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agriculture Archives - Page 25 of 29 - The Global Plant Council

Identified a new synthetic antimicrobial peptide aptamer targeting the causal agent of grapevine downy mildew

By | Agriculture, Blog, ECRi, Fruits and Vegetables, Plant Health, Post

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a crop of great economic and agricultural value throughout the world. In 2019, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) reported that over 7 million hectares are dedicated to the cultivation of this crop, resulting in the global production of about 78 million tonnes of grape and 292 million of hectolitres of wine. However, a production of this magnitude is possible thanks to the massive use of pesticides to counteract various diseases that can affect grape yield. Indeed, pesticide applications are at the basis of intensive agriculture, as they guarantee protection from pathogens, pests and weeds. In absence of pesticide applications, farmers could experience up to 40% of production losses in a single year.

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Image: soy plant in the field, with close-up of soybean pod. Credit: Julio César García / Pixabay

How a Molecular “Alarm” System in Plants Protects Them from Predators

By | Agriculture, Fruits and Vegetables, JSPB, News, Plant Science

Some plants, like soybean, are known to possess an innate defense machinery that helps them develop resistance against insects trying to feed on them. However, exactly how these plants recognize signals from insects has been unknown until now. Scientists uncover how oral secretions of the cotton leaf worm trigger defense responses in a plant.

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How bacteria fertilise soya

By | Agriculture, News, Plant Science

Soya and clover have their very own fertiliser factories in their roots, where bacteria manufacture ammonium, which is crucial for plant growth. Although this has long been common knowledge, scientists have only recently described the mechanism in detail. With biotechnology, this knowledge could now help make agriculture more sustainable.

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