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Bioeconomy web site
For more information on European research related to agriculture, visit the
Bioeconomy web site

  Agriculture & food - Agriculture

Last Update: 04-12-13

Results: 1-10 of 56  Page(s) 1 of 6  Next >> 

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Agriculture is at risk from climate change as temperatures, pest levels and growing seasons change. However, agriculture also contributes to these effects through emissions from fertilisers, water wastage and biological processes. A third of vegetables and fruit consumed in the EU are produced by protected horticulture. As 90% of the greenhouse growers are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), they have to compete with cheaper labour, production costs and regular supply from producers outside the EU.
12-09-13


In the UK, Plant Health Officials are approving a newly developed portable DNA testing device for disease diagnosis. They are checking for ash dieback, the spore-borne disease caused by the fungus Chalara fraxinea which, according to the UK Forestry Commission, has infected more than 330 sites in the UK and resulted in the destruction of tens of thousands of young trees. A sample of infected bark is taken from an ash tree and prepared in a manner which can amplify and detect DNA from the organism. The result is available within minutes - rather than the days it would have taken if the sample had been sent for laboratory analysis. Since speed is of critical importance in diagnosing such disease outbreaks, this is a major step forward.
30-07-13


As a food, asparagus can trace an illustrious lineage back 20,000 years to Egypt; it features in the world's oldest surviving cook book, Apicius's third century 'De re coquinaria'; it is packed with vitamins, and a very good source of dietary fibre. No wonder the asparagus is such a prized food. But its reputation as the ultimate gourmet vegetable is also reflected in its delicate cultivation, with white asparagus in particular requiring labour intensive hilling. And in Europe, this dedicated nurturing is threatening the crop as farmers struggle to find the manpower needed to harvest asparagus.
10-05-13


Global focus on improving soil © Shutterstock
As a society, we are becoming more aware of the many ways we can help support sustainable development and preserve the environment. Governments, scientists and international organisations are calling attention to soil: the basis for more than 90 % of world food production. With one in eight inhabitants of the world suffering from hunger, ensuring soil is managed and restored for global food security is vital. Soil is also important for sustainable development, and supports ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
11-01-13


Honey has been a part of human life since ancient times. Cave paintings in Valencia, in Spain, suggest that humans hunted for honey at least 10,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians used honey to embalm the dead, and traces have even been found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Alongside its role as a foodstuff, the practical health benefits of honey have also long been recognised, although it is only recently that honey's antiseptic and antibacterial properties have been properly understood. Not by chance, it would seem, is honey one of the five elixirs of immortality in Hinduism.
07-08-12


The search for alternative products to wean the world away from its dependence on petro-chemicals is an intensive and ongoing one, which takes many forms. Researchers have explored many different avenues. However, one place the search has led them to is perhaps more unexpected than many others: the slaughterhouse.
It may be a startling development, but waste from abattoirs could be an important source of the plastics we all use in the future.
07-08-12


©Fotolia
Nitrogen is rarely thought of as a vital element, but it is still essential for life. While not as obvious as water, oxygen or carbon, it is nonetheless needed to synthesize DNA, RNA and amino acids for proteins, the basic building blocks of plants, animals and other life forms.
06-07-12


©Fotolia
Concerns about climate change coupled with Europe's dependency on petrol have led to calls for the increased use of renewable energies. Biomass is one such renewable energy source, and can be comprised of plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste.
04-07-12


There is a electrifying new way to squeeze more from an ancient resource - olives.

13-04-12


Pellets © Fraunhofer IGB
Researchers in Germany and Hungary have engineered novel pellets that are able to repel pests in a way that does not harm the environment and that could fertilise the plants. These pellets are made of cyanobacteria and fermentation residues from biogas facilities. The organic farming industry could stand to benefit from this innovative development since organic farmers stand to lose entire crops when pests, such as cabbage root flies, lay their eggs on freshly planted vegetables.
11-04-12



Results: 1-10 of 56  Page(s) 1 of 6  Next >> 

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Last update: 04-12-13 | Top