Empowering organic cotton growers through plant clinics in Balochistan

Pakistan is among the top five largest cotton producing countries in the world. Although Punjab and Sindh have remained major cotton producing provinces since 1947, a sharp increase in global demand for organic cotton is offering a great opportunity to Pakistan in general, and Balochistan in particular is set to get maximum benefit due to…
Read Further

CABI’s latest ‘weapon’ in the fight against devastating crop pests showcased at Commission on Phytosanitary Measures

CABI’s latest ‘weapon’ in the fight against devastating crop pests has been presented to delegates at the International Plant Protection Convention’s (IPPC) Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) held recently at the FAO headquarters in Rome. Dr Washington Otieno, CABI’s Plantwise Programme Executive, told delegates at the 14th session of the CPM that CABI’s new Pest Risk…
Read Further

Environmentally Friendly Insect Repellent for Agriculture

A team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a biodegradable agent that repels insect pest activity amongst crops without the use of insecticide chemicals.
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (08 June 18)

strawb
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 Melon necrotic spot virus in Brazil, the first report of chrysanthemum stem blight and dieback (caused by Tomato spotted wilt virus) in China and the first…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (16 May 18)

strawb
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 plum pox virus (PPV) in Japan, the first report of white blister rust disease caused by Albugo occidentalis on spinach in Turkey and the first report…
Read Further

Shifting gears: expansion of e-plant clinics in Kenya

“No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid!”  Passionate words spoken in 2014 during an indelible Oscar moment. The utterance of these words, coupled with the winning of an Academy Award, announced Lupita Nyong’o’s entry into the global stage. Two years later in Lupita’s country of origin, Kenya, long-held dreams in the plant health…
Read Further

Two million red palm weevils removed without the use of pesticides

strawb
In the first half of 2013 two million red palm weevils were removed from farms in Abu Dhabi using pheromone traps. The large number of red palm weevils in the area prompted the launch of the initiative, which forms part of the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre’s (ADFSC) Integrated Pest Management project. The project was…
Read Further

Herbicide Resistance Gene In Black-Grass and Rye-Grass Identified

strawb
BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) and Syngenta funded scientists at the University of York and University of Durham have discovered a gene called AmGSTF1 that plays a key role in controlling multiple herbicide resistance in black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides) and annual rye-grass (Lolium rigidum). Now the gene that confers resistance has been identified, it…
Read Further

Black Rot Disease Hits Uganda

strawb
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…
Read Further

Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease Spreads To Uganda

strawb
Maize Lethal Necrosis disease, which was first reported in Kenya and Tanzania, has now spread to Uganda, raising concerns for food security in the country. The Ministry of Agriculture has warned that Maize Lethal Necrosis has been reported in districts in eastern Uganda, including Busia and Tororo. A spokesman for the Agriculture Research Organisation, Robert…
Read Further