PlantwisePlus Blog

As we move into the New Year and all that 2013 has to offer it seems like a good time to review some of the achievements of 2012 . Here are a few of the Plantwise highlights of 2012!

   Plantwise Receives New Funding 

In 2012 we received substantial funding from a number of organisations including Irish Aid, who have contributed towards CABI led initiatives including Plantwise and CABI’s Good Seed Initiative.

   Plantwise Knowledge Bank Fully Launched

The Plantwise Knowledge Bank was fully launched in July 2012, covering at least 2,500 pests and diseases for over 100 crops. The Plantwise Knowledge Bank currently holds over 1,600 factsheets, a number which will continue to increase in 2013.  To read more about the features of the Knowledge Bank and to view a demonstration video of the Knowledge Bank tools, visit here.

   Plantwise Knowledge Bank is Highly Commended in the ALPSP Awards

The Plantwise Knowledge Bank was highly commended in the Publishing Innovation category at the 2012 Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) awards. You can read more about the winners of the ALPSP 2012 awards here.

   CABI Facebook Page is Launched

The CABI Facebook page launched on the 9th October 2012! Since the launch of the page it has received over 1,838 visits and in excess of  237 likes by visitors. A selection of Plantwise blog posts are posted on the CABI facebook page each month.

   Over 300 Plant Clinics Now Set Up In 24 Countries

The Plantwise programme is now established in 24 countries with over 300 plant clinics running regularly.

To read more about plant clinics in Kenya you can visit this blog: ‘Plantwise Plant Clinic at the Nairobi International Trade Fair’ by Kimani Chege and Abigail Rumsey. You can also visit this blog to watch a video of a plant doctor in Tanzania using the Plantwise Knowledge Bank to diagnose crop diseases, and read more about the training of plant doctors in Kenya in the blog post: ‘Kenyan Plant Doctors Respond to New Management’.

 To watch a video of a farmer at a Plantwise plant clinic in Barbados and read more about Plantwise starting up clinics in Barbados visit these blogs- ‘Plantwise Launched in Barbados’ and ‘Plantwise Plant Clinics- Pest Diagnosis for a Farmer in Barbados’. You can also read more about Plantwise starting up plant clinics in China, Afghanistan and Grenada in these blog posts- ‘Plantwise Plant Clinics Start Up In China’; ‘New Plant Doctors Trained in Afghanistan’ and ‘MoU Signed In Grenada’.

To read about plant doctor training led by CABI’s Phil Taylor that took place in Uganda last year visit these blogs ‘Plantwise Launched in Uganda’ and ‘More Plant Doctors for Uganda’

   Plantwise Blog Goes From Strength To Strength!

There have been 260 posts since the Plantwise Blog was launched in 2010, which is 160 posts more than this time last year. The Top 5 Plantwise countries visiting the Plantwise Blog in 2012 were India, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Kenya and Sri Lanka. In December 2012 we also had the first visitors to the Plantwise Blog from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The numbers of visitors to the blog from Trinidad and Tobago increased by 9 times after a blog post on Plantwise Clinics in Trinidad & Tobago which was written in collaboration with the country coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago, Shamela Rambadan.

Here are some of the most read blog posts from 2012:

Farmers and Plant Health Officers at a Plant Clinic in El Reposo. Image courtesy of Shamela Rambadan.

 Agricultural Super Ducks by Steven Forrest

 From Discovery to Eradication: The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle on Guam by Abigail Rumsey

 Arctic Fungus Spreads to UK by Steven Forrest

 Banana Genome Revealed to Aid Crop Yield Improvement by Claire Curry

 Epigenetics- A New Dimension to Understanding Plant Disease by Sara Thomas

 New research on Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease in Kenya by Charlotte Elston

 Discovery of Genes for Resistance to Black Sigatoka in Bananas by Claire Curry

 Research Teams and Scientists Working to Stem Ash Dieback Fungus by Charlotte Elston

 Slicing Into the Bread Wheat Genome by Charlotte Elston

You can keep up to date with all Plantwise news in 2013 by visiting the website.

Happy New Year!