Update: Plant Health News (06 Nov 13)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a bumper harvest for Bangladesh from stress tolerant rice varieties, news that plant production could decline as climate change affects soil nutrients, and Autralia’s Minister for the Environment launches a new sustainability app for farmers. Click on the link to read more of the…
The Bird, the Borer and the Bean
A recent study carried out in Costa Rica found that insectivorous birds such as the Yellow Warbler help to reduce infestations of the Coffee Berry Borer Beetle on coffee plantations by 50%. This free pest control service is estimated to save a medium sized coffee farm up to $9,400 per year. The study carried out by…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (30 Oct 13)
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 Zucchini yellow mosaic virus infecting Gherkin (Cucumis anguira) in India, the invasive neotropical ambrosia beetle Platypus parallelus in the Oriental region and its pest status, and non-host…
Could Spider Venom Be Used As A Novel Insecticide For Major Crop Pests?
A new protein discovered in the venom of Australian tarantulas can also kill insect pests that consume the venom orally. The protein known as orally active insecticidal peptide-1 (OAIP-1) was found to be highly toxic to insects that consumed it, with a similar efficacy to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid. In particular, the protein was found…
Update: Plant Health News (23 Oct 13)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the role of botanic gardens in food security, how grazers and pollinators shape plant evolution and a new soil testing kit designed for smallholder farmers. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (16 Oct 13)
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 observations on the mutualism between armoured scale insects and ants, information about the Colletotrichum orbiculare species complex and the biosecurity implications of new technology and discovery in plant virus research.
Update: Plant Health News (09 Oct 13)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new rice variety to cushion farmers against crop loss through blast, a checklist of scale insect pests in Iran and Asian citrus growers looking to diversity their crop with bananas. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health…
Photo of the Month, October 2013 – Idyllic location for training in Malawi
Plantwise was launched in Malawi in May 2013 after vigorous training of plant doctors in crop pest identification and how to give recommendations based on the identified pest problem. In the 14 plant clinics widespread in Lilongwe and Mzimba, there was need to understand the role that the plant clinic data will play in the…
Leave Them Bee- The Honeybees That Fearfully Avoid Hornets
In bees, fear is shown through avoiding dangerous food sites, thereby reducing the pollination of plants at the site. Scientists in this study looked at hornets (Vespa velutina and Vespa tropica) preying on the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana) in China. The hornets hunt bees on flowers and are themselves attacked by bees in defense. The…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (02 Oct 13)
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 a pith necrosis caused by Xanthomonas perforans on tomato plants, the first report of dieback of mango caused by Fusarium decemcellulare in China and a distinct strain of Cowpea mild mottle virus…