Search Results for: Biodiversity

Abstract : This review examines the production systems for cacao, coffee, rice, oil palm, and soyabean, and their corresponding impacts on biodiversity. Keywords: Coffea, Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora, Coffea liberica, Elaeis, Elaeis guineensis, Glycine (Fabaceae), Glycine max, Oryza, Oryza glaberrima, Oryza sativa, plants, Theobroma cacao, biodiversity, cocoa, coffee, crop production, environmental impact, fatty oil plants, …

Abstract: Genetically modified plants are widely grown predominantly in North America and to a lesser extent in Australia, Argentina and China but their regions of production are expected to spread soon beyond these limited areas also reaching Europe where great controversy over the application of gene technology in agriculture persists. Currently, several cultivars of eight …

Abstract: Farmland biodiversity is an important characteristic when assessing sustainability of agricultural practices and is of major international concern. Scientific data indicate that agricultural intensification and pesticide use are among the main drivers of biodiversity loss. The analysed data and experiences do not support statements that herbicide-resistant crops provide consistently better yields than conventional crops …

Abstract: The growing demand for food poses major challenges to humankind. We have to safeguard both biodiversity and arable land for future agricultural food production, and we need to protect genetic diversity to safeguard ecosystem resilience. We must produce more food with less input, while deploying every effort to minimize risk. Agricultural sustainability is no …

Abstract: Worldwide an increasing share of agricultural land is being sown with transgenic seeds. Advocates of genetic engineering tout the potential of this technology to fight hunger, produce healthier food, secure higher yields, supply more biofuel and reduce pesticide use. Up to now, most of these promises have not been fulfilled. Instead, genetic engineering technology …

Abstract: The special section on Food Security (12 February, p. 797) appeared to strongly and uncritically support the application and development of genetically modified (GM) technologies and the reliance on agrochemicals. There was little appreciation of the conflicts that are likely to arise. Increased access to expensive nonrenewable inputs, along with increased public acceptance and …

Abstract: Our original publication contained two separate conclusions derived from two methodological approaches. First, using PCR, we detected the presence of three distinct transgenic DNA sequences in maize landraces in Oaxaca, Mexico. Second, we attempted to establish the genomic context of transgene insertion using i-PCR. The criticisms raised by Metz and Fütterer and by Kaplinsky …

Abstract: Pesticides constitute a major anthropogenic addition to natural communities. In aquatic communities, a great majority of pesticide impacts are determined from single‐species experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. Although this is an essential protocol to rapidly identify the direct impacts of pesticides on organisms, it prevents an assessment of direct and indirect pesticide effects on …

Abstract: The potential for genetically modified (GM) crops to threaten biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture is substantial. Megadiverse countries and centers of origin and/or diversity of crop species are particularly vulnerable regions. The future of sustainable agriculture may be irreversibly jeopardized by contamination of in situ preserved genetic resources threatening a strategic resource for the …

Abstract: Pesticides constitute a major anthropogenic addition to natural communities. In aquatic communities, a great majority of pesticide impacts are determined from single‐species experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. Although this is an essential protocol to rapidly identify the direct impacts of pesticides on organisms, it prevents an assessment of direct and indirect pesticide effects on …

Abstract: We simulated the effects of the introduction of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops on weed populations and the consequences for seed-eating birds. We predict that weed populations might be reduced to low levels or practically eradicated, depending on the exact form of management. Consequent effects on the local use of fields by birds might …

Keywords: weeds, crop protection, BCPC Citation: Darmency, H., Fleury, A., and Lefol, E. (1995). Effect of transgenic release on weed biodiversity: oilseed rape and wild radish. Proceedings – Brighton Crop Protection Conference – Weeds, 2, 433-438.

Abstract: Conservation of biodiversity is high on the agenda of international and national environmental policies though not very present in public awareness. The need to protect biodiversity and stop the loss was acknowledged in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), internationally agreed on in 1992, and underscored by relevant decisions since then. It has been …

Abstract: Two papers about the future of the planet appeared within a month of each other (June/July 2015): Accelerated modern human-induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction was the first (5 pages long). The 6 authors calculated the average rate of vertebrate losses over the last century and compared it with the background rate …

Abstract: Pesticides are causing strong decreases in aquatic biodiversity at concentrations assumed safe by legislation. One reason for the failing risk assessment may be strong differences in the toxicity of the active ingredient of pesticides and their commercial formulations. Sublethal effects, especially those on behaviour, have been largely ignored in this context, yet can be …

Abstract: The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional …

Abstract: The concept of sustainability applied to agriculture has developed mainly as a result of growing awareness of negative impacts of intensive agriculture production systems on the environment and the quality of life. Intensive agriculture systems are based on genetically uniform crops which can be susceptible to various diseases and insect pests. Genetically modified (GM) …

Text: Sir – In your News Feature ‘Is China ready for GM rice?’, you consider the merits of using genetically modified (GM) crops for pest control. But don’t overlook the potential of ecological engineering, which can provide an important and undervalued approach to tackling agricultural problems. Biological control in irrigated rice is a prime example …

Abstract: Agriculture based on transgenic crops has expanded in Argentina into areas formerly occupied by Chaco forest. Even though glyphosate is the herbicide most widely used in the world, increasing evidence indicates severe ecotoxicological effects on non-target organisms as native plants. The aim of this work is to determine glyphosate effects on 23 native species …

Abstract: Transgenic or genetically modified plants possess novel genes that impart beneficial characteristics such as herbicide resistance. One of the least understood areas in the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops is their impact on soil- and plant-associated microbial communities. The potential for interaction between transgenic plants and plant residues and the soil microbial …

Abstract: Agriculture Times of yore in AgBioForum, current science and many agriculture journal issues have been discussed Bt cotton safety (Manjunath 2011) controversies (Geeta Bharathan 2001), success (Camille Gonsalves 2007), resistance issues (Akshaya et al., 2010) and cost-benefit analysis (Manjunath 2011) in India a question rose as to “Bt or Non-Bt”. Therefore, a typical collective …

Abstract: In December 2009 the German Research Foundation published the booklet “Grüne Gentechnik” (Genetically modified crops) claiming to give a scientifically well balanced information about GMO’s in agriculture. In this paper we analyse this approach resulting in a critical review regarding the intention of the booklet. We conclude that the evaluation of GMO’s in agriculture …

Abstract: The intensive pursuit of biological efficiency has dominated animal science over recent decades. This paradigm is driven largely by economic criteria for lower resource input, increased output of livestock products, faster turnover and reduced costs to the consumer. Science has broken many economic boundaries. But disturbing stability always exacts a price: hidden costs, health, …

Abstract: The Biotechnology and Food Safety Report issued jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), is the result of an Expert Consultation held in Rome, in October 1996. The Consultation was the latest, possibly the most significant, attempt to reach international agreement on the safety of genetically engineered (GE) …

Abstract: Advances in genetic modification technology and the production of human-altered genomes have led to an array of genetically modified organisms utilized to address numerous global issues. The human need-based development of these modified organisms often presents unprecedented phenotypes which will interact with the world’s existing biodiversity in unknown ways. One such example is Bt …