Why it’s so critical to continuously monitor and manage plant diseases
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Most of us understand the critical importance of monitoring the spread of diseases. And it is as important for plant diseases as it is for humans. Plant disease epidemics are often hidden from view, unlike human viral disease outbreaks. Yet food and forest production systems, as well as native…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (08 June 2020)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include the first report of the fungal pathogen Alternaria alternata on Sambucus ebulus in Iran and the first report of the moth Dervishiya cadambae on grapevine Vitis vinifera.
Africa’s smallholders to bear the brunt of COVID-19
This article was originally published by SciDev.Net Governments need to support millions of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa as the agriculture sector bears the brunt of COVID-19 lockdowns and trade restrictions, scientists say. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Africa Agriculture Outlook 2016-2025, smallholder farms form about 80 per cent of all farms in Sub-Saharan Africa and directly employ more…
Test your plant health knowledge
>> Latest quiz just added Plantwise plant doctors are at the heart of our plant clinic network providing advice and information to farmers, logging their data for the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, and always adapting to new outbreaks and technologies. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a plant doctor? Take our online plant health…
Pests in a pandemic? India’s plant doctors will see you online now
This article was originally published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. During coronavirus lockdown, Indian farmers have been able to join ‘e-clinics’ to get a diagnosis of problems plaguing their crops, helping limit the damage When Victor, Mary’s husband, decided to travel abroad for work, he left her a plot of land to cultivate in southern…
The importance of plant clinics to Nepalese smallholder farmers
Nepal has immense diversity in its agro-climate and its crop production, thanks to the variation in its physical landscape. However, it faces a major constraint on its agricultural production, due to pests. Various studies indicate that about 35–40% of pre- and post-harvest losses in Nepal are caused by pests. Several types of chemicals are used…
Call for content: Knowledge Bank factsheets
The Plantwise Knowledge Bank is a gateway to practical online and offline plant health information, and reinfocing agricultural advisory services around the world that provide plant health advice to farmers. It includes diagnostic resources, best-practice pest management advice and plant clinic data analysis for targeted crop protection.
Remote technology transfer and advisory services for farmers during COVID-19
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are enforcing restrictions to save lives. Communities are having to change the way they live and work, often relying more on digital tools, if they can. During this unprecedented time, it is vital that smallholder farmers can still access plant health information and advice without…
Spotted coffee grasshopper in Bangladesh
Even during the COVID lockdown, news channels buzzed in Bangladesh on the arrival of swarms of an unknown pest that were partially covering mango and guava crops, and some forest trees in Teknaf Upazila, Cox’s Bazar District.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (07 May 2020)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include the first report of Lasiodiplodia theobromae causing fruit rot in Melon in Thailand and the first report of the red palm mite Raoiella indica in Manabí, Ecuador.