Scientist leading GM crop test defends links to US biotech giant Monsanto
July 18, 2010 by cachlanhuong
Anti-GM campaigners say a trial to genetically protect potatoes against blight is a waste of taxpayers’ money because a naturally produced strain already gives immunity. Photograph: Alamy The scientist in charge of a taxpayer-funded trial that may determine whether genetically modified crops will be grown in the UK has been [...]
Organic farming gives better pest control, bigger spuds
July 3, 2010 by admin
PARIS — Supporters of organic agriculture got a boost on Thursday with a scientific study that said pesticide-free potato farming improved control over crop-munching insects and delivered bigger plants. David Crowder, an entomologist at Washington State University, led a team that reviewed published data about local potato fields, looking in particular at plant-chewing beetles and [...]
Assign A Bug Boss To Tackle Pest Problems
July 2, 2010 by admin
Some things you can always count on during the growing season, and one of those is pest problems, says Missy Bauer, Associate Field Agronomist for Farm Journal. She encourages growers to eliminate the guesswork about insect pressure by assigning someone on the farm the role of pest boss. Here are some brief tips she offers [...]
‘Balanced’ Ecosystems Seen in Organic Agriculture Better at Controlling Pests, Research Finds
ScienceDaily (July 1, 2010) — There really is a balance of nature, but as accepted as that thought is, it has rarely been studied. Now Washington State University researchers writing in the journal Naturehave found that more balanced animal and plant communities typical of organic farms work better at fighting pests and growing a better plant. The [...]
