The US Grains Council recently concluded its annual China Corn Tour, estimating an increase in production over 2009. The Council estimates the total production for China’s 2010 corn crop at 158 million metric tons (6.2 billion bushels). Given the projected corn harvest area of 30.8 million hectares, this implies a yield of 5.13 tons/hectare or 81.5 bushels/acre.
p>The US Grains Council recently concluded its annual China Corn Tour, estimating an increase in production over 2009. The Council estimates the total production for China’s 2010 corn crop at 158 million metric tons (6.2 billion bushels). Given the projected corn harvest area of 30.8 million hectares, this implies a yield of 5.13 tons/hectare or 81.5 bushels/acre.Agriculture
Asia urged to increase rice reserves
The Asia Society and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Task Force report, Never an Empty Bowl: Sustaining Food Security in Asia, was the focus of the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting on Rice at the Third International Rice Congress held in Hanoi, Vietnam recently.
Sweetpotato: Coming of Age
From being ‘a poor mans crop, sweetpotatoes today is perceived as a commodity of high commercial value and importance for a variety of reasons including its varied utility and broad adaptability.
Disease management for sustainable cocoa production
Cocoa is prone to plant pathogens, especially Phytophthora which thrives on high humidity and surface wetness. Phytophthora causes two-dimensional disease in cocoa as Phytophthora pod rot and Phytophthora stem canker. Phytophthora pod rot is traditionally controlled by sprays of fixed copper fungicide including cuprous oxide.
Rice hybrid to meet rising demand
"Rice is the most important staple food for more than half of the world’s population," said DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman. Indeed, rice has been the most commonly used food grain for most people in the world since ancient times and between 1961 and 2002, worldwide per capita consumption of rice increased by 40 per cent.