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Archive for June, 2014

Researchers Identify Gene to Improve Wheat Frost Tolerance

Posted in Food, Genetics, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , , on 06/09/2014|

Screen shot 2014-06-09 at 4.24.57 PMThe United States, the world’s leading exporter of wheat, is struggling to keep pace with demand, and a decline in grain available is causing a worldwide crisis. Improving the performance of winter wheat is crucial to keeping pace with worldwide demand.

With funding from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), scientists in California have identified the genes in wheat that are responsible for the plant’s tolerance to freezing temperatures.  This discovery may lead to improved crop production.

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Determining Rice Gene Function: Unlocking the Secrets of the World’s Most Important Food

Posted in Food, Genetics, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Screen shot 2014-06-09 at 4.21.38 PMIn 2008, headlines of real world events read like the script of a bad science fiction movie – the main food source of half the world was in short supply, sparking riots around the globe.  But new research may help shield rice crops from future attacks.

Rice is a tiny cereal grain that is the primary source of food for more than 50 percent of the world’s human population.  It is the second most consumed cereal grain and provides more than one-fifth of the caloric intake of people around the world. Fearing a global shortage, many governments and retailers began rationing rice supplies, which led to the events in the headlines.

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Blame Your Allergies on the Earthworm

Posted in Climate, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

While not as menacing as the sci-fi B-movie cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, agricultural scientists have discovered a dark side to, gulp, the earthworm.

Worms may delight gardeners with their ability to aerate the soil, but these organisms are not native to the northern regions of the United States and may be responsible for altering an ecosystem that developed in a worm-free environment.

With funding from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), scientists in Ohio are exploring a sinister link between earthworms and common allergens.

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Pathogen Responsible for Food Poisoning Wears a Protective Cloak

Posted in Food, Genetics, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Clostridium perfringens, the second most common bacterial pathogen responsible for food poisoning in the United States, has been using a “secret weapon” to survive and sicken as many as 250,000 people every year at a cost of several hundred million dollars in medical care and lost productivity.

Now, however, scientists have uncovered the secret behind the C. perfringens’ success.

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