AFTER centuries of improving crop plants by breeding for desirable traits, agricultural scientists are now using the tools of molecular biology and genetic engineering to develop transgenic plants with the desired genes. Enormous progress has been made over the past decade in our understanding of the highly complex molecular events that occur in plant–pathogen interactions. This knowledge in tu...

Legumes belong to the family Leguminosae and consist of oilseeds such as soybeans, peanuts, alfafa, clover, mesquite, and pulses, including the dry grains of peas, chickpeas, lentils, peas, beans, and lupins. Production and use of legumes date back to ancient cultures in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and North Africa. They are cultivated throughout the world for their seeds, harvested a...

Until today, herbicide-tolerant (HT) transgenic crops have been the most widely used type of transgenic crops. In 2008, worldwide, 63% of all agricultural land devoted to transgenic crops involved HT transgenic ones, and the percentage was higher (85%) when the herbicide-tolerant trait was stacked with another. In addition, other HT crops are foreseen within the next five years if we are to bel...

Genetically modified crops have the potential to eliminate hunger and starvation in millions of people, especially in developing countries because the genetic modification can produce large amounts of foods that are more nutritious. Large quantities are produced because genetically modified crops are more resistant to pests and drought. They also contain greater amounts of nutrients, such as pr...

The efficacy of various carbohydrate-based cocktails in reducing the number of enteropathogens in the crops of broilers subjected to feed withdrawal was examined. Market-aged broilers that had been orally challenged with Salmonella typhimurium were provided the cocktails during a 12-h feed withdrawal. After feed withdrawal, the broilers were processed, and their crops were aseptically removed a...

This paper describes a methodology to explore the (future) spatial distribution of biofuel crops in Europe. Two main types of biofuel crops are distinguished: biofuel crops used for the production of biodiesel or bioethanol, and second-generation biofuel crops. A multiscale, multi-model approach is used in which biofuel crops are allocated over the period 2000–2030. The area of biofuel crops at...

The Green Revolution has enabled Asian countries to boost their crop production enormously. However, Africa has not benefitted from this agricultural revolution since it did not consider local, but important crops grown in the continent. In addition to their versatile adaptation to extreme environmental conditions, African indigenous crops provide income for subsistence farmers and serve as sta...

The cultivation of genetically modified (GM) Bt maize (Zea mays L.) events MON810 and Bt11 is permitted in Uruguay. Local regulations specify that 10% of the crop should be a non-GM cultivar as refuge area for biodiversity, and the distance from other non-GM maize crops should be more than 250 m in order to avoid cross-pollination. However, the degree of cross-fertilization between maize crops ...