Stevia Corp. Announces Deputy Scientist for High Yield Stevia Crop Development Program in Vietnam

INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwire - Nov 15, 2011) - Stevia Corp. (OTCBB: STEV) ("Stevia Corp." or the "Company"), a farm management company focused on the economic development of Stevia, the fastest growing product in the alternative sweetener sector, is pleased to introduce Dr. Nguyen Van Dan to the position of Deputy Scientist for program development in Vietnam.

Dr. Dan is an expert horticultural researcher, engineer and scientist specializing in biotechnology driven genetic research and leading edge plant breeding technologies. He is currently an Agricultural Specialist with Agro Genesis Pte Ltd and was previously the principal research engineer and project manager for the R&D Center - IC Food Co., Ltd and University Industry Collaboration Foundation program at Chungnam National University in Korea. Leading up to his doctoral degree he commenced his efforts between 1992 and 1997 with the genetics department, faculty of biology, Hanoi National University where he developed a thesis which led to intensive research into plant tissues and cell cultures for the Center for Experimental Biology at the National Center for Technological Progress (NACENTECH) between 1998 and 2005, eventually leading to advanced studies into molecular genetics & genomics at the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Chungnam National University (2005-2007), which led to eventual doctoral studies and completion of his PhD in the field.

Read full press release here: Stevia Corp. Announces Deputy Scientist for High Yield Stevia Crop Development Program in Vietnam

Horticulture Industry Market Research Reports, November 2011

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University of Manitoba research results fake

The University of Manitoba sanctions a former researcher after an internal investigation concluded he faked data and made up experiments. Researcher Fawii Razem had claimed to have discovered a receptor for the major hormone linked to a plant's response to environmental stress. The receptor was long sought after, as it could help plants better adapt to cold or drought.

Read full article by Jen Skerritt at the Winnepeg Free Press

House passes appropriations bill that includes funding for the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research

WASHINGTON -
$23 million was set aside to operate and maintain the Soo Locks in Fiscal Year 2010 in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill passed 320-97 by the House of Representatives.

$3 million is appropriated for the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, a non-profit corporation whose membership includes 43 leading U.S. research universities including Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University. The consortium’s research produces technological innovations for higher quality crops and cropping practices, improved biomass energy production, commercially valuable alternative co-products, objective information on the relationship between genetically engineered plants and the environment, prevention/remediation of hazardous wastes, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

Monsanto, Dole partner to improve vegetables

St. Louis Business Journal

(Photo: Hugh Grant)

Monsanto Co. has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc., to develop new products.

The five-year collaboration will focus on broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and spinach, Monsanto said Tuesday. Researchers will use plant breeding to improve the nutrition, flavor, color, texture, taste and aroma of these vegetables.

New products developed from this collaboration could be commercialized by Dole in North America.

With 2008 revenue of $7.6 billion, Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole is the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables and is the leading producer of organic bananas.

Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON), led by Chairman, President and CEO Hugh Grant, develops insect- and herbicide-resistant crops and other agricultural products. It is one of the largest employers in St. Louis with 4,000 local employees.

NSF gives $630K to MSU for invasive plant studies

The Associated Press
Posted: 06/23/2009 04:06:50 PM PDT

EAST LANSING, Mich.—The National Science Foundation is giving $630,000 to a Michigan State University researcher to help uncover the genetic factors behind invasive plant infestations that can destroy native ecosystems.

The four-year grant goes to Jennifer Lau, a plant ecologist with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

The university says the research will focus on two common annual plants from the California coast range. One is the nonnative burclover Medicago polymorpha that can become invasive, while the other is the closely related noninvasive native species Lotus wranglianus.

Lau says there are wide genetic variations within species, and better understanding them may help prevent the destructive effects of future invasions.

Red more:

CAFNR researchers study the effects of drought by making their own

Droughts have a devastating effect on farms. In Missouri and most of the world, droughts are the leading cause of crop failure. They increase consumer costs, kill livestock, reduce crop yields, and trigger wildfires and dust storms. They also can cause malnutrition and famine, social unrest and political instability.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Droughts have a devastating effect on farms. In Missouri and most of the world, droughts are the leading cause of crop failure. They increase consumer costs, kill livestock, reduce crop yields, and trigger wildfires and dust storms.

They also can cause malnutrition and famine, social unrest and political instability.Researchers in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources ( CAFNR ) recently received a $1,558,125 grant to construct drought simulators that enable the scientists to study how reduced water availability affects plants and crop productivity.

The Missouri Life Sciences Research Board grant funds the construction of four mobile rain shelters, which researchers can use to vary the amount of water that test plants receive, simulating everything from short dry spells to persistent and severe drought conditions. Research on the moveThe shelters look like 50-by-100-foot greenhouses on railroad tracks.

They move away from test plants when the weather is sunny and cover the plots when rain approaches. Two shelters will be built at CAFNR’s Bradford Research and Extension Center east of Columbia; the first is scheduled to be completed in late 2009. A third shelter will be built at the Delta Research Center, Portageville, in the southeastern part of Missouri.

The fourth shelter will be located at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center, New Franklin.The locations represent the varied environments, crop species and soil types that are agriculturally important to the state. This strategic placement allows researchers to accommodate any crop, forage and turf species grown in Missouri and surrounding states.

More info:

The Environmental Horticulture Reseach and Information Center (EHRIC)

Link :http://groups.ucanr.org/EHRIC/index.cfm

The Environmental Horticulture Reseach and Information Center (EHRIC) is a University of California Cooperative Extension resource created to provide a venue for research-based information on important issues facing the horticulture industry in California.