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…
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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…
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PRISE is seeking partners in dissemination and crowdsourcing

The Pest Risk Information Service (PRISE) has published request for proposals (RFP) for partners in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. PRISE (prise.org) helps to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by reducing crop losses caused by pests across four-sub Saharan African countries.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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PRISE pest alerts mean farmers and advisors have more time to prepare for pest infestations

This article was originally published on prise.org An estimated 40% of the world’s crops are lost to pests impacting on smallholder farmers’ ability to feed their families, on international trade and food supply chains and hampering the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2. Pest outbreaks are devastating, respect no political boundaries and are…
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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’.
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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…
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Teaching an app to help farmers

farmer in India holding mobile phone
CABI and the start-up Plantix work together to improve the Plantix farmer app. As a result, the app is now able to detect several diseases for the first time. Worldwide, farmers face huge problems when pests and diseases threaten their crops. The stakes are high and the task to identify precisely the cause of the…
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