. Researchers at Boyce ...
Organic produce consumption lowers pregnant women’s exposure to some pesticides, small study suggests
Organic versus conventional foods: are they really better for people’s health? Are all organic foods created equal, and if not, ...
Farming without pesticides could double crop losses, boost global food prices, UK economist warns
The average UK family grocery bill could increase by more than [$977] over the course of a year without the ...
Pesticide exposure boosts cancer risk in farmers? Busting one of social media’s favorite agriculture myths
Did you hear? Farmers have less cancer overall than the general population .... Nearly 10 years ago .... U.S. Agricultural ...
High-yielding wheat boosts chemical use? Study busts popular farming myth
The myth that modern wheat varieties are more heavily reliant on pesticides and fertilizers is debunked by new research published ...
Viewpoint: Guardian (UK) ‘Toxic America’ series: Anti-chemical activism masquerades as science journalism
So far, they’ve published no article by or in-depth interview with an actual scientist ...
EPA moves to streamline process for evaluating pesticide impacts on endangered species
[June 6] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler hosted [a panel of federal regulators] to discuss improving the ...
Biopesticide spinosad, popular in organic farming, may harm honeybees, study shows
Bees have experienced substantial colony losses, which were often associated with insecticides. Besides synthetic insecticides biological compounds such as spinosad ...
How NPR, Washington Post, Bloomberg and other media botched reporting on EPA’s ‘ban’ of 12 ‘bee-killing’ neonicotinoid insecticides
If headlines are the measure, groups claiming bees are endangered by misuse of pesticides just scored a significant victory ...
‘Green wave’: Environmentalist gains in EU elections could cut farmer access to key pesticides
The ‘green wave’ which saw environmentalist parties make major gains across the continent in the European elections could threaten the ...
Viewpoint: ‘Toxic’ chemicals fueled post-WWII economic boom in the United States—here’s why that’s a problem
[B]efore [World War II], the vast majority of Americans lived in cities, or they lived on farms. Suddenly, with all ...
Glyphosate-cancer lawsuits spur development of next-generation weed killers
"Total fear and shock." That's how Andrew Kniss, a weed scientist at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, describes the ...
Vinegar, Epsom salts, Dawn weed killer mix superior ‘organic’ alternatives to synthetic herbicides? ‘Nonsense,’ gardening expert says
You know, the most wonderful thing about social media and the internet is that everything you read there is true! ...
Reduced pesticide use in organic farming boosts manual labor as much as 35%
Gleaming organic products have come to occupy an increasingly large portion of grocery store shelves. Many may think that compared to traditional ...
Podcast: Environmental Working Group’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ list is an unscientific scam
Scammers are having a moment. On this episode of Biotech Facts and Fallacies, plant scientist Steve Savage tackles scams within ...
‘Sticky’ pesticides could protect crops, cut harmful agricultural runoff
A problem with many pesticides is that rain washes them off plants and into the soil and groundwater. Now, researchers ...
Some wild bee populations declining, but ‘scarce data’ hamper impact and research efforts
More than a dozen wild bee species critical to pollinating everything from blueberries to apples in New England are on ...
Domestication ‘reboot’: CRISPR gene editing turns wild plants into desirable fruits and vegetables
Early in the 20th century, a strange tomato plant took root in the northeastern United States. Because of a random ...
Podcast: 7 modern pest control tools that protect our food from hungry bugs
Need to manage a pest problem? Luckily, there are many ways to do that! From physical to biological and chemical ...
High organic food consumption linked to ‘strong nutritional, environmental benefits,’ study claims
The aim of this study, based on observational data, was to compare some sustainability features of diets from consumers with ...
Viewpoint: Do pesticides boost autism risk? New report says ‘possibly’ but correlations are ‘weak’ and ‘misleading’
Recently a study titled “Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study” ...
Podcast: Recycling 190 million pounds of pesticide containers to promote sustainable agriculture
Ag recycles! On this episode of Biotech Facts and Fallacies, plant scientist Steve Savage delves into the world of agricultural ...
Pesticides increase cancer risk for farmers? Rethinking the ‘irrefutable consensus’
Though it may seem otherwise, the term 'irrefutable' is not at all flattering ...
