World Planting Day – 21 of March 2015
According to the astronomical definition, the first day of spring in 2015 is on March 20. When spring starts, nature also awakes! Not surprisingly, many favoured vegetables in Europe are sown in spring. That is why on March 21 we celebrate the World Planting Day. Urban gardening brings planting back to the cities Recently, the…
Electronic noses and other pest detection tech at CPM10
Contributed by Roger Day, CABI Some of the latest gadgets and gizmos for detecting plant pests were demonstrated and discussed at the 10th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures on Thursday. Inspecting for pests, whether in the field or in consignments, can be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. So anything…
Beware! Pests on the high seas
Contributed by Roger Day, CABI If you put all the shipping containers in the world end to end, the line would go round the world 5 times. So a problem with a very small proportion of them is still a pretty big problem. One such problem is that when a container is being packed with…
Back to the future at CPM10
Contributed by Roger Day, CABI CPM10 has heard how the Strategic Planning Group (SPG) indulged in a little well-considered phytosanitary “future-casting” at its 2014 meeting. Challenged by the secretariat to think about what the IPPC might look like 20 years from now, members came up with over 60 points for reflection, grouped into 7 areas:…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (18 Mar 15)
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 new gall midges from Papua New Guinea, the first report of white rust of rocket caused by Albugo candida in South Africa and the first report of Botrytis pseudocinerea causing…
Old friends and new faces at CPM10
Blog post by Roger Day, Deputy Regional Director (Development), CABI Africa. As delegates gathered for the opening of the 10th session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) at FAO in Rome, it was clear from the greetings and smiles, not to mention hugs and kisses, that many of them know each other well already. That’s probably…
Tuta absoluta on the rampage in Africa
Plantwise plant doctors have been helping farmers in Kenya to identify and manage the devastating invasive tomato pest, Tuta absoluta.
Plant clinics help improve yields in Machakos, Kenya
“Approximately 300 farmer-self help groups from Machakos County and its environs under the Katoloni community-based organization have registered improved crop yields in the last one year due to high levels of sensitization on crop pest and diseases at plant clinics in the region,” writes Maugo Owiti of HiviSasa.com. In the article, Pius Ndaka, a farmer…
Update: Plant Health News (11 Mar 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the revitalization of the banana industry in Jamaica, an assessment of the impact of climate change on agriculture and record wheat output likely in India, despite crop damage. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!