Working together for Plantwise in South and West Asia
Representatives for agricultural development from South and West Asia came together for a two-day conference in Bhurban, Pakistan in April to discuss country plans for Plantwise activities. Decision-makers from countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and UK, met to share ideas and knowledge of their plant health systems.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (27 May 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 rosemary leaf spot caused by Nigrospora oryzae in Iran, one new species and six new records of Thripinae from bamboo in Malaysia and a new record of Mycodiplosis…
Mango production in Bangladesh
According to the Daily Star, mango production in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts in Bangladesh might be hampered by unfavourable weather this year. The farmers are worried as large numbers of fruits, up to 70%, fell from the trees before ripening. Following the attack by leaf hoppers earlier in March, mango trees in that area are…
Update: Plant Health News (20 May 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a model for sustainable onion production in India, a new training guide produced by FAO and ILO to protect children form the harmful effects of pesticides and a Chinese agricultural technology company providing support to improve food production in Tanzania. Click on the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (15 May 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 Lonchaeidae associated with the genus Annona in Mexico, the first report of choanephora rot of okra in Korea and a review of Chinese species of the leafhopper genus Scaphoidella with description…
Update: Plant Health News (06 May 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the encouragement of citizen cooperation in the fight against fruit flies in Chile, exciting new projects to improve agriculture in Ecuador and an update from IITA on the spread of papaya mealybug in Tanzania. Click on the link to read more of…
Which is the most important plant-pathogenic oomycete?
In its latest issue, Molecular Plant Pathology has published a list of the top 10 oomycete pathogens based on scientific and economic importance, as voted for by 62 scientists. This is the latest of the journal’s “Top 10” articles which have previously covered plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses. Oomycetes, also known as water molds, are…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (29 Apr 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 records of insect pests associated with cashew in Guinea-Bissau, the first report of Meloidogyne incognita from Radermachera sinica in China  and the first report of Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae…
Update: Plant Health News (22 Apr 15)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the celebration of ecologically farmed food in Kenya, the new fertilization method that has resulted in a 20% rise in ginger yields and greenhouse technology introduced providing a way to grow off-season crops in Pakistan. Click on the link to read more of the latest…
Citrus canker – a threat to orange production in Pakistan
Last week, key players in Pakistan’s orange production came together for the first Orange Exporters Awards, organised by the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Association and the Department of Plant Protection. During this meeting, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, announced that orange farms in the Sargodha region of…