Development of defenses against diseases threatening food crops worldwide (Science Daily)

Read at :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131108102150.htm

Defending Food Crops: Whitefly Experimentation to Prevent Contamination of Agriculture

Experimentation with whitefly-transmitted diseases provides a means of interfering with the plant-contamination process as well as the cultivation of plants that are altogether resistant to infection.

Nov. 8, 2013 — On November 8th, JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, will introduce a new technique to aid in the development of defenses against diseases threatening food crops worldwide. The method, published under the title Transmitting Plant Viruses Using Whiteflies, is applicable to such at-risk crops as tomatoes and common bean plants. The whitefly method provides a means of interfering with the plant-contamination process as well as the cultivation of plants that are altogether resistant to infection.

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New Weapon Against Crop Pests (Science Daily)

Read at :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120712092431.htm

Potential New Weapon Against Crop Pests Discovered

ScienceDaily (July 12, 2012) — A team of scientists from the University of Greenwich’s Natural Resources Institute (NRI), working with colleagues in the UK and Tanzania, has made a discovery that could provide a new means to control insect crop pests around the globe.

The research team discovered that some African armyworms carry a small bacterium called Wolbachia which makes them more vulnerable to a natural virus which can be used as a biopesticide.

The African armyworm is a devastating caterpillar pest which feeds on cereal crops, including maize, wheat, millet and rice. Up to 500,000 caterpillars can sometimes attack a single hectare and totally destroy a crop. They are a major threat to food security in Africa, where chemical pesticides are too expensive for most farmers.

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Adverse environmental conditions affect yield more than crop pests and diseases (Science Daily)

Read at :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110425173844.htm

Understanding How Crops Deal With Stress — Yield’s Biggest Enemy

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2011) — Like people, plants experience stress. And also, like people, the response to that stress can determine success.

People can exercise, or rest, or talk about the problem.

For plants, ways to deal with stress are internal. And ISU researchers are trying to understand how they do it.

Stephen Howell is a professor of genetics, development and cell biology and former director of the Plant Sciences Institute at ISU. His research is featured in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We’ve discovered a new arm of the pathway by which plants activate a response to environmental stress,” he said.

Adverse environmental conditions, such as drought, flood, heat and other stresses, affect yield more than crop pests and diseases. Finding a way to maintain high yields for plants under stress is a goal of plant breeders and other agriculture stakeholders, said Howell.

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Exploiting diversity in crops is the best option to improve food security (Science Daily)

Read at :

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411194819.htm

Combating Plant Diseases Is Key for Sustainable Crops

ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 2011) — Climate change is likely to make plants more vulnerable to infectious disease, which will threaten crop yield and impact on the price and availability of food. Dr Adrian Newton, presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Harrogate, explains how exploiting diversity in crops is the best option to improve food security in a changing climate.

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Ensuring safe trade of plant material and plant products of Africa (New Agriculturist)

Read at :

http://www.new-ag.info/news/newsitem.php?a=1804

New initiative to improve plant health in Africa

An African initiative, aimed at ensuring safe trade of plant material and plant products, has been launched in Nairobi, Kenya. The Centre for Phytosanitary Excellence (COPE) has been created to help African countries improve their plant inspection services to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and diseases, and increase trade opportunities. “Although Africa has the resources to generate thriving external trade on agricultural commodities to access global markets, products must meet international phytosanitary standards,” CABI executive director Dennis Rangi said during the launch. “Africa must strengthen national and regional phytosanitary systems if we want to penetrate the global market.”

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Written by Maina Waruru

Striga infested maize in Malawi, Uganda,Tanzania and Kenya (AATF)

Read at :

http://www.aatf-africa.org/publications/general_publications

Baseline Study of Smallholder Farmers in Striga Infested Maize Growing Areas of Central Malawi
			This report presents the results from a livelihood study of smallholder farmers carried out in Striga stricken maize growing areas in four districts of central Malawi namely Dedza, Kasungu, Mchinji and Lilongwe. Maize is the major staple in Malawi and the Central Region as the major maize growing area. Given its pivotal position in the national food basket, maize is marketed in both rural and urban centres. The maize sub-sector has been constrained by many factors of which Striga is among the more significant production constraints. A selective sampling strategy was used to select the four districts from which 40 villages mostly hit by Striga were randomly selected. Seventy-five (75) households in each district were randomly selected for interviews.
Baseline Study of Smallholder Farmers in Striga Infested Maize Growing Areas of Eastern Uganda
			This report presents the results of a livelihood study of smallholder farmers undertaken in Striga-infested maize growing areas in four districts of eastern Uganda, namely Tororo, Busia, Budaka and Namutumba. Maize is an important crop in this region but its production has been constrained by a number of constraints of which Striga is ranked first. A structured sampling strategy was used to select the four districts from which 40 villages mostly affected by Striga were randomly selected. Seventy-five (75) households in each district chosen were randomly selected for interviews
Baseline Study of Smallholder Farmers in Striga infested Maize Growing Areas of Eastern Tanzania
			The report presents findings from a livelihood study of smallholder farmers in Striga-infested, maize growing areas of eastern Tanzania using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). The report provides baseline indicators against which the progress of future interventions to control Striga can be objectively measured. The study was conducted in five districts, namely Morogoro, Mvomero, Muheza, Mkinga and Handeni. The selection of districts was based on two criteria; maize being among the major crops and Striga being a major constraint to maize production. The study was conducted in five districts involving a total of 20 villages covering a sample size of 301 households. Baseline Study of Striga Control using IR Maize in Western Kenya The report presents the results of a baseline study undertaken to assess the status of Striga damage, the general livelihoods and livelihood strategies of the rural poor in western Kenya. A stratified random sampling method led to the selection of 8 districts, 16 sub-locations, 32 villages and 800 households. A combination of techniques for data collection was used, including literature review, GPS recordings, focus group discussions and interview of individual households. The study revealed that households are small in size and dependency ratio is high. There were about 26% of households headed by females. The level of education is low for the heads of households and all members of farm families. Households are endowed with a multitude of assets for their livelihoods. Maize is the major food crop and a source of cash income. Farmers grow both local and improved (hybrid) maize varieties, but the productivity is low. –

Rot-resistant Wheat Could Save Farmers Millions (Science Daily)

Read at : Science Daily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112609.htm

Rot-resistant Wheat Could Save Farmers Millions

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2009) — CSIRO researchers have identified wheat and barley lines resistant to Crown Rot — a disease that costs Australian wheat and barley farmers $79 million in lost yield every year.

Crown Rot, which is a chronic problem throughout the Australian wheat belt, is caused by the fungus Fusarium.

Dr Chunji Liu and his CSIRO Plant Industry team in Brisbane are using sophisticated screening methods to scan over 2400 wheat lines and 1000 barley lines from around the world to find the ones resistant the fungal disease.

“The wheat and barley lines showing resistance to Crown Rot are now being used in pre-breeding programs to incorporate the resistance into adapted varieties for delivery to the wheat breeding companies,” Dr Liu says.

Crown Rot infects many grasses and weeds found in wheat growing regions and minimum till cropping encourages Fusarium which survives in cereal stubbles.

War against deadly wheat fungus (SciDev.Net)

Read at : SciDev.Net

http://www.scidev.net/en/news/new-hope-in-war-against-deadly-wheat-fungus.html

New hope in war against deadly wheat fungus

Carla Almeida

19 March 2009 | EN | ES

An international effort has yielded new wheat varieties resistant to a devastating fungus spreading from Africa towards Asia.

The research was presented at a meeting this week (17–20 March) in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, which has attracted hundreds of crop specialists concerned with the rapid spread of Ug99 — a strain of stem rust fungus that first emerged in Uganda ten years ago.

Researchers have developed around 60 new wheat varieties containing several genes with a small resistance effect to Ug99. Although such genes might not provide as much protection as genes that cause a high level of resistance, the researchers believe they will be more efficient in the long term, as they will force the fungus to overcome a wider array of genetic barriers.

Drought-Afflicted China Seeks To Decouple Water Use (Google / Green Car Congress)

Read at : Google Alert – drought

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/02/drought-afflict.html

Drought-Afflicted China Seeks To Decouple Water Use From GDP, Sets 60% Reduction Target (corrected)

Xinhua. Faced with widespread drought and water shortages, China’s Water Resources Minister Chen Lei has announced a national goal of reducing the country’s water use, as measured by the amount of water used per unit of GDP, to about 55% of current consumption by 2020. The target is 125 cubic meters (33,000 gallons) of water per 10,000 yuan (US$1,460) of gross domestic product, a reduction of 60% from 2007 figures. For 2008, official figures are 229 cubic meters per 10,000 yuan of GDP.

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About 158 million mu (10 million hectares) of wheat crop have been damaged or destroyed by the country’s worst drought in half a century, according to official figures. Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced that the Puccinia striiformis fungus, which is commonly known as stripe rust, had spread to 753,00 hectares of wheat, a 40% increase over last year’s outbreak. The MOA expects the prevailing dry climate to accelerate the spread of the fungus.

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—Jack Rosebro

Impacting Lives with New Technologies (AATF-Africa)

Read at: http://www.aatf-africa.org/index.php

Delivering the Promise: Impacting Lives with New Technologies Contents: ♦ Facilitating the Adoption of Strigaway® Maize Technology ♦ Striga Management in Maize Fields in Sub-Saharan Africa ♦ Major Hurdles Overcome: Essential Steps in Developing Bt Cowpea Achieved ♦ Joining the War to Combat the Banana Bacterial Wilt Epidemic in Africa ♦ Bracing for Genetically Modified Crops ♦ Product Stewardship ♦ Gluing Public/Private Partnerships ♦ Science, Technology and Agriculture in Africa: – Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology ♦ AATF Strategy (2007–2015) ♦ AATF – People Working Together

The truth about organic gardening (Google / Chicago Tribune / Willem)

Read at : Google Alert – gardening

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/home/chi-0323organicmar23,1,2932019.story

The truth about organic gardening

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

By Beth Botts |TRIBUNE REPORTER

March 23, 2008

Jeff Gillman believes in the bedrock idea of organic gardening: that maintaining healthy soil, full of organic matter and beneficial microorganisms that release nutrients to plants, is the way to make plants thrive. But he’s bothered by what organic gardening has become. Over the last 40 years or so, the concept has evolved to demonize the use of all synthetic chemicals. Meanwhile, Internet message boards crackle with recipes for supposedly “natural” home-brewed pesticides and plastic spray bottles labeled “organic” shoulder their way onto the insecticide shelf at the garden center.

Pests Control Basics (Plant Care Tips)

Wherever you find plants – eventually you’ll find pests. Knowing what you”re going to battle can reduce the time it takes to get them under control.

Pests Control Basics

You may access Pests Control Basics anytime at…
http://www.plantcaretips.com/pests-control-basics.html

If you have any questions at all, please let me know.

Happy Growing,
Gary Antosh
Gary Antosh <gha@netrus.net>

Gary Antosh is a commercial nurseryman and acclaimed author with
over 25 years of plant growing experience.

Learn to Grow Like the Pros

– Indoor House Plant Secrets
http://www.Indoor-House-Plant-Secrets.com

– How to Care for Your Ficus
http://www.ficuscare.com

– How to Care for Your Dracaena
http://www.dracaenacare.com

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