Hydroponic Dandelions Have Role in Rubber Industry
When it comes to ensuring continued rubber supply to manufacture the
50,000 products requiring the resource, dandelions might be the
key. Rubber trees in South America are threatened by South
American Leaf Blight, and if the disease establishes in
Southeast Asia, rubber supply would be lost. However,
hydroponically grown dandelions (Buckeye Gold
variety has 10-15 per cent rubber in its roots) could
help with rubber production. Some dandelions
grow rapidly in hydroponics with rubber-producing
roots becoming large enough for rubber extraction in
a fraction of the time required in fields. Indoor vertical hydroponic
systems have potentially at least 10-times higher productivity per
acre per year than conventional rubber tree farming and can be built
up very quickly. Some US companies are scaling up indoor dandelion production with
hopes of ensuring long-term supply while competing with Asian rubber companies.
— thehill.com
Avocado Prices Skyrocket
According to USA Today reports, sky-high avocado prices are causing
many restaurants to take the creamy accompaniment off their
menus. The “avocrisis” is so bad, Rabobank’s vice president
and senior analyst David Magana notes “this is the highest
price for this time of the year in at least a decade, probably
more.” In fact, compared to July 2018, this year’s wholesale
prices for mid-sized avocados is up 129 per cent (as of July)
as the price of a 25-pound box jumped from $37 to $84.25.
Over the past year, as avocado consumption continued to
rapidly increase, production in California and Mexico (which
supplies around 80 per cent of American avocados) dropped
significantly. In fact, the Mexican government says this “slight
drop” in their own production, as well as an “increased demand
in the US” has left the country without one of its dietary staples.
Mexicans are reportedly resorting to the creation of “mock guacamole.”
— delish.com
Key Food-Growing Fertilizer Resource Dwindling
By 2030, the world’s population will be 8.5 billion. However, there
is a severe conflict between sustainable food production and
using non-renewable resources in agricultural systems, particularly
phosphate. Phosphorus is a major mineral nutrient required
by crop plants for optimal growth and productivity. Phosphate
is the only form of phosphorus plants can absorb (as phosphate
fertilizer). Phosphate is obtained through rock mining but scientists
report global phosphate production will peak around 2030,
at the same time the global population hits 8.5 billion people.
Several reports have also warned that the global reserve would be
depleted within the next 50 to 100 years. Because plants can only
uptake small amounts of phosphate, a majority of fertilizer ends up
in unwanted places, like bodies of water. It is reasonable to predict
that as phosphate becomes more expensive and may eventually
run out, it could pose a food-security threat.
— phys.org
Maximum Yield
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