Science News & Science Current Events
 

Prairie Grass Current Events | Prairie Grass News

Sort By: Page Views | Date
Szechuan pepper puts prairie voles off their food
Szechuan pepper can be used to deter crop-destroying mammals such as the prairie vole, without affecting non-targeted species, says research published in the journal Pest Management Science. Researchers discovered that compounds in the pepper probably repel prairie voles by stimulating pain... view more (2004-04-05)

Mixed prairie grasses are better biofuel source, U of M study says
Highly diverse mixtures of native prairie plant species have emerged as a leader in the quest to identify the best source of biomass for producing sustainable, bio-based fuel to replace petroleum.   view more (2006-12-08)

Ecosystems with many plant species produce more and survive threats better
Ecosystems containing many different plant species are not only more productive, they are better able to withstand and recover from climate extremes, pests and disease over long periods, according to a new study.   view more (2006-06-01)

Symbiotic fungi promote invasion into diverse plant communities (Rudgers et al.)
The biodiversity of a community can affect its functional properties, such as its productiveness or its ability to resist invasion by exotic species. Many grass species host fungi in their leaves that can render them more resistant to herbivory, drought, and competition. In a forthcoming issue of... view more (2003-12-10)

Livestock in salt marshes help farmers and geese
If livestock are allowed to graze in salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area, the vegetation remains in a good condition for the hundreds of thousands of Brent Geese which forage there en route to Siberia. When such grazing does not take place on a large scale, the geese are likely to become more... view more (2002-10-24)

Ruminating cows receive digestive aid
Scientists at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research are developing new plant breeding techniques which can improve the efficiency of cow digestion and reduce pollution at the same time. Grass isn't the easiest food to digest, and even cows appear to have difficulty doing it... view more (2004-04-01)

Ouch! Taking a Shot at Plague: Vaccine Offers Hope for Endangered Ferrets in Plague Outbreak
Endangered black-footed ferrets, like children, aren't exactly lining up to be stuck with a vaccine, but in an effort to help control an extensive outbreak of plague in South Dakota, some of the ferrets are getting dosed with a vaccine given by biologists.   view more (2008-07-17)

Does a peptide affect the heart's response to social isolation?
A team of researchers investigating the effects of oxytocin, a peptide produced by the brain that regulates social behavior, has found that it can prevent detrimental cardiac responses in adult female animals exposed to social isolation. The findings may provide further insight into how these... view more (2007-04-30)

NEW LOOK ENVIRONMENT AWARD FOR ENGINEERS LAUNCHED FOR 1999
The competition, the only award to recognise the achievements of individual engineers in their work to protect and enhance the environment, is reshaped for 1999 with a totally new class structure that mirrors current environmental concerns and Government initiatives.   view more (1999-03-11)

Black-footed ferrets sired by males that died 8 years ago
Two black-footed ferrets at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have each given birth to a kit that was sired by males who died in 1999 and 2000   view more (2008-09-03)

Allergens and viruses act together to worsen asthma
Common allergens (such as dust mite and grass pollen) and viruses may act together to exacerbate asthma, concludes a study in this week’s BMJ.   view more (2002-03-27)

K-Staters design and build a low-cost remote sensing tool for environmental studies
A Kansas State University research team is prototyping a small, inexpensive remote-control plane as a sensing tool, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle, to collect environmental data.   view more (2006-05-11)

Inventor helps grasslands go native
Montana rancher and inventor Lee Arbuckle may soon change the nation's market for native grass seed, a tricky-to-harvest crop worth hundreds of millions and vital to restoring wildlands.   view more (2006-10-31)

Invasive Grass May Impede Forest Regeneration
The nonnative invasive grass Microstegium vimineum may hinder the regeneration of woody species in southern forests.   view more (2007-04-10)

Where there's muck there's grass
The oldest ecological experiment in the world, set up almost 150 years ago to see whether inorganic fertilisers could produce more grass than traditional animal manures, is becoming an important source of evidence on the impact of climate change on genetic variation in plants. Speaking at the... view more (2003-09-01)

Hayfever hope
With the peak grass pollen season approaching, scientists can reveal that a daily dose of probiotic can change the immune status of people with hay fever.   view more (2008-06-03)

Building disease-beating wheat
Disease resistance genes from three different grass species have been combined in the world's first 'trigenomic' chromosome, which can now be used to breed disease resistant wheat varieties.   view more (2007-12-13)

Hybrid grass may prove to be valuable fuel source
Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), a hybrid grass that can grow 13 feet high, may be a valuable renewable fuel source for the future.   view more (2005-09-28)

ON TRAILS OF ANCIENT SEA GRASSES
Paleobotanists from St. Petersburg have found that ancestry of sea grasses had come to sea from desert 40 million years ago. The study was supported by International Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., and by Linnean Society of London. It is not easy to reconstruct how... view more (2000-12-01)

The evolution of food plants: Genetic control of grass flower architecture
Scientists are interested in understanding genetic control of grass inflorescence architecture because seeds of cereal grasses (e.g. rice, wheat, maize) provide most of the world's food.   view more (2006-01-23)

Sweeter grass does not lead to more milk
Contrary to general expectations, the characteristics of different varieties of perennial ryegrass such as sugar content do not influence the feed intake of grazing dairy cows. Moreover cell wall degradability characteristics were not different among perennial ryegrass varieties. Research carried... view more (2004-09-22)

Fueling Ethanol Production While Protecting Water Quality
Grain-based ethanol production has increased dramatically in recent years as the cost and instability of oil has increased. New U.S. government policies require major increases in ethanol production. While future plans call for a viable cellulosic ethanol industry, expanded grain ethanol production... view more (2008-04-02)

POLYMER PROTECTS GRASS
To help the nature to recover from harmful impacts of the mining industry, Svetlana Mesyats and her team from the Geological Institute of the Kola Research Center RAS offer the method, which implies the application of a thin invisible polymeric film onto the soil surface and provides for a fast and... view more (2002-06-04)

On-farm research shows farmers can use less nitrogen to save money and reduce environmental impact
Ongoing field trials since 2002 by a team that includes 16 farmers, Cornell researchers and Cornell Cooperative Extension field crops educators in 10 counties are showing the value of on-farm research.   view more (2007-06-21)

Iowa State researchers study ground cover to reduce impact of biomass harvest
Ground cover may be one workable method to reduce the effects of erosion that future biomass harvests are predicted to bring.   view more (2008-07-09)

Sort By: Page Views | Date
© 2008 BrightSurf.com