Agricultural and Forestry Science

Research into the reasons for the recent world-wide spread of the devastating animal disease, bluetongue, could have major implications for the long-term future of Australia’s sheep industry.

According to a senior epidemiologist at CSIRO Livestock Industries’ Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Dr Peter Daniels, bluetongue disease is spreading rapidly in Europe and new strains of bluetongue virus have been detected in Australia.

“While Australian sheep are cu

Reducing the amount of fat in lamb amongst the Navarra variety of sheep in order to breed weightier animals, suitable for market demands and with a lower production cost for the farmer, is the aim of the project being developed by a research team from Navarre Public University’s Department of Agricultural Production and Department of Health Sciences.

The Navarre breed – previously known as Rasa Aragonesa – is found in the midlands region of Navarre and the extensive Ebro river basin region

Although a yearning to surf was what first drove native Tucsonan Edward Glenn to Hawaii, what keeps him going back is his life-long interest in marine agronomy. Now, instead of hanging out in the waves, Glenn spends his time on the leeward side of the island of Molokai, working with the local community on sustainable aquaculture projects for the ancient fishponds that dot the island’s south coast.

Rather than growing fish, Glenn, Stephen Nelson and their colleagues are focusing on the

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute discover the normal prion protein may contribute directly to disease

In a surprising twist on a timely topic, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute are presenting evidence that mad cow disease prions cannot kill neurons on their own and that normal, healthy cellular prion protein may be a direct accomplice in unleashing neuronal destruction.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, is caused by prions, a

A system designed to optimise fertilising strategies for radiata pine plantations in the Green Triangle (SE South Australia and SW Victoria) is being jointly developed by CSIRO, the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation (FWPRDC) and key softwood growers in the region.

According to CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (CFFP) spokesman, Dr Barrie May, improved nutrient management practices could significantly increase the productivity of Australia’s radiata pine plan

Since traditional cultivation methods can erode soil, new research taps companion crops for weed control

Organic soybean producers may be able to use winter cereal rye as an inter-seeded companion crop to control weeds, according to research led by a Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) crop and soil scientist.

Traditionally, organic growers have used only mechanical cultivation to control weeds, but this method has been shown to cause soil erosion and lead to poo