In a research report published in the November 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org), scientists show how a family of genes (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, or ACS genes) are responsible for production of ethylene.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is asking scientists from all over the world to join in its vision of sequencing the genomes of the more than 109,000 different types of rice contained in the International Rice Genebank. IRRI said that the information will help rice breeders and farmers worldwide breed and develop new and improved rice varieties.

Plants have evolved a multitude of ways to protect themselves from the harsh environment, including the closure of stomata to limit water loss during drought or the emission of defense compounds during herbivore attack. They have also developed molecular mechanisms to minimize the damages caused by environmental stresses.

HARARE -- The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) has called on the Government to allow farmers to plant Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) maize seed so as to increase harvest and counter imports. The Zimbabwe Telegraph reports.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their colleagues have completed a four-year effort to sequence the genome of corn, an achievement expected to speed up development of corn varieties that will help feed the world and meet growing demands for using this important grain crop as a biofuel and animal feed.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -– Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a plant cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions such as drought.

Like children everywhere, kids in Hawaii love to run barefoot through tall grass. But an invasive pest called the nettle moth caterpillar can take the fun out of this simple childhood pleasure, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research entomologist Eric B. Jang.

Contrary to claims made by some proponents of organic farming, natural fertilizers are often no better than chemical fertilizers at defending crops against insects--and sometimes they're worse. That's what British researchers found over the course of a 2-year trial. The results suggest that farmers should tailor fertilizing to individual plant varieties.

Agricultural Research Service  (ARS) scientists have found that using alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at least in one part of the country. They are currently examining whether the alternatives offer similar benefits nationwide.

Researchers at the Texas AgriLife Research, led by Charlie Rush, will receive a USD 3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative to study the mysterious Zebra Chip disease of potato.