Improving Food Security Using Agroforestry Schemes

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Agroforestry is an integrated system of trees and shrubs and/or crops and livestock within a managed agriculture area and has potential in improving food security in developing countries by fully utilising land, improving crop yields, diversifying farmer income and improving environmental sustainability. Last month the United National Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) published an “Advancing Agroforestry…
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Update: Plant Health News (27 Feb 13)

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Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including an advance in biological control, tips to drain soil, making the land usable and a study to develop strategies against Bollworm resistance to Bt Cotton in China. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
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Monitoring and Management of Desert Locusts in Africa

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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has this month warned that Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) swarms are invading cropping areas of northern Sudan. The swarms originated from winter breeding areas on the Red Sea coastal plains and subcoastal areas in northeast Sudan and southeast Egypt. The situation requires close monitoring as more swarms are…
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How The Gates Foundation and Carlos Slim are Supporting Innovation and Crop Improvement For Farmers

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Fundación Carlos Slim have announced a partnership in support of efforts by the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CIMMYT) in Mexico to develop and disseminate higher-yielding, more resilient wheat and maize varieties.
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Update: New Pest & Disease Records (20 Feb 13)

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We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include the first report of Ralstonia solanacearum causing tomato bacterial wilt in Mexico, occurrences of a new fruit rot of peach caused by Hyphodermella rosae in northern Iran and the first…
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Spot The Difference: Decoy Beetles Created To Manage The Invasive Emerald Ash Borer

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The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a beetle native to Asia which was first identified near Detroit, Michigan and Ontario in 2002. It is now a serious invasive pest of North American ash trees in the genus Fraxinus. Emerald ash borer populations are spreading rapidly in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states of the USA,…
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New Type of Invasive Whitefly Recorded In South Africa

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A species of whitefly that transmits cassava mosaic virus has been detected in South Africa for the first time. The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex containing some important agricultural pests and virus vectors. The term ‘cryptic species complex’ means that Bemisia tabaci is considered to be a complex of at least 24 different…
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Parasitic Witchweed defeated in Kenya

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Striga, a parasitic weed (also known as Witchweed,) has long been a problem in African nations; causing farmers to lose billions of dollars’ worth of crops annually. To make matters worse, the weed flourishes in conditions that characterise that of poor farming communities (small plots, mono-cropping, lack of oxen and natural manure and lack of…
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Update: Plant Health News (13 Feb 13)

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Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a decrease in PSA cases in New Zealand, the worst corn and soybean pests this year and new mobile apps bringing decision-making tools to the field. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
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What CABI Is Doing To Tackle Major Coffee Rust Outbreaks In Central America

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Guatemala has declared a state of agricultural emergency after coffee rust fungus has affected approximately 193,000ha of coffee, equating to 70% of the national crop. As a result of the outbreak, Guatemala is releasing $13.7m (£8.7m) in emergency aid to help farmers buy pesticides and to inform farmers on ways to manage the disease. Honduras…
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