BACKGROUND Globally, about 20% of cultivated land is now affected by salinity. Salt tolerance is a trait of importance to all crops in saline soils. Previous efforts to improve salt tolerance in crop plants have met with only limited success. Bacteria of the genus Deinococcus are known for their ability to survive highly stressful conditions, and therefore possess a unique pool of genes conferr...

We investigated whether development of resistance to a Bt crop in the presence of a natural enemy would be slower than without the natural enemy and whether biological control, in conjunction with a Bt crop, could effectively suppress the pest population. Additionally, we investigated whether insecticide-sprayed refuges of non-Bt crops would delay or accelerate resistance to the Bt crop. We use...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims down to evaluate the ability of chloride magnesium- aluminium- layered double hydroxides (4:1) for nitrate adsorption from the soil solution in successive cropping periods. METHODS: The study was conductedunder long-term cropping periods, including first crop): bell pepper; second crop: mentheae; third crop: cher...

Insects cause heavy damage to cultivated crop plants. Production of proteinaceous inhibitors that interfere with the digestive biochemistry of insect pests is one of the naturally occurring defence mechanisms in plants. These proteins include lectins, arcelins and inhibitors of alpha amylases and proteases of various larvae pests. Use of plant genes encoding effective inhibitors of major digest...

A model to predict the distribution of harvest dates in an Easter lily crop was validated using data from several locations. Plants were individually harvested (i.e. removed from the greenhouse for shipping) when flowers on a plant reached a minimum flower bud length. A computer decision-support system called LilyDate was developed to allow the model to be used to optimize greenhouse temperatur...

Glufosinate is currently used to kill unwanted plants in landscape areas where a complete vegetation kill is desired (for example, around the base of shrubs, in sand traps on golf courses, or around fence and sign posts) in industrial, recreational, and public areas such as airports, schools, parking lots, roadsides, and railroad rights-ofway. It is also used as a directed spray (away from crop...