The Model Plant
Charis Cook works for GARNet, a BBSRC-sponsored network that supports plant scientists in the UK by, among other things, linking researchers to each other and to the research councils, and providing an information hub for plant scientists. GARNet also has its own blog. Before working for GARNet, Charis was at Royal Holloway, University of London,…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (17 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 a new record of the whitefly Acaudaleyrodes rachipora attacking clusterbean in India, detection of algal leaf spot in citrus in Paraná state and a novel mastrevirus infecting wheat in India.
Update: Plant Health News (10 Oct 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including snow and frost affecting Brazil’s apple crop, Bangladesh decoding the genome of a crop-killing fungus and ways to keep barley yellow dwarf virus under control. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Discovery of genes for resistance to black Sigatoka in bananas
Researchers at Equador’s Biotechnology Research Centre (CIBE) have isolated the genes that are responsible for conferring resistance to black Sigatoka in the naturally resistant banana variety Musa Calcutta-4. Scientists have now been able to develop a protocol for the genetic transformation of banana cultivars Williams and Orito as well as the plantain cultivars Barraganete and…
Cassava virus resistance breakthrough for Africa
One of the worst diseases of the tuber crop, cassava, in sub-Saharan Africa is Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). Since its resurgence in East Africa in recent years, it is now spreading to Central and Western Africa. The other major disease of cassava in this region, Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), can also cause widespread damage…
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…