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September 17, 2013

17/09/2013: Scientists speed up wheat breeding; agriculture literature; Cargill's new chief executive officer

Scientists at the University of Queensland in St. Lucia, Australia have developed a wheat breeding strategy that grows plants under light 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The method allows them to grow up to 8 generations of wheat per year.

The strategy is being used to develop a new strain of wheat that is resistant to pre-harvest sprouting. Development time may be reduced to 2.5 years, down from 10 years. Scientists drew inspiration from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which wanted to grow plants during space missions. 

Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA), a programme that brings key scientific literature on food, agriculture and related fields to students, researchers and scientists, has quickly  become a crucial tool for some of the world's poorest countries.

Launched back in 2003, AGORA now provides free or low-cost access to over 3,500 key journals and 3,300 books on food, nutrition, agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences.

Cargill's board of directors has announced that David W. MacLennan, currently Cargill’s president and chief operating officer, has been elected the corporation’s next chief executive officer effective 1st December 2013, succeeding Gregory R. Page, 62, who will serve as executive chairman. 

MacLennan, 54, will retain the title of president and continue as a director of the company. The transition is the result of the company’s ongoing succession planning with the board.
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English: UQ Lake viewed toward the South-West ...
English: UQ Lake viewed toward the South-West at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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