PlantwisePlus Blog

As the new year begins, it’s time to take a look back at the highlights for the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank in 2024

2024 in numbers

In 2024 there were over 1.8 million visits to the PlantwisePlus Knowledge bank. That is a 3 fold increase in visits from 2023.

People from 230 different countries used our content to find out more about plant health. India was the top country using the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank, followed by the United States, Philippines, China and the United Kingdom.

Half of our users accessed the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank on a mobile device. Did you know that you can also access PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank factsheets offline on your mobile device through the PlantwisePlus Factsheet app? The app is available on iOS and Android

Top 5 factsheets in the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank

1. Chilli pepper extract for the management of insect pests

A compound called capsaicin that naturally occurs in chilli peppers repels insects pests. It can be a safer alternative to some more hazardous pesticides. This factsheet gives background on how it works, and guidance on how to apply chilli pepper extract to protect your crops

2. Pest and Disease Photoguide to Papaya disorders.

This photoguide uses photos and descriptions to aid in diagnosing common pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies in papaya

3. El caldo sulfocalcico para el control de plagas

This Spanish language factsheet explains how to prepare and use sulfocalcic broth. This combination of sulfur, lime and water can be used to treat mildew, botrytis, mites and thrips. As an alternative to synthetic pesticides, it is suitable for use in organic agriculture.

4. Mango Mealybug

This factsheet provides background information on mango mealybug (Drosicha mangiferae). These sucking insects are a major pest of mango. It also includes management advice specifically for Pakistan. The advice may be useful for people in other countries, but make sure to check any recommended chemicals are registered for use on mealybugs on mango in your country.

5. Antracnosis de la papaya

This Spanish language factsheet gives some general information about anthracnose in papaya. Anthracnose is a fungal disease that can prevent flowers from forming fruit, or cause fruit on the plant to rot. It also contains management advice tailored for Bolivia. The advice may be useful for people in other countries, but make sure to check any recommended chemicals are registered for treating anthracnose on papaya in your country.

New developments in 2024

• We published 81 new Pest Management Decision Guides (PMDGs) and Factsheets for Farmers (FFFs), including a PMDG on South East Asian thrips on chilli for India in English, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu.
• We updated 183 Pest Management Decision Guides and Factsheets for Farmers, such as a factsheet on Crop rotation to control stalk borer in maize for Zambia, so that we can continue to provide safe, up to date information to our global audience.
• We added 44 factsheets of other types, such as video factsheets or manuals, including a photo guide detailing the Protocol for production of the farmers biopesticide (baculovirus)
• Our free pest alert service was migrated to the CABI Digital Library, enabling users to create more bespoke literature alerts and to manage their subscriptions.

Read more

PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank joins the CABI Digital Library

Try the PlantwisePlus Factsheet Library app to get crop protection information offline

PlantwisePlus gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), Netherlands; European Commission Directorate General for International Partnerships (INTPA, EU); the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).