Update: Plant Health News (13 Mar 13)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the development of diagnostics for Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD),  a coffee pest spreading to other crops in East Africa and farmers testing wheat crops for climate change adaptation. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Plant clinics in Uganda: First regional plant clinic awareness workshop held in Kabarole

strawb
This article is adapted from a post on the Rwenzori Information Centres Network blog. In a bid to create awareness about plant clinics in Uganda, Plantwise organized a one day sensitization workshop at Lesuiex Centre in Kabarole District about improving food security and the lives of smallholder farmers in Uganda. It was also aimed at…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (06 Mar 13)

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 Banana bunchy top virus of Musa spp. in Nigeria, the first record of the leafhopper genus Igerna in China and a new Pythium species that causes severe damping…
Read Further

How Mobile Technology is Transforming Livestock Farming In Kenya

strawb
Farmers and vets across Africa are increasingly using mobile phones to issue alerts about potential pest and disease outbreaks. The recent introduction of mobile phones that use the open source Android operating system or the iPhone iOS operating system and include GPS and Google Maps have provided new opportunities for developing mobile phone applications, allowing communication…
Read Further

Plantwise Photo Of The Month- March

strawb
Read Further

Improving Food Security Using Agroforestry Schemes

strawb
Agroforestry is an integrated system of trees and shrubs and/or crops and livestock within a managed agriculture area and has potential in improving food security in developing countries by fully utilising land, improving crop yields, diversifying farmer income and improving environmental sustainability. Last month the United National Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) published an “Advancing Agroforestry…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (27 Feb 13)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including an advance in biological control, tips to drain soil, making the land usable and a study to develop strategies against Bollworm resistance to Bt Cotton in China. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Monitoring and Management of Desert Locusts in Africa

strawb
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has this month warned that Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) swarms are invading cropping areas of northern Sudan. The swarms originated from winter breeding areas on the Red Sea coastal plains and subcoastal areas in northeast Sudan and southeast Egypt. The situation requires close monitoring as more swarms are…
Read Further

How The Gates Foundation and Carlos Slim are Supporting Innovation and Crop Improvement For Farmers

strawb
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Fundación Carlos Slim have announced a partnership in support of efforts by the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CIMMYT) in Mexico to develop and disseminate higher-yielding, more resilient wheat and maize varieties.
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (20 Feb 13)

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 Ralstonia solanacearum causing tomato bacterial wilt in Mexico, occurrences of a new fruit rot of peach caused by Hyphodermella rosae in northern Iran and the first…
Read Further