Two-way SMS platform offers farmers timely management advice for fall armyworm in Kenya
This article was originally published on the PRISE website During the 2019 short rains season in Kenya, PRISE partnered with Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD) to provide maize farmers with timely pest management information on Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). By building on PAD’s existing messaging service, which is run in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the two-way…
Sentinel trees: an early warning system for new invasive threats
With increased levels of human development, transportation and changing climates, we are seeing greater instances of invasive species introduction and spread across all continents. Such invasive species can cause significant ecological and economical impacts in targeted areas, for example the elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes) which spread across Europe from North American log transports and…
UAV spraying: combating the spread of fall armyworm across China
Fall armyworm (FAW) has continued to spread across China since early January, with the pest being identified in over 600,000 hectares of farmland across 18 provinces. Now, the government and farmers are looking for solutions to tackling this invasive species. Fall armyworm in an incredibly destructive pest species native to the tropics and sub-tropics of…
National emergency declared as Colombia confirms the presence of TR4 banana disease
The global banana industry is facing a new major threat. On the 8th August, the Colombian Agricultural Institute announced that it has confirmed the presence of a strain of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) in the northern region of the country. Since then the Colombian government has issued a national…
Giant Hogweed: Biology, Impacts and Management
Edited by Corin Pratt and Marion Seier. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a monocarpic perennial herb, native to the Caucasus region. Since the late 1800s, giant hogweed has spread extensively across Europe and in eastern and western parts of North America following its likely initial introduction to the continent as an ornamental curiosity as early…
New Trial Eradicated 80% of a Disease-Carrying Mosquito Population
A new trial experiment undertaken in Australia has been shown to successfully eliminate 80% of the disease-bearing mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Himalayan Balsam: Cause or Associate of Soil Erosion?
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is a non-native annual plant that was introduced into parts of Europe during the mid-nineteenth century as an ornamental plant for parks and gardens. This plant species was first recognised as an invasive species and a threat to ecological stability in the 1930’s. However, since then the problem has escalated and…
Parthenium: Controlling the world’s most destructive toxic weed
The poisonous Parthenium hysterophorus plant is one of the world’s most destructive invasive plant species, threatening biodiversity, food security and human health across numerous countries. The herb is native to Central and South America but has spread to over 40 countries over recent decades including Australia, India, Ethiopia, Swaziland and South Africa.
Hybrid Swarm: A Threat to Food Security in South America
By Charlotte Day. Australian scientists have published findings confirming the hybridisation of two of the world’s most invasive agro-pests into a more advanced ‘mega-pest’.