Category: Research Findings

The demand for agricultural products both in Nigeria and the world at large will always be on the high side because food is one of the basic needs of man. Therefore as an entrepreneur, you can key into this demand and set up an agro business thereby creating enormous wealth for yourself. There are many reasons every young aspiring entrepreneur should look into agriculture as endless opportunities are found on agriculture and more people are starting to realize that, especially young people. This article is a highlight of agricultural business…

Summary: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now researchers show that this principle also holds for crab spiders and flowering plants. While it’s true that the spiders do eat or drive away useful pollinators such as bees, they’re also attracted by floral scent signals to come and help if the plant is attacked by insects intent on eating it.     Crab spiders sitting on the flowers keep away bees and also plant-eating insects from visiting the plants. Credit: Anina C. Knauer   Interactions between organisms such as…

Discovery of a gene that helps rice plants grow in salty soil paves the way to developing salt-tolerant crops Members of the research team collecting samples in a rice paddy field in Changsha, China. Credit: Jianzhong Lin Around 20% of the world’s irrigated land is considered to contain elevated concentrations of salt, and the soil continues to get saltier as the climate warms. Agricultural production is hard hit by soil salinity; salt stress reduces the growth and yield of most plants, resulting in billions of dollars in crop yield losses…

Study reviews the global importance of vertebrate pollinators for plant reproduction   Bees are not the only animals that carry pollen from flower to flower. Species with backbones, among them bats, birds, mice, and even lizards, also serve as pollinators. Although less familiar as flower visitors than insect pollinators, vertebrate pollinators are more likely to have co-evolved tight relationships of high value to the plants they service, supplying essential reproductive aid for which few or no other species may substitute.   In plants known to receive flower visitations from vertebrates,…

Beetles share the work of cultivating their fungal gardens: some clean the tunnel systems that are being eaten into the wood, others clear the dirt from the nest and clean their fellow workers always with the aim of optimizing the symbiosis of beetle and fungus. Credit: Gernot Kunz If on a warm summer’s evening in the beer garden, small beetles dive into your beer, consider giving them a break. Referred to as “ambrosia beetles,” these insects just want what’s best for themselves and their offspring. Drawn to the smell of…