Crop monitoring from space
The USDA Agricultural Research Service, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is developing a computer model to map evapotranspiration data from Landsat satellites, which can be used to remotely assess crop health. The US Geological Survey Landsat satellites have been in orbit since 1972.…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (05 March 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 time the sapote fruit fly has been found on citrus in Brazil, Fusarium species causing cucumber rot in Iran, and a new species of nematode discovered in India.
Puddles of pests: why the weather really matters
Weather – an integral part of farming ©Paul Dickson While folklore has worked well for many farmers over the years, watching out for red skies or the wind changing direction isn’t always convenient, and a little more notice of hurricanes and tropical storms is usually appreciated. With recent stories of rain beating down on mangoes in…
Update: Plant Health News (29 Feb 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health, including dehydrated weevils, bananas saved from nematode attack, and how weeds and diseases work together to take down sweetcorn. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Leaf miner becomes vine connoisseur
Leaf miners have an eclectic palate between them, enjoying everything from sweet potatoes to coconuts and cashews. It appears that at some point they decided that something was missing – perhaps a fine wine to wash it all down? After intensive studying of diet, morphology and DNA barcoding, it has been revealed that a mystery moth…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (21 Feb 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, unnamed virus infecting tomatoes and Euphorbia species in Venezuela; first reports of watermelon viruses in Palestine and Serbia; and a phytoplasma that infects prickly pear being found in…
Update: Plant Health News (16 Feb 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest plant health news stories, including plants that resist pests by telling the time, the fly that’s endangering German fruit crops, and why less snow has led to more yellow-cedar trees freezing this year. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Need to control rodents on your crops? Use birds of prey!
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel is encouraging farmers to use barn owls (Tyto alba) to control rodent pests on their crops. They aim to attract barn owls by constructing nest boxes; so far 2,000 have been distributed to farmers. As barn owls only hunt at night, day-hunting kestrels are also being…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (09 Feb 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 phytoplasma infecting soybean in Costa Rica, a parasitic nematode causing damage to several plant species in Brazil, and the Mediterranean fruit fly spreading and widening its host preference…
Amino acid stops citrus industry going sour
Lime Swallowtail by Tarique Sani, SANIsoft, Bugwood.org The citrus industry is of significant economic importance to the US, so when any potential pest appears on the horizon there is cause for concern. When the lime swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) was found in the Caribbean in 2006, scientists realised that it may only be a matter of time before these strong fliers appear…