Tuta absoluta in the Americas

Plantwise plant doctors inspect tomato crop
Tackling the tomato pest, Tuta absoluta, with natural pesticide alternatives in the Americas Tuta absoluta (also known as Phthorimaea absoluta) is one of the most devastating plant-eating pests worldwide. It affects tomato plants and fresh tomatoes. And it causes high levels of crop production loss. Without stemming the spread, its effects are devastating.
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Jamaica’s plant doctors shine in Plantwise programme awards

Plantwise Jamaica
Three plant doctors in Jamaica – operating as part of the CABI-led Plantwise programme which helps farmers grow more and lose less to crop pests and diseases – have been honoured with awards established by the island’s government.
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Remote technology transfer and advisory services for farmers during COVID-19

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are enforcing restrictions to save lives. Communities are having to change the way they live and work, often relying more on digital tools, if they can. During this unprecedented time, it is vital that smallholder farmers can still access plant health information and advice without…
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Citrus Greening in Grenada

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNlZQMRDNBU&w=560&h=315] Citrus Greening, also known as Huanglongbing, was first confirmed in Grenada in 2016. The disease is caused by bacteria which are spread by the Citrus psyllid. The disease causes yellow blotchy mottling on leaves, small lopsided fruit and branch dieback, making the tree uneconomical. Due to Citrus greening’s potential to devastate Citrus yields,…
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Our favourite recipes – Caribbean

For the final post of our mini-series, “Our favourite recipes”, this Tomato Choka recipe has been kindly provided by Bob Ramnanan, CABI Country Coordinator for the Caribbean. Tomato Choka is a quick and easy meal vegetarian meal and can be served with sada roti (flatbread), rice, pasta or potato.
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Bread from the ‘Tree of Life’

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Breadfruit has been coined the new ‘super-fruit’ and according to some has the ability to alleviate world hunger. However, it has recently been discovered that breadfruit may also have a very different role in saving lives. Scientists have isolated three chemicals produced in the male inflorescence of the breadfruit that are extremely effective at repelling…
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Update: Plant Health News (18 Dec 13)

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Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the use of technology to improve the detection of papaya viruses, toxins discovered in banana root tissue kill root pests and the vital importance of water conservation in Nigeria to avoid food crises. Click on the links to read more of the…
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Black Sigatoka Ravages Caribbean

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Caribbean banana farmers are abandoning fields where crops have been badly affected by Black Sigatoka disease. Black Sigatoka has badly affected several countries in the region, including Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and Guyana. Black Sigatoka is considered the most destructive disease of bananas and plantains and is caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis. It first arrived in…
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New technology for detecting pests and diseases

IPM Scope for identifying diseases
by Keron Bascombe, Technology4Agri Much of farm enterprise activity is spent dealing with pests and diseases which significantly lower the yield of produce. For many producers this warrants the use of pesticides of many kinds to deter a wide variety of pests and insects that can either destroy crops or act as vectors that cause…
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Plantwise plant clinics – Pest diagnosis for a farmer in Barbados

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A farmer, Pedro Welch, attended the Plantwise plant clinic at this year’s Agrofest 2012, the annual agricultural show in Barbados. He described the problems he was having on his lime tree, and the plant doctor diagnosed the problem straight away, giving advice on how to manage the pest. Watch the video below to see a…
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