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Growing food for all, sustainable for our earth.

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

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What is the value of using crop wild relatives in potato breeding?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on September 22, 2019 • ( 6 Comments )
purple flowers with dark green leaves on a rocky hillside

It may surprise you to learn that wild potatoes grow like weeds in South America. While farmers in the United States battle weeds like pigweed and lamb’s quarters, farmers in the Andes […]

What are the types of crops based on nutrition?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on August 7, 2019 • ( 4 Comments )
Hand cradling a set of three potatoes dug freshly from the ground, still attached to their plant.

Plants-based foods are a major part of human nutrition and health. Human nutrients can be put into two main categories: macronutrients and micronutrients. The key to maintaining good health is to balance […]

How do plant partnerships help sustainability?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on July 22, 2019 • ( 9 Comments )
Finger-like aerial roots on corn stalk. The roots are covered with a clear gel called mucilage, a sugary mix that attracts microbes.

We are all familiar with human partnerships of many kinds, both mundane and fictional. In the mundane category is your typical carpool. In the fictional category are superheroes working together to save […]

Flavorful crops and their breeding challenges

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on June 22, 2019 • ( 2 Comments )
Hazelnut husks next to the brown-colored nuts. A metric ruler shows the unshelled-nuts are about 1.5 cm in diameter.

When we think of food crops, we usually think of the basics. Wheat, corn, soy, potato and vegetable crops. These staple foods help sustain us for needed calories and nutrition. But, what […]

How are scientists making wheat more climate resilient?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on June 7, 2019 • ( 3 Comments )
Various colors of green wheat stalks in patterns with drone hovering above

Like humans, plants experience stress. One of those stresses is temperature changes. And, to continue having food security in a changing climate, scientists are working to make more heat resilient crops. Wheat […]

Polyploidy – or how do we get seedless fruit?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on May 7, 2019 • ( 18 Comments )
Wooden box growing green strawberry plants with a few ripe, red strawberries hanging off the side

It’s quite possible that you have seen a commercial for “23 and Me”, advertising an ancestral DNA test. The “23” represents the DNA in a human being, contained in 23 chromosomes.  Now […]

What are cover crops?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on April 22, 2019 • ( 29 Comments )
new plant growth in rows between brown dead plant matter called plant residue

Cash crops like corn, soybean, wheat, rice, and cotton are responsible for most of the food and fiber consumed by humans and animals around the globe1. These annual crops and others are […]

The future of plant disease management

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on April 7, 2019 • ( 14 Comments )
Orange powdery mildew - called rust - on barley leaves

Just like human beings, plants get sick. Microorganisms such as fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses and nematodes (tiny worm like organisms) can infect their plant hosts, with deadly consequences. This might not be […]

Does it really matter when growers irrigate their crops?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on March 22, 2019 • ( 4 Comments )
Water sprinkler spraying water above a crop.

Yes it does! Various crops are sensitive to water stress at different growth stages. The rule of thumb is that reproduction is sensitive to low moisture. The amount of moisture available at […]

What are the factors that determine seed germination?

By sustainablesecurefoodblog on March 7, 2019 • ( 6 Comments )
Containers of just-sprouted soybeans showing that some seeds germinate (four leaves per container) while others don't (two leaves)

When you buy your packet of squash seeds each spring, you plant them in the ground, and expect plants to sprout! It seems like an easy process, but there’s a lot of […]

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