Advance in 'nano-agriculture': Tiny stuff has huge effect on plant growth
With potential adverse health and environmental effects often in the news about nanotechnology, scientists in Arkansas are reporting that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could have beneficial effects in agriculture. view more (2009-10-22)
Draft potato genome based on unique potato variety
The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), an international team of scientists from industry and academia in 14 countries, has released a draft sequence of the potato genome with the help of a Virginia Tech researcher. view more (2009-09-28)
MSU scientist helps map potato genome; move will improve crop yield
It's been cultivated for at least 7,000 years and spread from South America to grow on every continent except Antarctica. Now the humble potato has had its genome sequenced. view more (2009-09-25)
New computing tool could lead to better crops and pesticides say researchers
A new computing tool that could help scientists predict how plants will react to different environmental conditions in order to create better crops, such as tastier and longer lasting tomatoes, is being developed by researchers. view more (2009-09-23)
Sustainable fertilizer: Urine and wood ash produce large harvest
Results of the first study evaluating the use of human urine mixed with wood ash as a fertilizer for food crops has found that the combination can be substituted for costly synthetic fertilizers to produce bumper crops of tomatoes without introducing any risk of disease for consumers. view more (2009-09-02)
New and improved tomato analyzer
Tomatoes come in a variety of sizes and shapes, making them the perfect subject to test shape-analyzing software. view more (2009-05-04)
Names turn preschoolers into vegetable lovers
Do you have a picky preschooler who's avoiding their vegetables? A new Cornell University study shows that giving vegetables catchy new names - like X-Ray Vision Carrots and Tomato Bursts - left preschoolers asking for more. view more (2009-03-02)
Biodegradable mulch films on the horizon
In 1999, more than 30 million acres of agricultural land worldwide were covered with plastic mulch, and those numbers have been increasing significantly since then. With the recent trend toward "going green", researchers are seeking environmentally friendlier alternatives to conventional plastic mulch. view more (2009-02-27)
Color test enhances tomato analyzer software
When it comes to fresh vegetables and fruits, color is one of the best indicators of quality. Along with texture, size, and flavor, color plays an important role in the business of horticultural crop production and marketing. view more (2009-02-27)
Methyl bromide alternatives indicated for North Carolina tomato production
Methyl bromide (MeBr) is a highly effective broad-spectrum fumigant used extensively in U.S. agriculture to control a wide variety of pests. Under the Montreal protocol of 1991, however, MeBr was defined as one of the chemicals that contributed to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, resulting in an incremental reduction in the amount... view more... (2009-02-04)
Red alert! How disease disables tomato plant's 'intruder alarm'
How a bacterium overcomes a tomato plant's defences and causes disease, by sneakily disabling the plant's intruder detection systems, is revealed in new research out today (4 December) in Current Biology. view more (2008-12-05)
Tillage, Rotation Impacts Peanut Crops
The increasing popularity of reduced tillage on crops has not only been an important development in combating soil erosion, but it has also been associated with increasing organic material and producing high crop yields. view more (2008-11-11)
Purple tomatoes: The richness of antioxidants against tumors
Researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Great Britain, in collaboration with other European centres participating to the FLORA project, have obtained genetically modified tomatoes rich in anthocyanins, a category of antioxidants belonging to the class of flavonoids. view more (2008-10-27)
Emerging model organisms featured in CSH Protocols
Biological research has long relied on a small number of model organisms, species chosen because they are amenable to laboratory research and suitable for the study of a range of biological problems. view more (2008-10-02)
Sesame seed extract and konjac gum may help ward off Salmonella and E. coli
A new study in SCI's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that konjac gum and sesame seed extract may offer protection against different strains of E. coli and Salmonella bacteria. view more (2008-08-06)
Can tomatoes carry the cure for Alzheimer's?
The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer's disease, according to HyunSoon Kim from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) in Korea and colleagues from Digital Biotech Inc. and the Department of Biological Science at Wonkwang University. Although their research1, just... view more... (2008-07-09)
Evolution of fruit size in tomato
Domesticated tomatoes can be up to 1000 times larger than their wild relatives. How did they get so big? In general, domesticated food plants have larger fruits, heads of grain, tubers, etc, because this is one of the characteristics that early hunter-gatherers chose when foraging for food. view more (2008-06-30)
The 21st century tomato
When tomatoes ripen in our gardens, we watch them turn gradually from hard, green globules to brightly colored, aromatic, and tasty fruits. view more (2008-06-30)
Salmonella: Trickier than we imagined
Salmonella is serving up a surprise not only for tomato lovers around the country but also for scientists who study the rod-shaped bacterium that causes misery for millions of people. view more (2008-06-16)
Certain form of tomatoes could be key to prostate cancer prevention
New cancer research from the University of Missouri suggests that eating a certain form of tomato product could be the key to unlocking the prostate cancer-fighting potential of the tomato. view more (2008-05-30)
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