Update: Plant Health News (18 Jun 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including chemical-free citrus post-harvest becoming the new standard, how weeds could help feed billions in a warming world and the rehabilitation of banana fields devastated by Xanthomonas wilt in DRC. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (11 Jun 14)
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 Phytophthora cinnamomi in the rhizosphere of agricultural crops in southern Bahia (Brazil), the first report of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 associated with Panama disease of banana outside…
Update: Plant Health News (04 Jun 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the discovery of a microbe that could help control rice blast, concern over the effects of erratic rainfall on crops in Somalia and the discovery of a gene encoding resistance to stem and fruit rot of pepper. Click on the link to read more…
Factsheet of the month: June – Wild Oat Weed in Wheat
Wheat is one of the most important crops grown around the world. Its high protein content compared to other cereals means it is a key component in the diets of many. It is also easy to cultivate, versatile and contains a range of vitamins and minerals. Although pest resistant varieties of wheat have been developed,…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (28 May 14)
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 identification of Dickeya zeae as a causal agent of bacterial soft rot in banana in China, the natural occurrence of entomophthoroid fungi of aphid pests on alfalfa in Argentina and the…
Update: Plant Health News (21 May 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the discovery of how pests develop resistance to biotech cotton, the intensification of the battle against coffee rust, and a biodiversity assessment of over 10,000 Ghanaian cocoa farms. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Managing plant pathogens by enhancing ecosystem services
From the 8th-12th April experts met in Bellagio, Italy to develop a strategy to mitigate the effects emerging plant diseases are having on crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Among these experts were Plantwise staff. A major theme throughout the conference was ecosystem services and how agricultural biodiversity can enhance the provision of these services, creating resilient agro-ecosystems. Click on the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (14 May 14)
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 dagger nematode in citrus orchards in Morocco, the first report of Neofusicoccum mangiferae causing rachis necrosis and inflorescence blight of mango in Puerto Rico and new…
Invest in prevention: save money, save lives, save livelihoods [Video]
This video from the Food Chain Crisis Management Framework of FAO shows how investing in prevention of pests and diseases before they are present in a region can save money and livelihoods in the long term.
Update: Plant Health News (07 May 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new device that can identify plant pests, the estimated economic loss from Mexican mangoes damaged by Hurricane Manuel and a new study into the optimal production of sweet potato. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!