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…
Plantwise going strong in Democratic Republic of Congo
Plantwise has been active in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2006. It has been doing admirable work with the cocoa growers of ESCO Kivu and the “Universite Catholique du Graben” in North Kivu province in the last 5 years. However, since November 2013, the focus has been on getting the central government figures of…
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…
Plantwise in Suriname
Blog post by Shamela Rambadan and Abigail Rumsey In May last year, discussions began with the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV) to start up a Plantwise programme in Suriname. By December, 22 plant doctors had completed Module 1 of the Plantwise ‘How to Become a Plant Doctor’ training course. In January 2014,…
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…
Plantwise in Mozambique launching today
The official launch event today kicks off Plantwise operations in Mozambique. Read full press release here (English/Portuguese) and stay tuned for highlights.
A day at the plant clinic in Pucara, Peru
Did you guess Peru in our ‘Guess the clinic‘ challenge? Well you were correct. On the morning of April 22nd , plant doctor and clinic coordinator Flavia Felix Huanca (pictured here) held a plant clinic for local farmers. They brought in samples of their crops which various problems, asking for her advice to diagnose…
Roundtable brings high-tech farming ideas to India’s risk-prone ecologies
David J. Spielman joined the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in 2004, and is currently a senior research fellow based in Washington, DC. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agricultural science, technology and innovation policy; seed systems and input markets; and community-driven rural development. His work maintains a regional emphasis on…
Craving chocolate – how to supply increasing demands in cocoa crops
A recent article in Canada’s The Globe and Mail, discussed some of the upcoming issues associated with out-dated cultivation methods for cocoa crops. Demand for cocoa, and the end product chocolate, is increasing in Asian countries as salaries increase and demands shift. While it has been suggested that this might contribute to a world cocoa…