Expo visitors discover the plant clinic experience in Milan
For 3 minutes, you, too, can experience how smallholder farmers in over 30 countries receive the practical plant health advice they need to save their crops. This was the message shared with visitors of the live plant clinic session hosted by Plantwise at the Swiss Pavilion, Milan Expo on June 25. Plant clinics are one…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (24 Jun 15)
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 the tomato russet mite in northern Chile, Cytospora species associated with walnut canker disease in China, and globalisation, the founder effect, hybrid Phytophthora species and rapid…
Introducing APHLIS: The African Postharvet Losses Information System
Plantwise have recently been investigating APHLIS data, a great source of information on postharvest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Â The system is run by a network of local experts who collect and supply data. Â Using a shared database and a Losses Calculator APHLIS provide estimates of weight losses for cereal grains at a national and provincial…
Update: Plant Health News (17 Jun 15)
Contributed by Fiona Bunn Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the development of a new App in Kenya to help farmers select climate-smart seeds to maximise production, the use of drones to boost banana grower’s productivity in Columbia and new findings about how greening disease wreaks havoc in…
Increased carbon dioxide levels in air restrict plants’ ability to absorb nutrients
Contributed by Fiona Bunn A recent study from the University of Gothenburg has shown that plants that are grown in air with a higher percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) have reduced levels of nitrogen in their tissue, causing increased nitrogen deficiency and reduced growth. The study was conducted across four continents in large scale projects,…
Key decisions regarding pesticides at the Conferences of Parties of the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI Switzerland In May, the Conferences of Parties of the Rotterdam, Basel and Stockholm Conventions (Triple COPs) met in Geneva, Switzerland. These are the three major international conventions dealing with chemicals and hazardous waste at a global level, and one thing that they do is to list chemicals which the international…
Honduras- Jornada de salud de plantas en Belén, Ocotepeque
Texto escribido por Carlos Barrera, Coordinador de distrito y Doctor de plantas (SENASA Honduras). English summary follows La organizaciĂłn ALDEAS GLOBALES, en el municipio de BelĂ©n, Ocotepeque, está apoyando en coordinaciĂłn con el Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (SENASA) y el Centro Internacional de Bio ciencias AgrĂcolas (CABI), la iniciativa PLANTWISE, atendiendo la ClĂnica para…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (10 Jun 15)
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 Panama wilt disease of banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense in Pakistan, the first report of dieback of olive trees caused by Neofusicoccum australe…
How global hunger distribution has changed over the last 25 years #datavis
The FAO has published its annual report on global hunger statistics. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 declares that the number of hungry people in the world has dropped to 795 million – 216 million fewer than in 1990-92, despite a global population increase of 1.9 billion people. The full report can be accessed…
For better plant health in Africa: New strategy receives thumbs up
This week in Douala, Cameroon, the General Assembly of the African Union’s InterAfrican Phytosanitary Council (IAPSC) gave the thumbs up to IAPSC’s new strategic plan. IAPSC Director Dr Jean Gerard Mezui M’Ella thanked all the organisation’s partners who had assisted in the preparation of the plan, especially FAO’s Regional Office for Africa for funding the…