max FACTS
Italians Growing Cress 6,000km from Earth
When the European Space Agency ’ s new VEGA C rocket blasted off from French Guiana for the first time on July 13 , 2022 , it carried a unique Italian hydroponic garden called GreenCube into space . GreenCube is a garden in a CubeSat , a tiny satellite measuring just 10x10x30cm . A pressurised chamber inside GreenCube is designed for growing microgreens . For this flight , the first of its kind , it was loaded with garden cress seeds . Technicians initiated their growth on July 26 . Based on a closed-loop hydroponic system , GreenCube is fitted with sensors that constantly monitor the growing environment . The main environmental conditions — including light , temperature , and nutrient flow — can be remotely controlled from the ground . The growth cycle is expected to last between 15 and 20 days . GreenCube is carrying out the first-ever experiment on growing plants beyond low Earth orbit under microgravity conditions .
— theunconventionalgardener . com
New Fungal Pathogen on Apple Trees Discovered
Japanese apple rust , a disease affecting apples , crab apples , and junipers , has been confirmed in Minnesota for the first time . The disease is caused by the fungal plant pathogen Gymnosporangium yamadae . While new to Minnesota , this rust has been in the northeastern U . S . for more than 10 years . “ Discovering a new plant pathogen , like Japanese apple rust , is always a concern for our gardeners and farmers in Minnesota ,” says Mark Abrahamson , director of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture ’ s ( MDA ) Plant Protection Division . “ However , as we ’ ve observed on the East Coast where Japanese apple rust has been prevalent for over a decade , there have been no significant impacts to apple production . We are cautiously optimistic that the same will be true in Minnesota .” The MDA has observed leaf spots on many different varieties of both crab apple and apple in Minnesota . The leaf spots may be deep red , orange , or yellow with a red ring .
— freshplaza . com
Urban Ag Growing in World ’ s Megacities
Rampant inflation and bottlenecks of supplies like fertiliser , which began during the COVID-19 pandemic and were made worse by war in Ukraine , are leading ordinary people to grow more of their own food . But in Brazil — a country of 215 million where about 85 percent of people now live in urban areas — cities such as Rio are embarking on some of the most ambitious projects . A 20-minute drive west , in the Madureira neighbourhood , the city is building what it says will be the largest vegetable garden in the world by 2024 in a plot of land abandoned after the 2016 Olympics Games . The 27-acre lot will be capable of feeding some 50,000 families , according to the Rio government . Brazil , an agricultural superpower , produces about 10 percent of the world ’ s food , from beef to soybeans , orange juice to corn . But buying food is increasingly too expensive for the poorest families .
— wsj . com
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