Plants ‘talk’ to plants to help them grow
Having a neighborly chat improves seed germination, finds research in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Ecology. Even when other known means of communication, such as contact, chemical and light-mediated signals, are blocked chilli seeds grow better when grown with basil plants. This suggests that plants are talking via nanomechanical vibrations. Monica Gagliano and Michael […]
New grass to fight flooding
A collaboration of plant and soil scientists from across the UK has shown a grass hybrid species could help reduce the impact of flooding. The BBSRC-funded scientists, from Rothamsted Research, the James Hutton Institute, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, Lancaster University and the University of Nottingham, used a hybridised […]
French scholar designs unmanned aircraft for farmers at Shropshire university
A French postgraduate student has completed seven months research at Harper Adams University developing an unmanned aircraft for use in agriculture. Marc-Alexandre Favier, from Bourg-en-Bresse, in eastern France, came to Harper Adams as part of his Masters in Mechatronic Systems – Engineering from the University of Osnabruck in Germany. He will return to Germany on […]
Study identifies “chink in the armour” of Schmallenberg virus
The disease, which causes birth defects and stillbirths in sheep, goats and cattle, was first discovered in Germany in late 2011 and has already spread to more than 5,000 farms across Europe, and 1,500 farms in the UK alone. There is currently no way of treating infected animals, but a study published in Nucleic Acids […]
Plants communicate what type of light they want
Enormous amounts of energy are wasted in greenhouses where our food is grown as a result of the plants receiving too much and the wrong kind of light. This can also stress and damage the plants. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology are working on a globally unique method to measure how much and what […]
Camgrain announces new research project
Farmers’ Co-operative Camgrain are pleased to announce the launch of an new research project funded by a prestigious grant awarded by Sainsbury’s Research & Development Grant scheme for innovative supply chain ideas Camgrain Farmers taking part in the Sainsbury’s Wheat Development group will work with ADAS, The UK’s leading independent provider of environmental consultancy services. […]
Animal disease research misses the human perspective say researchers
The interdisciplinary project, which was carried out as part of the UK Research Councils’ Rural Economy and Land Use Programme, examined three animal diseases: Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and Cryptosporidiosis. The team found that although policy makers need up to date information in order to take timely decisions, putting the research into practice […]
