Plantwise Brazilian team participates at EMBRAPA’s “6th Field Day on Integrated Systems for Agricultural Production”

Dr Yelitza Colmenarez and José Gómez represented the Plantwise programme in a field day organized by the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation).  EMBRAPA is an affiliated institution to the Ministry of Agriculture, devoted to the advancement of Brazilian agriculture through technology. The event was hosted by EMBRAPA’s agro-silviculture unit in Sinop,…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (27 Apr 16)

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 Zucchini yellow mosaic virus on Cucurbita moschata in India, the identification of Wasabi mottle virus infecting wasabi in Taiwan and the occurrence of algal leaf spot…
Read Further

UK leads the transformation of crop treatment in developing countries

strawb
Excerpt reblogged from Information Age You wouldn’t normally associate farmers with digital innovation – even less so in developing countries. But thanks to CABI’s approach to technology, crops are getting better treatment around the world. […] Through its Plantwise programme, which aims to reduce crop losses and improve food security by collecting and sharing information about plant…
Read Further

Buzzing activity around pollinator health

strawb
By Anu Veijalainen, CABI. Reblogged from CABI Hand-picked blog. Yesterday I cherished the start of spring in England by attending an event devoted to pollinators and pollination at the University of Reading. Most presentations at this meeting organised by the Royal Entomological Society were understandably about bees, but we also heard a few talks highlighting the…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (20 Apr 16)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the government in Nigeria introducing soil test kits to farmers, drought hitting bananas in Nicaragua and community managed irrigation schemes in Ethiopia to help ensure food security. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Plantwise Annual Report 2015 released

strawb
The Plantwise Annual Report for 2015 has been launched. The report is an update on programme implementation between January and December 2015, listing key highlights along with details on progress, lessons learned and next steps for each of the three programme components: Plant Health Systems Development, the Knowledge Bank and Monitoring & Evaluation. Highlights include: 4.5 million farmers reached through plant clinics, plant health rallies,…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (13 Apr 16)

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 molecular evidence of Citrus yellow vein clearing virus from citrus in Punjab, Pakistan, Pseudopestalotiopsis ignota and P. camelliae spp. nov. associated with grey blight disease of tea in China,…
Read Further

Kenya’s Phytosanitary Successes and Challenges

Contributed by Roger Day, CABI An “experimental item” added to the agenda of the 2014 Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) was reports of successes and challenges in implementing the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).  Each year a couple of countries (or Contracting Parties in the jargon) give a brief presentation, and first up at this  year’s…
Read Further

In drought-hit Burkina Faso, the (plant) doctor is in

strawb
Reblogged from Thomson Reuters Foundation Dieudonné Sedogo waits patiently in line to see the doctor in the scorching 49-degree Celsius heat of this village in central Burkina Faso. But the ailment he’s seeking to address today isn’t his own. Instead, it’s the one afflicting the wrinkled aubergine with yellowing leaves he’s carrying in his hand. “Every year…
Read Further

New initiative to support phytosanitary surveillance

strawb
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI As the standard setting organisation for plant health, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has long had an active, member driven programme to produce International Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). Moving forward, the IPPC is putting more and more emphasis on supporting the implementation of the ISPMs and the Convention itself by…
Read Further