The sheaths of manila banana leaves yield a fiber called abaca or manila. It is used to make ship's ropes, cordage, and cords as well as fabrics and various braids. The main growing regions stretch from the Philippines to India. 1)
Phylloxera vastatrix is native to North America, from where it was brought to Europe around the 1860s. Between 1863 and 1897 phylloxera caused the destruction of 75%-90% of European vineyards. The rapid decline in the production of wine and wine distillates (brandy and cognac) contributed to the popularization of whisky in European countries. The only salvation turned out to be crossing European strains with phylloxera-resistant American varieties - today, virtually all European strains are such crosses. 2)
China is the undisputed leader in world citrus production, the leader in Europe is Spain. However, if you break it down by fruit, by far the most lemons in the world come from Mexico. The country produces about 2.4 million tons of this fruit annually (2016), which is 33% of the world's production. Brazil, on the other hand, is the largest producer of oranges with almost 18.2 million tons in 2016. (about 37% of world production). 3)
Mounding is the technique of constantly covering growing seedlings with soil. This produces longer, white asparagus - more tender than the green asparagus you normally get. 4)
Hydroponics, water culture is the soilless cultivation of plants on aqueous media to enable plant production under artificial conditions on an industrial scale, mainly in greenhouses. It is particularly suitable for growing vegetables and flowers. The advantages of such cultivation are the possibility of cultivation in greenhouses in dry areas or soils unsuitable for use, saving water, less environmental pollution, the possibility of monocultures. 5)