4 pests and diseases of maize

Maize is an important crop, grown by smallholder farmers around the world. It is a staple food in the diets of millions and is vital for food and economic security. However, there are a number of pests and diseases that attack maize and limit yields. Below we outline four pests and diseases of maize and…
Read Further

Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease – the invasive threatening maize

Maize field
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,…
Read Further

Maize lethal necrosis disease on the decline in Kenya

Maize field
Plant clinic data collected by Plantwise countries in East Africa has corroborated a statement from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) which said maize lethal necrosis disease (MLN) is “under control but not eradicated”.
Read Further

Researchers Learn from Plant Viruses to Protect Crops

strawb
By Claire Asher. Reblogged from The Scientist magazine. In 2011, Noah Phiri was working with local farmers in Kenya to combat the fungal pathogen that causes coffee leaf rust when another virulent plant disease began wiping out maize in the country’s southwest corner. Infected plants developed pale streaks on their leaves, then wilted and died. Some farmers…
Read Further

La Necrosis letal del maíz amenaza la producción en América del Sur

English version below the break. Artículo elaborado por Joao A. Jeque Junior, Léna Durocher-Granger y José Gómez Vargas. La enfermedad conocida como la necrosis letal del maíz (MLN, por sus siglas en inglés), causada por la co-infección de dos virus, está amenazando la producción de maíz en el Ecuador. Según el Ministerio de Agricultura, la incidencia…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (10 Apr 15)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the identification of genes that increase resistance to potato late blight, improved onion storage in Burkina Faso and the identification of a natural bacterium that kills plantain moth larvae. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease Spreads To Uganda

strawb
Maize Lethal Necrosis disease, which was first reported in Kenya and Tanzania, has now spread to Uganda, raising concerns for food security in the country. The Ministry of Agriculture has warned that Maize Lethal Necrosis has been reported in districts in eastern Uganda, including Busia and Tororo. A spokesman for the Agriculture Research Organisation, Robert…
Read Further