Knowledge to improve food security
May 8, 2013 Leave a comment
The banana industry is planning an information system to reduce crop loss
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the risk of Septoria attack if sprays are delayed, an internet data portal plan from the banana industry and new plant protein discoveries that could ease global food and fuel demands.
Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
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May 7, 2013 Leave a comment
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI Switzerland
Delegates of top international conventions set a more collaborative regulation agenda (Image: Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions)
Geneva– The three conventions that govern chemicals and hazardous waste safety at the global level are, for the first time, convening jointly in an historic back-to-back meeting of the parties in Geneva from 28 April to 10 May, 2013. The joint meeting aims to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the conventions, with a view to enhance the effectiveness of their activities on the ground. Nearly two thousand participants from more than 160 countries will attend the two-week long meeting.
Beginning today, the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade will be held individually to deal with its own specific topics.
May 7, 2013 Leave a comment
A photograph of a cabbage leaf showing symptoms of black rot. Image by USDA Forest Service via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY 3.0)
Vegetable farmers in the Kayunga and Mukono districts of Uganda are reporting crop losses due to black rot disease. One farmer, Twaha Kahooza of Kyampisi village, Kayunga Sub-county, says he had planted four acres of cabbages and was expecting about Shs18m (about £4,500 or US$7,000) from the harvest, however he only managed to get Shs5m (about £1,200 or US$2,000).
Black rot is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris and is one of the most destructive diseases of cabbage and other crucifers such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, collards, kohlrabi and mustard. The disease is usually most prevalent in low lying areas where plants remain wet for long periods. The disease is characterized by a yellow V-shaped lesion at the leaf margin which turns brown as the leaf area expands. The disease can also affect seedlings and can enter the plant through insect feeding or injury to the plant. Management of black rot in crucifers includes obtaining certified, pathogen free seed, ensuring there is enough space between plants and crop rotation.To read more about black rot and black rot management visit factsheets on the Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
To read a Plantwise Factsheet for Farmers written in Uganda click here.
To find out more about Plantwise plant clinics running in Uganda, click here
References:
‘Farmers count losses over black rot disease in cabbage’, Fred Muzaale, April 2013, Daily Monitor
May 3, 2013 2 Comments
M&E is more than just a development buzzterm, it’s “a way of thinking” explains INTRAC workshop leader Max Peberdy, who was part of a the week-long training course for CABI staff in the UK. Plantwise programme leaders were among those learning how to embed montitoring and evaluation (M&E) as well as gender responsiveness into everyday project planning, and outcome tracking, for immediate and long term goals. Read more of this post
May 2, 2013 Leave a comment
Antonio Limbau, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Mozambique, speaking at the G8 Open Data for Agriculture Conference (CABI Image)
This photo shows Antonio Limbau, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture of Mozambique speaking on the implications of agricultural open data for developing countries at the G8 Open Data for Agriculture conference on Monday in Washington, D.C.
Governments in developed countries are working hard to make agriculture data open for others and accessible to farmers. The talk focused on the implications of open data, potentially a significant resource for developing countries working to help poor farmers increase their productivity. As well as Antonio Limbau, other speakers included Hirano Katsumi from the Area Studies Center, Japan, Stanley Wood from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Sean Krepp from the Grameen AppLab, Uganda.
To read more about this conference visit the website and have a look at some of our other blog posts on the event
May 1, 2013 Leave a comment
Symptoms of septoria leaf spot
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 occurrence of Pachycoris torridus jewel bugs in Bahia, Brazil, the assessment of wheat cultivars for resistance to septoria leaf blotch-causing isolates and the incidence and identification of Cassava tuber rot caused by Phytophthora palmivora.
May 1, 2013 Leave a comment
Plantwise hosted an exhibit stand during the G8 conference, giving demos of the Knowledge Bank. Credit: Patricia Neenan © CABI
With a successful first day at the G8 conference wrapped up, and hundreds of tweets posted with ideas for how open data can contribute to increased food security, Day 2 kicked off with Dr Kathryn Sullivan from NOAA welcoming the delegates, and a session on ‘What Does Open Data Look Like?’ chaired by Prof Tim Benton, who has guest blogged for Plantwise before. Join in the discussion on Twitter using #OpenAgData and #Plantwise, and follow us on Facebook for more news. Read more of this post
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