Crops were at the yellow bud to early flowering stage and an insecticide would be included with spring fungicide applications to try and counter the threat, he said. That s the message from the experts if you really want to get on top of slug control and want to add some sophistication to your existing slug programme. I have seen masses of plants with vertical splits in the stems about 5-10cm long, which I can only put down to the conditions. With resistance issues and high disease levels,...

According to the report's predictions, global warming would mean Asia would get less rainfall, affecting agricultural production and leading to food and water shortages. Pachauri said the impact in a country like India, where almost 70 percent of the workforce is dependent on agriculture, would be very serious, with mass migration of rural communities to already overburdened towns and cities. Hundreds of millions of people who rely on glacier melt from the Himalayan Hindukush mountains for...

According to Howard crops such as wheat, safflower and barley are hardest hit. Down the road from the wheat field, Medvitz points out hills that should be green with grass to feed his sheep. Farmers and ranchers in Northern California are already predicting losses from dry spring conditions. Medvitz says he knows of ranchers near Bakersfield who have been forced to sell off their flocks. He said this season is one of the worst because of the lack of rain. He expects his profits will be...

Ten years after the first GM crops were planted, evidence is mounting that the technology can increase crop yields with apparently little environmental impact, particularly in developing countries. In India, for example, GM cotton has increased yields by around 150 per cent, trebled small farmers' profits, and reduced pesticide volumes by 80 per cent. Anti-GM groups, however, argue that in many developing countries, GM crops are now grown mainly for export by big farmers, not for local...

Temperatures dangerously low for the developing winter wheat crop hit much of the region, with anecdotal reports of temps as low as 10 degrees in parts of western Nebraska. In an Agriculture Online Marketing discussion group, poster straw man says farmers in his Kentucky area have already found enough freeze damage to justify replanting the ground to corn or soybeans. Even if some of the main tillers are injured or killed, producers should wait to see if enough other tillers survived to...