How Modern Agriculture Turned a Wild Plant Into a Problematic Weed

  • 📰 SciTechDaily1
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 56 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 26%
  • Publisher: 68%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

New research has discovered that agriculture is causing rapid evolutionary changes not only on farms but also in wild species in adjacent areas. An international team of researchers at the University of British Columbia has uncovered how the expansion of modern agriculture has transformed a North A

Waterhemp can drastically reduce corn and soy yields, as seen on the right in a corn field in Essex County. Credit: Julia Kreiner, University of British Columbia

“The genetic variants that help the plant do well in modern agricultural settings have risen to high frequencies remarkably quickly since agricultural intensification in the 1960s,” said first author Dr. Julia Kreiner, a postdoctoral researcher in UBC’s Department of Botany. The findings could inform conservation efforts to preserve natural areas in landscapes dominated by agriculture. Reducing gene flow out of agricultural sites and choosing more isolated natural populations for protection could help limit the evolutionary influence of farms.

Waterhemp occurring in natural habitats, the sandy merging of a lake in southern Illinois. Credit: Julia Kreiner, University of British Columbia Herbicide-resistant mutations were also discovered in natural habitats, albeit at a lower frequency, which raises questions about the costs of these adaptations for plant life in non-agricultural settings. “In the absence of herbicide applications, being resistant can actually be costly to a plant, so the changes happening on the farms are impacting the fitness of the plant in the wild,” said Dr. Kreiner.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 84. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Agriculture Companies Push Carbon-Capture Farming; Growers Are SkepticalAgriculture companies are investing millions of dollars to develop farming programs designed to capture more carbon dioxide in fields, but farmers are skeptical Interesting. Not sure the sience is fully there yet 🤔 😕. It costs money to till and plant. Just planting can drain the soil. Pretending this will end the phony climate change is delirium. Another useless burden on society. Fundamentalmente, los insumos que nos brinda la tierra. Son limitadas para tanta personas en este mundo.🫣
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »

12 iconic 20th-century designs still used in modern furniture todayFrom egg chairs to mushroom lamps, some of the most ubiquitous furniture used in today's homes has its roots in the last century, when designers were creating pieces that relied on clean lines, sleek silhouettes, and economy of space.
Source: TucsonStar - 🏆 339. / 59 Read more »

UK to ship modern Challenger 2 tanks to UkraineBritish officials vowed to dispatch advanced Challenger 2 tanks to war-torn Ukraine Saturday as heavy ground warfare with Russian invaders rages. What are they going to do with 12 tanks? About time Europe steps up. But what is the end game?
Source: dcexaminer - 🏆 6. / 94 Read more »

Modern MedicineA smoky scotch float takes this riff on a whiskey sour to the next level. Everything sounds good except I'm not a fan of peated scotches...
Source: epicurious - 🏆 114. / 63 Read more »

Villanova ‘turned up the heat’ in a massive comeback win over St. John’sMaddy Siegrist finished with a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds, her third straight 30-point performance.
Source: PhillyDailyNews - 🏆 89. / 67 Read more »

Former undercover spy turned 3-term congressman Will Hurd headed to New Hampshire, sparking 2024 speculationFormer Republican Rep. Will Hurd of Texas is headed later this month to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first presidential primary in the Republican Party’s nominating calendar. This man speaks as a true, gutsy and intelligent leader.
Source: FoxNews - 🏆 9. / 87 Read more »