Heide's Blog
Blog
-
Sour Mulch – how nature produces formic-acid “killer mulch”
Source - Have you heard the term sour mulch before? Washington state plant pathologist Dr. Ribeiro has often warned about how to spot it – and avoid it. But a mulch that “kill’s at a distance”? A northeast mulch producer submitted his product to Woods End lab with the caveat -”I’m not sure you can figure out what’s wrong”.
-
Centuries-old frozen plants revived
Source - Plants that were frozen during the "Little Ice Age" centuries ago have been observed sprouting new growth, scientists say. Samples of 400-year-old plants known as bryophytes have flourished under laboratory conditions. Researchers say this back-from-the-dead trick has implications for how ecosystems recover from the planet's cyclic long periods of ice coverage.
-
RNA interference technology could be farming’s next big thing
Source - By Richard ArnasonMonsanto’s chief technology officer hinted in a quarterly earnings call with financial analysts in January that the company might be onto something big. After running through routine updates on corn breeding, soybean yield improvements and other projects, Rob Fraley’s enthusiasm spiked when he began talking about Monsanto’s research and development work on RNA interference (RNAi) for pest management. “These (tools) can precisely target pests and can result in many of the same benefits we’ve seen with biotechnology traits,” he said. “So while it’s still in early stages, I have to emphasize that for me this is a really exciting advance, and it reminds of when I first saw the Roundup Ready technology in the late 1980s.”
-
A majority on Earth face severe self-inflicted water woes within 2 generations: Scientists
Source - A conference of 500 leading water scientists from around the world today issued a stark warning that, without major reforms, "in the short span of one or two generations, the majority of the 9 billion people on Earth will be living under the handicap of severe pressure on fresh water, an absolutely essential natural resource for which there is no substitute. This handicap will be self-inflicted and is, we believe, entirely avoidable." The scientists bluntly pointed to chronic underlying problems led by mismanagement and sent a prescription to policy makers in a 1,000-word declaration issued at the end of a four-day meeting in Bonn, Germany, "Water in the Anthropocene," organized by the Global Water System Project and detailed in a pre-conference release: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/gwsp-sig051413.php.
-
Why Manhattan's Green Roofs Don't Work--and How to Fix Them
Source - By Amy KraftCity rooftops covered with vegetation are seen as a way to reduce the urban heat-island effect and cut energy usage--but so far, the results have been unimpressive. Two students are part of a research team that is trying to figure out how to maximize the benefits of green roofs. The problem has taken on practical significance as grass and other plants sprout on rooftops all over Manhattan and in other cities. For the past two years, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative has offered tax abatements for green roof construction and grant money for projects to capture storm water. Rooftop gardens have the potential of lowering energy usage for heating and air-conditioning as well as reducing rainwater runoff, but their effectiveness is not well established.
