Update: New Pest & Disease Records (03 Oct 12)
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 Tomato mosaic virus in eggplant in Iran, Brazilian ground pearl damaging blackberry, raspberry and blueberry in Brazil, and the first report of Ascochyta rabiei causing ascochyta blight of chickpea…
Sweet Like Chocolate: Breeding Programs Combating Fungal Diseases of Cocoa in Ecuador
Cocoa, Theobroma cacao L. is the third most important export product in Ecuador; a country which produces 70% of the world’s highly prized Arriba cocoa. However, the sustainability of this crop is threatened by a number of devastating pest species including fungal diseases and insect pests. Among the most severe are the closely related fungal diseases…
Plantwise plant clinics – Pest diagnosis for a farmer in Barbados
A farmer, Pedro Welch, attended the Plantwise plant clinic at this year’s Agrofest 2012, the annual agricultural show in Barbados. He described the problems he was having on his lime tree, and the plant doctor diagnosed the problem straight away, giving advice on how to manage the pest. Watch the video below to see a…
Update: Plant Health News (26 Sept 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including droughts affecting Citrus in Bolivia, discovery of a phosphorous-boosting gene in rice and improved tea cultivars in Malawi. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Nuclear technology used to develop high altitude barley in Peru
A new video from the International Atomic Energy Agency shows how radiation can be used to make mutations in crop plant DNA. This process applied to a large number of seeds creates a selection of mutants that can be tested to see how well they perform as crops. Research in Peru has led to the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (19 Sept 12)
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 yellow mottle virus on rice in Burundi, a new host record of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) on strawberries in India and a new strain of tomato…
Call for help from plants before imminent pest attacks
The deposition of eggs by insect pests has been shown to trigger the release of chemical signals from plants, attracting species to assist the plant in resisting attack. This is a valuable tool in the plant’s defences as it is initiated at the first sign of the pest, even before feeding has begun. The research…
Plant doctor in Tanzania uses the Plantwise Knowledge Bank to diagnose crop diseases
Mr Kimomwe H. Kimomwe, a plant doctor at the Lukozi plant clinic in Lushoto district, Tanzania explains in this video how he used the Plantwise Knowledge Bank to find out what problem a farmer had on his crop of cabbages. He showed the farmer the results from the diagnostic tool, and the farmer was able…
Update: Plant Health News (12 Sept 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including banana wilt affecting crops in Uganda, red spider mites infesting Colombian coffee plantations, and new varieties of rice resistant to Rice yellow mottle virus. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
It’s a Dog’s Life- The Rescue Dogs Being Trained To Detect The Emerald Ash Borer
While most dogs spend their days running around and playing with toys, 5 dogs from a Montana based organisation Working Dogs for Conservation are hard at work aiding scientific research and conservation by combatting the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle Agrilus planipennis, one of the most destructive non-native insect pests in the USA. The Emerald Ash…