Seek and destroy: use of nematodes for insect pest control
This article was originally published on the CABI BioProtection Portal blog. Visit the original blog post here. With many insecticides being banned from use in agriculture due to their harmful effects on users and the environment, nematodes can offer an effective alternative to controlling these insect pests. They are particularly useful in managing pests that are difficult to target…
Soil-dwelling worms threatening farmers’ livelihoods
By Wilson Odhiambo. Originally published on SciDev.Net. As soil-dwelling worms threaten smallholders’ livelihoods, governments should act fast, writes Wilson Odhiambo. David Magondo, a father of three from Central Kenya, has been farming for over 35 years in an activity that has helped him feed and take care of his family. But the once dependable source…
Factsheet of the month: November 2015 – Using natural nematicide plants against banana nematodes
Researchers at Queen’s University, Belfast, have developed a new method to control the parasitic nematodes that devastate banana crops and cause billions of dollars of crop losses annually. It is hoped that this new technology will reduce these losses, boosting the incomes of subsistence farmers in developing countries. Nematodes are notoriously difficult to control, and…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (17 Sep 14)
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 Fusarium wilt in blueberry caused by Fusarium oxysporum in China, a new species of Beamerana from southeastern Brazil and new records of plant parasitic nematodes from rhizosphere…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (03 Sep 14)
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 occurrence of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum on banana pseudostems in the Brazillian state of Minas Gerais, fire blight disease on apricot and cherry plum in Hungary and identification of…