Frontpage » Tag » crop pests

News tagged with crop pests

Stop abusing insecticides in rice

To prevent devastating insect pest outbreaks in rice that cause millions of dollars of damage, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has called for a ban on certain insecticides in rice production as part of its ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Special delivery: Nematode-infected insect cadavers

A custom-made machine for packaging mealworms infected with beneficial nematodes could improve the delivery, timing and use of the wormlike organisms as biological control agents.

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Research team clarifies mechanics of first new cell cycle to be described in more than 20 years

An international team of researchers led by investigators in the U.S. and Germany has shed light on the inner workings of the endocycle, a common cell cycle that fuels growth in plants, animals and some human tissues and ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Oct 30, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

New bacteria toxins against resistant insect pests

Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria (Bt toxins) are used in organic and conventional farming to manage pest insects. Sprayed as pesticides or produced in genetically modified plants, Bt toxins, us ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers attack a stinker of a pest; iPhone users can help track the invader

A new hobo pest -- the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) -- is pigging out on many of North America's most important crops, posing an unprecedented threat to U.S. agriculture, say experts.

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 19, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic engineers create smarter toxins to help crops fight resistant pests

One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting to eat ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 09, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 20 | with audio podcast

Killing crop-eating pests: Compounds work by disrupting bugs' winter sleep

(PhysOrg.com) -- The creation of compounds that disrupt a worldwide pest's winter sleep hints at the potential to develop natural and targeted controls against crop-eating insects, new research suggests.

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 28, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Diamondback moth host-parasite interaction unraveled

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is one of the world's most destructive crop pests. It has developed resistance to many chemical and biological pesticides, and the estimated global cost of controlling this insect ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

GMO corn falls prey to bugs it was supposed to thwart

A voracious pest which has long plagued corn farmers is devouring a widely-used variety that was genetically modified to thwart the rootworms, raising fears of a new superbug.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 30, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (14) | comments 14

Increased insecticide use in the Midwest linked to landscape change

The continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the Midwest. A Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) study concluded that this simplification ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

High risk of Parkinson's disease for people exposed to pesticides near workplace

In April 2009, researchers at UCLA announced they had discovered a link between Parkinson's disease and two chemicals commonly sprayed on crops to fight pests.

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created May 26, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Seed mixtures and insurance pest management: Future norm in the Corn Belt?

As the use of biotechnology increases and more companies move forward with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval to begin full-scale commercialization of seed mixtures in transgenic insecticidal corn, many researchers ...

Biology / Ecology

created May 05, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Himalayan farmers give early pointers on climate change

Himalayan villagers have won the backing of climate science for their suspicions that snow cover, water resources and the ecosystem are changing in their region, a study published Wednesday said.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 27, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Research leads to understanding of how crops deal with stress -- yield's biggest enemy

Like people, plants experience stress. And also, like people, the response to that stress can determine success.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 25, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study: Bat disease may increase farm pesticide use

A group of researchers says the threat posed to bats by a fatal disease isn't just a threat to the animals but to American agriculture, one they believe farmers and consumers alike scarcely appreciate.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 13, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0