North Dakota Facility Aiding US Agriculture Research

Kelly MarshallGenetics, Genotyping, NCGA, Research

A North Dakota science facility is helping U.S. ag research get up to speed.  Currently the nation is falling behind when it comes to agriculture research, due mainly to a lack of funding, but the National Agriculture Genotyping Center (NAGC) is committed to getting the United States back in the game. Work related to sustainable production practices, genetic improvement and new … Read More

CFI Forms Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Genetics

The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) is working to create the Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture. The organization will comprise a diverse group of stakeholders committed to growing public trust in the field of agriculture and food production. “Without a doubt, gene editing is one of the transformational innovations of the decade and has tremendous potential to benefit … Read More

Scientists Announce Alfalfa Research Advancements

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, biotechnology, Genetics, Hay

Noble Foundation along with researchers from the University of Minnesota and the National Center for Genome Resources have made significant advancements in sequencing the alfalfa genome. The research was presented during the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference held in Madison, Wisconsin. According to Dr. Maria Monteros, Ph.D., alfalfa is one of the most complex plant genome to sequence and today … Read More

NAGC Officially Opens Its Doors

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, biotechnology, Company Announcement, Data, Education, Genetics, NCGA, Research

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center (NAGC) will open its doors this week, and government and industry representatives will be on hand for the facility’s grand opening. North Dakota Ag Commissioner Goehring, Fargo Mayor Mahoney, and several representatives of both legislative staff and agricultural association leadership were present to discuss the center’s possibilities during a tour of the state-of-the-art laboratories. “This … Read More

Stem Cells May Be Key To Increased Yields

Lizzy SchultzAg Group, biotechnology, Corn, Genetics, Research, technology, Traits, yields

Biologists at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a regulatory pathway in corn that could help explain how plants regulate the proliferation of stem cells, and could potentially be used to increase yields of corn and other staple crops by as much as 50 percent. The pathway works by channeling signals from emerging young leaves in corn to … Read More

ARS Genebank Will Preserve Bee Genetic Diversity

Kelly MarshallBees, Genetics, Honeybees, USDA

With the nation’s beekeepers continuing to face problems with honeybee loss, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is creating a national bee gene bank to preserve the genetic diversity of bees.  Of special interest are traits resistant to pests or disease and pollination efficiency.  The new genebank will also be a resource for the ARS and others interested in researching better bee breeds. … Read More

Wheat Genome Sequencing Gets Major Boost

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Genetics, wheat

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) has announced the production of a whole genome assembly of bread wheat. Based on Illumina short sequence reads assembled with NRGene’s DeNovoMAGICTM software, the project goal was to produce a whole genome assembly of the bread wheat variety Chinese Spring. The most widely grown cereal in the world, IWGSC says the project will … Read More

K State Researchers Uncover New Genetic Markers

Kelly MarshallEducation, Genetics, GMO, Research, wheat

Kansas State University wheat scientists, in cooperation with scientists from Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic, are calling their study of wild wheat genes “a breakthrough.”  The research is the first completed study of a chromosome in a tertiary gene pool.  The study was published in The Plant Journal on Sept. 27 “What we did is develop a strategy that … Read More

Play #RealYield on Break

Chuck ZimmermanBayer CropScience, Genetics, Herbicides, seed, Video

Want to take a break from harvest? How about playing some Liberty Link Real Yield game? The prizes are awesome. Here’s how you play: Visit www.realyieldgame.com and click on the promotion link. 1. Complete all fields in the registration or log-in process. 2. Select five fields in the game area to spray Liberty® to reveal incremental bushels of soybeans. 3. … Read More

Ag Genotyping Center Closer to Completion

Kelly MarshallAg Group, Agribusiness, Genetics, USDA

A new National Agricultural Genotyping Center is scheduled to be completed by late this summer, according to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). The center aims to aid farmers with new technologies and is a non-profit initiative founded by NCGA and Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Primary areas of study will include production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national … Read More