Update: New Pest & Disease Records (29 June 11)

strawb
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Click on the links to view the abstracts. First report of Agathis fuscipennis in Europe as parasitoid of the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta. Loni, A.; Rossi, E.; Achterberg, K. van (2011) Bulletin of Insectology…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (22 Jun 11)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: New locust threat in Madagascar FAO, 21 June 2011 US: Tiny fly causes big trouble for Oregon’s fruit farmers Fresh Plaza, 20 June 2011 ‘Super wheat’ resists devastating rust SciDev Net, 17 June 2011 Weeding out Africa’s witch plant New Agriculturist, June 2011 U.S.…
Read Further

Animal and Human Pathogens Can Cross from Manure into Food Crops

strawb
Following the recent outbreak of E. coli food poisoning in Germany that claimed at least 39 lives as of 16 June 2011 and still counting, numerous articles have been written, but many fundamental questions still remain unanswered. As you will remember, contaminated Spanish cucumbers were initially blamed for the outbreak of E. coli infection, which…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (15 June 11)

strawb
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Click on the links to view the abstracts. Incidence of Meloidogyne graminicola on rice in Andaman Islands. Pankaj; Anil Sirohi; Jain, R. K.; Khajan Singh (2011) Annals of Plant Protection Sciences 19 (1), 259-260.…
Read Further

Call for support for sustainable smallholder agriculture

strawb
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), last week called for a dramatic increase in support for sustainable agriculture, including smallholder farmers, as a way to drive green growth and reduce poverty. This is…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (8 Jun 11)

strawb
Here’s another taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: Uruguayan scientists find apple decay pathogen fighter FreshFruitPortal.com, 7 June 2011 HortNZ hails govt biosecurity funding plan FreshFruitPortal.com, 6 June 2011 African Researchers and Farmers Begin Effort to Reduce Crop Loss from Striga Crop Biotech Update, 3 June 2011 Aflatoxin Infects 160…
Read Further

Plant clinic planning underway

strawb
Putting Plant Clinics to work Plantwise is already looking towards 2012 and is organising its resources in preparation to expand the numbers of plant clinics and countries in which they operate.  Delegates made up of CABI staff from all over the globe met up at the Swiss ski resort of Engelberg (23rd-28th May) to discuss…
Read Further

Rising food prices could press the poor into hunger, warns Oxfam

strawb
 This year, hardly a week seems to have gone by without the release of another report on global food systems and food security. Each has a different focus: in May there was an FAO report highlighting the problem of food waste, while earlier in the year I posted articles on the ‘Hand Picked’ CABI blog…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (1 June 11)

strawb
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Click on the links to view the abstracts. Fusarium tricinctum associated with head blight on wheat in Argentina. Castañares, E.; Stenglein, S. A.; Dinolfo, M. I.; Moreno, M. V. (2011) Plant Disease 95 (4),…
Read Further