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Articles on Crops

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Spiders can be effective pest control agents. (Shutterstock)

Studying the stomach contents of spiders shows how they help control crop pests

Spiders liquefy their prey in order to consume it, and this makes it challenging to determine what spiders eat. A new approach that uses DNA barcoding is helping researchers figure out spider diets.
Satellite imagery monitors environmental changes to inform agricultural decisions. Agricultural patterns are distinctly visible in this near-vertical false colour infrared photography of farmland south of Khartoum, Sudan. (JSC/NASA)

Space agriculture boldly grows food where no one has grown before

Technologies being developed for growing food in space have contributed to advances in agriculture and crops on Earth.
The red mangrove is among the species already selected for genome sequencing. Busara/Shutterstock

Why African scientists are studying the genes of African species, and how they do it

The African BioGenome Project is a pan-African project that seeks to sequence Africa’s endemic and indigenous plants and animals.
New technologies can bolster the production of important crops to feed billions of people. Shutterstock

South Africa should rethink regulations on genetically modified plants

A regulatory approach will place an unnecessary burden on bio-innovators. This will discourage local investment for in-house R&D, as well as projects in the public sector.
You can plant a seed from a delicious Honeycrisp apple from the grocery store — but the fruit that comes from that tree will not be Honeycrisp. (Shutterstock)

How a few good apples spawned today’s top varieties — and why breeders must branch out

Apple breeders have created crisp, juicy and tasty fruits, but the limited varieties leave crops vulnerable to diseases, pests and climate change. Introducing new traits could improve crop resilience.

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