As 2017 kicks off, we want to equip you with the best and latest information about the role of plant science in sustainable agriculture. So we have come up with some of the most influential studies published over the last 12 months. Take a look to make sure you didn’t miss any!
Everyone knows the British love their tea – they drink a whopping 165 million cups of tea are drunk every day! But did you know that scientists and farmers have to work hard to keep tea crops healthy and tea pots topped up? Meet them here.
The American state of Florida has been home to commercially-farmed citrus since the mid-1800s, and today, it is a US$9 billion industry, employing nearly 76,000 Floridians. Named the Sunshine State because of the good growing weather, Florida farmers grow more than 74 million citrus trees on more than half a million acres (200,000 ha), which provides for 90 percent of America’s orange juice consumption. Any damage to the crop would have serious consequences on Americans’ vitamin C intake! Continue reading...
Dr. Jude Grosser from the University of Florida, Citrus Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences observes orange leaves in one of the institute’s greenhouse, Lake Alfred, Florida.
In 30 years, Vietnam has gone from producing less than one percent of the world’s coffee to producing 20 percent today. The country is now the world’s second largest coffee exporter, behind Brazil, and employs about 2.6 million people in the coffee-growing industry. With coffee now grown on half a million smallholder farms, the country attributes a large part of its dramatic reduction in poverty – from more than 60 percent in 1994 to less than 10 percent today – to the coffee boon. Continue reading…
Senthil Kumar, a biotechnologist at BASF’s research center in Bellathi, India, has a passion for tackling hunger and malnutrition. He explains his motivation for pursuing a career in plant science and encourages others to follow in his footsteps.
Scientist Senthil Kumar at the BASF research centre Bellathi, Coimbatore, India.
Are you interested in a career in plant science and becoming a food hero? From research and development to working with farmers in the field, there are many interesting jobs for those wishing to pursue careers in plant science. While there are hundreds of different ways to support farmers and the world food supply, we have picked out 10 below: