Update: Plant Health News (26 Sept 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including droughts affecting Citrus in Bolivia, discovery of a phosphorous-boosting gene in rice and improved tea cultivars in Malawi. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Nuclear technology used to develop high altitude barley in Peru
A new video from the International Atomic Energy Agency shows how radiation can be used to make mutations in crop plant DNA. This process applied to a large number of seeds creates a selection of mutants that can be tested to see how well they perform as crops. Research in Peru has led to the…
Crop wild relatives help adapt agriculture to climate change
The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership has begun work to collect seed from the wild relatives of 26 crop plants as their genetic diversity may enable us to adapt agriculture to future climates. Guest blogger Dr Ruth Eastwood is Crop Wild Relatives Project co-ordinator, based at RBG Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place, UK.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (19 Sept 12)
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 Rice yellow mottle virus on rice in Burundi, a new host record of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) on strawberries in India and a new strain of tomato…
Call for help from plants before imminent pest attacks
The deposition of eggs by insect pests has been shown to trigger the release of chemical signals from plants, attracting species to assist the plant in resisting attack. This is a valuable tool in the plant’s defences as it is initiated at the first sign of the pest, even before feeding has begun. The research…
Plant doctor in Tanzania uses the Plantwise Knowledge Bank to diagnose crop diseases
Mr Kimomwe H. Kimomwe, a plant doctor at the Lukozi plant clinic in Lushoto district, Tanzania explains in this video how he used the Plantwise Knowledge Bank to find out what problem a farmer had on his crop of cabbages. He showed the farmer the results from the diagnostic tool, and the farmer was able…
Update: Plant Health News (12 Sept 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including banana wilt affecting crops in Uganda, red spider mites infesting Colombian coffee plantations, and new varieties of rice resistant to Rice yellow mottle virus. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Improved Pest Control From Macho Hormone Treated Male Fruit Flies
The Mexican Fruit Fly Anastrepha ludens is the most important native fruit fly pest of citrus in America and also infests other economically important crops such as peaches, peppers and mangoes. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mexico has developed a Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) method which involves exposing huge quantities of male fruit flies to…
Artificial Intelligence employed to protect crops against the oriental fruit fly.
A new system has been developed in Taiwan which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the monitoring of the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis). The system uses infrared beams to detect the number of flies present in the area, in order to predict impending outbreaks. It is hoped that this system will reduce the need for…
New Research on Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease in Kenya
Update [March 2013]: More information about the pests and viruses associated with Maize Lethal Necrosis disease can be found on the Plantwise Knowledge Bank. The production of maize, Kenya’s staple food crop, is severely under threat from a fast spreading maize disease known as Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease. The disease is the result of…