MAX FACTS
hydroponic news, tips and trivia
Walnut Trees at Risk in
Changing Climate
Researchers at Purdue University have predicted that
United States walnut growers may be in for a tough
time as the climate continues to change, warning that
warmer, drier summers and extreme weather events
could be fatal for walnut trees, an important resource
in several states including Indiana and California.
Drought and temperature
fluctuations
associated
with climate
change are
dangerous
for walnut
trees, which
produced
about $1 billion
worth of edible nuts
in California in 2010. The
trees are also important to the United States hardwood
industry, with black walnut logs accounting for about
$11 million in annual revenue in Indiana alone.
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
Herbicide Responsible for Chemical
Castration, Study Finds
Atrizine, an herbicide used extensively on cornfields in the Midwest and on
sugar cane fields in Florida, has been found to “chemically castrate” animals
exposed to it, reports a study by a team of 22 researchers from more than 60
nations in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
The European Union has already banned the use of atrazine, although a
spokesman from the manufacturer, Switzerland-based Syngenta, denied
there is cause for concern, saying that “atrazine cannot, does not and will not
cause adverse effects at levels to which people would ever be exposed in the
real world.”
(Source: news.discovery.com)
Maize Gets Sex Change
A Purdue University researcher has found that removing naturally-occurring plant
steroid hormones in corn plants not only makes them shorter and sturdier, but produces
only female plants—a big advantage for the seed industry.
Hybrid maize seed producers must remove male pollen-producing tassels from corn plants so
that they do not pollinate themselves, but Burkhard Schulz—an assistant professor of horticulture and
landscape architecture—said maize plants that produce only female organs would eliminate the costly and
painstaking detasseling step.
“We don’t know if this is a special case for corn or if this is generally the same in other plants,” Schulz said. “If it is the
same in other plants, it should be useful for creating plants or trees in which you want only males or females.”
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
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Maximum Yield USA | February 2012