Plantwise Blog

Potato harvest, Potatoes in India prone to foliar necrosis © Johan Bichel Lindegaard

We’ve selected a few of the latest stories about plant health. Records this week include the identification of plants’ natural defense mechanisms against pests, the first report of tomato yellow spot virus in Brazil and recordings of foliar necrosis of potato in India. 

Click on the links to read more of the latest plant health news!

• Modifying rice crops to resist herbicide prompts weedy neighbors’ growth spurt
  Eureka! Science news, 23^rd September 2013
• Neonics ban ‘makes little sense’, say farmers
  Farmers Weekly, 19^th September 2013
• Yellow peril: Are banana farms contaminating Costa Rica”s crocs?
  Phys.org, 19^th September 2013
• Scientists Uncover Plants’ Defense Mechanism Against Pests
  International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), 18^th September
• Report of foliar necrosis of potato caused by Cochliobolus lunatus in India.
  Louis, B. Pranab, R. Waikhom, S. D. Talukdar, N. C. (2013). African Journal of Biotechnology. 12: 833-835
• First report of Tomato yellow spot virus infecting Leonurus sibiricus in Brazil.
  Barbosea, J. C. Eckstein, B. Bergamin Filho, A. Rezende, J. A. M. Dallagnol, L. J. (2013). Plant Disease. 97: 289
• Soybean chlorotic spot virus, a novel begomovirus infecting soybean in Brazil.
  Coco, D. Calil, I . P. Brustolini, O. J. Santos, A. A. Inoue-Nagata, A. K. Fontes, E. P. (2013). Arch Virol. 158: 457-462
• Scientists to Identify Genes that can Combat RKN Parasite in Soybean
  International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), 18^th September
• Incidence and natural hosts of Tomato leaf curl Palampur virus in Iran.
  Heyarnejad, J. Hesari, M. Massumi, H. Varsani, A. (2013) Australasian Plant Pathology. 42: 195-203
• Three newly recorded invasive plants of Hunan Province.
  XianFeng, Z. Guizhou. (2013). Agricultural Sciences. 90: 86-87

See more plant health news on the Plantwise Knowledge Bank.

If there’s another news story you’d like to highlight, please post a comment below.