Backstopping visit to Hanoi, Vietnam

strawb
After our stay in Cambodia, Claire and I continued on our way to Hanoi, Vietnam on September 8th and 9th. From there we drove out to Hưng Yên province, visiting two plant clinics and an agro-dealer. We had the opportunity to speak with farmers and plant doctors about how clinics are going, and how useful they…
Read Further

Data management training in Phnom Penh, Cambodia – looking back on a successful trip!

strawb
In the first week of September, 2014, Claire Beverley and I went to Cambodia for three days to run data management training and a cluster meeting, along with our colleague Jeremy Ngim from the CABI Malaysia office. The presentations were given in English and translated into Khmer, which was a neat experience for all. We got…
Read Further

Factsheet of the month: October – Preventing weeds in cassava

strawb
This month sees the return of World Food Day which is celebrated annually on the 16th October, the day the Food and Agricultural Organisation was founded in 1945. This year’s theme, Family Farming, has been chosen to raise awareness of the role that family and smallholder farmers play in providing food security and achieving sustainable…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (01 Oct 14)

strawb
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 record of the leaf beetle Callosobruchus nigritus found in Soybean in India, two new rust species on Fabaceae in Brazil and preliminary data on the major pests of…
Read Further

Alternative to fungicides for the control of Pecan scab

strawb
Pecan scab, caused by the fungus Fusicladium effusum, is a major yield-limiting disease of pecan (Carya illinoinensis). Planting varieties with some resistance to the disease is the most practical way to avoid losses from pecan scab, but the scab fungus can change over time to overcome host resistance. The use of chemical fungicides is another…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (24 Sep 14)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new disease resistant maize released for farmers in Kenya, bitter-sweet effects of rain on the Ivorian cocoa crop and how cheap mobiles phones are driving Myanmar’s farming revolution. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Elaborando recomendaciones sobre plagas en Costa Rica

strawb
English summary follows Costa Rica es uno de los últimos países que se agregó en la metodología de Plantwise. Del 10 al 12 de setiembre 2014, se realizó en San José un taller para la elaboración de Guías de manejo de plagas que se llaman “Listas Verde y Amarilla”. Los participantes eran expertos en entomología,…
Read Further

Cosechar mucho, con poco espacio!

strawb
Aunque tiene pequeño espacio en casa o vive en la ciudad, esta huerta de un metro cuadrado puede ayudar a cosechar de todo!  Este sistema incluye plantas verticales (tomate, pepino, frijol), plantas grandes (brócoli, repollo, berenjena, chile dulce), y plantas pequeñas (rábano, lechuga, hierba). Cada rectángulo menor tiene una planta diferente, colocando las más pequeñas…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (17 Sep 14)

strawb
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 Fusarium wilt in blueberry caused by Fusarium oxysporum in China, a new species of Beamerana from southeastern Brazil and new records of plant parasitic nematodes from rhizosphere…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (10 Sep 14)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including some homegrown news of Plantwise data used to study the global spread of crop pests, cassava brown streak disease wreaking havoc in Rwanda, and fireblight hitting Canadian apple orchards hard. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health…
Read Further