http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/04/25/1203396109.abstract http://www.sciencecodex.com/prenatal_exposure_to_insecticide_chlorpyrifos_linked_to_alterations_in_brain_structure_and_cognition-90672 Even low to moderate levels of exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos during pregnancy may lead to long-term, potentially irreversible changes in the brain structure of the child, according to a new brain imaging study by researchers from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Duke University [...]

http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:abr&volume=14&issue=1&article=002 Tarafdar Jagadish C.*, Rathore Indira, Shiva Vandana1 Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, Rajasthan-342 003 (India)  1Navadanya, A-60, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110 016, India  *email: jctarafdar@yahoo.in; tarafdar@cazri.res.in Bt cotton are plants that have been genetically modified to express the insecticidal proteins Cry 1 Acfrom subspecies of the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bt), to control bollworm pest [...]

Experimental evidence reveals a reduction in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization of Bt corn  IMAGE: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonizing corn (Zea mays) roots as viewed with a compound light microscope (400x). Roots were cleared with 10 percent KOH and stained with 0.05 percent trypan… Click here for more information. An increasing number of crops commercially grown [...]

By TARA PARKER-POPE, Editor Pesticides on fruits, vegetables and other household products may lower a child’s I.Q. Babies exposed to high levels of common pesticides in the womb have lower I.Q. scores than their peers by the time they reach school age, according to three new studies. The research, based on data collected in New York [...]

SURENDRA K GHRITLAHRE, ASHOK KUMAR SARIAL, and RATTAN SINGH, MANGAT RAM, DES RAJ ANEJA CCS Haryana Agricultural University Campus, Kaul, Haryana 136 021 The system of rice intensification (SRI) that evolved in the 1980s in Madagascar is also gaining popularity in India. SRI saves not only the seed (a seed rate of 5–7 kg/ha as against 25–30 kg/ha for normal) [...]

A Review of Research into the Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Bees, with Recommendations for Action By Jennifer Hopwood, Mace Vaughan, Matthew Shepherd, David Biddinger, Eric Mader, Scott Hoffman Black, Celeste Mazzacano A possible link between neonicotinoids and honey bee die-offs has led to controversy across the United States and Europe. Beekeepers and environmentalists have [...]

http://www.springerlink.com/content/e1568029183w1106/fulltext.pdf Asif Sharif Even in a country with a large population and rapid population growth, there can be labor shortages in the agricultural sector, because of out migration of the ablebodied work force. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is not necessarily more labor-intensive once the methods have been learned, but the initial labor requirements can be [...]

SHELLEY FELDMAN AND STEPHEN BIGGS Journal of Agrarian Change, Vol. 12 No. 1, January 2012, pp. 144–169. This paper explores the career of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge Science and Technology and Development (IAASTD) from its inception, the publishing of its reports, and its place in ongoing debates on global agriculture, food security, poverty reduction, social equity [...]

http://www.igidr.ac.in/pdf/publication/WP-2012-001.pdf Srijit Mishra & Sarthak Gaurav IGIDR The acreage under the transgenic Bt cotton seeds in India has risen significantly since its legalization in the year 2002. Discussions on the advantages from the technology have focused on increments in productivity and income, without much analysis on risk. We point out that claims on productivity gains [...]

H.M. Jayadeva, T.K. Prabhakara Setty, R.C. Gowda, R. Devendra, G.B. Mallikarjun and A.G. Bandi Agricultural Research Station, Kathalagere, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore-560 065, India Source: Agricultural Research Communication Centre, 2009 ABSTRACT The field and laboratory experiment was carried out during kharif, 2005 to know the methane emission as influenced by different crop establishment techniques and organic manures. The experiment [...]