The life and travels of Tuta absoluta, the tomato leaf miner
The pesky tomato pest, Tuta absoluta, has decided in recent years that it wants to see a little more of the world. This moth is native to Peru and is probably widespread in all countries in South America, but in the last 5 years the pest has also been found in the Mediterranean, spreading at…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (28 July 11)
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. Wild host plants of four spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae) infesting fruit crops in Okinawa. Ohno, S.; Miyagi, A.; Gotoh, T.; Ganaha-Kikumura, T.; Shiromoto, K.; Kijima,…
Do you like your coffee wilted?
According to CABI’s Peter Baker at the recent ISEAL Conference the International coffee community may be failing farmers in providing them with support in adapting to upcoming climate risks. Changes in the climate can have dire consequences for farmers within developing countries. They can change the distribution ranges of insect pests, causing pests to migrate into…
New global plant health resource to improve food security
From the devastating Coffee Wilt Disease to the infectious Wheat Stripe Rust: for the first time ever, distribution maps, diagnostic support and treatment advice for thousands of the world’s most damaging pests and diseases of plants and crops are being made available free of charge on the new Plantwise website, www.plantwise.org, launched today. The Plantwise…
Update: Plant Health News (22 Jul 11)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: British wasps protect lettuce and celery from pests Plant Science, 20 July 2011 Modelling the root of crop disease Plant Science, 18 July 2011 USDA Restricts the Importation of Commercial and Noncommercial Quantities of Rice from Countries Where Khapra Beetle Is Known to Occur USDA-APHIS Newsroom, 14…
Predicting the effects of global warming on insect pests
It has been estimated that presently pests cause 30-50% of yield losses to agricultural crops in developing countries and these rates are likely to increase with climate change. Although much attention has been given to the impacts of climate change on insect abundance and severity in temperate regions, little is known about potential impacts in…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (13 July 11)
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. A new disease in mango caused by Trichothecium roseum. ShiLan, H.; ZengLiang, L.; XiaoMei, L.; YiXian, X.; JinJiPankaj, P.; Sirohi, A.; Jain, R. K.; Singh, K. (2011) Journal…
State of severe food insecurity in Africa
On the 7 July the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) announced that an appeal to help more that 10 million people in east Africa, suffering from their worst drought in over half a century, would be broadcast on ITV, BBC, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Update: Plant Health News (6 Jul 11)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: Sensor developed to detect crop disease FWi – Arable News, 5 July 2011 Sweetpotato foundation seed tested in commercial operations; Virus-tested seeds proven to increase yields ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, 1 July 2011 Putting Ug99 on the Map: An Update on Current…