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3 Sep 2010 |
Stinking for sex
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| Wilbert Hetterscheid has discovered about sixty new Amorphophalli in the course of his career, making him the undisputed leading world expert in the weird and wonderful world of these ‘shapeless... more |
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Obese Lynch syndrome patients more at risk for colon cancer
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| People with the hereditary Lynch syndrome have considerably more risk of developing colon cancer. Obese people with this ailment also have twice as much risk of developing benign tumours in the large... more |
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European grant for environmental researcher
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| Lars Hein, a researcher at the Environmental Systems Analysis Group, has won an 800,000-euro European Research Grant. His research proposal and fourteen others have been selected out of more than... more |
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2 Sep 2010 |
Natura 2000: Successful lessons from abroad
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| Strong coordination and clear delegation of tasks are keys to successful implementation of Natura 2000, according to a study just completed by Alterra part of Wageningen UR in collaboration with... more |
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30 Aug 2010 |
Alpha Omega: Beneficial effect of low doses of n-3 fatty acids only found in sub-groups of post-MI patients
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| Results from the Alpha Omega Trial, a multicentre, placebo-controlled trial in men and women following myocardial infarction (MI), suggest that low doses of n-3 fatty acids given in the form of... more |
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26 Aug 2010 |
Comparable Assessment for Cisgenic and Transgenic Plants
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| Wageningen – The food and animal feed safety assessment for plant varieties created using cisgenesis will have to remain comparable to the assessment criteria for transgenic varieties. Researchers... more |
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Wageningen University appoints five professors to personal chairs
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| Wageningen University, a part of Wageningen UR, has appointed five of its own researchers as professors by special appointment. These appointments have taken place due to the outstanding merit of the... more |
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Wageningen University appoints Bas Zwaan as Professor of Genetics
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| With effect from 15 September, Wageningen University, a part of Wageningen UR, has appointed Dr Bas Zwaan as Professor of Genetics. Professor Zwaan, currently associate professor of Evolutionary... more |
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Wageningens comment: New food crisis (un)likely
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| The increase in grain prices may spell a new food crisis, warns Joachim von Braun, former director of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). However, LEI researcher Roel Jongeneel... more |
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Good yields with less phosphate
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| Strict norms for phosphate applications do not seem to affect crop yields at livestock farms on sandy soils. This has been the finding after long-term use of balanced fertilization on De Marke... more |
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One cow pie is better than another
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| Cow pies from organic dairy farms contain one and a half times as many insects as those in cow pies from conventional farms. This affects birds in these pastures. Cow pies are a major source of food.... more |
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24 Aug 2010 |
Study into eel fishery and sales
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| During the last decades, the eel stocks in the European waters have steadily declined, resulting in a bad situation for the eel population as well as the eel fishery. Accordingly, various measures... more |
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Correlation between energy and food prices
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| The prices of agricultural products and fossil fuels have decreased significantly, after rising to very high levels in 2008. This parallel trend in price levels is due to the fact that the demand in... more |
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Greenhouse gas emissions calculated which result from the production of crops for fuel
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| At the request of the European Commission, the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment has carried out a study into the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production of... more |
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23 Aug 2010 |
DeltaCompetition attracts innovative and diverse ideas for climate adaptation from students around the world
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| The worldwide DeltaCompetition challenged students to formulate creative solutions for adapting the delta cities of the world to climate change impacts. The competition, run by Royal Haskoning, Delta... more |
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20 Aug 2010 |
Insufficient compensation for agriculture
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| For the Dutch agricultural sector, 2009 was a bad year economically. Production increased slightly, but most primary agriculture market prices fell. The average agricultural income decreased to 5,500... more |
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Smart fungus disarms plant, animal and human immunity
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| Fungal and bacterial pathogens are well capable of infecting plants, animals and humans despite their immune systems. Fungi penetrate leafs, stalks and roots, or skin, intestines and lungs, to infect... more |
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18 Aug 2010 |
Food safety assurance in Indonesia – Who is responsible?
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| This week researchers from Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation and LEI, part of Wageningen UR, made a start with a project that aims to tackle the challenges to introduce and implement... more |
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16 Aug 2010 |
The type of interaction between species might play a fundamental part in the stability of ecological communities
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| Elisa Thébault and Colin Fontaine, with a research carried out at Imperial College London, Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, and the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, have shown that... more |
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13 Aug 2010 |
Industrial production of biodiesel feasible within 15 years
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| Within 10 to 15 years, it will be technically possible to produce sustainable and economically viable biodiesel from micro-algae on a large scale. Technological innovations during this period should... more |
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Combination of biological and chemical pesticides more effective than expected on malaria mosquitoes
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| A combination of fungal spores and chemical insecticides are an effective way of combating insecticide-resistant malaria mosquitoes. Researchers at Wageningen UR and from Benin, West Africa, have... more |
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10 Aug 2010 |
The richer the country, the cleaner the money
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| The richer, better-developed and more economically-independent a country is, the fewer bacteria you will find on its money. The material used to produce banknotes and the age of the money (whether it... more |
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4 Aug 2010 |
Biological soil disinfestation offers perspectives for all soil-bound cultivations
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| Biological soil disinfestation consists of the incorporation of fermented organic material after which the soil is covered with plastic. This results in the release of compounds with a disinfecting... more |
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Dutch nature reserve source of natural enemies of tomato leaf miner
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| Scientists from Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture have discovered natural enemies of Tuta absoluta, the much-feared tomato leaf miner that does not occur in the Netherlands yet, during research... more |
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3 Aug 2010 |
Saving energy in pot plant cultivation with new climate settings
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| Allowing more light, wider temperature ranges and a higher moisture level is resulting in energy savings without giving up on growth in a number of pot plant species. This is the result of research... more |
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29 Jul 2010 |
Fresnel Greenhouse built in Bleiswijk
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| A greenhouse with daylight installation will be built at the Innovation and Demo Centre (IDC) in Bleiswijk. A greenhouse with such an installation can generate electric and thermal energy. In this... more |
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27 Jul 2010 |
Scientists laud forest conservation deal for Indonesia
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| Meeting in Bali, Indonesia last week, over 900 scientists from the international Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) released a ‘Bali Declaration’ that calls for urgent efforts... more |
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20 Jul 2010 |
Alterra leads the way in Europe’s largest ever stream experiment for climate change
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| For the first time ever, uniform freshwater experiments are being carried out across Europe. During the course of this year, a start will be made on a series of experiments in streams along the coast... more |
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16 Jul 2010 |
Going “green” is feasible, but has its costs
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| The Influence of the biobased economy on agricultural markets is a study from two Wageningen UR institutes that shows how the impacts of new technology may have unanticipated effects. The rapidly... more |
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13 Jul 2010 |
International attention for guidelines on sustainability reports
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| The guidelines for food-processing companies on producing sustainability reports about their companies have been officially launched and presented at two international congresses. These guidelines... more |
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Plaice is thriving again
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| The North Sea is full of plaice. Stocks are almost back to nineteen eighties levels: well over 400 thousand tons. According to Jan Jaap Poos, fisheries biologist at IMARES, part of Wageningen UR,... more |
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Saving nature saves money too
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| Alterra scientists argue for the ecosystem services approach, which they say will increase the support base for nature conservation.Alterra, part of Wageningen UR, is preaching a new gospel: a nature... more |
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Quick test shows gut flora in piglets
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| When piglets are weaned from milk to solid food, their intestinal flora change, with a steep rise in the numbers of potentially harmful streptococci. This finding has come out of research done by... more |
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12 Jul 2010 |
Reproduction of European eel in the focus of European Top Institutes
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Towards a Self Sustained Aquaculture
The PRO-EEL project aims at reproduct European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in captivity. Reproduction of eel in culture has become a focus research area due to a... more |
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Bioenergy by-products cannot be ignored any longer
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| An article in the current issue of Global Change Biology Bioenergy explains that researchers must recognize the importance of including the environmental effects of bioenergy by-products as part of... more |
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150 extra accommodations for students
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| Hotel Hof van Wageningen will temporarily accommodate at least 150 students in the new academic year, of which mostly international students. At the moment, Hotel Stadsbrink is preparing its... more |
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9 Jul 2010 |
Eastern European dairy farmers start management course
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| In the autumn of 2010, farm managers from Eastern Europe will follow a training course in Interactive Strategic Management (ISM). In particular, dairy farmers will be taking the course.The countries... more |
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Spatial Analysis of Rural Development Measures
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| Rural development is the second pillar of the EU Common Agricultural Policy. For the first pillar (direct payments to farmers and market regulation), sophisticated models exist with which the impact... more |
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8 Jul 2010 |
New academic degree programme in tourism in Breda and Wageningen
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| Collaborative press release of Wageningen University and NHTV Breda University of Applied SciencesWageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, and NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences are... more |
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6 Jul 2010 |
Ethiopia tackling contamination of sesame exports
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| Ethiopia has the potential to become a world-class player on the sesame seed market, but at present the quality of the sesame seeds at the time of export leaves much to be desired. The problem seems... more |
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Role of plant life in global climate accurately determined
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| New data on atmospheric carbon lead to better models
Researchers from 18 scientific institutions have used observations and calculations to determine the amount of CO2 exchange between global... more |
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5 Jul 2010 |
Doping test gotcha with retroactive effect
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| A doping test which sees everything, even banned substances which we don't know about yet. It sounds like something from science fiction. But it exists. Professor Michel Nielen from RIKILT, part of... more |
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The housewife is a dying breed
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| How have electrical appliances changed households over the past century? That question is the subject of an exhibition at the NEMO in Amsterdam called 'Domestic Paradise'. Much has changed among the... more |
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Piglets copy mum’s food choice
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| Piglets eat more, and a more varied diet if their mother is around. It seems they copy the sow when it comes to trying new foods. This conclusion was drawn by PhD researcher Marije Oostindjer of the... more |
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2 Jul 2010 |
Stabilisation of the grain market by the flexible use of grain for bioethanol
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| This report reviews whether the grain market and grain price can be stabilised by the variation of the use of grain in the EU-27's production of bioethanol. The time horizon of this study is 2020,... more |
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Apple and tomato chains in China and the EU
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| This study seeks to assess the comparative advantages of horticultural com-modities in the EU and China. The assessment is determined on the basis of natural endowments, farm structure, and marketing... more |
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24 Jun 2010 |
Healthy food if you’re lucky
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| Diet determines whether genes do their job. Not everyone benefits equally from healthy food. Studies of healthy food should allow for the genetic make-up of the people in the experiment. This is the... more |
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Bumble bee visits a fritillary
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| Bumble bees can see which fritillary has the most nectar. Pollination by the bees protects plants against moulds. Queen bumble bees never fail to find the flower with the most nectar in a field full... more |
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Parties raise status for China’s poor
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| Spending on celebrations, parties and gifts by the poor in China has shot up over recent years. The idea is to raise your status in your village.
'Everyone has to join in, to keep their position... more |
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23 Jun 2010 |
Q-bank databases officially launched
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| On 22 June 2010 the new online database Q-bank for regulated plant pest species – www.q-bank.eu – has been launched. Q-bank comprises data about bacteria, fungi, insects, nematodes, viruses and... more |
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Interdisciplinary research programmes making a difference
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| ‘White elephants’ (expensive projects that are not really useful) still abound. Almost without exception, such white elephant development projects are the unfortunate result of specialists and... more |
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22 Jun 2010 |
Isobionics B.V. introduces natural Valencene PureTM with the contribution of research of Wageningen UR
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| Isobionics has finalized the development of a breakthrough fermentation process for production of its natural Valencene PureTM with the contribution of research of the Plant Sciences Group of... more |
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18 Jun 2010 |
New guidelines for the sustainability of the food-processing industry
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| Companies are increasingly expected to account for their role in such issues as animal welfare and the environment. Many companies therefore produce sustainability reports, in which they report on... more |
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Breeding indigenous and more productive chickens
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| Ethiopian villagers favour white or red chickens which are both meaty and good for laying eggs. Nigussie Mullu has started a breeding programme to meet these goals.Chickens play a vital role in most... more |
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Eel Farming can save Wild Eel Population
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| The Dutch Sustainable Eel Sector foundation (DUPAN) wants to restock Dutch inland waters with glass eels to boost dwindling eel stocks. A nice gesture, says Professor Johan Verreth, Professor of... more |
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17 Jun 2010 |
Sustainable Land Management enhances our living soils
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| Today is the World Day to Combat Desertification, a day to focus on desertification problems around the world, and this year researchers are joining hands with farmers around the world to stand up to... more |
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14 Jun 2010 |
Too many barriers to introduction of biological control
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| Farewell speech Professor Joop van Lenteren
Biological control is the most sustainable and economically profitable method of pest control in agriculture. Yet its introduction is proceeding in fits... more |
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11 Jun 2010 |
Official reopening of research building Qualitron4
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| Food & Biobased Research has modernised and placed its post-harvest research facilities for fresh products in one building, Qualitron4 (Q4). The innovation impulse was needed to be able to give the... more |
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10 Jun 2010 |
Wageningen University appoints Professors of Seafood and Climate Dynamics
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Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, has announced the appointment of two extraordinary professors on 1 June 2010. Dr J.B. Luten and Dr W. Hazeleger will assume the newly created Chairs of... more |
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Biofuel cell retrieves copper
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| Producing energy and recovering copper from waste water at the same time: this is what Wageningen UR environmental technologists are doing with their new microbial fuel cell.'We obtain quite a lot of... more |
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Elderly have more ‘bad’ gut bacteria
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| The composition of gut microbiota changes as humans reach old age. Bacteria which protect against infections become less, while bacteria which cause infections actually increase in quantity. This... more |
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Malaria mosquito prefers smelly socks to aroma traps
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| A mixture of ammonia, lactic acid, and twelve fatty acids can lure malaria mosquitoes into the trap. However, given a choice, the mosquitoes would go for the odour of human sweat, reported Wageningen... more |
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9 Jun 2010 |
Wireless measuring system identifies cold and wet spots in greenhouses
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| Horizontal and vertical climate differences in greenhouses are unwanted. In current practice the number of measuring boxes is too low to detect such differences. SmartDust is the wireless system of... more |
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8 Jun 2010 |
On the way to solutions to save our tropical forests
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| In 2010, proclaimed the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ by the United Nations, tropical forests are no less endangered than before. Though in some regions, forests are certainly recovering,... more |
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3 Jun 2010 |
Zinc switches found in plants
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| Geneticists have discovered two gene switches in plants which enable better zinc intake. This paves the way for plant breeders to reduce malnutrition.An international research team, comprising VENI... more |
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Bio-energy can replace petroleum in Kenya
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| Think about this: producing 1300 million cubic metres of methane annually from agriculture waste in Kenya. A third of such agriculture residue could be fermented directly. Kenya would have enough to... more |
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Better armed to fight potato blight
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| Stocks of genetic material for potatoes with sustainable resistance against phytophthora are now available, says plant breeder Evert Jacobsen. He is, however, not allowed to conduct any field trials... more |
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2 Jun 2010 |
Phosphate-induced growth inhibition has negative effect on quality of Kalanchoe
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| Kalanchoe can grow at low phosphate levels but phosphate is not an effective instrument for suppressing longitudinal growth. Shorter plants have a poorer quality because the plants have lower and... more |
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1 Jun 2010 |
‘Hands-on mentality and knowledge’ for Uganda flower export industry
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| The four-year programme “Capacity building in the floriculture sub sector in Uganda” ended formally on 7 May 2010 with an official ceremony in Kampala.
Since 2006, two Ugandan education... more |
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Costs and benefits of measures for soil protection
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| LEI has developed a method for measuring the costs and benefits of protecting soil. The method takes into account private as well as public costs and benefits, and on-site as well as off-site... more |
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Farm viability in the European Union
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| Farm viability is an important issue in the European Union. Farm payments con-tribute to the viability of farms. This study analyses the differences in farm pay-ments within Europe and analyses the... more |
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28 May 2010 |
Legume Futures
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| Legumes are important to the sustainability of European agriculture: by fixing nitrogen, they improve the soil and save nitrogen fertiliser (the production of which costs much energy). Because of... more |
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Social learning – essential for a more sustainable world
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| Technological innovation, improved legislation and regulations, and fundamental policy changes are key weapons in the battle for global sustainability. But are they enough? Ultimately, sustainability... more |
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27 May 2010 |
Oak has secret weapon against caterpillar
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| A plague of caterpillars is munching its way through the leaves on our trees (in the Netherlands). Oak forests are suffering the most, reports the Nature Calendar. Cause for concern? Not according to... more |
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City park good for social harmony
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| City parks are good meeting places for various ethnic groups. A good layout will give everyone something, writes Karin Peters in the latest issue of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. Peters,... more |
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Genetic research shows degeneration in ageing worm
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| Genetic research focusing on the soil nematode C. elegans has generated fundamental new insights into the way in which these tiny worms age. During the ageing process, the activity of the worm's... more |
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26 May 2010 |
Echinothrips escapes integrated control
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| Problems with Echinothrips in ornamental plant cultivation are increasing. This pest insect may show an explosive development as result of the increasing application of integrated control. Reports of... more |
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Marathon runners consume too much iron
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| Athletes often consume iron supplements because a lack of blood is bad for performance. Men in particular take in too much, rather than too little, according to research carried out by the Division... more |
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25 May 2010 |
GEO Biodiversity Observation Network to monitor and study the global biosphere
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| Geneva, 21 May 2010 – The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) has initiated a coordinated global campaign to gather and share information on biodiversity, provide... more |
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21 May 2010 |
European dairy policy in the years to come
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| This study examines and discusses recent and future developments in the EU dairy sector. Expected future market projections are discussed. Market impacts are downscaled to farm level, illustrated by... more |
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Earth’s temperature rising by one degree too much
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| CO2 emissions are still rising substantially. Limiting global warming is not realistic. The current agreements on CO2 emissions mean the earth's temperature is set to increase by more than two... more |
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Bisseling and Rietjens appointed to Royal Academy
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| Ton Bisseling, professor of Molecular Biology and Ivonne Rietjens, professor of Toxicology, have been appointed to the Netherlands Royal Academy of Sciences (KNAW). They are among the 27... more |
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20 May 2010 |
Personality of geese determines their foraging behaviour
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| When searching for food, slow, shy barnacle geese follow information given by their flock mates. On the other hand, fast, bold geese ignore this type of information and go off in search for food on... more |
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19 May 2010 |
Many visitors for Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture
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| Thousands of people are visiting Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture and the Innovation and Demo Centre Greenhouse as Energy Source each year. There were 3000 visitors in 2009 and already well over... more |
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18 May 2010 |
New measuring ball for determination of diffuse light in greenhouses
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| Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture has developed a new device for measuring the optical properties of greenhouse covers, the so-called Transvision. This device can determine the transmission of... more |
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12 May 2010 |
Wageningen plant breeding course sowed seeds for scientist’s grassroots work
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| Humberto Ríos Labrada is a plant breeder from Cuba. In April he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, which recognises the efforts of unsung grassroots heroes. Ríos Labrada has worked for... more |
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11 May 2010 |
Evaluation methods for rural development policy
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| The Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) is used for evalua-tion of the EU Rural Development Policy 2007-2013. In this study a set of 22 evaluation methods of rural development policy... more |
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Low-energy pot plant cultivation with new planning programme
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| The moment of putting plants further apart has a strong effect on the amount of energy per pot plant. This is shown by calculations made with the new cultivation planning programme for ficus,... more |
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7 May 2010 |
Twenty percent fewer livestock will curb manure oversupply
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| The oversupply of manure from Dutch livestock farms is rising as a result of stricter environmental regulations. To solve this problem without manure export or technological innovations, the number... more |
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Intensive fishing leads to smaller fish
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| Intensive fishery activities in the North Sea have resulted in evolutionary changes in fish. Fish remain smaller, grow slower and mature sexually earlier. This is postulated by Fabian Mollet, fishery... more |
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4 May 2010 |
China-SPAR project successfully concluded
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| The China-SPAR project is an example of fruitful cooperation between science and business. The project resulted in improved fresh supply chains of SPAR and in a better understanding of the fresh... more |
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29 Apr 2010 |
Raoul Bino, Managing Director, Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group
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| The Executive Board of Wageningen UR has appointed Professor Raoul Bino (53) as Managing Director of the Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group (AFSG) at Wageningen UR. Professor Bino succeeds Dr Peter... more |
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More sons after sex in the rain
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| Quality of buffalo sperm is better in rainy periods. African buffalos have more sons than daughters during rainy periods. Pim van Hooft, who works for the Resource Ecology Group, discovered... more |
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Environment affects maize plant more than gene technology
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| The impact of genetic manipulation on maize plants is no greater than that of regular breeding methods. Environment differences are far more influential, research by RIKILT and partner institutes... more |
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Anniversary for Mouse-ear cress
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| It comes up through the cracks in the pavements on every street corner in the Netherlands: Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as mouse-ear cress or thale cress. And this year this weed celebrates... more |
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28 Apr 2010 |
Certification has a positive impact on sustainable forest management
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| Forest certification (by the FSC, for example) is having a positive impact on the management of tropical forests from the economic, social and ecological point of view. This is the conclusion drawn... more |
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27 Apr 2010 |
Tracking the cause of vascular browning in radish
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| Discolouration of vascular bundles and the poor root quality of radish is caused by a micro-organism. This was shown in research by Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture. It is still unclear whether... more |
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Forest Landscape Restoration in the Netherlands
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| Wednesday 21st of April, a group of six international and interdisciplinary students of Wageningen University presented the findings of their “Academic Consultancy Training” assignment at the Centre... more |
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26 Apr 2010 |
Huub Löffler new Director Wageningen International
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The Executive Board of Wageningen UR has appointed Huub Löffler (54) as Director Wageningen International effective 1 June 2010. Huub Löffler will succeed Bram Huijsman (59) who joined the Social... more |
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23 Apr 2010 |
Shrimp farmers need incentives for water treatment
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| Intensive shrimp farming in Vietnam is less pollutive than that in China and Indonesia, mainly because production is less intensive. But investments in water treatment are needed, now that the... more |
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Green herb to combat malnutrition
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| The herb-like plant Amaranth shows great promise for the reduction of malnutrition in Kenya. This plant has a lot of healthy proteins, vitamins and beta-carotene. Amaranth is also a lucrative crop... more |
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22 Apr 2010 |
Decline in use of antibiotics on livestock
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| The annual MARAN report, published in early April, indicates that the use of antibiotics on farm animals in the Netherlands decreased in 2008 for the first time after several years of increasing... more |
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Workshop 'Structural Changes in the Agrifood Sector in China and India'
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| On 27 May 2010 a workshop on 'Structural Changes in the Agrifood Sector in China and India; future prospects for supply, demand and trade', will take place in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop will... more |
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16 Apr 2010 |
Fair economic development in India
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| What is fair economic development? This was the critical question discussed at a workshop facilitated by CDI in Delhi, India this week. Seventy people attended the three-day workshop, representing... more |
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Study of the decline in fish farming in the Netherlands
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| More and more fish are being farmed worldwide. Today, nearly half of all fish products produced for human consumption are farmed. In the Netherlands too, the farming of fish for human consumption has... more |
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Dutch pre-university (VWO) students work with Wageningen University scientists online
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| Over one hundred VWO students from the Bonhoeffercollege in Castricum, two biology teachers and 12 scientists from Wageningen University have launched the PlantingScience project in Holland following... more |
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15 Apr 2010 |
'Primed' chicory seed germinates quickly
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| The fastest germinating seeds in a chicory seed test performed by Applied Plant Research (Praktijkonderzoek Plant & Omgeving, PPO), part of Wageningen UR, saw the light of day on Friday 9 April, only... more |
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Minister Verburg puts 1 million euros aside for Wageningen UR research into insects in food
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| This is a joint press release issued by Wageningen UR and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality
Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) is set to receive 1 million euros in... more |
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Spending an environmentally friendly penny
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| The toilet of the future can be found in a housing estate in Sneek. Introducing separation 'at the bowl' means a new lease of life for a large proportion of the raw materials. Good for the... more |
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Crop biodiversity going up, not down
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| The decrease in biodiversity in the natural environment must lead to a decrease in the genetic variety of breeds among plant breeding companies. That would seem logical, wouldn't it? But it isn't the... more |
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Active Rhizoctonia inoculation leads to disease-suppressing soil
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| Research of Plant Research International, part of Wageningen UR, shows that soil susceptible to Rhizoctonia solani can be made suppressive to this soil disease by inoculating the soil with R. solani... more |
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14 Apr 2010 |
"CDI is a linking pin in Agri-ProFocus country work"
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| Agri-ProFocus (APF) held its annual membership council meeting in Wageningen on Thursday 8 April. At the meeting the members reflected on how the Dutch network of partners is now well consolidated,... more |
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13 Apr 2010 |
Cooperation PPO and Fruitconsult leads to demonstration orchard
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| As of now, Fruitconsult will be managing the (standard) care of the orchards of PPO (Applied Plant Research, part of Wageningen UR) in Randwijk. This not only makes this experimental site a good... more |
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Africa can be made more resilient to fluctuations in food prices
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| Greater fluctuations in food prices are expected in the future as markets worldwide become more connected with each other. Eventually, climate change will also make its mark in this respect; the... more |
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9 Apr 2010 |
Electric nose smells early infestation in crop
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| A new type of advanced sensor enables detection of mildew or red spider mites before the human eye can detect the infestation. This so-called ‘electric nose’ is currently under further development... more |
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Heart protects itself from fat
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| When you eat a fatty meal, a certain mechanism is activated in the heart, which prevents dangerous substances from being deposited in the heart muscle. This is one of the findings of research carried... more |
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8 Apr 2010 |
Scientists discover new option to provide bananas with resistance to dreaded Black Sigatoka disease
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| Scientists from the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen UR have found a new method for making banana plants resistant to the much feared Black Sigatoka disease. They recently showed that several... more |
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Shrubs are cool! They protect permafrost against climate change
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| Tundra shrubs can reduce the thawing of permafrost caused by climate change. This unexpected finding is from research done by Wageningen University in the Siberian tundra. It means that shifts in... more |
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Tomato gene may fend banana against formidable fungus
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| Proteins from the fungus Cladosporium fulvum, which causes leaf blight in tomato plants, are very similar to the proteins of the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, which causes the much-feared black... more |
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Dusting off museums for bee research
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| Alterra and the European Invertebrate Survey in Leiden are going to dust off their museum collections in search of old pollen. Researcher David Kleijn wants to get an impression of the food that was... more |
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6 Apr 2010 |
Ethiopian flower growers work more sustainably
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| Flower growers in Ethiopia have taken the first step towards working sustainably in accordance with international standards. To this end, the training teams who supported the growers made use of... more |
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LEI participated in OECD workshop on the impacts of CAP Reform
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| At the OECD Workshop on the Disaggregated Impacts of CAP Reform in Paris, 11 and 12 March, some LEI-researchers participated with a presentation. Hans van Meijl presented papers about 'CAP reform en... more |
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New book about environmental and agricultural modelling
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| Agriculture increasingly faces the challenge of balancing its multiple functions in a sustainable way. Integrated assessment and modelling (IAM) can provide insight into the potential impacts of... more |
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EFSIM takes research to farmers
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| Around the world, there is still a lot that can be improved regarding the production of food, but much of the agricultural expertise being developed at universities never reaches the world’s poorer... more |
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In hot water: lakes speed up climate change
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| Lakes that warm up due to climate change give off large amounts of CO2, says PhD researcher Sarian Kosten in Global Biochemical Cycles. And those emissions speed up climate change in their turn.... more |
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Living with water in New Orleans
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| Three Wageningen MSc students have designed a Dutch-style 'water city' for New Orleans. Peter Hermens, Jaap van der Salm and Chris van der Zwet drew up designs for New Orleans that show how the city... more |
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Aid donors follow western governments
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| International aid organizations were selective in the emergency aid they offered the population of Angola during the civil war between 1995 and 2005. It was not the needs of the population but the... more |
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31 Mar 2010 |
Iodine-enriched lettuce for healthy nutrition
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| Adding iodine in the cultivation of lettuce on water can improve the nutritional value of lettuce for humans. Worldwide iodine deficiency is a large health problem. Wageningen UR Greenhouse... more |
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30 Mar 2010 |
A cup of tea to prevent stroke
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| A cup of tea is good for you. At least three cups a day can reduce the chances of having a stroke by 20 percent. This is the conclusion drawn by Peter Hollman of Human nutrition and food safety... more |
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25 Mar 2010 |
Energy-rich snacks don’t make you fat
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| Eating between meals does not necessarily make a person fat. That, at least, applies if you are young and slender. This surprising finding comes from a doctoral research project at the Human... more |
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Sterksel designs biogas plant
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| Wageningen UR's Swine Research Farm at Sterksel is to carry out research into carbon neutral pig farming using a mini-biogas plant. The Productschap Vee en Vlees (Cattle and Meat Marketing Board)... more |
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Third Torrado virus discovered in Guatemala
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| Scientists of Plant Research International, part of Wageningen UR, have discovered the pathogen that causes the so-called ‘Chocolàte disease’. This is a third member of the new plant virus genus... more |
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23 Mar 2010 |
Focus on chemicals
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| Requirements concerning the emission of crop protection chemicals will be tightened considerably in the years ahead. And the number of available products will show a further decrease. During the... more |
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New book forms basis for discussion on agricultural policy
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| From the earliest days of European unity, agricultural policy has always occupied a central position. Over the years, the policy has undergone various radical reforms and another new radical change... more |
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Detection of nanoparticles in food
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| RIKILT – Institute of Food Safety, part of Wageningen UR, recently kicked off the EU project NanoLyse. The project was set up in order to develop methods for the detection of engineered nanoparticles... more |
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21 Mar 2010 |
Bee health research combined
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| Plant Research International, Alterra, Netherlands Centre for Bee Research (NCB) and European Invertebrate Survey (EIS) jointly started research into the significance and cause of the decline of... more |
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19 Mar 2010 |
Trends and challenges in world dairy farming
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| During the congress of Global Dairy Farmers in China in 2009 the main trends and challenges were discussed with farmers and representatives from the dairy industry. Globalization, change from... more |
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18 Mar 2010 |
DeltaCompetition
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| DeltaCompetition challenges students to craft solutions for climate change adaptation in the world’s delta cities
Nijmegen, 18 March 2010 – The worldwide DeltaCompetition is open for submissions.... more |
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Wageningen UR to build research facility for algae
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| Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) is to start construction work on the AlgaePARC (Algae Production And Research Centre) at the Wageningen Campus. AlgaePARC will be a facility for research... more |
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Pork belly cuts better for environment than beef steak
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| Milk, eggs, pork and chicken are friendlier for the environment than beef. This is the conclusion after examining sixteen life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of animal products. However, the margins... more |
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Comparing 1,200,000,000,000 base pairs
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| Martien Groenen, professor of the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre, will use a European Research Grant to determine the DNA sequence of twelve different pig species. These will include European... more |
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GM Banana split in Uganda
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| The introduction of genetically modified (GM) bananas in Uganda could meet stiff resistance from the urban population in the country, according to environmental economist Enoch Kilukwe, who obtains... more |
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DeltaCompetition
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| DeltaCompetition challenges students to craft solutions for climate change adaptation in the world’s delta cities
Nijmegen, 18 March 2010 – The worldwide DeltaCompetition is open for submissions.... more |
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17 Mar 2010 |
Developing capacities for effective adaptation to climate change: Regional training in Ethiopia
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| In March CDI and Alterra gave a joint regional training on Climate Change Adaptation in agriculture and NRM in Addis Ababa. The 12-day course was attended by 19 participants from Ethiopia, Kenya,... more |
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Bring on the green waste
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| During her research with the Environmental Technology department, Kirsten Steinbusch found a new method of turning organic waste into energy using volatile fatty acids, formed when microbes break... more |
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Wageningen UR presents gene bank of wheat-ravaging fungus to Global Rust Reference Centre
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| Scientists of the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen UR have presented their unique gene bank of the ravaging stripe rust fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici to the Global Rust Reference Centre... more |
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15 Mar 2010 |
PSG active in European phytoplasma research
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| Scientists of the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen UR represent the Netherlands in the European COST action of Integrated Management of Phytoplasma Epidemics in Different Crop Systems. This COST... more |
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13 Mar 2010 |
Vegetables measure emission waste incinerator
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| Spinach and curly kale are good at absorbing dangerous substances such as cadmium, mercury, heavy metals and pah’s from the air. Wageningen UR is planting these vegetables near the Harlingen waste... more |
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12 Mar 2010 |
1,2 mln for the “Pellets for Power” project developing sustainable biomass from the Ukraine
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A consortium of Dutch, Ukrainian and Belgian institutes and companies led by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research is to develop a business model for producing certified sustainable biomass... more |
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11 Mar 2010 |
Desk study shows TEG to be too expensive
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| Research by Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture shows that the use of a thermo-electric generator (TEG), utilising residual heat for electricity production, is economically not interesting for... more |
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Wageningen UR develops cost-saving technology for seed research
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| Scientists from the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen UR have developed a system for the automated evaluation of the germination capacity of large quantities of seed samples., Details of the system,... more |
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Signal proteins for plant stem cells discovered
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| Wageningen UR biochemist Dolf Weijers and his German colleagues have discovered how stem cells in a plant embryo are formed. The cells communicate with one another via the transportation of a... more |
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Breeding plants to produce cheap energy
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| Plant breeding can play a big role in the transition to a biobased economy, says PhD student Andres Torres Salvador of Wageningen University. He wants to cultivate plants from which energy can be... more |
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Genes of a feather flock together
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| Chicken genes are more organized that we thought. Genes that are frequently expressed can be found close together on chromosomes, and so can genes which are rarely expressed. The clustering of active... more |
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Signaaleiwit voor stamcellen in planten ontdekt
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| De Wageningse biochemicus Dolf Weijers heeft met Duitse collega’s ontdekt hoe stamcellen in het plantenembryo worden aangelegd. De cellen communiceren met elkaar via het transport van een eiwit. Dat... more |
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Signaaleiwit voor stamcellen in planten ontdekt
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| De Wageningse biochemicus Dolf Weijers heeft met Duitse collega’s ontdekt hoe stamcellen in het plantenembryo worden aangelegd. De cellen communiceren met elkaar via het transport van een eiwit. Dat... more |
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10 Mar 2010 |
Transgenetic and cisgenetic potatoes coming closer
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| The European Commission has given the go-ahead to member countries to cultivate the genetically modified Amflora potato of chemical company BASF. This is a big step forward, says Anton Haverkort of... more |
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9 Mar 2010 |
Two winners of WUF Press Award 2010
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| The executive committee of the Wageningen University Fund has decided to present the 2010 Press Award to documentary maker ir Barend Hazeleger, as well as to journalist and editor ir Arend Jan... more |
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5 Mar 2010 |
Poultry and pig sector in Argentina
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| This report gives an overview of the current husbandry and management practices in the poultry and pig sector in Argentina related to animal welfare. The research centered on a description of the... more |
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New perspectives on agri-environmental policies; a multidisciplinary and transatlantic approach
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| This new book about agri-environmental policies aims to identify options for policy to overcome the challenges ahead related to future agri-environmental policies. Second, it synthesizes existing... more |
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Chain Risk Model for a cost effective assessment of phytosanitary measures
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| A Chain Risk Model (CRM) was developed for a cost effective assessment of phytosanitary measures. The CRM model can be applied to phytosanitary assessments of all agricultural product chains. In CRM,... more |
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4 Mar 2010 |
Start long-term experiment recirculation water treatment in rose
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| Water treatment with hydrogen peroxide and UV seems to offer perspectives for reduction of growth inhibition in rose. Positive results were achieved in preliminary research. The technique will this... more |
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Health claims rejected
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| The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected the vast majority of the health claims for food products and supplements. Renger Witkamp, professor of Nutrition and Pharmacology, is not... more |
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Charting new waters for the yellowtail snapper
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| IMARES lends a hand in breeding and marketing. Tuna-like fish has all it takes to become a success.
The kitchen in restaurant De Kip in Rotterdam is bustling with activity. Crowded into this... more |
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More phosphates than before found in soil
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| Farmers and market gardeners have recently been advised by Blgg Laboratories to use less phosphates to fertilize their land. A better method has been developed to gauge the presence of nutrients in... more |
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Gut bacteria reveals its genes
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| Genome of gut bacteria mapped. Diseases can now be traced to micro-organisms. The genes of a large number of micro-organisms, the microbiota, found in the human intestines have been mapped. The... more |
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3 Mar 2010 |
High intake of raw fruit and vegetables may protect against stroke
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| Consuming large amounts of raw fruit and vegetables may lower the risk of suffering a stroke. However, researchers from Wageningen University and their colleagues from the National Institute for... more |
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2 Mar 2010 |
Study: Climate change one factor in malaria spread
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| Climate change is one reason malaria is on the rise in some parts of the world, new research finds, but other factors such as migration and land-use changes are likely also at play. The research,... more |
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Oviposition behaviour of pest insects keeps Bt-cotton durably resistant
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| Moths behave like Darwin’s finches
The oviposition behaviour of insect pests results in an improved durability of insect resistance in so-called Bt-crops, while promoting the survival of pest... more |
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26 Feb 2010 |
State-of-the-art overview of biobased technologies
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| The impending threats of catastrophic climate change and peak oil are driving our society towards increased use of biomass for energy, chemical compounds and other materials - the beginnings of a... more |
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25 Feb 2010 |
Ichneumon wasp back in favour
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| The Aphidius matricariae wasp of the Ichneumon family was widely used to get rid of plant lice in greenhouse agriculture up to fifteen years ago. Since then, it has given way to its American cousin,... more |
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Be happy and live longer?
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| Elderly people who feel happy live longer than those who do not. The lower death rate is probably due to the fact that happy people get more exercise, smoke less and fall ill less often. Be happy and... more |
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Drought tolerance throws light on tropical forests
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| The composition of tropical forests depends mainly on how trees can tolerate drought, concluded PhD student Lars Markesteijn.Sufficient light and water are the most important requirements for the... more |
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24 Feb 2010 |
Longhorn-beetle infestation recognised by X-ray
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| Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture is working on a method for early detection of the longhorn beetle in wood and in living plant material. Research showed good results of a combination of X-ray... more |
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23 Feb 2010 |
The impact of WTO and other trade negotiations of fisheries
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| This study compiles and analyses information on international as well as EU trade flows; it considers the tariffs applied in trade in fisheries with a particular focus on tariff protection maintained... more |
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18 Feb 2010 |
Research into the effect of misting in amaryllis
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| An increase in production is required to keep cultivation of cut amaryllis profitable. Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture and the Improvement Centre in Bleiswijk are to start a three-year study... more |
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Eco-biofuels from the tropics
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| Palm oil from South-East Asia, sugarcane from Brazil and sweet sorghum in China are the most sustainable energy crops at present. Maize from the US and wheat in Europe have a much more negative... more |
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Breeding Eels in Africa
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| Africa is going to export eels. That is, if it is up to the Ripple Fish Company. Under the supervision of scientists from IMARES, Ripple Fish wants to breed eels on a large scale in Madagascar. The... more |
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17 Feb 2010 |
Checklist for successful innovation
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| Systems innovation is complex. This is also true for new cultivation systems for soil-grown crops. Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture developed a checklist for the conditions that need to be met... more |
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16 Feb 2010 |
Botrytis and physics in the greenhouse
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| Proper climate control can reduce the risk of botrytis. Air humidity and temperature play an important role in this. The physical variable ‘enthalpy’ is a measure that takes these two factors into... more |
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All-round flavoenzymes have much more in store
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| Flavoenzymes appear to have much more to offer than had been thought. An article written by researchers at Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, and colleagues at the University of Texas and... more |
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11 Feb 2010 |
Research on Dickeya in the spotlight
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| The Dickeya sp. bacterium (Erwinia chrysanthemi) annually causes some 15 to 25 million euro damage in seed potato cultivation resulting from the stem diseases caused by the bacterium. Research by... more |
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Smarter than Google
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| Mathematician Nicole Koenderink obtained her PhD yesterday. Her thesis involved a search engine that is smarter than Google. This machine taps into the knowledge of experts and poses questions in... more |
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Better vaccines against Rift Valley Fever outbreak in animals
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| The Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) has developed two candidate vaccines to protect animals, and probably humans too, against the Rift Valley Fever virus. This virus can be fatal for ruminants and... more |
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Gut bacteria can cause obesity
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| Diet, exercise and genes are not the only factors which determine if someone can become obese. The composition of the intestinal bacteria may also account for a person's obesity. This is the... more |
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Virus versus virus in tomatoes
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| Market gardeners can protect tomatoes against the aggressive Pepino mosaic virus by employing a mild form of this virus. They do, however, have to select the right virus strain, as shown in the... more |
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Open letter by Netherlands scientists on IPCC and errors in 2007 climate change report
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| Open letter to Netherlands parliament by Netherlands climate change scientists, 10 February 2010Errors in the IPCC climate change report are being seized by some to discredit climate science. In the... more |
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9 Feb 2010 |
Good guidance impacts effectiveness of treatment of patients with chronic diseases
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| Many patients with chronic conditions do not take as much of their medication as they should. As a result, the effectiveness of the treatment is often suboptimal, and it also becomes more expensive.... more |
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5 Feb 2010 |
High import tariffs not necessarily an obstacle for developing countries
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| The agricultural trading policy of the European Union has been criticised because higher import tariffs apply to processed products than to unprocessed agricultural products. This 'tariff escalation'... more |
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4 Feb 2010 |
Chairman of Wageningen UR made honorary citizen of Fujian (China)
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| Dr. Aalt Dijkhuizen, Chairman of the Executive Board of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) has been made an honorary citizen of Fujian Province in China. The ceremony took place on Tuesday... more |
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New, practical flyers on late blight control available
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| Late blight in potato, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is still one of the largest threats to potato cultivation. Not only in the Netherlands, but worldwide. The Potato Case Study team of the EU... more |
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Saturated fats are bad
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| There is no evidence that saturated fats are a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, American researchers have contended in the January issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This... more |
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Life is about organization
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| Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis has come up with a new theory about what life is. He feels it is not enough to just look at reproduction and metabolism. 'In my opinion you should get just as high a prison... more |
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Piglets benefit from homeopathy - or do they?
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| Fewer piglets with diarrhoea after injection with homeopathic medicine. Professor Savelkoul has reservations about the study. A homeopathic treatment of pregnant sows leads to a substantial reduction... more |
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3 Feb 2010 |
New European research project on greenhouse gas balance in agriculture and forestry
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| On 27 January a new large European project on greenhouse gas balance in agriculture and forestry was launched. The ambitious aim of this project is to establish a greenhouse gas budget for Europe,... more |
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2 Feb 2010 |
Insects sampled for apple “witch broom disease”
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| Plant Research International is conducting experiments on insects from unsprayed apple orchards to investigate whether they transfer the pathogen that causes “witch broom disease” in healthy apple... more |
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28 Jan 2010 |
Farmers mainly to blame for deforestation in the Amazon
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| Small-scale farmers who lease land from the Brazilian government are very much responsible for deforestation in the Brazilian state of Rondônia in the Amazon area. In most areas with agrarian... more |
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Rice farmers in Senegal can save 40 percent of water
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| An alternative irrigation technique can enable rice farmers in Senegal to save twenty to forty percent of irrigation water, without lowering the rice output. Research done by Wageningen PhD student... more |
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Information dissemination in Malawi misses the mark
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| Things are not working well for participatory farmer field schools in Malawi where woman farmers get together to solve problems in cassava farming. This picture emerges from research carried out by... more |
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27 Jan 2010 |
Pesticides most important barrier for the recovery of biodiversity on farmland
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| Since the early nineties the EU has implemented policies to reduce the dramatic negative effects of the use of pesticides on farmland. Nevertheless, a Europe wide study showed that insecticides and... more |
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25 Jan 2010 |
Protein-rich food in stride against obesity
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| Nine companies and universities in the east of the Netherlands have joined forces in combating obesity. They will develop and produce healthy food products and ingredients that are rich in protein,... more |
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Millions from Europe for two Wageningen researchers
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| The European research organisation ERC (European Research Council) has allocated around €5 million to two prominent professors at Wageningen. Professor of Microbiology, Willem de Vos, and Animal... more |
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21 Jan 2010 |
Conquering Asia with the pink tomato
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| Plant Research International has discovered the gene that makes tomatoes pink. Plant breeding companies are showing a great deal of interest in this gene; they are hoping to use it to conquer the... more |
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How do we solve this dilemma?
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| The university's policy specialists are set to combine their research efforts in the Wageningen Centre of Governance. Their studies look at the management of complex social questions, ranging from... more |
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Big Brother spies on wading birds
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| A long pole carrying an ultra-modern video camera stands in the Balgzand mudflats in the Wadden Sea near Den Helder. Day and night, the camera records the activities of wading birds in the area.The... more |
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20 Jan 2010 |
New camera lets plants speak
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| Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture has developed a new camera that can much faster than existing equipment measure the effect of a stress factor on photosynthesis. Patent on the technique has been... more |
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18 Jan 2010 |
Let children take their pick of vegetables
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| Children prefer vegetables which are crunchy and have no brown patches. They also get a perk when they can choose what they eat beforehand. So says PhD student Gertrude Zeinstra of Wageningen... more |
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15 Jan 2010 |
“High time we applied adaptation science to climate change”
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| Inauguration of Prof. Holger Meinke
The urgency for adaptation actions in response to climate risks is rapidly growing - climate change mitigation efforts alone are insufficient to avoid further and... more |
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Down with the climate summit
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| The climate summit is a flop because traditional diplomacy has failed. Its participants take a much too simplistic view of the climate issue and are too preoccupied with negotiations for an... more |
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14 Jan 2010 |
Fake meat still too fake
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| Vegetable-based meat substitutes are still not good enough to persuade meat eaters to abandon their pork chops or steaks. Fake meat is too far removed from the real thing, but it is unfamiliarity... more |
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Adaptation takes over from greenhouse
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| Greenhouse effect and carbon dioxide emission are out; climate change is in. To get the media interested in a climate project, make sure it has something to do with adaptation. This view is offered... more |
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13 Jan 2010 |
Wageningen UR studies meals in care institutions for the elderly
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| Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research and Phliss have been commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to carry out research into meals in care institutions. The aim of the... more |
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Vaccination against Foot-and-Mouth Disease
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| The effectiveness of different control strategies against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) were investigated using epidemiological and economic models. A quick and large-scale vaccination within a radius... more |
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12 Jan 2010 |
East African governments' responses to high cereal prices
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| World food prices rose to unprecedented heights in 2008 but have come down in 2009. However, in many African countries prices continued to rise, despite governments' efforts to reduce prices. This... more |
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7 Jan 2010 |
With their tail between their legs
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| Pig tails reveal outbreak of tail biting. Pig farmers can take preventive action. If pigs walk around with their tail between their legs they often become the victims of tail biting. It is therefore... more |
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Organic feed influences gene expression in chickens
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| Organically fed chickens develop a different process of gene expression in their small intestines than that of chickens which get conventional feed. The organic chickens have higher expressed genes... more |
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6 Jan 2010 |
Excess hunting in tropical forest threatens carbon sequestration
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| The overhunting of animals in tropical forests is beneficial to lianas and can also be detrimental to carbon sequestration by trees. This unusual relationship is described by ecologists from... more |
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29 Dec 2009 |
New name for contract research component of AFSG, Wageningen UR
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| On 1 January 2010, Food & Biobased Research became the new name of A&F BV, the contract research component of the Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group (AFSG) of Wageningen University & Research... more |
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18 Dec 2009 |
Fish fatty acids don’t make you cleverer or happier
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| A diet rich in fish fatty acids has no effect on cognitive functions such as memory and concentration in the elderly. Nor does it affect their level of wellbeing. This is the conclusion drawn by... more |
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Biodiversity treaty blocks organic pest control
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| Integrated plant protection, in which pests are controlled using their natural enemies, is seriously hindered by the international biodiversity treaty, according to Wageningen entomologist Joop van... more |
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17 Dec 2009 |
Research on food safety more efficient
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| Joint Press Release: RIKILT - Institute of Food Safety and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)RIKILT no. 07 – 2009
With effect from 1 January 2010, policy-oriented... more |
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Delta Alliance for the resilience of riverdeltas worldwide
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| Today the Delta Alliance, an emerging international network for the resilience of river deltas worldwide, was officially announced by dignitaries of Indonesia, Bangladesh, California and the... more |
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‘ClimateGate does not affect IPCC-conclusions’
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| Rik Leemans, professor Environmental System Analysis at Wageningen University:
Term ‘trick’ in personal e-mails does not indicate misconduct or fraud.
Valid science should be discussed and... more |
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Innovation boost to tackle Climate Change
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| While Heads of State are negotiating to reach a substantial climate agreement in Copenhagen, the EU is stepping forward to take the lead in developing innovations to tackle climate change. The... more |
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15 Dec 2009 |
Towards a circular economy: Louise Vet on the marriage between economy and ecology
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| Prof dr Louise Vet, professor of Evolutionary Ecology at Wageningen University and director of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), gave in her TEDxAmsterdam talk various examples of... more |
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Marcel Dicke at TEDx: ‘Why not eat insects?’
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| Prof. dr. Marcel Dicke, Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen UR (University and Research centre), is an ecologist working with a special interest in the relation between plants and insects. He is a... more |
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14 Dec 2009 |
Organic sector benefits from better communication on the food safety risks of organic products
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| Scientists from Wageningen UR Livestock Research and Plant Research International (both part of Wageningen University and Research Centre) are advocating better communication on the possible food... more |
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Fisheries advisory panel offers recommendations on CITES proposals
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| Atlantic Bluefin tuna, several shark species, corals reviewed Photo: An Oceanic Whitetip Shark. (Photo by J. Quinn)An advisory panel of independent experts convened by FAO has issued recommendations... more |
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11 Dec 2009 |
LANMAP in EU headline news
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| The European Commission has published some headlines on the publication of Sander Mücher on a European Landscape Classification (LANMAP), with reference: Mücher, C.A., Klijn, J.A., Wascher, D.M.,... more |
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China wasting money on sustainable energy
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| China would get a better return on its investments in sustainable energy if it opted for the private sector and set up a Ministry of Energy, according to a Chinese researcher.In Copenhagen, Chinese... more |
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Cloning plants from seeds
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| Wageningen geneticists are developing a method to replicate the parents of a chosen plant. Known as 'reverse breeding', this will have a big impact for the breeding industry.Just as humans have no... more |
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7 Dec 2009 |
PhD student develops fast method for preparing flu vaccine
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| A shortage of flu vaccines may soon become a thing of the past. Researcher Manon Cox has designed an alternative process for producing large quantities of safe and effective vaccines at twice to four... more |
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3 Dec 2009 |
Wageningen at the CO2penhagen fair
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| Some call the climate summit in Copenhagen a circus. Others call it a knowledge exchange. Professor Pier Vellinga talks about it almost affectionately as a fair. A fair you have to go to if you are a... more |
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Are plants going to save the world?
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| Don't be too quick to promote biofuels - they are supplanting world food supplies. Encourage the production of biofuels by making better use of residual waste and crops on marginal soil. Wageningen... more |