Plantwise Knowledge Bank fully launched
The Plantwise Knowledge Bank has now gone live! This central portal for collated global information on crop pests and diseases brings together international science and local material. It is targeted at providing knowledge to all users involved in plant health systems – from farmers on the ground, to researchers and academics, to governments and policy…
Update: Plant Health News (18 July 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including new varieties of sorghum resistant to Striga, a new fungus attacking citrus in China, and a greater insight into how cyst nematodes attack soybeans. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (12 July 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 three new nematode species found in the rhizosphere of potatoes in China, the first record of the mushroom brown blotch Pseudomonas tolaasii in Serbia, and two species of ambrosia beetle found for…
Climate change to affect agriculture
With the Rio +20 conference occurring just last month, the world leaders have been encouraged to take notice of the global poverty and environmental concerns. Climate change was a key issue and with the population set to reach 9 billion by 2050, the impact this will have on food security is of paramount importance, especially…
Update: Plant Health News (04 July 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including frosts affecting citrus in Argentina, Plum pox virus in Japan, and new disease resistant bean varieties in Rwanda. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Plantwise plant clinics start up in China
A pilot scheme of Plantwise clinics has started in China. Huanhuan Wan and Caroline Scotter-Mainprize report on the success of the first clinic session in Southwest China. China’s first Plantwise plant clinic was successfully established in Rongjiang town, Xing’an county, Guangxi province, Southwest China on 19 May 2012. A great number of local farmers arrived…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (27 June 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 black coconut bunch weevil found damaging coconut palms for the first time in Brazil, the first report of the lesion nematode, Pratylenchus agilis, parasitising wheat, and the first incidence…
Update: Plant Health News (21 Jun 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including further spread of desert locusts in West Africa following the fall of Gaddafi, scientists decoding the genome of Xanthomonas bacteria, and the ban of a neonicotinoid insecticide in France, which has been linked to colony collapse disorder in honeybees. Click on the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (13 Jun 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 species of Phytophthora detected in Germany and the USA, the first report of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens causing bacterial rot of onion in Korea, and molecular characterisation of a yellow…
Update: Plant Health News (07 Jun 12)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including imminent risk from Desert Locust swarms in Niger and Mali, the Asian psyllid being found on three fruit trees in California sparking worries on citrus greening disease in the area, and the Sigatoka banana disease that is threatening banana production in Ecuador.…