. 24/7 Space News .
Global warming boosts crop disease

by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Aug 14, 2007
Global warming will fuel a disease that annually causes hundreds of million dollars in damage to rapeseed plants, used to make canola oil, according to a study released Tuesday.

Using weather-based computer models, researchers in Britain predicted that climate change will expand the range and increase the severity of phoma stem canker, which already accounts for 900 million dollars (650 million euros) in losses each year.

The study, published in the Royal Society journal Interface, found that warmer winters have significantly advanced the date of stem canker appearance in spring, giving it more time to spread before harvest.

Eleven of the past 12 years rank among the dozen warmest years on record, while mean global atmospheric temperature have risen by 0.8 C (1.44 F) over the last century.

Plant pathologist Neal Evans, who led the research, forecast that the disease would move from England north to Scotland, where it does not currently exist.

The computer model "was developed as a tool to help guide fungicide applications timing by farmers," he said. "We realised we could extend its use ... to examine how global warming might impact on future epidemics."

The top rapeseed growers in the world are China, Canada, India, Germany, France and Britain, accounted for nearly 80 percent of worldwide harvests.

The United Nations authority on climate change has said earlier this year human activity is almost certain to blame for global warming, and warned that the Earth's average surface temperature could rise between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees by 2100.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Change On The Range
Madison WI (SPX) Aug 14, 2007
In the Southwestern U.S., land managers face equally critical and difficult decisions when it comes to their ranges. The region is known for its climate variability which has strong influences and impacts on range conditions. Access to the latest climate and range science information is vital for managers to make effective short and long-term decisions. An experiential learning exercise was held at a meeting in January, 2006 to open communication between land managers and scientists about climate and range science concepts.







  • Undersea Mission Aids Development Of Self-Test For Stress And Fatigue
  • NASA Seeks Launch Logistics Help
  • Historic Phoenix Mars Mission Flies Actel RTAX-S Devices
  • Spaceport America Design Team Selected

  • What Makes Mars Magnetic
  • Phoenix Adjusts Course Successfully For Journey To Mars
  • Helping Phoenix Land
  • Brighter Skies Lifts Rover Spirit As MER-A Gets Active

  • Russian Proton-M Rocket To Launch Japanese Telecoms Satellite
  • ILS to Launch Inmarsat Satellite On Proton Vehicle Next Spring
  • European Automated Space Truck Arrive At South American Spaceport
  • A Double Transfer At The Spaceport For The Next Two Ariane 5 Launchers

  • Radar reveals vast medieval Cambodian city: study
  • Satellite Tracking Will Help Answer Questions About Penguin Travels
  • NASA Helps Texas Respond To Most Widespread Flooding In 50 Years
  • Thailand To Launch Environment Satellite In November

  • Outbound To The Outerplanets At 7 AU
  • Charon: An Ice Machine In The Ultimate Deep Freeze
  • New Horizons Slips Into Electronic Slumber
  • Nap Before You Sleep For Your Cruise Into The Abyss Of Outer Sol

  • New Clues To Early Sol
  • HESS J1616-508 Likely Powered by Young Pulsar PSR J1617-5055
  • Spitzer Spies Monster Galaxy Pileup
  • Star Caught Smoking Stellar Trash

  • China plans to survey 'every inch' of moon
  • Seeing The Moon Anew
  • NASA Selects Astrophysics Projects For New Science On The Moon
  • Throttling Back To The Moon

  • Galileo To Support Global Search And Rescue
  • Car Satellite Navigation Systems Can Be Steered The Wrong Way
  • ShoZu One-Click Image Upload Service To Be Embedded In Samsung Handsets
  • Cell Phones And PDAs Revolutionize How Consumers Find Homes On REALTOR.com

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement