Update: New Pest & Disease Records (08 Jul 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 the first report of Rice stripe necrosis virus infecting rice in Benin, the occurrence of Tomato zonate spot virus on potato in China and the first report of Cassava common mosaic…
A Leap from an ‘Analogue’ to a Digital Platform: The Story of Kenyan Plant Doctors
A blog written by Willis Ochilo The stage is set and all the participants are sitting. Beneath the veneer of silence that pervades the workshop room are deep-seated fears. And it does not take long for the same to come out to the fore. The setting is in Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County. Here, the…
Update: Plant Health News (01 Jul 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a reduction in banana yield in the Philippines due to the effects of El Niño on rainfall, a pest causing severe damage to tomato production in Nigeria and the use of pheromones to control insect pests in the field. Click on the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (24 Jun 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 the first report of the tomato russet mite in northern Chile, Cytospora species associated with walnut canker disease in China, and globalisation, the founder effect, hybrid Phytophthora species and rapid…
Update: Plant Health News (17 Jun 15)
Contributed by Fiona Bunn Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the development of a new App in Kenya to help farmers select climate-smart seeds to maximise production, the use of drones to boost banana grower’s productivity in Columbia and new findings about how greening disease wreaks havoc in…
Increased carbon dioxide levels in air restrict plants’ ability to absorb nutrients
Contributed by Fiona Bunn A recent study from the University of Gothenburg has shown that plants that are grown in air with a higher percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) have reduced levels of nitrogen in their tissue, causing increased nitrogen deficiency and reduced growth. The study was conducted across four continents in large scale projects,…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (10 Jun 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 the first report of Panama wilt disease of banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense in Pakistan, the first report of dieback of olive trees caused by Neofusicoccum australe…
Update: Plant Health News (03 Jun 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the use of maize to protect Colombian coffee from the effects of climate change, floods affecting rice in Kabuye, Rwanda and the role of urban farms in the fight for food security in Kenya. Click on the link to read more of…
Wheat production in Pakistan – Producción de trigo en México
Pakistan According to Reuters (source provided by ProMED-mail), farmers from districts southeast of Islamabad in Punjab province have seen their crops affected by unusual weather this year. First affected by hailstorm and now by heavy rain and cold weather, wheat fields of the region have been damaged severely. Some farmers have lost up to 70 %…