Update: New Pest & Disease Records (05 Sept 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 record of the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta in Sudan, a post harvest disease caused by Pestalotiopsis mangiferae affecting the mango species Mangifera indica in Saudi Arabia and sap beetles found…
How to improve rice yield using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
This video shows how farmers in East and Southern Africa have been benefiting from increased rice yield after implementing SRI management practices. By following some simple principles in how to transplant the rice seedlings, maintain soil health, carefully irrigate, and manage weeds and nutrients, farmers can now produce a lot more rice than they used…
Update: Plant Health News (29 Aug 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including lack of rain leading to crop losses in India and Guatemala, discovery of how cyst nematodes attack plants, and increased effort to stop the spread of maize lethal necrosis in Kenya. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant…
Epigenetics – a new dimension to understanding plant disease
The history of diseases that have affected a plant can determine the ability of its progeny to cope with similar diseases. Studies have revealed that, in many cases, progeny of a plant that was diseased develops tolerance to similar stresses in just a few generations, far too quick to be explained by chance mutations. It…
Sweet potato improving Vitamin A status in Uganda
A variety of sweet potato has been shown to decrease childhood blindness, when eaten regularly. The variety, called Orange Sweet Potato (OSP), provides higher levels of β- Carotene (the precursor the body uses to produce Vitamin A) than its white and yellow counterparts.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (22 Aug 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 novel maize-infecting mastrevirus from the French island Réunion, a new report of leaf blight on eucalyptus caused by Pestalotiopsis virgatula in Thailand and the first occurrence of Drosophila suzukii in…
MaryLucy’s diary – training plant doctors in Kenya
Yesterday, Mrs Rael Taiy, the District Agricultural Officer for Trans Nzoia East, told us that her and the extension team are very happy about the plant clinics as the initiative greatly complements their extension work. Farmers present their ‘sick’ plants and they are given solutions immediately by the plant doctors. This reduces pest incidence and…
Update: Plant Health News (15 Aug 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including banana and cassava diseases becoming more prevalent in parts of DR Congo, pomegranate growers in India getting help with managing bacterial blight, and flooding in Costa Rica affecting crops. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Update from Kenyan plant doctors
MaryLucy from the Plantwise Knowledge Bank team, who is based in Kenya, has been visiting plant doctors in the Rift Valley to train them in data management. She has already had some very enthusiastic responses from plant doctors and agricultural officers who welcome the use of plant clinics in conjunction with the Knowledge Bank to…
Kenyan plant doctors respond to new data management
This week MaryLucy, a member of the Knowledge Bank team based in Nairobi, has been travelling across Kenya to meet some of our plant doctors and offer them data management training to help improve the support available to farmers. This training involves highlighting the importance of accurate data collection from farmers who attend Plantwise plant…