#crop failures

"wheat produced will decline by 26.5% compared with 2023, while winter barley will drop by 33.1% and oilseed rape will reduce by 37.6%."

"wettest eighteen months since records began"

We have it on good authority—the Bible—that the world will never again be destroyed by a flood. But we can’t really take much comfort in this, because the same authority says when the world does end, it will be destroyed by fire.

Various theories as how this will come about have been put forward. A popular one was that there would be another word war and the resulting nuclear devastation, both the initial blast waves of heat and hundreds of years of smoldering radiation. And this is still a very real possibility.

Or perhaps the fire will come from within the earth itself. A sizable meteor could impact the earth, punching through the earth’s crust and touching off a cascade of volcanic eruptions all over the planet.

Still another explanation says that eventually the sun will expand into a red and giant and engulf the earth. But, since this is expected to happen 5 to 7 billion years from now, there is no need to start worrying about it any time soon.

Phytophthora infestans is the most notorious causing Late blight of potato and tomato, globally. The word Phytophthora is derived from the Greek word: Phyto = plant, phthora = destroyer. Potato is a native of the North Andes (South America) and the late blight of potato was initially an endemic disease but in the mid1800s, late blight caused wide spread crop failures throughout the Northern Europe including Ireland where it was responsible for the Irish famine [1]. The genus Phytophthora represents a large group of plant pathogenic fungi responsible for crop losses in temperate and tropical climate [2]. Many species of Phytophthora are soil borne pathogens and spread through the movement of infested soil, or by water flow through infested soil [3]. A key element in the management of such diseases is the ability to detect the pathogen in soil and water. However, DNA extracted from soil contains substances such as humic acids, lignins, carbohydrates, resins, and so on which are very inhibitory to PCR amplification [4,5]. The amounts of inhibitory substances will vary widely with soil type, vegetation type, and composition of the soil micro flora. As the micro flora varies even over small distances (1 m scale) [6], the efficiency of PCR amplification is likely to vary widely even over small distances. It is therefore critical that an internal standard is used for PCR analysis of soil samples [7]. Recorded positive detection of P. infestans for up to twelve months from soil in which infested leaf tissue had been buried and for up to 24 months from soil containing leaf tissue infected with both mating types.

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BERLIN | Animals, crops and people all suffer amid Europe's heatwave

BERLIN — The heatwave gripping large stretches of Europe has already been blamed for deadly forest fires and crop failures. Now freshwater fish could be its next victims.

Some regions in Germany sweltered as the mercury hit 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) and the German Meteorological Office said the country’s record of 40.3 Celsius (104.5 Fahrenheit) could be topped Tuesday.

Rivers like the Rhine and the Elbe have soaked up so much heat that fish are beginning to suffocate.

“I’m expecting a tragedy as soon as next week,” Philipp Sicher from the Swiss Fishery Association told German news agency dpa.

In Hamburg, authorities collected almost five metric tons (11,000 pounds) of dead fish from ponds over the weekend, dpa reported.

Firefighters have started pumping fresh water into some ponds and lakes in a bid to raise oxygen levels.

Scientists say the record heat seen in Europe but also North America and parts of Asia this year points to the influence of man-made climate change and could become more common in future.

Several of Germany’s nuclear power stations are reducing energy output because rivers used to cool the power plants are too warm.

The low water levels have also made shipping more difficult, with a complete ban imposed on boats on the Oder river in eastern Germany.

Meanwhile, the country’s Farmer’s Association is asking the government for 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in financial aid to help cover losses from this year’s poor harvest.

Association president Joachim Rukwied said German farmers expect the grain harvest to be 20 percent smaller than last year, with rapeseed crops down 30 percent, as it has barely rained during the past 12 weeks, dpa reported.

A group representing potato farmers said they’re expecting harvests to be 25 percent smaller than last year and warned that the losses may lead not only to more expensive but also shorter French fries — because the spuds are so small this year.

The oceans, too, have been affected.

Authorities in Poland last week banned swimming at over 50 beaches along its Baltic Sea coast, after hot weather led to the growth of toxic bacteria in the unusually warm sea. Water temperatures in the Baltic Sea exceeded 23 C (73.4 F) in some places. Emergency water rescuers told vacationers on hot, sandy beaches — from Swinoujscie in the west to Gdynia in the east — not to enter the sea, where thick, green-brown cyanobacteria colonies have grown and pose a health threat.

Police in western Germany, meanwhile, rushed to where callers overnight reported hearing frantic screaming from a woman — but it turned out that a hospital had opened its windows because of the heat and several women there were in labor.

Police dogs in the Swiss city of Zurich have been getting special shoes to prevent them from burning their paws on the scorching streets. Swiss authorities have also cancelled traditional fireworks displays in some areas during Wednesday’s national holiday celebrations, citing the high risk of forest fires.

Across Europe, forest fires have already caused major damage. On July 23, at least 91 people died in a wildfire in Greece — the deadliest in Europe for decades.

Temperatures of up to 45 C (113 F) are forecast for Spain and Portugal from Wednesday and authorities are preparing for the mercury to climb even higher through Sunday, increasing the risk of emergencies.

In Spain, 27 of the country’s 50 provinces are at “extreme risk” from heat beginning Thursday, the national weather agency said. In neighboring Portugal, the General Directorate for Health warned about dust blowing in from North Africa and authorities said almost 11,000 firefighters and 56 aircraft are on standby to tackle forest fires.

On the other side of the continent, Banak peninsula in northern Norway reported temperatures Monday of 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit) — highly unusual for the Arctic Circle.

Some are benefiting from the simmering heat.

Beer brewers in Germany have seen sales rise 0.6 percent, or 300,000 hectoliters (7.92 million gallons), in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year.

“Especially the alcohol-free types are currently very much sought after,” said Marc-Oliver Huhnholz, from the German Brewer-Association.

In Denmark, where the Meteorological Institute reported that the month of July has been the sunniest since they started recording data in 1920, sales of alcoholic beverages dropped in favor of non-alcoholic beers, sodas and white wine, the country’s TV2 reported.

Genetically engineered “golden rice” suffers “metabolic meltdown” and devastating yield plunge as GE technology goes horribly wrong

(Health News) Supporters of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have long claimed that Golden Rice is key in alleviating vitamin A deficiency, but it turns out that’s not at all the case.

According to a new report by Indian researchers, the genes necessary to produce Golden Rice cause unintended side effects, Independent Science News reported recently.

When scientists introduced the…

Experts Warn: Crop Failures Could Cause Apocalyptic Scenarios

By Mac Slavo

SHTFplan.com

June 9, 2017

  Experts Warn: Crop Failures Could Cause Apocalyptic Scenarios

    Famines have been known to cause widespread starvation, and now with crops and food being traded globally, one hiccup in the growth of just one crop could cause a massive global catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.

In the past, a poor year for crops, whether it was too wet or too dry,…