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Plants

12/04/2018 / By Michelle Simmons

Keep these plants next to your bed for a restful slumber

Sometimes, your busy lifestyle can take a toll on you. Stress and anxiety, accompanied by the poor air quality in your environment may cause you to have a hard time falling asleep at night. Fortunately, there is a natural solution to this: indoor plants. Ditch those sleeping pills and put some indoor plants in your bedroom […]

11/13/2018 / By Janine Acero

Soils treated with organic fertilizer are healthier; produce stronger plants

Come to any local gardening center and you may see rows and rows of plant- and animal-based fertilizers that boast of faster growth, beautiful blooms, or abundant produce from your plants. But which type of fertilizer can actually deliver these promises? A study published in the journal Biological Agriculture & Horticulture assessed the effect of plant- and animal-based soil amendments […]

10/13/2018 / By David Williams

Use of compost and cover crops improves soil nutrients, helps mitigate the impact of extreme weather on vegetable crops

The benefits of using cover crops and compost in growing all sorts of plants have been known for a long time. However, the effects of adding them in specific configurations haven’t exactly been well-studied. In fact, certain long-term impacts of adding organic matter through cover crops (CC) and compost in the soil are poorly understood. […]

10/01/2018 / By Zoey Sky

The effect of charcoal on maize yield

Data from a study published in the European Journal of Agronomy revealed that adding biochar to farm soil in Belgium significantly increased maize/corn (Zea mays) yield. The researchers said that this was because the presence of charcoal helped increase available water content in the soil. The findings implied that charcoal effect on maize yield was at its highest […]

09/24/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Scientists find a way to increase soybean yield through biological fixation, could remove the need for nitrogen fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizers are a double-edged sword for soybean farmers. While they’re vital for large crops, they’re also expensive and potential pollutants. Thankfully, Brazilian researchers found a different way to boost yields by increasing the number of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the plant’s roots, according to a ScienceDaily report. Nitrogen is essential to the production of protein. Soybeans […]

09/21/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Fungal strains found naturally in the soil, including a relative of penicillin, could be an alternative to herbicides

Penicillium molds have been used to ripen cheese and produce the life-saving antibiotic penicillin. Now, a member of the large and common genus of fungi could serve as a natural alternative to synthetic herbicides. The discovery was made by Nigerian researchers from the University of Ilorin, who were looking for local microbes that could reduce the need for chemical weed-killers that polluted the environment […]

09/17/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Researchers identify and investigate the characteristics of gold nanoparticles in two plants

Chinese researchers confirmed the presence of gold within two different plants found in the wild. An article in Science Daily stated that wild samples of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) and horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) absorbed artificial gold nanoparticles from external sources. Gold has been found in other plants before. A species of alfalfa was even cultivated so […]

09/13/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Organic fertilizers made with moringa promote the healthier growth of wheat

If you’re thinking of planting wheat, try adding some moringa to the mix to help it grow faster and keep weeds at bay, according to a study in Allelopathy Journal. In the study, the researchers investigated extracts from the leaves, flowers, and seeds of the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), in particular, how they affect the growth […]

09/13/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Natural fertilizers are better than chemical ones at preventing crop disease

A study led by researchers in Paraguay suggests that treating sesame seeds with natural biocontrol agents can significantly increase their resistance against infections caused by plant pathogens. Their findings, published in the Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, identified the non-pathogenic fungi Trichoderma and Azospirillum brasilense as potential agents to protect the seeds against infections from Macrophomina phaseolina, […]

08/31/2018 / By Earl Garcia

Stunning archaeological discovery finds that humans were processing plants for food and medicine more than 10,000 years ago

Humans may have used pottery to process plants for food and medicine more than 10,000 years ago, a study revealed. As part of research, an international team of archaeologists examined more than 100 broken pieces of unglazed pottery found in Takarkori and Uan Afuda in the Libyan Sahara. The pieces of pottery date back from more than 10,000 […]

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