THE DAYS of the European corn borer, a notorious maize pest found in North America and Europe, seem numbered now that researchers have been able to inject into susceptible crops a gene

HONDURAN scientists have come up with an ecologically friendly banana and named it Goldfinger. They maintain their banana is hardier than the more common varieties and immune to black sigatoka, one

Despite advancements, research programmes in rice biotechnology heve drawn lukewarm response because it is felt that there is little money to be made from the new varities.

The Rockefeller Foundation aims at balancing priorities in rice biotechnology research between agronomic traits that would enable production in less favoured environments and properties that would help increase yield. There is alsd emphasis on achieving r

GUAYULE is an arid-zone crop that is one of only two species yielding rubber in quantities substantial enough for commercial use. Unlike the rubber tree, guayule can be cultivated in marginal lands

STAR MOSS, a primitive organism without roots or a vascular system that is common in the forests of North America, contains genes that could be used to engineer drought resistance in crops. Molecular

The tasty, popular coconut species of Thailand, kati, could not be produced in large scale because it is infertile. But scientists have now found a way to overcome its sterility

India hopes to earn Rs 200 crore every year exporting flowers mass produced in laboratories

The current drought has spurred Indian agricultural scientists to formulate guidelines for combating different rain scarcity situations -- when rains start late, when they are less than normal,