In the battle against thrips, breeders have developed a new weapon: a tomato that packs a powerful one-two punch to deter the pests and counter the killer viruses they transmit.

Singapore, one of the world's most densely populated countries, is campaigning to get its 154-year-old Botanic Gardens declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

Written By:  Joe Jerek

Enjoy free Kids Fishing Days in April and May and Free Fishing Days June 8-9.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri offers a wealth of more than a million acres of surface water through rivers, streams, lakes and ponds that attract more than a million anglers in pursuit of the Show-Me-State’s numerous species of game fish. Fishing in Missouri also generates more than a billion dollars for local communities and the state’s economy.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Candice Davis

PUXICO, Mo. – A new state record bowfin was taken by bow at Duck Creek Conservation Area (CA) according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Eric Whitehead of Puxico shot the state record bowfin while bow fishing Friday, March 8. The record was just recently certified by MDC. Whitehead also holds the continued spotted gar record in Missouri.

“Eric crushed the old record by two pounds,” said Paul Cieslewicz, MDC fisheries management biologist who certified the record fish.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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A pitcher plant's work seems simple: Their tube-shaped leaves catch and hold rainwater, which drowns the ants, beetles, and flies that stumble in. But the rainwater inside a pitcher plant is not just a malevolent dunking pool. It also hosts a complex system of aquatic life, including wriggling mosquito, flesh fly, and midge larvae; mites; rotifers; copepods; nematodes; and multicellular algae.

New research shows that perhaps the ancient Puebloans weren't as into the maize craze as once thought. Nikki Berkebile has been studying the subsistence habits of Puebloans, or Anasazi, who lived on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in the late 11th century. Traditional ethnographic literature indicates these ancient American Indians were heavily dependent on maize as a food source, but Berkebile isn't so sure about that.

Beekeepers and researchers nationally are reporting growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides may be killing off bumblebees. Now, research points toward another potential cause: metal pollution from aluminum and nickel. A new study finds that bumblebees are at risk of ingesting toxic amounts of metals like aluminum and nickel found in flowers growing in soil that has been contaminated by exhaust from vehicles, industrial machinery, and farming equipment.

Tiny sea creatures no bigger than a thumbtack are being credited for playing a key role in helping provide healthy habitats for many kinds of seafood, according to a new study. The little crustacean "grazers," some resembling tiny shrimp, are critical in protecting seagrasses from overgrowth by algae, helping keep these aquatic havens healthy for native and economically important species. Crustaceans are tiny to very large shelled animals that include crab, shrimp, and lobster.

Increases in ground-level ozone, especially in rural areas, may interfere not only with predator insects finding host plants, but also with pollinators finding flowers, according to new research.

The mountainous regions of Central Asia are particularly rich in the onion genus Allium. Kyrgyzstan has a great plant diversity, with nearly 3800 native vascular plants, including 85 onion species. Among them is a tiny group of minute species that had gone unnoticed for 100 years of botanical studies in the region but was recently discovered in the Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve.

Written By:  Bill Graham

Furs harvested in Missouri are valued at more than $8.5 million annually and generate more than $60 million for the state’s economy.

Collins, Mo. – Bud Keller ran his fingers over prime raccoon fur destined for use as a coat, collar or cuffs, perhaps on the other side of the world.

“This is a good one,” Keller said.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Geckos' ability to stick to trees and leaves during rainforest downpours has fascinated scientists for decades, leading a group of researchers to solve the mystery.

Written By:  Joe Jerek

MDC decision based on hunter feedback and analysis of past hunting seasons.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Based on feedback from waterfowl hunters and analysis of past waterfowl seasons, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is implementing a minor change to “Quick Draw.” This online draw system is used for allocating waterfowl hunting spots at three of the Department’s 15 conservation areas that offer managed waterfowl hunting.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Candice Davis

CARTER COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will close the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area to turkey hunting to permit the third stage of the Department’s elk restoration project. Hunters who normally hunt on the area’s wildlife refuge portion will need to make alternate plans for the 2013 spring turkey season. The refuge will be closed from April 1 until July 1.

Key Messages: 

We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Written By:  Francis Skalicky

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Many homeowners are discovering the benefits of landscaping with native plants. Plants that are naturally adapted to their surroundings tend to be less dependent on pesticides and watering hoses and, at the same time, friendlier to butterflies, songbirds and other local wildlife.

Key Messages: 

We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Written By:  Joe Jerek

Southwest Livingston Co. R-1 7th grade art class wins grand prize.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – Southwest Livingston County R-1, Littlejohn Homeschool in West Plains and Cowgill R-VI Elementary were winners in the 2013 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trashcan-decorating contest. They were among 18 Missouri elementary and middle schools and almost 200 students who helped fight litter by participating in the annual contest sponsored by the Missouri Departments of Conservation (MDC) and Transportation (MoDOT). The contest is part of Missouri’s “No MOre Trash!” campaign to raise awareness about litter and discourage littering.

Key Messages: 

Missourians care about conserving forests, fish and wildlife.

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New research predicts that rising temperatures will lead to a massive "greening," or increase in plant cover, in the Arctic. In a new paper, scientists reveal new models projecting that wooded areas in the Arctic could increase by as much as 50 percent over the next few decades. The researchers also show that this dramatic greening will accelerate climate warming at a rate greater than previously expected.

Recently, plant geneticists have successfully isolated the gene that creates dwarfed varieties of pearl millet. It is the first time a gene controlling an important agronomic trait has been isolated in the pearl millet genome.

Using the tools of synthetic biology, researchers are engineering healthy plants whose lignocellulosic biomass can more easily be broken down into simple sugars for the production of clean, green and renewable advanced biofuels.

Plant scientists have identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather -- a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.