Invasive myrtle rust impacts discussed at international forestry congress
The rust species, Puccinia psidii, affects several crop trees including guava and allspice.
Checking in on the MDGs: how have we scored so far?
Established in 2000 by the UN, the eight Millennium Development Goals provide a priority blueprint for ending poverty and meeting the needs of the world’s poorest- and they will hit their deadline in a little over a year’s time. The two questions which are on the minds of many policy leaders and international development institutions:…
Backstopping visit to Bangkok, Thailand
As the last part of our data management trip, Claire and I headed to Bangkok for the 11th and 12th of September. We joined a group of plant doctors and farmers at the plant clinic/rally in Nong Kung village, Suppaya district, Chainat province. We saw a demonstration on biocontrol, looked through pamphlets and information available to…
Backstopping visit to Hanoi, Vietnam
After our stay in Cambodia, Claire and I continued on our way to Hanoi, Vietnam on September 8th and 9th. From there we drove out to Hưng Yên province, visiting two plant clinics and an agro-dealer. We had the opportunity to speak with farmers and plant doctors about how clinics are going, and how useful they…
Data management training in Phnom Penh, Cambodia – looking back on a successful trip!
In the first week of September, 2014, Claire Beverley and I went to Cambodia for three days to run data management training and a cluster meeting, along with our colleague Jeremy Ngim from the CABI Malaysia office. The presentations were given in English and translated into Khmer, which was a neat experience for all. We got…
Factsheet of the month: October – Preventing weeds in cassava
This month sees the return of World Food Day which is celebrated annually on the 16th October, the day the Food and Agricultural Organisation was founded in 1945. This year’s theme, Family Farming, has been chosen to raise awareness of the role that family and smallholder farmers play in providing food security and achieving sustainable…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (01 Oct 14)
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 record of the leaf beetle Callosobruchus nigritus found in Soybean in India, two new rust species on Fabaceae in Brazil and preliminary data on the major pests of…
Alternative to fungicides for the control of Pecan scab
Pecan scab, caused by the fungus Fusicladium effusum, is a major yield-limiting disease of pecan (Carya illinoinensis). Planting varieties with some resistance to the disease is the most practical way to avoid losses from pecan scab, but the scab fungus can change over time to overcome host resistance. The use of chemical fungicides is another…
Update: Plant Health News (24 Sep 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new disease resistant maize released for farmers in Kenya, bitter-sweet effects of rain on the Ivorian cocoa crop and how cheap mobiles phones are driving Myanmar’s farming revolution. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Elaborando recomendaciones sobre plagas en Costa Rica
English summary follows Costa Rica es uno de los últimos países que se agregó en la metodología de Plantwise. Del 10 al 12 de setiembre 2014, se realizó en San José un taller para la elaboración de Guías de manejo de plagas que se llaman “Listas Verde y Amarilla”. Los participantes eran expertos en entomología,…