Study suggests cover crop mixtures increase agroecosystem services
University Park PA (SPX) Sep 12, 2016 -
Planting a multi-species mixture of cover crops - rather than a cover crop monoculture - between cash crops, provides increased agroecosystem services, or multifunctionality, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
That was the conclusion drawn from a two-year study of 18 cover-crop treatments, ranging in diversity from one to eight plant species. Cover c ...
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Protests over water supplies hit India's tech hub
Bangalore, India (AFP) Sept 12, 2016 -
Violent protests have broken out in the southern technology hub of Bangalore over a Supreme Court order to divert water from reservoirs to a neighbouring state.
The protests have forced shops, businesses and schools to close in Bangalore, capital of Karnataka state, which has been ordered to release water into a river to ease a shortage in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Vehicles with Tamil Nad ...
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Rutgers researchers debunk 'five-second rule'
New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Sep 13, 2016 -
Turns out bacteria may transfer to candy that has fallen on the floor no matter how fast you pick it up. Rutgers researchers have disproven the widely accepted notion that it's OK to scoop up food and eat it within a "safe" five-second window. Donald Schaffner, professor and extension specialist in food science, found that moisture, type of surface and contact time all contribute to cross-contam ...
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US challenges $100 bn in China rice, cereal subsidies
Washington (AFP) Sept 13, 2016 -
US President Barack Obama launched legal action against "unfair" Chinese rice, wheat and corn subsidies at the World Trade Organization on Tuesday, setting up a culturally sensitive multi-billion-dollar trade spat.
The United States alleges that China doled out $100 billion in "market price support" for the grains, above levels agreed at the Geneva-based WTO.
"When other countries flout ...
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Bayer sets $66 bn deal for Monsanto after lengthy pursuit
Frankfurt (AFP) Sept 14, 2016 -
German chemicals giant Bayer announced Wednesday a $66 billion deal to buy controversial US seeds and pesticides firm Monsanto, triggering immediate criticism from farmers and environmentalists.
After a months-long pursuit, Bayer said its US peer had accepted an improved offer of $128 per share for Monsanto in an all-cash transaction, avoiding the need to resort to a hostile takeover.
If ...
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After Strong El Nino Winter, NASA Model Sees Return to Normal
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 14, 2016 -
Not too hot, not too cold - instead, water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean should be just around normal for the rest of 2016, according to forecasts from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, or GMAO. With these neutral conditions, scientists with the modeling center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center say there is unlikely to be a La Nina event in late 2016.
Last win ...
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Spain's Donana wetlands going dry, WWF warns
Madrid (AFP) Sept 15, 2016 -
It's one of Europe's most important wetland reserves, a World Heritage site full of lagoons, woodlands, pristine beaches and dunes, home to more than 4,000 species including the endangered Iberian lynx.
But the WWF warned Thursday that the Donana wetlands on Spain's southern coast, which also act as a crucial refuge for Europe's Africa-bound migratory birds, now only receive a fifth of the w ...
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