How do pests select which plants to attack in the field? By smelling odours plants emit, believe most entomologists. But now an alternative theory has emerged of plant pest relation. It isn t the odour. Rather, bugs are driven to plants by visual clues an

did the World Seed Congress 2003 held under a cloak of secrecy in Bangalore from June 7 to 11 have a hidden agenda? It transpires that the conference digressed from the stated objective of pump priming the Indian seed industry and, instead, ended up s

US eyeing patent on Thai jasmine rice?

It’s hard to picture paddy fields without water puddles. But by draining flooded rice fields for two days before the flowering stage, methane emissions can be reduced by as much as 56 per cent. Significantly, draining deprives methane-producing microorgan

An agricultural scientist discovers why some rotis are tastier than others