Biocontrol agent released to safeguard crops from parthenium weed in Pakistan
Invasive plants can be extremely harmful to crops. “Famine weed” or parthenium is one such plant. Native to tropical America, it was accidentally introduced to several countries. In Pakistan, the weed now covers thousands of hectares of agricultural and rangeland. And it poses an economic burden to farmers.
Controlling the papaya mealybug pest – progress made in coastal Kenya
An initiative to combat the destructive papaya mealybug in Kenya is reaping rewards. A natural predator – a parasitic wasp – has been introduced to coastal counties to help control the pest. This tiny wasp is helping to prevent the damage caused by the mealybug. It’s not only helping to save papaya farms. It’s safeguarding…
How has a ‘writeshop’ helped to address invasive apple snail in Kenya?
Invasive species, like apple snail, are a threat to food security. It’s important that they’re quickly managed before they start to spread. One of the best ways to do this is to share plant health knowledge with smallholder farmers. And writeshops are an excellent tool for gathering evidence-based information to do this. In this blog,…
The Formosan subterranean termite: a destructive force
Termites, numbering over 3,100 species worldwide, are infamous for their ability to wreak havoc on building structures and vegetation. The Coptotermes genus particularly stands out, containing the most termite pests, with 28 pest species. However, one species, in particular, has gained prominence as the most widespread and economically significant of them all. The Formosan subterranean…
Horizon scanning and pest risk analysis of prioritized pests in Bangladesh
PlantwisePlus recently led a workshop in Bangladesh focused on building capacity on the prioritization of invasive alien threats and pest risk analysis using CABI decision support tools. PlantwisePlus facilitated a two 2-day each training workshops in Bangladesh on horizon scanning and pest risk analysis (PRA) respectively. A number of CABI staff travelled to Dhaka to…
CABI helps Kenyan farmers combat invasive apple snail
In 2019, Kenyan farmers first started reporting instances of the invasive apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) infesting rice paddy nurseries. Thanks to speedy action by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Ministry of Agriculture, intervention actions were rolled out across the country. Importantly, these interventions spread awareness of the new invasive pest and…
Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease – the invasive threatening maize
Maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND) was first identified in Peru in 1973. Since then, the disease has spread rapidly to other parts of Latin America and the USA. In Africa, the disease was first reported in Kenya in 2011. By 2014, it had spread to other countries in East Africa including Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan,…
PlantwisePlus: detecting and responding to plant health threats
Invasive species specialist Dr Ivan Rwomushana is one of the Global Team Leaders for CABI’s new global PlantwisePlus programme. His role within the programme is to strengthen decision support systems for the detection and response to pest outbreaks and plant health threats.
These e-Plant Doctors Can Help Solve Farmers’ Crop Woes in Minutes. Here’s How.
This article was originally published on ‘the better india’ When K Pathi noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm attack his corn plants, he didn’t rush to get pesticides. He did something entirely different. When 49-year-old K Pathi, a farmer in Maramadakki village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm (locally known as…
Farmers in India use biointensive methods to manage fall armyworm
In mid-2018, presence of the highly invasive fall armyworm (S.frugiperda) was confirmed in Karnataka State, India. Since then, Plantwise and partners have been on the ground working to create awareness among farmers and contributing to the development of safe and effective management of the pest. Under a project funded by the CABI Development Fund (CDF),…
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