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weeds

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 […]

09/13/2018 / 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 […]

08/27/2018 / By RJ Jhonson

Conservationists looking at fungi to restore native plant populations

More than five million species of fungi have been identified so far, but only about 300 are known to make people sick. Fungi – both the “good” and the “bad” ones – play a vital role in the ecosystem, something that conservationists from Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSU Tri-Cities) are demonstrating through their research. Tanya […]

08/18/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Useful way to repurpose invasive weeds: Water hyacinth, an invasive plant to river ecosystems, may prove useful for oil sorption

Those thick clumps of water hyacinth clogging our waterways might be useful for something, after all. A Thai study suggested that the invasive floating plant can be turned into biodegradable adsorption materials that can clean up oil spills better than polypropylene-based sorbents. The findings were published in the International Organization of Scientific Research. Polypropylene is a […]

06/12/2018 / By Edsel Cook

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to remove dead ponderosa pine trees along Highway 20; officials suspect the trees died because of herbicides

In yet another example of the dangers of synthetic herbicides, hundreds of ponderosa pine trees that line U.S. Highway 20 have died due to a weed killer. An article in The Bend Bulletin states that the U.S. Forest Service might only be able to start chopping down the standing but dead trees in 2019. The […]

06/09/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Symbiotic farming: Using sheep to graze weeds on coffee plantations found to be beneficial economically, agriculturally, and environmentally

Could sheep help solve the weed problem troubling coffee plantations? According to an investigative team from the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), they most certainly can. So much so that they found the use of sheep to be highly beneficial from economic, agronomic, and environmental viewpoints. To arrive at this […]

05/17/2018 / By Isabelle Z.

Better than chemicals: Animal grazing more effective at controlling invasive weeds

Reed canary grass is taking over land around the country. It grows surprisingly quickly, choking out the other plants in the areas where it crops up and reducing the biodiversity of area insects and birds. The invasive species is so dense that deer and pheasants won’t eat it, and it clogs up open water patches […]

06/16/2017 / By Russel Davis

Scientists developing laser robot that can zap weeds without using pesticides

A team of researchers from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation at the University of Bonn in Germany are currently developing a robotic tool that readily identifies weeds and shoots laser to eliminate them, thus reducing the need to use herbicides. The project received an EXIST Business Start-up Grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. […]

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