Exogenous Application of Insecticides Supplemented with Weedicides: A New Quick Action Approach to Vanish Insects and Weeds

Insecticides are commonly united with acaricides(for pathogenic mites),since they have same mode of action, so this group of pesticides called insectoacaricides.The term insecticide is used as short form of insectoacaricide like fungicides and herbicides, insecticides cause harmful effect on plants which cause losses in yield and decreased the yield quality(low the gluten contents).Combination of a non pyrethroid insecticide and a repellent are used against mosquito. The development of pyrethroid resistance in mosquito vector may reduce their personal use. Mixture of repellent(DEET) and non pyrethroid insecticide propoxur is widely used. Combination of propoxur and DEET create more mortality rate and knockdown effect than deltamethrin.Unfortunately the creation of pyrethroidgot resistance in most mosquito species in tropics. Knockdown resistance creates cross resistance to DDT and pyrethroids is now creating in mosquitoes.To reduce these problems for personal protection launch an alternative way to control them is the mixture of repellent(DEET) classic synthetic repellent and non-pyrethroid(propoxur) a carbamate insecticide which have low imitant properties and high insecticidal activity against insects. The mortality rate of Bora strain (96%) when treated with DEET –propoxur.The combination of propoxur (at LC30) and DEET (at sub lethal dose) showed more imitant properties than deltamethrin (at LC100) for both LHP and Bora mosquito strains. 

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Plant botanical names

Plants receive their botanical names in order to be officially classified and organised in terms of family, genus and species.

Latin is most commonly used when designating a plant’s botanical name. Historically, this was due to the fact that Latin was an internationally recognised language and was even taught in schools. There are also a number of plants with Greek botanical names as this culture also established a classification system for naming plants.

The botanical name of a plant may be defined by the family group it belongs to, by individual physical features, or sometimes named after its discoverer.

Did you know?

• Plants can also be named after someone other than its discoverer, such as the Nepenthes attenboroughii, which is a giant pitcher plant that was discovered by three men in the Philippines and named after the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
• The very first ‘plants’ on Earth were cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, that was discovered to have lived around 3.5 billion years ago.
• There are 298,900 accepted species of plant in the world today, with 263,925 ‘unresolved’, which means they have yet to be classified.

Original Article Here

Rutgers Professor Recognized for Revolutionizing Agriculture

Joachim Messing, among the world's top experts in molecular genetics, became famous for developing a genetic engineering technique used in laboratories to create plants that have produced disease-resistant crops considered vital to feeding the world's population.Instead of cashing in on his discovery, he gave this scientific blueprint – which revolutionized agriculture and helped to crack the genetic code of plants like rice and corn – away for free to his fellow scientists around the world.

Messing, director of Rutgers University’sWaksman Institute of Microbiology, chose to share his research because he believed it could result in more sustainable crops that would help to end hunger and conserve the environment.

“When I look at the products that have been made today, it is clear they were dependent on the tools that were developed many years ago,” said Messing, the Selman A. Waksman Chair in Molecular Genetics at Rutgers. “I thought it was important to be generous and make this freely available without restrictions so biotechnological innovations could move forward.”

For his contribution to humanity, Messing has been recognized by the Wolf Foundation of Israel and awarded the 2013 Wolf Prize in Agriculture. The Wolf Prize honors scientists and artists whose “achievements are in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples.”

The professor of molecular biology – who teaches undergraduates and mentors students in his laboratory – is being recognized for innovations in recombinant DNA cloning, more commonly known as genetic engineering, and for deciphering the genetic code of crop plants. He will share the $100,000 prize with Jared Diamond of the University of California – Los Angeles, a scientist and Pulitzer Prize winner, who has written several best-sellers, including Guns, Germs and Steel.

Messing is among only eight recipients worldwide chosen to receive the prize awarded annually in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine/and or physics as well as the arts. He will receive the Wolf Prize in May from Israel President Shimon Peres at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem. The Wolf Foundation was established in 1975 by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Ricardo Wolf, who served as the Cuban ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.

“I am honored but this news was really a surprise,” said Messing who received a phone call from Israel’s Minister of Education on New Year’s Day to tell him he had been selected. “I think it’s important that this recognition is coming here to Rutgers because I am very proud of the work that is being done at our university.”

Original Article Here

Williamson, Kirby excited about new committee assignments

By Robbie Schwartz

Committee assignments were doled out last week for the 2013 state legislative session.

In the House of Representatives, state Rep. Bruce Williamson, R-Monroe, sees a lot of opportunity to have an impact with assignments not only on the Banks and Banking as well as Governmental Affairs committees but more importantly the Insurance and Ways and Means committees.

“All of them give me an opportunity to help the families and businesses of Walton County, but I am particularly pleased to be able to serve on both the Insurance and Ways and Means committees,” Williamson said. “Serving directly on the Insurance Committee will allow Walton County citizens to have a louder voice in the healthcare debate, especially when it comes to helping stop the job-killing provisions of Obamacare. Additionally, all tax bills originate in the Ways and Means Committee. By having a seat on the influential committee, I can better advocate for a fairer, simpler tax structure in Georgia.

“The expanded responsibility of serving on these committees means a lot more hours of work this session, but this is work that I very much look forward to tackling.”

Williamson, who comes from a banking background, was also named vice chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over financial institutions, real property finance and corporate securities law. He will also serve on the Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees legislation concerning the operations and management of state, county and municipal government with jurisdiction also over state election law.

State Rep. Tom Kirby, R-Loganville, will continue serving on the three committees he was assigned to for the final 10 legislative days of last year’s session after winning a special called meeting for the District 114 seat.

He has been named secretary of both the Human Relations and Aging Committee, which considers legislation concerning the care and needs of Georgia’s aging population, and the Industry and Labor Committee, which deals with issues surrounding labor and management relations. It also has jurisdiction on matters dealing with Worker’s Compensation and Georgia’s Worker’s Compensation Board.

The other carryover from the 2012 legislative session is serving on the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, which hears legislation that impacts Georgia’s largest economic industry, agriculture. Other areas under jurisdiction of the committee are human nutrition, consumer consumption of food and its safety aspects as well as plant industry.

Kirby said he is excited about his new assignment, serving on the Business and Development Committee, charged with drafting legislation that will enable the state’s small businesses to flourish and create more jobs.

“I think this new assignment is a great committee to be on,” Kirby said. “Here in Walton County, small businesses drive the economy and I am excited to help do whatever I can with the legislation that comes through here.

“I am also very honored to be named secretary of two committees, having served only a limited time in the House. It was unexpected and also humbling.”

Representing Walton County in the other chamber, freshman state Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, was named to the Insurance and Labor, Institutions and Property and Regulated Industries and Utilities committees and will also serve as secretary on the Higher Education Committee. His latter assignment he will be serving under Walton County’s other representative, state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, who was named chairman of the Higher Education Committee. Cowsert will also serve as secretary on the Natural Resources and Environment Committee and on the Appropriations Committee. 

Original Article Here

Discovery of Africa Moth Species Important for Agriculture, Controlling Invasive Plants

In the rain forests of the Congo, where mammals and birds are hunted to near-extinction, an impenetrable sound of buzzing insects blankets the atmosphere.

Because it is a fairly inaccessible region with political unrest, much of the Congo's insect biodiversity remains largely undiscovered. In a new monographic book published this week in Zootaxa, researchers at the University of Florida and the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Belgium provide insect biodiversity information for this area in Central Africa that increasingly undergoes habitat destruction.

Focusing on a group of leaf-mining moths, researchers name 41 new species, nearly doubling the number previously known from the region. Leaf miners occur worldwide and the biodiversity research is important because some species are agricultural pests, while others help control unwanted invasive plant species. Some are also known to delay plant aging.

"When we began this project, we had no idea how many species would be out there," said co-author Akito Kawahara, assistant curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus. "In a two-week field trip, we discovered nearly 50 potentially new species, which is really surprising. There is still an enormous amount of life out there that we know very little of."

Lead author Jurate DePrins has been working on leaf miners in the Congo for nearly 10 years and was joined by Kawahara about five years ago. As the name suggests, the small moths burrow within leaves as larvae, making them particularly difficult to find. Adult moths measure only about 2 to 5 millimeters in length, but they can be extraordinarily beautiful with colorful markings and metallic scales, Kawahara said.

"The caterpillars are completely flat so they can live inside the thin leaf," Kawahara said. "If you think of a regular caterpillar and then you squished it and shrunk it, that's what they look like."

After collecting caterpillars in the wild, researchers raise the larvae to adulthood on-site, a process that takes less than a week for some species.

"It's so hard to tell what's actually happening because they're so small and they get overlooked, but if you look at what is happening inside a leaf under a microscope, it's just an incredible world," Kawahara said. "You'll see a tiny wasp larva living within a caterpillar, and another, even smaller wasp larva living inside that larger wasp larva that is inside the moth larva. It really opens your eyes to this incredible, unknown world and makes you think, 'What is going on here?' It's truly amazing."

Leaf-mining moths have unusual survival strategies, poorly understood by researchers, Kawahara said. Relatives of the new species are known to make "green islands," patches of green leaves found in a pile of brown leaves. When leaves fall from trees and turn brown, the caterpillars preserve the leaves they live in and keep them green.

"Some of these caterpillars actually have the ability to control plant tissue and prevent aging in the plant," Kawahara said. "Now we're trying to actually understand the mechanism behind how they actually do it."

Lithocolletinae, the group that the authors focused on, is one of the oldest-known subfamilies in Lepidoptera, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The only book describing its species in Africa was published in 1961.

"This is really one of the first major revisions on species level of any of the African members of this large family," said Donald Davis, a research entomologist at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. "Any of their discoveries is going to be important because it greatly increases what we previously knew, how little we knew."

While many large organisms are being studied, not many researchers focus on the smaller organisms, Davis said. Information about Lithocolletinae is needed to understand which species may be agricultural pests or used to control invasive plants.

"It's an unknown fauna and so they've made a major step to start telling us something about this biota," Davis said. "Because the moths are herbivores, they have both beneficial and detrimental benefits. It's one of the things we get a lot of questions about."

Original article Here

The sprouting of the urban agriculture movement in Fenway

On a cloudless mid-November day in one of 500 plots in the Fenway Victory Gardens, Mark Slater maneuvered through his Texan curry plant, perfect-for-mojitos mint, horseradish, chive and tomatoes. Slater has been gardening in the park for four years, roughly every other week from March through November.

“I think it’s important, no matter where you live today,” said Slater, a freelance illustrator, “to not disassociate yourself from the earth.” The Fenway Victory Gardens, set up during World War II, afford many this opportunity, at a plot rent of $30 per year.

While community gardening of this nature is nothing new, recent years have shown a burgeoning interest in urban agriculture. Non-profits are teaching gardening methods to inner-city youth, governments are passing related ordinances, and “locavores” are on the rise. While the movement has its zealous supporters, others question its practicality and supposed merits.

Slater represents many who garden for fun, perhaps bringing the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor home for dinner, but others want to do it for profit. Yet public policy is not on par with them.

“As it stands, many urban agriculture activities are forbidden use in the Boston zoning code because they are not overtly listed in the land use table,” said Marie Mercurio, senior planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). “If the use is not in the land use table, then it’s implicitly forbidden.”

The land use table is broken down into residential, commercial, industrial and exempt, and urban agriculture does not fit into any of the subcategories in this breakdown.

Currently, if someone wants to make a profit on farming in Boston, he cannot simply apply for a permit, but must go through a six-month waiting process. This stems from concern about health and safety risks.

Mercurio believes residents may be worried about bees for stinging, hens for noise, sanitation, traffic and the unsightly appearance of hoop houses.

“There’s contamination issues with the soil,” added Hal Kreher of Kreher’s Farm Fresh Eggs in New York, which owns about 1.3 million chickens, “because a lot of the urban areas have had… some kind of industry there.”

The wastes were not treated properly and there were no environmental regulations until the 1950s, he said.

When there are heavy metals in the soil, the planting must be done on raised beds.

This is one issue that may be addressed in the citywide initiative that Mercurio and Tad Read, the other senior planner for the BRA, have drafted. Its goal is to make urban agriculture easier to commercialize while monitoring the food’s standards.

The initiative would cut the process to 10-14 days but also regulate composting, the keeping of chickens and bees, rooftop gardens, greenhouses and other uses.

“Until the article gets adopted,” Mercurio said, “we’re very behind the times in Boston.”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, about 15 percent of the world’s food is now grown in urban areas, but figures are lower for the U.S.

Mercurio and Read hope to present the proposal to the Mayor’s Urban Agriculture Working Group this month. The group comprises 25 members, including farmers, consultants, health advocates and scientists.

Another effort toward the commercialization of local food is the Boston Public Market Association’s efforts to open ayear-round public market. The future location is 136 Blackstone St., and the association anticipates an opening in June 2014, according to it website.

The Boston Public Market is anticipated to open in June 2014 at 136 Blackstone St., by Haymarket Station

Other groups, such as The Food Project, engage youth in urban agriculture.

The non-profit was founded 20 years ago, executive director Selvin Chambers said, for young people “to know and learn about each other but also to learn about sustainable agriculture and also the impact it has on the communities and the body itself.”

Students aged 14-17 become involved with The Food Project in its paid Summer Youth Program. Crews of 10 youths work with a crew leader cultivating farmland. In Boston, the sites include the West Cottage Street Farm, a small farm at Lincoln Street and the Dudley Greenhouse.

Afterward, they may participate in the Academic Year Program or the Internship Program. These have more specialized areas of focus and allow the students to run workshops.

The opportunity teaches not only urban farming practices, but also social justice issues and leadership development, Chambers said.

Some of the food is sold at farmers markets and local restaurants, while 40 percent goes to hunger relief organizations, such as the Pine Street Inn and Rosie’s Place.

The Food Project also sponsors workshops and programs, such as Build-a-Garden, which helps residents grow food, and Farm to Family, which offers reduced-price produce to low-income families.

Chambers said the heart of the organization is the intersection of youth, food and community, which he called the “triangle of hope.”

“I think the most important element of urban agriculture is that it’s a very different source of food from what we’re normally used to,” said Peter Ladner, author of “The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities.” “But more than that it gives people the opportunity to connect with their food, and know the people that grew their food, and participate in the growing of it.”

Catherine Tumber, author of “Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World,” said this “generalized interest in where our food comes from” is one of three reasons the urban agriculture movement has gained traction in recent years.

The second reason is Michael Pollan’s “groundbreaking” book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” published in 2006. It talks about sustainability, genetic modification and cruelty to animals, said Tumber, who is also a visiting scholar at Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.

Catherine Tumber, author of “Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World,” sits in her office at Northeastern University

The third reason, she said, is that we’re paying more attention to the structure of our cities. Rust Belt cities that formerly relied on manufacturing, such as Detroit and Cleveland, “were in a state of utter catastrophic fall.”

The land in Detroit is relatively inexpensive because there is no market for it, Tumber said, making agriculture a viable use.

Another appeal of urban farming is that “people are losing confidence in the food system,” Ladner said. They are “realizing how perilous it is and how fragile it is and how broken it is, and they’re starting to wonder what the heck will happen when it breaks down.”

This is particularly relevant in food deserts, areas with little access to supermarkets. This is not the case with Boston.

“In Illinois one day, everywhere I looked was cornfields and wind turbines, and I could not find fresh fruit to eat,” Tumber said. “I’d even be willing to go to McDonald’s.”

Supermarkets don’t want to open in certain places because there’s so much crime, Tumber said, and they don’t want to pay the insurance and run the risk of liability.

Some view urban agriculture as a solution, while others argue that it is too expensive for the inner-city poor, or that one cannot live off the “100-mile diet.”

“You’ve got a lot of the locavore trendy people, who just hate big farming, who are using this, who are using the misery of people in big cities,” said Richard Longworth, journalist and author of “Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism.” “I am offended by that… because I know a lot of people who are hungry who are not interested in local farms.”

He believes that it’s fine for people to seek out local sources for their own food, but using the urban agriculture movement for political ends is selfish. In addition, many experts agree that urban farming does not make for a profitable or effective business model.

“Realistically, it’s a hard model to break, the supermarket model, and I don’t think that’s what urban farmers are trying to do,” said Novella Carpenter, who wrote the memoir “Farm City” on her farming experience in Oakland, Calif. “It’s kind of too much work for us.”

“More and more people are coming to the conclusion that while urban agriculture can support a series of cottage industries,” Tumber said, “it’s less likely to become a major economic driver.”

Similarly, Longworth does not see it as anything other than niche farming, and Carpenter believes the only practical business model is growing a specialty cash crop.

“I think the future of urban agriculture probably lies more with small businesses and restoring community engagement and pride,” Tumber said.

While experts disagree on urban agriculture’s ties with health, the environment and business, the general consensus is that it is a positive driving force for community building.

This is the case for Finn Hewitt, a third-year biology grad student at Boston University who is applying for a plot in the Fenway Victory Gardens.

“I think the most important thing about these gardens is the sense of community,” he said, “and it really invests people in where they live.”

This article first appeared on Erica Moser's blog. is being published under an arrangement between the Boston Globe and Northeastern University.

Original Article Here

Agriculture: humic acid as a remedy

AGRICULTURE has been the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy for many years, though in recent years its importance has somewhat declined. There are several issues regarding agriculture, but some are directly associated with soil and plant productivity. The productivity-related issues are plant health, plant nutrient requirement, and improper use of fertiliser and availability of fertiliser or supplement at the right time. Both these issues reduce the overall productivity of crop and ultimately affect the yield at the country’s level.

Humic acid is known as black gold of agriculture. It is a principal component of humic substances which are the major organic constituents of soil, peat, and coal. It is highly soluble in water and easily taken up by a plant as compared to fertiliser because it has numerous active sites which make it soluble in water. This property of humic acid makes it special when it is applied to the soil.

Humic substances (humic and fulvic acid) constitute 65 to 70 per cent of the organic matter in soils. It contains nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, copper and zinc. Humic acid is reported to be more beneficial in soils with less than two per cent organic matter contents. Pakistani soil has already less than one per cent of organic matter. So, this is very effective in our soil condition.

There is a growing interest in the use of humic acid as organic fertilisers or soil tonic. This may be attributed to 1) an interest in the reduction of the use of chemical fertilisers, 2) public concern for the potential polluting effects of chemicals in the environment, 3) a pressing need for energy conservation and 4) prices of fertilisers.

The supplementation of chemical fertilisers with cheaper lignite coal-derived humid acid could reduce cost of production without compromising on the yield. The humic acid is the natural product which is present in Pakistan’s lignite coal in reasonable concentrations and is used in agriculture and industry but on a limited scale.

Pakistani soils are usually deficient in this compound, though a minute quantity of which is necessarily required in the soil to facilitate proper agricultural growth. Researchers developed an economically feasible process for the production of humic acid from indigenous coals of Pakistan.

Several field trials have been conducted to observe the efficacy of humic acid produced from Pakistan coals and the results have been found satisfactory.

Experiments on normal calcareous irrigated soil showed that application of lignite coal-derived humic acid increased maize and wheat yield from 25 to 40 per cent .These are the major crops of Pakistan and contribute to the GDP on a sustainable basis.

Cotton being a salt-tolerant crop is grown on a large area of Pakistan. There are also numerous researches to assess the degree and extent of the use of humic acid as a low-cost organic supplement as compared to costly chemical fertiliser to enhance cotton yield in salt-affected soils.

Moreover, it can be used for soil amendment to improve soil quality and health. Pakistan soil is gradually becoming hard due to application of poor quality of ground water.

Humic acid is available with the concentration of five per cent and 10 per cent in packing of five, 10 or even 50kg but their purity is questionable.

So, the agriculture department should inspect the manufacturing places to make it a more reliable product in the market.
The agriculture department should create massive awareness to use humic acid at the farmer’s level. The government should recommend it as crop supplement or soil amendment along with fertiliser recommendation. The government should launch a programme to subsidise humic acid on a commercial basis and provide it at cheaper rates.

KHALID MEHMOOD

Types Of Sesame Seeds

Hulled Vs. Unhulled- Sesame seeds can be either hulled or unhulled. Products made from unhulled seeds, such as butter and tahini paste, tend to be darker and more bitter than those made from the kernel alone. The hull has 51 milligrams more calcium than the seed, yet the type of calcium in the hull, oxalate, is not as easily absorbed by the body, according to The World's Healthiest Foods. Unhulled seeds should be preserved in an airtight, cool and dry environment. Hulled seeds tend to turn rancid and should be kept frozen or refrigerated. 

Black Sesame Seeds - Black sesame seeds produce a bold flavor. Black sesame seeds are believed to have medicinal properties and contain high levels of antioxidants. They are used to flavor baked goods and they also produce a powder that is very fragrant and has a bold flavor when the seeds are roasted and ground. The powder is often used on rice dishes, according to food site Tarladalal. The highest-quality oil is made from this type of sesame seed. Black sesame seeds sometimes are used as a substitute for nuts. 

White Sesame Seeds - Toasted sesame seeds are common in sushi rolls. White sesame seeds often are added to buns and breads and other baked goods, adding a crispy texture. In their powdered form, white sesame seeds are used in curry sauces, chutneys and rice, producing a milder flavor than the black variety. Toasted white sesame seeds are commonly added to sushi rolls. They are about 50 percent oil by weight. In China white sesame is called chi mah, and in Japan it is referred to as muki-goma, according to food site Chow.

Original Article Here

Hardening Plants

Hardening is the process of conditioning a plant for growth outdoors. If plants produced inside are planted outdoors without undergoing a hardening period, their growth could be severely limited. Hardening is most critical with early spring crops, when adverse climatic conditions can be expected.

Hardening is accomplished by decreasing temperature and relative humidity gradually, and reducing water. This procedure results in accumulation of carbohydrates and thickening of cell walls. A change from a soft, succulent type of growth to a firmer, harder type is desired.

The process should be started at least 2 weeks before planting in the garden. Place plants outside in a protected area on warm days, and increase the length of exposure gradually. Do not put tender plants outdoors on windy days or when temperatures are below 45°F. Even cold-hardy plants will be injured if exposed to freezing temperatures before they are hardened.

The hardening process is intended to slow plant growth; but if carried to an extreme, significant damage can occur. For example, cauliflower will produce thumb-size heads and fail to develop further if hardened too severely; cucumbers and melons will stop growing entirely.

Original Article Here

Nigeria: Agricultural Biotechnology Can Lead to Quantum Leap in Food Production - Dr. Abubakar Lawali

Dr. Abubakar Lawali, a Plant Breeder is with the Department of Crop Science of Faculty of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, UDU, Sokoto. In this interview with Abdallah el-Kurebe, he spoke on plant genetics and the place of biotechnology in the provision of food security. Excerpts:

For a Nigerian traditional farmer, how would you describe plant genetics?

Plant genetics is used in agriculture to develop new and modern improved varieties through plant breeding. The varieties could be for high yield, improved mineral and vitamin content, early maturing, etc.

How would you relate the political will of Nigerian leadership to the agricultural needs of the nation?

One can conveniently say that it is not there. However, let us wait and see, perhaps with all promises made, something may come out of it.

Recently, the Global Food Security Index of the Economist Intelligence unit ranked Nigeria 80th among 105 other countries on food insecurity. What do you see as the reason for this ugly development?

It is quite unfortunate but the reasons that Nigeria is lagging behind in the provision of food security for the citizenry include inadequate funding and infrastructure for research; lack of adequate link between research and development; funding of development, where available, is not realistic or has been politicized and as such, does not reach the target farmers.

Do you see the current Nigeria's Agricultural policy as truly addressing the problem of food crisis in the country?

Theoretically it can, but it has always been the problem of implementation. You cannot transform Agriculture when the infrastructure is not there; you cannot supply inputs through cell phones in a country where there is no power and literacy level is low.

What do you see could be the role of Agricultural Biotechnology in improving food production in Nigeria and by extension, African continent?

Agricultural Biotechnology can lead to a quantum leap in food production if utilized effectively and efficiently. However, bio-safety regulations must be respected.

Biosciences for Farming in Africa, B4FA has come into the continent with a view to creating awareness on the need for governments and farmers here to wholly adopt biotechnology in order to increase food production to meet up with the over-growing population. As a plant breeder, how would you advise the FG on this?

Government can adopt biotechnology. There is no problem with that but we must, first of all, place all the bio-safety regulations in place.

Ways for improving food production are by genetically modifying plants as well as genetically engineering crops such that would be resistant to deterring factors like pests and other plant diseases. According to your research and findings, how much of these are Nigerian farmers using?

There is practically none as of now; perhaps in the near future.

If, according to your research findings, no Nigerian farmer on the average is using genetically modified plants and genetically engineered crops, how do we start as a country?

Well you see the way to start even in the countries that have started; the first thing is to put in place, the bio-safety regulations like I said earlier. What are bio-safety regulations? These are regulations to ensure that there are no unwarranted or unwanted transfers of genetic materials to sources that they are not designed for.

If this takes place, then it may lead to the creation or development of very terrible and hazardous threat to the environment. And that is why before you start; make sure that the bio-safety regulations are being observed. To my knowledge, the bio-safety law has been passed by the National Assembly but not sure if it has been assented to by Mr. President. Even if it has been assented to, what have we put in place to ensure that these things are working? If we don't ensure that they are working and we just kick-start the project, I assure you that we will be in more trouble than we expect.

You have consistently mentioned the observance of bio-safety regulations as a precondition for Nigeria's adoption of Agricultural Biotechnology. Specifically, which of these regulation are you referring to

These are regulations as to how and where you practice; how the laboratories will function and even the farmers are going to control, polling transfer and so on. So, these things have to be worked upon by a national committee of experts. We have teeming professors out there that could help in this regard. What remains is for the government to present this document for the experts to do some work on its workability.

How would you assess government's support for research and development, especially in the area of agricultural biotechnology and the application of such research results for national development?

The basic infrastructure for biotechnology is lacking in the country as well as training and retraining. More so, funding for biotechnology research is lacking. We also need to prioritize and focus on certain key crops that will immediately solve the problem of food insecurity and for economic empowerment in order to reduce poverty; provide jobs through value addition to our crops, which in turn will attract international market.

You said there is inadequate link between research and development. Can you explain this?

When you go to the universities and check the shelves of the professors and other researchers in the universities, there are a lot of researches lying with piles of dust. In advanced countries, commercial people and those in the private sector go to the universities, get the researches and mass-produce them.

That is the name; you research and develop them. This is the link between research and development. In our country, the private sector is not so organised to do that as an economic activity.

Original Article Here

'I really hope people will support our beef industry': Agriculture Minister amid beef recall

Linda Hoang, CTV Edmonton 

More beef products and stores have been added to a growing nation-wide beef recall over concerns of E. coli contamination from products by Alberta-based XL Foods Inc. But on Saturday, Alberta’s Agriculture Minister pleaded with consumers to continue to support the beef industry.

Co-op stores are the latest in a growing list of retailers that may be carrying beef products containing E. coli.

In an effort to restore consumer confidence, Alberta’s Agriculture Minister on Saturday bought beef at a Co-op store in Camrose, Alta.

“We have a serious problem with one plant. It’s a big plant, but there are many other plants and there all kinds of safe beef everywhere around the province and I really hope people will support our beef industry,” said Verlyn Olson, the province’s agriculture minister.

On Saturday, XL Food Inc. issued a voluntary recall of “whole muscle cuts” of beef, including steaks and roasts and more store names carrying the recalled products was also released including Co-op, Wal-Mart, Metro, Food Basics, Steakhouse Angus Select and a number of stores in Quebec.

It was the latest in at least eight recalls over that have been issued since Sept. 16 and more than 250 products have been recalled, a number that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says will likely grow.

Click here for the full list of recalled products.

So far there have been nine reported cases of E. coli-poisoning in Alberta – four of which are linked to steaks sold at a north east Edmonton Costco. The meat came from XL Foods in Brooks, Alta., but health officials are still not sure whether the bacteria was picked up at that plant, or at the Costco store.

The CFIA says tracking the source of the bacteria can be very difficult – and that meat isn’t the only source of E. coli.

“We have had recalls associated with E. coli in leafy greens, we’ve seen it in apple juice, we’ve seen it in a number of different products, dairy and meat,” said Dr. Brian Evans with the CFIA.

On Thursday the agency suspended XL Food’s operating license that will remain in effect untilt he company meets requirements set out by the CFIA.

“To date the company has not properly implemented agreed upon corrective actions and has not presented an accepted plan to address long term issues,” Evans said.

Products at the plant are under CFIA “detention and control” and will be released after being tested for E. coli.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. had banned imports from XL and pulled the company’s beef from stores in 30 states.

E. coli fears have local cattle ranchers worried. Cattle prices have already dropped considerably – with cows now selling for hundreds less than they were just a few days ago.

“They’re falling, falling fast,” said Ivan Potts with Sekura Auctions. “And it’s going to fall faster for the cattle industry across the province.”

The CFIA says if you have concerns about the beef you've bought - throw it out or take it back to the store, use a meat thermometer to cook your beef to a safe temperature - for ground beef that's 71 C, 160 F - and avoid cross-contamination with food.

With files from Amanda Anderson

Original Article Here

Stockbridge eyes new agriculture center

By: MARY REINES

The University of Massachusetts will have a whole new group of residents moving on campus in 2014 – cows, sheep, goats and pigs.

The Stockbridge School plans to build the University’s first on-campus Undergraduate Agricultural Learning Center, which will house livestock as well as a variety of crops, grasses and learning spaces.

The center will be the first on-campus agricultural learning area since the school’s opening in 1863 and will commemorate the school’s beginning as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, or “Mass Aggie.”

“(Students) can actually do their work right here on-campus, which they used to do 150 years ago, when it was Mass Aggie,” said Project Manager Sandra Thomas. “So we’re really going back to the future.”

The center will be located on the former 40-acre site of Wysocki Field on North Pleasant Street, past the North Residential Area. It will provide students with a hands-on experience at growing crops, raising animals and studying turf management by growing golf greens.

“The students have a lot of book learning, but they haven’t had the opportunity to really put that to practical use,” said Thomas.

“We’re planning a lot of labs out there on the field, so they can grow crops and tend animals and know what works from a practical standpoint, not just theoretically,” she added.

The center – which will include vegetable crops, berry plants, fruit trees and oil seed crops – requires the relocation and refurbishment of the old Horse Barn that sits by the Mullins Center. The barn was built in 1894 as a University showpiece; its move to Wysocki Field is estimated to cost about $300,000 to $400,000.

The refurbishment will include a 90-seat meeting room on the ground floor and two 25-person classrooms or laboratories on the second floor, and is estimated to cost about 4 to $5 million.

The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation has pledged $500,000 toward moving the barn, and project managers are working with the University’s development office to find other funding, including private donations. But the University has yet to allocate money for the center.

“They invest in things like Commonwealth College, in a $30 million revamp of the stadium, $30 million revamp on a training center for basketball. How about giving $10 or $15 million to an educational building for agriculture?” said Stephen Herbert, the center’s director.

But Herbert does expect that the University will chip in on the relocation of the Blaisdell House, which will be used as an office building or farm manager’s house.

“It will be much less than the barn, a simple move,” he said.

The center will be home to a variety of animals, including cows, pigs and goats. And students will learn how to properly care for them there.

“They’ll learn about managing them on pasture,” Herbert said. “Feeding, raising young animals, breeding and all of that.”

“It’s going to be very comprehensive,” he added.

Permaculture plots will also be included on the field, as well as bee forages and nursery plants for landscaping classes and horticulture programs.

“We can have plants here that we’ll grow, and then transplant them around campus,” Thomas said.

In an effort to demonstrate the best agricultural techniques, the field will only be partially organic.

“Certainly we’re going to be using best-management practices, and sometimes they’re low-impact, low-chemical, just not totally organic,” Herbert said, citing the practices of Integrated pest management.

Thomas also added that fruit trees are particularly difficult to grow without some kind of chemical application.

“Plants get diseased, and if you don’t have something to stop the diseases, then you won’t have any fruit,” she said.

This year, Herbert hopes to use some of the farmland for agricultural projects with current classes. He plans to have the horse barn in place by the summer of 2013, and the center completed by fall 2014.

“That next generation of farmers is going to be trained right here,” Thomas added.“They will know so much about fruits, vegetables, sunflowers, cellulose projects and landscaping. When they walk away from here, they’ll actually be ready to work on a farm.”

Original Article Here

HEC to help UAF establish rose extraction plant

By Imran Rana

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will provide help in the establishment of a rose extraction plant in Islamabad to the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF).

This assistance will help attract other universities and research institutions in the country in the pursuit, and promote an entrepreneurial culture for the benefit of the farming and business community.

Remarks to this effect were made by Nasir Ali Khan, HEC member operations and planning, Islamabad, while calling on the UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Doctor Iqrar Ahmad Khan on Saturday.

Nasir Ali Khan said that we have to switch from traditional farming to high-value crops, in order to fully realise the financial benefits of farming, and transfer these directly to rural communities.

He lauded the standard of research and innovation at the UAF, and termed it role model for other research and development institutions of the country.

On the occasion, Professor Doctor Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that various innovative and demand-oriented research solutions are being developed through the Business Incubation Centre of the UAF, in order to promote entrepreneurship in the agriculture and livestock sectors.

Earlier Nasir Ali Khan visited various research laboratories and projects run by the scientists of the UAF with Professor Dr Muhammad Jalal Arif, the university’s Principal Officer of Public Relations and Publications, and received a briefing regarding various innovative solutions developed at the campus by university scientists. 

Published in The Express Tribune

Land use codes inhibit urban agriculture

Urban Agriculture is a community priority in Fort Collins. It is written in the City Plan. But city planners have found that outdated land use codes prohibit some local food production. So the city is asking for community input through a survey on urban agriculture practices.

Direct farm-to-consumer food purchases have steadily increased, and a 2012 survey revealed that nearly half of all Americans have gardened in the past 12 months. People are doing it — they’re raising their own food and supporting local. And cities are changing codes to support this grow-your-own movement.

Alongside this increase in local food production looms an increase in food insecurity. In 2011, 14 percent of Larimer County residents were considered food insecure (FeedAmerica.org), meaning they skipped meals because they couldn’t afford food. Only 45 percent of those are eligible for food stamps; the other 55 percent are about $15 a week short of the money needed to feed their families.

In these days of rising gas and food prices, increasing food insecurity, and decreasing government aid, we need to be able to provide for ourselves. Urban homesteading is one way to improve food security in a world where more people have less money and less to eat. Studies show that when communities practice urban agriculture, food security improves, an added benefit being that low-income families become less dependent on government food programs. (Community Food Security Coalition)

Current land use codes prohibit some urban homesteading practices such as the keeping of small goats for milk production, while allowing large, sometimes dangerous, dogs on city lots. It’s time for land use codes to reflect the needs of residents. How can we in good conscience allow dogs, while disallowing food-producing animals as benign as miniature female goats?

So many of us have grown up separated from farm animals and our food supply that we lack understanding of these gentle creatures. Miniature goats weigh less than 60 pounds. Only un-neutered males are smelly. Females are gentle, friendly animals that smell no worse than fresh hay. Goat droppings are dry and good for grass or gardens right out of the goat — one of only a few “cold” manures that can be applied directly to plants.

Along with the “smelly-goat myth” lives the “goats are noisy” myth. In reality, goats are quieter than most dogs. With another goat or companion mammal to live with, adequate food and shelter, goats are content. And content goats are quiet goats.

Oakland, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Madison, Kansas City, Steamboat Springs, Denver — all are among the cities that have changed land use codes to allow goats on city lots. Our capital city allows two miniature female goats and eight hens or ducks, so Denver residents can feed themselves on their own urban homesteads with the help of productive pets. They can grow a garden, consume homegrown eggs, and produce milk for drinking and cheese making. It’s time for Fort Collins to join these progressive cities and have our land use codes reflect our sustainability values.

As Fort Collins residents, you have already said yes to urban agriculture. Now you can tell the city that you would like the land use codes to be compatible with your goal of independent local food production. So visit fcgov.com/developmentreview/urbanagriculture.php and say yes to updating the land use codes.

Plant Based Nutrients vs Animal Based Nutrients

Many people think that eating solely plant based food is not healthy and are still convinced that meat, dairy, fish and eggs are necessary part of our diet. Often when they learn that somebody is vegan; the immediate reaction is to question how on earth they get their nutrients from plants. Infact eating varied diet containing plenty of fruites, vegetables, nuts and seeds and wholegrains, it is extremly easy  to get all the nutrients we reqired and more goodness besides with added bonus that plant based food contains no saturated animal fats, no cholestrol and none of acidifying effects of animal derived food. It is very easy to get equal, and often better sources of all vitamins, minerals and proteins; that are found in animal derived products, from plant based food.

• Vitamin A

100g of Butter will provide 684mcg of Vitamin A.

But an equal weight of raw Carrots contain a whopping 836mcg of same

vitamin.

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

100g serving of Meat will provide 1.2mg of vitamin B1.

But equal weight of Sunflower Seed contains more than 1.9mg of B1.

• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

One Egg will provide 0.23 mg of Vitamin B2.

But just 100g of Brown Mushrooms contains nearly double at 0.4mg of B2.

• Vitamin B3 (Niancin)

100g of Mackerel will provide 6 mg of Niacin.

But 100g of Peanuts contain more than double at 12.9mg of B3.

• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

100g of roasted Chicken will provide 0.9mg of Vitamin B5.

But just one cup of Soy Milk will provide exactly the same.

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

100g of Beaf Liver provide 1.03mg of B6.

But 100g of Roasted Pistachios contains more than 1.7mg of same Vitamin.

• Vitamin B12

A single Hamburger Patty will provide 1mcg of B12.

But just one four gram serving- enough for one slice of toast- of Meridian

Yeast Extract contains double at 2mcg.

• Vitamin C

100g of Roasted Meat contain 1mg of VitaminC.

But 100g of Roasted Soyabin contains more than double at 2.2mg.

and just one cup of Strawberies contains an amazing 84.7mg.

• Vitamin D

An adequate amount can be odetained from exposure to Sunlight.

• Folic Acid (Folate)

Two Fried Eggs will provide 50mcg of Folic Acid.

But just a half cup of Chickpeas contains nearly three times, 141mcg.

• Pottasium

1 Cane of Tuna provides 407mg of Pottasium.

But a single Banana Contain more at 450mg.

A 100g of dried Appricots contain a whopping 1380mg of pottasium.

• Selenium

100g of Pink Salmon will provide 57.2mcg of Selenium.

But just 100g of Nuts contains huge 1917mcg.

• Megnisium

125g of Youghurt will provide 18.8mg of Megnisium.

But one cup of cooked Spinach contains a lot more at 156.6mg.

• Zinc

100g of Lamb will provide 8.1mg of Zinc.

100g of Pumpkin or Sesame Seed contains more at 10.3mg.

• Iron

100g of Beaf Pieces will provide 1.66mg of Iron.

But an equal weight  of Dark Chocolate (80% Cocoa Solids) contain 11.90mg.

• Calcium

A glass of Cow's Milk will provide approx. 300mg of Calcium.

But one cup of cooked Coolard Greens contains more at 357mg.

• Phosphorus

100g of Chicken wiii provide 190mg of Phosphorus.

But an equal weight of delecious Macadamia Nuts provides same amont.

• Iodine

A half cup of Cottage Cheese will provide up to 60mcg of iodine.

But a single sheet of Kombu Seaweed contains double at 150mg.

• Protein

A 100g serving of Sirloin Staek will provide 23.5g of Protein.

But an equal weight of cooked Edamame Beans contains more at 39.6g.

Half a cup of Tofu contains double the protein of a half cup of Cow's Milk.

(Tofu is totaly free of Cholestrol)

Other excelent sources of proteins are Nuts, Beans, Lentils, Wholegrains and many vegetables such as Spinach and Broccoli; all of which also provides

Dietary Fibers, which is necessary to maintain a healthy body.

Animal Derived food contain no fiber.

ALL PLANT PROTEINS BLOCK CANCER AND ALL ANIMAL PROTEIN PROMOTES CANCER.

Original article Here

INDOOR PLANTS

The plants that can survive and thrive best in the interior environment called indoor plants along with a fashion. It is need of time to use these green lungs to exhale the oxygen and inhale carbon dioxide. In this age most of the commodities used by the people like building materials, glues, fabrics, carpets, cleaning materials, personal care products often expose us to a wide spectrum of chemicals in the air, we breathe.

In door air and indoor environment is too much effective for healthy livings because a modern man spend 80-90 % of his time indoors (homes, offices). The importance of air can be judged by this comparison that we may drink 2 liters of liquid every day bur we breathe in a proximately 6-10 liters of air every minute, around 15000 liters air per day. So, the quality of indoor air is major health consideration.

According to a research in Norwegian offices, it was found that indoor plants reduced different ailments, fatigue ratio was reduced 20 %, headache 30 %, dry throats 30%, cough 40 %, and dry facial skin 25 %. Though indoor plants have major effects on human health but mostly they are used for beautification of homes. It is often repeated plants are symbol of love and friendship but why people do not use them frequently? Why people prefer plastic evergreens on indoor green plants? The only reason is proper car and maintenance, people have no time to stay and stare. It takes hardly 5-10 minutes to water 10-15 plants, and we have not enough time to spare for sake of clean air and environment inside our premises. Here are the some beautiful indoors that need least care. One can easily mange them in houses and offices.

1. Fichus species:

It includes ficus elastica often called “Rubber plant”. Ficus benjmina, nursery men say it “Kali Ficus”. Amestal King and Queen are also nice Ficus species for interior plant scaping.

2. Drisinia:

These are also hardy indoors need less care and management (some people call it “Makai Patta”green drisinas are considered as best indoors.

3. Palms

Palms are beautiful choice for indoor plants, it include, cane palm, eureaka palm, washingtonia palm,golden palm, as best indoor plants.

4. Aerocaria

These are also liked by many persons but need comparitivly high light .these are fit to place in corridors .there light intensity is appropriate .

5. Diffenbachia

These are also good option for indoor plants but need more care, because they are water sensitive, (potting media should be dry during two irrigations)

6. Sansovaria

These are also very hard indoors need almost no care, they can live long, comparatively to any other indoor plants

7. Money plant

These are most common indoor plant used inside offices and house, under controlled environment they behave as lush green, shiny leaves. Also preset in different stripped leaves.

Many outdoor plants can be made indoor pants but it need time and patience, we have to introduce them slowly, slowly to indoor environment, Syngonium, Shaflera, Yukas, Ferns are also good options for indoor plants.

Original Article Here