Breeding a better chickpea
Chickpeas are an important crop and food in India. They are used almost every day in meals and snacks. India is the largest producer, consumer, and importer of chickpeas. And with good reason—they are high in protein, fiber, and vitamins and minera.....»»
Researchers boost rice yield by overcoming trait tradeoff between panicle number and size
Crop breeding is largely constrained by tradeoffs among different agronomic traits. Since many of these tradeoffs are caused by gene pleiotropy, reducing gene pleiotropy may make it easier to overcome these tradeoffs in plant breeding. However, few e.....»»
Jaguars could return to the US Southwest—but only if they have pathways to move north
Jaguars are the only species of big cat found on the American continent. They range as far south as Argentina, and once roamed as far north as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Today the northernmost breeding population is in the northwest Mexican state o.....»»
Why birds migrate vast distances, and how you can help during their breeding season
Now that spring is in the air, the U.K. is starting to see its summer visitors arriving. Ospreys are already back in their nests, chiffchaffs are singing their song to re-establish their territories, and puffins have arrived at their breeding sites a.....»»
The plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in California
In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA......»»
How Does a Newt Cross the Road? With Lots of Human Help
Brigades of volunteers are coming to the rescue of thousands of Pacific newts that perish each year as they migrate to their breeding grounds......»»
Selective breeding sustainably protects honey bees from Varroa mite
A new breed of honey bees provides a major advance in the global fight against the parasitic Varroa mite, new research shows......»»
How does perennial grassland cover affect duck nest survival?
Efforts related to the management of breeding ducks in North America have often focused on developing and implementing practices that promote the survival of nests. Although it's thought that increasing perennial grassland cover will benefit nest sur.....»»
California peregrine falcon finds partner after mate"s death
A peregrine falcon whose longtime mate died this week amid the breeding season appears to have found a new partner to help her hatch two eggs......»»
Easy test can see if breeding bulls have the right stuff
Forget sending bull semen out for complicated laboratory tests to learn whether the agricultural animal is highly virile......»»
The independence of pollen grains: A matter of energy
The pollen grains of maize, rice and all other cereals, need to store starch as energy deposit for later use during fertilization. A research team, led by Dr. Ivan Acosta from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany,.....»»
Whale migrations: How new UN treaty aims to protect species on the high seas
A humpback whale we tagged while it was feeding off the Western Antarctic Peninsula made a nearly 19,000 km-round trip in 265 days, traveling north from Antarctica to its breeding area off Colombia and back. Whales migrate thousands of kilometers eac.....»»
Tweaking carotenoids to improve plant growth and tolerance
A novel plant-breeding strategy is targeting crop yield, nutritional value and stress tolerance, all through the expression of one gene......»»
Genome reconstruction opens doors to the transformation of potato breeding
More than 20 years after the first release of the human genome, scientists at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, have for the first time deciphered the highly com.....»»
Elephant seal"s map sense tells them when to head "home"
Each year, pregnant female elephant seals take an approximately 240-day trek over 10,000 kilometers across the Eastern North Pacific Ocean before returning to their breeding beaches to give birth within five days of their arrival. Now, a study appear.....»»
Following the inner compass: How birds find their ways to foreign lands
How migratory animals find their way to the wintering grounds, thousands of kilometers apart from their breeding ground, is a fascinating riddle of nature. Previous studies have suggested they possibly follow the geomagnetic field lines and olfactory.....»»
The weird and wonderful world of breeding sea stars
It takes a bit of work to get brittlestars in the mood to procreate in captivity. They need to be well-fed, in total darkness and convinced the world is ending......»»
Tiger breeding, exports flourish in S.Africa: charity
South Africa's legal lion breeding has spawned a tiger farming industry for commercial exports, potentially posing a threat to the species already in decline, an animal welfare group warned Tuesday......»»
Magnetic navigation: Songbirds use the Earth"s magnetic field as a stop sign during migration
A new study published today in Science has shed light on how birds navigate back to their breeding site after flying across two continents......»»
World"s Largest Fish Breeding Grounds Found Under the Antarctic Ice
sciencehabit shares a report from Science.org: The most extensive and densely populated breeding colony of fish anywhere lurks deep underneath the ice of the Weddell Sea, scientists aboard an Antarctic research cruise have discovered. The 240 square.....»»
Genetic discovery to improve breeding for disease resistance in wheat
Australian and European researchers have discovered a genetic element in a common wheat pathogen with potential to help streamline breeding for disease-resistant wheat varieties that are better suited to Australian conditions......»»