Plastic mulch pollution in crop soil may threaten food security

Cyperus rotundus emerging through plastic mulching
Plastic debris could harm crop health in long term Plastic mulching involves the use of thin plastic sheeting to conserve moisture and boost temperatures in soil. Commonly used in arid, cooler climates such as China, it has been shown to improve crop health and yield. With water conservation becoming an increasing global priority, plastic mulch…
Read Further

Test your plant health knowledge

Chinyunyu Plant Clinic in Rufunsa district, Zambia.
>> Latest quiz just added Plantwise plant doctors are at the heart of our plant clinic network providing advice and information to farmers, logging their data for the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, and always adapting to new outbreaks and technologies. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a plant doctor? Take our online plant health…
Read Further

Integrated pest management practices bring more than $12 billion to the developing world

This article was originally published by Virginia Tech Daily The implementation of integrated pest management strategies is improving livelihoods and bringing billions of dollars in economic benefits to developing nations. That’s according to findings of a review published recently by Virginia Tech researchers George Norton, Muni Muniappan, and Jeff Alwang and researcher Menale Kassie from…
Read Further

Asian Farmers Consult Vibrant E-Plant Clinic Network In Pandemic Times

This article was originally published on aesa – Agricultural Extension in South Asia E-Plant clinics are meeting places where local agricultural advisory officers, known as plant doctors, help farmers struggling with plant pests and diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, plant clinics continued to provide advisory services to farmers by going online. Malvika Chaudhary shares her…
Read Further

Test your plant health knowledge

Chinyunyu Plant Clinic in Rufunsa district, Zambia.
>> Latest quiz just added Plantwise plant doctors are at the heart of our plant clinic network providing advice and information to farmers, logging their data for the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, and always adapting to new outbreaks and technologies. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a plant doctor? Take our online plant health…
Read Further

These e-Plant Doctors Can Help Solve Farmers’ Crop Woes in Minutes. Here’s How.

Pest alerts
This article was originally published on ‘the better india’ When K Pathi noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm attack his corn plants, he didn’t rush to get pesticides. He did something entirely different. When 49-year-old K Pathi, a farmer in Maramadakki village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm (locally known as…
Read Further

An inter-country workshop and an experience-sharing session on a virtual platform

Community Business Facilitators (CBF) plant doctor Mr Gannesh Rokaya and Mrs Dipa Poudel of Surkhet giving farmers a technical consultation
Our experiences in Nepal during the global COVID-19 pandemic have been both positive and negative. On the positive side, this difficult time has made us realize the value of coming together and being connected as a community. But the pandemic has also put people’s lives and livelihoods at risk. In Nepal, COVID-19 is now spreading…
Read Further

Lockdown unlocking technology for India’s farmers

This article was originally published in indigenus, a blog from Nature India Rural communities grappling with livelihood issues and looking for support for farming activities are increasingly embracing technology for survival. Jayashree Balasubramanian, who heads communication at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai, talks of her experience with farmers attending virtual ‘plant clinics’.
Read Further

Test your plant health knowledge

Chinyunyu Plant Clinic in Rufunsa district, Zambia.
>> Latest quiz just added Plantwise plant doctors are at the heart of our plant clinic network providing advice and information to farmers, logging their data for the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, and always adapting to new outbreaks and technologies. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a plant doctor? Take our online plant health…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (08 June 2020)

We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include the first report of the fungal pathogen Alternaria alternata on Sambucus ebulus in Iran and the first report of the moth Dervishiya cadambae on grapevine Vitis vinifera.
Read Further